last london post

I really hesitated about how I was going to write this last London post. In truth, I did hardly anything of note today. I got off the train at Covent Garden and just...walked around for a couple of hours. No rampant photo-taking because I just wanted to enjoy the sunlight. When I got tired I sat in a cafe and read my book while sipping tea. I thought perhaps I should do something special to round off my first day in London but my plans fell through with a friend and I find myself back at the hotel, watching television.

To be honest, I think my satisfied lethargy comes from the feeling of having done what I came to do. Everything on my list has been ticked off, completed with efficiency and thoroughly enjoyed. I've had the best time - met some wonderful people and gotten quite a lot braver! Really, I don't know why I was so nervous about doing things on my own in the first place?

I'm not exactly looking forward to going home - Perth is still not the place I want to be (sorry), but London and I must part ways...for now.

Update:

So I'm home now. I'm feeling ambivalent. Home is a return to reality - I'm not ready for that! But I'm off to Canada soon, and then Melbourne. So I will enjoy being home with my family while I have the chance. It is basically the last chance I will have to be Ashlee, At Home.

My mother asked me what my favourite thing about London was. I didn't say the shopping or the food. In truth, it was London itself - the city. It is saturated in history - layer upon layer of people, their feelings, their lives. That's what I love the most.

I learnt early on, to always look up in London. You never know what you will see - whether it's some beautiful street art or installation, or whether it's just the way the light plays against the building or the water or it's some beautiful heritage facade above a kebab shop. I went for weeks going past these buildings on the way to college, without realising that if I had turned ten degrees to the right I could see Big Ben through the London Eye - a sudden and fleeting view between two non-descript buildings which made my heart soar.

London always surprises me - in little ways - the ways I love best. I'll be back, don't you worry. But there's a lot more surprises for me to discover out there. So for now, Home - and all the warmth and relaxation that comes with that.

posh totty

So firstly, this is what I was supposed  to do today. I was suppose to get up early, and take the train to visit Miss Ella in Greenwich where I would no doubt have had a wonderful day and taken lots of pretty pictures. Further, I really should've gotten into the Olympic spirit and braved the crowds to watch the Opening Ceremony on one of the many big screens throughout London.

Alas, a bad night's sleep and bone idleness killed that dream before it had time to take its first breath.

I didn't actually remember until after 2 o'clock that I had already booked tickets a couple of weeks ago, to a play that evening. I was kicking myself for my overzealousness because all I wanted to do was curl into a ball under my doona. But no, I would not waste more of my day than I already had so I pulled my socks up and tubed it to Leicester Square to watch 'Posh' at the Duke of York's Theatre.

It's 2 hours and 45 minutes of quite attractive boys with posh accents, in coat tails being very very naughty.

Do I have a type, or do I have a type?

It has received very good reviews, and puts me in mind of 'History Boys' (which I loved!) - except made a little more repulsive for their long speeches on how much they 'hate poor people'. A lot of it was just so shocking that I spent the majority of the play with my mouth open (no rude jokes please).

Throw in some accapella versions of Labrinth, Tinie Tempah, Maroon 5 and LMFAO songs and I'm a really happy girl.

With a title like 'Posh' you know it's going to be a commentary on class in modern British society etc - to be honest I really just went because this guy's in it:


 

To use the local venacular:

PHWOAR.

Tom Mison - you is well fit.



Oh, and this was dinner....tiramisu and a cuppa while I read a Stephen Fry book.

I'm now at the hotel watching a show about tiny animals - at some point I've got to turn over to the Opening Ceremony....

I think I saw the Olympic Torch go by?

Okay, so I'll be honest today was fairly boring. I spent a couple of hours at the British Museum. It's not my favourite - only because I only have a smattering of interest in the Ancient World. I always was more of an 18th C girl. A few ancient roman goddesses and a mummy and that was it for me.

Then, off to Bond Street to do a little bit of expensive gift buying. Not telling who for, but chances are...it wasn't for you haha....

 I realise now it is useless to dissemble in regards to my shopping habits. The fact of the matter is I bought another pair of shoes despite my constant whinging about having no luggage space. I am a drama queen with a very small shopping problem. I probably shouldn't have bought them - they've got velcro straps on them for fuck sake - but they just seemed so badass and spaceboot like I just had to have them. Plus, they were only about $30 AUD, so I can probably look forward to wearing them for a whole two days before they fall apart.

Anyway, I was coming out of the store on Oxford st, when something a little bit exciting (I guess) happened.

I have very little interest in the Olympics in general. I didn't even consider it when I was planning my trip to London and when I realised I would be here for the festivities, it only garnered consideration in relation to how much inconvenience it would cause me.

I stopped on the stairs just short of street level, perplexed as I was by the sudden swarm of people who had appeared. Now Oxford St is crowded at the worst of times - the sheer number of people filled me with utter dread that something terrible had just happened.

Of course when I saw everyone with their phones out, frantically taking pictures, I craned my neck and saw to be sure - the back end of the torch relay. So I had seen the torch go past for a second time entirely by accident.

The first time was the other day, I was going into the Tube  and I only now realise that in fact I did see the torch then as well. There was very little fanfare and I didn't recognise the torchbearer so I thought it was some publicity/advertising jag. Now I think about it, I highly doubt the Olympic er...committee(?) would allow such a thing.

Anyway, I thought nothing of it and tried to get on a train at Marble Arch only to find that the City of London thought it would be hilarious to close off that tube station because of the torch relay, therefore sending everyone to the next station Bond Street - resulting in a bottle neck effect. I mean really, doesn't it make sense to spread everyone the fuck out? Anyway, it only really added about 10 more minutes to an already short journey home.

See, told you today was boring...

fossilise me!

Firstly, I know my titles are getting decidedly less coherent and/or witty but there is an end to my creative genius. Bear with me.

I'm grinning like a fool right now.

I swear I didn't plan that.

Anyway, today I spent the afternoon in a very lonely (although very enjoyable) fashion, wandering around the V&A and the Natural History Museum at South Kensington.

I had way too much fun at the NHM.

I went specifically to see the Inside Out Animal exhibition - by the same guy who did the plasticination of people a few years back. I was both morbidly fascinated, and nauseated by all that...flesh. Especially since there were cross-sections of many of the animals which put me in mind of deli meat. Yeah...I actually feel a little queasy thinking about it right now.

I find taxidermy deeply disturbing, not least because I swear the animals are looking at me sadly and judging. When posed in a way to make them seem like they're mid-thought (yes, thought) it is downright unnerving.

Oh look Noah, it's the whole fucking Ark...

Stop looking at me!!

On the other hand, I've never quite lost my childhood fascination with dinosaurs (The Land Before Time anyone?) so I had an absolute ball of a time in the dinosaur exhibit!

Even the tacky animatronic t-rex was wonderfully entertaining!

Mr Darwin! Evolution is sexy....

Homo Erectus. And look, he's chinese!

Yes, I am puerile. But you're smiling too aren't you?

Big tree (why the hell would you cut this down??) - the rings are marked with the big moments in human history. Utterly, utterly awesome...

Sounds like something out of Harry Potter. Desperately want to know what's being this door!

Bit of lunch:

Bought this brass skeleton hand bangle - isn't is delightfully creepy?

Then onto the V & A. My favourite museum in the world - sure I love the sculptures, paintings and the (stolen) exotic treasures from all over the 'Empire' but really, I'm all about the historical BLING.

Okay, it's not just me right - THIS LOOKS LIKE ALEC BALDWIN!

 
Uncanny!!

The building feels like an endless maze full of wonders so I spent a happy couple of hours picking up pieces for my future home. I've got my eye on this lovely Regency chaise lounge in particular ;)

Bought some cherry earrings - loved them so much had to put them on straight away!

Then to dinner with pretty Miss Jill and gorgeous Mama Kath. Learnt much about America over dinner. Realised I should read more widely because I'm depressingly ignorant in general. I didn't think in London that I'd make friends who I would be willing to engage with outside of facebook but I was very lucky :) Love you guys!

All in all, fun day. As much as you I love you all in Perth, it makes the thought of coming home just that little bit more painful. 

T-T-T-Tower

Today I did the last of the truly touristy things on my Must Do London list - the Tower of London. I'm sure if I had been fifteen years younger I would've loved it, but I found the whole experience fairly tacky today.

There were bored looking actors dressed up in Restoration getup, so-called 'reconstructions' and lots of giftshops. Even the Crown Jewels failed to interest me a great deal (I only got a little bit excited when I thought about the Sherlock episode where Moriarty steals the Crown Jewels). Plus, I could only think about how if they sold off one of those gaundy septres that we'd probably be able to feed a starving village somewhere. Republic of Australia anyone?

Ever the history nerd, I was quite looking forward to the Bloody Tower but found it decidedly underwhelming. I really wished I could say I was creeped out. But I wasn't. I was hot, and flustered by too many tourists and just kinda annoyed by how they'd handled the whole history thing when it could've been made so much better.

Anyway, next was lunch at Wagamama. I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty it was (or maybe I was just really hungry) because previous experience with this chain has not been good. Anyway ordered some chicken gyoza and salmon/soba:

So, it's now 3 o'clock and I have nothing to do. So I went shopping in Kensington. You know me well enough by now surely.

Despite my resolution just to window shop, I bought some sexy shoes and my first long skirt. Warning - quite a bit of leg:

Today just goes to show that doing the tourist thing can sometimes be painfully empty. There are so many wonderful things about London, and I've found it's more about experiencing the energy of the city than the various tourist traps I willingly walk into. Either way, at least I'll have good shoes on.