London > Eden Project > Manchester > Leeds > Nottingham > Hastings > Brighton > London

Arriving in London, to me, is like arriving in a European version of Melbourne. I always feel right at home, whether I’m going for a walk, catching a train or grabbing a pint from the pub.

Once I arrived in London, the first thing I like to do is see what theatre plays are out – the last time I was there I didn’t have a chance to go. I knew that The Cursed Child had just started its preview screenings but I put the thought of seeing that in the bin because it’s been sold out since it was announced (ok, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the gist).

My amazing friend contacted me after I had settled into my Airbnb apartment and told me he had a spare ticket for that evening and the next days performance (being a Friday and Saturday).

I actually cried.

Thank you to my stupendous Hufflepuff friend, you know who you are!

This production is truly magical and if you have a chance to see it, do. It doesn’t matter if you’re a big Harry Potter fan or not, young or old, it’s exceptionally wonderful. I also went around to the Stage Door like a big dork to get everyones signatures and they were all so humble and happy to sign books and get photos done.

I also went to The Borough Market, where Diagon Alley was based on. I saw a man dressed as Hagrid doing a walking tour and my heart was overjoyed with happiness. I ate a bacon butty from Maria’s Market Cafe (probably the best bacon sandwich I’ve ever had in my life), drank a Turkish Coffee with a Turkish Delight from The Turkish Deli and then after a quick break ate some more food.

Already my first two days in London were bloody great. Could it get any better?

Yep, it did!

Before I caught up with my other magnificent friend in Camden, I was waiting around Camden High Street when I saw this man wearing a pink jumpsuit and dancing by himself. I ended up going a little closer to see what this mad man was doing. Turns out he spends his whole day dancing and making people happy. This is Pablo the Disco Bunny:

After being covered in sparkles, I got to spend the whole day with my very good friend and we ate a ridiculous amount of delicious food. She then surprised me with making me one of her bridesmaids, so obviously I was over the moon.

Come on England, that’s enough greatness for one trip, isn’t it?

NOPE!

Next stop was The Eden Project, but on the way I ate at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. Never in my life have I even eaten so much seafood in one sitting. I still salivate when I think about it.

The Eden Project was an interesting place. I stayed at the hostel there for 3 nights and spent one day at the biodomes.

This area was used for over 160 years as a clay pit. Once it was no longer needed, the giant hole in the ground was just abandoned, until one day a group of exceptionally smart individuals decided to build biodomes and educate the young, old and inbetween about the environment, climate change and the planet. It was beautiful there. They had different sections dedicated to different areas of the world and their flora.

Manchester was next and I stayed a fair way out of the city and used my time there as rest days, going to the cinema and checking out a few movies.

Leeds was great fun. I went to two different pub trivia’s and met some cool people. Although we didn’t win, I think we did pretty damn well for a team of two.

My favourite place was the Leeds Kirkgate Market – it had some really traditional (and cheap!) English meals. I also finally got to have a Vietnamese Pho, so I was really happy.

Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to go to Nottingham, thanks to Robin Hood.

(Is it weird that they’re all facing the same way and doing the same pose? I’ve only just noticed this)

I was so excited that as soon as I got off the train, I wanted to take a photo of the station with the “Nottingham” sign. I managed to drop my phone and break it. I was pretty distraught, but I managed to (every now and again) turn it on and transfer all of my photos onto my SD Card so I didn’t lose anything. YAY!

I had the opportunity to go to Sherwood Forest and do an archery course. I’ve always really enjoyed archery, and it was interesting using a long bow first the first time.

 

I can see why women used to chop off one of their boobs because fuck, they got in the damn way!  I did such a shit job at the start that I was really embarrassed.

*Please note that I wasn’t too keen on aiming for the pictures of the animals. Once I got to change bows, I got a normal round target and did a much better job

 

I absolutely adored Hastings and would recommend visiting it. It was so nice being down by the beach again and they had beautiful buildings and a couple of really great pubs. It was also the place where I got my first tattoo (see, I told you I liked archery) at Two Snakes Tattoo. I was so nervous beforehand, I went in to get a quote, they told me to come back in an hour and Caleb did it for me. It was so quick and hurt like a muthaf*ker, but i felt proud because I drew the arrows myself 🙂 totally worth it!

My favourite thing in the UK are the penny arcades and I went crazy and won all of these ridiculous key-rings.

I caught the train again after a few days and went to Brighton and stayed in the smallest Airbnb apartment I’ve ever been in. It was one room with a raised kitchen area. The toilet and shower was outside and shared with the neighbour. I loved all of the little alleyways of Brighton – there were so many cafes and restaurants and the eclectic residents were fantastic. I caught up with some friends here too and after some cheap eats we went to the Royal Pavillion. The penny arcades on Brighton Pier weren’t nearly as awesome as a lot of the other smaller towns. Everything was way too difficult to win and that made it less fun.

Hear that Brighton Pier? Make it easier for us to win, pretty please.

After Brighton, it was back to London for a final week. Another quick stop at The Borough Market (because why wouldn’t I?) and a big day spent at the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesdon. I was so excited when I got there that the first hour was a bit of a blur. Once I saw the Great Hall I was awestruck. Most of my friends will already know that I’m a big movie buff and love everything to do with behind the scenes (make up, costumes, props, art department etc) so it really was magical being able to see all of these things. My favourite was seeing the Winged Boars on top of the Hogwarts Entrance Gates. I also loved the make-up and wig section and Ollivander’s Wand Shop.

Upon leaving I was so sad because I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t buy anything other than a butterbeer (which, by the way, is so yum). I didn’t really want to leave, but I had to catch the last double decked bus back to the train station.

My wonderful P.I.C (partner in crime) secretly purchased me the Elder Wand. For those of you who don’t know the significance of the Elder Wand, it was Dumbledore’s wand. It’s also the most powerful wand in the world because it was made by Death himself, for more information, please watch The Deathly Hallows, but preferably read the whole Harry Potter series, because who am I kidding, the movies only scratch the surface.

 

 

Next stop is Seoul in South Korea!

Later chums,

– Miss Adventure