At long last, having located a new cord for my camera, I'm able to tell you a bit -- with illustrations -- about my day in London.
While booking my trip to India, I had the good fortune of finding a flight to Bombay that included a 10-hour layover in London. I like to break up the 20+ hours of traveling to India when possible, and this particular itinerary allowed me to have two overnight flights bookending a lovely day in the sunshine.
On suggestion of my friend Anna, whom I planned to meet later in the day, I started my day trip off in central London from the Westminster Tube station. It was a perfect place to start, as Big Ben greeted me as soon as I could see the outside world.
I spent half an hour walking around Westminster, taking in the architecture, the sun, the crowds and, as I rounded the southern edge of the palace, the Thames. After a 10-hour flight from San Francisco, I was more than happy to have a breath of fresh air and a chance to stretch my legs.
I stayed at Westminster long enough to hear Big Ben chime 1:30 p.m. and then headed on, as I had only about 90 minutes left to sightsee. I headed north, first along the Thames for a block, stopping to get a solid snap of the London Eye.
I headed up Whitehall then toward Trafalgar Square, buzzing through en route to Picadilly, which I was keen to get at least a glimpse of.
At Picadilly, I judged that I was in desperate need of some sustenance -- so I hailed a cab toward Covent Garden, in search of a noted chippy. (You can't head to London and miss a chance to have real fish and chips, can you? Thanks for the suggestion, Carl!) You can see the results here. Overall: Highly impressed.
Finally, refueled and in need of some caffeine, I headed back toward Trafalgar Square for tea. After an amusing stop at the post office (they have a take-a-number system, like a deli -- how efficient!), I finally found my long-lost friend, Anna, outside the National Portrait Gallery. We settled in upstairs for the aforementioned afternoon tea (see here), catching up about traveling, studying, writing and the old gang for nearly three hours. Afterward, Anna walked me through Leicester Square and dropped a very jet-lagged version of me at the Tube to head back to Heathrow. I had just enough sense left to pick up some postcards from the shop inside the station.
While my day there was too short to begin to see all of the sights I've dreamed of, I thoroughly enjoyed London. Next trip: Looking up where Dickens walked and wrote, a tour through rock 'n roll history and, if possible, a look inside the Royal Opera House, where the Nutcracker I watch every Christmas was filmed (yes, I know I was right there in Covent Garden this time -- but I was tired).
For now, off to lunch in Bombay at Royal Willingdon Sports Club, a great reminder of the British presence and influence here in India. For full photos of London, see here.
While booking my trip to India, I had the good fortune of finding a flight to Bombay that included a 10-hour layover in London. I like to break up the 20+ hours of traveling to India when possible, and this particular itinerary allowed me to have two overnight flights bookending a lovely day in the sunshine.
On suggestion of my friend Anna, whom I planned to meet later in the day, I started my day trip off in central London from the Westminster Tube station. It was a perfect place to start, as Big Ben greeted me as soon as I could see the outside world.
 |
| Big Ben looms large through the canopy at Westminster station. |
I stayed at Westminster long enough to hear Big Ben chime 1:30 p.m. and then headed on, as I had only about 90 minutes left to sightsee. I headed north, first along the Thames for a block, stopping to get a solid snap of the London Eye.
 |
| The London Eye -- quite the Ferris wheel! |
At Picadilly, I judged that I was in desperate need of some sustenance -- so I hailed a cab toward Covent Garden, in search of a noted chippy. (You can't head to London and miss a chance to have real fish and chips, can you? Thanks for the suggestion, Carl!) You can see the results here. Overall: Highly impressed.
Finally, refueled and in need of some caffeine, I headed back toward Trafalgar Square for tea. After an amusing stop at the post office (they have a take-a-number system, like a deli -- how efficient!), I finally found my long-lost friend, Anna, outside the National Portrait Gallery. We settled in upstairs for the aforementioned afternoon tea (see here), catching up about traveling, studying, writing and the old gang for nearly three hours. Afterward, Anna walked me through Leicester Square and dropped a very jet-lagged version of me at the Tube to head back to Heathrow. I had just enough sense left to pick up some postcards from the shop inside the station.
 |
| Postcards, written on my Tube journey back to Heathrow. |
For now, off to lunch in Bombay at Royal Willingdon Sports Club, a great reminder of the British presence and influence here in India. For full photos of London, see here.
No comments:
Post a Comment