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Pete's building
I took this so I would remember which one it was - in case I got lost! Amongst the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street, through the crowds emerged my cousin Peter. Now Peter is only a couple of years younger than me and luckily for me, going to let me crash at his place for a couple of nights before I head back down to Hythe to the rest of the family.
Lugging my pack all the way, we walked down Bond Street, past Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square to Charing Cross Station where we caught the train to Woolwich Arsenel which is where he lives. This area is experiencing quite a revival with lots of redevelopment and new building going up around the place, reminding me quite a lot of some of the coastal developments going on at home. Staying on the fifth floor of his apartment building with a view of the Thames and the Thames barrier in the distance, waking to the sounds of the tide changing was really cool. It is actually really suprising how far the tide moves. And, I now know that the city of London is about 4 - 7 feet below sea level, hence the Thames barrier to prevent the inevitable flooding.
So over the next couple
of days I just chilled out, hanging out with Pete and his housemates and heading into London during the day. I happened across the best coffee I have had in ages - especially sine being in the UK - in an authentic Italian cafe near Charing Cross Rd. God I love a good macchiatto! Sitting there, hiding from the rain and writing postcards, sipping on awesome coffee...ah!
Friday was a very important day...headed into town and had a great lunch with Ms Nessa - sadly, I'm not going to be able to catch up with her again before she heads back to Australia. Then I pottered around town, collecting details of various recrutiment companies and investigating mobile phone call options so I can keep in touch with home. That has to be one of the worst things about travelling, or at least one of the things I notice the most. At home I had a great phone deal so I could simply call, here, I have to struggle to calculate the time difference and then make sure I have access to a landline so I can call home once I dig out my phone card. So clearly, I don't
phone home a lot!
Pete had organised tickets to Wembley Arena to see the Hear and Now concert that he had been working on. Talk about a blast from the past. This trip has held a lot of reminiscences and this was no exception. Paul Young, Bananarama and....Rick Astley! When I was a little girl, before we emmigrated to Australia, I used to sing into my hairbrush to the stereo - I still know the words to most of all these songs! Naomi and I still fight over the Rick Astley vinyl record we have! AFter spending some time handing out promotional leaflets for the Here and Now Christmas gig - I thought I had gotten out of this kind of stuff, especially as I knew the work crew had all spent the day at the Convention Centre expo! Once the concert began I spent most of my night laughing hysterically at the absurdity of this situation (what are the chances of seeing Rick Astley in concert?) and the rest singing away! We even got back stage and I got a kiss from Paul Young! So clearly this was a massive night! And, I got to catch up with
my other cousin Claire so that was great - can't wait to see her again and have a proper chat.
On a negative note, Wembley Arena, get your act together. Surely you can get sponsership from more than one beer company. Because of you, I had to drink FOSTERS all night, and I'm still not happy about it, a week later!
The following morning, I snuck out early to catch the train to London, to catch my coach to Folkestone. We had gotten back pretty late after having to take a couple of late buses from Wembley in order to get home - luckily we got off at the right stop because we were all falling asleep! Struggling along with my bags - I swear they reproduce! I haven't bought nearly anything, although I think the books may have to go! - I said a silent cheerio to Pete and his mates, and his girl Mia,
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