This is part 2 of a multi-part series describing my trip from Amsterdam to London and back!
Having arrived in London, I was super excited and had many things
planned to make this trip a memorable one. Naturally, I wanted to get
done with immigration and baggage claim as soon as I could. To my
luck, Heathrow was almost deserted on the night I arrived, and the
immigration staff seemed too bored to bother incoming passengers. I
was hustled away from immigration in a matter of seconds, and my
baggage was on the belt when I reached there.
Exploring gardens, farms and drive through London:
I am so glad that through out my trip, the weather was at it´s best.
It was slightly cold, but always sunny, which made it very easy for
me to walk around and explore the city.
I spent quite some time exploring Londonś gardens and the massive
farms that are present to the North of the city. A friend of mine
drove me around which made exploring the area easy.
We visited many places including the extremely scenic St Albans. I
happened to visit here on Christmas eve, and the entire town was
deserted. There was not even a single person in sight, and the entire
area had a peaceful and calm aura to it.
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| Look at how deserted it is!! |
I visited the churches and the beautiful buildings that surround this
place, and took quite some time admiring the art in front of me. I
did round up my visit to St Albans by visiting the famous Verulamium
park.
This beautiful park has a lake that runs right through, and the
entire atmosphere is a very relaxing one. A walk around the garden,
listening to the ducks ended with me trying to get a coffee at the
parkś restaurant only to realize that it is closed (its Christmas!).
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| The lake at Verulamium Park - Beautiful! |
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| It was fun being chased around by these guys |
Later that night, we drove to Wembley area where we had a wonderful
meal (which was surprisingly very cheap). The grilled meat we
ordered was cooked to perfection and was so well priced that I made
it a point to return once more during my trip.
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| The magnificent Wembley Arch |
Into the city:
Having seen the gardens and parks that adorn London, it made sense
for me to explore the city (and perhaps try some awesome food there).
I really like Londonś public transportation system, with the immense
network of tube and buses making it ridiculously easy to travel from
one place to other. I bought a one-day ticket that cost me €11 (I
think this is pretty expensive!!)
I carried this card back home as a souvenir from my trip to London :)
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| The day pass I bought - now a souvenir for me |
Being in central London, I took to a path that many tourists tread upon. Walking over the Thames, I realized how attractive the city
is. From this place I could have a clear view of the London eye, the
Big Ben and the cityś financial district all at the same time!
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| The Big Ben and the Thames |
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| A view of Londonś financial district |
It was a very windy day, and walking by the Thames made me feel
super-cold. However I am happy that it did not rain.
Even in London, I realized that the most popular restaurant for
visitors is McDonalds :) This is very counter intuitive to me as I
prefer trying local cuisine than to indulge in food I can buy back at
home.
From the London parliament, I walked over to Trafalgar square and
encountered this memorial that I found very interesting.
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| A memorial to those who fought the World War |
Visiting the charming Trafalgar square was a great experience. It
amazes me that London being such a big city has places of such
historic importance at a stoneś throw away from the city center. The
national art gallery and the beautifully sculpted architecture
coupled with the rows of little shops ensure a great time for
visitors.
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| Trafalgar square gallery |
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| Really interesting sculpture |
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| Horse Guards, Whitehall |
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| The blue rooster :) |
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| Some more beautiful architecture |
From Trafalgar square I walked over to Londonś China town at
Lichester square. There was a local festival that was going on and I
spent a lot of time enjoying the rides and food there. I am sure that
Leichester square is one place where people from all ages can have a
fun time. There is an assortment of street performances, restaurants
that serve mouth watering delicacies, a theater that screens the
latest of movies and a wide array of casinos to choose from and
indulge in. Not to mention there are so many English pubs that line
the street.
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| The local festival at Leichester square |
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| A Burger King! |
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| The way to Piccadilly Circus |
A visit to Leichester square is almost always coupled with seeing
Piccadilly circus. Seeing the bright and glaring displays showing so
many advertisements immediately reminded me of Sherlockś theme song :)
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| Sherlock! |
Back to Amsterdam:
My trip to London has been an awesome experience. Not only did I
visit the city, I also got the opportunity to visit some of London´s
many gardens. To say that I am impressed would be an under statement.
I am positive, that London´s charming views and rich heritage would
bring me back some other day for another trip.
I flew back to Amsterdam with KLM and was pleasantly surprised by a city I have longed to visit for such a long
time. It is truly said: ¨A man who is tired of London is a man who is tired of life.¨
Back in Amsterdam, I got to relax and sample the new year celebrations which were so much fun as well :)
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| Amsterdam fire works on new year eve |
