Retrospective: London

So since I have been asked to blog about my time in the past two weeks around the UK, I shall start with London, which is where it all began!

My journey begins with landing at London's Heathrow International Airport on Wednesday, August 15. Thirteen hours in an airplane is not usually the most comfortable journey, but when the adrenaline of getting out of a country for a year is rushing, leg room is the last thing you're thinking about most of the time :p

I arrived right after the Olympics had just ended, so London was still in a mood of relative jubilation. The city was still all decked up from the Olympic high, and all sorts of Olympic-themed sculptures and things were everywhere. The first day after I arrived in London, the folks (Mom and Dad, who are here in the UK with me right now to make sure that nothing untoward happens to me because they're overprotective like that) wanted to go sightseeing.

London's a very popularly photographed city; everyone's seen pictures of the Big Ben, Tower Bridge, and the London Eye, all very iconic images. Personally, one of the things I remember and love the most about London is that it's been the setting for so many beautiful movies, musicals, and books. I mean, just look at this:



This scene was taken from right outside my room window from where I stayed in London, and it reminds me so much of Mary Poppins and Chim Chimney! "On the rooftops of London..."



Of course, I didn't get the chance to actually dance on the rooftops of London, but then. Ahem. (I totally would have if I could.)

So as I was saying, London's still in a pretty Olympic mood - as I write this, the Paralympic Games have just started, and the Olympic spirit's still pretty strong. I feel like I'm obliged to insert here a shot of the London skyline.





Fun fact! One of my favourite movies is V for Vendetta, set in dystopian future London, where a revolutionary named V fights for political change as part of an agenda for revenge. V always wears a Guy Fawkes mask; this is a reference to the 16th century Guy Fawkes who attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament with gunpowder (more info about the Gunpowder Plot here).

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot...

It's a good idea to start your London trip from this part of London because there's a lot more to see north of the Thames, and starting with the Parliament and Westminster Abbey it's easy to work your way up north and exploring the rest of the city. London is incredibly easy to explore; the Underground is so easy to use and brings you right into the heart of anywhere you need to go! Remember to grab an Oyster card, they save you lots of £££s instead of buying repeated single tickets for buses and the tube.

We kept making our way up and around London, basically wandering around and seeing all sorts of sights. It is completely possible to have a great time in London without needing to pay for guided tours or anything of the sort; it really is so easy to get around, if you speak decent English there really isn't any trouble at all.

St James' Park is extremely near Westminster Abbey and the Parliament, and leads you up to Buckingham Palace. I saw so many squirrels they were soooooo cute! Squirrels aren't very common in Singapore so seeing a whole bunch of them come up so close to humans in London was adorable. There's lots of wildlife in St James' Park - wild birds like geese, gulls, ducks and some others that I couldn't identify, and of course also lots of people walking their dogs.

Coming up to Buckingham Palace, everything looked particularly glistening and very spectacular; I overheard some locals saying that everything had just been re-gilded for the Olympics. Keeping up with the Joneses, these guys!







It was raining for a bit so I had to wait for the sky to clear up. That's something to take note of, when visiting: this place drizzles on and off all the time. Like, seriously, you guys. Bring the umbrellas and raincoats. There aren't many big thunderstorms like in Singapore, but the drizzling can really get annoying when you have to take out your umbrella/put on or take off your raincoat three times a day.

Green Park was closed when I was in London, because it was being used for some Olympic activities. In fact, a great deal of London was being used for Olympic activities; a lot of Hyde Park, too, was closed off for Olympic things.

Near Hyde Park is the Royal Albert Hall, which is a fantastic and magnificent beauty and a complete jewel.



It's amazing when you think about all the world-class performers who have been in this building and performed here!! I'm a HUGE fan of music and the arts, so when I think about things like that the 25th anniversary Phantom of the Opera was performed here, I go into a slight hyperventilation. OHMYGOSHITSTHEROYALALBERTHALLYOUGUYSAHHHHHHHHH

The next day, we went to Trafalgar Square. Although it isn't St Paul's Cathedral, for some reason this place reminds me a lot of Mary Poppins (again!) and Feed the Birds.



The funniest thing happened while we were here - a tourist came up to my mom to ask for directions to the Palace! Ha ha, it was sad when we told her we couldn't direct her anywhere because we were tourists ourselves :x

We also went to Harrods, the department store which sells just about everything. I didn't take any pictures (WHY CHERYL WHY?!) but the architecture of the inside is BEAUTIFUL - Egyptian architecture, beautiful muralled ceilings, and just the most ornate and gorgeous place ever. I've managed to pull a couple images off Google:







Yeah guys, that's real. I can't believe a department store looks like that. INCREDIBLE.

One of the most exciting things that happened during my time in London, though, was definitely this:



That's right. I was at the Ecuadorian Embassy right in front of the whole bunch of journalists awaiting developments on the Julian Assange situation. (!!!!!! Political science student in me geeking out)



Uh. Ahem. Okay back to less geeky things.

I got to see Chicago played at the Garrick Theatre! I got to watch one of the last shows before it closed, so that is pretty damn incredible. :')



The dedication of these singer-actor-dancers is just incredible - they play eight shows a week and every show is just as fresh as the last, and flawless and all that. I got seats second row from the front (!), super amazing because it was right up close to the front, so the power and energy from the stage was breathtaking. Definitely a MUST in London: watching musicals! There's so many to choose from, because the West End is brimming with so much energy - Wicked, Lion King, Sweeney Todd, Shrek and Singing in the Rain among so many.

Tickets usually start from about £20, depending on the popularity of the show you want to watch (get off the tube station at Leicester Square and there's a ton of shops selling half-price tickets all along the street), although I'd avoid paying over £50 for a ticket just because it'd be super expensive.

The next day we went to the Tower of London, which is famous for being reportedly haunted.



I wanted to buy a ticket and go in but they were something like £20 a person so Dad wouldn't let me :( Problems of travelling with parents! I'll definitely be going the next time I'm in London though. A whole year in the UK! TEEHEE :)

Tower Bridge stands very near to the Tower of London, and looks really rather impressive especially in the morning light. Tower Bridge is not London Bridge, contrary to popular belief! (I think nursery-rhyme books just use images of Tower Bridge because it looks so much prettier than the actual London Bridge.)



All decked out in Olympic fashion! By the way, if you haven't already seen the video of the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony you really should. It's fabulous. I love it - easily one of the greatest opening ceremonies ever.

Going to Covent Garden, there was a lot of street busking! I love street busking - it adds so much character to a place, and brings so much life. Now if only the weather and humidity in Singapore didn't kill, I bet there'd be a lot more street buskers. (I hope, anyway!)







A very pleasant surprise I had in Covent Garden was coming across this:



YEAH THAT'S RIGHT. LADURÉE MACARONS. THEY ARE THE BEST MACARONS EVER LET ME JUST PUT THAT OUT THERE. AND I CAN HAS LADURÉE.



I had the caramel with salted butter macaron, which was delicious - and that's saying something considering I normally shy away from macarons which are far too sweet for my taste. They're pretty decent for the price - not cheap, certainly (£1.40 a macaron if I remember correct) but it was the tastiest £1.40 I spent in London. What I wouldn't give for another one!

Ladurée
The Market
Covent Garden, London
WC2E 8RA
Telephone: 020 7240 0706

Madame Tussaud's Museum, is a definite must-see - it's a brilliant place, and the wax figures really are incredibly lifelike! I was surprised that I had such a good time there, exploring the place alone. Apart from the wax figures there are also rides and shows that come as part of the attraction, so it really is worth paying the entrance for. Book online in advance to save up to 25% off your ticket.







There's also a brilliant Spirit of London ride which I completely enjoyed, and also a 4D Marvel comic-book heroes Omnimax-type show housed in in what used to be the London Planetarium. I was pleasantly surprised with these two rides/shows. Definitely worth visiting!

Madame Tussauds,
Marylebone Road,
London NW1 5LR

Madame Tussauds is just a two minute walk away from Baker Street tube station.

Now, speaking of Baker Street...





SHERLOCK HOLMES! I admit the Sherlock craze never really caught on with me until I watched the BBC drama Sherlock, so I'm not much of a Holmes purist... But hey. Benedict Cumberbatch is totally gorgeous, so 221B Baker Street was really awesome.

The tube station at Baker Street is even decorated with giant Sherlocks, made up of little Sherlocks!



One of the most awesome things that I liked about London was that right near where I stayed, at Earl's Court tube station, there was a TARDIS. Well, not an actual TARDIS. An old police box. But you never know where the Doctor might be lurking, right? I'm going to be his next companion, just you wait. I love Doctor Who.



*** Doctor Who fangirling, so if you aren't interested feel free to skip this bit!

At the time of this writing, the first episode of season seven of Doctor Who has just aired!!!! OHMYGOSH IT'S SO GOOD IT MADE ME WANT TO CRY. Can I just say I seriously LOVE Amy Pond and Rory Williams?! They're easily two of the best companions, and Amy's right up there with Donna. I can't believe Amy and Rory nearly divorced WHAT?! And all because each of them loved the other more?! Omg this makes me want to cry I LOVE YOU RAGGEDY MAN. I can't wait for the next episode to be out next Saturday and omg I'm so happy I'm actually in the UK to be able to watch Doctor Who live as it airs instead of having to wait for streams to appear online! DOCTOR WHO IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST. And the Daleks. Omg the Daleks. SO BRILLIANT. I missed the Daleks my favourite salt-and-pepper shakers!

***

So that pretty much concludes the four days I spent in London. After London, I took a train to Edinburgh, Scotland, departing from London King's Cross station! (Edinburgh t.b.c.)

A trip to London King's Cross would not be complete without Platform 9 3/4. Who's going to Hogwarts? I know I sure am!



TIPS

• London is an expensive place to eat out, make no mistake; an average meal such as fish and chips will easily set you back at least £7.50. Buying ready-made meals from Tesco or Marks and Spencer for about £3 a meal can save you a LOT if you're on a budget.

• Food prices often differ depending if you're eating-in or taking-away. It's usually cheaper to takeaway, so if you can do this you'll be able to save a lot of money over a period of time.

• London is known for its fish and chips, but the best ones are to be found far away from the city centre.

• Signing up for a phone line with data plan, especially if you have a smartphone, will save you a LOT of hassle - GPS is a godsend! I'm using the £15 pay-as-you-go with unlimited data on the network '3'.

Until next time!

Cheryl Keit xx