Once back from Russia I had two of my Aunties come over to stay with me. It was great having family over and I showed them around London as much as I could after work hours and took them to Paris for a weekend. This was great fun as the sun was out to play while we wandered around the streets, going up the Eiffel Tower and we got to enjoy a beer at the Sacre Coeur overlooking the beautiful city of Paris.
The following weekend I took them to Copenhagen to stay with the cousins once again and we had a great time. We ate our way all over the city and our cousin taking us for another bike tour around Copenhagen. My Aunties left on the Sunday ready for their flight back to London and connecting back to Adelaide. I stayed an extra day and ended up catching a short train to Malmo in Sweden for the afternoon. I ate lots of yummy Swedish food and explored the little town before catching the train back to Copenhagen.
Back in London I tried to fit in as much as could as my looming ‘d-day’ was getting closer and closer.
I went to Liverpool for a day trip with a friend and then spent a long weekend in Cornwall where we hired a car to explore the Cornish Coast. The coastline here is beautiful and not what you expect from London. We stayed in Newquay but ventured the whole way around the coast for a couple of days and even went horse riding before heading back home to London.
My friend took me to see the Life of Pi which was shown on a large outdoor screen in the middle of London Zoo and we got to say hello to the tigers beforehand. A few other things I did around London was the World Photography Exhibition (Somerset House), day trip to Bournemouth, Tate Modern, Greenwich, the Matilda Musical, Secret Cinema and gigs included Denai Moore/Farewell JR/Nightbeds, Deptford Goth, London Grammar, Alt J, Postal Service, Six60, Denai Moore, Ben Howard, Flight Facilities and Laura Marling.
Myself and a mate did a great hiking trip around the Lake Districts where we ended up walking over 70km in two and a bit days!!! It was beautiful though and I recommend it highly.
I had a weekend in Berlin to stay with some mates again and we had tickets to The XX’s festival they were putting on – this was incredible. It was held in Spreepark (an old abandoned themepark) and we had so much fun watching The XX and the other artists playing. We continued well into the night and found out the following day it was Carnival of Culture!!!
Carnival of Culture is a massive street party where they have floats going down the streets. As the day goes on, the people start to party behind the floats and the crowds get bigger and bigger! We sat on top of a car park in the sun which had a great view of the street and the entertainment below – taking it in turns to go get drinks (Coronas and cocktails!).
I was due to fly out later that night and when I attempted to leave, I was in a mad rush. I got to the metro, saw that it was packed and wouldn’t have been able to get down the stairs – that made my decision. I missed my flight and stayed in Berlin to enjoy the rest of the Carnival. This turned out to be a great move as we had more friends join us and we had a massive night. I emailed my boss that evening and he was fine with it telling me to just get in when I can – amazing!!!! I flew back late Monday afternoon just in time to get see the Postal Service which I couldn’t miss as it was their first gig in ten years!!! What a whirlwind of a weekend. I will say it again, I love Berlin!!
A couple of weeks before I left London, I had entered into the ToughMudder race with a friend. This meant I was training every week which got me back into shape and definitely kept me busy on top of the normal, crazy, London life. We had a great time doing the race and managed to do the 14mile (22km) race with over 24 obstacles in 2.5hours! And I would do it again!
Another thing that kept me super busy (and productive) was completing my online TEFL certificate (teaching English as a foreign language) which I was able to do a bit in work hours.
Leaving Richemont was sad but they gave me a great leaving present of a Montblanc bracelet and I had some yummy lunches in the surrounding area of Mayfair – fancy Michelin starred restaurants of course.
I had many catch ups with my mates and fit in as much sightseeing for the last few things on my list. I packed up my room in boxes and sent a few home, had a friend take over my room and said my goodbyes.
On my last day in London, a few of us girls went to ‘Ladies Day’ at the Ascot Races. We dressed up, placed a few bets on, and even managed to see the Queen in her horse .
It was sad to leave as I loved my time in London and had met some of the most incredible people. Some I was friends with a long time and some new friends who will be lifelong friends..
It was time for my next trip which was, by far, some of the best times of my life….
Some fun facts and info about France can be found here.
Some fun facts and info about Denmark can be found here.
Some fun facts and info about Germany can be found here.