Showing posts with label Travel Guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel Guide. Show all posts

I love London part II

London again! This time for Chritmas and Boxing day sales! And New Years! Happy New year by the way. When I arrived it was snowing! Gosh, I love snow! Of course I wouldn't miss the opportunity to make a snowman right?

My first ever snowball!

Our snowman!
Hey, it might be ugly, but it's not easy alright, for first timers! But as you look longer it's really cute right?? We decorated it with my handmade scarf! London isn't so cold that it kind of melted the next day. But it was a fun experience. The following morning we walked around Hamstead. Hamstead is a small but pretty highclass place. They offer boutique clothings, shoes, few fab restaurant and crepes!

The snowy street at Golder's Green

Mistle toe!

Snowflacks, best I can take with my camera. Really tiny but wonderfully scuptured in the sky

Muchroom stuff in Cafe Rouge, Hamstead

The next day we took a train to Tottenham. I had my hamburger in Burger King. It was really delicious! I get some of you think I nvr eat pork burger, well, I don't have that in Malaysia, so I might as well have it the English way.

Hamburger from Burger King

Traveling around Londond is quick and easy. If you need to prepare yourself being the first time in London, you might want to get familiar with the tubes and bus stations. You can always download PDF version of these maps from http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1106.aspx or you can get the tube map at any Underground station. TFL (Transport for London) is always updated, in case there's upgrading for the upcoming Olympics, certain stations might be close during the weekends, but there will be rail replacement coaches. Pretty efficient I must say.

In an Underground (Royce's fab idea)

British Museum is a must see, for museum lovers. It is a magnificent place to be in. I have no idea how much effort, money and time spent on collecting the many items from all around the globe and to the depths of the earth and the oldest piece of weapon on earth ever found in the museum and the building itself is historical. I dare say this museum put many collector museums around the world to shame.

British Museum

Facade entrance

Check out the real gold stuff

The mighty ceiling and the mini me. Find me!

In the courtyard, after refurbishment designed by Fosters and Partners, small hold as viewing platform for tourist

Further informations on the Museum courtyard and probably the museum itself, you can ask Royce. He did a dissertation on it. When we visited the museum, it felt like a currator was beside me. I kid you not.

Stuff displayed from my hometown, Sarawak

Collections and galleries in the museum

Some of the collections

I think this is Zeus

I like the stairs. Carefully designed and structured during courtyard refurbishment

The shop at the center of the courtyard

A real mummy, well preserved

The courtyard from the viewing platform, probably 4 stories above the ground

The next day we went to check out the London's eye. Just to let you know the queue was superbly long, so I did not get up. But if you want, you probably should book earlier.

London's eye

I was opposite the London's eye (across the river) when I saw war memorials. Beautifully crafted memorials of armies and units to remember those who have lost their lives to protect their country and people around the world from war.

Statues made out of bronze

More memorial artwork

Birds trying to grab food

Towards the end of the street we saw the famous Big Ben! Big Ben is located opposite the Westminster Underground tube.

Big Ben and I

As you walk further down the street you will see more attractive architecture, both historical and modern.

Landscape on a piece of metal

St Margarets Church Westminster Abbey

The facade entrance of the abbey

Some really nice photos I took

Admit it, it is nice!

Some scary guy who was asking people to go into his hunted mansion near London's Eye

Salvador Dali by London's Eye

When I was at London's Eye, I came across an exhibition, dedicated to Salvador Dali. All Salvador Dali's artwork. I dd not enter, I think it was £15 per entry. Along the street you will see all kinds of shows.

The street filled with creative people to get tips from tourist

Human statue

We walked further from Charing Cross, just blindly walk around and got lost while looking for China Town and came across Convent Graden. I didn't walk around much, but I can tell you it was an attractive place to be in. They sale loads of quality chocolates and other souvenirs you can bring home for your friends and families.

Christmas decorations around Convent Garden

Some fantastic circus trick shows from self proclaimed profesional

As we walked further down to Leicester (You pronounce is as leice-ster, not lei-ces-ter ya). I have no idea where we walked, but we walked till we got really lost.

My £5 chinese food, Lemon chicken

Buildings you can find in Chealsea

The lightings along Piccadilly Circus, where you can find Ripley's believe it or not

The following day we planned to visit Harrods and the queen's palace. You might never know Prince William might greet me from his balcony, haha! But before we get to the palace, we passed another war memorial, which is actually a round about just opposite the palace gardens. War memorial is dedicated to many countries who helped and supported Britain in the war, and one of them was Australia. You can see war memorial flowers around, statues of leaders, dedications and descriptions on the war. The palace is about 5 minutes walk away.

Walkway under busy roads, where you can see paintings on tiles about the old days

The arch opposite the palace garden

More memorials

The water fountain right in front of the palace

If you look closely, the queen is waving. Look harder!

Entrance to the royal grounds

I have more to write on London, 2 entrees would never be enough on places of attractions in London, so will get back soon! More of London and Oxford very soon! I love!

I love London part I

Yup, I went to London! I love it there!

I think London is a wonderful place to be in. There're so many things to see! Most buildings are as old as a hundred years and very well maintained. History felt like just yesterday.

Royce and I arrived in the middle of the night using Air Asia and landed at Stansted Airport. For those who are using coaches to Central London, it's best if you book about 2 hours upon arrival, you will never know how long it'll take to get through immigration. As for me, my bus was the following morning, we had to wait for 5 hours or so, I actually wiki to check where can I go and I get to know people actually sleep on the airport grounds while waiting for their flights the folloing day as rides to airport in the middle of the night can be really expensive. So it's actually common for people to whip out their sleeping bags and sleep at corners of the airport, so did I.

In Stansted Airport while lying on the ground

Stansted Airport is catered for low budget airline. Good news to Norman Foster's fan, the current terminal was designed by Foster and team and the construction was completed in 1991 after spending approx £100 million. It was the most modern airport complex in the world at that time, and I still think it looks modern, being built during the 90's.

Sunrise at the airport

China Town at Leicester Square

It was a tiring experience but a wonderful one being the first time Royce and I stepped foot far far away from home, away from my family but closer to my sister, Cindy as the reason why I visited London was to see her after a year of not seeing her. After we checked into our B&B at Marble Arch, she practically made us walk from Marble Arch, Oxford Street, Bond Street, Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square within 30 minutes. Beat my record! I almost faint! Be reminded I was suffering from jetlag.

For those who loves shopping, Oxford Street is the place! There's Primark (offers VERY CHEAP trendy clothings), Marks and Spencers (reasonable and high quality goods), Body Shop, Accesorize (my favourite accessories shop), Sports goods like Nike and Adidas, Top Shop, LV, you name it they got it! UK brands I meant.

Quotes you can see on benches around London

Thanks to Cindy, we walked whole day long and the moment we reached the hotel late at night. After warm shower the moment my head rested on the pillow I immediately sleep. Thanks to jetlag, I woke up pretty early in the morning.

Courthouse, an image from the busride

The next day we took a bus from Marble Arch to St Paul's Cathedral. St Paul is a huge and magnificent historical building designed by Sir Christopher Wren, standing through wars, the Great Fire, refurbishments and Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding (which sadly did not last).

St Paul's

The entrance, with the statue of Queen Victoria

Interior of St Paul's

Big entrance door with tiny me

Check out the pillars that supports the building, wonder how they lift it up high in the 17th century

Statue of St Paul behind the cathedral

To the Millennium Bridge, designed by Norman Foster and Partners, Arup and Sir Anthony Caro in a competition in 1996

Famous quotes along Thames

We crossed the Millennium Bridge and and passed many intereting buildings along Thames.

3D model beside Thames to show interesting places around that area

Birds will flock around you if you have cookies

Gherkin, by Norman Fosters and Partners

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is open to public from 10am to 5.30pm with a student price of £5. For more information, you can visit www.towerbridge.org.uk

Dead man's hole below Tower Bridge

As we walked further end of the bridge, we arrived at the old castle before Buckingham was built (during Queen Victoria). (We did not enter nor did we snap much pictures)

The Traitor's Gate at the old royal palace

Tower's Bridge from across the river

Further down the palace we ate out first English Fish and Chips for £2.99

After a trip around River Thames, we took the Nothern Line to Camden! Camden offers variety of handmade goods, unique bargained clothings and cheap oriental food. Camden also offers goth and cybergoth cultures. You will find all sorts of weird stuffs around like coffin handbags to foulmouth baby shirts but not all are cheap though. Potential artist can be found there. You'll see them spraying faces on a t-shirt. I especially love all the accessories there! Most uniquely handmade from Korea or Japan.

Royce and I in Camden

Along the many foodstalls in Camden

The stable in Camden

The Stables horse farm, that's why you see loads of horse figurines around.

Stalls you can see that sells all kinds of stuff

Meet Cindy and handcut mirrors; find Bart Simpson

Along the street in Camden you will see stalls

Artist at work

Cyberdog - all kinds of weird clothing, watches and other stuff, like really cyber weird, felt like being in space

Huge horses around Stables in Camden

Weird mosaic figures in The Stables

Lock Market in Camden

I can assure you that after visiting Camden, though you might hate that place (I find the people there extremely weird), but you just want to go there agin and again as there are many things to offer and very Creative people to meet. And after 3 days in London, which was obviously not enough, it was time to go to Middlesbrough.

Bus terminal

Let's just wait for my next London Trip!

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