Before getting the train to Kings Cross at 10:30am, Kim and I went up to Calton Hill for a magnificent view of the city before she left Edinburgh for good :(
Though we didn't book our seats together, we managed to sit next to each other for the entire journey as the train wasn't full. After arriving at Kings Cross, we then headed to our accommodation (which was Bron's home as she very kindly let us stay in her family flat for our 3 nights in London!!! v grateful!!)
Love looking down Oxford Street but it can get overwhelmingly crowded at times
Carnaby Street!! One of my fav streets/areas in London :)
Had Shoryu Ramen for dinz!
After dinner, Kim and I decided to check out Whole Foods at High Street Ken before heading back home and we ended up getting so much yummy healthy goodies!!! (Including a bomb granola that only cost £1.29 for 500g and vanilla soy yoghurt that we had for bfast the next day) I could just stare at their shelves for ages and wishing that my pantry could be as well stocked as theirs
The next morning, after a delicious bfast of granola and yoghurt, we headed off to cycle in Kensington Gardens! We were absolutely blessed with amazing weather as well!
Cycling was so much fun!! and it only cost £2 for one bike for 24 hrs?! AMAZING
We then headed to Camden Market where we stuffed ourselves with yummy foooooooodddd
Kim had Poppies Fish&Chips and I had a flatbread with mushrooms, greens, tomatoes, pesto and aubergine and it was B-O-M-B. Everything including the flatbread was made fresh on-site which I love! Kim had the ham one and she said my vegan one was better!! WOOHOO
Vegan - 1; Meat - 0
Then came across this dessert stall which had plenty vegan options!! I had to think so hard of what to get
I settled for a Blueberry tart and it was the perfect combination of sweet and tangy accompanied with an amazing crumbly tart base (My fav part of any dessert is the crumble base)
We then shared a vegan ice cream sandwhich from Cookies and Scream!! Kim loved it!! Vegan - 2; Meat - 0.
After that buffet of delicousness, we popped into Office and Kim finally managed to get the pair of Gazelles that she had been eyeing since she came!! Also that rainbow on her shirt was a reflection - cool right???
Post shoe-shopping, we headed to Trafalgar Square at sat on a ledge whilst listening to 2 amazing buskers sing like angels for close to 2 hours :')
We then met Nur, Kim's v good friend from JC who was doing an internship in London
We had Jap food for dinner despite being not hungry and then soon regretted buying food in the first place. (sometimes you can get caught up with society telling you that eating Bfast, Lunch and Dinner is a must and hence you think you need to eat dinner because its dinner time rather than because you're actually hungry)
The next morning we woke up at 5:45am to get breakfast at Duck & Waffle at 7am hahahahah
It was the only time they had a reservation slot open and we made it!!
Perks of waking up early - witnessing the sun rise :')
Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication on the phone when we called a few days earlier enquiring about vegan waffles and they ended up not having a vegan waffle option available and so I settled for sourdough toast with jam, hashbrowns and avocado! (Avocados in restaurants/cafes are the biggest rip-off ever - DON'T EVER GET IT AS A SIDE they always cost a bomb for a crazy small amount e.g. this one cost £3 for just 1/2 an avo. I could get a whole avo for 80p at Lidl)
No I don't support eating animal products obviously but I just think this photo is really nice. (Ok but now staring at it for longer I'm imagining a dead duck and a hen's period sorry)
Morning faces maybe??
The restaurant was on the 40th floor and so we were able to witness this view of London !!
After breakfast at Duck & Waffle, we visited the British Museum at Holborn and then wanted to go to Borough Market after. However, the market was closed along with certain roads because there was a funeral going on for the policeman that died during the Westminster shooting in March :(
So... we went back to Camden market and really stuffed ourselves this time - even more so than the first trip. I had 2 mains and dessert!! I had a BBQ pulled pork burrito (made of jackfruit), a tofu Bahn Mi and a PB&J cookie for dessert hehe. Kim had a cheesy pasta that was made fresh on site and then cooked in a massive barrel of cheese (where Kim's left hand is if you can see) and she had a burrito of some sort as well
We headed back home after that, I had a cheeky nap and we then watched the Book of Mormon that evening!! This time we listened to our bodies and did not have dinner - we just snacked on left over granola during the show
The musical was AMAZEBALLS!! But one of the leads, Elder Price, was a little off that night and so that was slightly disappointing, but overall it was really good still and Kim really enjoyed it as well :)
The following day was our day of departure - Kim back to Singapore and I back to Edinburgh
We started our day with an Acai bowl at Island Poke at Carnaby Street and we also added our own granola that we had left over hehe
We then walked along Oxford Street and did a wee bit of shopping and then had acai bowls again for lunch at Whole Foods along High Street Ken! We headed back home and packed for a bit and then I bid goodbye to Kim as her flight was later that evening
Looking back at this trip makes me so happy and grateful for the fact that my friends are able to come all the way from Singapore to visit me! This trip was also rather unplanned for because it really came out of nowhere - Kim just told me a few months ago that she had a holiday and wanted to travel before her placement resumed and then a few FaceTimes and exchange of texts later, she had booked her flights and train tickets here! I think so far Kim has had the greatest glimpse into my uni life here and I'm so glad she did. I'd made a mistake previously by thinking that when people come visit, they would only want to see the city and hang out with me (not in a narcissistic way - read further) and not want to hang out with my friends I made here. However, I've realised after a few experiences that they would in fact be excited to meet new people and also immerse themselves into the life that I live here! (ok again sounding narcissistic but it really isn't). So yeah, and Kim also mentioned how much of an eye opener it was to see how life is like here in Edinburgh and nothing makes me happier than hearing how much of a great time she had on her trip to the UK
Hopefully we will have more opportunities to travel in the future with Natalie as well !!! :')))))
Thanks for coming Kim, I enjoyed your company thoroughly :')
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