London.

And we're off!

In the short time since i have left Melbourne, i have already learnt a few things. 

Firstly, Australia is very very far away, and flying anywhere feels like it takes a lifetime, my numb bum will definitely vouch for that. 

Secondly, Abu Dhabi is extremely hot, which shouldn't have been surprising considering all we could see on our descent was sand dunes. The only thing that made up for the humidity was the free wifi so I could finally check how many likes I had got on Instagram #loser.

Thirdly, plane food really was as bad as I remembered, throw gluten free into the equation and you may as well resign yourself to starvation, or put up with steamed fish and ginger cake.

And finally, although I have been to London many times before, and was sure that I had already seen everything, I quickly came to the realisation that 3 days in London really isn't long enough. 

We arrived at Heathrow after an hours delay, and faced our first problem. Where was our driver? Mish had been excitedly telling us the entire trip we were being picked up and there would be a sign held up with her name on it but as we looked around no signs said 'Michelle'. We were exhausted and slightly delirious but after a very quick and expensive phone call we located our driver casually leaning against an ATM with no sign or uniform, looking bewildered that we couldn't find him....

Day 1 quickly escaped us as by the time we navigated our way through crazy Londom traffic and waited for Mishs cousin to get home and let us inside it was already 4.30pm, so instead of our planned sightseeing we had a shower and headed out to the local pub for a feed. The Pub on the Park in east London was where we started off and after a giant burger and fries (no bread of course) and a cider, I was ready for bed. I managed to fight the fluttering eyelids for long enough to move to the next pub, but soon gave in to the offer of a free cab home to a warm bed.

Sunday was market day, and our first stop was Camden Lock. As soon as we arrived it was clear this was a popular spot. The streets were heaving with tourists and locals alike, with stalls lining every inch of the street. There was a wide variety of people around, including a lot of punk rockers, none of which had flowers in their hair, mostly just Mohawks, fully black attire and some chains... Mish the shopaholic had already made her first purchase within five minutes, but I was just content at looking around. It seemed as though on Sunday the entire town turned into a market and as we continued to walk around the stalls still surrounded us, often with mostly the same stuff on offer- keep calm tshirts, wooden iPhone cases and summer dresses, despite the 15 degree weather.

We turned another corner and suddenly my nose was filled with an incredible aroma, I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Soon I realised we had discovered the best part of the market, as far as I was concerned food! The incredible aromas continued to flirt with my senses trying desperately to draw me in- polish sausages and rosemary buttered potatoes, endless stands of cakes piled high, truffle infused toasties filled with the highest quality cheese and meats, spicy curry... Needless to say, I was in heaven but where to begin? There were probably 30 different cuisines on offer but cautious of my over-sensitive stomach, I went for a safe option, lentil and chickpea curry, despite al,so being won over by traditional English fish and chips on my way over to Little India.

After we refuelled we hopped back on the Tube and headed towards our next destination- Brick Lane Market! We were met at Liverpool St Station by a roar and a hoard of men chanting wildly... Soon we worked out the final 'football' match of the season was on, and the men were joining their fellow fanatics at the local pub. As tempted as I was to sit down and join in the rowdy antics with a beer, Mish was on a mission to shop so we marched omwards. Sun decided to say hello to us for the first time on English shores so we headed to Box Park, a group of shops and rooftop bars/cafes made out of shipping containers to rest our feet for a while. 

After a much welcomed dose of Vitamin D we headed off to search for Brick Lane & Spitalfields markets and I had managed to convince the girls to watch the football at a pub and soak up the good vibe after shopping was done. As we walked along Brick Lane it seemed as though everything was closing, and my urge to run back to the pub grew, however another turn led us to the hustle and bustle and all we had missed was the flower market, a luxury we could not afford anyway. I once again fell victim to the lure of food, this time a gluten free carrot cupcake, absolutely delicious! 

We were all ready by this time to sit down and have a drink after a big day of market crawling so it was time to hunt for a pub. The first one we found was quite packed and had the football on, great vibe, but nowhere to sit so we decided to keep looking. England is meant to be the pub capital of the world, how hard could it be? Very, it turns out. After an hour of walking and travelling through 3 suburbs, not ONE SINGLE PUB was showing the soccer or had more than 3 people inside, I still am confused about this.. Our feet were in agony so we traipsed in the direction of the Liverpool St Station pub, filled with supporters we saw earlier.. When we arrived though, it was awfully quiet and we were told we had missed the game by ten minutes, and if that wasn't bad enough, we weren't allowed to sit and have a drink because the pub was closing in 5 minutes, what a let down! So we headed back to Box Park for a drink and then off to dinner with Mish's cousin for my first taste of Vietnamese food! It definitely didn't disappoint!

Day 3 and already my final day in London and we hadn't seen a single sight or even visited Central London! So despite it being the coldest day yet, we rugged up & headed to Oxford Circus and jumped on board the typical tourist double decker open top sightseeing bus. We whizzed around the whole loop for 2 hours and got a quick glance at all the main sights- St. Paul's cathedral, the London eye, Tower of London, Westminster abbey, the entrance to the Ministry of Magic, Trafalgar Square, the London Bridge, and all the rest of the sights I've forgotten! We also saw Mr Cameron himself emerging from 10 Downing St and then racing down the road in front of us with his police convoy. We stopped for a hot bowl of soup in an attempt to defrost after nearly being blown away on top of the bus and then went to visit Churchills War Cabinet Rooms, underground in Central London where he orchestrated and planned the entire war effort during the Second World War. Being s massive history nerd, I loved it! After a few hours underground it was time for a family reunion, with my cousins who I hadn't seen since I was 13 and my Aunty & Nan. Thai food finished off the day in London along with a few mojitos before I stumbled back along the tube home for my last sleep before leaving for Amsterdam!