Day five!

 

It’s been a short day today, as I’ve only been two places. First, I went to Portobello Road. This is one of the places I remember the best from the first time I was in London, and I had a lot of fun looking at the antiques and clothes. I ended up buying myself a scarf, a falafel and a travel map with rooms for tickets, passport and travel documents. The shopping ended with ice cream and earl grey at a café nearby, before I too the tube to the Southbank Christmas Market. I was low on cash and very full after my falafel and ice cream, but I still bought myself a polish hot dog, and donated some money to the tree of life and the fight against cancer. By doing this, I got to write a Christmas greeting on an ornament for the tree, and I dedicated mine to everyone with breast cancer. 

Day three and four.

I went back to Covent Garden and Apple and Jubilee Market yesterday morning, and man, am I glad I did! My long search for the perfect hat met its goal at the stand of a man who sold military hats. No, I didn’t buy the black bear hat in real skin, but the police hat of a senior officer. I’ve already gotten six comments by strangers on the street (all men O.o). 

The cupcake stand at King's Cross Underground.

One of the greatest bookstores in the world!

The found was celebrated with a Belgian chocolate cookie, before I checked out the Moleskin store and headed off towards Piccadilly. After yet another two hours at a bookstore, this one six floors high, I finally got to meet my online friend Tisa (remember kids, do not do this without your parents consent)!  Tisa and I’ve been friends for about three years and we are both great fans of Megamind. We hang out around Piccadilly for a while, eating pulled chicken and crepes, and wandering around Fortnum & Mason. I was very careful with my backpack in there, I’ll tell you! I barely had the money to breathe the air! Then we went to see Penguins of Madagascar and share a “medium” bucket of popcorn, which we barely managed to finish. Afterwards, Tisa bought us bubble tea, since I had never tasted it before. It’s basically iced tea with jelly balls in it, and it is VERY weird. Since we didn’t really feel like ending the day, I was invited over to a sleepover with pizza and gaming. But even sleepovers end, and this morning I had to say goodbye to Tisa, with the promise that we’d meet again.

Courtesy of Tisa :)

Am I rich enough to breathe this air?

After a quick stop at the hostel to freshen up, I headed off to Oxford Street.  The pizza from yesterday kept me full until noon, but as soon as I reached Tottenham, I started searching for a place to eat, and ended up in Vantra. For the first time since I came to Britain, I got the proof that there are some British people who are aware eaters, because Vantra sell healthy raw food that is vegan, halal, kosher and free from gluten, sugar and G.M.O. Sounds almost impossible, doesn’t it? I paid for a small bucket, and got to fill it up at their buffet. The food reminded me a lot of the food I got in Tanzania, and the Mellow Yellow smoothie was one of the best I’ve had! If anyone who reads this blog goes to London at some point, I would totally recommend eating lunch there. Just don’t take a LOT of one thing, take a bit of everything, in case something is not of your liking. You’ll find it at the very end of Oxford Street.

After walking the length of Oxford Street, I went for a walk in Hyde Park and Kensington Garden. It is very beautiful there, but the squirrels are clearly being fed too much. They even climbed up my leg! As the sun set and it got dark, I ended my day at Harrods, where I got the best grilled chicken I have ever eaten and a great raspberry lemonade for a price that’s not too shabby for a Norwegian, but probably way too much for someone British (30 pounds). I also bought my sister a present, but what it is won’t be revealed until Christmas Eve. I also bought myself a can of tea and three pieces of chocolate, which were eaten with great dignity. 

Hyde Park. (c) Brennodden.

So much good tea!

At King's Cross

Day two

Milla and I sleep in a room with nine other girls, included a Swede and a Norwegian, so I can get my mother tongue going before returning home for Christmas. All the girls have a sleeping pattern typical for the young adults of our generation, so I quietly snuck out of our room at eight, before anyone else had even let out a morning fart. Every hostel breakfast is the same; it’s toast (preferably white), jam (preferably cheap), juice (preferably orange) and perhaps cornflakes (preferably with milk). The greatest surprise this morning was the whole grain bread and normal müsli. Other than that, the existence of a fridge and free access to a kitchen was nice, so if anyone really can’t handle the toast life, they can at least make their own food after breakfast. Milla, who is gluten allergic, chose to sleep and get her breakfast at Costa on our way out to town. 

 We set course for Covent Garden and its Christmas markets and Moomin store. I bought this season’s Moomin mug and a Christmas present for Rex, my sister’s dog, at the market. Then we headed down to the river, past Piccadilly, and through St. James’ Park. I got to see several new birds I’ve never seen before:

Bar-headed goose- Anser indicus- Stripegås
Egyptian goose – Alopochen aegyptiaca- Niland
Black swan- Cygnus atratus- Svartsvane
Snow goose- Chen caerulescens)- Snøgås

After a reunion with Big Ben and London Eye (for me, not for Milla), we went back up to the shopping streets for lunch, or an early dinner, at Bella Italia. Then Milla went back to the hostel to meet her friend from Finland who had just arrived, while I spent two hours at a bookstore by the National Gallery, before ending my day.