While toying with the prospect of a visit to US, I thought a stopover at London for a few days would be a good idea. And so we reached London on Monday afternoon of 21st May 2012. Having studied the tube map and the London city map in Bangalore, we had no problem leaving the huge Heathrow Terminal and find our tube train to King's Cross in Central London. The first trip by London underground train was an experience. One cannot but notice, that the map of the route was clearly visible on the side panels of the compartment with announcements being made on the next arriving stations and final destination. The announcements did not leave out the important landmarks nearby too! Colour coded routes on the underground tube rail made journeys very helpful.
Hotel Crestfield, where we stayed was cozy, comfortable and just two minutes away from St Pancras and King's Cross stations. London Eye was first on our list. Getting tickets online saved us the bother of standing in queue. The giant wheel takes 30 minutes for a full circle and offers a panoramic view of the City and River Thames. Hopping in and out of the London Eye is quite easy though its on the move! On a sunny day you can see up to 40 kms away and we were lucky as London was having a clear skyline.
The cruise on the River Thames was wonderful affording sights of landmark monuments standing still with the passage of time. The historic landmarks like the London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Tower Millennium, St Thomas Hospital (remember Nightingale?), Butler Wharf and the ships berthed which have now transformed into Museums are a visual delight! Replete with a view of historic monuments, the cruise on the river Thames leaves you spell bound!
No tour of London is complete without the Red Double Decker buses and hopping in and off it! The Red Bus Tours offers magnificent insights of London which is never possible even by a chauffeured car ! Criss crossing historic landmarks with a freedom to alight and take the next bus or skip and continue are the convenient options. We rarely skipped and went on and on till we were tired of walking long distances! But assimilating the historic venues rejuvenated our tired bodies and we were ready for more! It was a tiring long walk from the Parliament House through Trafalgar Square to the imposing Church - St Paul's Cathedral ..but amply rewarded with its intricate beauty and history! Hyde Park and especially the famed Speakers corner held a special place in my heart. It was wonderful being there and having a say !!
The Tower of London showcases the plunder and cruelty meted out to those who had befallen out of the pleasures of the Royalty! Dungeons and eerie corners with spooky and ghostly nooks added to the mythical ensemble! Black Ravens hovering around and pecking on the litter of tourists added to the aura of mystique! Spiral staircases with an almost vertical ascent tested our agility to the core. The display of the Royalty's jewellery, the huge gold plates, cutlery including the Kohinoor Diamond (our's actually..and i did tell the security police about that) was a sight to see! We picked up some gifts for our dear ones back home from the curio store. The Tower of London will ever remain etched in our memory!
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Hotel Crestfield, where we stayed was cozy, comfortable and just two minutes away from St Pancras and King's Cross stations. London Eye was first on our list. Getting tickets online saved us the bother of standing in queue. The giant wheel takes 30 minutes for a full circle and offers a panoramic view of the City and River Thames. Hopping in and out of the London Eye is quite easy though its on the move! On a sunny day you can see up to 40 kms away and we were lucky as London was having a clear skyline.
The cruise on the River Thames was wonderful affording sights of landmark monuments standing still with the passage of time. The historic landmarks like the London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Tower Millennium, St Thomas Hospital (remember Nightingale?), Butler Wharf and the ships berthed which have now transformed into Museums are a visual delight! Replete with a view of historic monuments, the cruise on the river Thames leaves you spell bound!
The Tower of London showcases the plunder and cruelty meted out to those who had befallen out of the pleasures of the Royalty! Dungeons and eerie corners with spooky and ghostly nooks added to the mythical ensemble! Black Ravens hovering around and pecking on the litter of tourists added to the aura of mystique! Spiral staircases with an almost vertical ascent tested our agility to the core. The display of the Royalty's jewellery, the huge gold plates, cutlery including the Kohinoor Diamond (our's actually..and i did tell the security police about that) was a sight to see! We picked up some gifts for our dear ones back home from the curio store. The Tower of London will ever remain etched in our memory!
One of the most enchanting things
about London is the importance given to intricate detail. Be it the cables neatly
bundled into stays alongside the walls of the underground / overground or the signages intimating
alighting / boarding points. Just the first travel by the underground tube can
enlighten the visitor and he can surely guide any other! "Mind the Gap" announcement still rings in our ears! We couldn’t find the
stiff upper lipped Englishman with his umbrella and nosed into his newspaper!
On the flip side living out of a suitcase in a 3 star hotel and wanting to take
on the sights and do a little gift shopping can be quite expensive. The tube
train and the buses are quite expensive when we compare them to similar services back home!
The taxi is a strict no no –and reserved for an emergency only! Small gift items like a T shirt or even a curio object is priced not less than 10 Pounds which at today’s rate of Rs 89.90 is almost Rs 900/-. Though, we had firmly decided against converting the prices to INR we ended up mostly doing that!! Indeed there was a wide gap!!
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