Visit From Home

I've been really lucky in my time away from Oz that I've had visits from my family every year since I have been away and this year was no different when my Dad made it over to visit. My Dad is where I get my travel genes from as in his youth he spent a lot of time in London and Europe exploring new cities so he was a bit of an old hat when it came to London.

Thankfully for me (who has seen them all a million times) we didn't have to hit the tourist hot spots and instead got to do a few things in London I had been meaning to do for ages. First of all we visited the Imperial War Museum that was on my Top 100 list and that had been recommended by friends. I found it interesting to see some of the big planes and tanks that were used and listen to lots of moving stories however I found much of it quite confronting and gruesome. Overall it was worth the visit but definitely made me think and be very thankful to come from a free country.

To perk ourselves up after a bit of a depressing start we headed over to one of my favorite riverside pubs for a few pints in the sun while we tucked into some typical English food. Even though I say I have seen the sights a million times it is still pretty amazing to be sitting on the river with a view of St Pauls across from you. After our meal we went and visited the oldest pub in London - The Cheshire Cheese. Its tucked away down a tiny alley in Fleet Street and is so dark and dingy it seemed a shame to waste a sunny day.

We had plans that evening to visit the Making of Harry Potter exhibit but with a few hours to kill before we got there we thought we would take advantage of the Barclays Bika hire scheme and ride through London. I have to say after a couple of pints I wasn't the most athletic as I could have been but it was still nice to mosey around the quiet back streets of London and check out the city that is normally hustling with workers. We docked our bikes at the tube station and made our way out to Harry Potter.

By this time poor Dad was exhausted with jet lag and even I was getting tired after a busy day but we powered through and headed into the exhibit. For those of you who are Harry Potter fans - it is so worth it. Seeing the sets and costumes was amazing and we spent hours walking through and reading all the background facts about how the movie was made. We even got to stand in the Knight Bus and drink Butter Beer (it was gross)It just made me want to sit down and read all the books and watch all the movies all over again - and trust me. I don't need to do that! The final part of the exhibit was a model of Hogwarts and it was pretty breathtaking to even see the small one.

After such a big day its hard to imagine that we would have the energy to back it up but we did! Our Sunday was spent ticking off another Top 100 adventure but also something I've been wanting to do for ages and that was visit Lords Cricket Ground for a tour and a game. We were up bright and early for a tour of the grounds and we spent a couple of hours with a fantastic and enthusiastic guide learning all about the history of Lords and the traditions that go on there. We got to visit the away teams change room and got to see the names of many Aussies who have got centuries up on the honor boards. We also got to (sadly) see the Ashes trophy currently being held in their museum. We got to go up into the media centre and see the view from the pitch as well as even see the slope from a little back entrance. Overall it was an amazing tour and one of the best I have done in London.

In between our time of our tour and game we had a couple of hours to kill so we wandered down to nearby Marleybone High Street and tucked into a traditional Sunday Roast. It was nice to have a rest and sit and watch the busy street go by but it wasn't long before we were off on our next adventure which was to visit the famous Abby Road Studios and THE pedestrian crossing. We wandered up there and were confronted by lots of tourists trying to do the same thing - get THE photo of them walking across the crossing. The cars must hate it! We got a photo in the end but as there was only two of us it wasn't quite the same. Still its quite cool to walk where they have walked.

In the early afternoon it was time for the match and we got our seats in the stand to watch a twenty20 match between two county teams. It was pretty eventful with lots of big hits, roars from the crowd and some cheerleaders. Although for both of us after a long day it was hard to get into the swing of things and when one team was quite obviously losing we decided to call it quits for a quiet evening at home.

Unfortunately for me it was back to work after a great weekend but Dad continued his holiday with a visit to some family friends. Our time in London together was pretty short but only because we are off on a trip to Norway!

Chinese New Year

I always love getting visitors from back home but I especially love getting to show them around when something cool is happening in London. A friend of mine from home Callum and a few of his friends were over doing a big European tour while I was at home doing my Aussie summer. A few days after I got back they arrived back in London conveniently on the first day of Chinese New Year celebrations.

We decided to check out the shenanigans by having dinner at a Dim Sim restaurant which was recommended by a friend. Since the parade was actually on the weekend and I wasn't going to be here for it I was a bit gutted we were missing out. I was happy to see that the party was starting with people handing out whistles and masks as we wandered the streets.



Luckily for us we had booked a table and managed to get into a large round table with a lazy susan in the middle. We soon got down to ordering dumplings and our meals while chatting over tiger beer. The food was delicious and as we sat and ate we saw the line start to head out the door and around the corner.

After we were stuffed full of food it was time to check out Soho and we wandered through chinatown to a bar offering half price cocktails. A couple of mojito's later and it was time to say goodbye. Once again the bad thing about visitors is when you have to leave them to their travels/flight/next adventure. Still I know its not the last time I see Cal in London - hopefully I've convinced him to come back.

To Market To Market

It was time to get stuck back into my Top 100 and one I had been wanting to try out for ages was the Colombia Road Market. Open on Sundays only this tiny market is famous for its fresh flowers.

Shea and I got up bright and early on a Sunday and made our way to East London past the Tower Hamlets and soon found Colombia Road by all the people walking in the opposite direction with gorgeous bunches of fresh flowers.

We wandered along the markets stopping every now and then to check out the flowers. They all looked so beautiful and fresh and the smell was amazing. I could have gone crazy with all the tulips, daisys, gerberas and roses on offer but had to settle for one little bunch of Tulips. One thing about England is that fresh flowers are always so cheap - it must be the weather but over here its sooooo much cheaper then Oz. Even so the markets are the cheapest. You can get three bunches for £10 which a bargain!




After checking out the market stalls we wandered around the corner and got a coffee and snack from the Lily Vanili bakery. This place is also only open on Sundays but I think that is what makes it so special. The line was curving around on itself and out the door but for good reason. The food was fresh and the coffee was one of the only decent lattes I've ever had in London. If you ever get a chance I recommend going there.

On our way back through the markets and we popped into all the little boutique stores that line the market. I could have gone crazy in all the stores with their bits and bobs but I don't really need new wall paper, retro lollies or expensive artwork. Maybe one day when I have that ideal London flat.

We had made a lunch with with some friends so we wandered along to Old Street where we tried to find a good place for lunch. We stumbled across a place called The Book Club. It is now my new favorite place. Gorgeous space with fairly lights, exposed brick and mish mash of chairs with amazing food and a huuuuge drinks menu. They also offer ping pong tournaments and life drawling classes on weeknights and turns into a decent bar during the weekends. I think it pretty much does anything except become a book club? I'm not sure.

It was a great Sunday exploring lots of different things. As a south west Londoner the trip out east is often a long and painful one but one days like the one I had its worth it!

First Weekend Back

After such an amazing time in Oz it was a bit hard coming back to the cold grey drizzle of london and the 9-5 of work. Luckily for me I had some good friends to keep me company and some unseasonably sunny days.

I spent Saturday night with my friends eating at my favourite cheap Vietnamese restaurant with BYO wine. Our dinner then turned into a few drinks at a local bar and those few drinks ended up being a few jagerbombs and a long boogie on the dance floor. Was good to be out with my friends after being away for 3 weeks and fun discovering a new bar.




The next day however wasn't too fun as I was suffering a bit of a hangover. However since the weather was so good I was undeterred and Lauren and I set about our plans to go out to Greenwich. I had been to Greenwich with my family on previous trips to the UK and I remember loving it. This time was no different! We decided to travel there in style and caught the Thames Clipper down the river to checking out all the sights along the way. Once we docked we wandered up to the Greenwich market where we poked around looking at the food and otht displays. We wandered through some little lane and got caught up in a lolly shoo before deciding to make the trip up to The Royal Observatory.





The Royal Observatory is home to the Greenwich Mean Line that divides the globe. It is also home to a museum full of history about world time, astonromy and clocks. It was really interesting walking around and seeing how each was developed and how the observatory was used. The best part was getting to stand on the mean line and be on the edge of the world. After the observatory we wandered down to the Maritime Museum which is full of information about the high seas. Well it had a lot to do with sailing, beaches and the ocean anyway. By this stage we were a little Museum-ed out and decided to flag looking at old ships and grab some grub.





We wandered past lots of little pubs and cafes that all looked inviting but when we stumbled across the fish and chip shop that had been on that site since the 1770's we couldn't go past. We even found a Chippy that served potato scollops and as we ordered them were immediately identified by the owner as Aussies.

After devouring our delicious fish and chips we decided to get the DLR back home. Being a bit of a transport nerd I was excited for my first trip on the light railway (which is pretty similar to a monorail I guess). We wound our way back from Greenwich through the towers of the city before getting the good old tube home.

I was exhausted after all my catching up, partying and touristing but it was worth it to have such a good weekend back. It made me miss home a bit less and remind me of the amazing place I live.

Chelsea Physic Garden

Late November not only brings shorter days and colder weather but the beginning of the festive season - and thus a tirade of Christmas posts from me leading up to the big day! One of my first festive adventures was to the Christmas Fair at the Chelsea Physic Garden

We arrived a bit before 12 after stopped to grab a coffee and a quick wander down Kings Road and paid our £8 to get in. I wasn't really sure what to expect as I hadn't done my research when looking in my guide book but when I got there I was surprised to find the Physic part of the name was actually about Physicians. Ok I know it sounds simple when you put it like that but it took me a little while to realise the reason for the gardens was to grow plants for medicinal purposes.





As we arrived just before a tour we decided to join one and learn a bit about the gardens. Our tour guide was a quite eccentric and enthusiastic older lady with the craziest posh accent I've ever heard. Whether it was real or put on it made the Queen sound like a chav. We wandered through the gardens while she pointed out different types of plants and trees while giving us a brief history of the gardens. She was told to keep the tours down to 15 minutes so people could enjoy the markets but half an hour later she didn't look like stopping so we bailed from the tour and did our own wandering.





The gardens were really pretty and it was such a nice sunny day that I thought that it would be such a nice place to come and get some peace and quiet without the hustle and bustle of other central parks like Hyde Park. The only shame is that it costs money every time you get in otherwise its the perfect place to sit and relax.

After we wandered the gardens we checked out the Christmas Fair Markets and found lots of stalls selling lots of things that we didn't really need or want. It was nice to look around but we don't need cashmere baby suits or intricately sewn lace doilies so after about half an hour we were sick of the jostling of crowds (of old ladies) and headed out of the gardens.

Was a great way to spend a sunny Sunday but not something I would recommend unless you had a great passion for gardening. Still something new to do and a change to bumming at home watching movies!

Nerdy Square Eyes Dork Face

Pretty much me all last weekend. I had planned the Harry Potter Walking tour on the Saturday followed by a trip to the Science Museum on Sunday. Yes and extremely nerdy weekend but both were something I had been wanting to do for ages.

Unfortunately for me and Danielle the Harry Potter walking tour was a no go due to unforeseen transport circumstances. I mean the tube in London is amazing and if you have ever spoken to me about it I can spiel about how amazing it is for 15 minutes but sometimes it just sucks. Like when there are abrupt delays preventing the train from moving and therefore you miss the beginning of the walking tour and have no idea where to find them. Dannie and I both got stuck in the same tube jam so instead of wandering the sights of Harry Potter we ended up in Central London lost for something to do. Luckily for us it was a nice day so we decided to make the most of it as we could and went for a wander.

We wandered down to Trafalgar Square for a bit of a people watch before jumping on a bus over to St Paul's Cathedral to check out the protesters and then walk across the Millennium Bridge to check out the Thames on a beautiful sunny London day. From there we wandered into the Swan restaurant at the Globe Theater where we had a delicious lunch while over looking the river. After hoeing into Eggs Benedict (Dannie) and Carrot Cake (Me) we needed to walk off our meal so we wandered from the Globe along the Thames down to Waterloo where there were Christmas Markets. It was nice to wander the Markets and start to get a feel of Christmas in London although it was hard to imagine since it was still so bright and sunny.



In the end we managed to get out and about and see some of the Harry Potter monuments (although without the commentary and repeating a few things we have seen before) so it wasn't all bad. Hopefully we get to do the walking tour sometime soon - next time we will leave even more time to get there!



On Sunday we had much more luck with the tubes and we managed to arrive at the Science Museum on time and in tact. We were joined by Lauren and heading into the Museum to check it out. Many people had raved to me about the museum so I was really looking forward to it and it didn't disappoint. They had so many cool exhibits that even not so nerdy unscientific people like myself can understand. One of my favorites was the 'Who Am I' exhibit which focuses on the Human body and how our bodies and minds work. It was so interesting to learn about how your brain recognizes faces and phobias and gender and all the facts and figures.

One of the reason we decided to go the the Science Museum this weekend was that they had an exhibition on the genius of every day things. It was a temporary exhibit that displayed how things like pegs, post it notes, rubber bands were all invented, marketed and used across the world. It was really interesting how someone had taken a really simple idea and created something amazing that everyone uses!

We wandered most of the museum and checked out the building the modern world with cars, planes, tractors and medical equipment. We saw a massive displays of clocks from all over the world of all shapes and sizes. I also hit the gift shop and played with lots of the toys in there! Similar to that of other Museum visits after a couple of hours I had lost interest and was sick of all the kids running around. We decided the best course of action was to head to the nearby Hummingbird Bakery and treat ourselves to a cupcake and hot chocolate.

It was a perfect end to my nerdy weekend. The Science Museum has definitely been one of my favorite museums because it was so interactive and lots of different things to read and look at. It was also number #46 in the top 100 - Slowly getting closer!

Highgate Cemetery

I know hanging out in a cemetery on a weekend sounds a bit morbid but last Sunday that is exactly what we did. As recommended by my Top 100 book and a few friends who had already been Lauren and I took the opportunity of a sunny autumn day in November and headed up to Highgate Cemetery (#87).

Highgate Cemetery was one of the 'big seven' cemeteries that were opened in the 1800 because if overcrowding in burials in church yards. It was opened in 1839 and is home to 168,000 graves. For £7 entry (which helps with the upkeep of the cemetery) we got entrance into the West Cemetery and an hour long personalised tour. I say personalised because apart from asking the group if there is anything in particular see the guides just take you where they feel like going on that particular day. You could go to the cemetery several times and never see the same graves twice. Our tour guide was really knowledgeable and passionate and gave us a brief history of the era and the cemetery before we set off to our first grave.



As we arrived at our first stop I was completely distracted from what our guide was telling us as I took in the beautiful greenery with golds and yellows of autum leaves, gothic grave stones, beautiful inscriptions and just the sun shining through the trees. It was amazing how calming the place was and so quiet and peaceful. Our tour guide gave us some information on the symbolism of the graves from the size and structure to what each sculpture and sign represented. From there the tour moved slowly around the curving paths of the cemetery, stopping at a grave every now and then, where our guide would give us a bit of information about the person who was buried there or the symbolism of the carvings on the graves. He showed us the tombs of the Egyptian Avenue with a thousand year old tree growing in the middle and then took us up to an open mausoleum which was incredibly creepy.






We visited several of the most popular graves with many stories behind them such as the grave of the menagerie owner with a sculpture of Leo the Lion on top. We also visited the sleeping angel - the only grave with an angel that was not standing on a grave but laying down. One story that was truly amazing was that of the bare knuckle boxer - a amateur boxer that was so infamous that thousands of people lined the streets to see the funeral parade. With the average age of the people buried at highgate was 36 due to many children not living to become adults there were many graves with people of a small age. There was also a grave with someone who lived to be over 100 which would have been unheard of in the Victorian era!






After about an hour the tour winds down and you can pop over to the East Cemetery for a smaller entry fee of £3. This cemetery is much more modern with graves as new as early this year. There are still several old victorian graves as well as a few modern ones thrown in. One of the most famous and popular graves in the East Cemetery is that of Karl Marx and his GIANT head. You will see in photos why I mention this!





By the end of a wander there Lauren and I were ready to rest our legs and warm up away from the chilly air. We wandered through a park back up to the Highgate High Street where we popped into a little cafe for a cup of tea and snack. As we chatted we noticed the high street was pretty busy and had some good fun people watching the hustle and bustle after being surrounded by silence. We had a wander along the high street and rummaged through several charity shops, before stopping in the High Tea of Highgate and wishing we had tea there. There were also lots of pretty looking pubs and nice shops around the area and I feel that a return trip to nearby Hampstead Heath may be on the cards so I can come back to visit!


If your interested in more about my day at Highgate and other Top 100 adventures visit here

Remember.... Remember

The 5th of november... thats how the saying goes. And know I finally know what this saying means! Its for guy fawkes night - a day celebrating a failed attempt by an to blow up the houses of parliament. Every year for about a week before the 5th fireworks start arriving in supermarkets and specialist stalls and it is not uncommon for random bangs to be set off in the street. This is all just a build up for the big event on the 5th.

All over London bonfires and fireworks displays are organised and people come out in hordes to watch them. I was no different and as I missed last years fireworks because of the weather and (and it is #39 in the Top 100 book) I was eager to see a display this year. There were so many chose from ranging from the 4th - 6th from one end of London to the other. We chose to see the Battersea Park Fireworks which were arranged/prepared/created/choreographed? (what is the term for a display of fireworks?) by the very talented people from Disneyland. If anyone is lucky enough to have seen some fireworks at Disneyland they understand what I mean when I say - Wow!. Because of this amazing display however you had to pay £10 to see the privelege so I have an admission to make - we cheated.

For those not local to London let me explain - Battersea Park is located right on the Thames river and quite conveniently next to a bridge leading over to the Chelsea Embankment. So we decided we would just stand over on the embankment and watch the fireworks from there. We got there about half an hour early and got a good possie directly across from the park and where we waited and chatted until they started. While our possie was good to see the big ones we did miss the beginning which I heard from friends featured some fireworks on the lake. In the end they got up bright and into the sky and we ohhhh and ahhhh at the sparkly things with pretty colours.





It doesn’t matter how old you are you are never too old for some good fireworks and this display was probably the best I have ever seen. There were types I’d never seen before - and they were all so pretty. The display lasted for about half an hour and after that we were ready for dinner and drink and somewhere to warm up so we wandered back to the tube and ended up at a pub not too far from home. Gave us a chance to warm up and grab some dinner and a few drinks.

Was good to finally see some fireworks for Guy Fawkes and it wasn’t the last of them my any means. The random firework bursts continued all through Sunday and even Monday evening to brighten up my evenings. This is just another English-y thing that I’ve come to love and put in my calendar as something to look forward to next year.

Halfway There

Last weekend I crossed off my 50th thing to do in the London Top 100! I can’t believe how quickly I got through them all! Although admittedly I did have a head start on some of them as being in London a year already I was bound to do some of them. Still! I would say that the majority have been done in the last couple of months which is a pretty good effort even if I do say so!

So what was the big 5-0? The British Museum - which maybe should have been done before the 50 mark but lets just say better late then never. I met Shea (who else but my P.I.C for such an occasion) and we visited the Tea and Tattle tea shop located opposite the museum. Its tucked away underneath a book shop/art gallery and is a great place to have a cuppa and some scones either after or before your mission to the museum. After we were fed and watered we popped across the road and into the main doors of the British Museum.





Its funny that its called the British Museum really beceause there is nothing particularly british about it. It should really be called the museum of things we stole form other places when we invaded. Did you know they have the largest amount of Egyptian artifacts in the world outside Egypt? There are probably figures missing all through the pyramids that are just happily sitting in the Museum. Saying that though it was amazing to see and we wandered through the galleries for awhile. It was good for Shea as she was off to Egypt in a couple of weeks so it was all pretty interesting. It was also quite cool to see the Rosetta Stone which was a tablet that helped translate Egyptian hieroglyphs.




From there we worked our way slowly around the the rest of the museum gazing at the artifacts and checking out what else was available. We found a really awesome exhibition (the name escapes me at the moment) that was about life and death. It was how different cultures celebrate life and death which was really interesting. They also had a display of the medication that an average person takes in their every day life. It had tablets in a mesh runner that went on for meters and was still rolled up at each end. It really make you think about how much we rely on medication to get better and how much you are putting into your body.

After a couple of hours my attention span was waning (as it generally does in museums) and it was time to get a bit of fresh air so we wandered out of the museum and got completely lost as we went out a different exit but happily found we were near Russel square. We walked through and it was nice to see all the trees dropping their leaves with all the browns and oranges and seeing all the squirrels scurrying around collecting for the winter. Was a great way to end a perfect day by wandering through the falling autumn leaves.

Classical & Cultural

Over the summer I have been distracted going to so many amazing events that it took me ages to realise a fantastic opportunity to do something awesome was right in front of me - The Proms at Royal Albert Hall.

Sponsored by BBC The Proms are held at Royal Albert Hall every year over the summer period and it is a collection of classic music, famous musical artists and comedians that come together. You can buy full price seating tickets from £8 to £80 or you can prom on the day for a fiver. I had seen posters around the tube stations for it and sort of always glased over them until I was reading my trusty little Top 100 book (#30)and found out it what exactly it was.

As a self confessed band geek (yes I was in the high school band, yes I did go to band camp and no I didn’t play the flute) I was really keen to see some classical music played live while also checking out a famous building that I had only seen from afar. Shea who is my Top 100 partner and crime went one sunny Friday afternoon after work to check it out.

We made our way down to South Kensington armed with some snacks from a supermarket (we were determined to keep this a cheap night out!) and managed to find our way around the building, down several side streets to find the end of the queue. Now English people are famous for their queuing and this event was no different. Everyone just politely waited and chatted while we slowly inched forward. No complaining and no loud obnoxious people making a sheep noise! We only lined up for about half an hour before getting inside what I have to say is one of the most gorgeous buildings I’ve seen.





For a fiver you could either stand on the first floor or make your way up into the gallery and shea and I indadvertedly scored the best tickets - the gallery. I say they are the best even though they aren’t the closest because you can climb up the 4 or 5 flights of stairs to the top where you can look down over the whole building. Up in the gallery you can also sit or lay down and close your eyes as you listen to the music. Its so peaceful and quiet and nothing like a usual friday night in a noisy crowded pub. The pro's had come prepared with picnics of cheese and wine and cushions and blankets. We didn't know anything so we just sat down on the floor and laid with our handbags as pillows. We stayed for two symphony’s played by an orchestra before we both decided if we stayed any longer we would fall asleep.

It was such a cheap fun night out and a great chance to do something cultural for a change. I was actually surprised about how much I enjoyed it and would definitely go again next year. Next year I might try and get tickets to a comedy act or a jazz show instead of a symphony. Or even camp out in Hyde Park for the final night of The Proms in September. It was definitely one of my favourite things I’ve done in the book so far. We are slowly working our way through the Top 100 and I can only hope the rest of them are this much fun!

Open House London

Once a year London ppens its doors for Open House London allowing members of the public to visit buildings that are usually only staff only or only open when there is an event on. Shea and I took this oppourtunity to check out a few buildings and tick a few more things off our Top 100 list.

First stop was Lloyds of London which isn't in the book but I really wanted to check out because of its famous glass elevators (like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory!). We headed over to London Bridge and wandered across to Lloyds and waiting in line for about half an hour while we waited to get in. As we waited we got given a bit of an info sheet that gave us some information on the building which was handy because apart from knowing about the glass elevators I didn't really know much about it - apparently Lloyds of London sponsored the Titanic!





We got inside and got to see the trading floor with the bell which was rung when a ship had sunk. It was salvaged from a sunken ship and has been in the trading floor for hundreds of years. There was also a book that keeps a track of every sunken ship from when it was open. There was even one from this year with a sunken ship a few days old. I was so surprised! I sort of thought that didn't happen much anymore?!






We then got to go up to the top floor and check out the view across London. We got to ride up there in the glass elevator before we walk around and checked out the view. We then got to ride down on the other side in the glass elevators. It was freaky! I'm not usually scared of heights but that was just too weird!






After Lloyds we made our way over to Wigmore Hall (#10) which is a concert hall often used for symphony's and classical music concerts. We were lucky enough to arrive just as a performance was beginning so we got a chance to experience Wigmore Hall for what it is. After the performance we got to go and check out the green room and have a backstage look at the hall. It is a really pretty building and it would be great to see a longer concert there for sure but also glad that its ticked off the list!



Wigmore Hall is located just behind Oxford Street so of course we popped off there for a bit of a quick look around and a shop before heading over to Kings Cross. We were heading over there to check out Kings Place (#16) loacted on the Canals and is home to the Guardian Newspaper, concert hall, art gallery and a few cafe's and bars. As we were wandering through from the tube station we stopped off at the Kings Cross marketing suite and learnt a little bit about all the construction and redevelopment that is going on up there. It is going to be amazing once it is finished! It will be finished around 2016 which is a little way off for me to think about seeing but by the looks of it - it should be amazing!

We finally made it to Kings Palace just as it started to drizzle so it was perfect timing for a quick look at the canals and then a wander around the art gallery. There was a photography exhibition which was absolutely breath taking. It was called Frontlines and was photos of areas of dispute. It was quite eye opening! On our way out we were treated to a bagpipe player playing to the guests of a wedding.





After traipsing around London all day we retired back to Shea's place for a rainy lazy movie night in. Open house London was a great way to see some buildings that I wouldn't usually see and a good reason to get out and about. I was a little disappointed we got to the bandwagon a little late and missed out on tickets to the Barbican and this year the Gherkin wasn't open. Hopefully next year I get to go to those places!