Day 3 – London: Walking Tour and Camden Town

(Written at the time) About Friday 5/17/13 in Paddington, London, UK.

Actually got out of bed before 10 today! The free hostel breakfast was terrible. I was better off starving. Came back to lie down for a bit and passed out like a light. Made it out of the room at 1 and got to Green Park in time for a free walking tour.

Asked the guide a few questions about getting into it (doing the tours myself). Might be something to consider. We went to places I had been before, but the stories he told were interesting. Plucking out the flowers in Green Park, breaking into B-ham palace, the flags and their meanings, the Athenium club, Coco Chanel and the lamp posts, the “Secret” bunker, the punishment parade, Nelson at Trafalgar Square, the Lions paws, the one person cop room, the lucky nose, the black spot, where the PM lives, and getting hung, drawn, and quartered. There was also the window tax, the barstool church, candle snuffers, and the “first soccer field”.

All this in about two hours. I paid/tipped $4. Well worth it. Then took the tube to Camden Town in search of a tea house featured in the map I was using. Yumchaa was awesome. Great vibe, delicious tea, free WiFi, what more could you want? The area also had the most reasonably priced food I had seen yet, especially on Camden House Rd. (I ended up having a crappy falafel wrap for 4 pound)

And I saw the first “Dollar” store! An excellent sign for a cheap area. Made it back to the hostel, chatted with my “roommates”, and repacked my bag for tomorrow. I’ll try to make it to changing of the guard before heading to the train station. We’ll see. Based on my trip so far, I have realized we all need purpose. Whether that purpose is told to us like in a job or career or we make it for ourselves (family, art, entrepreneurship), it must exist.

Otherwise, chaos ensues. Without purpose, you spend your time trying to satisfy impulsive desires. This is an absolute waste of time since you can never be satisfied. One desire gives way to another. And on and on and on. I think that’s why really rich people do drugs and go crazy. For us simpletons, a large part of out purpose is making money. Yes we are religious or creative or family men, but how many of you make that the greatest consumer of your time? My guess is that the leader is your job, followed closely by sleep/time in the bathroom, then whatever time is left is divided across a billion things “like butter spread over too much bread”.

Right now, I don’t really have a purpose, so I am looking forward to living and working at the Manor. My next great personal question is the difference between resiliency and stubborn will. More on that later.

Photo album here.