Finale in London

Last 2 days in London. I promise this entry is going to be short - in fact, there aren't even enough photos for a long post, so rest assure.

Day 12 (16/5): P goes to Manchester for another football match

The ardent fan P took off as soon as we arrived in London for the Man Utd v Arsenal match. I checked into the hotel, had a shower and breakfast, and headed out again to meet my friend, Maesy.

When girls meet up, the very obvious thing to do is to go shopping! We had a nice stroll through Hyde Park, did great damage to our purses in Kensington High Street and dreamt of the day we would own one of the georgian houses in the Kensington area. It was a slightly chilly day, with occasional short drizzles.

P joined us in the evening looking very pleased with himself (as Man Utd had emerged victorious!) and we headed to Harrods to gawk, ogle and for some, to splurge. After dinner, P and I rushed all the way from West to East for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. I had managed to obtain invites prior to the trip (thanks to Lynn), so it was something that I was looking forward to. Unfortunately, due to the circle line closure, we arrived a tad too late. I felt very disappointed but I guess there's always another time? So we hung around, took pictures of the illuminated Tower Bridge, and headed back to our hotel.


Day 13: Last minute shopping before heading home

Here we are, at Old Spitalfields market in the East End. We had gotten here a tad too early and very few stalls were open. In fact, there was still a queue of people with large suitcases waiting to be allocated their stall!
While waiting for more stalls to open, we had a yummy breakfast of crepes and hot chocolate/coffee! Our breakfast cost 13 GBP, which is about S$30. Ridiculous amount to pay for crepes and coffee man, on hindsight.
As I had mentioned in my previous post, the East End has a very different vibe as compared to the West End. It was hip, trendy and had an edgy feel to it. You won't see any of the high street brands like Uniqlo, Topshop, M&S here, but instead, you will find quirky art and craft shops, standalone boutiques, thrift shops, art galleries, home decor and antique stores. Very upbeat and vibrant atmosphere!
Look...P has gotten himself a pair of preppy white moccasins from the UK brand, Office!
We explored the Sunday Upmarket briefly. It is located in a large warehouse playing house music and sold mainly vintage clothes, accessories and Indian food, perhaps due to its proximity to Brick Lane. Brick Lane, or Banglatown (named as such due to its large Bangladeshi community) is famous in London for its curry houses. In fact, all we had to do was follow the scent of curry like hounds to find our way there!
The last few hours in London was spent scouring the West End for last minute gifts, before rushing back to our hotel to await our transport to Heathrow airport. It's amazing how quickly 2 weeks have flown by, and such a pity we had to leave just as we were getting used to the cold and having so much fun. But with our funds depleted, leg muscles overstretched, coupled with 2 bursting and overweight luggages, I guess it was about time to call it an end. Bye bye London, and hope to see you again soon!