On March 14th 2013, my friends and I departed for London for our spring break. I never really got the time and chance to blog this trip because of school work and exams until now. We were there at London for 10 days. In this post, I will suggest the things to do when you get a chance to visit London in the near future.
Food
English Breakfast
When travelling, one of the most important things is the food there. You want
to get a taste of how the local people eat their food and what do they eat.
When you visit England, most people will want to try the so called
English Breakfast. We did too actually. After searching for the most popular
English Breakfast restaurant in Soho, London, we found a place called the
Breakfast Club. Just like the reviews said, the line never ends. We stayed
outside and waited for more than an hour, but I think it was worth it. Here is
a picture of the breakfast I ordered. Don’t drool on your keyboard though.
Fish and Chips
In addition to English Breakfast, the other famous dish you must try is Fish and Chips. Even though we couldn’t find the most famous fish and chips restaurant, the one we been to was cheap and delicious too. At Famous 3 Kings, a sport bar, we got 2 orders of fish and chips for just £11. I really miss this now…
Nasi Goreng
One of the nights, we went to a Malaysian restaurant located in China Town. The restaurant was called Rasa Sayang. I think it means “Feel the Love” in Malaysian. They have this Milo chocolate drink that I haven’t had in a while. It also contain the tapioca bubble. I ordered Nasi Goreng which is “Fried Rice” and it was quite delicious. I would recommend this place for people that want to try Malaysian food.
Places
Sherlock Holmes’ Residential
If you are a super Sherlock Holmes’ fan, then this is place is a Must for you to visit. Located at 221B Baker Street, you can walk up and down the street and enjoy the sunny day as well as buy souvenirs for other Sherlock Holmes’ fans.
Stamford Bridge
One of the most popular sports in England is football. It is also one of my favorite sports. A Chelsea fan can never miss the stadium we went to see. Located at London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, it is also the home ground of Chelsea Football Club. We went there when Chelsea was playing in the stadium, but we didn’t get to go in to watch. All I remember was that after the game, you can see everyone where blues storming out of the stadium.
London Eye
After seeing Singapore Flyer last summer, London Eye wasn’t as impressive.
It is said that Singapore Fyler is 165 meters tall while London Eye is only 120
meters tall. I didn’t get to ride Singapore Flyer last summer but I did get to
ride the London Eye this time. When we were there, it was Saint Patrick’s Day,
so the Eye was green. I also heard that during Valentine’s Day, the Eye is red.
But during regular nights, it is normally blue.
Big Ben
Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock by the Palace of Westminster in London. The tower is now officially called the Elizabeth Tower, after being renamed to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Because it has become one of the most prominent symbols of London, travelers now come to witness it’s greatness.
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge was built from 1886 to 1894, over the River Thames. It is close to
the Tower of London, hence the name, Tower Bridge. There is a old castle next to
it as well. We visited the old castle and I took the picture of Tower Bridge
from it.
Harrods
Harrods is a huge luxury department store with more than 5 floors located in Brompton Road in Knightsbridge. I think everyone that visits London should visit here because this is one of the kinds. But, please don’t break anything here because this is the place only the riches can go -.- It is because everything in the mall is expensive as HECK. I saw a super HDTV that goes up to £20,000 and a watch that goes up to $130,000.
Science Museum
Located in Exhibition Road, South Kensington, is a huge museum with 5
different floors. If you plan to come here, please allocate a couple days for
just the museums. There are also other museums around it. It took us 2 hours
to walk only 2 floor of this Science Museum.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter
Speaking of Harry Potter, I also took a train to
Watford Junction railway station to visit the Harry Potter tour.
In there, there are costumes worn by the characters, the dining hall, the movie
effects, Diagon Alley, magical creatures, castles, pictures, etc… Here is a
huge castle model and a beautiful dragon.
King’s Cross St. Pancras Station
This is a huge train statio like the Penn Station in New York. I came here to
take a train to Cambridge to visit an old friend from elementary school. In
addition, the 9 3/4 train platform to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
is also located here. It is also the train station where they filmed the first
Harry Potter movie series.
Madame Tussauds™
This Madame Tussauds in London was quite different from the one in New York. Even though they have the similar entrance with celebrities standing in a ball scene, the rest isn’t the same. I met Robert Downey Jr. “in person”… and Iron Man :) After the wax people, there was also a Scream House where there are real people jumping out of nowhere to scare the HECK out of you in a dark scary place. Quite an adventure… Lastly, there was also a Marvel 4D movie that featured Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine, etc…
Interesting Facts
Oyster Card
The thing that I am most impressed in London is it’s transportation service.
With a card called the Oyster Card, we can get underground tube fares,
overground train fares, bus fares and put it on the Oyster Card. It is extremely
convenient. We got a limited edition one too!
Military Time
Everywhere in London, they tend to use military time. Very interesting.
Paid Toilets
Unlike the US restroom, where they are free to use, in London, some public toilets requires you to put a few pence to use it. I am not surprised because most public toilets in Malaysia ask you to pay too.
Basements
This is the most bizarre thing. Most restaurants in London has a basement which normally is twice as big as the first floor of the restaurant. WEIRD…
Conclusion
That basically concludes this blog post about London. Feel free to drop me a comment below. Hope you enjoy reading it. Thanks! :)