Windsor Castle
Big Ben/Parliament
Tower Bridge
Westminster Abbey
Thames River with Tower of London in background
British Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
Trafalgar Square
The National Gallery
Albert Memorial
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Places I visited in London
Places Visited in London
Windsor Castle
Big Ben/Parliament
Tower Bridge
Westminster Abbey
Thames River with Tower of London in background
British Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
Trafalgar Square
The National Gallery
Albert Memorial
Windsor Castle
Big Ben/Parliament
Tower Bridge
Westminster Abbey
Thames River with Tower of London in background
British Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
Trafalgar Square
The National Gallery
Albert Memorial
London England
Wednesday May 12, 2010 and Thursday May 13, 2010
Today we left for Newark to catch a flight to London-Heathrow. It was scheduled to leave around nine but due to mechanical problems it kept getting delayed. After awhile many people were getting frustrated and finally they said the flight was going to be canceled. It was not quite midnight yet. As we were waiting to be booked onto another flight one of the Continental employees said there was a flight leaving for Edinburgh Scotland very shortly and anyone without checked bags would be able to go. Mom and I decided to take that option since I figured that we could get a flight from Edinburgh to either Heathrow or Gatwick (London’s two airports) or take a train or even a bus. So at midnight we boarded a plane for Edinburgh.
The flight was paid for by the one that was canceled and Continental paid for our flight from Edinburgh to London. After the Red Eye flight we landed in Edinburgh at noon their time. Customs was a breeze there since it was not a huge airport. We waited a few hours and finally got a flight to Heathrow. That flight was pleasant and quick. Since it was a domestic flight we did not have to go through customs at Heathrow, which turned out better. We then took a coach bus to central London. Our London hotel was called the Grosvenor Hotel, which was attached to Victoria Station. It was a short walk from Buckingham Palace. By this time Mom and I were tired and hungry from all the traveling. We ate at Garfunkels, which is a chain restaurant but it was good. Since we did not sleep well on the plane we wanted to go to sleep in a nice bed.
Our hotel was very nice. Old but lavish. I describe it as very Londonish., which means very appropriate for London. Their website has pictures. I took some photos and videos.
Friday May 14, 2010
Today we took an excursion to Windsor. It is about 20 miles or so from central London. Very near Heathrow Airport. Since Friday was a workday it would be impossible to take a bus tour of the city. I really liked Windsor. Windsor Castle is the weekend home of the Queen. She officially considers this her home where as Buckingham Palace is more of an office. I can see why she likes Windsor. It’s not too far from London (more like a suburb) and is quite cute and pleasant. We were on our own when we got there and decided to go to Windsor Castle. Visitors are allowed to tour certain parts of the grounds but not all days and times since it’s a working castle and the Queen uses the castle often for private functions. Luckily we were able to get tickets and tour the grounds. We saw the tower, toured Queen Mary’s Doll House, saw the State Rooms (those were stunning), and St. George’s Chapel. The Queen Mother, King George VI, Princess Margaret, Henry VIII, and many others are buried there. Its also a sight for some Royal weddings. We were there when changing of the guard took place.
After leaving the castle we walked around the old part of the village and then got on our tour bus and headed back to central London. Parliament Square and Big Ben were about a ten minute walk from our hotel. Westminster Abbey is right there beside Parliament. Since it is an important church used for coronations, funerals, weddings, and many major services you do have to pay to visit unless you are attending a service. Many famous people are buried here as well including Geoffrey Chaucer, Sir Laurence Olivier, Rudyard Kipling, Queen Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots, St. Edward the Confessor, Charles Darwin, and Isaac Newton. Its quite a magnificent church.
Saturday May 15, 2010
Today we took a tour of the city. This is what we saw
• Hyde Park (Their version of Central Park)
• Royal Albert Hall (Big theatre used for performances)
• Prince Albert Memorial
• Picadilly Circus (London’s Times Square)
• The City
• Outside of St. Paul’s Cathedral
• South Bank
• Thames River
• London City Hall
• Tower Bridge
• Tower of London
• Gherkin (The pickle shaped building)
We ended up at Buckingham Palace. Then we took the Tube (London Underground), which is their subway to Tottenham Court Road, which is near the British Museum. This is quite a museum. The place is huge and crowded. They don’t really have British artifacts. Mostly Italian and Greek sculptures, Chinese and Japanese paintings, Egyptian mummies and coffins, pottery, etc. You could spend a whole day there.
Later we walked to Covent Garden. Very crowded but interesting shops and eateries.
We walked down to Trafalgar Square. This is one of my favorite places in London. Trafalgar Square is one of the most famous squares in London.
On the square is Nelson’s Column, which commemorates Admiral Horatio Nelson’s death at the Battle of Trafalgar.
The National Gallery is situated right on the square as well as St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church. In the crypt of this church there is a very well known café. Reservations need to be made in advance to go there.
That day Chelsea Football Club played Portsmouth and won big at Wembley Arena. The Chelsea fans were pretty enthusiastic that night.
Sunday May 15, 2010
We went to church at Brompton Oratory. Beautiful church. It was right next door to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum has nothing to do with Victoria or Albert. Its just named after them. According to their website one of the world’s largest museum of decorative arts. The collection consists of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, medieval arts, sculpture, and prints. Outside of Italy it holds the largest Italian Renaissance items. That was one of my favorite parts of the museum.
Then we went to Harrods. It holds just about every department you can imagine. The food halls are very popular. Its as large as two grocery stores.
We got on a double decker bus and headed back to Trafalgar Square to see the National Gallery.
It was raining when we got out so we got on a bus and took it all the way to Chelsea and spent time around there.
Interesting facts…
I absolutely loved London. Sure its different but the United States is different in each part of the country.
Many people say that London is like New York. It is not exactly the same but it has many similarities. For example traffic on the roads and in train stations is quite overwhelming. But most people are just going about their daily lives either to work, home, to various entertainment venues, shopping, sightseeing, etc. London has about 8 million people (central and in the suburbs) so its pretty busy but there are many quiet and cozy spots too.
In the parks its very laid back. The parks are so green but the U.K. does get a ton of rain.
The food is a bit different but not terrible. I stuck to Italian food, which was really good. I had salmon one night and it was delicious and Fish and chips too. Coca-Cola, water, orange juice tastes the same. The coffee is terrible even if they say its American coffee. They do have Starbucks, McDonalds (those golden arches are everywhere), KFC, and Pizza Hut. We did not venture there. But the tea is fabulous. You can’t go to London without tea. My Mom does not share the same opinion as I do about the food. Do if you talk to her you will hear something totally different. I am not saying British food is amazing but the ethic restaurants are very high quality.
The London Underground (The Tube) and the rest of the public transportation system is amazing. Cheap and quick. Yes you don’t see much in the Tube but at least you’ll get to your destination much quicker.
When I go back I will probably rent a flat (apartment) for a week or more. Its like renting a house or a condo in Hilton Head or the Outer Banks for a week. There are many different markets and grocery store chains within a five minute walk from anywhere. Waitrose, Tesco, and Sainsburys are the popular chains. Marks & Spencer is a popular department store (its like a U.K. version of Macys) also has small grocery stores throughout the area. That way you buy food for a good portion of your meals and keep it in the fridge. And cook your own meals! Safe a lot of money that way.
They say London is expensive but a good portion of the major attractions in London are free. All the major museum are free unless you want to see a special exhibition.
National Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Museum which we went to were free. They had good quality cafes plus many other restaurants nearby.
However Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey charged for admission.
Next time I do want to go to the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral. These also require admission.
But in reality there are over 20 attractions in London, which require no admission, which is quite good.
Today we left for Newark to catch a flight to London-Heathrow. It was scheduled to leave around nine but due to mechanical problems it kept getting delayed. After awhile many people were getting frustrated and finally they said the flight was going to be canceled. It was not quite midnight yet. As we were waiting to be booked onto another flight one of the Continental employees said there was a flight leaving for Edinburgh Scotland very shortly and anyone without checked bags would be able to go. Mom and I decided to take that option since I figured that we could get a flight from Edinburgh to either Heathrow or Gatwick (London’s two airports) or take a train or even a bus. So at midnight we boarded a plane for Edinburgh.
The flight was paid for by the one that was canceled and Continental paid for our flight from Edinburgh to London. After the Red Eye flight we landed in Edinburgh at noon their time. Customs was a breeze there since it was not a huge airport. We waited a few hours and finally got a flight to Heathrow. That flight was pleasant and quick. Since it was a domestic flight we did not have to go through customs at Heathrow, which turned out better. We then took a coach bus to central London. Our London hotel was called the Grosvenor Hotel, which was attached to Victoria Station. It was a short walk from Buckingham Palace. By this time Mom and I were tired and hungry from all the traveling. We ate at Garfunkels, which is a chain restaurant but it was good. Since we did not sleep well on the plane we wanted to go to sleep in a nice bed.
Our hotel was very nice. Old but lavish. I describe it as very Londonish., which means very appropriate for London. Their website has pictures. I took some photos and videos.
Friday May 14, 2010
Today we took an excursion to Windsor. It is about 20 miles or so from central London. Very near Heathrow Airport. Since Friday was a workday it would be impossible to take a bus tour of the city. I really liked Windsor. Windsor Castle is the weekend home of the Queen. She officially considers this her home where as Buckingham Palace is more of an office. I can see why she likes Windsor. It’s not too far from London (more like a suburb) and is quite cute and pleasant. We were on our own when we got there and decided to go to Windsor Castle. Visitors are allowed to tour certain parts of the grounds but not all days and times since it’s a working castle and the Queen uses the castle often for private functions. Luckily we were able to get tickets and tour the grounds. We saw the tower, toured Queen Mary’s Doll House, saw the State Rooms (those were stunning), and St. George’s Chapel. The Queen Mother, King George VI, Princess Margaret, Henry VIII, and many others are buried there. Its also a sight for some Royal weddings. We were there when changing of the guard took place.
After leaving the castle we walked around the old part of the village and then got on our tour bus and headed back to central London. Parliament Square and Big Ben were about a ten minute walk from our hotel. Westminster Abbey is right there beside Parliament. Since it is an important church used for coronations, funerals, weddings, and many major services you do have to pay to visit unless you are attending a service. Many famous people are buried here as well including Geoffrey Chaucer, Sir Laurence Olivier, Rudyard Kipling, Queen Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots, St. Edward the Confessor, Charles Darwin, and Isaac Newton. Its quite a magnificent church.
Saturday May 15, 2010
Today we took a tour of the city. This is what we saw
• Hyde Park (Their version of Central Park)
• Royal Albert Hall (Big theatre used for performances)
• Prince Albert Memorial
• Picadilly Circus (London’s Times Square)
• The City
• Outside of St. Paul’s Cathedral
• South Bank
• Thames River
• London City Hall
• Tower Bridge
• Tower of London
• Gherkin (The pickle shaped building)
We ended up at Buckingham Palace. Then we took the Tube (London Underground), which is their subway to Tottenham Court Road, which is near the British Museum. This is quite a museum. The place is huge and crowded. They don’t really have British artifacts. Mostly Italian and Greek sculptures, Chinese and Japanese paintings, Egyptian mummies and coffins, pottery, etc. You could spend a whole day there.
Later we walked to Covent Garden. Very crowded but interesting shops and eateries.
We walked down to Trafalgar Square. This is one of my favorite places in London. Trafalgar Square is one of the most famous squares in London.
On the square is Nelson’s Column, which commemorates Admiral Horatio Nelson’s death at the Battle of Trafalgar.
The National Gallery is situated right on the square as well as St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church. In the crypt of this church there is a very well known café. Reservations need to be made in advance to go there.
That day Chelsea Football Club played Portsmouth and won big at Wembley Arena. The Chelsea fans were pretty enthusiastic that night.
Sunday May 15, 2010
We went to church at Brompton Oratory. Beautiful church. It was right next door to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum has nothing to do with Victoria or Albert. Its just named after them. According to their website one of the world’s largest museum of decorative arts. The collection consists of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, medieval arts, sculpture, and prints. Outside of Italy it holds the largest Italian Renaissance items. That was one of my favorite parts of the museum.
Then we went to Harrods. It holds just about every department you can imagine. The food halls are very popular. Its as large as two grocery stores.
We got on a double decker bus and headed back to Trafalgar Square to see the National Gallery.
It was raining when we got out so we got on a bus and took it all the way to Chelsea and spent time around there.
Interesting facts…
I absolutely loved London. Sure its different but the United States is different in each part of the country.
Many people say that London is like New York. It is not exactly the same but it has many similarities. For example traffic on the roads and in train stations is quite overwhelming. But most people are just going about their daily lives either to work, home, to various entertainment venues, shopping, sightseeing, etc. London has about 8 million people (central and in the suburbs) so its pretty busy but there are many quiet and cozy spots too.
In the parks its very laid back. The parks are so green but the U.K. does get a ton of rain.
The food is a bit different but not terrible. I stuck to Italian food, which was really good. I had salmon one night and it was delicious and Fish and chips too. Coca-Cola, water, orange juice tastes the same. The coffee is terrible even if they say its American coffee. They do have Starbucks, McDonalds (those golden arches are everywhere), KFC, and Pizza Hut. We did not venture there. But the tea is fabulous. You can’t go to London without tea. My Mom does not share the same opinion as I do about the food. Do if you talk to her you will hear something totally different. I am not saying British food is amazing but the ethic restaurants are very high quality.
The London Underground (The Tube) and the rest of the public transportation system is amazing. Cheap and quick. Yes you don’t see much in the Tube but at least you’ll get to your destination much quicker.
When I go back I will probably rent a flat (apartment) for a week or more. Its like renting a house or a condo in Hilton Head or the Outer Banks for a week. There are many different markets and grocery store chains within a five minute walk from anywhere. Waitrose, Tesco, and Sainsburys are the popular chains. Marks & Spencer is a popular department store (its like a U.K. version of Macys) also has small grocery stores throughout the area. That way you buy food for a good portion of your meals and keep it in the fridge. And cook your own meals! Safe a lot of money that way.
They say London is expensive but a good portion of the major attractions in London are free. All the major museum are free unless you want to see a special exhibition.
National Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Museum which we went to were free. They had good quality cafes plus many other restaurants nearby.
However Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey charged for admission.
Next time I do want to go to the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral. These also require admission.
But in reality there are over 20 attractions in London, which require no admission, which is quite good.
Inception thrills
Just when you thought you have seen every crazy movie out there another one comes out and completely blows you away. Inception does just that although you might want to catch the film a few times before jumping to any conclusions. Many critics and audiences think Christopher Nolan is a genius. Well he is and not only a genius but a creative individual. If you have not already seen it I would definitely check it out.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Almost there!
I forgot to mention in the last post that I love Law and Order. I have been watching on and off for the past five years. Really good stories and can't wait for more.
I will FINALLY BE going to London and Paris in a few weeks. I will be posting my experiences on here after I get back (may 20). So after that please check.
I just have one more final and of course its Spanish.
I will FINALLY BE going to London and Paris in a few weeks. I will be posting my experiences on here after I get back (may 20). So after that please check.
I just have one more final and of course its Spanish.
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