First Day with a Vengance

So, I headed out with a plan today and mostly stuck with it.  I was thinking about going out and getting an English breakfast...but skipped that bit. Had some tea and bread with butter and headed out for the day...toward Buckingham palace...

As you can see a lovely cloudy English day.  It was actually fricking freezing.  So much for my run of good luck with the weather in the UK.  I wore every warm piece of clothing I brought with me.  Still, there was a crowd outside of the gates.

Since I knew you all wanted to see one of the guards...here you go!

And the Victoria Monument.  Even though it's not as elaborate as the one she had constructed for her consort, Albert, I like this one so much better.

After a few moments wasting my time at the palace, I headed down the Mall toward my morning's destination and I saw some mounted police.

Thought that was kinda cool.  I headed down Marlboro where I happened upon a monument to Queen Alexandra.  

and I got this really interesting shot

I turned a corner to find my destination

See that plaque just beneath that street sign down the alley?

Wooohooo the old Texas Embassy!

So, that accomplished, I had to get to the Northern Line of the Tube to get to Camden Market.  so I found myself in Piccadilly Circus.

This place makes me think of Bridget Jones...LOL.  Oh, somewhere in there, I found a TK Maxx (Brit version of TJ Maxx) where I found some Italian linen.  SCORE!

Then, it was my first foray into the Tube and I found myself in Camden Town.

This was seriously even more interesting than it looked.  It's a lot different than I remember.  I couldn't find the giant chair anywhere....

This will never change though

This is where you can get anything to eat that you could possibly ever even think of.

 This is one of the locks and a boat going in

The lock filled up with water...

And they're on their way.

I bought a few things and headed toward Oxford Street, which is incredibly under construction.  I checked out Primark and got a couple of things (really cheap), went to TWO H&Ms and could not find a plus size section in either.  H&M is dead to me.

Found my Lush!  got my "self preserving" stuff and some solid shampoo that smells like cinnamon.  

I was dead.  I headed back and did a bit of laundry, ate a bunch of stuff, booked myself a cab  for tomorrow (since I saw the steps at St. James Tube station and noooo fraking way) and am mostly packed.  Time for bed.