This weekend, I attended the State of the Browser conference in London, an event run by the London Web Standards community. I stayed in the city for a few days to attend the event. One of the highlights of my trip, aside from the delightful and engaging conversations at the State of the Browser event, were my London sunrise walks.

During the trip, I stayed in the center of London, near one of the bridges crossing over the Thames river. Thus, a few minutes after leaving my hotel I was able to get to the river and look to see the grand skyscrapers of the City of London, the beautiful buildings with a range of architectures across the river, the rotunda from St. Paul’s Cathedral, and more.

I was up early enough that the sun was still rising but not so early that it was dark out. The sun progressively became more brighter, beaming light across the city. After crossing a bridge to get to the other side of the river, the sun started to melt away the fog. I had to don my sunglasses that I had in my pocket. (I often forget my sunglasses. I am glad I remembered them!) It was early, a bit chilly outside, but I needed sunglasses. Other people walking on the same path by the river wore them, too.

I felt a sense of joy as the sun rose. I enjoyed seeing people saunter. People admired the city. Some people took selfies.

I kept walking around, thinking about how the city was still waking up. Gradually, I saw more people outside. It became warmer. I went on with my day with a feeling of joy from my peaceful morning walk.