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Well after just over a month of Paris life, it was time for a holiday - both from 'work' and attempting to learn/speak French. It felt like only yesterday, but at the same time months ago, that I was last at Heathrow - it was quite funny to think of how I was apprehensive about what my family and life in Paris would be like last time I was here! I made my way to Kew Gardens where Alan and Cathy, along with Ruby, Carys and Lyle met me - even though I was only 9 when I last met them it was nice to see some familiar people and to have no language barriers to battle against for conversation! We had a lovely bbq for dinner and some cake for Alan's birthday! The area they live in is gorgeous - like a little village with lots of trees, but also really close to London.
After sorting out my visa for France on Monday morning (listening to the hassles had by people from other countries only attempting to get visitor visas for France made me appreciate being Australian and being able to go pretty much anywhere without too much fuss!) I figured out which direction Kensington Gardens were in and decided to see if I could get there by walking... eventually did and so continued on past Diana's memorial fountain, through Hyde Park, past Buckingham Palace (so much smaller than I remembered!), up to Trafalgar Square and then headed to Oxford street for some shopping, after a quick look at Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. London has a very different feel from Paris - it's hard to explain exactly what, other than the buildings, but there is just a very different 'energy' or something like that... it is a lovely change - even if on the tube just as much of what I hear is in a foreign language as in Paris.
A couple of times when I was trying to figure out where to go, or searching for something in a shop I had a sudden realisation that I could easily ask anyone for help without having to stand and think of what to say first. It definitely took a couple of days for my brain to relax.
I managed to go from cold (ish) weather in Paris to a massive heatwave in London (not exactly what I was expecting)... which lasted until Monday. In my ignorance I left the house on Tuesday in a little summery dress, and realised halfway to the tube station that I had left my cardigan sitting on my bed... obviously it wasn't worth going back for - a decision which I regretted about fifteen minutes later when it became freezing cold!
I made my way to Tate Modern - which is an amazing museum. However when I left I walked into a storm of freezing cold wind and pouring rain - still wearing only my itsy bitsy summers dress... I then spent the next hour shivering in Starbucks hoping the rain would stop, and then the two hours after that searching for something warm to buy! I eventually found an H&M (amazingly cheap clothes store) and a shawl/poncho type thing that I will probably never wear again... but I was almost at the stage of frostbite and therefore desperate!
Wednesday morning was a trip to Harrods, I was so excited to see the lolly section (and as with most places that I remember from when I was nine, I was disappointed by how small it was!) I had forgotten about the Egyptian theme, as well as the slightly creepy statue of Diana... but it is definitely an amazing store (I nearly had a heart attack when looking at the prices in the antique area). I indulged in some shortbread biscuits, mostly for the Harrods tin they came in - and their deliciousness was a definite bonus!
On Thursday Cathy managed to talk me into going up the London Eye, which I had been unsure about as it is quite expensive (not to mention the queues!) and I really am so glad I did it! It is an amazing view of the whole city, I had to stop myself from taking photographs after a while and just enjoy the experience! I then walked to Tower of London, which was another touristy thing that I had been going to skip - but again was really glad I didn't! It was quite hilarious standing in line to see the Crown Jewels and listening to a man standing behind me answering all his daughters questions about what she was seeing incorrectly though. I even saw the actress who played Anne Boleyn in The Tudors on the tube that evening!
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