London walkabout: Westminster, Big Ben and London Eye

Princess on a walking tour with 3kg on her back. London is great, easily accessible by the Underground subway. I think I love the black and white photos the most. Just scroll and let the pictures tell story. Oh ya, we were staring at Big Ben and waited for the needle to hit 12.

Tower Bridge, London

Princess Cheryl's thought of the day:- I am very very tired these days... Work from morning till night. I need a short vacation to rejuvenate. Luckily my coursemate gathering is only one day ahead, thus going to Genting and KL for a short break...and it's time to top up my little wardrobe too~ Heheh..

London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady.

If you think London Bridge is the huge bridge that you watched in "The Mummy Returns" then you've got it wrong. It's name is Tower Bridge. Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge over the River Thames. It is very close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name. The photo above was from Wikipedia, such a nice view of Tower Bridge at sunset. I went there in the early morning when the weather was still a bit misty due to rain.



After having our quick breakfast at Pret A Manger, we headed to Tower Bridge. It took about a 10-minutes walk from London Bridge Underground Station.



The old British buildings behind me.



I was attracted by this huge red wall of More London Place building. I stopped by and took a picture, and by the next moment I was being scolded by the security guard who rushed all the way out from the lobby! Why was I always get scolded for taking pictures...duh.



Tower Bridge is right after this narrow pathway.



Ta~da~ Tower Bridge!!! It was windy and still drizzle a little.



I was really in London then. It's a signature of London. Strong wind~~ Look at my hair.



A moment later the wind stopped blowing.



And then it blew again~~



I couldn't get a nice pose due to the strong wind...arrgghhh. Advice -- tie your hair when you visit Tower Bridge.

The bridge is 800 feet (244 m) in length with two towers each 213 feet (65 m) high, built on piers. The central span of 200 feet (61 m) between the towers is split into two equal bascules or leaves, which can be raised to an angle of 83 degrees to allow river traffic to pass. The bascules, weighing over 1,000 tons each, are counterbalanced to minimize the force required and allow raising in five minutes.

Overlooking the River Thames is Tower of London, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its real name is Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, but only more commonly known as the Tower of London. It's located at the north bank of the River Thames.



And this, HMS Belfast (C35) is one of the two ships forming the final sub-class of the Royal Navy's Town-class cruisers, the other being HMS Edinburgh. She was initially expected to be disposed of as scrap but after a private trust campaign went on, she was preserved as a museum ship in the Pool of London, and opened to the public in 1971, and being maintained as a branch of the Imperial War Museum since 1978.



London's sky is most of the time full of clouds. Hardly see blue sky during early Spring.



That's why most of the photos I took in London have very dull background tone.



Initially I wanted to submit this photo to SilverKris and maybe I still stand a chance to win something if they publish it in the next volume, but Noel said NO because people might misunderstood that we're dating each other...



Moments later tourists started barging in.



The QIC team group photo before we left for Big Ben.

London - footprints that I left

London, a historical city full of liveliness. I had a long list of itinerary and plans before I flew to Marrakech for the competition. I know it's kinda weird to transit in London when people usually transit through Dubai or France. Because of cheaper airfare $$$ and also .... a chance to fly with A380!!

Due to the very short timeframe in London, we only manage to visit a few places that are listed as a "must" and also highly recommended by my friend there. Shopping was not in my list of "things-to-do". But I was lucky to be able to find "princess series" collectibles that I never miss in a souvenir shop. A "Princess of London" notepad!



Just like what I bought for myself in San Francisco - a "Princess of San Francisco" ceramic shot cup.



If you need more information on where and how to go places while you're in London, and walking the town on your own by Underground train, you can easily get some "minicards" from the hotels or guesthouses. You may find some information online too. Click on the link and find the places that you're looking for in countries that you plan to visit.

The cards consist of basic information of the places advertised, mostly the must-not-miss tourist spots. I brought back some maps and these "minicards" as part of my collections. As usual, I hardly leave behind any travel brochures and maps that I got throughout my trips. (^.^)

In London, you gotta make sure you visit the places below. (I missed those in red...due to very limited time of transit)

• Buckingham Palace
• Camden
• Changing The Guard
• Chinatown
• Hyde Park
• Kensington Palace
• St Paul’s Cathedral
• Tower Bridge
• Tower Of London (only seen from Tower Bridge)
• Trafalgar Square
  

What a waste... But still I'm very satisfied with my 2-day-transit in London. At least I've fulfilled my dream of going to the Tower Bridge~ Shall continue the stories of walking tour in the next posts.

Pret A Manger - the all natural sandwich outlet

The first glance at the name "Pret A Manger" on the window glass of the restaurant, I thought it is named "Pret A Manager". I know I sound silly... ><" All because I was too hungry and my sight lost focus...

"Pret A Manger" (meaning ready-to-eat in French) is a made-in-London sandwich retailer. However it's not like any other outlets that franchise their business, every shop is owned by the 2 bosses - Sinclair and Julian. I love their concept of going natural, keeping the products fresh, and doing charity at the same time! Every week they send 12,000 meals to the homeless through charity organizations, not just once but in long term.



Sandwiches and confectionaries they sell are "just made". Everything is wrapped with paper or cardboard instead of plastic. And the most important thing to me is that they smell SO DAMN GOOD!!



Not just breads or sandwiches or rolls, try the LOVE BAR~ Do you feel love? They do spread a lot of love through charity.



I love lots and lots of things in their shop, including the tissue paper. So emphasizing on going gReEn... You know what, not many people choose to use a 100% recycle materials in their business because they are expensive. In fact, with such good business in 150 outlets, will you think a less than 9% profit for an annual turn over of 150 million pounds is good enough for you? But they are very firm on their concept. That's very nice isn't it.



My breakfast! Mozarella and tomato croissant, and a hot latte.



Yummy yummy..



Even the cup is publishing the "Pret Passion Fact". This one is interesting. Click on the photo to enlarge and read about how they control the temperature so that it'll always be lower than 60degC. No wonder it was not that hot when we sipped our beverages...



Noel's sandwich. I think it's Skipjack Tuna Sandwich. Front view of the sandwich box.



And the back view! I would bring back the box as part of my collection if that's the last day of my trip. But unluckily it's only the first day... *sigh* Ok I know you'd think I like to collect rubbish. Yes I do. I have over 500 books and travel brochures collected from everywhere in the world, including those brought back by my friends. So I may just spare a "collectible exhibition room" for my own in future.



Back to take a look at my team mates. Well then, everyone was so hungry...



The shop was full house, and we only manage to squeeze at the seats beside the kitchen. The 'Just Made' kitchen.



My mozarella melting into the tomato~~



I was like doing advertisement for "Pret A Manger" huh... Come come~ Enjoy your breakfast here and spread the love.



You know I just love to take photossss... until sometimes my friends complain "CAN YOU JUST LEAVE MY FOOD ALONE??"



Ok, ok, the last one. I bought this Super Natural Apple Juice before we left the shop. I knew I can't survive without water, especially after long distance flight I was already dehydrated. I forgot to finish all and kept it inside my backpack, ended up being blocked at the airport security check that late afternoon during the security scan. Duh...it's only 100ml left!! So I gulped the remaining 100ml in front of the airport security and got back this cute little tumbler.



Alright, this is really the last one. The final self potret shot in Pret A Manger before continuing our journey to the Tower Bridge. Just another 10 minutes walk.



Till then...to be continue...