London II

Sunday in London was not quite as whirlwind as Saturday, but it was still a really fun day. I had a quick breakfast (chocolate croissant and cappuccino) at Bar Italia, then headed down to Sloane Square to go check out the General Trading Company.

On the way, I bought an Oyster card, as recommended by my parents' friend Charles. It's basically a cross between a Metrocard and an E-ZPass (for the newyawkers in attendance). For people like me, it's great - it's a prepaid card that adds up how many rides I've taken in a day and charges me for the cheapest combination. Neat! And yes, the government can track where I go and when...oh well. I've now waited in my last line at an underground station (at least to buy a ticket...)

Anyway, GTC didn't open until 12 noon (it was Sunday, in England, remember?) and since Peter Jones (part of John Lewis) opened at 11, in I went. I tested out some patio chairs and tables, sat on 'our' couch (yet to be ordered), and was on my way.

I had plans to meet up with Michelle but we hadn't figured out where - we ended up going to Greenwich, which was really fun. I took the Docklands Light Railway out (without realising I had to pay before I got on the train - oops!), and walked around for a while.

I read some more of The Nine Tailors (a Dorothy Sayers murder mystery about bell ringing in East Anglia, recommended by mom) while sitting in the park in front of the maritime buildings - it was so wonderful to be outside in the sun after all the rain we've had.

Michelle and I had a REALLY yummy lunch, walked around the markets for a while, saw these crazy puppets in a parade, and then climbed to the top of the hill to check out the observatory.





And in honor of Harry Potter, I found this 'golden snitch'-esque weathervane at the top of one of the observatory buildings. Love it.


I was then so comprehensively exhausted that hopped on a train back to the burbs where I showered off the London grime and tumbled in to bed. Phew.