18th June, 1615
Now writing this from the comfort of the Eurostar. We had a hell of a time running from our hotel, to bus, to tube, and finally to the International Rail station in order to catch this train. Then at the station, we found out that our tickets were not valide without an Europass! Waited a while, and finally Julian managed to persuade someone to let us in. We ran in, and caught the train, ( with 2 secs to spare ) gasping and panting. Now they're all relaxing on the train, eating squashed strawberries.
Side: Strawberries were highly in season when we got there, so they were selling everywhere, even when we went to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Prague and even Berlin.
Yesterday morning ( 17th June ) we went to Buckingham to catch the changing of the guard. Scratch that, we went to the National Gallery first. Oops.
The National Gallery is very large, with a huge no of artworks, one of the most famous being Van Gogh's Sunflowers. There were several altarpieces there that were magnificent, but we didn't have enough time ( and interest ) to stay longer. One day, I have to go back and spend a day there, just gazing at the art. I did manage to glance at some Van Goghs, Seurats and Constables before I left.
Then to Buckingham for the changing of the guard. We managed to follow the guards for a while but weren't near enough to the palace to catch the actual changing inside. Damn.
Lunch was outside Sainsbury's, after buying one of the best mistures of pasta and rice salads I have ever had. Wah lau, I usually hate salads but these were good though! Spent lunch sitting lazily outside the supermarket eating, and enjoying the breeze.
The British Museum ( where we went after lunch ) was also immense, the most imposing of all being the Reading Room. NEVER have I seen such an impressive library in my life!! How to describe it?? The Great Court in which the Reading Room is in is a large, white marbled hall, the walls so high, leading up to a white ceiling interlaced with black beams. Gives one the impression of standing in the pure nothingness of Heaven. Nothing above, below or around you.
The Reading Room is a cylindrical chamber in the middle of this Great Court. Open the doors to a large room, with rounded walls, and books leading to the very ceiling, kept in mahogant brown shelves. A mixture of reference books, and real collectors' items stand on its shelves. In the middle of the room is an information counter, which is surrounded by reading tables for those intending to read. If the Great Court is Heaven, then the Reading Room must be the center of all knowledge. As if to emphasize this point, there is few artificial lighting in both places. The ceiling is made of a clear material that lets enough natural light shine in. Truly London has a flair for architectural aesthetics that is not seen in Singapore.
And what do you know? I got lost in the museum. I was lingering behind, reading the mummy exhibits ( some of the mummies are haunting in the thought that there are real human bodies inside. The thought that the bundle of rags in front of you used to be a human being, like you, and that you soon be dead, like him, is a little unnerving )
Side: Am now passing by some fields. When you've lived in the city all your life, like I have, you are always fascinated by the sight of such wide expanses of land and greenery. Land and fields reaching as far as the eye can see, so far you could run through them and never reach the end, nothing ever getting in your way. But I digress. Back to the museum.
So anyway, I got separated from the group in the Egyptian exhibits. One minute they were there, the next, gone! I assumed they went down the back staircase, but they were not there. Nor where they in the lower floors or the other exhibits. ARGH!
Finally I got desperate enough to start looking for a public phone to Julian's handphone ( I don't wanna be freakin' lost by myself in London! ) After getting some directions, I descended to the Great Court, and THERE THEY WERE! ARGH!!! So relieved ( OMG there you guys are, I'm not lost anymore ) and mad ( What the F are you doing here while I've been running up and down looking for you?!! ) but my relief was greater than the other. Really. :p
After that, we were pretty free, so we went down to Camden St Market. Yen would like Camden Road. There're a bunch of shops selling funky gothic gear ( Like those used in cosplaying ) that she could check out. The Market itself resembles a pasar malam back hom, bunch of little stalls, with clothes hanging on suspended bamboo poles, all looking very pirated. :p
This was also our first look at one of London's poorer districts. The place had a ghetto feel about it, black bro's in da hood kinda thing, hip-hop playing in the background. Signs warning of pickpockets and saying that areas were covered by surveillance. Had to be a bit more on my guard here.
And also one of the cheapest Chinese dinners around. Because we got there quite late, most of the stalls were closing, so they offered rice/noodles with a side dish for UK$1! Finally we ended up buying from this Japanese couple who gave us 2 different sides + rice for UK$1. haha! Cheapest dinner in London ever!
After dinner, we went back to the room for a while, to rest, bathe, and relax. Me, Julian, Jordan and Sophia went out to Edgware Road but nothing much. I bought a copy of the much-talked about Cosmopolitan but I didn't see much inside that would warrant it getting banned back home. Or am I that corrupted already? Oh well, the free slippers were cute. :p
Now to today. ( 18 June ) In the morn, me, Greg and Wiki checked out Portobello Road Market at Notting Hill. Greg originally thought of going there to see if it looked anything like in the movie, but the market turned out to be more interesting. It was a whole freakin' road of market stalls! And so well organised, with markings on the road indicating the position for the stall, and each section of road dedicated to something, eg, one for fruits and veg, another for the flea market. Too bad we couldn't stay long 'cos it started to drizzle and we were afraid it would rain.
And dammit, we took the wrong bus and ended up at the North Pole. Well, North Pole road anyway, looking like the middle of nowhere as far as we were concerned. Came back late, and Julian and Jordan had already left, leaving instructions to meet up again at 1230.
Oh, and regarding the late checkout, we had rats to thank for that. The rats had already attacked the food in Julian and Jordan's room on the 2nd night we were there, and last night, in our room, Wiki and Sophia were awakened by the sound of them. Apparently they also ran across Greg on the floor, though he was too fast asleep to notice. So this morning, Julian and Jordan showed the people at the counter the spoiled food, complaining about the rats and claiming that Sophia had gotten food poisoning as a result. So in compensation, they extended our checkout time, and gave us UK$10.
Which we spent on German burgers when we went back to Portobello with Julian and Sophia much later. Good, but now I have a sore throat to answer for. Damn.
Then it was the Great Amazing Race to the train, and now we have left England and are under the Channel to Paris. Last thoughts on London:
-Its greatest strength is its diversity.
-The architecture is truly a historical treasure
-Londoners are actually pretty friendly to backpackers. When Greg n I went to Little Venice and were trying to find our way around, everyone we asked was more than willing to help. But then, this may apply mainly in the suburbs, where, it seems, people have more time on their hands.
-It is rich in culture and history and knows how to preserve and appreciate what it has.
All over for London ( For now ). Onwards to Paris!
Side: Strawberries were highly in season when we got there, so they were selling everywhere, even when we went to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Prague and even Berlin.
Yesterday morning ( 17th June ) we went to Buckingham to catch the changing of the guard. Scratch that, we went to the National Gallery first. Oops.
The National Gallery is very large, with a huge no of artworks, one of the most famous being Van Gogh's Sunflowers. There were several altarpieces there that were magnificent, but we didn't have enough time ( and interest ) to stay longer. One day, I have to go back and spend a day there, just gazing at the art. I did manage to glance at some Van Goghs, Seurats and Constables before I left.
Then to Buckingham for the changing of the guard. We managed to follow the guards for a while but weren't near enough to the palace to catch the actual changing inside. Damn.
Lunch was outside Sainsbury's, after buying one of the best mistures of pasta and rice salads I have ever had. Wah lau, I usually hate salads but these were good though! Spent lunch sitting lazily outside the supermarket eating, and enjoying the breeze.
The British Museum ( where we went after lunch ) was also immense, the most imposing of all being the Reading Room. NEVER have I seen such an impressive library in my life!! How to describe it?? The Great Court in which the Reading Room is in is a large, white marbled hall, the walls so high, leading up to a white ceiling interlaced with black beams. Gives one the impression of standing in the pure nothingness of Heaven. Nothing above, below or around you.
The Reading Room is a cylindrical chamber in the middle of this Great Court. Open the doors to a large room, with rounded walls, and books leading to the very ceiling, kept in mahogant brown shelves. A mixture of reference books, and real collectors' items stand on its shelves. In the middle of the room is an information counter, which is surrounded by reading tables for those intending to read. If the Great Court is Heaven, then the Reading Room must be the center of all knowledge. As if to emphasize this point, there is few artificial lighting in both places. The ceiling is made of a clear material that lets enough natural light shine in. Truly London has a flair for architectural aesthetics that is not seen in Singapore.
And what do you know? I got lost in the museum. I was lingering behind, reading the mummy exhibits ( some of the mummies are haunting in the thought that there are real human bodies inside. The thought that the bundle of rags in front of you used to be a human being, like you, and that you soon be dead, like him, is a little unnerving )
Side: Am now passing by some fields. When you've lived in the city all your life, like I have, you are always fascinated by the sight of such wide expanses of land and greenery. Land and fields reaching as far as the eye can see, so far you could run through them and never reach the end, nothing ever getting in your way. But I digress. Back to the museum.
So anyway, I got separated from the group in the Egyptian exhibits. One minute they were there, the next, gone! I assumed they went down the back staircase, but they were not there. Nor where they in the lower floors or the other exhibits. ARGH!
Finally I got desperate enough to start looking for a public phone to Julian's handphone ( I don't wanna be freakin' lost by myself in London! ) After getting some directions, I descended to the Great Court, and THERE THEY WERE! ARGH!!! So relieved ( OMG there you guys are, I'm not lost anymore ) and mad ( What the F are you doing here while I've been running up and down looking for you?!! ) but my relief was greater than the other. Really. :p
After that, we were pretty free, so we went down to Camden St Market. Yen would like Camden Road. There're a bunch of shops selling funky gothic gear ( Like those used in cosplaying ) that she could check out. The Market itself resembles a pasar malam back hom, bunch of little stalls, with clothes hanging on suspended bamboo poles, all looking very pirated. :p
This was also our first look at one of London's poorer districts. The place had a ghetto feel about it, black bro's in da hood kinda thing, hip-hop playing in the background. Signs warning of pickpockets and saying that areas were covered by surveillance. Had to be a bit more on my guard here.
And also one of the cheapest Chinese dinners around. Because we got there quite late, most of the stalls were closing, so they offered rice/noodles with a side dish for UK$1! Finally we ended up buying from this Japanese couple who gave us 2 different sides + rice for UK$1. haha! Cheapest dinner in London ever!
After dinner, we went back to the room for a while, to rest, bathe, and relax. Me, Julian, Jordan and Sophia went out to Edgware Road but nothing much. I bought a copy of the much-talked about Cosmopolitan but I didn't see much inside that would warrant it getting banned back home. Or am I that corrupted already? Oh well, the free slippers were cute. :p
Now to today. ( 18 June ) In the morn, me, Greg and Wiki checked out Portobello Road Market at Notting Hill. Greg originally thought of going there to see if it looked anything like in the movie, but the market turned out to be more interesting. It was a whole freakin' road of market stalls! And so well organised, with markings on the road indicating the position for the stall, and each section of road dedicated to something, eg, one for fruits and veg, another for the flea market. Too bad we couldn't stay long 'cos it started to drizzle and we were afraid it would rain.
And dammit, we took the wrong bus and ended up at the North Pole. Well, North Pole road anyway, looking like the middle of nowhere as far as we were concerned. Came back late, and Julian and Jordan had already left, leaving instructions to meet up again at 1230.
Oh, and regarding the late checkout, we had rats to thank for that. The rats had already attacked the food in Julian and Jordan's room on the 2nd night we were there, and last night, in our room, Wiki and Sophia were awakened by the sound of them. Apparently they also ran across Greg on the floor, though he was too fast asleep to notice. So this morning, Julian and Jordan showed the people at the counter the spoiled food, complaining about the rats and claiming that Sophia had gotten food poisoning as a result. So in compensation, they extended our checkout time, and gave us UK$10.
Which we spent on German burgers when we went back to Portobello with Julian and Sophia much later. Good, but now I have a sore throat to answer for. Damn.
Then it was the Great Amazing Race to the train, and now we have left England and are under the Channel to Paris. Last thoughts on London:
-Its greatest strength is its diversity.
-The architecture is truly a historical treasure
-Londoners are actually pretty friendly to backpackers. When Greg n I went to Little Venice and were trying to find our way around, everyone we asked was more than willing to help. But then, this may apply mainly in the suburbs, where, it seems, people have more time on their hands.
-It is rich in culture and history and knows how to preserve and appreciate what it has.
All over for London ( For now ). Onwards to Paris!
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