Christmas in London

 I'm not gonna lie: this past Christmas was probably the worst of my life.  Why?  I spent the holidays all by myself.  Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day; each of these calendar-marked days passed in complete solitude.  Being the pessimistic whiner that I am, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.  'Woe is me!' and all that.

After wallowing a bit and crying to the old still-looks-like-she's-twenty Mumsy (mumsies are good for stuff like that), I decided to do something about it.

'Right!' said I. 'It's time for a holiday.  Mini break for Diana!'  And I sent myself to London for the few days sandwiched between Christmas and New Year's.  

This was a big deal for me.  I had never gone on vacation solo before, but I decided not to allow a tiny detail like that stop me.  I embraced my independence and traipsed all over the London streets, visiting museums and seeing West End plays. It was an amazing experience that has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone more often.  Amazing.  Here are a few snapshots from the trip...

Leicester Square:

The very spot where I saw JK Rowling in the flesh in 2004

(from a few hundred feet away, but still)

London Streets

Just outside the National Potrait Gallery

St. Martin in the Fields

View from Trafalgar Square

Lions of Trafalgar by Edwin Landseer

Victorian Fun Fact:

He's also well known for his portraits of dogs and other animals

A better view of the National Gallery

Fountains in the Square

The only downside to traveling on your own is not having anybody handy to take photos of you in front of historical sites and other monuments.  Just to demonstrate that I'm capable of poking fun at myself I will share this horrid self-portrait:

I'm looking very chipper there.  The London atmosphere must have given me a bit of a buzz.  It's been known to do that to people.