Sat 3 April - Putney Boat Race
A group of us watched the Oxford vs Cambridge boat race on the Thames. The race started at Putney bridge and we got a great spot to watch it. I remember seeing them race in Hamilton so it's something I've always wanted to come down and see, I mean we live in Putney! But each previous year I've been away when the race was on. It was all over pretty quick but we got to watch the end on the big screen. It was a fun day out.Sun 4 April - Stratford Upon Avon
Well not in London but it was a great day trip from London and our first road trip in the car. Our flatties Joe and Claire came with us. It's about 2 hours out to Stratford but it's mostly motorways so bit of a boring drive. We had a yummy lunch at a riverside pub and tried to enjoy the small amount of sunshine but it was still pretty cold, not summer yet! 
We had a walk around the lock and all the canal boats selling various things. We checked out a market on the high street and saw Shakespeare's birthplace. We also had an afternoon walk along the river to the church where he's buried. It's a really cute town.Sat 10 April - Portobello Markets
Went to the Portobello markets with a couple of the girls. Famous around the world and Nottinghill is pretty famous too. Gorgeous area with cute little houses in pastel multi-colours. So different to standard London housing. The market was packed, it's all down one street so can be hard to manoeuvre around all the people. Some really interesting things from bird cages to telescopes. Not your usual kind of market. We also stopped off at Hummingbird bakery for a Red Velvet cupcake, heaven!
Sun 11 April - Westminster Abbey
Jodi and I went to a Sunday service at Westmister Abbey. It was a Sung Eucharist service which was similar to a communion service except the choir is there and they sing the responses. The Abbey is beautiful and it was amazing to see it on a Sunday as they close it from tourists so it was a wonderful experience to see it the way it's meant to be seen.
Sat 17 April - Camden Markets
We actually ended up at camden markets two weekends in a row we loved them so much. Very different to any other kind of markets, they're huge for one, with so many different types of stalls. Plus because they're so big you can find little pockets of areas where there are not that many people, making it a bit more manageable than other markets in London.
On the first weekend we met Roz & Josh in Regents Park and after chilling in the sun walked around the back of London Zoo. The zoo looks like a childrens zoo, not very big so don't think we'll be going there. We took the canal path to Camden, a beautiful way to see a different side to London. We also spent awhile watching the Camden lock and all the boats coming and going, great to see it in action.On the second weekend we went to the markets with our flatmates and also went for a walk up Primrose Hill for the views over London. We also bought a bean bag sofa (without the beans in it) to take back to NZ. It's awesome!
I organised a group of us to see a play at Shakespeare's Globe. I have always wanted to go there and see an actual play rather than just do a tour and luckily the season started up again just in time. Roz, Josh, Arn, Cherise and I met up at the theatre before hand and then found our seats on the second floor at the back. The theatre is amazing because it is in the traditional round style so you have 3 stories with 3 rows of wooden pews and then down the bottom in front of the stage is standing area only. It all looked quite cool and we were lucky to get the back row as we had back rests, it isn't the most comfortable of theatres for a 3 hour play.
The play was amazing, I've never seen Macbeth but I was really impressed with what they did. The play itself was pretty gruesome. There was a lot of blood and murder and suicide and they weren't gentle about it, there was blood everywhere! Guys on stage with massive gash wounds and blood all over them, it was quite disturbing.
But they incorporated the audience really well. The front of the standing audience had this black sheet with holes which you poke your head through, I'm not entirely sure why but it was quite effective, all these disembodied heads and then within them they had areas where the witches and sometimes bloodied bodies would come out of too. Plus they used the audience a lot in the play, which made it a lot of fun. I have to admit and say I didn't understand a lot of the actual words (but then who does?!) but I followed the plot and had a great night. Would definitely recommend to everyone!
Wed 5 May - Macbeth @ Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
I organised a group of us to see a play at Shakespeare's Globe. I have always wanted to go there and see an actual play rather than just do a tour and luckily the season started up again just in time. Roz, Josh, Arn, Cherise and I met up at the theatre before hand and then found our seats on the second floor at the back. The theatre is amazing because it is in the traditional round style so you have 3 stories with 3 rows of wooden pews and then down the bottom in front of the stage is standing area only. It all looked quite cool and we were lucky to get the back row as we had back rests, it isn't the most comfortable of theatres for a 3 hour play.
The play was amazing, I've never seen Macbeth but I was really impressed with what they did. The play itself was pretty gruesome. There was a lot of blood and murder and suicide and they weren't gentle about it, there was blood everywhere! Guys on stage with massive gash wounds and blood all over them, it was quite disturbing.
But they incorporated the audience really well. The front of the standing audience had this black sheet with holes which you poke your head through, I'm not entirely sure why but it was quite effective, all these disembodied heads and then within them they had areas where the witches and sometimes bloodied bodies would come out of too. Plus they used the audience a lot in the play, which made it a lot of fun. I have to admit and say I didn't understand a lot of the actual words (but then who does?!) but I followed the plot and had a great night. Would definitely recommend to everyone!Sun 9 May - Hampton Court Palace
Nick and I took the train out for a day trip to Hampton Court Palace where King Henry VIII used to live. We were greeted by actors in period costume pretending it was King Henry VIII's wedding day. There were events all day, it was really well done and a bit of fun. We even got to dress up too with these material overcoats things.
We did a tour through the palace apartments (boring) and the kitchens (interesting) and the gardens (spectacular and beautiful). We also explored the hedge maze out in the gardens, a lot of fun. My favourite was all the tulips in the most beautiful colours. They were everywhere.
They had a wine fountain in the courtyard which was just like a normal fountain except that in the afternoon the water is replaced with wine. Apparently it was around in the time of King Henry too. An awesome idea, I want one! 
Our feet were very sore by the end of the day so we rested them at the pub with a drink and roast dinner. Yum!
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