Where in the World is Jenny?: Weekend Bits and Bobs

I've been hearing the phrase "bits and bobs" a lot lately. It's like the British way of saying "odds and ends."

After everything I did this past weekend, it's not too surprising that I spent yesterday evening in bed feeling rather under the weather. Lots of tea with honey and Vitamin C helped alleviate that problem pretty quickly though!

There are some things every visitor must do when in London: see the Changing of the Guards, visit Trafalgar Square, check out Big Ben...and attempt to recreate the Beatles album cover, Abbey Road. On Friday afternoon, I did just that. And believe me, taking that picture is MUCH harder than you would think.

Recording studio

Three friends and I took the Tube to this famed location. We thought it would be a deserted, obscure area with only a few corny tourists milling around. Wrong. The Abbey Road crosswalk is located right by a busy three-way intersection with no stop lights. There are other people (and of course tourists) walking across as impatient vehicles constantly speed over the crosswalk. A friendly visitor offered to snap our touristy picture, and it took several tries to get a semi-decent shot. How did we do?

After checking that off my London Bucket List, Linds and I visited Sir John Soane's Museum near Covent Garden. The museum had been highly recommended to me as fun for everyone, not just for art lovers. Born in 1753, Soane was an architect and collector of wacky art. The museum is his preserved home filled with his belongings.

You're not allowed to take any photos inside (although since when has that deterred me?), but it really was a fascinating house. There were paintings by well-known artists like Hogarth, pieces of ancient Roman buildings, Chinese printed scrolls, astronomical clocks, bronze statuettes, Indian ivory furniture, hundreds of books...even an Egyptian sarcophagus in the basement! And my mom thinks my room is cluttered.

Illegal pic in John Soane's museum

On Friday night, Linds, our friend Sarah, and I decided to have a triple date. We found a nice restaurant called Piccolino on Heddon Street and had a delicious Italian dinner (I'm qualified to say that since I've actually eaten in Italy now ;))

I was supposed to go to the Wallace Collection--another museum--with some friends on Saturday. However, I woke up early and decided to go visit Portobello Market. I ended up cancelling on my friends since I wound up staying at Portobello for a long time. I just love markets (in spite of the huge crowds)!

I successfully found some gifts to bring back home, but I also spent some money on nosh of course. I started off with a nutella crepe, then a few hours later was seduced by a red velvet cupcake from Hummingbird Bakery, and finally I could not leave Portobello with once again buying the BEST apple streudel I've ever tasted from a homemade bakery stand. Yes, I went a little sugar crazy. Good thing Portobello Market is only open on Saturdays!

Exhausted, I met up with Linds and Sarah for an afternoon relaxation session in Hyde Park. The weather was so nice. They did readings for class while I did some sketching.

I ended my Saturday exploring the nightlife in Camden with a few friends. I had been to the Camden market during the daytime, but the night scene was a whole different story. Lots of fun, but I definitely slept deeply after a long night out.

Sunday was yet another gorgeous weather day. My friends and I revisited Brick Lane Market in East London, but also walked through nearby Spitalfields Markets and Petticoat Lane Market. I didn't buy anything (except my obligatory cream cheese bagel from Beigel Bake), just took in the sights and sounds.