Back from London...

What can i say? I had a wonderful 3 and a half days in London. Definitely not enough time to sight-see and shop though. Will definitely have to plan another holiday there. Thanks to my wonderful sister who provided me with accomodation, some payment of my food and transport and a visit to a West End show. The public transport there was superbly efficient. Of course, you would expect that from a city that's centuries old. I love the architecture of the city. The mix of centuries old buildings with new and modern skyscrapers. I love the Victorian buildings and the cobblestone streets and the statues / memorials that are around every corner. I love the tube with its centuries old tunnels even though they're infested with rats. I love the parks and gardens at every corner and the posh apartments with their Victorian architecture and red brick walls. I love the churches and their steeple tops. I love the buildings with their chimneys sticking out which remind me of Mary Poppins and the chimney sweeps. I love the street names which brings back fond memories of when Monopoly was a huge part of your life. Mayfair and Park Lane are the posh and expensive part of the city. You've King's Cross station just around the corner. Picaddily Circus and Leicester Square just adjacent to each other. Bond street. Oxford Circus. Regent Street. The whole city is so picturesque that you can never stop taking photos and so I decided to not take any photos of the architecture because every building is just so unique that if you take a photo of one building you have to take photos of every building to give them fair justice. Hopped over to Portobello Road market which made me think of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Went to Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of the changing of the guards. Queen wasn't in :) Walked the streets of Covent Garden and Chinatown. Roamed the theatres of West End. Appreciated Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Chair, Leonardo da Vinci's Virgin on the Rocks, Monet and Reubens at the National Gallery. Climbed the steep steps of St Paul's Cathedral to the Stone Gallery at the top of the dome. Gazed in awe at the wonderful knave of the church and walked in sombreness in the crypt. Stood outside Westminster Abbey and gazed in awe of the church but didn't have time to go in. Saw and heard the bells of Big Ben chiming the hour at the Houses of Parliament. Saw London Bridge that isn't likely to fall down. Walked the span of Tower Bridge. Saw the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London and had a tour of the castle / prison with the original guards of the Tower, the Yeomen Warders (or more popularly known as Beef-eaters). Saw the tower Elizabeth I was kept in. Took a cruise along the River Thames. Went up the London Eye to look at the wonderful city from a bird's eye view. Visited the Tate Modern for a view of modern art. Walked amongst the pigeons of Trafalgar Square. Shopped along the streets of Oxford Circus and Regent Street. Caught an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical at the Palace Theatre. Window-shopped in Harrods. Ate lunch in one of the many parks on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Love the food there as well. M&S has such wonderful take-away food. And pretty cheap too. I love M&S!!!

London is magnificient. And I obviously didn't have enough time to go outside of London to Bath to go see the Stonehenge and the Roman Baths. Buckingham Palace was also closed to visitors so I didn't get to see the Queen's staterooms. Definitely need another trip back. And the shopping was pretty alrite. Got an England jersey (kids size) for myself for only 9 pounds. Was on sale. Plus, if England win the World Cup, I can get a refund on my jersey! Got cordurouy jeans from GAP for 10 pounds and a few more other items. Too bad most things weren't really on sale. But every London-er seemed to be out on a shopping spree during the weekend. Met up with my cousins whom I haven't seen for 10 years. Aunt and Uncle were away in Amsterdam so didn't get to see them.

But I love London. The rich history behind the country and city fueled by countless reads of Victorian romance novels intrigues me. Would I want to live and work there? Definitely. Is there a chance? Maybe... in the near future... if I play my cards right :)

London is a city of walking. Everyone walks. They take the tube / bus and walk to their destination. I have never walked so much in my life for a very long time now. The hectic running around of sight-seeing is something I haven't done in a long time. And the ladies wear gorgeous heels and boots and I wonder how they walk so fast from one place to another with those 3 inch heels. And the wonderful and stylish coats everyone wears! And me with my plain fleece jacket and borrowed scarf and sneakers. It's no wonder I was freezing my ass off!

And so ends my journey to London where there are more photos kept in my head than actual photos taken on my camera, my sister's camera and my phone.