Good afternoon from good-old London town!

I've left the blog of the last couple of days build up so here's an overview of what has been happening in my life at the moment.

Yesterday was a marathon. We had to buy our tickets to Oxford for the weekend and then the Eurostar for next Monday to Paris. After standing in line in a few places and asking many, MANY people which is the best way to get to Oxford and when was the cheapest time to travel to Paris we got our tickets. First the Eurostar. There were construction works being done upstairs from the Eurostar office that made the room quiver. Then we went back to King's Cross and got our return tickets to Oxford. We ended up getting the train for the way back that leaves Oxford a little after 5am in the morning. Mich and I thought it would be okay since we've been waking up at 5am every morning since we've been here but BIG news: today I slept until 7:30am! What utter bliss.

Anyway, most of yesterday was just chillaxing in the hostel until about 3pm when we decided to get up and go out. We ended up in Russel Square, a really nice part of the city. Mich wanted to see an Architecture museum and we found it quite easily (a first?). Outisde the museum a cool little park with sails for shade had been erected. It was so peaceful that when Mich went in to look at the architecture I just sat in this little park right beside the road and relaxed. If you're in the area some time soon you should take a look. Then it was on to Paperchase, a stationary store, (I can hear my family's groan from here) to just have a look. Half an hour, 3 floors and one basket later we walked out with a bag each full of stationary. What ever happened to the budget? But it wouldn't be an addiction if we went into the Mecca of stationary stores with our wallets untouched would it?

Today was our designated shopping day. I had come poorly prepared for the summer so I needed some cool clothes. So it was off to Bond Street! :D :D First it was to H&M with 3 floors of delicious clothes and then just dropping in on stores that looked interesting and didn't have creepy people standing out the front trying to make you come in with their stares. We also looked in on Harrods but didn't get very far becasue Mich and her Soya Latte were asked to leave (it was the Soya Latte's fault). After getting lost in the backstreets near Harrods we finally found the bus to the Royal Albert Hall, which was amazing. Wishing I could be back to see Van Morrison play there on my birthday we walked through the park opposite to Kensington Palace. We walked through the gounds that we could and me picturing Victoria and Albert meeting in that very place. Tear.

After a long walk we came to Notting Hill. Very trendy. Fish and Chips in The Champion, very nice pub, and then onwards through Notting Hill. I kept thinking I was seeing Alan Rickman around every corner but alas no sightings. We went to a music store and the Retro Clothes shop which both looked like something out of the 70s. There were a few nice things mixed in with some very awful stuff. Shoulder pads? Are you kidding?

We decided to catch the bus back to King's Cross which we had to do (come on!) but the traffic and time it took to get back sort of took the shine off the whole double-decker-red bus-in-London thing. I then spent the rest of the afternoon watching the Murray/Tsonga match with a Scotsman, a Frenchman and a guy from Holland (I think he's from Holland).

Until tomorrow!

Goodbye from a weary traveler.

xo