East/South

 Shoreditch

 Street art

 Borough Market

 Lunch

 Golden Hinde

 Southwark Cathedral

 Metal detector-ing at South Bank

 Tate Modern

Looks like a pile of sunflower seeds...

 ...but actually each one is hand-crafted porcelain

We've all been busy being lazy, and I haven't made the time to post in awhile, so here's some catch-up... before  Christmas, Dad and I went to Brick Lane in East London for the day while Franny was still in school and Mom at work. We were searching for a peacoat for Dad, and Brick Lane - in the Shoreditch area- because the neighborhood is known for "pubs, vintage stores, and Bangladeshi curry." Minus the pubs, we fully explored Brick Lane. We went in loads of different vintage shops, marveling at the racks and racks of '50s prom dresses, ugly Christmas jumpers, and beat up leather satchels. Some of the stores even specialized in American vintage, like Beyond Retro, but unfortunately they didn't have a coat for Dad. There are lots of little shops on Brick Lane and around it, but one of the bigger ones is Blitz, a 'vintage department store,' that we happened upon. Finally, we found the new coat: not a peacoat, actually, but a really nice camel hair Pendleton overcoat with awesome brown buttons- and very vintage, of course. Lucky we did find the coat because the predicted rain had just started. Stopping in a Bangladeshi restaurant on the way to the tube was the best way to end the Brick Lane adventure.

Fast-forward a couple weeks to yesterday: Franny, Dad, and I headed to South Bank for the afternoon. First stop was Borough Market for lunch, which was a great foodie spot. Franny chose a chicken wrap, and Dad and I each had some seriously good beef and veg stew (that miraculously didn't spill). Also saw the Golden Hinde, a replica of Sir Francis Drake's famous ship; Southwark Cathedral; then wandered into the Tate Modern for a bit. I love how most of London's museums are free, so you don't feel bad at all if you don't spend very long in them- you can come back again, no charge.

It has a been a fantastic Christmas break, and none of us are really looking forward to getting back in the routine (I would really rather not think about the huge science test I have in a few weeks). But we still have a few days of the holiday left, and are already making plans for the February half-term!