A London Christmas (Part 2)

This is part 2 of a multi-part series describing my trip from Amsterdam to London and back!

Part 1: Travel to London, AMS - LHR (KLM)
Part 2: My stay in London, and trip back (An Amsterdam new year!)

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.

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!).

The lake at Verulamium Park - Beautiful!

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.

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 :)

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!

The Big Ben and the Thames

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.

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.

Trafalgar square gallery

Really interesting sculpture

Horse Guards, Whitehall

The blue rooster :)

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.

The local festival at Leichester square

A Burger King!

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 :)

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 :)

Amsterdam fire works on new year eve