To Platform 9 3/4 And Beyond

Pretty great ending to this crazy London saga <3

Greenwich - great fun to visit! This beautiful sunny day brought a lot of people outside to enjoy the park and the hillside. 

Greenwich Park -- This photo isn't very clear, but that fluffball happens to be a very grumpy cat that was on a leash and trying hard to sneak away down the hill.

Spotted on the Tube -- I was amused that this only rhymes in a British accent.

To fans of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series: I visited Oxford today and just *had* to make sure I found the bench that Will and Lyra sit at from the end of the third book. To my delight, I found a faint "Lyra + Will" carving on the bench and this beautiful little note on a scrap of paper: "Written, as no one came and I was too nervous to strike up a literary conversation with strangers. To whomever finds this: Today I traveled four hours by train to sit on this bench for 1 hour, 12-1 PM, midsummer day. You may wonder why. Well, I fulfilled at 14-year-old wish. Did you ever read "His Dark Materials"? It was the only book(s) to make me cry. Actual tears. This is the bench where at this moment I am as close to those characters as one can be. So Happy Anniversary I say to Will and Lyra. -- A Citizen of the Republic of Heaven." I only read the books for the first time about seven months ago, but I fell in love with the series. I just found this note so incredibly sweet, and it's a lovely reminder of how much the books of one's childhood can affect your life.

Oxford is insanely beautiful. We spent such a gorgeous sunny day wandering among its medieval-looking streets and narrow little alleys. For lunch, we stopped at the famed Eagle and Child pub, in which J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis used to hold meetings for the Inklings. 

Asya and I made a little duck friend in the Oxford botanical gardens. He wandered right up to us and practically begged for a bit of her sandwich! 

I stopped by this beautiful Edwardian bookstore in Marylebone to pick up JK Rowling's new book, The Silkworm. I even got a free tote bag! 

Portobello Market - Lovely colorful neighborhood and tons of fun to look around! I bought a few gifts for my family and spent quite a while browsing through the stalls. One of my favorite stops was the antique book cart, filled with shelves of beautiful old editions. 

One of the highlights of my day today - I spotted this adorable little red fox wandering around Highgate Cemetery. 

Highgate Cemetery - The West Side

Collection of photos from today. I wanted to get the obligatory "postcard" shot of the Houses of Parliament from across the Thames. After that, I made a quick stop at St. James Park and got slightly sidetracked by a hilarious family of pelicans (which are massive!). Later on in the day, I took a walking tour near Tower Bridge and ended up near Aldgate. 

Old Boots Chemists signage in Camden. I love spotting these kinds of remnants around the city.

Primrose Hill, snacks, and a sunny afternoon.

Cheeky Edinburgh signs

Our major achievement on our fourth and final day in Edinburgh was hiking up Arthur's Seat! This was by far one of my favorite things I've done on this entire trip -- the weather (luckily) decided to cooperate and gave us a beautiful sunny warm day.