A Familiar Face

I met up with my friend Megan as she was in London for 2 days which started her little European vacation she was taking with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend's flight got delayed 10 hours so we got to spend all day together before she met up with him at Heathrow. I met her near her hotel and we had a nice lunch together before taking her to sightsee.

Found "Police Box" from the show Dr. Who

We went to Notting Hill next and wandered around. While we were exploring we heard a bunch of girls screaming in excitement and running which peaked out interest so we got closer and then realized it was One Direction! Not that I am a fan of One Direction, but we found it pretty cool.

Megan wanted to go see Neal's Yard and the easiest way to get there was going via King's Cross Station. While at the Station we found the Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 and got our pictures taken.

Architecture in the station

By the time we got to Covent Garden, it was dark so there was no point going to Neal's Yard so instead we went to see the Christmas Lights.

Overall we had a great day together - was really nice to see a friend from home!

Tea and Kensington Gardens

The three of us went for afternoon tea at a cute shop called Cocomaya in Chelsea. We got a pot of tea some baked treats to share - so good!

The best donut I've ever had

Since we were nearby we headed to Kensington Garden/Hyde Park and go for a walk as it was a beautiful day.

The Orangery 

Statue of Queen Victoria with Kensington Palace in the background 

There is a statue of Peter Pan in the park as the author J.M. Barrie lived really close to the area and used Kensington Park as inspiration. Unfortunately we could not find the statue but will for sure go back to find it. There's also the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain I want to see.

We were wandering around and saw a funny looking building so went closer and discovered it was the Royal Albert Hall and just opposite is the Albert Memorial. The Memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her husband after he died of typhoid. The statue celebrates In the corners of the outer area of the statue are marble figures that represent Europe, Asia, Africa and America. While the buildings were quite extravagent, I was more interested in the street hockey game that was happening between the buildings. There were about 10 guys playing road hockey, a few of them wearing various jerseys (one being a team Canada and another player was wearing a Habs hat) which was nice to see!

Royal Albert Hall

Albert Memorial

Notting Hill

I have found my new favourite place in London - Portobello Market/Notting Hill on Portobello Road. The street was quite long and there were so many stalls set up selling food, old books, vintage fashion, records, prints, and other antique items. There was nothing I really needed to buy but it was definitely a very cool place and I would recommend it to anyone who came to London. The buildings along the market were gorgeous - painted different pastel shades.

There were lots of food stalls set up throughout the market. I tried a potato dish which was really good

The store from the film "Notting Hill" starring Julia Roberts, although it's missing the "g."

Old Singer sewing machines lining the entrance inside a clothing store

This gives you a hint of how crazy busy the market was

Antique books in one of the many shops 

After touring the market we went to Twinings tea shop which was right across from the Royal Court of London - such a gorgeous building.

Remember The 5th

"Remember, remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason, why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot."

In the United Kingdom the 5th of November is known as Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night and is meant to commemorate the events that took place in England on 5 November 1605 when Guy Fawkes was arrested for trying to blow up the Parliament buildings in London. After that, people began lighting bonfires to celebrate the King surviving the attack. I hadn't really heard of Bonfire Night until I taught in Italy as they learned about British culture and I saw in their notebooks there was a holiday called Bonfire Night. I have also watched the film, "V For Vendetta" which uses the famous Guy Fawkes mask. 

There were firework displays all throughout London on 5th November but the three of us decided to head downtown to the Parliament buildings to see if there were any celebrations happening there. As soon as we got off the tube we saw crowds of people wearing Guy Fawkes masks and a large protest in Parliament square beside Big Ben. Luckily there were police officers everywhere - I had never seen so many bobbies (cops) in one area. They had squared the protesters into one area and had barriers to block them in. The protest was organized by a group called Anonymous which invited everyone to take part in a "Million Mask March." I am really not sure what exactly they were protesting about, as some people were fighting against corrupt politicians, while others had signs for a world without capitalism and some were chanting about bringing the arts back in schools. Violence broke out between protesters and police officers which is about when we decided we should leave. Later on we found out Russell Brand made an appearance to try and keep the peace.

Overall, I find it a very strange holiday to celebrate and still don't fully understand it, although it was interesting to witness. 

Guy Fawkes mask made famous from "V For Vendetta"

After the violence broke out at the protest we went for a walk and saw some beautiful nights

Hampton Court

Our last adventure during our half term break was to Hampton Court on our way back from Bath. Unfortunately by the time we got there, we found out there was only an hour until it closed and the man who worked there said we would want to spend at least 3-4 hours exploring the palace. We decided to come back another day for our tour and just walk around the gardens. Luckily it was a gorgeous day and there was lots to see.

Bath and Stonehenge

After our trip to Jane Austen House Museum we drove to Bath (and got lost a few times on the way, but we didn't mind because the scenery was so nice.) We arrived Saturday evening and checked into our hotel then went to the grocery store to get some snacks and drinks for our night out. The four of us were unsure of what are the nightlife but luckily we had an awesome cab driver and he sent us where to go - our first stop was a place called the Slug and Lettuce and ended with a club called Zero Zero. I have found that people go out very early in London, most likely because all the bars/clubs close early. We had a great night and really enjoyed celebrating Katy's birthday.

Prior to leaving, I had booked tickets for Stonehenge on Sunday as I had been told sometimes it can sell out. I have to say, Stonehenge was a bit of a let down. I'm not sure if it was because we actually weren't able to get close to the stones, or if it was because we didn't grab an audio guide. While I am glad I saw it, I don't think I would ever go back. The four of us also couldn't resist buying matching buttons that say "we saw the stones" as that is just the strangest thing to have on a button.

After Stonehenge, we drove back and toured around Bath while it was still light out. Bath certainly has a different vibe than London, and it was a nice change from the constant business of London. I would definitely recommend going to Bath, it was beautiful! I hope to go back one day and actually go in the Roman Baths and go to Bristol as it is only a half hour drive away.

The Circus - these three long buildings are townhouses that were built in a circle