A Prince, A View and Some Spaghetti

I saw Prince William today. On TV.

He was in the stands at the rugby game, cheering on England. You, dear friends and family, will be proud of me. I know enough about rugby to know who's playing. England v. South Africa. Last week it was England v. Paris and Edith Piaf's "Non je ne regrette rien" was blasting over the speakers as a cool hush fell over the Parisian side of the stadium. Poor guys.

Unlike any other sport that exists, I can somehow follow rugby. I'm not going to say I love it. The people here are mad for it. I like it sometimes. Especially when I catch a glimpse of my Prince in the stands.

K made dinner again tonight. I was starving and had to wait until 9 p.m. to have starters. They eat so late in Europe! It was worth the wait, though. A lovely plate of parma ham, fresh asparagus, olive oil poached red peppers and soft boiled eggs. Delish.

I certainly worked up an appetite today. T and I went to Regent's Park, which is simply lovely. We settled into a rose garden with roses still in bloom, and had tea and a brownie in the Regent's Park Garden Cafe. The brownie reminded me of the world's greatest brownie I make, a result of a tedious testing of 20 brownie recipes. T said it was the best brownie he'd ever had in London. He says the brownies here are rubbish. This one was cut thinly, almost like a biscotti, and was rich and fudgy without being too sweet. There were half pieces of hazelnuts in the mix, which was a lovely touch. We'd already been walking an hour or two by that point, so it was nice to stop and have a tea break.

We decided to go to Wagamama's for lunch, crossing yet another thing off my list. I only knew of one near Marylebone so we cut through the Park, spotting ducks and swans on our way. What a brilliant day for a walk. The weather was superb.

We walked through my favorite park in Marylebone and there was a little market where they sold jewelry, clothes, food and other artsy items. By the time we made our way to the restaurant, we'd been walking around the city for about 4 hours. After lunch, T asked if I'd fancy a trip to London Bridge. Why not? He showed me his office, which is on the 9th floor of a spectacular all-glass building built by a prominent British architect. Amazing. We sat on black leather swivel chairs, looking out onto the Thames, watching giant boats ferrying tourists en masse, and looking out over the whole city as if it were ours to rule. The Tower Bridge was at eye level.

After about six hours of walking, I had to go home. I came home and napped a bit then awoke to some brilliant aromas in the kitchen. Spaghetti bolognese. Bon appetit.