p a p e r d o l l

I really like London. It felt comfortable.

I arrived to hot hot weather, which was not pleasant, but I soon forgot it in the nice apartment of Char -new and spacious and all the comforts of modern living. We went for Chinese Dim Sum at Ping Pong. Restaurant was all understated cool. Food was delicious. I had this very… creative tea, which I will now attempt to describe. It’s a ball of green which slowly opens up in the hot water. That is, the long green leaves fold back to reveal flowers within the ball of green. This garden slowly sinks to the bottom of the glass as it absorbs more of the hot water. It is AWESOME. I asked the waitress where I could get it and she said it’s imported from China and she herself has tried finding it in Chinatown but to no avail. Hokay.  Visited King’s and met a few of Char’s friends. Spent the night trawling the shopping stretch alone. The stores were closed, but there was something lovely about walking on the wide pavements and looking at the window displays.

The next day, I moved to Angela’s. We had fish and chips for lunch, which I was SO HAPPY about, because I’ve always loved fish and chips and always wanted to have this quintessential English meal in England. Jilyn was with us too, since she’s on exchange at UCL. I visited UCL when Angela went there to sort something out. Topshop, which was on the top of our to-visit places, was amazing. Oh man the space! And the variety! And there was a student discount, which I enjoyed after happily flashing my Sorbonne card. Met a few people from Singapore we knew on the streets and in a cafe, which was a tad funny.

The third day, after helping Joanne and Jilyn settle in a bit into their dorm room on campus, Angela and I set off to Buckingham Palace which was open to the public. I liked it.  The audio guide was very good. We got to see the special exhibition of the dresses of the reigning queen. I found them to be mostly unappealing. Afterwards, it was to Chinatown and a good Chinese lunch. Then to a Chinese supermarket where I bought a few items that I oohed and aahed over. Hung out at a gelato place afterward to read and eat enormous gelato creations, because we were knackered from all the walking. Trafalgar Square in the late afternoon to watch pigeons and people and get sprayed by the fountain when the wind blew strong. Phantom of the Opera at the West End at night. I enjoyed the dungeon scenes very much.

The next day, I went out shopping alone. I’d wanted to go to Portobello Market, but it was raining heavily, so that was out. Instead, I spent most of my time in shops, especially Marks and Spencer. My suitcase was half stuffed with food from Marks and Spencer when I returned. I am not exaggerating. I love my food shelf in my room now. Speaking of my room! I’ve moved to my very cosy very charming very lovable single room. More on that later. It totally deserves an entry all to itself.

The last day in London, I visited the Tower of London in the morning. It was spectacular! And it began with a guided and entertaining commentary and mini-tour by a Beefeater (go look it up!) who ressembled Sylvester Stallone. He was fantastic and had a captive and appreciative audience. I enjoyed his performance very much. We saw the famed crown jewels, which were impressive. Although I must say I enjoyed the grounds and buildings in general more than I did the jewels. It always feels amazing to visit a place that has witnessed history-shaping events, and to imagine what had gone on before many many years ago. It was on to Harrods where an opera singer sang from a balcony overlooking the Egyptian landing, which is where all the escalators to all levels are to be found. I didn’t buy a single thing from there, would you believe it? Me neither. Well, not counting lunch and the Krispy Kremes for tea, that is. Harrods is overwhelming -a high-class Mustafa. Visited the Diana and Dodi shrine at the basement -touching. On to Camden Market, which Jilyn joined us for. I. LOVE. CAMDEN. MARKET. It’s wonderful! Vintage clothing, second-hand clothing, little boutiques, cheeky items, art, food. And the people! I’ve never seen so many mohawks in a single place, for instance. I didn’t have the time to explore the entire area before it closed, so I’m definitely going back there when I return to London, which I will for certain. Dinner of kebabs and warm bread after Angela joined us, then on to Sainsbury’s to buy some more groceries. The British have such tempting junk and instant food.

I left early the next morning and saw Big Ben through the light rain on the bus to the train station. It was beautiful, this iconic London structure. I saw LSE too -rather ugly. Getting back home was a bit trying because I was weighed down with food in my suitcase. And the Parisian trains were crowded since it was a Sunday and people were out and about. Not to mention another bag containing a huge beautiful cushion I bought on sale at Urban Outfitters. I’d missed Urban Outfitters. I visited it very often in the States this past summer. And I had my everyday bag as well, stuffed with uh more food. Well okay there were shoes and clothes and toiletries that I’d brought along with me in the first place that weighed me down, alright? But yes there was a substantial amount of food. The food that’s making me very happy right now everytime I see them on the shelf and even happier when I’m choosing what to eat and extremely happy when I’m eating them. YUM.

There you have it, my London experience.

One very important reason why I’m going back to London: Sound of Music will be staged at the West End starting 4th November! It’s my favourite movie ever -I’ve watched it umpteen times. Gloriously exciting, isn’t it?

I burnt my tongue, by the way. On the fourth morning in London, with Starbucks Signature Hot Chocolate. It hurts. I’d be enjoying my yummy food a lot more if it didn’t. Heal yourself, tongue! Chop chop.

Where are the pictures, you ask? I realize there’s been none to see since I left. Be uploading them in the next couple of days. For sure. Look out for them!