It was a Saturday afternoon and Sathish suddenly said we shall go around London. Initially we had planned for the city tour the following week after taking London pass ( a pass with entrance tickets for various attractions in London).We started around 2 in the afternoon. I topped up my Oyster card with £10. Oyster card is a pre-paid card for using public transportation in London, using which one can add money to it and use it like a train cum bus pass which has to be swiped in the bus and in the train station entrance. The advantage is it, that it has a per day ceiling amount. Even if we travel many times per day ,the maximum we will be charged in the card would be 3.9£ in bus and 6.3£ in train. As travel is very expensive in London, everyone goes for Oyster card as it provides easy access to train/bus without having to buy a ticket and with a reduced price.
It was my first train journey in London and I was really excited travelling in the underground tube. I was initially confused with the different lines (district line/circle line/picadilly line etc) that goes to different directions but could differentiate it later with the color coding used. One can use a tube map to go anywhere without having to ask anyone. But the major problem is random train cancellations (this is because of the various renovations happening in London as a preparation for the 2012 Olympics in London). So , we have to really watch out for the active lines before boarding train. All routes are interconnected. So, one can easily reach their destination, even if they take a longer route.
We crossed Stratford, where the stadium for the Olympics is getting constructed. Massive construction..It would be a lifetime experience if we get a chance to watch Olympics..
We alighted in Aldgate East to take a district line for Tower hill and reached tower hill to see the Tower of London and the Tower bridge (There is a misconception that Tower bridge is the London bridge but it is not true. London bridge is a old bridge opposite to tower bridge and it is a normal bridge). It was a huge bridge above Thames river and tourists throng the place. There was a big queue for the river cruise. But the water was not clear. (One shocking thing for me about London is the cleanliness. People litter and spit on the streets. But there are lot of greenery's everywhere with lot of parks and gardens). Tower of London is riverside fortress , usually remembered as a place of imprisonment. Many princes and queens were imprisoned here and later murdered.
As it was a hot summer day which is most awaited in a cold country , people had dressed up so freely (so we had a good sight seeing :-)). Sathish clicked lot of snaps as usual and Prithvi started asking for something to eat. So we had cone ice creams and it was yummy (6 pounds - 480 rs is really expensive for ice cream.. isn't it.?. as it is only 2 weeks for me in London, cannot avoid converting).
We took another train to reach Westminster (most of the main attractions in London are close by.. with just few trains and of course lot of walking we can cover all important attractions.). We came out of Westminster station to see a tall building .. oh. yeah it is the Big Ben . In all our movies, this is how London is shown. Big Ben is the huge clock tower and is part of the Houses of parliament. Looking at the building, we can understand how well it is maintained as it looks really new though it is built 1000 yrs ago.
Walking along Big Ben to the left in the opposite is the 'London eye'. As i said, we had a separate plan for visiting these places, we did not go inside but just had a glimpse from outside. 'London eye' is the giant observation wheel and is the second highest in the world and offers fascinating views over the whole of London.
If you walk to the right of Westminster, you will reach the Westminster Abbey. This is a old church and it serves as a place of Royal ceremonials. Princess Diana's funeral was held here.
A few minutes walk from there will take you to the royal palace of Buckingham, which is the the Queen's residence. It is a huge palace with complete security protection. 'Guards change' is an event here, in which the palace guards, in their red tunics and tall bearskin hats, are changed at 11am each morning. We were almost exhausted by that moment and wanted to relax. So, we went to James park close to Buckingham palace. There are several parks and gardens around the palace. We had a good time there. Prithvi played foot ball with a cute Brit gal and we enjoyed sightseeing (only the garden ), having tea that we took in a flask.
After few minutes rest, we continued to Trafalgar square. This houses the huge monuments of Nelson and other warriors , who fought and won the battle of Trafalgar against Napoleon.The main structure worth seeing at Trafalgar square is the tall Nelson's column, which is a tower over which Admiral Nelson stands.
Another 10 mins walk, we reached Picadily circus. It is a shopping place and there are lot of clubs and bars everywhere. It seems, day never ends here. We can see Britain's richness here.
Suddenly, bell rang in our bellies.. oops.. It is 8.30. As day is long in summer, one can hardly realize the time. So, we hunted for a food place and reached Pizza hut. Myself and Sathish had the only veggie option available but Prithvi enjoyed chicken wings. It was 9.30 by the time we finished dinner and took the trains to reach home @ 10.30. Overall, it was a wonderful day !!!
More to come..............
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