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

Paris Diary

LOCATION: PARIS

Last weekend I packed my stripes and beret, and hopped on the Eurostar for a whirlwind weekend in Paris.

I’ve been dreaming of this weekend for months – my Pinterest is overflowing with artistic shots of the Eiffel Tower from pretty much every angle – and I was definitely not disappointed.

Highlights of the visit included exploring the cathedrals of Sacre-Cœur and Notre Dame, watching the painters at Montmartre, eating traditional crêpes with butter and sugar from the street carts, a trip up the Eiffel Tower, wandering aimlessly along the Champs-Élysées, absorbing the incredible beauty at the Louvre, bravely trying escargot and foie gras, celebrating a memorable Australia Day at the hostel bar, and generally eating and drinking far too much.

I had such an incredible time in The City of Love, but was most disappointed that I didn’t find myself serenaded by any cute French boys. C’est la vie, maybe next time.

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

Great Expectations

In just 25 sleeps, I will be jumping on a plane and flying to a new country on the other side of the world, with nothing but the clothes on my back and an unbridled desired to learn.* Am I mad? Maybe. Am I excited? Beyond words.

In December I will be travelling to London to intern at Fluorescent PR, a boutique agency specialising in fashion, beauty and lifestyle. You could say it’s a bit of a dream gig!

I’ve taken a bit of time out of planning the perfect winter travel wardrobe to have a think about what I expect from my trip, and this is what I’ve come up with:

I expect to be cold. As a Queenslander, born and bred, we whip out the woollies as soon as the mercury drops below 20 degrees Celsius. And with London tipped to experience the coldest winter in over 100 years, I am kind of freaking out!

I expect to be challenged. Pushed out of my comfort zone each and every day. I have never travelled alone before, and am naturally a bit of an introvert, so the challenges will come thick and fast. But I am prepared to jump in and make the most of every opportunity I can get my hands on.

I expect to be exhausted. Early mornings, late nights and everything in between. Going to work and coming home in the dark. Exploring the London nightlife until the wee hours. Sleep when you’re dead, right?

I expect to be inspired. London is one of the fashion and music and art and history and everything cultural capitals of the world. I can’t wait to lose myself in the museums and galleries, wander through the endless markets, and just sit and watch the people walking past.

I expect to have my life changed. I know I am not over exaggerating when I say that this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I don’t plan on wasting a single second of it.

So London, I hope you’re ready for me, and I will be seeing you in 25 sleeps!

Nicole x

* Also a good 30kg of luggage

This post was originally written for my Absolute Internship blog, which you can visit here.

ICONIC: Lara Bingle

  

LB. Need I say more?

All photos from Tumblr.

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