I miss London

It’s been almost three years since my last visit to London already. Local friends who visited London often come back despising the city bec of its miserable weather… haha which I can’t blame them at all. Recently, HongYeen went to London and I piggy backed her luggage to pass a parcel to grumpy but she refused to leave her hotel. I told her, ‘babe if you don’t get out of here now you never will coz this rain is a constant in London!’ LoL  

I took these shots myself outside Buckingham Palace back in 2007! Arty right?

So what is it that I miss about London? Well mainly for nostalgic reason. This is the city I grew up in partly, which wasn’t really that long (about 8 years) but significant enough to have shaped me become the person I am today… in a good way of course.

Call me mad but I really miss the gloomy weather when it’s wet and cold (really! =P); the stiff upper lip Brits who are actually warm at heart; the packed tubes during peak hour; the notorious list goes on.

I miss the best hot chocolate in the world only at Bar Italia, Soho

(not to mention their tiramisu too)

I miss the yummilicious cakes and bakery at Patisserie Valerie… and PAUL, and Maison Bertaux (the latter is my uber favourite!)

I miss St. Katherine Dock… The place where I used to go after school (and sometimes skive from it) to watch yachts docking and undocking. Ahh... I so miss my Vietnamese friend Khanh, my partner in crime back then.

I miss watching these musicals and plays. I can never get enough of them

Okay. Here’s what I would do if I were to go back to London again.

• Get lost in West End.
• Walk from Oxford Street to Regent Street to Carnaby Street to Picadilly Circus to Leicester Square to Covent Garden (ALL IN ONE DAY) and see if it’s really that fun and untiring as it used to for me.
• Go for old books hunting in Tottenham Court Road.
• Revisit British Museum for the 6th time (or is it 7th) and this time really pay attention to the gems and not the ceilings or the visitors.
• Relearn to appreciate the odd rock sitting in the middle of the empty room at Tate Modern Gallery and go for their expensive lunch which I have missed out during the last two visits.
• Drag someone to Portobello Market and Camden Market with me
• Read a book on the grass field of Hyde Park when there’s no rain. Or Regent’s Park. Or Green’s Park. Or any park I don’t really care as long as there’s a lake with ducks and swans.
• Check out that cafe at The Waterloo and see if it still exists.
• Stroll along Southbank and Embankment.
• Watch The Lion King and Chicago musicals.
• And if I still have tons of extra cash to splurge, let’s go crazy at Bond Street.  yours truly at Pizza Express in 07

I almost forgot to mention eat and drink too! But I’m such a lousy foodie coz I can’t remember all my favourite restaurants now. Well, battered cod fish & fatty chips for sure! And Belgo for the mussels of course!

I wish to go back in 2011.