Ok, well I suppose I’d better go back to New Zealand now. See yiz.

It’s nice to have people to hang out with in foreign cities. Earlier I met up with Fenny again. I first met him on Monday and – like those interweb stranger danger guides recommend – we met in a well lit public place. But then we went to a cool Japanese restaurant and had noodles and beer. But tonight we walked around the nearby streets, and did a walk-by on Buckingham Palace. Fenny is very cool and he did not sexx0r me, despite rumours to the contrary. Photographic evidence is forthcoming.

Then I (eventually) met up with Ani, the well-travelled divorcee and Nick her special interweb manfriend. It just happens that we were both in London at the same time so we managed to meet up and had a drink at a gay bar.

Tomorrow I will have the pleasure of spending 24 hours on an aeroplane (yeah, yeah, yeah, it sucks, etc). But I’ll deal with it. I have my Walkman and my Girls Aloud CD.

I went to the British Museum and saw Mr Wellcome’s collection of miscellaneous assorted old crap. It was interesting. There was an ancient Roman statue that was a horses back legs and tail, but with a penis at the front. Then I saw the Rosetta stone, a couple of mummies, then I realised that I was actually quite bored. Oh no, museum fatigue!

Then I got a bit lost and ended up in Islington, but managed to find my way to St Paul’s Cathedral. I walked up the 500+ steps to the top and enjoyed the panoramic views of London, etc, etc.

While I was having lunch in the cathedral’s cafe, a German boy, probably about 13 years old, said to me “Can you help me. I am very horny.” All the cool things I could have said (“OMG, me too!!!!!”) soon disappeared and I ended up saying “Oh… I don’t really know what to say.” Urgh, how English. Then his mother came and sat down next to me and I kept looking at him and get was getting all nervous and twitchy. Ah ha ha!

I need a few more days in warm ‘n’ sunny London, but I have to go back to cold and miserable New Zealand tomorrow. Twenty four hour flight, grrr, etc.

I visited the Tower of London. It was just like a Paddington Bear story I remember reading when I was a wee girl. A Beefeater gave a guided tour and made lots of sexist, but funny jokes.

I saw the crown jewels (ooh!). There’s a conveyer belt that runs along the cases so it keeps the line moving. It’s like Disneyland, except with millions of dollars worth of jewels. It would have been cool if there had been animated heads of former (and present) monarchs wearing their jewels and saying a bit about it. “Hellay. We are the Queen Mother. We like drinking gin. Burp. Ooh!” Yeah, that’d rule. I can’t understand why they don’t do that…

Then I went to the Tower Bridge. It’s an interesting building in that on the inside it’s all steel and hydraulics, finest Victorian technology, but the two towers were clad in gothic styled stone to give it a royale look, fitting in with the near by Tower of London.

Walking back I passed through Leicester Square and saw a growing crowd gathering behind barriers outside a movie theatre. The “Charlie’s Angels” premiere is tonight. I would hang around, but I’m going to see a play (“Hitchcock Blonde”) instead. Besides, it would hardly top the time when my mother was living in London and she saw the stars arriving for the “Goldfinger” premiere. Shirley Bassey had painted one finger gold, and she was waving it at the crowd. Now that’s claaaas.

Three things that suck about my hotel:

1. Having a housekeeper person knocking on my door at 8.30 am asking me if I want my room made up. Well I do, but I’d rather have it done when I’ve gone out for the day, not while I’m in the middle of getting up.

2. No hand soap. I’ve asked and they won’t give me any. That’s bullshit, man. So I went to the toilet across the hall and filled up my Burger King drink cup with liquid soap.

3. Someone stole my euro cents! I put a handful of euro cents on the ledge above the sink and sometime in the last two days someone has taken those euros. Like, it would have only been about 20 cents worth, but still, someone stole them!

But apart from that, it’s an ok hotel.

Ok, now I will visit teh Tower.