London: City Roamer

After realizing that we were an hour late for a train to Oxford, we spontaneously decided to roam the streets of London which actually turned out to be very interesting and productive. Our first stop was Oxford Circus which is filled with popular retail chains such as Zara, Topshop, H&M, River Island, Mark & Spencer. It’s funny to realize how oblivious one can become towards something she once felt passionate about depending on its accessibility. I used to be absolutely obsessed with anything Topshop as the only way I could purchase their merchandise was through the internet when I lived in California; however now that I see Topshop literally everywhere, I have absolutely no urge to even go into the store. I did briefly stop by today at the Knightsbridge location to look for legwarmers for my poor freezing ankles but came out not only with empty hands but with disappointment… Oh well, my gray ones shall do for now, I figure. I’m just hoping that it’s a little warmer in Paris when we land tomorrow so that I won’t have to buy another pair. Anyhow, after spending some time there, we walked over to Soho where we discovered a quaint little park surrounded by beautiful Victorian style buildings filled with sleepy pigeons. After a few failed attempts at scaring them off, we headed over to the National Gallery to refresh our eyes, rejuvenate our creative energy, and to find artistic inspiration. One of the most amazing facts about London is that it allows free public access to some of the best museums and galleries in the world. Even if you are not an avid fan of art, I think it’s worth paying a visit to at least one of them if you are in town. I personally was blown away by the beautiful collection exhibited at the gallery by renowned artists such as Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh, though my favorite has to be Guercino’s version of The Incredulity of Saint Thomas which depicts the scene when Jesus asks Thomas to touch the wound from the persecution as an evidence of His resurrection when he refuses to believe in it. Though there were two versions of the painting (both of which were inspired by the original work by Caravaggio), I couldn’t keep my eyes off Guercino’s because of his magical ability to capture so many emotions and character of Jesus. The more I stared at it, the deeper I could associate and learn what it truly means to have a heart of Jesus, that is, to always be loving, forgiving, and faithful. It truly was a highlight of the day.
The day ended with “elegant” tea time at The Georgian at Harrod’s which couldn’t be better… well, only if I had known how strong the tea was before I decided to consume two entire pots of it that is… Justin and I ended up staying up all night because of it… hahaha
Anyhow, it’s 7:30AM London time and we must head out shortly to get some vintage shopping done before we fly out to Paris later today so Au Revoir!

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