Walking' round London-town

Hands down, one of my FAVORITE things to do on tour is walk around a beautiful city by myself. It is such a great way to absorb it; people watching, popping in and out of interesting shops, discovering great restaurants - I love it. My first day off in London, I proudly marched into the Kensington-High street tube station doing my best to hide the city map I'd been given by the concierge. I rode the train to St. Paul's Cathedral (the site of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding), and walked across an extremely shaky (due to strong wind) Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern. I heart Tate Modern. If there was a t-shirt, I'd buy it and rock it proudly. Open now, is a special interactive exhibit by Miroslaw Balka entitled "How It Is." Sitting on the ground floor of the museum is a giant cast iron shipping crate that is probably 25' x 20' x 50', and it is only open on one end. The walls are covered in pitch black fur, so once inside, all light is absorbed and it seems as though you've walked into a black hole. It is meant to conjure feelings associated with the unknown, and allow the experiencer to observe and examine his/her own method of confronting or accepting that. Do you march in confidently? Do you inch forward slowly with your hand on the wall for guidance? I ran straight into the back wall. That's muh shee-it :) It's there until April, I believe so go check it out if you can! Also at the museum all the time is an entire floor devoted to surrealism. Dali, Miro, Masson, Tanguy, Arp, even a few by Picasso.

The following day, Saturday, Kim, Dara (our Def Jam Label rep) and I met up with Damian and Avigail (the stylists) at the huge TOPSHOP at Oxford Circus. --"heaven...I'm in heaven..."-- We pretty much made a killing. Afterwards, I walked over to Portabello Rd and explored the Portabello Market. No Matty, it does not rain Balsamic Vinegar. It does however sport rows upon rows of quirky antiques, wares, clothing, jewelry, fresh fruit, crepes, churros - you name it. I found some amazing jewelry pieces for dirt cheap, and had myself a nice little warm crepe before it started to get dark and rainy. Later on in the evening, Damian, and Avigail took me to one of the swankiest restaurants in London, called the Wolseley. I had eggs benedict just because I felt like it. Everything we had was delicious, and I will definitely go there again.

Which brings me to Sunday.

I fed Swans in Kensington Royal Gardens, and ate the best Lebanese food I've ever had in my life. Also got an amazing pair of denim heels. Peace out London!