After a long summer of faffing around I decided I needed a bit of excitement, a bit of pep in my step.
So I was London bound. Due to my irrational fear of flying I decided to try the whole "Sail and Rail" fad, big mistake. One car journey, a boat, 3 trains, 2 tubes, 1 over ground and 12 hours later, I was finally at my friends apartment in East. The place was great, the area a total dive..
Day 2: Eating and shopping in Camden, with Lauren. That was fun, but hot.. very hot, and a hell of a lot busier than I recalled from my last visit 3 years ago. There were less punks, more poseurs. The whole place sadly, appeared more commercial. Then a 1 hour walk home in 29 degrees sun was less than pleasant and I didn't refrain from voicing my displeasure. Lauren is a complete ditz, let the record state.
Day 3: Harrods. You absolute beaut. There's something about the air in department stores like Harrods, Sax 5th Avenue, the Gallery in Paris and our very on Brown Thomas, that just brings me alive. The wealth and luxury in the air is tangible. As 21 year old students, you sort of have to "hold your own" in the environment. Everyone is sussing everyone out and it's not hard to tell the elite from the not so much. After some afternoon tea in Lauduree; consisting of earl grey tea and macaroons. We left. But even the victorian town houses outside Harrods made me green with envy. After which Lauren dragged me to Primark so she could purchase £8 bed sheets for her new apartment. Talk about the mighty falling..
Day 4: Lauren and her room mate Milly wanted to go shopping in charity shops to find bits and bobs for their new place. Each to their own, but I don't see why you would mix old furniture woods and style in your £2000 a month modern apartment.
That evening I moved to Amanda's place in Oxford Circus........ this was what I was looking for. A glimpse at the gorgeous, fashionable and utterly fabulous. The shops, the designers, the cars, the architecture, the business of it all. Yes, this was the London I was looking for. We went out on the town that night starting with cocktails and the rest is, well, a little blurry.
Day 5: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and some real shopping. Started at 11 that morning and didn't get home until 11 that night. Seeing a palace never gets old. The Duck tour of the area was a bit weird but also wonderful. Learning that the only person to break into buckingham palace was an Irish person was rather embarassing being the only 2 Irish people on the tour. St. James' Palace, the White Gentlemen's Club, the Ritz....
Motivation City. Population 1, Me.
Day 6: Homeward bound. A less grueling experience than the trip over to London but long none the less. Someone's going to have to find a way to get over her fear of flying.
So with 2 blisters on my toes and some torn ligaments in my foot I was looking forward to getting home and having more than 6 hours sleep a night. I literally found myself in tears before finally getting to bed.
But as I woke this morning I found myself...........bored. Have I caught the business bug? Why can't I shake the images of thousands of people passing me every day, the heat of the Underground Victoria Line, the architecture of Central and the countless Burberry stores?
I fear I may have just found meaning........
So I was London bound. Due to my irrational fear of flying I decided to try the whole "Sail and Rail" fad, big mistake. One car journey, a boat, 3 trains, 2 tubes, 1 over ground and 12 hours later, I was finally at my friends apartment in East. The place was great, the area a total dive..
Day 2: Eating and shopping in Camden, with Lauren. That was fun, but hot.. very hot, and a hell of a lot busier than I recalled from my last visit 3 years ago. There were less punks, more poseurs. The whole place sadly, appeared more commercial. Then a 1 hour walk home in 29 degrees sun was less than pleasant and I didn't refrain from voicing my displeasure. Lauren is a complete ditz, let the record state.
Day 3: Harrods. You absolute beaut. There's something about the air in department stores like Harrods, Sax 5th Avenue, the Gallery in Paris and our very on Brown Thomas, that just brings me alive. The wealth and luxury in the air is tangible. As 21 year old students, you sort of have to "hold your own" in the environment. Everyone is sussing everyone out and it's not hard to tell the elite from the not so much. After some afternoon tea in Lauduree; consisting of earl grey tea and macaroons. We left. But even the victorian town houses outside Harrods made me green with envy. After which Lauren dragged me to Primark so she could purchase £8 bed sheets for her new apartment. Talk about the mighty falling..
Day 4: Lauren and her room mate Milly wanted to go shopping in charity shops to find bits and bobs for their new place. Each to their own, but I don't see why you would mix old furniture woods and style in your £2000 a month modern apartment.
That evening I moved to Amanda's place in Oxford Circus........ this was what I was looking for. A glimpse at the gorgeous, fashionable and utterly fabulous. The shops, the designers, the cars, the architecture, the business of it all. Yes, this was the London I was looking for. We went out on the town that night starting with cocktails and the rest is, well, a little blurry.
Day 5: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and some real shopping. Started at 11 that morning and didn't get home until 11 that night. Seeing a palace never gets old. The Duck tour of the area was a bit weird but also wonderful. Learning that the only person to break into buckingham palace was an Irish person was rather embarassing being the only 2 Irish people on the tour. St. James' Palace, the White Gentlemen's Club, the Ritz....
Motivation City. Population 1, Me.
Day 6: Homeward bound. A less grueling experience than the trip over to London but long none the less. Someone's going to have to find a way to get over her fear of flying.
So with 2 blisters on my toes and some torn ligaments in my foot I was looking forward to getting home and having more than 6 hours sleep a night. I literally found myself in tears before finally getting to bed.
But as I woke this morning I found myself...........bored. Have I caught the business bug? Why can't I shake the images of thousands of people passing me every day, the heat of the Underground Victoria Line, the architecture of Central and the countless Burberry stores?
I fear I may have just found meaning........
