Wednesday 18th May 2022
Night one in the hostel saw us begin with 2 occupants and end the morning with 6. One of them slept in the bunk above me. The beds were surprisingly comfortable and relatively quiet although the sirens outside were busy all night. I woke up on South African time and decided to head out early while the room mates remained sleeping.
I ended up packing my bags at the same time as the original roommate and we discovered that we had very similar interests. Using her phone (mine is still sim-free) we attempted to find the 'free' walking tour from Piccadilly Circus. However all we found were the £18 per person tours, which were rather busy and loud so we set off on our own.
It's fascinating seeing the businesses ready themselves for the day ahead and we strolled through China Town looking all lamped up. I was surprised by how quiet it seemed as it was already after 10am, but it did busy up around lunch. After passing a quiet Camden market we headed for the Law area.
We saw the temple mentioned in the Dan Brown books but was too pricey to go in, but we had seen some lovely churches so headed onwards to the courts.
Unfortunately no photos were allowed inside the Royal Courts of Justice but as members of the public, we could sit in on any case being heard. We walked around all the courts and decided to sit in on an interesting hearing of a family vs the Coroner. It was fascinating seeing the lawyers and judges in their robes and wigs. I felt like I was watching an episode of a law show on TV except I was hanging literally, on the edge of the bench chair, petrified of making a sound. My new friend, Jean, is a Paramedic so she was fascinated with the different facts of the case dealing with mental health and returned to the hearing after the lunch break. I went back to the hostel to pick up my backpack and check in to my lovely hotel.
My South African friend, Hayley, who I was going to stay with these three nights came down with Covid. She had a hotel voucher that needed using and I am extremely grateful to be able to oblige. I'm in a different area of London and it's fascinating to see all the different cultures and houses. I also have wifi in my room so I am feeling less rushed to get all my social media sorted while sitting in the lobby. Tomorrow I can take it easy and not rush to pack any backpacks and figure out routes to hotels. Right now I can watch British telly and drink tea, haha.
Bình luận