shopaholic abroad!

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Hey everyone

so england is much chillier than my previous destinations..how unfortunate for me....so i am therefore looking up flights to the warmest and cheapest mediteranean destiation possible....not sure what 'll happen but i'll keep you posted.. anyways...the last couple days have been pretty eventful..on my first full day here i went on a great walking tour of the city and saw buckinham palace, the changing of the guards (they kinda just parade around together....i've seen my fair share of men in uniform therefore it wasnt really worth ripping through the crowds for!)...and saw westminster abbey and big ben and all that fun stuff..later that day i went searching for an internet cafe...pretty much a mere impossibility....we had to take a bus to a train station to find it..and when we finally found it it was closed! it was about 6pm at this time and i was quite concerned as i had booked a jack the ripper tour already but didn't know where it was or what time it started that evening without checking my email! so not being one to accept defeat i banged on the window until someone came and i begged the man to let me use a computer..he was very kind and obliged! anyways as i sat there checking my email i realized the tour was at 7pm (it was 6:20 at this time) on the other side of town! i frantically ran to the tube station hoped on a train (of course there were no direct roots) and i JUST made it to the group (5 minutes late!)...but if that didn't get my heart pumping...well the jack the ripper tour definetly did..it was really cool it was in the dark (being night time and all) and the tour guide was exactly what i expected a british narrator to sound like ...very british and having some serious intonations...she'd say things like ALL OF THIS WILL BECOME APARENT AS WE CONTINUE and BUT THAT WAS NOT TO BE...all in her serious english accent just like those mystery radio programs that have english people narrating them.... anyways the tour was cool i learned a lot about jack the ripper and the sites were pretty interesting because a lot of the places were still standing so you could really picture it! after the tour i went out for a curry with the tour guide, jan, and her son..it was random i wanted curry and she told me to try this restaurant and suggested i join them so i did...but she was friends with the owner so we got a free dinner...nothin beats a good curry except a FREE good curry! yum! after that i took the tube home..i was pretty tired from my busy day so i dozed of a bit and of course i missed my stop (by only one stop too!)! it was late and no other trains were running....so i had to take a bus but i think i was in a sketchy neighbourhood and i was getting the creeps so i took a cab instead (i'm not even going to bother converting that fare to canadian dollars!)...but it doesn't matter i got home safe and sound and i got a london cab experience (apparently they have to go to school for 2 years to become a cabbie!)...

yesterday i went to portobello markets which were fantastic with OBVIOUSLY some great shopping.... from there i came back to my hostel and then went over to the rive thames to watch the CAMBRIDGE OXFORD regatta!!!!! it was unfortunately rather chilly and wet but my new 10 pound cashmere sweater kept me warm! that night a bunch of people i've met here at the hostel all went out to this bar down the road...i dont understand british people for a country known for its alcoholics they close their bars at 12 ON A SATURDAY NIGHT?! ...whatever...Today i went to another weekend market which wasn't as good as portobello then i went to OXFORD STREET...for all my retail disabled readers...oxford street is the single most amazing shopping strip of LIFE...there are litterally 2 and 3 of the same stores on the street alone its that busy..and then there's primark...a super trendy clothing store at sweatshop produced prices...like a pound for a shirt...or 15 for the beautiful jacket i bought! anyways after that i went ot Maida Vale (the neighbourhood where becky bloomwood from the shopoholic book series lives!)...yes i know i went to go see a ficticious characters neighbourhood but it was so worth it...now i can visualize so much better!
anyways i'm off to go try on my new clothes and find the cheapest flights possible to warmer european countries!

xoxoox

gen

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