28 Dec 07 - London Day 1

The hostel where I am staying in London is called Astor Victoria. The location was ideal as it is located very close to the Victoria Coach Station. The hostel staff was really nice by helping me with all my queries and most importantly, the hostel had comfy beds which did not make noise when we moved about on the bed. I would recommend this hostel to anyone who intends to visit London (I am not paid to say this!)

As I took a look at the London map, I knew I was in for a big serving for the 3 full days in London. The aim for today was just to cover the main attractions, located not too far away, on foot. The weather was cloudy and gloomy, but it turned out later that it did not rain until the evening. So I started the day with a visit to Westminster Cathedral. Nice exterior, nice interior. Did not spend too much time there and I immediately proceeded to the Buckingham Palace.

Westminster Cathedral and the interior

The Changing of the Guards ceremony would take place today at 11h30 so I made my way there earlier cos I have heard that it would be best to reach there at least half an hour before the ceremony. When I reached there at 10h45, I was shocked that there was already quite a big crowd (damn, these people were even more kiasu than me =P). In fact, the areas nearer to the fences of the palace were already fully occupied. I did not know where the ceremony would take place, but I was guessing that it would happen on the road between the palace and the Queen Elizabeth monument. So I crossed the road in the hope that I could get a better view. More and more people flooded in and the police did their jobs to control the human traffic. All of a sudden, it seemed to me that all the tourists were gathered in the vicinity of Buckingham palace. When the ceremony started, everyone was frantically taking photos and videos, including me. Honestly, they have really unique uniforms and “funky” hairstyle. However, when the guards have already passed the road, they went inside the palace compound and the rest of the ceremony took place there. Alas, why was I so stupid, of course the ceremony had to take place inside the palace. Anybody wishing to watch this ceremony should reserve themselves a place nearer to the fence in the middle of the palace. Halfway through the ceremony, I crossed back to the palace side to try to catch a glimpse of the ceremony, but it was a futile attempt. At least, I had some consolations because I managed to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family who were themselves watching the ceremony from one of the palace doors.

L-R: London's unique cab; Buckingham Palace

L-R: Queen Elizabeth monument; police patrolling on top of horses

the guards marching past

L-R: the crazy crowd; a glimpse of the royal family

After the slight disappointment with the ceremony, I walked towards St. James Park which were located just next to the Buckingham Palace. I loved this park. It was pretty and lively with tourists and local families alike. I did not spend too much time over here though as I knew I had very little sunlight left for the day. So I moved on to the Westminster Abbey.

St James' Park

Unlike the cathedral which was free, I had to pay 7 pounds fee for entrance to the abbey. This famous abbey was a place where most of the kings and the queens of England have been crowned. The exterior and interior of the abbey were obviously nice, notably the Henry VII Chapel which was especially grand with its fan-vaulted ceiling, claimed to be one of the finest in Europe. The other highlight of the abbey was the Poets’ Corner where over 120 writers, actors, poets, musicians were buried or memorialized.

Westminster Abbey & the interior

It was already close to 14h as I exited from the abbey. The good thing about traveling alone again is that you only have to take care of one stomach. =D So as long as I could still take it, I moved on. Prochain arret: The Parliament House and the Big Ben. As I was passing in front of the parliament house, there was a group of Somalians who were demonstrating against Ethiopia. Not sure what the whole affair was about though. Anyway, tourists were denied entrance into the parliament house. So after I took a couple of photos with the Big Ben (which was one of the more famous icons associated with London), I decided to take a break for a quick hotdog lunch while enjoying the view at the Thames.

L-R: the Big Ben & demonstration in front of Parliament House

From where I was taking my break, I could see the London Eye, a permanent ferries wheel run by British Airways. It claimed to provide breathtaking view of London, but I was a little pessimistic with the aerial view, given the fact that London is almost always cloudy and gloomy. So I decided to give it a miss, partly because of the extravagant fee, but also because I would be splurging even more for Madame Tussauds tomorrow.

L-R: London Eye; typical London phone booth

After walking along the Thames for a while, I made a turn to 10 Downing Street. This is the official residence of the English prime minister. This building had been home to the likes of Winston Churchill to Margaret Thatcher. Today Tony Blair and family reside here. I could only manage a glimpse at the house though as the street was blocked by police.

On my way to the Trafalgar Square, I passed by the Horse Guards Museum. Managed to get a couple of shots with the guards. By now, I am really very thick-skinned to ask people to help me take photos. Haha.

with the guards

Trafalgar Square was nothing special, just another open space with a monument where the youngsters chill out. Located on one side of the square is the National Gallery, an art museum with a collection of more than 1000 paintings. As is the case for most museums in London, this one was free as well. Hence I decided to give it a quick tour as I was not really that interested in art museum anyway. I followed the “highlight tour”, basically referring to a collection of about 30 paintings that were more popular among the visitors. I almost fell asleep handling just 30!! I was out in less than 90 minutes and my mood was further dampened by the slight rain. But too bad, the travel must go on and I can’t just wait for the rain to stop.

L-R: Trafalgar Square & the National Gallery

I made my way towards the Picadilly Circus. Upon my arrival in the neighbourhood, my spirit was immediately lifted again. This area was famous as a centre for many concert theatres for plays. The busy pavements were bustling with “live signboards”, referring to men/women standing among the sea of people, holding an advertisement board. The products advertised range from concert tickets, internet cafés, restaurants, football tickets and even McDonalds joined in the fun! Such was the fierce competition in London that they had to station people by the streets to attract the crowd.

the "live" advertisement

As I walked along Coventry Street towards Leicester Square, I found even more agents for some play tickets. Most were offering half prices, but I was skeptical about the authenticity of the tickets (later on I found out from the hostel staff that it was really half price and not a scam). Anyway, they really spoiled the audience with a wide variety of choices. Les Miserables, Billy Elliot, Lion King, etc, etc… Most tickets were offered from 20-25 pounds. If it was cheaper, I definitely would not mind an evening inside a theater.

the various plays

Further down the street at Leicester Square, there was a mini theme park with many different games that reminded me of a theme park near my house in Indo. Apart from the usual bumper cars and carosels, there were many small booths such as basketball booth, lucky roulette, dartboards and throwing balls at can pyramids. I think I am still young at heart. Haha.

mini theme park @ Leicester Square

L-R: still at Leicester Sq; Chinatown

Afterwards I had a quick dinner at the Chinatown area at a buffet restaurant. In the restaurant, I found out that during peak period, customers only have 45 minutes to eat as much as they want. Luckily, I came in at the right time and I had unlimited time to gobble up till I was full. In total, I paid 10.20 pounds inclusive of drink which was not part of the buffet. Not a bad deal considering that I only had hotdogs in the afternoon.

The day still did not end after that. I headed to Covent Garden which was only a few minutes walk from Chinatown. Contrary to the name, it has no green patches, no flowers, no park, nothing of that sort. In fact, it was a market that sold souvenirs, with boutiques and restaurants in the building. What left a lasting impression on me were the street performers. Many of them were performing dangerous stunts and they were very good entertainers. I watched one performance where the actors were doing single wheel bike stunt at a height of 3 metres while juggling 3 bowling pins. These performers also blatantly asked the audience for donations by mentioning the amount they expect to get because of the danger/risk involved in their stunts. Most asked for at least 2 pounds. Being a poor student tourist, I left once I took the video of the stunt. =P

Covent Garden with a street performer

It has been a long day and it was time to go back to the hostel. I decided to walk back even though I knew I was quite far away from the hostel. In the end, it took me almost one hour from Covent Garden all the way to Pimlico on foot. This was one of the reasons why I have decided that I should save some time by taking the tube tomorrow.

When I went back to my room, I had the opportunity to talk to this Italian guy who had come to London on his own accord to improve his English. He is 22, a technician and comes from Vicenza. He wished to stay for about 1 month in London and try to land a job as a pizza maker at the same time. He told me that he was determined to improve his English and he felt he should do it while he was still young. For these, I respect him.