Day 5: Florence

Woke up really really late haha didn't set an alarm cause I was so tired so literally only got out of bed at like 11?!?! But the weather was quite bad it was raining ... Anyway walked to the central station, took me 30 min and my shoes were completely soaked :( Met the guys there but since the weather was so bad we decided to find a gelato place to chill first. 

We passed by the attractions on the way to the city centre but photos turned out quite lousy cause of the rain and poor lighting. And usually the gelato shops are everywhere but they all disappear when you try to find one! In the end we finally found a nice one - Antica Gelateria Fiorentina - and went in and hence begun the crazy gelato spamming at this place. The flavours were all pretty unique and prices start from €1.50 which is the lowest I've seen so far! They had matcha which isn't really common in Italy (or at least not that I've seen any) so I went for that and the pistachio. And it was so good hahaha we all went for seconds - I went for my usual strawberry and this Christmas cake flavour (I think) called datteri e noci?? It was too creamy for my liking but there were nuts and raisins and dried fruits inside!

By then the rain had stopped so we went out again to walk around. Was supposed to get lunch but came across a Chinese restaurant called Xin Wang on the way so ended up eating there LOL. Continued walking after lunch and spotted a watermelon bicycle outside this cafe called Caffè del Borgo and had to take photos with it!! Then we went to Piazza della Signoria and Ponte Vecchio and the river but by then it was starting to get dark so we didn't cross to the other side of the river. Decided to go for ANOTHER gelato and we passed by Brandy Melville on the way. The store is much smaller than the other store but sales had begun!! Almost the entire store was 10-20% off haha dammit I regret buying so much back in November ugh cause almost everything I bought went on sale ......... Also passed by Piazza della Repubblica and the lights were so pretty!!! But then it rained again so we wanted to find a gelato shop quick.

Wanted to try Carabè and Triangolo delle Bermuda but both gelaterias were closed so we went back to Antica ......... And got another 2 gelatos each HAHAHA. I had bacio with biscottino first then regretted such creamy choices so got a small cone of strawberry and lemon sorbet to wash down the taste! By then I was super super full but we wanted to try this place called OK Bar for dinner so we went to the market at Mercato Centrale to walk around first. They were closing by then but we still managed to see some stuff - so many leather bags!!! I bought 3 Cruciani-like bracelets in pastel colours to wear as anklets hehe they were only €1 each while the real Cruciani starts from €10 :( And I haven't even taken out the one that I bought at Expo Milano out of its packaging yet HAHA. The quality was okay-ish, obviously not as good as original Cruciani and it was also lacking the C loop (saw some on the roadside store near the central station with the C loop but no nice colours). But I got them in light pink, light blue and light purple HAHA they actually look pretty dull on their own but really cute all together! Wanna get a turquoise one HAHA gonna look out for them but afterwards I found them online going for like $0.20USD each zzz.

Anyway, we got to OK Bar for dinner and I had spaghetti ragu con bolognese but so full couldn't finish so Uncle helped me to finish! I think it was not bad but still preferred L'Archetto in Rome. We were all too tired so went back straightaway after dinner. I was falling sick so was really cold argh such terrible luck to fail sick in the middle of the trip ...

Day 4: Pisa

Oops meant to be posting everyday but was so tired yesterday didn't have time to update! But I'll do separate posts for yesterday and today (technically the day before and yesterday since it's past 12am now on 6 Jan haha) :P

So 4 Jan was Monday omg I've completely lost track of the date here! On Monday morning I woke up really early at 0530 as my train was at 0715 so was aiming to check out latest by 0630. Didn't really get a good night's sleep cause my subconscious was worried about oversleeping and missing the train but surprisingly I wasn't that tired. So I got up, washed up and packed and bade goodbye to my most amazing double room with ensuite toilet AND balcony. Was really lucky to have gotten this hotel after the unexpected Expedia mess-up (mentioned in my 1 Jan post) and it was for 3 nights so it was really nice!! Checked out and paid my city tax of €12 (sobbles €4/night for 3-star hotel) and they really did pack a small breakfast for me to take away! Well it was just a sugar croissant and a bottle of peach juice but better than nothing :) 

Anyway I haven't mentioned this, but the hotel I was staying at is Hotel Bled near Manzoni metro. They serve free buffet breakfast which is really really nice and it's altogether quite posh and quiet and well-furnished. I don't know about the other rooms but I was living on the 4th floor which is the top floor so I had a really nice view from the balcony. Room and toilet were really clean and they provide some toiletries and towels. The room also came with a TV I believe though u never used it as well as a mini-bar. All in all it was a pretty good stay besides the fact that it wasn't super close to all the attractions but it was rather near the metro so it would've been about a 30 min walk from Termini. Would recommend and honestly wouldn't mind going back there again HAHA though I don't think I would've been able to afford it if not for the relocation ...

So back to Monday morning. After checking out I took the metro to Termini and printed my tickets, then waited a bit. Was glad I left so early as I had some buffer time. Boarded the train at 0715, sun wasn't even up during the train journey and the weather didn't look very good. Slept a bit on the train, arrived in Florence at 0846. I'd googled on the bus system in Florence so I knew I'd have to buy a bus ticket and take the bus to my current hotel. The bus tickets in Florence cost €1.20 per way and is valid for 90 min, and you could get them from the Tabacchi stores but there's also an ATAF counter at the central station (Firenze SMN). Bought my ticket but there was a long queue so I missed the 0915 bus and had to get the 0930 one instead, but luckily the buses are rather punctual here. 

Arrived at the hotel pretty quickly, though I have to say I'd overlooked the location part when I booked as it's not as near to city centre as it had appeared on Google maps ... And at first it didn't look that impressive from the building and all, but the people are really nice!! The check-in time is supposed to be 11am but I arrived before 10am and explained that I wanted to catch the 11am train to Pisa, so they actually let me put my luggage in the room first even though the room wasn't properly cleaned and ready yet. But it's supposedly a small family-run  hotel, so they're probably more flexible with things. I also didn't have enough change to pay the city tax so the guy said I could just pay the next day, and he also gave me a map of Florence which I thought was really nice!

Took the bus back to Termini as it was still valid and met the 2 guys. They already had tickets but I didn't so I just bought mine there. There are basically 2 train companies in Italy (Trenitalia and Italo) but Trenitalia is the only one that has a route from Florence to Pisa. The cheapest by 2nd class is €8.40 for a single trip and there isn't a need to buy them in advance I think ... Also it's a relatively short journey of only 49 min!

We arrived in Pisa Centrale slightly before 12 and made our way towards the Tower. I think Pisa seems quite quiet and small in general. Weather wasn't great but at least it didn't rain! Arrived at the plaza and the design is really amazing if not for the fact that the tower is slanted haha. Took lots of silly touristy photos and everyone was basically doing the same but you can't leave Pisa without some tourist shenanigans right?! Hahaha. 

Spent about 2 hours there then walked back to the station but got Amsterdam chips and gelato at this gelateria called Gelateria Cremino. The cones start from €1.80 onwards and it was by far the cheapest compared to what we've been getting in Rome. Chilled a bit while having gelato btw that was my 5th cone HAHA had 4 already in Rome. Then walked towards the station and did some shopping on the way omg jäger was going for only €10.65 a bottle it was unbelievable!! I bought some apples and Actimel and we got some pasta stuff for dinner then took the train back. Walked back to my hotel from the train station and went to one of the Brandy stores on the way! The store was huge but I didn't buy anything (yet) haha then the guys came over to chill and eat dinner and that was all for the day!

Rome: Day 3

Eating my takeaway pasta in the hotel now and I swear it's so good?!?! I bought 2 slices of pizza from the same shop too on my way back and they were good too I think better than yesterday's dinner at the restaurant HAHA. Funny how one of my best meals in Rome was just from a random shop.

Anyway today was a relatively chill day! It's the two guys' last day in Rome so we didn't have much planned. I woke up really late at 10 and missed the hotel breakfast cause I thought it was until 11, but the lady was so nice she still let me in to get food so I just thought I'd bring the food to my room to eat so I won't mess up a table but then she gave me a proper tray to put everything on and also asked if I wanted drinks! So I had a nice quick breakfast in my room. Also asked if it's possible for me to get a takeaway breakfast tomorrow as my train is really early, and they said they'd prepare a box for me so I shall wait and see!

Met the guys at 12 at Termini to take the metro to see Villa Torlonia which was 2 stops away, but it turned out to be slightly disappointing as there wasn't much and the weather in winter isn't that great. Decided to walk over to Villa Borghese which was a lot prettier but sadly we didn't have much time there as the guys had a train to catch. We walked to the Spanish Steps from Villa Borghese and I wanted to go up the steps but the guys didn't have time so we went for the gelato instead. Had another gelato back at Gelateria Valentino and got smoothie flavours this time - strawberry and banana! The shop people were really nice and they recognised us from yesterday!! I kept wondering about the honey flavour gelato that Andrew recommended but then realised it was actually another gelato shop just round the corner - Gelato di San Crispino. The prices are slightly more expensive and I'm not that much of a fan of cream flavours anyway and also didn't want to ruin the lovely fruity aftertaste of the strawberry and banana gelato so didn't try it. Might probably come back the next time!!

The guys had to leave after that so after I said bye to them I went back to the Spanish Steps. Turned out to be the right choice cause the view up there was absolutely amazing! I went up the steps of Fraternita Monastica Delle Sorelle Di Gerusalemme to get a better view of the city and it was so beautiful. When I first went up there was no one there except for a sporty couple doing leg lifts (??? The one where you hold onto something and lift your legs 90 degrees perpendicular) against the scenery and they asked me to take photos of them together. In return I also asked them to take photos of me HAHA and it's true based on experience photos by strangers usually turn out the best ... Stayed a bit more but more people were starting to come so it was harder to get a better photo. Then this other couple was taking photos of each other then they wanted to take one together by selfie-ing so I offered to help them and in return they asked if I wanted a photo too! So of course I said yes (never rejecting photo opportunities) and by then the sky had cleared up already so the photos turned out really nice except for the poor lighting of the iPhone 5 camera but never mind :D Finally experiencing the thrills of solo-tripping!! Haha but it was fun having the company of Uncle H and S around LOL.

Walked back to the metro and took to San Giovanni since it's near the hotel anyway but not much. Saw a glimpse of the sunset it was pink I should've stayed longer at the Spanish Steps haha!! Then walked back and got the pasta and pizza takeaway on the way back. Btw the shop is called Pizza e Kebab on Via Emanuele Filiberto near San Giovanni Metro. The owner was really nice and he asked me where I'm from so I said Singapore, then he asked if he could take a selfie with me cause he wanted a selfie with a Singaporean LOL. But yes the pizza was so good hahaha and just finishing the pasta now!!

Going to sleep soon and need to pack oh man leaving Rome tomorrow! I've only visited 2 out of 5 Brandy stores here and my timing is so bad because the sales in Rome start on 5 Jan Tuesday but I'm leaving tomorrow gah I have no luck with these!!

Rome: Day 2

Brief update on day 2 of 2016 in Rome (trying to post more and also record stuff down in case I forget). Had breakfast in hotel (which was not bad really!!!), then went to meet GQ's friend S who just arrived at Termini. We all went back to their hostel to put down stuff then walked in the general direction of Vatican City. Passed by the Colosseum on the way and took lots of photos in daylight but it kept drizzling!! Also very amused by the street sellers because it rained this morning and suddenly everyone had umbrellas and ponchos to sell instead of the selfie sticks it's as if they have some massive warehouse nearby or something ... Then when the rain stopped they all looked really disappointed or rather almost angry! After the Colosseum we passed by Piazza Venezia again and stopped at a gelato shop. Welcome back to the land of €2 gelatos!! Well that was actually €2.50 but it was good!! I had mixed berries and mango flavours :D 

We crossed the bridge to the other side of the river where Vatican City is and took lots of photos by the river with the Castel Sant'Angelo as the backdrop HAHA. Then finally arrived in Vatican City and it was so crowded omg. The sky started to clear up a bit by then so it was nice! But the queue for the holy door was too long and we arrived pretty late so the museum was closed. Wanted to see the garden but you need to make reservations for those apparently so we just took some photos with the Swiss Army at the entrance. They were really nice actually and one of them always smiled so slightly when people take photos of him!!

After Vatican City I made the 2 guys Coke with me to Brandy HAHAHA we walked along the main shopping street though. Didn't buy anything otherwise I'd have to lug them around the rest of the trip!! Also went to the other Brandy near the Trevi fountain and went to see the fountain again too. Still super lots of people even though it was raining. Had dinner at this rather nice place called Osteria - I liked their pizza more but Peter the spaghetti at L'Archetto! Also had 2 cones of gelato after dinner HAHA crazy but it was SO GOOD, it's called Gelateria Valentino and it's near the Trevi Fountain! I had the Ferraro Rocher (called Love Me) with tiramisu first then a more fruity combination of melon and mango. And the people were so nice!! Defo wanna go back again HAHAHA. Andrew also recommended a gelato place near the fountain with honey flavour but Idk if it was the same one so gonna have to find out .........

Really tired now so gonna sleep!!!

2016 Day 1/366: Rome!

Finally chilling on my double bed in my hotel now :D Was such a hectic and epic day omg! My travel adventures are seriously UNBELIEVABLE. Omg.

Anyway the day started out pretty okay, slept really early (could hear the fireworks but too tired to get up), woke up at 4am and left at 5.20am to catch the National Express coach for Stansted Airport. Arrived slightly before 7am, did everything really quickly like security and all then went to the duty free shops :D Bought some stuff from Accessorize, then walked past Ted Baker and couldn't resist taking a look at the sale stuff ... Was really tempted by the pink Melana bag, they had only one left and I'd been eyeing the Isabow in baby pink since October and this one was really similar if not even nicer than the Isabow cause it doesn't have the bow which is a bit extra. But I didn't want to spend money so early into 2016 LOL. So I went to the Starbucks (last Starbucks since Italy and Strasbourg don't have!!) and got a chai tea latte and sat there while waiting for my boarding gate to show. But I kept thinking of the bag omg. Waited for an hour then realised I had to go to the gate alr so I went back to Ted Baker again to ask for returns policy and all and it was also the last bag in pink ......... And I gave in. OMG. Then I rushed to the gate with all my shopping bags LOL. And my duffel bag was alr freaking heavy ........ Way to start my trip LOLLOL.

Got to the gate and one of the Ryanair staff was selling bus tickets from airport to city centre so I bought one, then the guy behind me bought too but he didn't have small change so I exchanged 2 €10 notes for his €20 note. Then we started talking and he's from SG too LOL small world anyway he's called GQ so we decided to tour around together today cause he was also alone. Boarded the flight afterwards, had an aisle seat at first but the row opposite me was empty so I just asked the flight steward if I could st there instead and he said it was okay so I had a whole row to myself again!! Super shiok hehe :D Flying in daytime has its perks too especially the amazing view of the Alps!!

Landed in Rome, waited quite a long time for the bus so it was already 1430 by the toe we arrived in the city centre. Three was having internet problems and I couldn't get data for the whole afternoon argh. Checked into my hotel, wifi wasn't working either so no internet basically but the room was huge and I also had my own toilet PLUS a huge DOUBLE BALCONY. But I just put down my stuff and went out again cause I was supposed to meet GQ at Barberini at 1600. The metro was pretty easy to navigate but it's €1.50 per ride!!

Met GQ at Berberini Metro, went to see the Fontana di Trevi first but it was so crowded omg. Then we walked to the Altare della Patria and towards the Colosseum. Saw so many ruins on the way it was quite fascinating but now I'm also just looking at Google maps and thinking it'll never be possible to finish seeing all the tourist attractions here by the end of this trip hahaha omg. Anyway by then the sun was setting already so lighting was poor but the Colosseum looked so cool at night!!

Walked a bit more then we were both really hungry so searched a bit and found this place called L'Archetto near us that serves pasta and pizza. I was craving pasta so much haha. It turned out to be a really good decision LOL cause the prices were pretty decent and they had so many different flavours of pasta and pizza!!! We both got a pasta each then shared a pizza and tiramisu for dessert. But the pasta was SO SO GOOD I honestly wouldn't mind going back there again to eat if not for the fact that I wanna try other restaurants in Rome too!!

After dinner we walked towards the river Fiume Tevere then ended up on Ponte Sant'Angelo that leads to Castel Sant'Angelo. A cool thing is that the garden surrounding the castle is shaped like a star just like the Kastellet in Cooenhagen so I would really want to see that!! We didn't go in as it was closed already. Then walked back to the Metro, took a few photos of the Fontana di Tritone at Piazza Barberini then I took the metro to go back to the hotel.

Then this was the epic part. I honestly don't know if I was damn suay or damn lucky but I'm loving my current hotel so I would say the latter LOL. Remember how the wifi in my room wasn't working?? So I entered the hotel, went to the reception area to ask about the wifi and then the lady at the reception (think she's the manager according to a cert on the wall) told me the hotel was going to be closed from tomorrow onwards, when my reservation was for the next 3 days. I was literally like WHAT on the spot cause I'd booked through Expedia and there was absolutely no notification of this AT ALL. And that would explain why the wifi and elevators weren't working. Apparently the hotel had informed Expedia 5 days ago, so we called Expedia and turns out there was broken communication between the Expedia and Expedia UK team. But I was just panicking cause where would I go lol omg?? Of all the stuff that've happened I'd least expected this trip to go wrong cause it was a freaking hotel booking. So they told me I could stay for the night and pay €25 but I'd already paid through Expedia for the whole booking!! Anyway the Expedia UK team went to check and they had someone from the reallocations team to talk to me but the line was so muffled so I was really confused and freaking out. After many rounds of repetition (cause I couldn't hear properly) they finally found me a room at another hotel 5 min away so they would change my whole reservation to that for no additional fees (had to confirm this many times but hoping I won't get some surprise charge on my card uh). So I thought that was the end. By then the lady manager had left and it was only this other guy at the reception so I was gonna ask if I could just get my stuff since I was moving out already. THEN HE TOLD ME I STILL HAD TO PAY THE €25?!?! By then I was literally about to cry cause after so much trouble and distress they can't just demand more money when I'm not even staying there. And ever since the Milan scam incident I've just been really paranoid about Italy in general T_T And I was also really scared that they wouldn't let me leave cause the man seemed really scary and intimidating and he said I had to pay cause they already prepared the room for me and all but I never even touched anything except to put my stuff there. Somehow I told him I'm going to go up and get the stuff and move out NOW then I went up and quickly packed all my stuff, was lucky that I didn't unpack! I was also a bit worried that it could all be a scam so was quite cautious to check my important stuff were all there. Grabbed my bags, went downstairs to hand my key then the man seemed to have a change of attitude suddenly so I cautiously asked again about the €25 one night fee then he said he spoke to the lady or something and that all is sorted. So I could finally leave! He also asked if I got everything and seemed to be much nicer at the end but I was still in a state of shock so I just kept saying thank you then left. What a night!!

Walked to the new hotel which thankfully wasn't too far and actually turned out to be nearer to the metro LOL. Managed to check-in properly (the other hotel didn't even ask for my passport when I checked-in in the afternoon??) but the fax confirmation from Expedia hadn't arrived yet so I was worried I would have to wait even more since it was already close to midnight by then. But luckily it was all okay, still got my double room and this new hotel looks so much more luxurious actually! The double room is amazing, slightly smaller than the other one but really looks great with golden sheets and all LOL. Toilet is also super clean and I have a balcony too!! With a swing but it was too dark so I'll check it out tomorrow. But I guess it all turned out well in the end, even though I'm still in a state of shock over the turn of events I don't believe my luck with travelling seriously I mean what are the odds is such things happening LOL. But yeah, hope all goes well and I'll be monitoring my bank acc to make sure no surprise charges appear or whatsoever. Will update!!

Really need to sleep now hahaha wanna catch sunrise tomorrow and make the most of daylight hours but weather forecast seems like it's gonna rain the whole day noooooo please :( But once again, what a way to begin 2016!!

Goodbye 2015, thank you!

Last post of 2015 (excluding all the backlogs and drafts of my trips which I will try to get around to eventually), so I thought I'd do a basic recap and reflection for the year!

- Jan: back to school for term 2, rehearsals, got the year abroad allocation and found out that I was going to Strasbourg! But everything was pretty slow-paced at the start.

- Feb: Watched Les Mis, went to Tromso, saw northern lights, apps and ints that turned out well so was very very thankful!

- Mar: Went to Stockholm, String Orch concert, opera rehearsals and crazy week of attending SW in the day and playing for opera at night but I survived that week!!

- Apr: Easter break, studying for exams, Brandy shopping, SW, more ints and AC with positive outcomes, more studying. Super grateful for everything :)

- May: Last bits of studying, exams, end of exams, packing, brunch dates around London. Sprained my right ankle.

- Jun: Moving out, cleaning, Thorpe Park finally and then back to SG! Admin stuff once I got back, applied to work at TS, met up with friends, started work at TS!

- Jul: Still working at TS, met up with more friends, ice-skating, basically SG life. Sprained my left ankle, LOL.

- Aug: Last days of work, packing, back to London then moved to Strasbourg all within the same week! Super excited to be in Strasbourg and weather was so amazing.

- Sep: Strasbourg life, started school, made new friends, went to Oktoberfest in Munich, great times with my Strasbourg friends!

- Oct: Came back to London for one weekend, more school, exams, did my 10-day Scandinavia-Europe trip: Stockholm, Copenhagen, Milan. Met the HCSE girls in Scandinavia and went to see the World Expo with M in Milan!

- Nov: Back to school, more exams, more studying, went to Cologne the last weekend to meet XC and met P for a few hours in Amsterdam!

- Dec: More studying, more exams, coursework, came back to London, met up with friends over meals, went to Nice and Monaco with S, Christmas Party at J's, Boxing Day, met more friends and now it's NYE!

It's been a crazy year of travels, new adventures and great times with friends, but I think I've also found the peace within myself that I've been searching for. I'm pretty proud of myself for staying positive and determined (maybe not calm all the time) even in times of adversity, and to always be grateful for everything, even the smallest of things. I've been lucky to have met many kind strangers who've helped me this year during my travels, and I'm really thankful for their random little acts of kindness. Last but not least, I'm thankful for all the friends that I've kept in touch with as well as am the new friends that I've made during the year, and of course for my family especially my parents who have always been so supportive of me no matter what I do. And I'm thankful for technology that has allowed me to keep in touch with everyone despite the physical distance between us all.

For 2016, to be honest I'm actually really happy with the way things are right now but then again, the only constant is change. I hope things stay the way they are or get even better! And I guess I should have some resolutions, but I'll keep some private for now :D I guess I've achieved about half of my resolutions for 2015 (as always haha it's almost impossible to achieve all because some aren't really within my control), but for 2016 I would really like to learn more new skills, travel more and remain positive and grateful towards everything! :) And of course do better in my studies and all. Good vibes, good vibes always :D

Thank you 2015, you've been absolutely amazing and I've been really really happy this year. Here's to an even better 2016 ahead!

Happy New Year / 新年快乐 / Bonne année à tous / Felice Anno Nuovo!

Back in London - and off again!

Sitting in the Starbucks at Gatwick now with Steph waiting for our flight back to France later! Hahaha. Had such a hectic 2 weeks before I came back to London omg was so busy with exams and coursework and all. Had 5 exams in 3 days between 8 - 10 Dec, then another oral evaluation on Friday of that week. Tuesday was the linguistique synchronique exam which was actually supposed to be the following week but turned out that it got shifted forward and I had no idea so I went in and thought the paper was a practice paper before realising 15 min into the paper that it was the actual exam ... Major FML moment LOL. And I didn't even study for it nor did I bring a dictionary. But the passage wasn't that hard so hoping it went well ... Rest of the exams were awful I really hate having back-to-back exams argh. But the oral exam went pretty well I think! And then I had to submit the literature dossier before I left so stayed up until 5am to finish it on Tuesday morning T_T But at last it was done and submitted, so I spent Tuesday afternoon doing last minute chocolate shopping, then went ice skating at the rink at Place Dauphine with K! The rink was really really tiny though and the ice wasn't smooth but it was fun and I hadn't skated for half a year omg. Then met V for a last dinner, we had Lebanese food and it was so good!! I got back quite late so showered and packed and backed up some files on my com but didn't sleep as my train was at 6.20am from the gare. Got to Saint Louis station and was trying to figure out how to get the bus to the airport with this other Spanish girl but this super nice lady walked past and saw that we were lost and she just offered to send us to the airport in her car! The airport was a 5 min drive away but apparently they'd changed the bus route or something so we couldn't find the bus stop, but I'm gonna have to figure it out when I next take the plane from BSL ... But anyway the lady was really nice, her name is Claude and we thanked her when we arrived. I was pretty early for the flight but I had a crappy seat and the flight was really full but I was so tired I just slept all the way LOL.

London days had been really really busy so I'm just gonna do some daily summaries here:
16/12 Wed - arrived in afternoon, picked up some stuff from WT's place, met O for dinner at All Bar One at Canary Wharf and also had a tour of his office!! Had a game of pingpong in the gym room LOL and the view up there was so amazing!
17/12 Thurs - Had breakfast with E at 8am at Le Pain Quotidien and then had a second brunch with the SW girls at the Breakfast Club - 2 places which I've always wanted to try! Food was really really good. Then S and Y and I went to check out the new Brandy Melville store at Covent Garden! Didn't buy anything cause there wasn't anything new. Met J and Y again for dinner at Shake Shack and also had Biju for dessert hehe.
18/12 Fri - Met CW for dimsum then we went to shop on Oxford Street - for the first time it was me waiting for someone else in the changing room LOL. Then went to meet H and J for dinner at Flat Iron, but there was a queue so we went to macs first and ate nuggets LOL. But the steak at Flat Iron was really really good omg will want to go again.
19/12 Sat - Went to explore Broadway Market with Car in the morning and had brunch at El Ganso - the avocado toast with salmon was really good but the pancakes were average except for the huge serving of berries. C had work after that so I got off at Russell Square to check out Office at the Brunswick for shoes - and the New Balance 574 in black and pink which I'd been eyeing was on sale!!! And it was the last pair, in my size!!!!! Was so happy and it fitted perfectly :) Then I saw another pair in burgundy and it actually suited me even more and I couldn't decide between the two so I just bought both LOL. But then again I never wear any other shoes anyway so I will probably wear the shit out of those shoes. Went back and was so tired I fell asleep and overslept for dinner ... Met the HCSE girls at Hare and Tortoise (but the Kensington one) for dinner! Didn't expect to see them so soon after Stockholm but we were once again reunited in London!
20/12 Sun - Had lunch with FY and helped her to shift some stuff, then went to meet M and L in Chinatown. They had dimsum but I missed it but we went to get Sharetea after that. L had a train to catch and M had until 5 before his dinner so he went with me to the post office at the Plaza. But it rained so we were stranded there so we decided to check out the sale at USC. And I found this super super pretty pair of Sketchers in pink and blue!!!!!! Didn't intend to buy shoes again since I'd just bought 2 pairs of NB but it was SO PRETTY and really light and comfortable to wear. And they were half price!!! So now I have 3 new pairs of sports shoes so I probably shouldn't be buying anymore for like the next 3 years maybe ... Then went back to UCL to print stuff before going out again for dinner with I Hall. Good company but made a bad decision so had the worst 炸酱面 ever LOL. Then went back to Car's place and chilled until about 11.
21/12 Mon - Met YX for a quick catch up over hot chocolate, then was supposed to run a few errands and go shopping but I was so tired I just slept the whole afternoon. Showered and packed before meeting S and Car for dinner! Went to eat at ASSA then went to Bone Daddies to try their French toast with matcha soft serve. Then packed and left for Gatwick. We caught the last tube so was one hour early but made the stupid mistake of waiting at bus stop 8/9 instead of GATE 8/9 inside the coach station lol we weren't even in the coach station. But we managed to get the 2.30am bus instead and finally got to Gatwick! Checked in our bags and went to Starbucks.

So anyway the past 5 days have been literally food food and more food. Boarding right now hehe very hyped to go back to Frenchland!