Jetlagged as anything
Trip Start
Jul 12, 2010
1
2
Trip End
Feb 05, 2011
London, England, United Kingdom
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
It is so peaceful here at my Aunt and Uncle's home, Birling Place, in the small rural town of Birling in Kent. It was nice to see the old English brick houses that I last saw at age 5. Nothing much has changed on the exterior here (Birling Place is 500 years old!). We went for lunch to the Duke of Wellington pub one day - it is your typical English country pub with a low ceiling, dark wood on the inside and very cosy.
After 1 and a half days rest I finally ventured into London by train and then took the tube to my cousin Anna's flat in Kensington. It was surprisingly easy and navigating the various lines of the tube was pretty straightforward - as long as you knew where you were going.
That night Anna had a whole lot of cousins round for dinner - 12 of us - with four of us being Kiwis. Everyone there is in their late 20s to late 30s but having left uni, age doesn't seem to matter anymore. It was great to reacquaint myself with some and meet new cousins too.
The next day I set off to explore London in the blustery rain (which luckily cleared out by the afternoon). I visited various places - the Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrods, Topshop, H & M store (similar to Topshop), Oxford Circus shops, Covent Garden markets, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and the Royal Courts of Justice. I met up with Rebecca for lunch, another kiwi cousin who is a lawyer near the Royal Courts. Was great to catch up and hear her wisdom about being a lawyer in the UK...something to consider in future years.
By the time I made it back to Birling that evening my feet were killing me from all the exploring! The day had turned into a stunner and I ventured back to the farm along the sunny country roads.
