Woke up early this morning and I felt lucky. So my aim was to beat the rush and get to Westminster Abbey by the time the doors opened but 100 other tourists were thinking the same and once again I didn't get the chance to experience the grandeur of the abbey. However, I was fortunate enough to have popped by the night before for the evening service and listen to the choir boys sing, so its a tick of the bucket list!
As I continued on and my goal was to get to back Buckingham Palace and take a relaxing walk through St James Park until I was approached by an old lady trying to sell flowers wrapped in foil for the "sick children of England". She obviously was a street beggar but a smart one however I declined, quickly walking away whilst she approached another tourist.
The palace was grand and scattered with tourists hanging about the fountain and the tall gates to secure their spot for the changing of the guard.
After snapping a few panoramic shots and taking in the moment of actually being at Buckingham Palace I caught the next bus to Oxford Circus to buy a new camera since my old one decided to malfunction a day into my holiday.
I was recommended to check out a shop called "Curry's" for cameras, tablets and phones - Australia's equivalent to JB Hi-Fi and 20 minutes later I was $400 poorer with a brand new camera in hand - unneeded expenses.
To ease the pain, I hopped onto the next double decker bus to check out the Camden markets.
The Camden markets were out of this world! There were so many people on either side of the footpath and quirky little stores filled the street. Feeling peckish I followed the smell of food and once again it was packed to the brim with people all squished together in lines waiting for their food to be prepared.
I found a delicious galette store and ordered a cheese, mushroom and herbs galette topped off with a freshly squeezed juice.
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| Buckingham Palace |
The palace was grand and scattered with tourists hanging about the fountain and the tall gates to secure their spot for the changing of the guard.
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| Mr Bean |
I was recommended to check out a shop called "Curry's" for cameras, tablets and phones - Australia's equivalent to JB Hi-Fi and 20 minutes later I was $400 poorer with a brand new camera in hand - unneeded expenses.
To ease the pain, I hopped onto the next double decker bus to check out the Camden markets.
The Camden markets were out of this world! There were so many people on either side of the footpath and quirky little stores filled the street. Feeling peckish I followed the smell of food and once again it was packed to the brim with people all squished together in lines waiting for their food to be prepared.
I found a delicious galette store and ordered a cheese, mushroom and herbs galette topped off with a freshly squeezed juice.
I absolutely love markets! I love the concept and seeing people's creative flair in their artworks on show for the public to buy and admire something that is unique.
I walked away from the markets with a new watch I bought for 20 pounds since my old one decided to stop working 2 days into my holiday but it was old anyways and this is a great souvenir from London.
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| My Galette - cheese, mushroom & herb |
Exhausted from walking through every possible alleyway and dodging the waves of tourists I jumped onto the next bus home to Chiswick.
It was a pleasant ride and I got a full view of the city and its infamous landmarks.
Not long after my return home I headed back out to Russell Square to meet my Contiki group. It was nerve racking walking into a room of strangers who will be my family for the next 19 days. We were allocated into our groups, passports and travel insurance details checked and a bunch of us went to the nearest pub and got to know each other, it was a great way to meet and greet the group before we hit headed for Europe the following day.
Not long after my return home I headed back out to Russell Square to meet my Contiki group. It was nerve racking walking into a room of strangers who will be my family for the next 19 days. We were allocated into our groups, passports and travel insurance details checked and a bunch of us went to the nearest pub and got to know each other, it was a great way to meet and greet the group before we hit headed for Europe the following day.
From that evening we built our little hang out group and I headed home to pack for my European trip of a lifetime!
Jen xoxo
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