Wednesday

All Roads Lead to Leeds.. (Or Somewhere Nearby)

Destiny has brought me up north for a couple of days.

When I say destiny, I mean that my parents told me we were going and I didn't really get a say in the matter. Not that my vote would have been against going, I love visiting my big sis in her lovely, homely, 15th-floor-piece-of-paradise, semi-bachelorette pad in Leeds. I say semi because yes, she has been with her boyfriend for eight years, but no, they are not married so she still fits under the 'bachelorette' code. 

That, and obviously 'bachelorette' is just a cool word that people don't really get to use that often so naturally I am utilizing it.

Anywho, I am obsessed with London. OBSESSED. So obsessed that I'm constantly inviting people I've only known for three minutes to come stay with me so that we can rejoice in London's natural beauty together and do little dances on the streets like the ones from Mary Poppins. Yes, I mean do these dances in public in front of real people. No, not one person has agreed to do this with me yet. 

However, despite my unconditional love for London, it is nice to get a little break from the big smoke sometimes.

Also, my parents told me that they were buying first-class train tickets for us. Nothing gets me packing a suitcase, blowing air-kisses and bidding adieu to London quicker than the words 'first-class.'

So at 12pm this afternoon, I was all dolled up to experience my first, first-class train journey. I was expecting something as magical as Hogwarts Express. By that I mean I was expecting to see the witch pushing a tea trolley and handing out treats like Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. I was also expecting cloaks, wands, and Harry Potter himself. 

While there was a lady pushing a tea-trolley, I can't confirm if she was in fact a witch, but unfortunately she didn't have the above treats to hand so we had to settle for sandwiches, crisps, fruit, wine, tea, coffee, and cake instead. It was not too shabby, I must say.

I can't really say that East Coast Trains lived up to my over-fuelled J.K Rowling style imagination, but still, it was pretty special for a first time affair.


The excitement proved to be too much for some of us..

How out of place in England does this little part look?!


The journey was meant to take 2 hours and 15 minutes but unfortunately we got delayed early into the ride and ended up being 88 minutes behind schedule. Luckily, first class was comfortable and entertaining enough for us not to get bored and start complaining. Plus they kept topping up me and my mum's wine glasses up so this may have had something to do with why we were in the best of moods..

We got to Payal's lovely circular shaped building, aptly named 'candle house', early enough to take some epic pictures from her gigantic balcony. Here is what Leeds has to offer:

  
I spent my last year of college in Leeds and for most of that year I ate in fab restaurants, drank in fun bars, made friends with many strangers, shopped in fabulous stores, and studied only sometimes..

During the next few days, I hope to re-live my youth and re-do all of the above, (except the studying sometimes part because I was never any good at that!)

More stories on my adventures up north later folks! xoxo

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