If there’s one thing Londoners know, it’s fashion. After seeing some of the truly awful outfits in some of my favourite British movies – think Bridget Jones and Love Actually – I thought the British had no style. However, all the Londoners I pass on the streets every day certainly do. Men go to work in crisp, clean suits and women in business skirts and high heels. I was starting to feel a bit embarrassed of my salt-stained Newfoundland boots, so naturally I went shopping!

I spent last Saturday afternoon taking advantage of the Christmas sales still going on in London. I went to Oxford Street, which is the shopping center of London. It’s not high fashion with designer prices, but it has a huge selection of reasonably priced stores and shops. I have to say, shopping in London is just better. While I didn’t buy a new pair of boots, I am now the proud owner of 1 (okay 2) new pairs of heels for work! The next time I go shopping I am going to check out some local markets, so stay tuned for that!

On Sunday I continued my walk along the Thames. Last week I walked half of the river, from Parliament to the Millennium Bridge; this week I continued along the South Bank and saw Shakespeare’s Globe, City Hall, and Tower Bridge. It was a beautiful, sunny day and I managed to get some nice shots of Tower Bridge, which you can see on my facebook page. I finished the afternoon by going up Tower Bridge; there’s an exhibition in the tower about other famous bridges in the world. The civil engineer in me quite enjoyed it! I also never realized you could walk along the top part of Tower Bridge, so I got some nice shots of London up there as well.

My weeks are usually much less eventful then the weekends, but today on my lunch break I went to check out the Monument. The Monument is a huge pillar in the center of the city, which stands as a reminder of the great fire of 1666. I mentioned the fire in my first blog post; it originally started in a bakery where the monument now stands and unfortunately burned much of London to the ground at the time. The only way up to the top of the Monument is to walk the 311 stairs that circle around the inside of the column. However, once you make it to the top, the view is totally worth it! It gives you a beautiful 360-degree view of the city.

I now have a local cell phone if anyone wants to get a hold of me. Skype is cheaper (it’s free!) but if you prefer to call, let me know and I’ll send you my number. Hope to hear from you!

Love Maria