So the guys worked most of the days after I had arrived so I spent my time researching my trip, lying around and going to the gym. I also did manage to squeeze in a bit of site seeing. Then on the weekend, the sun came out and The Keates brothers were keen to explore and site see with me.

So, on my own I had aimed to go to all the sites but I was hung over and tired and it started raining…. Disaster. I worked my way through the city by tube to Buckingham Palace.

Now, need I remind you that I don’t do my research until after the fact, so I arrived at the palace literally right on time for the changing of the guards… Which apparently is the thing to do because I think half the population of the world had turned up to see it.

Just a few people turning out to see the spectacle.

Changing of the guard featuring tourist hands.

I managed to squeeze my way through the crowd enough to see some of the guards start the ceremony in the palace grounds, after five minutes, thinking it was over I wandered off to head to my next destination and stumbled upon a tonne more guards entering the grounds, apparently it is a very long process. In fact 45 minutes long and occurs every day in the summer months starting at 11:oo. My advice would be arrive early, take morning tea and get a spot on the statue outside the gates so you can see everything because there is marching going on everywhere.

I then aimlessly wandered in the direction of Trafalgar Square and stumbled upon the Horse Guard Parade ground which I was fascinated by. Like everything in this city, it’s grand and stately and very opposite to the architecture I am used to.

I next went to go find Trafalgar Square decided instead to hightail it to Oxford Street. Keates sent me on a mission to Primark to buy Hannah’s birthday present. I went to the one on Oxford Street which is worth seeing… It’s basically a giant shopping centre but in the form of a Street.

It was a Friday that I went and it was so busy. What I did wrong was I punched in Oxford Street to my google maps instead of Primark so i pretty much got off at the opposite end, and it is a bloody long street… I ended up walking about 2kms, but I enjoyed that regardless.

Primark is ridiculous and avoid it at all costs despite the gravitational pull of the cheap cheap prices. It’s super busy and crowded and smells like cheap glue. On the other hand, if you run out of knickers in London it is probably the place to go if you have no monies… And some good sources have told me that if you can wade through the crowds it actually has some good stuff.