London is indeed a very exciting city - with the play houses (theatres), the museums, the bridges, the towers, the street names. It was exciting to walk on the street and then saying, " Baker Street... oh Sherlock Holmes!", and then turning a corner, " Wow, that's Pall Mall....... and there's Malborough!" "So, this is Oxford Street!" Someone commented : "Soho - I remember 30 years ago, there were many peek shows stationed here!" Walking along Kensington Road, we see stately homes owned by the well-heeled Londoners. Indeed the houses were exactly like that portrayed in the TV series 'Upstairs Downstairs'.
Westminister Abbey was majestic - Imagine - the bodies of the famous entombed here. I loved those stained glasses. Buckingham Palace was grand and regal.
The Tower of London looked formidable. I can imagine Mary, Queen of Scots looking out from her window in the tower where she was imprisoned. Who knew what thoughts ran through her mind as she awaited her execution?
We took a cruise down River Thames and had a different view of all those iconic buildings.Parliament House, big Ben, Westminister Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Gerkin, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Shakespeare's Playhouse......
Getting lost in London added an exciting dimension to our adventure - that is, if one learns to keep calm and level headed. There's always a map nearby and English is spoken here. :-). I believe that as long as one has money in the pocket, and armed with a handphone and with the address of one's hotel, one can never really get lost in London!
We went to Harrods (of course). After all the hype - there's nothing you can get in Harrods that you can't get in any other big stores. The place was crowded, but people weren't really buying - more of window shopping. I wish we had more time to visit other stores - but time did not permit.
One experience that was not in our itinerary was Notting Hill Carnival. I remember Notting Hill from the movie of the same name starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. So I was keen to see the place and the carnival was a bonus. It was my first experience of being in such a huge crowd. (Normally hubby and I would go all out to avoid crowd). The Africans and the Hispanics really know how to party. They danced with abandon and rocked the streets. It was a party that everyone was invited. We were literally 'carried' away by the crowd! Many times our feet did not touch the ground as we were pressed and lifted from all sides. yet, the amazing thing is that there is respect for each other. In spite of the crowd, there was no groping and we felt safe. (Except that we had to hold on to our bags for dear life - as we were warned about pickpockets!).
One experience that was not in our itinerary was Notting Hill Carnival. I remember Notting Hill from the movie of the same name starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. So I was keen to see the place and the carnival was a bonus. It was my first experience of being in such a huge crowd. (Normally hubby and I would go all out to avoid crowd). The Africans and the Hispanics really know how to party. They danced with abandon and rocked the streets. It was a party that everyone was invited. We were literally 'carried' away by the crowd! Many times our feet did not touch the ground as we were pressed and lifted from all sides. yet, the amazing thing is that there is respect for each other. In spite of the crowd, there was no groping and we felt safe. (Except that we had to hold on to our bags for dear life - as we were warned about pickpockets!).
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