My Blog, My Thoughts, My Reflections: I Love London

I enjoyed my recent trip to London. I was there to attend the World Travel Mart (WTM) cum holiday and did most of the things which i wanted to do, visited the popular tourist sights and tried most of the food which i wanted to. The only thing which i didn't get to visit is Hampton Court and travel to Bath. Like some of my friends say, keep it for the next trip then. Well ... who knows when?

London is a really expensive place to live in. Hotel rates are very high and is a real killer. I spend 8 days in London and these are some of the places which i visted.

Sightseeing @ The Kensington Palace

I arrived in London on sunday morning @ 5.30am. It was quite an adventure travelling alone. The previous times when i travel alone was to Bangkok 2 years back. The experience is a little different as i am familiar with Bangkok but it's my first time in London.

I had jet-lag on the first day when i arrived but managed to visit the Kensington Palace, which was the birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria. I enjoyed walking in the park more than musuem tour. There were children playing in the park, family and friends hanging out together and people jogging on a sunday afternoon.

Tip 1: Plan your trip well. Visit the places which you know your colleagues/friends do not want to visit before they arrive.

Nite Out @ The Musical: Mary Poppins

I love this small little cafe called "Patisserie Valarie", just down the road from Prince Edward Theatre where the musical, Mary Poppins was playing. I happen to walk pass this cafe on the way to collect the musical tickets. The display was simply too attractive and i had to try the cakes there.

I later found out that Patisserie Valarie is one of the popular cafes in London (which explains why it was so crowded) and was opened since 1926 by a lady called Madam Valarie. There's a huge variety of cakes and pastries to choose from and it took me awhile before i could decide what i wanted.

It was a wednesday nite when i watched Mary Poppins. The musical has been playing at the Prince Edward Theatre for 3 years and production will close on Jan 12 2008 followed by a U.K tour production. I can't believe this but i was dozing off during some parts of the show. Not that it's boring but i am simply tired. For the past few nites, have been woken by by smses send by people in Singapore in the wee hours.

Tip 2: Try to watch musicals at least 2 days after you arrive so that your body has sufficient time to adjust to local timing and u won't end up falling asleep in the theatre.

Visit to Tower of London

I enjoyed the trip to Tower of London very much. When Auntie Soo heard that i was going to London, she told me that i had to visit this place to see the crown jewels. I can't imagine myself being here in summer. It would be too hot for me. As for the jewels, well ... it's real.

Tip3: Join the free tower of london guided tour instead of walking around the place alone. It's about an hour and you get to know more about the history plus stories.

The Famous Icon: Tower Bridge

I love the Tower bridge which is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name. I guess the whole experience and feel will be very different from day and nite.

Historical Visit To St. Paul's Cathedral

After my visit to Tower of London, i took a bus ride to St. Paul's Cathedral. Thanks to Valarie and Ruby of Visit Britain who gave me the heritage pass, it allows me free admission to the cathedral. I love the design and architecture. The dome which is world-famous and an iconic feature of the London skyline is really quite an impressive facade.

Too bad no pictures are allowed in the cathedral. The interior is fabulous with its glittering mosaics, intricate stone carving and breathtaking vantage points.

I had fun taking pictures outside the cathedral. The whole place was so huge and these shots are taken by my boss.

The Modern Art Museum

Along the bridge (from St. Paul's to Tate Modern)

A short 5-10 minutes walk from St. Paul's Cathedral will bring you to Tate Modern, the national gallery of international modern art. The Collection comprises the national collection of British art from the year 1500 to the present day, and of international modern art.

I had a fabulous lunch on the 7th floor @ the Tate Modern resturantn which offers a magnificent view of the River Thames, St. Paul's and the City of London.

Tate Modern

Nice View & Fabulous Food

Tip4: It's free admission to Tate Modern. Don't miss it even if you are not a fan of modern art (just like me). But it's still nice to walk around and see some of the works just for the experience.

Lots To See @ The British Musuem

The British Museum holds in trust for the nation and the world a collection of art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures. Housed in one of Britain's architectural landmarks, the collection is one of the finest in existence, spanning two million years of human history. Access to the collection is free.

I enjoyed the visit very much, especially on the egyptian culture. There was an exhibit on the mummies which gives me a greater insight on the ancient egyptian world. So much to see, so little time.

Tip 5: Give yourself at least two hours for the visit. Before you start to walk around, arrange the time with your partner or friends on the time and place to meet just in case you get lost. This will allow you ample time to comfortably walk around and see things at your own time and own pace without wasting time to look around for people. Most importantly, get a copy of the map before you start walking around.

And i love this small little car. Very cute. My boss and colleague can't resist but asked me to take a picture with it.

But i love the white one better (which i saw near the hotel which i was staying.

The Famous Harrods

So finally i get to visit the famous Harrods store who has always prided itself on reputation for excellence and finest quality merchandise. But things are really expensive and it's just good enough to take a look. The best thing out of Harrods is that they allow photography. That makes me really happy. The stall decoration makes everything looks soo good.

I love the food hall. The decoration is superb. So is the price.

Covent Garden

Another place which i like very much is covent garden. It has many interesting shops. Anita's brother, Edwin who works in London just stay above H & M, which is just a minute walk from Convent Tube Station. Very Convenient. But it's very crowded on a friday night when we were there.

We met Edwin for dinner on friday nite at an Indian Place at Piccadilly Circus called Chowki. He said it was one of the better ones. Portions are small but well, filling.

Edwin and Anita. She was very impressed with her brother that day. Said that she has never seen her brother dressed so smartly before. She had to take a photo together and show it to their mom. Edwin said that's because he had a meeting earlier.

Know Your Neighbourhood: Gloucester and Its Surroundings

I stayed at Millennium Gloucter for five nites but never once got the chance to walk around the area except the very morning when i was suppose to check-out. After breakfast, went for a nice photpgraphy walk with Anita. Weather was freezing cold. I think it was about 5 degrees.

That's Me @ The London Phone Booth

I think i would be crazy taking pictures in the phone booth in Singapore. But well, what the heck. I like the phone booth in London. Quite cool! Anyway, who knows me here.

Rows of shops. You'll never get hungry with so many choices and varieties. There's Burger King, Flower Shops, Take-Aways etc.

Small little church down the road

Changing of Guards @ The Buckingham Palace

Here i am, at the official london residence of the British monarch. I am glad i came here early, right after breakfast. My boss was quite smart. Got a good spot for us to see the changing of guards. The draw back, well, the place is really crowded and be prepared to stand throughout.

Heaps of people everywhere all eager to see the changing of guards. I heard that during summer, there are more people.

Tip 6: Make sure you have your cameras with you and are all fully charged.You will be really dissappointed if your battery dies on you during this time.

The 'Royal' Christmas Tree

I passed by the Royal Mews (finest working stables) which is located next to Buckingham Palace. It has a permanent display of state vechicles which includes those carriages used for royal and state occassions. I did not visit the musuem, only the souvenir shop. But i love the "Royal Christmas Tree" which is decorated with crowns. It's very unique.

The 'Royal'Church

I visited the Westminster Abbey but too bad, i can't enter as they were preparing for the Queen's wedding anniversary celebrations and service which was held two days later. I'm actually quite disappointed.

Another Icon: The Big Ben

Happy to see the clock tower which is the world's largest four-faced, chiming clock.
It's just behind the Westminster Abbey. It started to drizzle at this point and thus, pictures didn't turn out too well.

Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament is also known as the Palace of Westminster or the Westminster Palace. It's one of the largest Parliaments in the world. The layout of the Palace is intricate, with its existing buildings containing nearly 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases and well over three kilometres (two miles) of corridors.

The London Eye

At 135 metres above London, the London Eye is the world's tallest observation wheel, with 40km panoramic views on a clear day. I didn't get to take the london eye as tickets are expensive. I'm contended to just seeing it.

Tip 7: I understand that you get the same view from the top floor of Hyatt Hotel.

Church Service In London

During this trip, i managed to visit the Kensington Temple Church and Hillsongs London. Both services are conducted very differently.

Kensington Temple is a large Pentecostal Church in the Notting Hill area of London. It's the largest church in its denomination, the Elim Pentecostal Church. I attended the 9am service and the church goers are mainly africans.

When i was at Hillsongs London that very sunday, i found something similar to my home church. They had çhild dedication service too. To me, hillsongs london is more like the big churches in Singapore. Big in scale and high tech. Service is conducted at the Dominion Theatre. I spotted some books and CD roms of Pastor Prince at the bookstore. He had recently preached there some months back.

Europe's largest shopping street: Oxford Street

Oxford Street is a shopping paradise. So many things to see but not enough time. And yes, it's quite pretty right now coz. it's decked up with christmas decorations. But well, not as pretty as Orchard Road though. But still, i love Oxford Street for the variety of shops, interesting window displays, brands and malls which Singapore do not have, its architecture and i miss the cold weather too. Btw, Oxford Street is really long (approx a mile and half) and is spread over around 4 tube stations namely tottenham Court, oxford circus, bond street and marble-arch.

Oxford Street

There's familiar brands such as GAP

TopShop

H & M - My favourite shop which unfortunatedly is not available in Singapore yet.

Pret A Manger - My favourite sandwich joint which serves a huge variety of sandwiches and wraps. The name Pret A Manger means ready to eat in french. All sandwiches are made on the day of purchase in a kitchen at each location. Left-Overs are collected by charities that provide food to the homeless at the end of each day. The store can be found almost éverywhere' as there are 118 outlets in London. Thankfully, there's one outlet at 35 Robinson Road which opened last year but i think the portion should be slighly smaller. I should check it out one day.

Hamley's - one of the world's largest toy shop @ Regent Street (Off Oxford Street). The store is considered one of London's major tourist attractions, and receives about five million visitors a year.

Debenhams, one of the local shopping mall which i just passed by

Bayswater Area

Hyde Park Towers, the B & B place which i stayed for the last 2 extension nites is at Bayswater. It's quite near to Millennium Gloucester, where i stayed for the past 5nites. It is located in a superb location but rooms are really small. The single room which my boss was staying is smaller than a usual hostel room. The twin room is also very small but at least not so claustophobic. There isn't much of a walking space in the room though.

You will never get hungry especially if you are staying at Bayswater. It has lots of restaurants and eateries such as MANDARIN KITCHEN, one of my favourite Chinese restaurant and it has got to be one of the best in London. It's at Queensway, opposite the tube station and the speciality is the lobster noodle. The prime wild scottish lobster is baked whole in a giner and spring onion sauxe and served with thin noodles. Really Delicious! This place is highly recommended by many friends and even my industry partner from British Tourist Authority.

Another highly recommended chinese restaurant that sells very famous and popular roast duck is called FOUR SEASONS. It's just down the road where Mandarin Kitchen is. These are the only two chinese meals aka chinese restaurant which i ate during my trip in London. We had to take a queue number and wait for about forty minutes to get a table. Good thing is that the hotel where i am staying is just behind the row of restaurants. Super Convenient. Well, the wait is really worth it coz. the duck here is one of the best which i've ever tasted. The only dishes are your average chinese fare.