Beginning with an incoherent collage... I bring you 3 gloomy days in London - the weather that is. hehs It rained so often it was sometimes a pain to be a tourist... cuz if you weren't, you'd definitely be curled up at home under a soft rug or holed up in some sheltered office cubicle all day...
I liked London though... despite our having to chase after the sun. But there aren't as many photos here... heh Cuz I think both dearest and I were getting tired of taking shots everywhere.
And so in a single collage, you see the London Eye along the raging River Thames beneath the cloudy skies, our 'free' walking tour guide =), St Paul's Cathedral (rebuilt along with some 51 churches by Christopher Wren - the man who will be remembered for as long as the churches stand), Templars fr Temple Church, us with Tower Bridge as background, a self service cashier area in Sainsbury (I think...), and our flight back to Warsaw. =) I don't really get the advertisement though... though Poland is definitely known for Vodka. =P
One of the hostels that's easier to locate. =) Also one of the noisiest - during the time we were there. Hehs but it IS a youth hostel after all...
Cancerian pic for my bro and dearest.
Yet another bridge. This time the Millenium Bridge aka Wobbly Bridge. =P Budgeted at 16million GBP, this expensive bridge cost 18.2m GBP in the end. Being part of the route for a charity walk, the bridge supported some 90000 users on the 1st day and started wobbling badly. Grin They came up with a system to limit the number of people crossing at any one time, but that resulted in horrendous queues. The bridge was closed for some 3 days before reopening with better support structures. Hehs But the reputation of this famous bridge had been sealed...
Tower of London.
Nope, didn't enter. Hehs a little out of budget.. But the tower intrigues, being a place with a history of crude cruelty - bloody executions, imprisonment, torture of incarcerated prisoners, mysterious deaths and executions of queens..
In one of the pictures, you'd see the Traitors' Gate. It is through this that state prisoners enter the Tower by barge. Often, severed heads of traitors would be hung there to intimidate the prisoners and the public.
An entire history book should be written around the happenings within the tower..
Since we're at this... Here's the juxtaposition of Old Bailey and Westminster Hall. The Central Criminal house and the parliament house. The visit to London certainly got me interested in V for Vendetta (which - again I didn't happen to catch when it was showing...). It's not the total truth of course. But the drama of the real Gunpowder plot is binding enough. Wiki it, do.
Anw, to dispel a common misunderstanding - big ben is not the entire bell tower... it's the name of the biggest bell of them all. =)
A view of London from the London Eye. =)
2 provocative buildings by Lord Foster - the one who restored Reichstag in Berlin, Germany, The Metropolitan Building in Warsaw, Poland, Wembley stadium in London, UK, and the celebrated (hee I forgot to mention his name earlier) Millenium Bridge in London, UK.
Here, I present you with London City Hall and the 30 St Mary Axe (Nicknamed Gherkin).
Beneath them, you see glimpses of the financial district - where the smartly dressed rules.
Shot with the famed.
Thai food in London! heh I kind of miss Asia you see... The picture of that little girl isn't from this eatery though. Heh it's taken at random elsewhere.. some buffet place with not so impressive looking food..
The highlight! At least for me... heh I so love theatre! hehe Caught Wicked! and Les Miserables. hm... Very different in nature - the two are. If I had more time and more cash... I'll seriously catch at least 2 plays a week. Grin thank goodness I'm not on exchange in London..
Oh yeah! I didnt feature the London Bridge cuz... turns out it's this extremely boring looking bridge. The history of the many versions of the bridge is kinda interesting though; worth a look-up. =)
No pictures of Oxford street though we spent quite a lot of time roaming the shopping district. Grin who takes pictures when shopping! =P Came across this super pretty black dress @ FCUK.. but it's really too costly for something I won't be wearing too often.. Hmm... likewise the Lancome Hypnose I saw today. hehe oh well
The other thing I didn't really talk about is the London tube. Hehs... with 12 lines, it should be remarkably efficient... if not for the numerous delays here and there... it was kinda a pain when you're in a hurry, but the Londoners seem rather used to such occurences. =)
mm I cant remember if I missed out anything else... But it was nice to come across familiar street names (thanks to Monopoly) and actually see Leicester Square (where all the ticket booths are), Picadilly, Trafalgar's Square with all its pigeons and the Art Gallery, etc etc.
Hehs I'll be back! I so want to visit Globe Theatre and watch a Shakespearean play. =) Next time!
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