Dancing shoes.

Traveller has been on a blogging break, of sorts.

It wasn't a conscious effort to not blog.

And, there's definitely been lots of fun Londony things to blog about.

But she just hasn't been feeling it.

T's not even sure if she's completely back.

She really just wants to tell you about her new favourite place in London.

There was dancing. Cocktails. And best of all...

there was a live, full piece, cuban salsa band!

Floridita is heaven.

Yep, that's right people, heaven is found in Soho, London.

The best part?

T was given a quick lesson by a very proficient salsa dancer, who proceeded to twirl her around the floor.

And something to drop in conversation?

There were a bunch of musicians just kicking it at the club and one of them was from Basement Jaxx. The band called him up and, after conferring for a few moments, he sung with them.

Then three more of his friends each did this and they were all amazing!

So fun.

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Hyde Park Horses.

Even though she hasn't blogged about in a while, Traveller is still running.

She's actually preparing herself for another half-marathon.

{silly girl}

Having run miles and miles through London, T is almost unaffected by the iconic landscape. She can run through Regent's Park without a second glance at the beautiful swans. She can do hill runs up Primrose and barely look at St. Pauls or the London Eye in the distance. And she can run through Hyde Park without noticing the Wellington Arch or Kensington Palace.

However, when running with RF in Hyde Park on Saturday, T came across a multitude of horses with riders in the official royal uniform. Instantly, T's breath was taken away. They were such an intensely beautiful sight.

Wishing she had a camera and wondering along with RF if the Queen was in tow, Traveller's daze was broken by another runner in front of her.

The runner {whilst still running at quite an admirable pace} proceeded to yell obscenities at the poor unsuspecting horses and in between the various types of colourful language, words like 'tax payers' money' and 'waste' were heard at full volume.

In London there will forever be a juxtaposition between the fairytale and the reality.

It was still pretty, though.

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A good cry.

Recently, Traveller seems to be having the same conversation with different groups of friends... What makes you cry?

For some it is films.

For quite a few it has been films of the Disney variety.

Some have even admitted to crying in 'Beauty and the Beast'!

This was a grown man.

True story.

Traveller's first movie cry was one of two movies - she can't actually remember which one came first. Both weren't just 'dabbing at the eyes' tears, but were more of an embarrassing sobbing kind where everyone in the movie theatre stares at you. Well, they would, if they weren't crying too.

The first movie was 'The Lion King'; the part where Mufasa dies just breaks T's heart.

That Scar was just so mean.

The second was 'My Girl'; the part where Vada comes into the funeral and starts asking, 'Where's his glasses?'

Harrowing stuff.

Anyhoo, Traveller really wanted to mention two novels that have caused a similar reaction.

T has just read both of Khaled Hosseini's novels, 'The Kite Runner' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' and whilst she knows she's a little behind the eight ball, Traveller cannot believe how brilliant they are. They are the sort of novels that you can't read on public transport because, if you are anything like Traveller, you start cursing the key antagonists, or just simply cry because it is so sad!

The novels, whilst heart-breaking, are tremendous accounts of the human spirit and of triumph over adversity. And whilst they are set against the backdrop of war-torn Kabul and tales of its destruction are eminent to the novels, their description of the Afghani culture and landscape is truly beautiful.

Holiday reading list material, for sure.

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