Sunday was move-in day, which means I finally have a new stomping ground. My flat (more on it later) is in Marylebone, which is in between Regents and Hyde Parks. After unpacking, I finally got to go for my first London run. I think I studied my map for a half-hour before I worked up the courage to try and find the park on my own. Turns out it's really only a 10 minute walk away.
Regents Park has a lot to offer: tennis courts, football (soccer) fields, a track, little cafe's, the Queen's rose garden, the London Zoo, an outdoor theatre with occasional live music/shows, little ponds, and paddle boats for rent. Running through it was cleansing. London is a beautiful, classy city, and it's not as crowded as NYC, but it sometimes makes me feel too suffocated. After living in the country my whole life, one thing I've learned about myself is that I need space- and Regents Park has plenty to offer.
I didn't bring my iPod because I wanted to get the full experience. I saw a lot of new couples with babies, elderly people going for a late-afternoon stroll, and dogs roaming around without a leash. I followed the sound of music playing to the outdoor arena, and caught a few glimpses of a live show. The kind of people who walk in a park on a Sunday afternoon are exactly the kind of people I wanted to see- families and friendly passerby's, all with a smile or a cheerful nod.
Midway through my run, I passed a pretty young, 20-something woman on her mobile trying to pinpoint the location of a friend. As I kept jogging I saw her and the friend (also on the phone trying to describe her location) run into each other, drop down their phones without hanging up, and laugh. They had been right next to each other the whole time. Immediately there were shrieks of, "How are you?" and "You look great!" I smiled to myself knowing that me and my friends would have done the same exact thing. My bought of homesickness ended with the realization that no matter where you go, people are the same.
