Lost baggage, Brixton, Bike clubs and Bricklane

Dan and I caught the tube straight to Brixton, arriving at Bridies house just after midnight she welcomed us again! The next two days unfortunately were spent indoors, very unadventurous but we had to be at the house when our luggage arrive. And either way i love spending time with Bridie who goes out of her way for me every time i see her! The first day clocked away with no sign of it being returned so we escaped the house that eve to go for dinner with Bridie and her two housemates to a beautiful Algerian restaurant near by, followed by cheap cocktails around the corner. London really never loses it charm, between one suburb to the next you feel like your in a completely different country and it all has so much to offer. One minute you can find yourself shopping on a high street, the next you are walking down a graffitied alley to find a fabric market, around the corner you then find a small English pub and around the next theres a club playing rap and lined with people.

Finally on the 2nd day in the afternoon we received our two backpacks which were delivered to Bridies, with them we headed on the tube east to stay for the next few days with my old house mates; Erica, Carly and Nat. The girls had set themselves up in a gorgeous little apartment just off bricklane, 3 bedroom, big windows and very sunny! It was adorable, and amazing to see the girls again! That eve Nat cooked us a delicious fish mackerel stir fry and we spent the evening catching up.

In the morning Dan and I headed down Cheshire street, which was just around the corner form the house to enquiry about a small tattoo on our foot. The minimum being £50 we decided to go with it. It's a tattoo that we had decided on getting at the start of our trip together in turkey when we met the cyclist boys. They have a small bike tattooed on their foot which looked cute so I asked them was it just because they were riding? Tom explained that they wanted it to have more meaning and something that everybody could be apart of and share the same beliefs, that's when they came up with the Bike Foot Club;

B-believing in a cause
I-involving yourself
k-kindness of strangers
E-environmental consciousness

F-freedom, fun and more fun
O-oh no what have I done?
O-oh I have joined the best club in the world..one petal at a time
T-Taking yourself where you want to go

C-charity, clarity and caring more...
L-living out your dreams and love of life
U-universal connectivity through music, art and dancing
B- be brave, bold and yourself...Be more.

(I have slightly altered the above...adding a few words here and there)

So with this in mind, the boys persisted we become apart of this club (open to EVERYONE AND EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN THE ABOVE), which we both do, and from there we had been planning on tattooing this involvement since. Through a recommendation from a friend we went to Kids love ink, and booked our appointments. One hour later and we both walked out as permanent members of the Bike Foot Club.

Wanting to show Dan the best of my old world we organized to meet Chloe (craines) at my favorite coffee shop in London; Verdes. It's a quaint authentic cafe just over the road from Spitalfields and owned by a lovely Canadian man that used to sever me every other day on route to liverpool street station. Serving delicious homemade sweets, treats, sandwiches, quiches and strong coffee, lit up by a small fake fire by the wooden tables...what's not to love!? And sharing with with two of my favorites on a sunny London day, smiling and swapping stories of travels it was lovely to see chloe again!

That eve all of us girls headed into the bustling busy streets to check out London fashion night out. With complementary wine, beer, cupcakes and snacks served in most shops trying to beckon people in with their one night sales...I seem to be too distracted by the tasty goods to actually shop!

The girls then called it a night so I decided to take Dan to my favorite pub in London; The Commercial tavern. Its authentically traditional pub exterior jutting out into Commercial Street like a ship's prow, the Commercial Tavern is a wantonly wacky revamp outpost of the Hoxton boho bar beat. The beautiful antique pub is decorated with eclectic wall hangings and splendid chandeliers. The friendly bar staff sang sound of music songs and danced whilst we enjoyed a heavy pint in the dim lighting before wandering home just before midnight.

My last day in London was spent doing what I love most...wandering the streets of the east, diving into vintage shops and sweeping in and out of spitalfields markets. With a quick journey south to meet Bridie (who I will dearly miss) for coffee my day seemed to have drifted away before it had even begun. The night was well under way by the time the girls got home from work and we headed out just after 11pm. Following routine (still stuck in the past?) we headed to a pub I used to frequent called catch...we then strolled down the high street popping in and out of bars making friends along the way before heading home in the early hours. With about 2 hours sleep I woke to Nat telling me the cab was out the front, with one quick whirlwind I collected my backpack, suitcase and large handbag and stumbled down the steps into the cab and on the road to the tube. I dislike goodbyes at their best so this was an easy escape from four people I will miss in my daily life! The tube was as sleepy as myself as it made tracks towards Heathrow. Making my 10:15 am British airways flight, paying for my additional bag. I sat uncomfortably feeling sorry for my self inflicted pain...but extremely excited to visit America for the very first time!

Fanny xx