My two weeks in the UK is almost up and I must say it will be hard to leave and begin the next chapter of my trip. I have had such a wonderful time seeing my family again, catching up with friends who have now made London their home and enjoying past experiences from when I was last here (the St Albans Waffle House=Heaven) as well as creating new ones. But back to the beginning…..
I arrived safe and sound in the UK after a mammoth journey. From Adelaide I flew to Kuala Lumpur where I had a 9 hour wait until my flight to the UK and 9 hours is a lot of time to kill when you’re on your own. It’s true what they say that when your backpacking the majority of your time is spent just hanging around airports!
I have been staying on and off with Auntie Julie an Uncle Ade in Luton, which is about an hour out of London, but I also stayed for a night with my cousin Sade in a small country area called Market Harborough where she lives and works as a vet. I was also able to stay with my other cousin Ade and his girlfriend Annika in their new apartment in East London.
I didn’t realise how much I had missed London until I was there. There is always something happening and always something to do which makes it such an exciting place to be. If I was able to get another work visa I could easily live in London however I would always come back to Australia as I prefer our clean streets! Big city dirtiness and the smell after it rains is not something I could put up with for life.
Staying in East London just off Brick Lane with Ade and Annika was great, again there was always something happening and going on. There were loads of vintage shops and cool markets to explore as well as amazing food. The world food hall where Ade took me for lunch one day was amazing. The hall was full of different food stalls from Asian to Ethiopian, Caribbean, Sri Lankan and more. So we sat on the floor listening to Caribbean beats while enjoying our food which was of course followed by a strawberry crepe! The streets were full of hipsters and trendy people and while I could admire the daring fashion of some, secretly wishing I was brave enough and cool enough to be able to pull off some of their outfits others made me cringe. There were a few one lens sunglasses which just looked ridiculous. Why anyone would want to go out wearing a pair of sunglasses with only one eye actually shaded/protected is beyond me, there is a limit to how hipster you can be without looking stupid.
From the hustle and bustle of the city I then found myself staying in a tiny country village just outside of Luton called Whitwell. It was very sweet and quaint and surrounded by fields or heaths as they call them which I spent most of my time walking through with the dog I was looking after. And despite being summer I still found myself dressed in a coat and wearing gum boots (wellingtons) through the muddy fields.
On Monday Sade and I are off to Morocco to begin our two week journey which will take us to Prague and Istanbul then Spain awaits. I've got London under my skin though so I think a visit back here before my trip to Africa is on the cards.
