Lost in London

Last weekend, I headed up to London to stay with my cousin for two nights. It was so wonderful to see her, as well as meet some of her friends and housemates.

On Saturday I headed to the Saatchi Gallery near Sloan Square. It's free, the artwork is modern, and, in my opinion, the best part is that there are no barriers or anything in the gallery - you can seem so close to the art. I am not at all artistic (mum asking who my self portrait was of when I was 12 springs to mind) and I never have any idea what it means, but I really enjoyed walking through the Saatchi Gallery, headphones in.

I've never been very good at being alone. I am a people person through and through, and the thought of being alone for more than a few hours at a time has never been very appealing. It's not that I'm not independent - I just enjoy having others around, having someone to talk to, listen to, or just be with. The thought of being by myself has always appealed, but I've never had the opportunity to explore a new city on my own before.

At first I was really lonely. I wanted to point things out to people, hear their thoughts on pieces, discuss what we were doing later. But after awhile, I realised that feeling lonely isn't necessarily a bad thing. I plugged in my headphones, and got to do what I wanted to do for two whole days. Not bad, eh?

I headed to Kensington Palace to have a look around at my future home the place where Wills and Kate spend most of their days.

While it was obviously very impressive, I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't a huge royal fan. It was actually quite empty, and considering it cost 12 pounds entry (as a student), it might not be worth it for someone who is a bit royal obsessed.

There was an incredible exhibition of some of the royal's dresses in the palace while I was there. It was included in the ticket price, and an absolute treat to walk around and see some iconic outfits. 

I went for a lovely walk through the gardens for a few hours afterwards. They're so much larger than I expected, and even though it was freezing, there were so many people out for walks.

I walked through Kensington for a little while (a bit of shopping on the high street may have occurred) before taking the train to St Pancras Station. Here, I was fortunate enough to meet my lovely third cousin Emma, and her fiancé Phil. It amazed me not only how I have family spread all over the world, but also how well we got on straight away. A few drinks turned into more drinks and then dinner, then we headed to a bar to meet Taryn and some of her drama school friends for a few hours. I then headed to Shoreditch with Taryn to go clubbing for a little while with one of my uni friends and some of her friends.

Sunday started off with a leisurely walk through the Columbia Road Flower Markets - me, my massive carry on, and about 1000 people all desperately buying flowers for Mother's Day. Not quite as relaxing as anticipated, but it was lovely to look at all the beautiful blooms. Spring has well and truly sprung.

After a quick brunch, I headed over to the British Library to have a look around. I was fortunate enough to view a Jane Austin manuscript, as well as some of the earliest copies made of Shakespeare's work. It was free to enter, and perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon like the one I visited on. I went to Piccadilly Circus to look at the Waterstones there - absolutely massive, I could have spent days there - before meeting up with a friend from uni to have a look at the St Patrick's Day festival. We saw some wonderful Irish dancing before heading back to Brighton. It always amazes me how much walking into the campus feels like coming home.