London Diary Part II

LOCATION: LONDON

Right now, I’m sitting at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4, waiting for my gate to open so I can hop on a plane to take me home. There’s not a word to describe the emotions that I’m feeling. I’m wetting myself with excitement to see my boyfriend, family and friends. I’m desperately craving the feeling of the hot Queensland sun on my bare skin. I cannot wait to live in a clean house with kitchen utensils and fresh food and a big, comfy bed to curl up in. I’m anxious because I am not a big fan of flying and I’m currently staring down the barrel of 24 hours straight on a plane. I’m a little terrified at the fact that I don’t have a job to go home to, and my bank balance is looking pretty sad. I want to cry just a little because I’m going to miss all the incredible people I’ve met over the last few months. And I want to cry a lot because London feels like my home now, and I don’t know when I’ll be back again.

The last two months have been a crazy experience. I’m definitely not going to miss the London weather – instead of the coldest winter in one hundred years, we got the wettest winter in three hundred years. I also didn’t have a very positive experience with the company who organised the trip, and for the last few weeks I’ve been feeling pretty homesick. But for every tough moment there were ten amazing ones.

In the second half of my trip I felt less like a tourist and more like a Londoner. I spent my weekends wandering through the famous markets – antiques and pastel townhouses on Portobello Road, vintage clothing in Camden, and meats, cheeses and pastries in Borough. I experienced a real Sunday roast, a traditional afternoon tea, and more pastries than I can count. I spent one Saturday exploring the Tower of London, losing myself in the medieval culture and drooling over the crown jewels (no photos allowed!). I visited family in Greenwich, where we explored the historical Old Royal Naval College, The Painted Hall and the museum before climbing the hill to the Royal Observatory, with killer views of London and the Greenwich Meridian. Then there was St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tate Modern, Hampstead Heath, Kensington Palace and a sneaky visit to Somerset House in the middle of London Fashion Week! There was also a particularly memorable Sunday morning where I hired a Barclay’s bike and attempted to ride from Stockwell to Kensington Gardens. I don’t quite know how I survived that ride – London drivers are completely insane!

One of the highlights of my whole trip would definitely be the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I’m a HP nerd from way back, and I’m not even ashamed to admit that I went by myself – camera and audio guide around my neck – surrounded by ten year old kids shouting spells at each other. I took so many photos that evening that I think they’ll get a post all to themselves!

Well my gate is now open and the plane is about to begin boarding. Looks like this is goodbye, dear London. Let’s not make this harder than it already is… No tears please. I’ll catch you on the flip side.

Nicole x

London Uniform

I feel like I have not taken these pieces off in the last few weeks. Reppin’ the high street.

TOPSHOP fluffy jumper
Zara camel coat
Oasis clear umbrella
Vero Moda skinny jeans
TOPSHOP leather backpack
Mango striped scarf
New Balance 574 sneakers

Nicole x

Stonehenge & Bath Diary

LOCATION: SOUTH WEST ENGLAND

One of the many perks of living in London is the incredible array of places to visit of a weekend. With such a short time in this epic city, I’m finding myself cramming in as much touristing as possible every Saturday and Sunday. One such excursion was to the truly magical town of Bath, with a slight detour by way of Stonehenge.

Every time I mentioned Stonehenge to someone in my plans, I was told that it was ‘boring’ and ‘a pile of rocks’. Well, I cannot deny the truth of the latter, but Stonehenge was far from boring. With stones first raised over 5,000 years ago, and hundreds of burial mounds surrounding the site, the incredible, rich history of such a place was overwhelming. We were also spoilt by a rare sunny day, which was perfect for tourist shots in the late morning light.

The rest of the day was spent exploring beautiful Bath, which is said to be the largest complete Georgian city in the world. The Roman architectural influences and the traditional Georgian townhouses mixed with the perfect winter’s day and a great bunch of people made for an unforgettable afternoon. We visited the city’s namesake Roman baths, sat down for a traditional English pub lunch (complete with a pint of cider), explored the diverse street markets and got just the right amount of lost.

I didn’t get in as many photos as I would have liked as I unintelligently forgot to charge my batteries, meaning I had to ration camera time. But I guess that’s a pretty good excuse to make the trip back sometime.

Nicole x

London Diary Part I

LOCATION: LONDON

London, you beautiful thing.
I have had the pleasure of making your acquaintance three weeks ago now, but it feels like I’ve known you all my life.
I’ve fallen in love with your sprawling green parks, enchanting 17^th century landmarks and towering glass skyscrapers.
Even your weather mood swings are kind of endearing (kind of).
I love the way I get lost in your endless streets and then find myself again in the middle of the shopping district (it’s not my fault I swear).
You charm me with your endless culture – the museums, markets, music and more.
But most of all, I love the way you make me feel at home.

~

My first few weeks in this amazing town have been an absolute whirlwind. I spent the first week playing tourist, visiting all the main attractions with a camera around my neck.
Some highlights include: a bus tour of the city, climbing the Monument to the Great Fire of London (for the best view in town), Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, shopping at Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus by night, the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, bangers and mash at the pub, museum and art gallery hopping, a rotation on the London Eye, New Years Eve on the River Thames, window shopping at Harrods, and of course, catching the famous tube.
I can’t wait to see what else this beauty has in store for me.

Nicole x

Winter Wonderland

     

So, as those of you who follow me on Instagram may know, I have recently been accepted into an internship program in the UK over the summer uni break! I am crazy excited, as this will be my first visit to fair London town, and my first time travelling overseas by myself.

Amidst all the craziness of organising my visa, flights and job, the most pressing matter is, naturally, what am I going to wear?! Having lived in subtropical Brisbane all my life, the warmest thing in my  wardrobe is probably an acrylic waffle-knit. This can mean only one thing… Shopping! My Pinterest is going into overdrive, ASOS has quickly become my most visited website, and I have discovered the joy of parcel-forwarding services. And there are so many decisions to make! Should I get the grey or camel coat? Is tartan still going to be hot in December? How much leather is too much?

I guess there are worse things to be stressed about!

Nicole x