London July 2016 (Part 2)

Welcome to the second installment of my London photo diary. The following days weren't as packed as the first, though there was still a lot of walking involved and even a little getting lost. It happens to the best of us, and is a part of any travel experience.

But before that...

We had one of the best meals in London at The Breakfast Club near our hotel! It was an adorable place with an 80s theme, and the morning rush had died down by then, allowing us to have a less hectic meal.

Shame on me for not taking pictures of my order (which was the Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs and a side of Avocado) but by that time I was too hungry. Also I wanted some memories to be left undocumented, just because documenting everything would tire me out eventually. I will say that the food was amazing. When the waitress came by to take our clean plates afterwards, we couldn't help but joke, "As you can see, we didn't like it." with a snicker. She jokingly replied, "Aww, I'm so sorry about that! I'll tell the chef." Friendly servers really improve your mood, no questions asked.

I wasn't aware of the first stop of the day, which is why I was surprised to know that we were heading to King's Cross Station!

I'm not sure if you all know by now but I am a huge Harry Potter fan, so of course I had to take a picture at the iconic trolley in the station, which was right next to a Harry Potter merchandise store!

Excuse my expression in this - clearly I wasn't ready! Also, yay for Slytherin!

We had a look around Camden Market afterwards, a set-up that wasn't too foreign to us considering all the night markets here in the Philippines as well as the ones I've been to in Seoul and Singapore. There were tons of small paintings that would have been really nice for my room, but alas, luggage space limit. :(

The food stalls (with free samples!) were all amazing, though! I initially wanted food from another stall but the owner stepped out for a while, to my dismay. I rewarded myself with some paella instead, which was still very tasty and satisfying. :D

Of course there was a trip to Oxford Street for a bit of shopping. Quite crowded, but the selection was amazing if you're really looking to buy from several stores. 

This is the part where we got lost trying to find Chinatown and the Prince Edward Theatre to watch Aladdin. When our directions didn't work, we asked several locals who gave very conflicting and confusing directions to our destination. I realized then that not only are London streets quite difficult to navigate, but its quite difficult to give directions to someone who has never been to a certain place before. 

We did make it in time, even with a quick stop for some milk tea/bubble tea upon my cousin's request, and some pork buns since we didn't get to have dinner. 

The show was so much better than I expected. The costumes and set were always amazing, and Genie as well as Aladdin's friends (shhh) were hilarious. Definitely worth a rewatch if it shows in Manila!

And since we passed by...

More Harry Potter! The play was showing at the end of the month, so I was bummed to hear that we wouldn't be able to see it. Still haven't read the book/play that came out a few days ago - no spoilers!

Finally - the last day! We had our breakfast at Duck and Waffle which didn't allow any big cameras, which explains the grainy phone pictures. It was a great breakfast, though service was a little off again. Our only homerun was at The Breakfast Club and Franco Manca. 

But back to the British Museum, our last stop. It was massive, even more than the National Gallery, so we really had to plan which exhibits to see to make most of our limited time. We selected a lot from Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt, and skipped a few Asian exhibits. Nothing we haven't seen before, right?

This was the same room where the Rosetta Stone was placed, but it was far too crowded to take any pictures. There were some mummies as well in other sections of the museum, which was really cool to see up close. I only get to see those on the National Geographic Channel when they talk about a pharaoh's tomb.

Don't wanna be this guy.

Some sculptures from the section on Ancient Greece. 

Mummy!

One of the watches from the watches and clocks collection. 

After that it was our last tube ride back to our hotel to collect our things before heading to the airport. We were heading back to Ireland (aka the home base) for more family time and even more adventures. Three days may seem short, but while I was there I felt like I've been in London for weeks. I hope you all enjoyed my London posts as much as I did creating and compiling. Definitely coming back to see more of the city in the future!

Next on the Europe 2016 travel line up: County Clare!

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

London July 2016 (Part 2)

By Pauline Read More

London July 2016 (Part 1)

Showing you all these pictures is a bit surreal.

I've been wanting to go to London since I was eight, the age I read my first Harry Potter book. So you could imagine my glee as soon as I got out of the train from Stansted and feasted my eyes upon a sight that I thought would always stay a dream. 

Looking back now, I can definitely say going to London was one of the highlights of my trip as the reality not only met my expectations, but surpassed it. There's something about those winding streets, mixed architecture, and the slight chill in the air even during the summer that resonated deep with me. Easy to say that I'm definitely coming back some time in the future.

But for now, here is my massive photo diary of my new favourite city (part two to come on Thursday).

I felt so small entering London Liverpool Street pulling along my luggage. I've only seen select parts of Bray and my aunts house in County Clare at this point, so you could only imagine how in awe I was with everything. That might have lasted for a good five minutes, because by then we had to go to our hotel and drop our things for lunch. 

My sister, cousins, and I in front of the Kindertransport Memorial. Yes, my cousin always does silly poses in pictures. I haven't seen them in four years and I was so happy to not only see them again, but  get to travel with them after such a long time. 

We were really lucky with the weather in London during our stay. No rain, about 20-22 degrees. Perfect temperature if you ask me!

We had lunch in Comptoir Libanais, which I heard a few YouTubers rave about in their videos. Food was pretty good, but service wasn't too great if I'm honest. Did the waitstaff have a thing against Asians? They made us wait about 45 minutes before we could order, even if the restaurant was open and completely empty. What gives?

Ah, the tube. I'm a fan of taking trains to go around so this was quite fun for me. I also love figuring out the best route and planning a trip by looking at the huge map of interconnected lines. Train doors close crazy fast, though!

First stop for the day was Buckingham Palace, which was beautiful. It was such a joy to photograph London to be honest, as every corner was just so photogenic. There were tons of tourists but I didn't mind one bit - was too excited!

We missed the Changing of the Guard Ceremony but that's all right. Food first!

I probably took about 70 pictures and waited a good 10 minutes for the wind. Trivia: the flag raised means the Queen is currently in Buckingham Palace.

The iconic red telephone booth, and just a few meters away...

...was Big Ben! That's when it really sunk in that I was in London. The clock itself is beautiful, and I had to capture a bit of the gold detailing which is often missed in landscape pictures and movie stills. 

After a quick trip to Tesco with a few bottles of water and a packet of blueberries later, we made it to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. I remembered watching a livestream of the London Premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 years ago and I told myself I had to stand in the middle of that square someday. There were also tons of street performers - a rare sight for me considering there aren't much in Manila. 

I didn't risk sneaking pictures with my camera inside the Gallery, so I took photos with my phone instead. We whizzed through it quickly, only stopping for prolonged periods of time to admire artists like Monet, Caravaggio, and Van Gogh. I honestly can't wait for the day I get to visit New York to see Starry Night in the Museum of Modern Art. 

Believe it or not, we covered all these places in around 2.5 hours, which is insane. I was fine since I like walking long distances anyway, but after waking up so early, we were all in need of a quick nap back at the hotel.

Mostly to get back some energy to watch one of the funniest plays I've seen, but only after a pre-theatre dinner at Cote, which was a French restaurant my aunt wanted to try. 

The Play That Goes Wrong is by the Mischief Theatre Company, and played at the Duchess Theatre. It's a smaller production compared to the one we watched the following day, but it was so enjoyable without trying hard at all. If you're planning to go to London, I highly recommend you see it! My cousin even got to be on stage for a few minutes when they asked for volunteers.

And that was our jam-packed first day in London! I hope you all enjoyed this post as much as I did experiencing and relieving it. Have any of you been to London before, or want to visit in the future?

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

London July 2016 (Part 1)

By Pauline Read More