Mother's Ruin

Yesterday was sort of low key as our trip ends today and leave early tomorrow. We started out with class presentations and then were dismissed to do as we pleased. Cydney and I had done all of our shopping just but we decided to see the Atlantic Occult bookshop that was closed on Sunday and the surrounding shops, too. We had lunch at Otarian To Go restaurant which is a vegetarian/vegan/gluten free friendly restaurant whose focus is a low carb-on (carbon, not carbs) diet. They boast that all their packaging is compostable, none of their ingredients are airfreighted, and that their carbon footprint is so low that "if every Brit at just one meal at Otarian, we'd have enough energy to fuel an eco car to the sun and back 14 times." I thought it was really cool and they even had 3 bins: one for liquids, one for everything food and packaging from their shop, and one for things not from their shop as they probably won't degrade fast enough. Really impressive prices, tasty dishes, and TOTALLY inexpensive.

It was so very hot though that we spent a good portion of the afternoon having ice water that melted instantly and laying in front of our fan. Less than stellar way to spend our last week here. Most locals were covering every square inch of the park whether in the shade or not. When 17:30 rolled around we headed out for the Jack the Ripper Whitechapel walking tour. There were SO many of them but we felt, having previously investigated them and getting no responses, that we did choose the best one by a company called Ripping Yarns. Our tour guide was a former Marine, Police Officer, and a guide at the Tower of London. He said talking about MURDER was his escape from being asked about the toilets all day. Uniquely, you pay him at the end if you see fit (and we really did, I gave him a full 10-er instead of the suggested 7 pounds). He was really funny and witty, made light of many things, had images of London as it was and how the city compares today, images of evidence, Victorian pennies, and even showed us Harry Potter's Diagon Alley (or at least what it is by its actual name). He also wrapped it up with evidence of who Jack the Ripper really was and I have to say it was very convincing! You'll just have to go yourself to find out! We passed through the East End which kept getting suggested to us and I wish we were there while it was open. Many textile distributors as offbeat fashion shops. Chatting it up with the guide, his son is studying at the prestigious Central St. Martin's School of Fashion (he was unaware that it was a big deal) and even told us to find his son at such and such a bar so that we could meet again. Really great way to end our stay in jolly ole Londontown.

Clean Cup, Move Down

This morning Cydney and I had intended to go the the Vintage Fair for our own interests and some unique gifts, but after looking at our bank accounts and seeing that there was a £10 cover we opted to stay in. We watched BBCSunday Morning Live talk show while eating breakfast mostly pulled in by the discussion of John Galliano. They didn't really talk about him but rather debated whether or not criminal immigrants have human rights, if racial insults require court action, and the SlutWalk and if women should dress modestly. Since everyone else was still sleeping and we were up and ready we opted to check out the local area shops.

Most everything was closed as is the norm on a Sunday. But closer to noon some interesting businesses were open and we found the Atlantis Occult bookshop we had tried to search for before (but it was closed all day--for tomorrow!) We stumbled upon Forbidden Planet which I had been dying to find and it was such an epic comic book store I'm really jealous I don't work there. It is by far better we found it later in our trip than earlier otherwise we'd have spent it all on nerd-gear. We also stuck our heads into an Astrology shop which was totally new age hippie nonsense but it reminded me of Colorado Springs' Crystal Wizard when it was in business years ago. It was amusing to hear the shopkeeper and customer debate the horoscope for the man in the coming year ("It starts out difficult..." "I don't like that." "You do, because it motivates you....""No. I don't like that.") It was a really warm day and we hurried home to get ready for our High Tea at Fortnum and Mason's.

F&M was such a delight. I wore my fancy grey and black ruffle dress with my pinstripe corset and sat at the end of the table. The colors of the tea sets we soft blue and Cydney's blue and white dress made me think of Alice in Wonderland. I even muttered "Clean cup, move down!" in a giggle. Even though we're vegan the staff catered to our diets and we had artichokes and pea soup while the others had carmelized onion tartlets. On the larger meal everyone else had salmon and caviar and meat sandwiches with scones and cakes of different sorts. We on the other hand had an assortment of roasted bell peppers and pesto, artichoke, and cucumber sandwiches, cornmeal scones (really tasty!) and berries, grapes, and strawberry juice as dessert. I just happened to sit at one end of the long tables and so whenever we were taking pictures or just eating I felt like I was having some fancy party. It was all sort of dreamlike and Cyd and I already decided to have tea parties with our cats as we found a cat tea recipe at Harrod's.

We broke off from the group and shopped a bit at F&M. I tried not to look at too much-- I'm sure my suitcase is already full-- but I couldn't help but love their display of teas. I'd've taken a photo but all the stores here are so protective so I'll try to paint a visual. Firstly the shop itself has been around since the 1707 and everything looks over the top fancy. There are towers of fancy jams, chocolates, and tea treats, special gifts and wines all ornamently displayed to match the age of the establishment. Fine and fancy cakes displayed behind glass cases in the middle (other levels specialized in menswear, perfume, other expensive gifts) but the loose leaf teas were on red velvet and contained in glass teapots. I really wanted the flowering teas and the black-strawberry tea.... but we passed. The tea leaves for 3 pots we already priced at £9-£14!

We went home with classmate Alfred and worked on our final projects. We returned to Munchkins to have a veggie burger and print up some paperwork at Accent. There is so little time left it feels like we're just planning our return trip constantly now. We're still hoping to go on the Jack the Ripper tour tomorrow night!

We All Fall Down

Saturday we had a free day! We really ached to return to Camden and blow tons of money that we didn't spend as our trip is nearly over and we won't have to worry about the lack of food. We were supposed to meet up with Ashley but she went back to Portabello Road. Instead we spent the afternoon in Camden with Cyd's aunt, Geri. I bought a fancy face mask at Cyberdog and bought Spinning Poi guide book from Oddballs. Tights are really in here and many businesses carry them here. Since my roller derby days are about to kick off again I grabbed a pair of green leopard ones for Miss Eerie Laine (c'est moi!)

We had lunch again at InSpiral but it wasn't as good on the weekend as it was during the week. Camden was much busier, but the food was cold and somehow I was skimped out of my side dishes. Cyd's been having a hard time since we both caught our cold and I've been having the duties of finishing her plate...so I was still stuffed.

After our farewells to Geri we had a bit of a break on the way home before getting dolled up to go out to Ashes to Ashes, a New Romantic night at the London Stone (where we previously were at their Electric Dreams night). I was really excited to get dressed up all spooky with my classmates one more time.

Round About

Thursday we went back to Portabello to visit a boutique called EKA, which specializes in carrying uncommon brands to the UK, whether US or new UK designers. We also had a revisit to the Westfield Mall to visit the Lipsy store. Cyd and I had already checked it out since its design was highly spoken of at the headquarters tour. We poked around a bit in the other kiosk stands but had an especially wonderful afternoon rose champagne and strawberries treat with some of our other classmates.

Friday was busy starting with a trip out to the Spitalfield Market for their Fashion Friday. It was much like the flea market or previously visited Camden with many near wholesale price items. Half of it was craftier than the other and I picked up an acrylic cut brooch in the shape of a cat. We had miso soup at one of the many Pret A Manger joints in the area. We remet our class to go to the Tate Modern art museum for a quick peek before runnin off to the Fashion Textile Museum. The FTM had a special exhibit about Tommy Nutter and many of the items on loan were from celebrities such as Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, Peter Brown, and Elton John (who also has items on loan at the Victoria & Albert Museum!) It was rather small but very interesting to learn the unique history. I also geeked out a bit as this is the man that designed the Tim Burton Batman Joker suit that Jack Nicholson wore~

We took a small break after the museum and looked around the street and discovered a couture collar pet store named Holly & Lil. So darling with many items similarly available at Harrod's but also having chocolates suitable for dogs. Shopkeeper Chelsea was very sweet and showed Cydney and I images of her kittens. I really adored these oversized bow collars:


We didn't have a lot of time and returned to the Zandra Rhodes Studio (next to the FTM as it is sponsored by she) to have a presentation by the highly entertaining Ben Scholten, Zandra's Head Designer. Having a bit of screening background I was happy to learn the the screens used are all done with drawing fluid and stored away making the prints VERY limited and uniquely manufactured when compared to the mass production made by other firms. I helped display all the luxurious chiffon fabric bits and hang up the dresses Ben pulled to discuss. He surprised us by allowing us to try on the dresses! I wore a sequin on from 3 seasons ago instead of a classic from the 60s.

Return to London

Cydney and I returned to London on Monday (to possibly less than favorable roommate accommodations) and not a whole lot was accomplished. No homework, some laundry, and dinner again at Jack Horner's.

Tuesday we went as a class to Central St. Martin's to see the graduate class's work. We also headed out to Carnaby St as a group and Cydney bought some fabulous Irregular Choice shoes while I bought an adorable Tea for Two Teapot with a little bunny as the lid. We also visited Selfridges which was really intense and busy! Unfortunately Cyd and I were sick and stumbled all the way back home and rested up for the rest of the night.

Then on Wednesday we traveled to Oxford. First we visited Blenheim Palace--the location of Winston Churchill's birth. We had a pretty great tour but we had to stop early to rush off to our retail lecture at the school. At the college gift shop I really loved all the gargoyle trinkets! The drive was pretty long so it was an all day excursion.

Homesickness

So Cydney and I toughed out our travel night of no sleep on the shuttle bus and the not yet awake Stansted airport for our flight to Bremen, but we did make it barely awake.

There were some unfortunate family matters that developed just as we were arriving but my sisters Natalia and Jessica had prepared a fairly traditional and extravagant German breakfast for us and took the edge off at least for a bit. Strawberries in soy yougurt, rolls with dairy free margarine, a choice of spreads to enjoy with tea or coffee.... we were in heaven. After chatting it up a bit we had gotten our second wind but Jessi insisted we nap and as soon as she ensured we were comfy on her couch we did pass out.

Natalia's cat had kittens and we got to go to the vet with her to have them dewormed. They were only just 4 weeks old and every free moment we were hanging out with them (totally girly).


My hometown of Bremerhaven has been investing a lot of money into attracting more tourism and remodelling. One of its new showcases was the Sea City Hotel which is a builiding that looks like the famous curved one in Dubai. We took the elevator up to the top and overlooked the city and the coast of the North Sea, and beyond to the further German countryside. My sisters also took us the the extended Mediterraneo mall and explained about the Klimahaus, which features every climate on the planet in one building and lights up at night. We out to eat at Blatloss, and while it was delicious it took over an hour and a half to get our orders and everyone was food cranky by then.

Saturday we had gone to the swimming pool chain Bad1 ("Bad" is "pool" and the number denotes which location). It has everything like a mini waterpark but I think we mostly enjoyed the massage and spa treatments offered. We hung out in the aquamassage areas longer than anywhere else. Following that we had done some shopping in the city but with limited time we didn't really get to explore and the weather was really nasty preventing our hosts from wanting to go out. As we were leaving the shopping mall we stopped by the dyke in the pouring rain just to say we were there. It was my nephew, Simon's, birthday and there were plans to go out. We went from one bar to another but for some reason nothing really seemed to be going on (next weekend was a big event so it may have been the calm before the storm). Cyd and I were challenged to a game of table Fussball and despite not having the long developed skills we only lost by one point.

Sunday we made the long trek out to my grandparent's out in the countryside. Cyd kept saying everything looked like it came out of a fairytale. The house was packed full with guests to visit us and in all the madness my grandmother showed us her ridiculously priced sewing machines. Some were 8000€!! Tea and cakes and then the long drive back. We finished up the night with a walk in a nearby park.

I cried with every goodbye and three days in five years was clearly not enough.

The days past

Last week started off with a bang, had lots of travel, and has now fizzled out back in London for some R&R.

On Sunday Cyd, Ashley, and I went to the London Dungeons to learn the horrific history of the city in a most entertaining way. Cyd best described it as a "spooky Disneyland". We even bought plenty of scary souvenirs. Afterwards we wandered a different area of the city but with the cold and rain we decided to postpone our Jack the Ripper Whitechapel walk.

Monday was especially exciting! We went on a class visit to Prudence Millinery and it was truly inspiring. Having just taken up hat making as a hobby, but with no education, I really took in the studio space and every ounce of information. I really clicked with the advice of trying to keep positive and not worry about what other people are doing.

We left Tuesday morning for a trip on the Eurostar train for Paris. We took in another sight seeing tour via bus where we stopped at the Eiffel Tower and eventually wound up in our very tiny but nice hotel (I roomed with Ashley and Cydney). Finding vegetarian food was difficult enough, let alone vegan, and it was even harder to get by without a kitchen. We managed to eat though. Cyd and I return to the Eiffel Tower at night discovering the very dirty Metro lines of the city. Our initial thoughts on Paris were that it was dirtier than London, and while this kept up, it is true that the monuments are a lot prettier lit up at night.

Wednesday morning we attempted to visit the catacombs but the line was too long. For class we were treated quite wonderfully by the ladies and gentlemen at the Printemps luxury department store. They told us all about their company's history, architecture and also some of their internal workings. A tour of the flagship store as well as their subsidary Citadium was equally impressive. From all the department stores we've visited I felt most received here. They really catered to us and our educational needs. Checking out their rooftop cafeteria as well as VIP room was also pretty awesome. Before the meet Cyd, Ash, and I also had pro gratis apertifs (grape flavored champagne) at a cafe we had lunch for. It marked the first instance of politeness in Paris and luckily it lasted through the tour. After class the three of us went to see Notre Dame and I swore a lot about the dirt in my eye and the horrid smells from everywhere. Notre Dame was jawdroppingly beautiful. We spent a good while enjoying the street musicians and jugglers while snapping shots and just before we left in the evening the whole thing was lit up and we took some more photos. I think we tried to romanticize the feel of Paris with this night. We even caught a cute cat hanging out in a cafe window (the waiter told us that the cat was the boss, but later he said it was the boss's cat)

Thursday was an incredibly wearing day for team Cyd and Lainey. We woke up but our class plans sort of fell through. Some people had already left for travel plans. We went to Colette to see what was in store a.k.a. Nothing-I-can-afford-my-goodness-that's-over-priced. With the class dispersed we headed to the catacombs (the wait was much shorter despite the line being longer) and experienced the cavernous death halls that are below the city. We popped up above ground a ways down into the Catacombs gift shoppe and filled up on more haunting postcards and chilly nick-nacks. We ate some terrible food that was cold and barely vegetarian on our way back to the jewellery shops we found on our first night in. We discovered that the stores were wholesalers but luckily managed to get a few gifts at great prices. We also picked up maccaroons for my sisters who we were about to visit in Germany...

... we took the Eurostar back to London, and were so pleased to not be in Paris that we had a little song and dance to convey it all. Luckily the Pret a Manger joint across from the Underground station was open and we loaded up on tons of veg-friendly items so we could fake a meal since we had cleared everything out for our week away already. We repacked for Germany, refreshed, and made our way in the middle of the night to the Stansted Airport.

Video Highlights of Paris

We had our few days in Paris and before I rant and rave about it all I thought I'd share these few videos.

The evening at Notre Dame was really the best.

...and there was even roller-representation!

Boogie Woogie Babies

We had our orientation for our trip to London. With quite the bit of free time to spare we departed for our return visit to Camden. We were caught in the rain (I myself was in nothing more than a t-shirt thin jacket!) but Cydney and I enjoyed it none the less. We stopped into all the stores we had wanted to see on our previous visit and then some. We saw a whole store dedicated to shirts that light up and respond to sound. The markets were very similar to US flea markets and swap meets that cater to wholesalers. We found matching dresses to wear to Paris (we noticed on the streets groups of girls that wear matching outfits and since we joke that we are in fact twins we're going to give the style a go) We also ate at inSpiral, a vegan restaurant that also has many raw food options. We had lasagna, roasted potato wedges, parsnips, and steamed mixed greens for only £9.75 each. Cyd had an Americano (she had me taste it insisting it was the best so far and that I even would like it, but I still am not a coffee fan) and I had a very rich hot chocolate both were great as we were freezing and soaked from the downpour. inSprial really focuses on healthy eating and the vibe of the place is hippie-esque but it's really charming and has a great view of the Camden lock with large windows despite it's small cozy interior.

We went to further explore the Stables market and a shop we fell in love with named CYBERDOG It caters to rave/club scenes and it's like you are transported into a futuristic, robot dance land. Three shopping floors that make you feel like you are at an actual rave! The webshop does not give the shopping experience ANY sort of justice, even if you do not like rave scene I would suggest visiting this shop just to see it. The clothing to buy and the matching accessories are amazing!

We also went to Oddballs, a shop that specializes in unique hobbies, many relating to juggling (like poi/firedance) and unicycling. I had wanted to take up this hobby last year and bought a set of poi trainers! The staff was really fun even demonstrating and making sure I tried out what I was getting even without having any knowledge of working the things myself. I happily discovered that my trainers are also slave labor free and fair trade. My favorite!

We went home after a little more wandering and got ready for our big night out to Electric Dreams club located at London Stone's Eerie Pub Company. The decor was fascinating with skeletons embedded in the walls and haunting apothecary jars everywhere. The entrance to the bathrooms were concealed by the hidden door bookcases--which made us so happy as we had joked about finding secret passages before we left California. It was basically an 80s night and we got all dolled up. We befriended David Devynel, a model/promoter, and his sister who is the hat buyer for the department store chain Phoenix. She's working non-stop for the upcoming Ascot event here. We stayed until closing at 3 and shared a taxi back to our flat. Today we're watching a Punch and Judy show at 4 and booking tickets to London Dungeouns! Tomorrow is going to be just as fun.

God Save the Drag Queens

Camden, despite everything being closed, was a blast! We wander the darkening streets and took photos of all the elaborate shop fronts. There wasn't too much going on for a Monday (surprise...) but we went to The Elephant's Head pub, est. 1902! Had a few to drink with overpriced spicy rice puff snacks. On the way home the tubes were mostly clear, so a seat that was vomited upon was clearly displayed.

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to be selected to have a private tour of Lipsy HQ. Kristi Eames, the Director of Retail, treated us with tea and all her knowledge, as well as sweet swag bags.

After class we had a bit of a break to do laundry while most of the class attended a graduate fashion show.

And after THAT we went to see the most amazing musical.... Priscilla Queen of the Desert! Cyd and I danced and sung along and it was really the most fun. I couldnt stop smiling the whole time. Even had a fancy themed cocktail (Bernadette Bramble Flush) which tasted like sherbet. After the show we went to a pizzeria italiano with Ashley and Alfred and then made our way to the flat.

This morning was epic. We went to the famed World's End and I nearly cried. My heart was pounding and it was just about as bad as when I met Adam Hughes of illustrative fame. Even though it's not in my budget I dropped £45 for Vivienne Westwood earrings. The packaging is even going to be cherished. Made our way around King's Road and popped into a cute yet non-vegan cupcake shop, The Chelsea Teapot. Further up we had tea and tour at Harvery Nichols. Once the tour finished Cyd and I perused and tried on some fancy hats as everyone here is preparing for the Queen's birthday and the Ascot events. That's right. I tried on something Cherry Chau that was £485....maybe more! I also accidentally manhandled an Alexander McQueen dress that was nearly £1000.

We're eager to return to Camden and see it in it's subcultural waking day glory.... more to come!

Sunday Monday Happy Days

So Sunday the class went to a custom tailor shop: Thom Sweeney. I think if I didn't already want to be fully emersed in apparel construction the interior design of the shop was to die for--I was truly jealous of the lack of phallus of my gender as the shop caters to men. We had Orange Coast alumni, Matt, as our secret in store guide.

The tour and class session was short and Cyd and I were treated out by her aunt and extended family for the afternoon. We went to the Eye of London (which is the ferris wheel). It was the start of rain during our trip and while Cyd and I happily engaged it not everyone agreed. To stay out of droplets' way we entered the London Film Movieum (which is not free). Nerded out with some Star Wars and Harry Potter shots! We got home in the evening but so many days walking about we ended up retreating with some BBC "on the tele".

We arose yesterday to go to the Victoria and Albert museum for a customized fashion throughout history tour... but we accidentally got in line for the National History museum a block away. Bustled over to the correct building and had a wonderful tour guide named Ann who lent us her knowledge from all around the world. The V&A is just as impressive as the British Museum and we desperately want to go back. After the tour we had a break near the outdoor cafe despite the glum weather and then returned to see the jaw-dropping Yohji Yamamoto exhibit. Unfortunately we were not permitted to take photos but I highly suggest learning about him if you are unfamiliar. I bought my first souvenirs! Two unlined sketching notebooks with Yamamoto quotes on the cover and a pair of boot pins: one for Cydney, naturally.

After that trip we approached our fellow classmate, Ashley, to head out to King's Cross with us to get our Harry Potter geek on as Wes (another school chum) spilled the beans on her obsession. We three made the trip via Tubes and had quite the time searching for the fabled tourist attraction of Platform 9 3/4. Some looks around and no sign we were afraid that it had been removed while the station is being reconstructed but Cyd bravely squeaked out to the guard "I feel silly for asking--"
"Harry Potter is in front of the station." Cut off but at least we had our answer. We found it, too! And after we took some silly shots others crowded about to join the fun.

Nothing else was really charming for us in King's Cross sadly. I checked out a few pubs but they were let downs. Closer to our flat we went to Munkchin's cafe who offers a Vegetarian burger and it made the night.

Today we visited the gargantuan department store that is Harrod's. Priding itself on being the most luxurious department shopping experience in the world there was also too much to explore. We were given a very speedy tour by Lindsay Pharrah (I'm not sure if this is her correct spelling!) On our own we went through the most glamourous children's section and then to the Pet Kingdom. The Pet Kingdom also had a shop within itself accessed as a dog treat bar named The Canine Cookie Company. We popped into the Food Halls but only grabbed ourselves some bread rolls for fear of the lack of vegan goods.

We made another trip to Planet Organic and Sainsbury. Also shelled out some stupid £15 for portable speakers to connect our iPods to for supreme morning dancing. But now we are updating our blogs and about to head out to Camden to hopefully pick out a punk venue or show.

Two Days Today

I found out today that Cyd and I weren't the only ones to get accidentally stuck in the building and it's somewhat redeeming. What's surprising is the lack of interest to assist others in a time of trapped need by other students passing by.

Yesterday was a monumental day for us as fashion students. We took a walking tour of Conduit Street stopping by to see Stella McCartney's (which was disappointing to learn that her line is not in fact vegan as she uses silk and wool--possibly because her line is governed by Gucci and fought them over leather), Matthew Williamson's, and MOST importantly Vivienne Westwood's shops. Our tour was led by Sam Spiegel! After gawking at all the high end stores we were free to wander Oxford and Bond streets. I was sorely disappointed in the TopShop unlike my classmates, but I know that I favor custom and one of a kind wearables! Cyd and I stopped by at least three lingerie shops....but we didn't really find anything to our fancy. I spotted two skinhead men and was quite pleased to see they were rockin' Fred Perry. We marched on back to Bloomsbury and Bedford Place to break and then wandered around the night...

...somehow we ended up in Soho Mayfair area which happens to be the gay sex district! We stopped to find our bearings when I noticed that there was a severe lack of females and then men were kissing. No matter, we pressed on and wandered past people in pubs and poking through the windows of bookstores that all had neon signs regarding their "licensed sex shop basements". Out of all the rainbow signs one black and neon Tron-esque shop grabbed our attention with the name COX COOKIES AND CAKES! A S&M themed cupcakery! Unfortunately nothing was vegan but I'm definitely going back for pictures. I'd love to have a shop like this myself. Everything had edible glitter and the toppings were chocolate shaped penises, some sweets were made to look like boobs (in both white and black skin tones!) it was just naughty treats in the best kitsch delivery. Even the uniforms were latex and studded aprons. The girls behind the counter were happy enough to fill us in on vegan bakeries. We opted not to photograph a skin bird and her hen party pals as she had many bruises on her scalp and let's face it: I'm tough but not THAT tough (Cyd had to talk me out of this one). We did however get a shot of a girl in a slutty yet cute Union Jack micro length get up and she and her friend turned out to be transplanted Americans that fell in love with London in a study abroad program and now work for similar programs! They just finished a burlesque class and gave us some tips on the locale.


Worn out we headed home and stopped off at a Chinese restaurant that claimed to be "OPEN ALL DAY" but apparently not all night yet we did manage to get an order in. We had a bit of confusion of Aubergine (it had been so long we both forgot it was Eggplant and the only explanation the Chinese man had for us was "Aubergine is Aubergine!") I had ordered Sugar Peas in Garlic sauced but discovered at our flat that I got a big tub of Pak Choi. It was still tasty and Cyd and I shared our entrees so I also had some class of spicy tofu as our late night meal.

This morning we headed out to Portabello Road which for you SoCal locals is very similar in concept to Olvera Street. It's got antiques and boutiques, kitsch kiosks, open air food vending. The only difference is, as with anywhere else in this city, you multiple the people count by a gadzillion and you're squished like sardine-cattle hybrids off to shopping slaughter. I managed to find a WW2 pin for my pop's collection though and Cyd and I poked into Hummingbird Bakery for the only vegan item of Refridgerator Cake (rumored to be Prince William's favorite. It's basically a mishmash of graham crackers and melted chocolate-ours also had raisins- but instead of eggs to bind it's held together by the set chocolate) The soymilk tasted icky but the cake was divine! I also fell in love with Hazel Bee cards. I'm especially fond of the drunk bunny one.

After the overly crowded Portabello Road stop we made our way to Design Makers Market. It was very teeny tiny but everyone informed us that one table, Ubisquitous Bakehouse had vegan baked goods and we bought one of each to share. YUM-MY. We chatted up with the baker, Rosi Simister, who also shared some veg info with us.

More adventures on our first day using the Tubes (which is the Metro or Subway systems for London) and buses. We had a nice little picnic with some class mates. We split from the group to go to an Antiquarian Bookstore that has a supposedly large occult section, but being Europe on a Saturday we had just missed their operating hours. Since we were in the area we took a quick peek about the British Museum.

It was absolutely jaw dropping. I adored the Helenistic statues. After a break at home we headed out again and visited Trafalgar Square and walked across the Thames.

Not sure exactly how far we walked but it was definitely a work out. We even managed to make it back alone on the Tubes without instructor assistance! It's now almost midnight and I should really be heading home from ACCENT's center. Let's hope I don't get stuck this time!

About Last Night...

So after our long day out on the tour we did some grocery shopping and then headed off to the pub for dinner.


And after dinner we thought we'd drop in to the Computer Lab offered by our overseas campus which is open 24/7. This is our crazy night. Because we're nerds.


Out and about today. I'll fill the wrap up later.

Tour Bus Bonanza

After quite the flight (nine and a half hours, we arrived early and met up with our chaperone first) Cydney and I were extremely exhausted. We got settled into our room pretty quickly and now after spending a whole day in London we can see that living on the high floor with no elevator is going to really work out our thighs! There weren't too many vegan options as we explored the Sainsbury grocery market last night but we made due and today we visited the posh Waitrose grocery (also not too much to choose from but we at least got veggie dogs). This morning before all other important things we woke up to go on a city tour via bus. Our guide, Angie, was so petite and pleasant being highly informative and fun, and despite her age, we lost track of her in the tourist hustle and bustle more than once! We saw many key spots like the London Ferris Wheel, Westminster Abbey and its' history, several parks, Harrod's, about Londonia in general, gossip regarding the royal family while looking at their residences, so much! While we were engaged in the section regarding Buckingham Palace we were waiting to see the Changing of the Guards and were very fortunate to see a rehearsal for the Queen's Birthday Parade next week.


Last night we went to a cute pub named Jack Horner's Pies and Pub on Tottenham Ct. Road  and shyed away from most items on the menu settling only for chips (fries), but we decided tonight that we would actually eat the bangers and mash for they offered vegetarian sausages--they were 100% veggie made by hand and SO GOOD. The potatoes were topped with fried, crispy leeks, and a tart red wine gravy that tasted similar to red cabbage. The veggie sausages themselves weren't TVP but rather mashed potatoes with compressed vegetables that were breaded and fried. Another video will be posted about this later!!

I've been searching and eyeballing everyone, I almost feel underdressed compared to all the stylish males out here. I also noticed that there aren't too many punkers about (the sales guy at the Vodaphone cellular shop said they were all in Camden, but we went poking around and still not a ton of luck) and made a game out of counting them, but even the ones I included I would never say were punk back in SoCal.

We have our first class session tomorrow and we're still planning out when we'll see our spooky sites. Can't wait!