European Exercise XIV: Back To Square One

King's Cross, swiped from williamnyk on Flickr.

Took the EuroStar from Paris Gare du Nord back to London. Once again, the confusing signage nearly got the better of us. The departure was actually upstairs and we had to check-in ala air travel. Seeing that we were running late, the staff let us through the gates without filling out our immigration cards. Security was also a bitch to clear. Had another round of grilling from the British immigration. Once in train, we heaved a sigh of relief and went to get some drinks. Ordered a cafe au lait and ate some biscuits. The barista was cute! A whole bunch of midgety HK students were milling around the area too. Back at our seats, we had fun seeing a Malaysian couple discussing their holiday plans.

Boy: I wanna go the staidum. The stadium. The stadium.

Girl: Don't forget shopping. Shopping. and more shopping.

Boy: OK. Stadium then shopping.

Girl: How about shopping then stadium?



Gotta love 'em. Arrived at King's Cross St. Pancras in no time. The Tube to Swiss Cottage was surprisingly devoid of passengers. Then we saw the sign that the Westminster station was closed due to overcrowding at the royal wedding.... Ooooo... Lugged our bags up to the apartment. Matt and Jess were there watching the wedding on TV. They quickly freshened up and ushered us out to Camden Town for lunch. It's really a weird part of town. I only can describe it as the Petaling Street or Chatuchak of London. Chock-full of weird characters in a carnival-like atmosphere. Plenty of food around. And very touristy. Exactly like Petaling Street lo. The markets offer stuff from books, old records, alternative clothes (think Goth, Lollita, cyber punk), trinkets, junk, souveniers, paintings and etc. Food is also quite international with Chinese (enthusiastic staff offer a piece of hot bean sauce chicken to any passerby), Mexican, Moroccan, Indian and local cuisine. Spoilt for choice. Ended up sharing a big portion of lamb tagine with cous cous and a chicken taco. Post-lunch we had some donuts and banana fritters. The donuts were soooo light and fluffy. Kinda regret not tasting the liquid nitrogen ice cream there. Did some shopping at the Aldo outlet. F*cking cheap but all the shoes I liked did not come in my size! Also stopped by at H&M.









Was really the last day to shop, so we also raided Marks and Spencers for some food stuff before heading out to Piccadilly Circus to get some football jerseys for a colleague and my nephew. And what's a visit to London without going to Harrod's? The shopping there was so atas. Eveything under the sun. All sorts of premium groceries and up-market brands. Hermes. Mullberry. Prada. Versace. Also had a glimpse of the shrine dedicated to the shade of Lady Di and Dodi Al Fayed. Did more shopping at a mall at Westfield London Shopping Centre at Shepherds Bush (sounds so wrong, kan?). Bought presents for mum and sis and House of Fraser. Munched on an aglioni from an Italian stall outside. A vile-tasting oily croquette filled with cheese. Spent way too much time there cause Matt and Jess were hounded by a very persuasive salesgirl peddling deep sea salt. Rushed off to dinner in a blackhat cab. So British! But the ride was very expensive.





Thank God we managed to catch the last order at Addie's Thai Restaurant. Matt and Jess ordered their favourites which included Pad Thai, Thai Green Curry, Spicy Fish, stir-fried beef, sticky rice with yam and screwpine pancake. Quality of food was quite good but the chairs were a little uncomfortable. To close the night, we went to Soho and Old Compton Road to see the revelry from the royal wedding. Although it was raining, people seemed too drunk to care. Most of the gay clubs were full to the brim, with many overflowing to the road. So we just looked in to see the gogo boys' gyrations. Someone actually asked us if we wanted to buy weed, but only Jess caught it. We just obliviously walked off. Haha. Did some browsing at a sex shop and saw a funny coffee table book on dicks and boobs that came with 3D glasses. LOL. Didn't stay out too late, had to go home to pack! On the way back, had a 'fantastic' view of a drunken couple feeling each other up on the Tube. Stuffed everything into our luggage by 2AM, showered and slept!