where we left off, i had left wales for manchester, then left manchester to go to london. after one seriously long day of walking, it was time for another long day! i started off walking to oxford st from the hostel and going to zara (love!) and urban outfitters (love, but it doesn't love me...). i then headed for more sophistication in the form of liberty. i don't know what i was expecting with liberty, but it well surpassed my expectations. full of lovely stuff that i wish i could have carried home, i left there with only a few little bits and pieces.

I then walked down regent st to piccadilly circus and then on to burlington arcade, a very posh little shopping mall (way too posh for me!). they even had men in funny little outfits standing outside the doors, presumably to stop rif-raf like me entering! hehe



from there, it was time for a cuppa and a bit of afternoon tea! then i headed off back down piccadilly and walked through green park. i only ever remember going to hyde park in london, and it was nice to go to another london park. it was a pretty little park too, full of people picnicing...



the park goes straight up to buckingham palace, so i thought it was about time i visited the queen.



read on for more london!

funnily enough, the day that i chose to visit the queen was also the day that barack obama was visiting! so there were loads of coppers around with their funny little hats. they tried telling everyone that obama had already left, but didn't explain why they were putting UP the barriers rather than taking them down. the mall up the the palace was decorated with alternating union jack and stars and stripes flags.



i didn't really feel like sticking around - too much chaos going on. so i headed down the mall down to admiralty arch, and then on to trafalgar square



talk about perfect timing....



i was feeling kinda stuffed at this point, so i caught the tube from charing cross back to the hostel. that night, i met up with my friend anthea in soho.

the next day, i was off the the national gallery. i was so stuffed at this point, it took a while to get my legs working properly! i went to the national gallery and stood there with all the other chumps waiting for it to open at 10am... lazy! i discovered a new artist whose work i really enjoy at the gallery - canaletto. i spent a lot of time with the impressionists there too. from there (trafalgar sq), i caught the tube to covent garden, and wandered around there. i bought a few things, but i learned from the previous day that anything you buy, you have to carry. and shopping plus a heavy slr and handbag equals very sore arms and shoulders! so had to refrain from going nuts.

from there i walked up along the thames to the millenium bridge. i almost got run over many times by crazy people running past... they need to separate the footpaths into running and walking sides! anyway, i made it to the bridge without too much injury (thankfully!) and walked across to the tate! was very excited to be going to the tate!!



after wandering around the tate for a bit (some crazy/cool stuff in there), and going to the shop, i headed back across the bridge to st paul's. i've been to st paul's before (and walked up those damn stairs) and i wasn't really planning on going there again, but it just looked so appealing from the bridge that i thought i might go take a look...



bench in front of st pauls



people lounging on the front steps...



after grabbing a cuppa at the starbucks nearby, i headed off to the st pauls tube to catch the train back to the hostel. that night, i headed out to angel to meet up with my friend who lives in islington. we had a nice little pub dinner at a pub near their place (so many pubs in such a small area!) then she took me to show me around her place - you can see the gherkin from there!

the next day, i was tossing up between going to camden passage to the antique stores there or to shoreditch and brick lane. after factoring in transport, and listening to my friend's advice, i went to camden passage. but alas, it was a horrible rainy day and the tourists weren't flocking there, so according to one shop owner, it wasn't worth opening (yeah really great to hear when you've come all the way from australia and they won't let you into their cool-looking shop!). so, a little put off, i thought i would head back to oxford st and go to selfridges and just have a wander. but it was rainy and i wasn't prepared and got wet. selfridges was weird - they have their own tattoo parlor... shows how much tattoos have moved from being the realm of bikies and thugs haha. i did, however, stop at a street fruit market and bought the nicest raspberries i have ever seen. i then had lunch in a pret-a-manger (i think we need these in aus - so handy and tasty!), then i decided to head to some shops i thought sounded cool. but it was still raining and my map was getting wet and i was a bit miserable. so i gave up and stopped in this amazing cake shop on the way back to the tube and ate my way through most of a huge slice of checkerboard cake! i finally got to the tube and got back to the great portland st station and walked to the hostel. bedraggled, i had a hot shower and then sat on my bed and ate my raspberries and the rest of the cake - what a pig eh?! but then this little american girl came in and we started chatting about the shitty days we'd had, so i took her out to dinner to cheer up! it made my last night in london a little more bearable. there is a lot to be said for good weather in london i think!!

anyway, due to such a crap day, i didn't take any photos. but that was my last day in london, so i think i shall end it there. the next stop is st pancras station and then paris (my love!). so, until next time.... thanks for reading!!