Among the Tubes & Telephone Booths

Well, bloody hell, I'm in London! 

Oh heyyyy, Tower Bridge.

I've only been here for about two weeks, and I'm not sure it has quite hit me yet that I'm living in London. Like, what?! How did that happen? This city is just so amazing. The history is rich (obvz), the sites are beautiful, and the city vibes are incredible. Every time I walk around, I'm overwhelmed by its magnificence.

My cliche stock image of London.

Since I'm the worst and haven't been blogging quite as often as I should, I'm sure this post will forget many details of my trip so far, but I will try my best to recall everything.

In my short two weeks so far, I have tried to get all of the traditional touristy things out of the way. I visited the Tower of London, saw Big Ben, Parliament, and The Eye (kind of). I've been to Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus, Covent Garden, Camden Market, (do you get the idea yet?). Let me tell you: everything I've seen so far has been so cool. I'm obsessed with Camden Market and low-key want to just sneak in there during the nighttime and set up a tent so I can be there every day. To sustain myself, I'll entertain the market-goers like this:

Here are some of the hundreds of photos I've taken so far. I wish I was kidding. I've taken so many photos on my phone that my iCloud storage is already full. I bought extra room on my iCloud before leaving. Need I say again that I've only been here for two weeks? Sheesh.

The Tower of London:

Yeah, that's right. I saw a kick ass dragon.

I just wanna touch his hat. That's all I want.

My feelings every time I see a guard's hat:

 

This was absolutely breathtaking to see. To honor the lives lost in WWI, a red poppy is placed in the tower for every soldier who lost his life. Honestly, this picture doesn't do it justice. It's one of those things that just absolutely takes your breath away when you see it. The poppies are for sale from the installation. I'm still debating whether or not to buy one. They're pretty expensive (a little over $100), but they are pieces of art AND my favorite flower AND a great souvenir. Ugh help me, people of the Internet! Should I buy one?

  

Le tube:

 *Basically* King's Cross Station:

When I saw this advertisement for the Illustration Museum, it really struck me. As an often obsessive perfectionist, I need to keep this in mind: 

The Camden canal was incredible. It felt like something out of a storybook.

It seriously felt like I was in Disneyland.

Then I realized that people actually live on boats on the canal and the magic was lost a bit. But, hey! Still pretty freaking cool in such a bustling city.

 And now onto my love: Camden Lock Market. I loved it so much, I'm going back tomorrow. 

I mean, the seats are old Vespas. OLD VESPAS. I'm dead.

Authentic Thai wall hangings. You know I had to have one.

And quite possibly the most amazing part of the market was all of the smells. The food was to die for.

May have taken this pic because I really liked that girl's jacket...#sorrynotsorry

Fresh paella

Who doesn't love cupcakes & shit?

A look from above.

It's so fascinating that so many different types of food and cultures are in one place. Before coming here, I didn't really have a perspective as to how diverse of a city London really is. 

One day, I investigated the center of London with friends and audibly squealed when I saw this and realized I was in the title sequence for Sherlock. That's right, I am SHERLOCKED. #comeatmeboys

Piccadilly Circus

Chinatown

Upon discovering Chinatown, I was absolutely mesmerized by this woman's fanciful baked fish pastries. I felt like I was watching an episode of Unwrapped in real life. The only thing missing was Marc Summers's narration.

I'm sure she loved the fact that I was staring at her through the window...

Feesh

Side bar: all of the pubs here are the cutest. Every single one I've seen has some sort of gorgeous floral arrangement outside and an even more adorable name.

The Porcupine. How freakin' adorable is that?!

Now, on to Trafalgar Square. Beautiful, but extremely touristy. Also, there were creepy "levitating" characters everywhere who wanted to hold my hand. Not okay.

The next stop was Covent Garden and Covent Garden Market:

Umm, drooling.

Umm, drooling even more.

<3

 Yeah, there's no doubt in my mind that I'm going to come back to The States 500lbs. heavier. Good thing I joined the Goldsmiths gym!!

The best damn cookie ever.

 That's right, folks: I found the mother ship. 

<3 da bes <3

 Thanks to the lovely people on Pinterest, I found this lovely hidden gem in Covent Garden: Neal's Yard. This small alleyway is filled with vibrant walls, tiny shops, and a courtyard to sit down, reflect, and enjoy. 

Hip graffiti outside of the Vans store.

The last stop on my most recent string of adventures was the Liberty of London store. If you know me well, then you know that as a seamstress, I am obsessed with their fabric and all things sewing related. I'm not embarrassed to say that when I walked into this store, I cried a little. 

The top floor was dedicated solely to Christmas decorations. It made me feel like I was in The North Pole. It also made me so excited for December and my birthday and CHRISTMAS. Screw Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I want my Peppermint Mocha, dammit! (That's right, I said it. Come after me).

 One day when I'm a rich advertising executive, my house will be decorated with these creepy/cool animal portrait plates. One day.

 Oh, and these, too.

I need that Super Badger platter like, now.

My favorite Magritte piece in an even more whimsical mug form. I also need this. My birthday is coming up, guys...

 *cue my tears of happiness*

Thankfully, my friend Victoria was able to capture my cray via photograph:

Yes, I am hugging the fabric, go ahead, judge me.

Photo cred to the fabulous Victoria.

So, I would say all-in-all London has been pretty freaking amazing so far. Sure, I've had some rough days/nights of tears, missed Skype calls, no WiFi, and MAJOR homesickness, but from what I've heard, what I'm going through is pretty normal. Plus, I need to cut myself some slack. I mean, It has only been two weeks. I'd say I'm doing pretty well for two weeks in. Plus, I've made some pretty amazing friends, which helps a LOT.

Photo cred: Phabulous Phoebe

Photo cred: Victoria again, I think?

I know that I'll have some days that really suck while I'm here, and some that are incredible, but I guess that's just the beautiful inevitability of life, huh? If you're reading this, I would love to hear from you! Nothing cures my homesickness more than talking to friends and family. You guys mean more to me than you know. <3 I am so ready for my classes to begin so I can actually meet British people and not feel like a lazy bum anymore. I'm ready to learn, absorb, and experience all of the spectacular things that are surrounding me. 

Let's go exploring.

//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\

"Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air;

And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;

And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;

But when it comes down to living there is no place like home."

-Henry van Dyke