Skint Londoning

Today is a rare oasis of calm for me.

I have work, but not until the evening. The dog I usually take out on a Monday, as a favour to a neighbour, is on holiday (yes - they've taken their dog on holiday. I'm SO. JEALOUS.) I've already been to the gym, and my chores are all (badly) done. That means I have three sweet, cool hours to fill.

If I'm at home, chances are I will while away these hours on my laptop. The internet tempts me with a multitude of distraction and procrastination tactics: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Netflix, etc... But it got me thinking. A lot of the time, if I find myself at a loose end, it's in central London.

This blog is called "Charlittle World Big." This is meant to be a play on my name (Charlotte, Charlittle - I'm a linguistical wizard) but also a reference to how you feel when you're lost in a big city. You can feel lost, insignificant, drowning in tides of people, trying not to get swept away. However, I always find wandering around my home city strangely theraputic.

There's something empowering about exploring a city on your own. Something freeing. You find yourself shaking off your self-conscious snakeskin and opening up to adventurous possibility. You are more comfortable talking to strangers, asking directions, asking a favour, because - hell, I've never met you before and I'll probably never meet you again, so who cares what you think of me!!

Of course as a small, blonde, fluffy, wide-eyed type creature floating around the mean streets with a naive smile on my face, I have had a chunky share of questionable weirdo encounters. But generally - nine times out of ten - people will smile back.

Back when I first graduated from uni, I only worked evenings and I used to have a lot more free time on my hands (should have started a blog then, think how many posts I would have by now... doh!) so I would spend a lot of my days just ambling around London, trying to find cheap and inspiring things to do.

So I've come up with my top 5 things to do in London that are absolutely free (of course, bring money for food or a packed lunch - and always stay hydrated! Anywhere that serves alcohol is legally obliged to fill up your water bottle - FACT! If you do bring money, a lot of these are markets and local businesses, so you can rest assured it's going to good people!) Some of them are weather-specific, but never fear! I hear umbrollys are a thing. And dance in the rain - never let the rain dance on you.

1) Explore the Charing Cross Road Bookshops.

Charing Cross Road

Towers of twisting bookshelves, groaning with the weight of human knowledge; A labyrinth leading you down beneath the city streets. It's easy to get lost in these.

I always find it so strange but comforting that a simple, independently-owned bookshop can thrive within sight of the glitzy casinos and burger chains of Leicester Square - let alone numerous bookshops! But down Charing Cross Road, just less than five minutes walk down from Oxford Street, here they are.

And once you've exhausted those (yeah - good luck with that!) just zip down Cecil Court, a little long-unnoticed side-street leading to St Martin's Lane, and there are more! These shop tend to do more specialty items such as vintage books and art, and the window displays are always meticulously, lovingly concocted. I could pass half an hour just staring into the windows.

Cecil Court

2. Brick Lane Market - Especially on a Sunday.

Brick Lane

Let's be honest: There is actually nowhere else to be in London on a Sunday. Trawl the vintage fashion stalls and get some ridiculous street food. The overload of colours and smells; the graffiti; the buskers; the confused tourists who wandered too far east... just go and see it for yourself, and soak up that ultimate Shoreditch atmosphere.

3. The Southbank.

Southbank Centre

There is always something happening when you're walking down the Southbank. Or... maybe it just feels like there's always something happening? You feel like you're in on something. Maybe it's the buzz of people. Maybe it's the confiding whisper of the Thames, but my favourite stretch of the Southbank - from St Pauls to Battersea Park - brings with it a certain awe.

It's one of my favourite places to run, despite the heavy foot traffic, and it boasts the BFI, the Globe and the National Theatre, all of which have bars or cafes where you can curl up with a coffee, a book or a laptop. In short - whatever the weather, it's lush.

4. The South Kensington Museums.

The Natural History Museum

Now, I know this is kind of an obvious one. But I do think that sometimes we forget how insanely lucky we are to be able to see our artistic and cultural heritage (and other peoples' - *COUGH* colonialism *COUGH*) for free. And in South Kensington, they literally have something for everyone.

Now, I must confess here that I am somewhat of a nerd-of-all-trades - or, if you will, a jack-of-all-nerds - because I love it all. The imposing architecture and grandeur of the Natural History Museum. The space-age cool of the Science Museum. The sophistication of the V&A.

Plus, if you're by yourself, you can take all the time you need to look at the bits that you want to look at... and look upon the parents of screaming toddlers with pity and helplessness...

5. The National Gallery.

The National Gallery

Now I know what you're thinking - "NOT ANOTHER MUSEUM?!" But yes another museum, and I shall tell you for why.

The National Gallery is located in Trafalgar Square. It's quiet, calm and full of art. Really, really nice art. And (wait for it - this is the best part) there are napping sofas on the ground floor.

That's right, my friend. Vast squishy sofas. Keep a tight hold on your bags, and you might have to wait for an exhausted tourist to get up, but these sofas have saved me when I've needed a quick kip between jobs, but don't want to get to work insanely early. Power naps are the way. And because everyone else is doing it, you don't feel silly for nodding off in public.

Nap in the National. That is a tip from me to you.

Char

xxx