ぐっすり眠れるかなと思ったら意外と早く目が覚める。やはり1日で時差ボケ調整は厳しいのかな。

友人がいれてくれた熱い紅茶で目を覚まし、近所にあるカフェに朝食へ。

イタリア系の家族が100年以上(1900年から!)経営するそのお店、週末は並ばないと入れないくらいの人気店とのこと。

オーソドックスなイングリッシュブレックファスト。

昨夜のPUBと同じく、隠しきれない時の流れの重みが壁やらテーブルやらに染み込んでる。

触れないでおこうかとも思ったんだけど、それにしても物価が高い。円安も相まって、この朝食、コーヒー付きで3400円。笑

日本経済、大丈夫？

そして今日は1日中ロンドンの街を歩くと決めていたから、所々地下鉄の力を借りながら、それでも歩く、歩く。朝食の高カロリーは5時間のウォーキングで相殺かな。

観光スポットにはさほど興味がないので、街や路地の成り立ちを堪能しながらひたすら歩く。

デビットボウイの某有名アルバムジャケットが撮影された建物をたまたま見つけたり、つい最近見た映画のロケ地をこっそりと確認したり。

昔の自分ならそんなに興味を持てなかっただろう歴史的建築物に惹かれていることも新たな発見だった。

今夜お酒は少し控え目で、明日別れを告げる友人宅で音楽鑑賞、静かな夜を過ごし1日を締めくくる。

Day 2.

I thought I would get a good night’s sleep, but surprisingly I woke up early. It’s tough to adjust to jet lag in one day maybe.

My friend made me a cup of hot English tea, and it completely woke me up and went to a nearby cafe for breakfast.

It has been run by an Italian family for more than 100 years (since 1900!). I was told that it is so popular that you have to wait in line on weekends to get in.

Had a typical English breakfast.

As in the PUB last night, the weight of the passage of time, which cannot be hidden, has seeped into the walls, tables, and other parts of the building.

I thought about not touching them, but then again, prices are way too high than before! This breakfast, including coffee, cost 3,400 yen!

Is the Japanese economy doing okay?

And since I had decided to walk the streets of London all day today, I still walked and walked, with the help of the subway in places. I guess the high calories from breakfast were offset by the 5 hours of walking.

I’m not that interested in the famous sights, so I just walk and walk, while enjoying the city and the alleyways.

I happened to spot the building where David Bowie’s album cover was shot, and I also secretly checked out the location of a movie I had just recently seen.

It was a new discovery for me that I am attracted historical buildings that I would not have been so interested in in the past.

Had a little less beer and spent a quiet evening listening to music at a friend’s house, where I will say goodbye tomorrow, to end the day.