London: A Quick Update Part 1

So I've been in London for a week and three days, which means I only have exactly 4 weeks left! Gah! Time flies when you're having fun and all that!

It's been a fun week and a half, my schedule has been filled with meet ups with family and friends in various locations around England. 

After Jim's I went to stay with my uncle in Forest Gate for the Easter weekend. I'm the luckiest girl on earth - or maybe just in my family - I'm the only one to have met all of my cousins on my dad's side, and this is the third time I will have had to hang out with the Booths. 

Some photos from that weekend: 

There was a funfair across the road

Sunday lunch at my cousin's house: Before

After. So yummy! 

After the weekend, it was time to move on to Ruthie's. But then there was an impromptu meeting at Regent's Park with a few friends, so I met Ruthie at Regent's Park tube station and off we went to sit in one of London't most beautiful parks on one of London's most sunny days with .

Regent's Park was happily busy as it was a bank holiday weekend

The next day I had another day in the park, St. James' Park this time, to meet friends I made on the most recent expedition. It was another sunny day in England and I was beginning to wonder why people complained about the weather so much! But I've been told that the warm and sunny weather is unusual, especially in April, so again, I'm very lucky, this time with the weather.

On the Wednesday Sandra came over and we had a sleepover. Ruthie is such an amazing cook, so I've been lucky with food as well. She's been working from home so that means she's been cooking our lunches, and on Sandra's sleepover she made tuna steaks with asparagus and avocado salsa. We had good food, good wine and good laughs, talking about clothes, shoes and boys - so indulgently girly!

On Thursday I met up with more friends, this time at a music festival called Land of Kings. Not the typical music festival setting in a field, but in a little town called Dalston instead. It was a particularly Turkish part of London, so I had my first Turkish meal - I had lamb beyti, it was shaped like an extra long sausage and was tasty and spicy, served with rice and cous cous. Sedaaap!

Lamb beyti 

We saw two bands perform - Bleeding Heart Narrative and Django Django - and both bands were very entertaining and enjoyable. Our table was right in front of the stage, that if I leaned forward, I would be able to touch the singer. For some reason their performances made me feel nostalgic and all student-y again!

For the rest of the night we basically bar hopped around participating bars. Most of them featured DJs rather than live bands and we enjoyed ourselves. Unfortunately our night was shorter than planned - the final stop, the Havana Club was closed at 1am. So we made way for home. And the early night  turned out to be a good thing as the N35 did not appear and after all the waiting our alternative route home brought us back at 3am!

A printing station at the Havana Club - they printed and gave out souvenir cloth bags. 

The Havana Club - DJ on the console

Ok, taking a break now to make myself a mug of coffee, but I'll be back in a bit for part 2.