Off to London for good friends and good times!

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I am staying with my friend Chloe and her partner Julie for my first couple of nights in London. I braved the tube and travelled into London to discover Traffalga square, the national gallery, and wander through St James gardens where on my way there was a film crew setting up, it seemed a bit sureal as it was so cliche. At the end of the gardens was Buckingham Palace and I entered through the 'Australia' gates which I thought was quite fitting! I then walked all the way around and wandered through Hyde park and discovered my first squirrels in London. I was so excited. They are quite inquisitive and will scamper right up to you and stand on their hind feet to discover if you have any food. Julie was nice enough to pack me a sandwich so I enjoyed relaxing in the sunshine next to the ducks, swans and even pelicans! I had a delicious hot chocolate for dessert, yum!

Once I left Hyde park I got slightly disorientated and ended up in what appeared to be the Middle Eastern district of London...the street signs were all in arabic and there was men and women sitting outside of cafes smoking from hookas. It was an interesting place to wander through. I eventually came out at Oxford st where I wandered all the shops and in true London style I came centimetres away from getting run over by a big red double decker bus. I screamed and jumped off the road, where upon the authentic Londoners on the footpath looked at me with disdain and shook their heads....whoops. I had walked about 5 km by this stage and so I headed back (after my first train delay) to have a drink with Chloe and Julie at their local pub and catch up on their news.

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