London has never been so close to the Continent. In a little over 2 hours, you can swap your café au lait and pain au chocolat for a strong cup of tea with milk and warm scones smothered in clotted cream. You might be slightly fazed by the plethora of Paul boulangeries popping up next to teahouses and pubs, but you won't wonder for long whether you just dreamt your transplantation. For one, that lady with the stroller who just bumped into you? She didn't keep on walking with her chin thrust out like some kind of weapon. Instead, she rested her hand on your arm, looked at you with sincere eyes, and said the unutterable for Parisians: "I'm sorry."Then there are the monuments. Fancy a peek at the British Library's prized shelves? Don't be disconcerted by nightmarish memories of the BNF's massive steel doors and mazelike corridors. The English came up with a library that doesn't make visitors feel like they're too stupid or unworthy to behold books.
You gotta wonder how a country so intent on keeping its monarchy can be so bloody democratic.
Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis . [Online image] 1988.
