London (27th December 2009 - 3rd January 2010)

Catching the Hogwarts Express to celebrate New Year with my idol - Hermonie Granger... Yipee!!!

Must remember this list of best free activities to be done in London which I found before and hope to be able to acomplish them...

***** Butterflygal's Trip Update *****
On the way to London, I fell sick probably due to the stress of being the guide the past few days plus too much adventures haha. So the first few days in London were pretty laid back where I arranged to meet a long time buddy and we visit just a few places each day. As I slowly recovered my strength, I included more places to visit with the suggestions by my host and my friend's guide book. So what is London like in bflygal's eyes?

London, the place I been there 3 times...

First time when I am still in my Mum's ovary (nobody can deny that fact right??)
At that time, Princess Diana just got married too...

The second time I was in London, Princess Diana had departed.

Shocking.. I still remember the news.. Not that I was a Prince William fan.. Never really fancy him actually in my school days. But I did follow Princess Diana's story then. Funny though I never visit her memorial that year. But I wasn't the tour guide then.

Anyway more about London in its olden days once again through the coasters haha

Before I show you the modern London (modern is used in this context with relation to the time the post is published hahahah)..

Actually not much have changed. Just that probably my zoom has improved haha.

Visited Trafalgar Square which commemorates Lord Nelson's defeat of the French Fleet at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805

The Square was laid out in the early 1830's and, at first, nobody was at all sure what it was to be used for! Some wanted it to be London's answer to the Piazza San Marco in Venice, whilst others argued it should be a rival to the great Places that graced Paris. There was a proposal to turn it into a monument to the then monarch William 1V. Another enticing suggestion was that the Square should be filled with a pyramid that would be equal in height to St Paul's Cathedral (twice the height of Nelson's Column) in memory of those who had been killed at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

The arguments continued until 1837 when a suggestion that a monument to Nelson should be erected in the square received universal support. Again there was a great deal of debate and discussion as to what would be a fitting memorial to Horatio Nelson, who was killed by a sniper's bullet at his moment of victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

It was suggested that Nelson's ship the Victory should be rebuilt in stone, at twice its actual height with every member of the crew depicted in the exact position they were in at the moment Nelson was shot.

Finally the idea of a column surmounted by a statue of Nelson was decided upon and thus Nelson now stands atop his 170 foot column high above the square.
Source: Harry Potter London Walk Guide

And fyi, Big Ben refers not to the Clock Tower as many people assume but to the largest bell in the chime, a 13.5 tonner named for the first commissioner of works.

And as I was mentioning about Princess Diana in the begining of the post, I happened to go back Harrods not knowing that there were 2 memorials set up for her.

There are two memorials inside Harrods department store, owned by Dodi Al-Fayed's father Mohamed Al-Fayed, in London. The first memorial consists of photos of the two behind a pyramid-shaped display that holds a wine glass still smudged with lipstick from Diana's last dinner as well as an 'engagement' ring Dodi purchased the day before they died. The second, unveiled in 2005 and titled "Innocent Victims", is a bronze statue of the two dancing on a beach beneath the wings of an albatross.
Source: Wiki

I went back Harrods because that was where my dad brought me before and I wanted to relive the memories.

Another thing that relived my memory probably is boarding the London Underground - the Tube again. It has indeed expanded.

Building the first Charing Cross
The original Charing Cross was built in 1291 – 1294 by Edward I in memory of his wife, Queen Eleanor of Castile. It stood near here until it was destroyed in 1647.
These pictures are of the people who contributed to the building and are by David Gentleman.

There is more to life than increasing its speed
Mahatma Gandhi

Nice, and this is the second time I see Gandhi in my trip...

A Two-Hour walk around Notting Hill
I also did a Notting Hill Walking tour from a tour book in memory of Notting Hill movie. Though I confess I only did half way through because it started to drizzle (again) and I was meeting CL for a play.

1) Leaving Notting Hill Gate tube station, follow the signs to Portobello Road, taking Pembridge Road.
Intriguing shops here include Retro Woman (Nos. 20 and 32) and Retro Man (No. 34) for period clothes and accessories. The souvenirs here were pretty cheap too.
2) At the Sun in Splendour pub, turn left into Portobello Road.
No. 22, among the attractively painted terraced house on the right, was where George Orwell lived in 1927 before his writing career begain.
3) Cross Chepstow Villas and the serious antique shops begin.
At No 115 is a plaque to June Aylward who opened the first antique shop in the street.
4) At Colville Terrace, the daily fruit and vegetable market begins. On the left is the Electric Cinema, said to be the oldest working cinema in Britain 1910, and certainly one of the most delightful.
5) Turn left down Blenheim Crescent to find The Travel Bookshop, inspiration for the location of the 1999 film Notting Hill, in which Hugh Grant was the assistant.

Notting Hill is a very pretty little town which I hoped to visit again during their weekend if I have a chance again especially their Portobella weekend market.

So while I missed Portobella weekkend market, I did visit a few other markets early in the morning like
Billingsgate market

and Borough market

Christmas in London was fantastic. There was this special tree given by the city of Oslo as a token of Norwegian gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during the years 1940-45. A tree has been given annually since 1947.

Shows that Norwegian people are very sincere in showing their appreciation. Thumbs up!

In fact the Christmas market is the largest I visited and the most happening one for the trip. But gluhwein was expensive (in conparision to the other cities) so we drank hot Baileys chocolate instead. Haha i guess we are alcoholic. You can spot it in the food photo later. I did not sit the ferris wheel because I planned to sit the London Eye already haha.

And British musuesms are usually free. So cool. If only SG musuems share the same sentiments. Anyway that means more museum visits e.g.
British Museum

Rosetta stone is probably the most frequently visited exhibit. I went round just to find it too. Had a hard time finding because it was covered by the crowd haha.

The Rosetta Stone was discovered in mid July 1799 by soldiers in Napoleon's invading army at the town of Rashid (Rosetta).

and Museum of London

Leather ‘bikinis’,
Trunks, or lower half of a bikini tied on each side of the hips with leather laces
From Queen Street and Shadwell
Both trunks are small in size. They were probably worn by young girls who were aerobatic dancers

Was trying to find ancient bikini... Only to realise it is this black cloth thingy....

and National Maritime Museum

It was a rather rushed visit and even then I still did not manage to visit the Royal Observatory Greenwich. But it had been interesting and I love these stained glass from the Baltic Exchange - Virtue Windows.

Virtue Windows
The subjects of these windows are the Virtues of Hope, Fortitude, Justice, Truth and Faith. The Romans established a long list of virtues as qualities to which all human beings should aspire. The early Christian Church adopted some of these as principal codes of conduct, which could eventually be attained through the Christian faith. The virtues are common themes in Medieval and Renaissance art, where they are traditionally depicted as women.

 Hope
This window shows the virtue of Hope, which represents aspirations of happiness. Hope may also refer to the desire for victory and lasting peace. Hope is shown resting her right hand on an anchor, symbolic of the stability that she brings during times of difficulty.

Fortitude
The virtue of Fortitude represents strength and courage in times of trouble. Here, a cherub presents Fortitude with a sword or mace, a symbol of strength and protection. She is guided through troubled times by the light of the torch that she holds aloft.

Justice
This was the central window in the war memorial of the Baltic Exchange. Justice holds a s word in her right hand which signifies the right of the law to exact punishment for offences; In her left hand are scales which symbolize the impartiality with which justice is administered.

Truth
Truth represents honesty when dealing with others. Truth was an important virtue to Roman citizens. Interestingly, the symbolism of the snake and mirror, which appear on this window, are more traditionally associated with the virtue of Prudence. The snake traditonally symbolizes caution, while the mirror reflects a true image to the observer.

Faith
One of the most severely damaged of the virtue windows, this one depicts the virtue of faith, representing belief in God. Faith carries a cross-headed staff in her hand, symbolizing Christianity, while the child to her left reads from the gospels.

and Tate Museum

Tate museum is very big... Lots of artwork but no photography allowed.

After that we walked the Millenium Bridge to St. Paul's Cathedral. This is where the dementors were flying above Harry Potter.. I confess I cannot remember the scene though.

A visit in St. Paul's Cathedral is not free though haha. And so I did not pay for it. Plus the Q was pretty long. (I can imagine that scene in Italy soon.)

London’s Anglo-Saxon cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1087. Building of the new Norman cathedral was slow and it was not dedicated until 1241, after which work began almost immediately on extending the east end in the new Gothic style. When it was completed in the 1320s, the cathedral was the largest building in England. Its spire was more than 120 metres (400 feet) high.

A visit to the Tower Hill to see the Tower Bridge... but I happened to see other interesting sights too like these:

Girl with a dolphin
David Wynne
1973

London Wall
This is one of the most impressive surviving sections of London’s former city wall. The lower part, with its characteristic tile bonding courses, was built by the Romans around 200 AD. Its purpose may have been as much to control the passage of goods and people as for defence. Against its inner face on this side, the wall was reinforced by a substantial earth rampart. Outside was a wide ditch. In the far right hand corner, evidence of an internal turret was found in excavation. This probably contained a staircase giving access to the sentry walk. Complete with its battlements, the Roman wall would have been about 6.4 metres high.

During the medieval period, the wall was repaired and heightened. From the 17th century it fell into disuse and parts were demolished. Several sections, including this one, were preserved by being incorporated into later buildings.

Ok in London, there are a few to-do things I aimed to do.. namely

To do the Harry Potter London Walk Guide
Which I broke down into various days to be completed.

Can you imagine Diagon Alley with their olden books...

Leadenhall, which dates from 1881, is London's most beautiful Victorian market. The market has been used in the Harry Potter films for the exterior shots of Diagon Alley.

or Death Eaters chasing us

In the opening sequence of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince the Death Eaters continue their attack on London by coming up from behind and then round each side of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral ahead.

Or me catching the Hogwarts Express at Platform Nine and Three Quarters?

Or me descending into Ministry of Magic via the phone booth (alright I did not went in, CL did though so ask her about how Ministry of Magic is like).

To see the Greenwich Merdian Line

My countdown was spent in a freezing cold night near Thames River. It was also the only time I saw snow in London once the clock struck 12 as the other days were just rainy days. Surprisingly when we were touring in Greenwich and my friend asked if today is any special, I had looked puzzled. Because even I had forgotten that it was supposed to be a brand new year. Anyway Greenwich is a very quiet little town. I like the feel when I was there. And I like the night scenery which actually is a typical night city scene because you are seeing the Canary Wharf from afar. Very different from being in the central London at night in terms of architect where central London has a more ancient (rich in history) feel. And yes I need to revisit Greenwich again to find the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

To watch a Play

Most good plays were quite expensive so we chose An Inspector Calls. CL found it all talk and no play.. But I like their witty conversations haha.

To watch football

Fulham vs Swindon. Thank goodness there was a goal scored and was from Fulham. That and the sunset is the highlight of the game haha.

Last but not the least, to board the London Eye.

After the Singapore Flyer, London Eye had been something I wanted to do if I ever visit London (read about it in papers long time ago) and the long queue to buy the tickets did not put me off. It really was worth it although night scenery is tricky to take photos.

As mentioned London had been very rainy during my visit... And that it even snowed on New Year's day. On the last day in London, the lake froze even.. And when I came back to SG, London started snowing heavily. Hmm somehow is ok to miss the London snow I suppose.

Oh ya I like the clocks here at Canary Wharf. Normal people will wonder why there were 6 clocks, but upon close inspection, each clock only shows one number. These clocks are called
Six Public Clocks
by Konstantin Grcic
Sculpture
Steel, Glass
in 1999.

This playful installation is based on the iconic Swiss railway clock, however each face only has one numeral and they are all set to the same time. German designer Grcic is better known for his furniture and product design, which is both modernist and elegant.

Source: Commentart.com

(P/s: I thin Canary Wharf is a good place to do a walk.. check the guide here.)

Amazingly I missed the food in London.. because their Pub food is really cheap!!!

It started when we decided we should have a good New Year Eve’s Dinner. CL had Rump steak and I had Chicken and leek pie. And we realised the price is so reasonable...

The next day we were at Greenwich, and we saw this pub breakfast promotion which was another good deal.. A hearty breakfast too...and we decided to have a good New Year Day dinner as well (haha I had to spoil CL so that she will be my travel mate again :p ). Was planning to rush back to the pub near London Bridge but realised this pub style is the same too... So are the prices. Oh we went for our New Year Day drinks that early morning that's why we remembered this pub.

But what I cannot cannot forget.... Are the lovely meals cooked by my friends (the kind hostess who offered free accommodation for us and my super long-time buddy which I do miss dearly at times). Their culinary skills were superb!

Oh ya I just had to take photos of some souvenirs like these which I have in my home too... I went to buy the keychain again because I spoilt mine... the water leaked out.

Audrey Hepburn.. my favourite Hollywood icon...

I did not buy that tee though... Did not plan to get a scolding from my parents haha.

To conclude, London, I be back for my 4th time to visit…
1) Shakespeare's Globe
2) Oscar Wilde Statue @ Charing Cross Station
Especially love his quote "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars"
3) Charles Dickens
4) The Sherlock Holmes Pub
5) Royal Observatory Greenwich

Related Posts:
Part 0: Off to find my White Xmas
Part 1: Frankfurt-Heidelberg
Part 2: Amsterdam
Part 3: Brussels
Part 4: Luxembourg
Part 5: London