Blimey! orright cobber? : )

London eh? To be honest, when first planning my intrepid travels, I never had a burning desire to go to London. Not like Spain ( tapas, exotica, sangria- swoon!), or France ( Pareeeeeee, croissants and fabulous romantic cliches!)
But I have to say, I have been VERY pleasantly surprised. Cor! Strike me down with a bobby's baton!

I was determined to not go to any ' Aussie bar' ( a goal of mine throughout all of my travels.) And, I refuse to join in with any one who, when they ask where I'm from, respond with- " AUSSIE, AUSSIE AUSSIE! ..."
I was also well prepared for all the other London stereotypes- dreary grey skies, dodgy alleyways and even dodgier teeth. Sure all of these things exist to an extent, but overwhelmingly I've found this to be a very diverse, exciting and cultured city...


I first arrived at Stansted airport and after managing to find my way into the city , I caught me my first 'tube!' (note local lingo- SUCH a pretend pommy!)
And as I was forging my way at 6am through the backstreets, map in hand, trying in vain to find my hostel, I caught sight of my reflection in a shop window.
The girl staring back at me was a backpacker. A proper traveller, laden down with heavy pack, serious walking shoes and overall flushed and slightly dishevelled. And that's when i began to feel really liberated. I was actually doing this. Adventuring out on my own!! wooooooooooop!

I eventually found my hostel, a lovely little place above an old, stone pub. I picked this place about two hours before I flew out, superficially, I'm ashamed to say, because of its' name. Travel-joy hostel. Alright, yes, I know- typically superstitious and camp- and therefore for me- perfect!
And it has been. I've been bunking down in a squashed room with 9 other beds, with girls from Sweden, Brazil, Hong Kong, Canada- you name it. The other morning , a mother and daughter from Hong Kong- gave me the most perfect nectarine as a goodbye present- simply- because I was nice to them when they arrived. Awww...
The only downside has been , when last night, I had to change rooms- because someone else had pre- booked my bed. I found myself, mistakenly, in a ' mixed sex' dorm. And it just so happened, I was the only girl. I slept with my trusty swiss army knife under my pillow, but otherwise, unharmed!

So anyway, every morning, I wake up , go for a walk along the Thames, come back for free cornflakes at the bar ( strange, but it works) and then catch a red , double decker, iconic bus to the heart of London.
One of my favourite past-times here, has been to sit in Trafalgar Square, watch the fountain and write! ( yep- my film script is well on it's way- all this new air seems to have inspired me!)
I've visited the National Gallery multiple times, seen Van Gogh's famous sunflowers and Monet's lillies.
I loved the Portrait gallery too- intense , almost photograph paintings of people from all walks of life. Today I went to Buckingham palace ( i know-despite being anti the queen and classing myself as a republican), I just felt like it was one of those done things. When in London...

I have long been lusting after the famous cuisine of Spain and France, but honestly dodn't expect much from England.
But it's been delicious! I've tried to discover the less touristy hotspots- I've eaten amazingly freshly baked italian bread, served with fresh goats cheese, and proper, rich italian oil, I've eaten tradition French herb bread and dips ( sensing a trend?!) and fluffy blueberry laden muffins.
The coffee is great as are the wine lists,and all of the waiters are lovely.
At one of the little Italian places I went to I was served by this giant Nigerian man, with a smile that could sell Colgate. I walked past his restaurant days later and he made a point of pointing at me , across the street, grinning and waving!

However, above all, my highlight here has been... the shows. Wow.
I've discovered a giant discount ticket booth in the middle of Leicester Square and I have been in heaven!
I saw 'Tapdogs- the stage show.' Adam Garcia ladies- need I say more? Although I will say, that some of the older ladies in the audience were whistling so hard, I was worried they may just yell out and offer to ' tap his dawwwg!'

Last night...I indulged completely and saw my favourite musical of all time...
Let me preface this by revealing an embarassing truth.. I distinctly remember ( as some of you may too) being in about year 7 and the teacher asking us all to name our favourite music.
Most classmembers attempted to outdo each other in the cool stakes- Nirvana, Blink 182, ColdPlay. Me? No Question.... Les Mis! What a dork...
Now though, I've embraced my dorkiness and took myself for a solo date to soak up this magic musical once more.
Amazingly, I still remembered every lyric. I still have a giant girl crush on Eponine and I still sobbed a little at the end... Blisss!!!
Last night ,me myself and I , went to see' Wicked' - which I was excited about , having always also, been a longtime lover of the Wizard of Oz. Who isn't? It was fantastic fun- particularly because of the joy on the face of the girl I was sitting next to . She was lovely. From Kentucky, wearing an ' I love London' t shirt, offering me her lollies- and only 6 years old! When we parted ways- she gave me a giant hug and waved at me all the way out of theatre. I love meeting all these different, eclectic fellow travellers!

And tonight my dearests....I head to sexy, swoony, sensational Spain! Barcelona to be precise, to meet my sexy Swedish friend- Sara.
Don't envy me.. I'll take you with me... just keep reading these lil' guys.
Until then- safe travels xxoxoxoox