(In bed by) Midnight in Paris

Challenge 3: Go on lots of day/weekend/many day trips (don't stay in the same place, explore, travel, wander)

Every time I step foot in Kings Cross station to catch a train somewhere, I feel like I'm bound for Hogwarts. While this obviously isn't the case, last weekend I was just as excited to catch the Eurostar from St Pancras across to Paris to see my Dad complete his second London to Paris bike ride.

As it was the summer solstice the French were holding their annual music festival where the streets were littered with a variety of musical acts. While in theory this sounds like an enchanting notion, we probably arrived a little too late to join in the festivities. Instead of witnessing fun French music, we were confronted with two fights and a delightful lady who took to throwing glass bottles at passers by. 

The following day however, Paris turned on its charm. Our morning was spent doing a little shopping and eating croissants before departing on the supporters bus to see the 400 riders complete their three day journey from London in the afternoon. Perched on a fence, Moët & Chandon in hand with the Eiffel Tower watching over us, we eagerly awaited Dad's arrival amongst the sea of athletes. The first to cross the finish line was the only hand cyclist to have took part this year, followed by the professional riders and then the amateurs, amongst which was Dad in surprisingly high spirits. I'm yet to decide whether he was elated purely because he had finished his three day cycle in very difficult conditions, or if it was because he had managed to find my future husband over those three days. He had barely cracked open his champagne when he eagerly pointed out that the man who won the race was both young and attractive as well as being the son of the very wealthy Nigel Mansell. You'd think he had better things to focus on...

As it was the 10th anniversary of the event, that evening we attended a gala dinner to celebrate. Whilst sipping champagne I was flattered to be frequently asked which group I rode in. After drinks we were treated to a three course French meal and some entertainment. Admittedly, I was exhausted (it's hard work lying about completing a three day ride) so I skipped the band and was tucked up in bed even earlier than the oldies with a gentle champagne buzz.

Sunday saw my last day in Paris and that gentle champagne buzz had turned into a thudding champagne hangover. Luckily, a beautiful breakfast was held for us which helped ease my pain. Not deterred by my thudding head or the Paris rain we set out for a day of sight seeing. It was magical to see iconic sights such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomph, Champs Elysee and Notre Dame however the highlight was a stop off in Angelina's, a famous French cafe established in 1903, for incredibly decadent afternoon tea of thick, silky hot chocolate and giant, light macarons. We also made a quick trip to my favourite bookshop, Shakespeare and Company to soak up the beautiful atmosphere amongst some literary classics just like Owen Wilson did in Midnight in Paris. Despite being soaked on my way back to London, I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon in the city of love.

Loft troll does London

Challenge 3: Explore, travel, wander

One of the many perks of being a TA in London is the chance to do some amazing things during the school holidays. This week we had half term break and as I had not arranged to go anywhere, I decided to do something "Londony" every day of the week. Having already hit the prime tourist spots like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Eye, I tried to find other ways to enjoy this great city and avoid the temptation to stay in my PJs and become a loft troll.

Monday: Today was a Bank holiday so I decided to take it easy after a busy weekend. The sun was shining (a rare treat I have discovered) so I was inspired to get out and do some exercise. At home I used to love going for long walks by the beach however, this obviously ins't an option in the busy London metropolis, so I went in search of a new walking path. Conveniently, I live around the corner from the Tower of London and London Bridge where I don't frequent enough, so this was my first destination. After dodging and weaving through a stampede of tourists I discovered the gem that is Thames Path and began to follow it. Incidentally, my walk was probably not effective exercise as I had to keep stopping to take pictures of all the iconic structures I stumbled upon such as The Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, St Paul's Cathedral and the Shard. I fully intend to do the walk again as a local and not breath taken Aussie tourist!

Tuesday: In true London fashion, today the sun went into hiding; the perfect day to spend cosied up inside a cafe. I slid into my Hunter wellies, grabbed my coat and umbrella and toddled off to Brick Lane to meet a friend. An icon of East London, Brick Lane is a place where Indian Curry Houses meet Hipster paradise. On Saturday nights it descends into chaos (as I discovered last Bank holiday when I witnessed my first serious bar fight) only to be recovered again for the amazing Sunday market. On this particular day, despite being a wet week day, it was still bustling and we found ourselves drying off with huge slices of salted caramel and cookies and cream cake, people watching the indie elite.

Wednesday: Inspired by my walk on Monday and a recent viewing of Midnight in Paris, today I ventured back down the Thames Path to the Tate Modern art gallery. Here I spent a relaxing afternoon enjoying modern art from the likes of Picasso, Pollock and my new favourite, the CoBrA group from the avante-guard movement.
In the evening, I left my pocket of East London and headed into Soho for a friend's birthday dinner. Soho is teething with restaurants so we were spoilt of choice, but opted for Mexican street food and tequila cocktails at Wahaka. Despite being a chain, the food here was great and the waiters were lovely; they even found my friend a birthday candle which they wedged into a piece of lime with her churros.

Thursday: From one day of wandering around looking at beautiful things, to another day of much the same, only this time rather than a museum I found myself at Harrods. I had visited the huge department store a couple of times since arriving  in the UK however, did not realise its true enormity until today. While I had already seen the Egyptian escalators, the Diana tribute and the awe-inspiring food halls, I was amazed to discover the pet shop which stocked a 5,000 pound British bulldog and my favourite, the ice-cream parlour. Walking through the sheer luxury of Harrods is a surprisingly relaxing way to spend an afternoon; escapism in its finest form.

Friday: As amazing as London is, sometimes its nice to get out of the city. With Cambridge being only an hour away, I jumped on a train with a friend for some greenery and fresh air. The train ride alone provides gorgeous scenery as you race through beautiful English countryside to reach the old University city. Once we arrived, the sun was shining and it was the perfect day to explore the various college grounds and the city centre. It was lovely to see the river humming with punters enjoying the good weather, the manicured green lawns and the huge buildings reminiscent of something from Harry Potter. In the city centre we found the strange combination of cute cobble stoned streets and old buildings with great modern shopping and cafes. Perhaps it was the sunshine, but the whole place had a very relaxed vibe to it and I could feel myself falling in love with it very quickly. If the bustle of London ever gets to be too much, you'll know where to find me!