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Ah Monday 7th January, the day people not living it up in London Town are back at work. Although there was some guilt that I was snoozing while Kyles was up and at em and back at work, there’s also a little bit of pleasure in waking up on a Monday being able to do whatever the hell you want while the rest of the world works.

Pleasure until there’s Facebook messages and text messages to FaceTime home… a moment of panic until FaceTiming home looking like a bloated zombie only to find the panic was that I hadn’t posted on Facebook for 48 hours so my parents presumed I’d been kidnapped by gypsies… I get where some of my paranoia comes from (note: do love that my parents care so much, will be eternally grateful).

A day with nothing planned, tempting to be a lazy arse again but felt the pull of so many things to see and not enough time so I made a shortlist of all the touristy things that I wanted to do that I knew Kylie would be doing with all her other visitors. The plan was to start at Westminster Abbey then onto Harrods and Hyde Park.

Best App Kyles recommended to navigate London was City Mapper. Pop in where you want to go and it gives you the bus, tube, walking and taxi options plus the where’s and when’s. So I figured out the how and where, forgot that you also need to know which direction… took a punt on the next bus and luckily was on my way. City Mapper also shows all the stops on the way so came across a stop for the Imperial War Museum… why wouldn’t ya?

Love that museums are free in London, although they do encourage a “donation”. One of the most beautiful buildings I’ve seen so far, absolutely massive.

Each level of the museum is a different war so starting at World War I, I wandered through and realised how much I didn’t know about the war… like that the dude who’s assassination was the catalyst for the war is also an awesome Aussie band Franz Ferdinand… what hit home the most though was just how many people died, millions, on both sides. For god, for King, for country, maybe they didn’t even know why. And for the first time in my life, I hated the effectiveness of marketing, the war machine of campaigning that convinced all these innocent young men to surrender their lives. Overwhelming how much propaganda there was, and scary how effective it must have been.

Besides the tragedy of it, an amazing exhibit. Eye opening and sad.

Still amazes me that after the massive loss of lives in WWI that the Second World War even happened, as said in my fave movie Hunger Games, “we’re fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self destruction”. Couldn’t be more true. Although I love reading about the history of the war and seeing all the machines and artefacts, it’s heart breaking how many lives were lost all in the crazy pursuit of power by an evil man.

Venturing into The Holocaust section of the museum, I knew of the history and the stories of the atrocities committed, what caught my attention particularly was how the nazis treated people with a disability. So often it’s not mentioned in movies and books about how the sterilized and killed people with a disability in the name of cleansing the population. Made me feel sick. Since working in my current job for over two years with people with a disability, I know first hand that they are sweet, loving and beautiful people, heart breaking that being different is cause for someone’s belief that you shouldn’t exist. But I guess that was the whole belief system of the Nazis, if you don’t fit their profile of the Aryan race, you don’t deserve to live. Assholes.

As the prolific quote inscribed on the wall said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” How the world let this happen is beyond words.

After being at the museum longer than planned, I jumped back on the double decker headed for Westminster Abbey. Feel like an excited school kid every time I get on a double decker, must have tourist written all over my face with my goofy smile.

London was not turning it on for me today, gloomy and cold but still gorgeous. Disappointed Big Ben was still surrounded by scaffolds but walking over London Bridge, taking in the sites, just love love love this place.

The Abbey itself is just stunning. Beautiful gothic architecture, stain glass windows, marble and stone statues and more gold than I’ve ever seen in my life. It did occur to me that the Abbey is one big tomb, so many people buried or entombed there, bit eerie if you think about it too much – wandering through a building of dead bodies… hmmmm, must try not overthink things…

While i expected it to be the resting place of plenty of royals, I didn’t know that Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Dickens were also buried there. Lucky dudes, would be my preference to be buried there too, sure I’ll be important enough one day?!?

So after a massive touristy day, I found a typically British pub to chill while waiting on Kyles to finish work. Just love pubs here, they are all gorgeous.

Once Kyles joined me we got stuck into some british pies, Three Bird Roast and Hampshire Game, oh my yum… so damn good will never be able to enjoy another Balfours… I’m not patient enough to take food pics when the food arrives, half eaten by the time I remember…

Before calling it for the day, we headed to what is known as the Walkie Talkie building which has views all over London and quite honestly is so super cool with indoor gardens and floor to ceiling glass. Words can’t describe. Or I’m tired and my words can’t describe!