Montag, 21. März 2016

Travelling to... LONDON

Hello Girls!

It's been such a while!
I wanted to write much earlier - in February actually - but time run out!

Last week I was on vacation for the first time this year and....

it was a trip to London again!! <3



I'm so in love with this city!

And the best of it:

I didn't travel alone.




We started our journey on 9th March.

Around noon we arrived at Berlin Schönefeld airport and had to check-in.

Doc just had his hand luggage with him, so there wasn't any problem.
Myself got her suitcase and the hand luggage.
But nobody said anything when I almost forgot to check-in my suitcase!

I had to go back, went through the security part again and was finally ready to take off
an hour before.

We flew with RyanAir this time.
The seat rows were really... tiny.
But for approx. one and a half hour it's fine.

At 3 PM we landed in Stansted and head to the National Express bus lines.
It's the most comfort way in my opinion.
With enough space for your legs and good 80s music from the radio the drive
was convenient.

At Golders Green our journey continued via the tube until we arrived Hendon Central.
Just a ten minutes walk away, we reached our flat.
Uphill... downhill... thanks for my suitcase's wheels!







Sophie was our host, we find her on airbnb.com.

My Japanese friend Mimu invided me to this page and so I could safe some money.
(I also have some invitation left so you could safe money for YOUR journey. Just tell me ;D)

Her flat was so cute!!

We had two bedrooms and a living room with a very good equipment and there even were some stuff in the refridgerator, in the freezer and in the hanging locker, so we didn't have to buy a lot of things for ourselves.

So after being told about electricity, about water, etc. Sophie left us and we also went to the local Sainsbury and Tesco shops to grab something to eat for dinner.



~ 10th March ~

The next day was meant to be shopping day.

We decided to go to Oxford Street.

Starting at Tottenham Court we walked down the long, long street...

comparing Primark with Berlin's Primark, shopping a nice 60s dress at TOPSHOP, discovering the history behind LUSH in the biggest Lush shop of the world, ... and going to the Disneystore!!





I was so excited about the last one since I absolutely love Disney.
It's my childhood!!









I just HAD to buy this little thumper! <3 (Photo at the end of this entry)
The saleswoman was so cute when we talked and quoted Thumper's well known sentence:
If you don't have to say something nice...
I was so happy, having my little thumper with me! <3

Afterwards doc and I seperated.
I wanted to go to the Doctor Who shop in East London.
I think I was almost at the end of the city (haha).

But there I discovered a nice Turkish market, where I got a bowl of fruits for one pound and also the olymp of the Westham soccer's club.




Just had to take some photos because... I could.

Well and then... I was a little bit lost since I don't know the streets very well.
I asked an elderly guy and he answered me: "It's right there. Don't you see the Tardis above your head?"
Haha... I really stood in front of the shop.



The shop itself was really, really nice.
My favourite item was the bluetooth supported K9.
You can tell him that he should go left or right and he will do so! <3<3

Well after buying some things (most precious item: my Clara and Doctor on Abbey Road poster) I also wanted to see the exhibition and so... I got my key to the Tardis!!!




Ah, it was so cool!!!

It was much... bigger .... okay, no more nerdy sentences!

The exhibition is fabulous!







You can see so many costumes and decoration stuff from the series!
The old ones, the new ones, ... a lot of things!
And I was so happy to see Sarah Jane's outfits.
Elisabeth Sladen was such a great actress and Sarah Jane is such a lovely character.
I just started watching the Sarah Jane Adventures.

Well and there was also a board with a lot of greetings and autographs by the actors and the stuff of the Who-series.
The saleswoman Amy, who was with me, was a nice talking buddy, too!
So great to blabber about Doctor Who.
Yeah, we're Whovians! ;)


~ 11th March ~

Today was my turn. <3
So we did some cultural things.




First we went to China Town.

Dear folks, it really is... overrated.

It's nice to see all the lanterns above your head and the Asian bakeries are so cute, but...
that's it. Not such a great thing as I thought.









Walking to Leicester Square, Charing Cross Street, we stopped at the M&M's shop because Doc wanted to go there...
and it's funny!

They all got the Star Wars fever right now!







Our plan was to go to Westminster and so we did.
Before we stopped at Trafalgar Square and went into the National Portrait Gallery.

It's amazing to see all the great and big portraits of the Stewarts or Sir Francis Drake!













But you know, going to Westminster means to meet a lot of crazy tourists.
It really is annoying.

Nevertheless I found a lot of great photo spots and even could take a look at the horse guards!



 

 












 





Oh and did you know about the poppies?



They are famous sold items because they are meant to remind you of all the fallen soldiers in the war.

So if you buy a brooche or another item with a poppy you will support an organization with a little donation within the prize.


There is also a monument around Victoria Embankment where poppies are layed down.

I think it's a beautiful gesture but I didn't buy a poppy item because I can't identify myself with Great Britain in such a way. It would have felt wrong in my opinion.

We then wanted to go to South Kensington, having some tea at TOMBO but misses the train.

So we end up at Notting Hill.
Fortunately.
I planned a stop at Notting Hill and here we were!





 This area is really interesting and much more ... artsy-fartsy.
Somehow also romantic.

We found a cheap shop for books (something like JOKERS, a sub company of Weltbild in Germany) and also a second hand shop for books and comics.

It was the sixth bookshop visit that day... but we both bought some treasures. <3








After walking down the long, long Portobello Road we decided to go home...
Feet were hurting.





~ 12th March ~

The last day before returning to Berlin...
Today we started at Kings Cross.





There was an Alice in Wonderland exhibition in the British Library and... it was great!!













You could see so many illustration work!!

On Friday there was already that old little children's bookshop with the so many Alice-books.

A whole collection, for sure, in different languages.... French, English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, ...
I also met another customer who was Japanese and therefore impressed that I can read kanji.
"There aren't many people in London who can read Japanese."I had to disappoint her though... I'm from Germany. :')

Well, after visiting the exhibition, I had to go into the special Alice shop which was build for the 150th anniversary last year.








The next stop was Covent Garden.

It's a pretty cool place if you want to find art treasures, posters, jewellery, etc.

I also met my dear John Pester from whom I bought the Victoria Embankment print last year!
And there was so much more to see...






After Covent Garden and walking down the streets, discovering great bakeries and pâtisseries,
we stopped at Earl's Court for a photo with the Tardis (actually a disguised toilet of the takeaway next to it) and then continued to South Kensington.

Tombo was overcrowded and so we decided to go to another café - an organic one with a delicate selection of drinks and food.















Visiting Baker Street, the Holmes and the Beatles shop and having a walk in Regents Park we returned home since we had to leave early in the morning to get our flight in Stansted to Berlin.

















And here's everything I got in London - too much!!
Thanks for my suitcase!!! <3





















I hope to return to London soon.
It's such a beautiful city. ;__;



Please stay tuned for the next days!
I still have to upload the photos of 10th and 11th March. <3