An Australian in London.

Ok it's official.... I love it here. I may never leave (but shhh don't tell my mum).

The first thing I have to say is that the weather has been fantastic! All those people who complain that it's cold and rainy here are wingers. I have been caught in the rain ONCE since I arrived here. Every time I think, the rain has finally caught up with us it starts to fine up again... usually just in time for us to start touristing (e.g walking and open top busing).

The first day we got here (the day I wrote my last blog) I was smashed with jetlag... But I thought I have to get out and see something. I can't just hide away in my hotel room when I have come all this way (even though that is what I desperately wanted to do).

*Travel Fact*

Sleeping Pills don't help with jetlag, they just make you more tired...

So after what was too short a nap I forced myself and my aged mother out of the hotel room and onto the street. Luckily the hotel room we booked (on "otels.com") was in a FANTASTIC location. It's the City Inn Westminster and it is literally a 3 minute walk to the Houses of Parliament (BIG BEN), Westminster Abbey and the London Eye. So even though we were out of the hotel room for about 30 mins in total we actually saw heaps and did not feel at all bad when we went right on back to the room ordered some room service and passed out for about 17 hours.

*Nerd Fact*

Nerdsicles out there might recognise this location from the Doctor and Rose's first adventure against the Autons.

By the way - I have not stopped smiling like that since I arrived here!

The good thing about many sleeps is that the next day I was fully prepared to tourist like a mad woman, which is exactly what we did.

Me and mum being a new breed of lazy tourist decided to do The Original London Sightseeing Tour (according to the website it's award winning). I know it sounds lame and as I said it is the lazy way to to tourist but it was actually fantastic! I would recommend it to anyone. It's really good in a big city like London because it's so hard to get around and if you can't read a map like me then it's difficult to navigate yourself. With this bus all you have to do is wait outside a landmark and it's bound to come around.

*Travel Fact*

The City Sightseeing tours are also great if you don't have a lot of time in a city (especially if they have a live guide) - as we learnt later in out travels.

Back to travel journalness...

The first thing we did was go into Leicester Square to pick up some cheap West End tickets. Now I am paranoid, I was so freaked out by various travel guides that I would not go near anything that wasn't the OFFICIAL tkts booth. It took a while to find it the brochure we had said it was in the clock tour building. We spent about half an hour wandering around Leicester looking up until we realised it was right in the middle! Ok lame out of towners... I was surprised we weren't mugged. Walking around with various maps looking lost. But like I said we found it.

Yeah there was a bit of a line. But we were there when it opened and it moved pretty quickly.

This ticket office opens at 10am.

*Travel Fact*

If you're going to be traveling in England then you best get used to scenes like this because the Pohms they like to queue.

The wait was well worth it though because not only did we get half price tickets to a show but they were fantastic seats. I'm talking in the stalls about 10 rows from the front. The show that we, well I say we but I really mean me, chose to see comes with a bit of a story. More on that later.

After we had procured tickets we headed of on another adventure. We decided to take advantage of the walking tour that came free with the Bus Service. We had no idea what it was but it seemed like a good idea. So off me and mum trotted towards Trafalgar Square where the tour left from.

It turns out it is a tour for the changing of the guard... only it was a non changing of the guard day. I know it's one of those things that I still really want to see but it turned out to be a good thing that it wasn't on for a few reasons. There were a total of 3 people in our tour group including me and mum and we had TWO tour guides. We got up close and personal with the changing of the horses and we got way closer to buckingham palace then you would if it was a guard changing day. So I would recommend going on a non guard changing day you'll learn more and see more and you won't been crush by the masse. Plus you'll be cooler because you knew it would be better on a non guard day.

There you go now your in the know.

We were pretty much buggered after this... and did I mention that we had forgotten to get breakfast! I would recommend that you always get breakfast when you are touristing... and maybe just in general.

*Life Fact*

Always eat breakfast... it's the most important meal of the day.

We were so hungry we got a sandwich at a small sort of deli place that might have been the front for some kind of drug pushers. But I was so hungry I didn't care. What I find strange is that the English don't eat much salad and after all that travel and bad food and not enough and too much sleep all I really wanted was a salad sandwich. What I had to settle for is an egg sandwich with lettuce and cucumber. Weird. But it was only the first day we were in the country and we didn't really have a feel for the place and where to eat and all that yet. Now we do.

*Travel Fact*

This may only be new and different for us Aussies but if you're in the UK and good place to get healthy/nice/fresh and reasonably priced food is at Pret a Manger (ready to eat).

After the weird ass sandwich we got back on the bus and headed out to the British Museum.

This Place is EPIC --------->

So epic that it wasn't the best idea to attempt to see it all in about an hour... but we were short on time and like I said we are lazy tourists. The only thing I wanted to see was the relief from the Parthenon and it was worth navigating the maze that is this museum to see it.

I will have to go back to have a closer look.

After the worlds shorted trip through history we got back onto the bus and headed out towards the tower... as in The Tower of London!

The tower is full of fun history stuff and guards and torture and mystery. It was fun and all but it wasn't my favourite part of London. I'm not a huge fan of the whole looking at weapons thing but I do like the building and for someone who loves shiny things I wasn't that impressed with the crown jewels (I've seen better). I'm glad I saw it but I don't think I'll rush back in a hurry but if I did I would go on the tour so that I could learn more about all the history and stuff.

*Travel Fact*

DON'T take picture of the crown Jewels... They don't like it and they make you figure out how to delete the photo of your stupid and difficult new camera. I'm pretty sure I'm on some kind of list now. But there were no signs saying not to take photos.

So after this debacle we caught the bus almost to our door and prepared ourself for a night on the west end. And a chance to look at one of the many possible future Mr Yvonne Popplewell's

Ok so you get it now - Hop on Hop off Tours = Good!

Check back soon for the tale of...

Love from the land of history...

Von

xoxo