Christmas Break ~ London Day One (24/12/08)

Can my blog be any more dead? (I guess the answer is yes lol)

Now that exams are finally over and done with (bye stacks of notes, bye problem sheets, bye past years), I finally have time to inject some life into my blog again! This post SHOULD be interesting..maybe your not a fan of my words, but I'm hoping the pictures would do the trick. =)

We took almost 4GB worth of pictures! You can just imagine how much we worked the two cameras (Teo's and Sam's)

London Day 1 (24/12/08)

The train in Nottingham

Stan, Sam

Eu Ling, Teo, Gareth

All of us (including mirror images hehe)

Left Nottingham very early in the morning. One step out of the train and into London, ahhhhh the feeling can't be described. I know, its just London, but haven't been out of Notts for quite a long time so, there's nothing wrong with being extremely excited right? =P The sight of the trademark fire red London buses, telephone booths, and even the TUBE left me grinning excitedly like a little girl at her first shopping mall trip. We arrived at St. Pancreas train station and stopped by the famous Kings Cross Station! (Harry Potter hehe). They made a fake platform 9 and 3/4 there. It's only a plain wall with the platform name and a trolley attached. LOL but stilllll, HARRY POTTER! Hehe.

Fire red London bus

Fire red phone booths

Platform 9 and 3/4 yo

I'm about to go through the wall to board the train to Hogwarts

Waiting for the tube

Our accomodation was near Bayswater and Hyde Park. The houses and high classed flats there are SO posh. The amount of throat killing pricey cars you see there...amazing. So we were all really happy, thinking that our place should be ok since its in such a posh area and all that. The exterior of the hostel looked quite nice too. However, we got the shock of our lives once we opened the door to our room. It was the size of a broom cupboard considering its supposed to fit 6 adults in there. The bathroom was nice and clean though, thank god. Got used to it and it became quite a comfortable place to go back to after long days out.

Looks decent

This is how cramped our room is. Yeap, just that small area of free space for 6 people

Another cramped up shot hehe

Caution: Sit up on your bunk with care (I've knocked my head often enough)

AHHH but a bed is still a bed..comfortable after a long day(because of this, I earned a new nickname..)

Original plan was to visit Millenium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral, which is famous for its beauty. Plan did not go as planned so we switched to The Tower of London instead. The Tower Bridge was also around that area, so two attractions down, many more to go.

Part of Tower of London

With Eu Ling (yes, our names are very similiar)

Group pictureeee

Another group picture with Tower of London at the background

Info about Wakefield Gardens

Posing with this arched structure

Building in Wakefield Garden

We were actually imitating the statue on the building behind, but the photographer must have not understand the reason of our pose hence, neglected the inclusion of the statue in the picture

Jump shot attempt 1 - I fail (Stan's jumping pose pass with good marks)

Jump shot attempt 2 (I passed =p )

The arched structure from another angle

The other side of the Tower of London

I don't know where it leads to (think its one of the tower entrance)

Tower bridge!!!!!!!!

Me with Tower Bridge

Next up was Big Ben, the Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Those three are situated next to each other and you know what? ITS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. It was already 4pm when we were there, so when it got darker at around 4.30pm, the buildings lit up. Breathtaking. Could stare at it for ages and wished I didn't have to leave.

The magnificent BIG Ben!!!!!!!!!!!!! (its much Much MUCH nicer in real life)

Close up of the clock

The Parliament (I loveeee this shot! *proud*)

<3 this picture

Gareth and I (and London Eye)

London eye before lighting up (looks simple)

I don't know what's this building, but I know the colours of the lights are GORGEOUS

We went up the London Eye and boy, am I glad we decided to change from going in the morning to late evening. I've heard many people saying that the price you need to pay(13pounds I think) is not worth it and its expensive. I would have agreed if I went on it at broad daylight. At night, the ride is worth every single penny. Brightly lit buildings all over London, bridges with their bright colourful lights, the Big Ben and Parliament, Thames River flowing beneath us, just indescribable view.

London eye after lighting up (MUCH better don't you think?)

*awe*

Big Ben and Parliament from London Eye

<3

Double <3

Lights after lights after lights

Black and White shot (Looks like a picture on a postcard)

I <3>

Group pic on London Eye

Went on to Trafalgar Square, another London attraction. Pretty, but reckon it would look much better in the daylight as the statues cannot be seen clearly at night. (more on this on Day 2 post).

On a bridge near London eye (forgot the name, sorry)

LOL!

Niceeeee

Me with fountain in Trafalgar Square

With Stan, Eu Ling and Gareth

With Teo a.k.a. Peo

On the way to Chinatown

Had dinner at Chinatown at this chinese restaurant called I-can't-remember-Pagoda. TOTAL RIPOFF! Never ever go there!! We saw the price range of the food and thought it was affordable, so we went in. Sat down, opened the menu, and saw a note stating that a minimum charge of 10 pounds is required for EACH person. Dinner that night cost me 16pounds. Could eat at a posh hotel with that money back in Malaysia. The food wasn't even great. Just edible. My mum's cooking beats it hands down. Do not go there.

Chinatown entrance

And that sums up my first day in London! Overall, extremely fun (despite nearly freezing in the weather) and extremely great company =)

Clockwise starting from brown boots (mine, Stan's, Teo's, Eu Ling's, Sam's, Gareth's)

Next post on Day 2 in London!

xoxo Ling

p/s: It's 8.33am now and I haven't slept LOL. enjoying freedom to the max =)