London : Part 2

So this is London Part 2. Part 1 is here.

I just thought it would be wise to divide London into 2, since there is so much to write about.

So, continue ah... (I'll start from 8 ya, because I stopped at 7 in part 1)

8. Covent Garden

This is the equivalent of 'Pasar Seni' in KL. There is a lot of local products sold in the Convent Garden, and most of all there are live performance everywhere. These live street performances ranges from magic show, daredevil show, and even opera singers singing. And these performances are good. I enjoyed most of them.

To get to Covent Garden, just board the tube to station Covent Garden which is on the Picadilly Line (Blue). However, on weekends, Covent Garden Tube Station maybe quite a traffic, so it is better to use Leicester Square station, on the Picadilly (Blue) and Nothern Line (Black) and walk towards Covent Garden.

Covent Garden Market

One of the Street Performers

9. Westminister Abbey

Westminister Abbey is a Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminister, as I know it as the place where Prince William and Kate Middleton got married. The building have some Gothic influences. I did not entered the Westminister Abbey, as it was already about 4 pm, (the abbey closes quite early, I think 4.30pm). So we just took pictures from outside. Apparenty, a lot of royals got married here and a lot of famous people that were buried or commemorated here. I think I would want to enter it when I visited Westminister Abbey again, just to visit Sir Isaac Newton's tomb.

To get to Westminister Abbey, just board the tube to station Westminister via Jubilee (Grey), Circle (Yellow) or District (Green) lines.

One of the entrances of the Westminister Abbey

The Side view of the Abbey

10. Hyde Park Corner

Hyde Park Corner is situated at the south east corner of Hyde Park. The only reason I went to Hyde Park is to visit Hard Rock Cafe, London. Peter Morton together with Isaac Tigrett co-founded Hard Rock Cafe and the first HRC that was opened was in Hyde Park Corner, London. When I went to the Hard Rock Shop, they were having refurbishment, but the Shop was still open, and I managed to get one pin, and one T-shirt for myself.

To get to Hard Rock cafe, take the tube to Hyde Park Corner, which is on the Picadilly Line (Blue) and walk through the underpass walkway to reach HRC which was just after the InterContinental London Park Lane Hotel. The pedestrian underpass walkway was indeed a beautiful one with murals and carvings on Duke Wellington's military carrier.

The Murals on Duke Wellington in an pedestrian underpass walkway

Hard Rock Cafe (under refurbishment)

11. Palace of Westminister (House of Parliament) & London Eye

The Palace of Westminister or also known as the House of Parliment is where two Houses of the Parliament of UK meet up, House of Lords and House of Commons. It is situated at the bank of the Thames river and there is a huge and famous clock tower known as The Big Ben.

The House of Parliament is situated next to Westminister Bridge. Across the bridge is the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel. The structure is 135 meters tall and the diameter of the wheel is 120 meters.

To get to both the House of Parliament and London Eye, take the Tube to Westminister via Jubilee (Grey), Circle (Yellow) or District (Green) lines. Getting to the London Eye is a bit further, but I went to these two monuments for pictures, so it doesn't matter if London Eye is further away, it's the picture that counts. ;)

The Big Ben as the background

London Eye

12. Harrods

Harrods is an a department store located in Brompton Road. I think Harrods is unique in a way that the interior design of the store is inspired by Ancient Egyptian theme. You can see statues of Pharoahs, and spinx thoughout Harrods. And if you wanna go in Harrods, make sure that you are dressed properly, since they have a dress code. I'm not sure 'properly' in what terms, but I guess smart casual is fine, not too kinky clothing. I survived the dress code. And the stuff sold inside Harrods is definitely not cheap, but the Harrods brand (such as the bags, stuff toys) are cheaper than in Kuala Lumpur.

Harrods at Night

13. Queensway

The place that will keep you near to home. Not just because Malaysia Hall is around the corner, but the whole street is filled with Asian shops, especially restaurants and the whole street closes a bit late compared to the rest of London. I was so glad that I found a Halal Malaysian restaurant in Queensway, at least there are a few dishes that suit my taste buds, and most of all I get to eat RICE!!! This is also the street you wanna shop for souvenirs. It's a bit cheaper compared to other places.

There is a shop near to the Queensway tube station, whereby if you a Malaysian, you'll get some extra goodies. To spot the shop, just watch out for a note written in Bahasa Malaysia at the entrance of the shop.

To get to Queensway, just board the tube to Queensway station via the Central Line (Red).

I'm so sorry I didn't have pictures of Queensway. I was too busy, either shopping or eating. haha

14. The stadium of your choice

Emirates!!! That's the stadium of my choice. Always a gunner at heart. There are about 11 professional football clubs in London. In the EPL, there at least 4 clubs that stadiums are in London. To name a few, Stamford Bridge (Chealse FC), Craven Cottage (Fulham FC), White Hart Lane (Tottenham Hotspur) and Loftus Road (Queens Park Rangers).

Emirates is huge! And there is a huge gift shop, The Armoury. And lucky me, when i went there, the jerseys were on sale for like GBP 15, and I bought 2, the home and away jersey, plus the EPL and UEFA patches. Quite a bargain.

It is easier to excess to Emirates via Tube if you stop at Halloway Road station which is on the Picadilly line (Blue)

The Armoury - Gift shop

In front of Emirates

15. The train rides

The intercity train rides are smooth and worth the time. As I had to go to Cambridge and Bristol, the train rides are very good options indeed. The lady at the National Railways counter was also very helpful, as she suggested for some tickets that were a bit later, but much much cheaper. The seats are comfortable and there is a cafeteria inside the train in case you get hungry. And the view outside is breathtaking.

Bristol Temple Meads Railway station

Some of the view from the train rides

Even there was so many places that I went, it is still not enough. I mean I can't get enough of London. There are still many places that I need to visit, like the British Museum, Madame Tussauds, Greenwich, take the HOHO bus and many more. I'm definitely coming again.

Just a few tips when you're visiting London, wear good walking shoes. See, I wore comfortable sneakers, but towards the end of the day, my feet would still ache, from overusing, as we walked a lot.

Bring lots of British pounds, haha, shopping is great here. After converting, it is still cheaper than in Malaysia, especially British brands such as Marks and Spencer, H&M etc. But do bear in mind, while shopping, make sure that you don't excess baggage, as the fee for excess baggage is super duper expensive.

Although it rains a lot in London, the climate is still dry compared to KL, so your skin will get really dry. Bring some Vaseline and apply to the dry areas of your skin. It really helps and you don't scratch as much. (dry skin will lead to itchy skin, haha, i just got to know that).

And because it rains a lot in London, it would really help if you got a winter coat that is water resistant with a hood.

Most of the time, I used the Tube (Underground) to get around London, as it is less confusing compared to the Bus rides (at least that's what I think). To get the most out the fares, it is better to use the Oyster Card, as it is cheaper that the normal single tickets. Or you can opt for the 7 day travel card, but you must know what zones you are going to travel in for the whole 7 days.

Hmmm what more, I guess just enjoy London. I did. :)