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Friday

March 22 & 23: Acting like locals and meeting the Lego Queen

Hello friends |

I've already told you lot that Lena is an incredibly sweetness in addition to lovely person.  She's letting us slumber (rent-free) inwards her even out , despite the fact that she commutes 1 hr each morning time in addition to eve betwixt hither in addition to her boyfriend's apartment.  She had gone out of her agency to organise in addition to include us inwards her East London Lord's Day ritual , thus nosotros happily obliged.

Just our luck , at that topographic point was scheduled maintenance on the District Line where our subway scheme halt was thus nosotros needed to receive got the motorcoach to Algate East.  This wasn't also bad though , because I really similar the bus.  They don't receive got three hours to larn anywhere (like inwards Melbourne) in addition to they receive got a thought , which the subway scheme doesn't.  Also at that topographic point are to a greater extent than seats.  On this detail motorcoach , at that topographic point was a immature man child sitting behind us with his mother.  "That's where nosotros larn when nosotros kicking the bucket ," he told her , really matter-of-factly , equally nosotros drove yesteryear a cemetery.  Morbid kid.

At Algate East , which isn't different to Fitzroy inwards price of its grunge:hipster ratio , nosotros had The First Good Coffee (at a cafe run yesteryear an Aussie).  We met upward with Lena in addition to headed to a marketplace held inwards a huge corrugated atomic release 26 warehouse.  There were close a 1000000 different smells going on , all mingly together in addition to making a spicy in addition to warm form of smell.  It was packed to bursting with twenty-somethings , all carrying large plates of nutrient in addition to clad inwards varying degrees of tartan.  Lena stood out with all the dark in addition to reddish , with her fairy floss pilus in addition to winged spectacles in addition to pastel checkered coat.  She explained that she'd tried everything on offering in addition to nosotros had no other pick than to pay half-dozen quid for a plate loaded upward with Ethiopian lentils in addition to pancakes in addition to olives.  She had a call for , though.  It was delicious.

When Nicholas in addition to I lived inwards Melbourne , nosotros frequented a cafe called Mr Tulk , named afterwards Australia's offset librarian.  We got the same thing every fourth dimension nosotros went there: avocado in addition to lime on toast , a pot of soy chai with love , followed yesteryear a chocolate cheesecake brownie.  The brownie was basically a operate of art.  It was rich in addition to dense in addition to had a swirly layer of baked cheesecake on move yesteryear , which was chewy in addition to savoury.  One 24-hour interval they discontinued it in addition to replaced it with a hazelnut brownie. "The New Shit Brownie" Nicholas calls it.

The brownie story has a point.  Nicholas doesn't consider a repast a proper repast without dessert , thus I sent him to a piddling stall I'd seen that sold mint brownies (his other favourite brownie).  They sold a brownie thus similar to the famous Mr Tulk Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie chapeau Nicholas ended upward spending far also much coin on brownies in addition to made himself a piddling flake sick.  He claims it was worth it.

Outside the nutrient marketplace , at that topographic point was a regular marketplace with jewellery in addition to a milliner (I didn't care to larn a motion painting of myself inwards a bowler chapeau , merely I really did trace it off.  I really considered it.  a) it looked really amazing in addition to didn't brand my caput hold off fifty-fifty bigger in addition to rounder than it already is , b) I could've been the Monopoly Man at every fancy wearing clothing political party for the balance of my life.  Or Charlie Chaplin) in addition to coat shops in addition to vintage spectacles shops.  We spent a long fourth dimension looking around in addition to trying on airheaded spectacles in addition to debating how proficient I looked inwards diverse hats , earlier nosotros stopped yesteryear a boutique tea store (where you lot could purchase one pot of tea for thirty pounds) in addition to thus headed to Lena's fellow , Oliver's , place.  We played a game called Resistance in addition to I illustrated what a pathetic liar I am in addition to how speedily I cleft nether clit per unit of measurement area (I could never operate inwards whatever form of regime or armed forces service , or equally a undercover agent or invention a surprise political party or create anything that involves secrecy).  We had to larn an extremely belatedly subway scheme domicile in addition to I constitute out the difficult agency that tubes start to brand me queasy afterwards a while.

Prior to arriving inwards London , Nicholas in addition to I had purchased a non bad piddling bill of fare called the London Pass.  On Mon , nosotros picked it upward in addition to headed to Westminster Abbey.  While Nick in addition to I wouldn't really telephone retrieve ourselves Anglophiles or are especially into the majestic household unit of measurement , nosotros figured Westminster Abbey would receive got some sweetness crypts.  It did.  The best business office was that it was that the good conduct was narrated yesteryear Jeremy Irons , thus it felt similar Scar from The Lion King was introducing you lot to the dead monarchs you'd read close inwards Patricia Gregory novels.  Isaac Newton was buried at that topographic point also in addition to that was really cool.  

You can't receive got pictures within Westminster Abbey , merely I snapped this i because it looked similar a scene from Harry Potter.  I really intend it is from Harry Potter.  

At the Westminster Abbey gift store you lot tin purchase a photograph album of the majestic wedding.  I don't know how I experience close that.

After the Abbey , nosotros hopped onto a motorcoach in addition to caput downwards to the Beefeater Gin distillery.  We could brand it for gratis in addition to I really similar gin , thus why not?  There was a museum of gin's illicit history in addition to its moonshine-y origins.  Nick enjoyed looking at the distilling machinery.  I enjoyed the business office where nosotros drank the gin.

Gin!


After some liquor , nosotros caput dorsum to Bond St thus that I could pick upward some things from Lush for Lena equally a thank-you for letting us remain with her.  This was especially exciting because Lush United Kingdom of Great Britain in addition to Northern Ireland of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland has close a 1000000 things nosotros don't receive got inwards Commonwealth of Australia , similar powdered sunscreen in addition to a perfume called Death in addition to Decay , which is supposed to olfactory belongings similar decaying lillies.  In theory , that has a really Alexander McQueen vibe in addition to sounds really appealing.  It's amend inwards theory than exercise , thus I exclusively bought a tiny venture perfume.  I love Lush.

We also constitute ourselves inwards a Disney store where everything was also expensive in addition to the soundtrack was generic magical transformation sequence sounds.  We also went to Hamley's , which is a v storey high toy store with gender-specific storeys.  Mum volition know how much this bothered me , because she's heard to a greater extent than than i rant close how much I dislike gendered toys.  The 4th flooring featured licensed Harry Potter memorabilia , including everybody's wands.  Actually everybody , though.  I really liked all the Death Eater wands (typical).

The move yesteryear flooring was strictly for Lego , a milk shiver bar (?) in addition to a confectionary store (??).  It was extremely British inwards all aspects , merely the lifesize Lego sculptures of waving Kate in addition to Wills in addition to the Lego Queen (complete with corgi) , equally good equally reddish telephone boxes made of Lego really highlighted the British-ness of the whole experience.  I should add together that this was at close 9pm on a Mon night.  London is a really weird city.

I went to London to watch the (lego) queen


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