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Showing posts with the label London

European Exercise XIV: Back To Square One

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King's Cross , swiped from williamnyk on Flickr. Took the EuroStar from Paris Gare du Nord back to London. Once again, the confusing signage nearly got the better of us. The departure was actually upstairs and we had to check-in ala air travel. Seeing that we were running late, the staff let us through the gates without filling out our immigration cards. Security was also a bitch to clear. Had another round of grilling from the British immigration. Once in train, we heaved a sigh of relief and went to get some drinks. Ordered a cafe au lait and ate some biscuits. The barista was cute! A whole bunch of midgety HK students were milling around the area too. Back at our seats, we had fun seeing a Malaysian couple discussing their holiday plans. Boy: I wanna go the staidum. The stadium. The stadium. Girl: Don't forget shopping. Shopping. and more shopping. Boy: OK. Stadium then shopping. Girl: How about shopping then stadium? Gotta love 'em. Arrived at King's

European Exercise V: A Walk in the Park, A Nap in the Theater

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St. James Park II Swiped from williamnyk . Remember the "Mr. Bean" episode where Rowan Atkinson plays the fool with the Guard in the ever recognizable furry Bearskin Cap? Well, KH and I went to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and did nothing of the sort. Haha. Anyway, we woke up early on Wednesday and made our way to St. James Park first. Admired the beautiful blooms, especially the tulips. Big-ass squirrels also stalk the grounds and aren't afraid of humans. Plenty of people were lounging on the benches and the grass, soaking up the relaxing atmosphere. Managed to catch sight of some mounted police too. Walked the stretch of the park to the palace where we tried to squat at a piece of real estate along the gates to watch the preparation of the Changing of the Guard. Marching. Brass band. The works. Due to the coming royal wedding, plenty of international press was present to film. Caught sight of a semi-cute Asian cameraman. ;). After the g

European Exercise IV: Boring Towers, New Friend and Familiar Food

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Tower of London Swiped from williamnyk . On a sunny morning, we made our way to the Tower of London . Mr. Sunshine was so strong that we didn't even need our jackets. Paid the GBP20 and went in to look at... an old castle. Although it undoubtedly has a rich history, it failed to impress KH and I. Just halfway listening to the weirdly-dressed yeoman, we started yawning. Undoubtedly had a dark history, but we couldn't stay interested. If you must know, it became the prison for Thomas More and Anne Boleyn. Thomas Cromwell and Catherine Howard also met their executioners there. If the names sound familiar, try digging out your Form 4 history textbook. The line to see the crown jewels were very long, so we gave that a miss. Instead we looked at exhibitions in the White Tower. Henry VIII's armour really caught my eye with its protruding metal codpiece. Exiting the place, we went to the bank of the Thames to catch sight of Tower Bridge that is often mistaken as London Brid

European Exercise III: Five Hundred Steps of History and Art

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Welcome Cart Swiped from williamnyk . P.S.: Watch out for the deluge of photos! Heathrow T4 was nothing to shout about. Quite bare really. The immigration officer asked a whole lot of questions about our itinerary and who we were staying with. so you really know the person. Have you ever met the person? Just a friend of a friend? What is the address? Yadda, yadda, yadda... At least customs did not hassle us like what happened to me in Melbourne~ all blue gloves and ransacking your luggage. We waited a while before Matt and Jess, our host and hostess arrived. They were so nice to actually come pick us up before going to work! And it was a fifty minute Tube ride from town. :D. The first thing I learned about the Tube is that people in London stand on the right of the escalator. Was also shocked at how tiny the train was. Small even for 'petite' Asians and it services an ang moh Metropolis. Tak sangka . Oh yeah, it doesn't have air-conditioning too. Just open the air