amelia.

Another long post? Yes..perhaps... (Part 1)

Remember how I once did a long post on my trip to Athens? I kinda liked the idea of it and now, I’m doing another one. This time, it’s on London. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been to this city… say more than 5 times, perhaps? And I thought, hmm.. maybe I should write something about it this time.

When I first visited London, I didn’t think much of it. Let’s just say that during that time, I was clueless about what London has to offer. I thought, well okay, let’s check out the famous London Eye! Or Big Ben! Or the London Tower! Or all the usual Must-See sights! And yeah! When I was done with all that, I was like, hmm, okay.. so what should I do the next trip? I used to think of the place as boring and not as exotic as say, maybe Turkey.. But the more I visit the place, the more I love it. Let me start by first recommending this travel guide I borrowed from the library.

Out of all the travel guides that I’ve read so far, I believe this one is the best. Why? Because it gives travellers like me, who have just about a day to spend in London, a choice of 10 things to do, or 10 things to see. It may not necessarily be everyone’s top 10 choices, but it’s good enough for me. Moreover, since I often travel alone, I really need a good and detailed map. This tiny book provides a pull-out map and a map of the tube. The map is fantastic! Much better than the crappy tourist map given to me by the concierge. With it, I could find even the smallest street!

Okay, back to London. I started my day with an early morning walk in St. James Park. The weather, despite it being forecasted that it’d be a gloomy and rainy day, was suprisingly fair.

It was a really nice walk, although, from my pictures, it does look somewhat gloomy.. expect that when in London..

Just a stroll was not enough for me. I brought along an English Bacon and Egg Mayo sandwich, and a packet of juice; sat by the bench and stared into the greenery.

Did I forget to mention that you’ll meet very friendly squirrels along the way? And I mean REALLY FRIENDLY…

And, where did I go next? I went to see the Change of Guards at the Buckingham Palace. You must wonder, having been there several times and not catch the Change of Guards? You must be kidding.. Well I’m not. Anyway, I’d prefer to stand there in summer rather than in the winter cold (Yes I was there in winter but missed it anyway..) :P

I will not post pictures of that here. I bet anyone who has been to London must have seen it. It was nice and grand. And that’s about it.

Anyway, I’ve decided that this trip, would be something that I do on my own terms; even though I had a companion. Call me selfish, but in my line of work, you tend to just go with the flow and do what others want to do. I just informed her my itinerary of the day, and asked if she wants to come along. I’m tired of having to follow people around and waiting for them. This time, I just want to do things on my own.

Okay, moving on. The next part of the day was spent at the British Museum, as recommended by my Top 10 guide. I think that this place deserves another visit, and another and another. It’s so huge that I was not able to finish it during the time that I was there. Plus the jet-lag and the lack of sleep, spending more than 2 hours walking and scrutinizing  was too much to ask of me.

When you first enter the museum, take some time to admire the beautiful architecture of the Great Court. Looking up was such a treat. Check out the wonderful geometric shapes.. and the clear blue skies.. *sigh*

You might say, I’m not a history buff and I am not a fan of art. So why bother visiting a boring old museum? Okay, to be honest, I’m not much of a history buff or a fan of art either. All I can say is, it is wonderful to step back into the times of the mysterious Mummies; the mythical Roman Gods; the powerful Chinese Emperors and their lavish lifestyles; and the patriotic world of the Samurais in Japan…etc. And then you wonder to yourself, how are all these possible?

Plus, you can see more Egyptian mummies here than Cairo has to offer!

There are cool animal mummies too… Love the cat mummies especially!

Alright, let me end part 1 of this post with a random picture of an apartment complex near the museum. As you may already know, from my previous posts, I love to take pictures of other people’s houses and their flowers. Maybe in time I will own something like that… who knows?

This is a nice one anyway… it shows how people celebrate summer by decorating their homes with colourful flowers :)

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