After much thought as to whether to spend the day in and around London, wnjoying the beautiful weather or to visit Stonehenge, I settled on the former. Decided to take the ferry to Greenwich. Took the ferry from the St.Pauls' pier. Walked via the Greenwich Park uphill to the Maritime Museum. A short trek, I would say, after a very long time. Had a wondeful view of the city from the hill and also saw O2 from there. The day was cloudy with the skies threateining to open up anytime and it did and was drizzling and raining on and off.
Spent time in the muueum, took pictures on the longitudinal line (yeah, the 7pound ticket is for this pic only!!) , got drenched n the drizzle and spent soem time on the hill top before proceeding to the city. Thought pf taking teh tunnel to the other side of Greenwich initially, but then dropped the plan, proceeded to the market , had Ethiopian food for lunch and went to Cutty Sark DLR station to board the tarin to Bank. This is where the dram for the day starts..
Unline all other tube sttaions, this particular station that runs trains on the DLR line does not have the gates that opens up when you validate the Oyster card. Looks like there is a counter somehwre eon the side of the entrance and exit of the station where one has to swipe in. This particular information I got to know much later, just before a probablity of spending some time behind the bars in a foreign land ..
Yes, I boarded the train and was making plans for the rest of day. Tahts when this ticket checker walsk in and asks for my Oyster card and my card doesnt show that its been signed of at Cutty Sark before boarding the train and the ticket checker asked me to wait at Bank where he would "talk" to me before proceeding to check others. The lady who was sitting opposite to me gave me curious looks and gave an expression that meant "all the Best/good Luck" I decoded this expression much later only, for I was pretty much cool and was pondering inside my brains if I swiped or not..Travelling in London, one need not sue brains at all , as all directions are spoon fed and you just need to follow directions. I was still mainitaing my cool and was thinking where I would go next. Little did I know what was coming up at Bank.
Bank station arrived and this was the last station for this particular DLR route, and this white man aka, the ticket checker asked another colleague of his at the station to "take care" of me , while he would deal with another fellow traveller who hadnt swiped his card ..This new TC had my complexion, so I assumed him to be Indian origin. On his questioning, I told him that there was no gate 9as other tube stations) where I could swipe my card and I handed him my card to deduct t amount for this travel. This erson was not taking any of it and started giving gyaan about how Indians never listen or see anything, there are announcements that the counter for swiping tha card (none of which I heard when I wasin the station), and there are notices giving directions to people towards the swipe counter (which I couldnt catch too)..He presented me with teh option of paying fine..I told him that I'm a tourist and that I have no money to pay, he proceeded to say that he cant help me in this regard as there are cameras everywhere , he even pointed to one camera where all our conersation was being recorded and he was just doing his duty, failing which it would become a big problem for him and hsi job..I kept repeating myself that I ahd no money and gace details of how I've come here as a tourist while my husband is at work. The conversation above repeated over and over untill he asked for my ID proofs where in my passport, Chennai was mentioned and thats when he asked "Tamilaa??" "Amman Sir" was my reply and I thought to myself, "Didnt you recognise me for soo long?I have a brown skin, with oiled and plaited hair and an appavi look, why did it take long for you to recognise??" anyways, now he was a little soft and confirmed whether I've come to London seeking job and when I assured him that next day was my flight back home, he felt convinced and spared me..Took me aside to a place where there was no camera and asked me to just leave without stopping anywhere in between in case someone stops me to question. By the time he left me, he had almost filled up half of the memo , and I returned back to check if he had filled all the details and this filling would cause any problems in the short/diatnat future. he showed me the memo that he had crossed it completely and had written Invalid on the same. relieved was I and I ran to the exit of the station and called up M to narrate the whole story and like a person out of sanity, looked everywhere for cameras that would capture how I'm fleeing :)
From Bank, proceeded to Holborn to Covent Garden .Reached Covent Garden and saw a place that sold tickets for musicals, stood in the line , but when the queue didnt move for about 20 minutes, left the place and proceedd towards the Covent Garden market. Waht a place..Covered area full of shopping joints that sold anything and everything from stationery, edibles, to expensive pieces of jewellery. I wished I had bought some pieces of silver jewellery , earrings especially.I wanted to come along with M , who has a wonderful taste and is my official clothes/jewellery/ selector :) . The market was clearly demarcated that shops that sell quality items were put up in one part , while a different section of the market had local stuff, the things that you find regularly at Burma Bazaar in India.
Once I was done with Covent Garden, went towards China town, not withstanding the smell of the fried Noodles and various other stuff emnating from the place, proceeded towards the tube station and got down at South Kensington. My cousin had recommended the cup cakes in Humming Bird Bakery , since South K had a store of H. bakery, went to the store and the aroma from teh shop was too irresistible. Made a beeline in the 15x10 ft shop and stocked my bag with a couple of cakes and walked towards Gloucester Road. Passed via residentail areas and was dreaming what kind of people do live here in such posh villas, enjoyed the pictureusque lanes and on reaching Gloucester Road, a sense of belonging passed down my spine and it was indeed nice to see the tube station, the Tesco, Bombay Brasserie. Picked up water bottle, and a pack of chips to satiate my craving of fried something and proceeded to the room.
M had been to the pub with his colleagues and when M was back, shared with him the days events and since both of us were too tired to go out for dinner, asked him to grab some burger at the Burger King nearby and we called it a day.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Wimbledon, here I come!
Day 5: Today was booked for Wimbledon and the Shakespeare's play at the Globe. Enquired from the Wimbledon office that the tour starts around 10AM . So woke up a little late , had a hair wash , picked on muffins and salad from Sainsbury and proceeded to the South fields tube station from where took a long walk to reach the Wimbledon tennis courts. Passed via Wimbledon Garden and could catch a glimpse of a pond/lake inside the gardens and made a mental note to enter the garden on the way back. It was a rather long walk to the tennis courts and I did enjoy them..Could spot many Indian looking faces on the way.
Reaching the court,caught a glimpse of the statue of and proceeded to pay the entrance fee and joined the group. The guide started the tour by asking each one of us who are favorite tennis sportsman/woman is and put forth out a few guidelines that needs to be followed during the tour of a hour and a half or so. We first went to Court No.1 and then, moved via Henman hill to Centre Court. From there, proceeded to Cort No:18 where the longest match in the history of Wimbledon was played in 2010 and then called it a day. The tour was Ok,in my opinion , not as wonderful as the previous tour of the Lords. added to the slightly boring tour, the sky also opened up then and there . Anyways, after the tour, went around the museum which had in its display tennis racquets and balls that were used when the game was played in its formative days. There were also stations where we could watch the last game (of the winning set) of the Wimledon finals of the yester years. Spent some time and left to Southfields to take the tube to St.Pauls from where I could go over to Globe for the play.
I wanted to walk the Southark bridge, (since I had already walked across the Millenium and Tower bridges) , hence got down at Monument and took a walk to the other end of Southark, traced the Thames River Walk path via Borough Market..Now, since it was noon, the market was oen and busstling..Checked through the stalls, , bought some fresh fruits and proceeded to the play. What do I see inside the Globe??Scores of people standing and watching the play, for all of 2 hours and 40 minutes..Those in the standing ard include lots of school going children. Does this show the interest they have in watching playes?? Fitting to the name of the play, "All's Well that Ends Well", the troupe did a wonderful dance at the end and we all enjoyed too. After the play, proceeded to the Borough market and had lunch at a pizza corner in there. Along with fruits, which M does not touch, stocked some chocolates and Lebanese delicacies for him.
Took a walk again towards the Tower Bridge, where I mae friends with a Taiwanese tourist who had taken a trip to London for a month. When I checked on how she managed to get amonths break from work, she replied that she had quit her job when she was denined a month long leave. She was working so hard for a few years, looks like and she just wanted to take a break , hence decided to quit the job and once she gets back, she would either search for jobs or continue here studies, whatever it w, she would decide after enjoying her vacation. I was awe at her courage and how steady her mind was. I havent come across many (read any) in India who would dare to do such kind of stuff. This reminds me that I need to email her and the man whom I be-friended at the Cathedral the previous day. The usual lazy me (:
We took pictures of each other and we also clicked a snap of ours and while I left towards the Tower bridge, she said she had other plans that was away from the Tower Bridge. Feeling happy over making friends and re-discovering the social-me , proceeded towards the tube station to get back home.Took the tube to Gloucester Road and felt a sense of belonging while coming out of the tube and seeing the all familiar Tesco and Bombay Brasserie.
At the room, Switched on the TV, flipped through channels, watched a programme wherein the anchor inteviews a couple to get details on the home that they were planning to purchase, would find probable matching onees and would take the couple on a tour of the houses. Took in the view of the city from our room on the 10th floor and hummed myself some tunes untill M arrived from office.
Once M came from office, we proceeded to Piccadilly Circus area and roamed there for some time, before we stopped at a Mexican place for dinner. Had a good dinner and came back home, and called it a day.
Reaching the court,caught a glimpse of the statue of and proceeded to pay the entrance fee and joined the group. The guide started the tour by asking each one of us who are favorite tennis sportsman/woman is and put forth out a few guidelines that needs to be followed during the tour of a hour and a half or so. We first went to Court No.1 and then, moved via Henman hill to Centre Court. From there, proceeded to Cort No:18 where the longest match in the history of Wimbledon was played in 2010 and then called it a day. The tour was Ok,in my opinion , not as wonderful as the previous tour of the Lords. added to the slightly boring tour, the sky also opened up then and there . Anyways, after the tour, went around the museum which had in its display tennis racquets and balls that were used when the game was played in its formative days. There were also stations where we could watch the last game (of the winning set) of the Wimledon finals of the yester years. Spent some time and left to Southfields to take the tube to St.Pauls from where I could go over to Globe for the play.
I wanted to walk the Southark bridge, (since I had already walked across the Millenium and Tower bridges) , hence got down at Monument and took a walk to the other end of Southark, traced the Thames River Walk path via Borough Market..Now, since it was noon, the market was oen and busstling..Checked through the stalls, , bought some fresh fruits and proceeded to the play. What do I see inside the Globe??Scores of people standing and watching the play, for all of 2 hours and 40 minutes..Those in the standing ard include lots of school going children. Does this show the interest they have in watching playes?? Fitting to the name of the play, "All's Well that Ends Well", the troupe did a wonderful dance at the end and we all enjoyed too. After the play, proceeded to the Borough market and had lunch at a pizza corner in there. Along with fruits, which M does not touch, stocked some chocolates and Lebanese delicacies for him.
Took a walk again towards the Tower Bridge, where I mae friends with a Taiwanese tourist who had taken a trip to London for a month. When I checked on how she managed to get amonths break from work, she replied that she had quit her job when she was denined a month long leave. She was working so hard for a few years, looks like and she just wanted to take a break , hence decided to quit the job and once she gets back, she would either search for jobs or continue here studies, whatever it w, she would decide after enjoying her vacation. I was awe at her courage and how steady her mind was. I havent come across many (read any) in India who would dare to do such kind of stuff. This reminds me that I need to email her and the man whom I be-friended at the Cathedral the previous day. The usual lazy me (:
We took pictures of each other and we also clicked a snap of ours and while I left towards the Tower bridge, she said she had other plans that was away from the Tower Bridge. Feeling happy over making friends and re-discovering the social-me , proceeded towards the tube station to get back home.Took the tube to Gloucester Road and felt a sense of belonging while coming out of the tube and seeing the all familiar Tesco and Bombay Brasserie.
At the room, Switched on the TV, flipped through channels, watched a programme wherein the anchor inteviews a couple to get details on the home that they were planning to purchase, would find probable matching onees and would take the couple on a tour of the houses. Took in the view of the city from our room on the 10th floor and hummed myself some tunes untill M arrived from office.
Once M came from office, we proceeded to Piccadilly Circus area and roamed there for some time, before we stopped at a Mexican place for dinner. Had a good dinner and came back home, and called it a day.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Already in the middle of the vacation?
Cant believe its already the 4th day and past 3 days flew by without a thought of office, catching the bus, waking up early in the morning on the multiple alarms, thinking whether to change the job or not ...and the train of thoughts..What a relief it has been so far..
Today, again S has to travel to a place outside London and hence started early. I woke up a little late, had a relaxing English breakfast at Garfunkel's and started off to Lords. Took the tube to St.John's Wood . The amount of time I took to walk from the tube station to Lords was lesser than the time taken to reach Grace Entrance which is the visitors entrance from where tickets needs to be purchased and where the guided tour starts. Since it was a long walk from one end of the stadium to the other, called up the museum and informed them that I would be a little late and checked with them if they would still allow me to join the 10AM tour. Joined the tour group around 10:20 , when the group had already finished visiting the museum and proceeding towards the stadium. The person at the ticket counter was sweet enough to ask me to come back to the museum so that I can catch up with what I'd missed in the 12noon tour..
We went to the Long Room and the guide introduced us to who have access to the Long Room, and how do players enter the pavilion, and some of the quirky stuff that players have done before certain big matches. From the Long room, we proceeded to the Committee room and were told about where the Queen sits and watches the match..It was quite funny that all of us wanted to sit in that particular chair :-)
From the committee room, we proceeded to the Dressing room. This was the visitors dressing room as the English dressing room had suffered a broken window in the previous test match , it was getting readied for the upcoming matches. Hence we weren't allowed inside. I'm not a cricket buff, but have developed interest over the years, after having marries S who loves the sport , and so is my mil. Anyways, it was news for me when I couldn't spot our master blasters name in the name board there which records details of those who score century at Lords. So is Muralidharan's name not to be seen in the bowlers name board..Life can sometime be very weird nah..Lords which is considered to be the home of cricket does not have the greatest and great batsman's names, but features not-so familiar names..
From the Dressing room, we went over to the stadium, where we could open up our cameras and click away till we get bored..Till then, we weren't allowed to take pictures in the Long/committee/Dressing rooms. People who travel alone/visit places alone will know what it is to ask others to click a snap of theirs..Still, I did ask others to click mine and I clicked pics of the ground from various positions in the stadium. We were allowed to go around the seating area and I imagined how the view would be when a players are on the ground by seating in various positions. It is my conclusion that the more upstairs you have yourself seated, the more difficult it is to figure out who is doing what..You'll definitely get an idea as to where the ball is going, or when the bowler is bowling or the catch or 6 or 4, but it is difficult to figure out people on the ground the farther you are seated from the ground. People who have watched matches live from the grounds might know this, but for me, I used to wonder if we'll be able to watch the match from the ground as comfortably as we do from our drawing rooms, especially, will we be able to see who is doing what when seated in the last rows..something that I found quirky was that the front seats didn't have roofs above them, whereas when you go upward, you are sheltered from shine or rain..It is my assumption that tickets are expensive for front seats and prices decreas as you go farther..and hence, when you pay a big amount for ticket, you'll be provided more comfort (here, a roof above your head)..
Next, we visited the J.P.Morgan Media Centre, and got to know that it was built recently and it was well equipped technologically..The media people will have a good view and a cool environment while watching and reporting the game.
We moved on to the nursery ground and got to know that one end of the nursery ground is just 8 feet above the tube path and we can actually sense moving of trains while standing in that area. The tour ended here and we were free to visit the Lord's shop for shopping. There were 3 others who seemed to have missed the first section of the tour and we marched along with our guide to the museum. supposedly, they were not very keen to join the 12 noon group for the museum tour, hence they did it by themselves..I joined the 12noon group and got to know some tid-bits about the Ashes cup.
This is the first time I'm visiting a cricket ground and I was super thrilled having gone into one and having got to know some tid-bits about the game/ground , I was already thinking about what all I would share with S.(The funny part is S knew all the information I gathered that day ever since he was a teen) .
From Lords, I went to Baker Street, roamed there for some time and headed to mansion House to visit Tate Modern. Before going to Tate Modern, I visited St.Paul's church and basked in its huge structure for some time and when I almost reached Millennium Bridge, the skies opened up and it was getting very difficult to walk when the winds grew stronger. Hence, joined two women who were taking shelter in the building complex adjoining the bridge. Since many joined us there , along with another woman and her son, I went inside the building only to eb driven out by the receptionist there..Thanks to the son, who thought he had all the freedom to walk and wander inside what was supposed to be office premises. When the force of rain lessened and wind appeared gentler, I trusted my umbrella to protect me and walked towards Tate Modern on the other end of the M bridge.Halfway along the bridge, rains started pouring heavily , not to mention forceful winds, I enjoyed it, but didn't know in which direction I would fly the next moment..Yes, there was hardly anyone on the bridge and for a moment I don't know if I wanted to just there or catch hold of the next person passing by (as I completely lost my balance) or go back or proceed forward(for I was stuck right in the center of the bridge)..As I type this sitting in my study, I am able to relive that moment . I simply wanted to anchor to someone ,didn't bother about if that was a man or woman (who would dare to care when there is a choice between being thrown away by wind or have a chance of surviving!) .I reached out to another young woman coming in the opposite direction, but she was struggling to manage herself and her umbrella..However, I managed to reach the other end and entered Tate Modern to find that I was completely drenched, and the pound notes in my pocket weren't spared..Good that the passport was not soiled..
Spent some time at Tate Modern and covered most of the galleries that interested me. I didn't have interest looking into the pictures that depict poverty,malnutrition, scenes of flood-hit and worn-torn areas, human pictures in general..As such sights are common in media all the time in this side of the world. Had a pack of salad from Sainsbury, so digged into it at the cafe there and by this time, the rain had stopped, so, made an exit. I didn't have any plan in place now, so since I was already near the Thames River Walk, decided to take the walk. What do I know, when I proceeded to talk taking in the smell of the rain drenched pathway and the tides of the river, and the bustling activity in the neighborhood, I glanced up to see the board which read : Globe", yes, its the Shakespeare's Globe!! The hall was packed with young and old alike , and I could spot lot of school going children in the crowd. Browsing through the calendar of events , I decided to book myself into a play. On enquiring, figured out that all tickets to the play Much Ado About Nothing" was sold out and there were very few seats left for "Alls Well That Ends Well". After having multiple conversation with the person on the other side of the counter as to what is a seat with a "restricted view", booked a ticket for myself for the show on Thursday noon 2PM.
Having booked myself for the 2PM show next day, I continued the river walk, now there were quite a few requests from couples asking me to be their photographer and I took the pleasure in clicking multiple pictures of each of them till I was myself satisfied with the outcome..One of the pics that I clicked of one particular couple came out great and they aa-aahed--oohed over the pic.I felt delighted too. Enroute, I checked out the various restaurants that displayed their menu outside to check if any of hem had some interesting stuff in them for us,vegetarians. One particular restaurant caught my attention, that was "The Real Greek", I stepped inside and enquired about the details of the spread, timing and if reservation is required. While I proceeded toward the Tower Bridge, I got to know what are "London Bridge, South ark Bridge and Tower Bridge". I also witnessed the opening of the Tower Bridge when a ship had to cross the bridge. One particular name board held the direction to Borough market, and that ringed a bell in my head :my cousin had mentioned this name while we met on Monday asking me to visit the place to get a feel of the place. Though there were name boards showing directions to the Borough market, every direction the boards led were empty. I wasn't sure if I had to walk more to reach this market . By now, my legs ached for a break, hence went inside a cathedral and sat on a bench. Here's when I made friends with a person who introduced himself to be a teacher of French and German in schools in London and as a part time job, he was also doing some work for the British Government. I was surprised to hear him talk in Hindi and knowing that he has relatives in India, in our very own Hyderabad and he that he has visited India and loves to learn and speak Hindi. We started talking/chatting and in the course found out what places he would suggest to visit for a tourist. He also mentioned that the Borough Market opens at noon and closes around 4ish and that the cathedral where we were seated is a very old one and its charming and beautiful in the inside and recommended me to visit. When it was time for him to leave, I went into the church and found that all characters in Shakespeare's tales were painted there. Prayed for a while and continued the river walk .Now, I reached the Tower Bridge and walked past the Tower of London to the tube station on the other end.
Today, M and I decided to visit my cousins place in the eat , in the suburbs of Canary Wharf and we decided to meet up at Liverpool St to grab something to eat and from there, we would come over to the Bank station and take the DLR to Mudchute. Before proceeding to Liverpool St, since I had some more time, I went to Leicester Square and went isnide China Town and roamed there for some time. We went to my cousins place , caught up , cooked and had dinner and called it a day. By the time we returned home(hotel, that is..Another post is required to narrate how I got so attached to the hotel we were in, especially the area we were put up for the week, Gloucester Road. I felt I belonged there :-)) , it was past 11 and we will wake up tomorow to the second half of this holiday session
Today, again S has to travel to a place outside London and hence started early. I woke up a little late, had a relaxing English breakfast at Garfunkel's and started off to Lords. Took the tube to St.John's Wood . The amount of time I took to walk from the tube station to Lords was lesser than the time taken to reach Grace Entrance which is the visitors entrance from where tickets needs to be purchased and where the guided tour starts. Since it was a long walk from one end of the stadium to the other, called up the museum and informed them that I would be a little late and checked with them if they would still allow me to join the 10AM tour. Joined the tour group around 10:20 , when the group had already finished visiting the museum and proceeding towards the stadium. The person at the ticket counter was sweet enough to ask me to come back to the museum so that I can catch up with what I'd missed in the 12noon tour..
We went to the Long Room and the guide introduced us to who have access to the Long Room, and how do players enter the pavilion, and some of the quirky stuff that players have done before certain big matches. From the Long room, we proceeded to the Committee room and were told about where the Queen sits and watches the match..It was quite funny that all of us wanted to sit in that particular chair :-)
From the committee room, we proceeded to the Dressing room. This was the visitors dressing room as the English dressing room had suffered a broken window in the previous test match , it was getting readied for the upcoming matches. Hence we weren't allowed inside. I'm not a cricket buff, but have developed interest over the years, after having marries S who loves the sport , and so is my mil. Anyways, it was news for me when I couldn't spot our master blasters name in the name board there which records details of those who score century at Lords. So is Muralidharan's name not to be seen in the bowlers name board..Life can sometime be very weird nah..Lords which is considered to be the home of cricket does not have the greatest and great batsman's names, but features not-so familiar names..
From the Dressing room, we went over to the stadium, where we could open up our cameras and click away till we get bored..Till then, we weren't allowed to take pictures in the Long/committee/Dressing rooms. People who travel alone/visit places alone will know what it is to ask others to click a snap of theirs..Still, I did ask others to click mine and I clicked pics of the ground from various positions in the stadium. We were allowed to go around the seating area and I imagined how the view would be when a players are on the ground by seating in various positions. It is my conclusion that the more upstairs you have yourself seated, the more difficult it is to figure out who is doing what..You'll definitely get an idea as to where the ball is going, or when the bowler is bowling or the catch or 6 or 4, but it is difficult to figure out people on the ground the farther you are seated from the ground. People who have watched matches live from the grounds might know this, but for me, I used to wonder if we'll be able to watch the match from the ground as comfortably as we do from our drawing rooms, especially, will we be able to see who is doing what when seated in the last rows..something that I found quirky was that the front seats didn't have roofs above them, whereas when you go upward, you are sheltered from shine or rain..It is my assumption that tickets are expensive for front seats and prices decreas as you go farther..and hence, when you pay a big amount for ticket, you'll be provided more comfort (here, a roof above your head)..
Next, we visited the J.P.Morgan Media Centre, and got to know that it was built recently and it was well equipped technologically..The media people will have a good view and a cool environment while watching and reporting the game.
We moved on to the nursery ground and got to know that one end of the nursery ground is just 8 feet above the tube path and we can actually sense moving of trains while standing in that area. The tour ended here and we were free to visit the Lord's shop for shopping. There were 3 others who seemed to have missed the first section of the tour and we marched along with our guide to the museum. supposedly, they were not very keen to join the 12 noon group for the museum tour, hence they did it by themselves..I joined the 12noon group and got to know some tid-bits about the Ashes cup.
This is the first time I'm visiting a cricket ground and I was super thrilled having gone into one and having got to know some tid-bits about the game/ground , I was already thinking about what all I would share with S.(The funny part is S knew all the information I gathered that day ever since he was a teen) .
From Lords, I went to Baker Street, roamed there for some time and headed to mansion House to visit Tate Modern. Before going to Tate Modern, I visited St.Paul's church and basked in its huge structure for some time and when I almost reached Millennium Bridge, the skies opened up and it was getting very difficult to walk when the winds grew stronger. Hence, joined two women who were taking shelter in the building complex adjoining the bridge. Since many joined us there , along with another woman and her son, I went inside the building only to eb driven out by the receptionist there..Thanks to the son, who thought he had all the freedom to walk and wander inside what was supposed to be office premises. When the force of rain lessened and wind appeared gentler, I trusted my umbrella to protect me and walked towards Tate Modern on the other end of the M bridge.Halfway along the bridge, rains started pouring heavily , not to mention forceful winds, I enjoyed it, but didn't know in which direction I would fly the next moment..Yes, there was hardly anyone on the bridge and for a moment I don't know if I wanted to just there or catch hold of the next person passing by (as I completely lost my balance) or go back or proceed forward(for I was stuck right in the center of the bridge)..As I type this sitting in my study, I am able to relive that moment . I simply wanted to anchor to someone ,didn't bother about if that was a man or woman (who would dare to care when there is a choice between being thrown away by wind or have a chance of surviving!) .I reached out to another young woman coming in the opposite direction, but she was struggling to manage herself and her umbrella..However, I managed to reach the other end and entered Tate Modern to find that I was completely drenched, and the pound notes in my pocket weren't spared..Good that the passport was not soiled..
Spent some time at Tate Modern and covered most of the galleries that interested me. I didn't have interest looking into the pictures that depict poverty,malnutrition, scenes of flood-hit and worn-torn areas, human pictures in general..As such sights are common in media all the time in this side of the world. Had a pack of salad from Sainsbury, so digged into it at the cafe there and by this time, the rain had stopped, so, made an exit. I didn't have any plan in place now, so since I was already near the Thames River Walk, decided to take the walk. What do I know, when I proceeded to talk taking in the smell of the rain drenched pathway and the tides of the river, and the bustling activity in the neighborhood, I glanced up to see the board which read : Globe", yes, its the Shakespeare's Globe!! The hall was packed with young and old alike , and I could spot lot of school going children in the crowd. Browsing through the calendar of events , I decided to book myself into a play. On enquiring, figured out that all tickets to the play Much Ado About Nothing" was sold out and there were very few seats left for "Alls Well That Ends Well". After having multiple conversation with the person on the other side of the counter as to what is a seat with a "restricted view", booked a ticket for myself for the show on Thursday noon 2PM.
Having booked myself for the 2PM show next day, I continued the river walk, now there were quite a few requests from couples asking me to be their photographer and I took the pleasure in clicking multiple pictures of each of them till I was myself satisfied with the outcome..One of the pics that I clicked of one particular couple came out great and they aa-aahed--oohed over the pic.I felt delighted too. Enroute, I checked out the various restaurants that displayed their menu outside to check if any of hem had some interesting stuff in them for us,vegetarians. One particular restaurant caught my attention, that was "The Real Greek", I stepped inside and enquired about the details of the spread, timing and if reservation is required. While I proceeded toward the Tower Bridge, I got to know what are "London Bridge, South ark Bridge and Tower Bridge". I also witnessed the opening of the Tower Bridge when a ship had to cross the bridge. One particular name board held the direction to Borough market, and that ringed a bell in my head :my cousin had mentioned this name while we met on Monday asking me to visit the place to get a feel of the place. Though there were name boards showing directions to the Borough market, every direction the boards led were empty. I wasn't sure if I had to walk more to reach this market . By now, my legs ached for a break, hence went inside a cathedral and sat on a bench. Here's when I made friends with a person who introduced himself to be a teacher of French and German in schools in London and as a part time job, he was also doing some work for the British Government. I was surprised to hear him talk in Hindi and knowing that he has relatives in India, in our very own Hyderabad and he that he has visited India and loves to learn and speak Hindi. We started talking/chatting and in the course found out what places he would suggest to visit for a tourist. He also mentioned that the Borough Market opens at noon and closes around 4ish and that the cathedral where we were seated is a very old one and its charming and beautiful in the inside and recommended me to visit. When it was time for him to leave, I went into the church and found that all characters in Shakespeare's tales were painted there. Prayed for a while and continued the river walk .Now, I reached the Tower Bridge and walked past the Tower of London to the tube station on the other end.
Today, M and I decided to visit my cousins place in the eat , in the suburbs of Canary Wharf and we decided to meet up at Liverpool St to grab something to eat and from there, we would come over to the Bank station and take the DLR to Mudchute. Before proceeding to Liverpool St, since I had some more time, I went to Leicester Square and went isnide China Town and roamed there for some time. We went to my cousins place , caught up , cooked and had dinner and called it a day. By the time we returned home(hotel, that is..Another post is required to narrate how I got so attached to the hotel we were in, especially the area we were put up for the week, Gloucester Road. I felt I belonged there :-)) , it was past 11 and we will wake up tomorow to the second half of this holiday session
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Tuesday morning, S had to go to Belfast. Hence, the alarm was scheduled to ring at 3:45am. I woke up suddenly to find the sun rays seeping through the curtains into our room and I was shocked for a moment and already started thinking if S has missed his flight..And I turn to the clock to see it showing 3:05 AM.relieved, went back to sleep only to be up again at 4AM. After sending off S, tossed and turned , and finally woke up and got readied. Had b'fast of pizza and left for changing of the guard at the Buckingham palace. Before going to the palace, went to Westminster , and en-quired the debate viewing hours in the Parliament and the service timings at Westminster Abbey. Walked to the Palace via St.James park. and when I reached there it was 10:30AM and people had already started thronging around.. En-quired a security guard on the best viewing place, and sneaked through the crowd and placed my backpack right in front of the palace gate. Crowd was beginning to swell and there was a family of 3, a mom and her two daughters among others around me. The mom was preparing her daughters as to what to expect during the ceremony. You know what she said , here it goes : "Two guards, one from either side (pointing to directions) will come forward and one will hand over the customary equipment to the other and the changing of the guard is done. It will happen so soon that you might probably start thinking "Is this what this entire hoopla about changing of guard is?Is this why I waited for 2 hours?" Well, everything in life is like that..We build up expectations, desires, and one fine day,, it happens, and the moment passes by too , and we'll be like,"Has <xyz> already happened? Have I already experienced <abc> ? Is this what all is? " We keep anticipating for something or the other all the time and we ignore the present and when we get the opportunity to experience what we were anticipating for long, it passes by so soon, that we start building up desires for something else..and this thought process and journey goes on and on..." <end of what that mommy said her daughters>
She told this sitting on the compound wall of the palace right next to me and it hit me so hard that I thought probably that was meant for me. <another post for the profound impact that it had on me>.The ceremony was quite an experience vieing it among thousands of tourists like me. After changing of the guard, left for Little Venice (as suggested by my cousin the previous day) . At Little Venice, took a river boat ride to Camden Town .The market at Camden Town was similar to the kind of shops in Ranganathan St in Chennai, small shops selling knick-knacks and people teeming them..If you are an insider, then this is a good place to shop. Else, tourists can visit the market to get an experience of it and there is nothing worthwhile buying there (as people wouldn't believe that the gifts are from London if you get gifts from this place). Left the place and came over to St.James' park, had my lunch there admist pigeons who seem to have an enormous capability to sense slightest smell of any eatable even from a distance..I'd infact parked myself in a place along the road side (outer boundary of the park in order to not to attract the pigeons) and little did I expect that in a few minutes after opening my lunch packet, I was to witness a row of pigeons walking towards my side. Fed them some bread pieces .
After lunch and brief rest at the park, left for the evening song at Westminster Abbey. We were given pamphlets that described about the history of the church and the sequence of the prayer which was very useful.It had narrations so clear that that it said when to stand, when to kneel and what song the choir will sing. After offering prayers, came to the Parliament only to be told by the security that there was a long queue inside and it would take an hour and hence she advised me to come after about 30 minutes.Spent time around the Parliament area, soaking in the sunlight, the traffic and the people around..Then, joined the queue in the Parliament and I was allowed to go inside in about 15-20 minutes. This was the first time I was visiting a Parliament (haven't visited the Parliament of my own country of residence) and the had a good experience. came back to the hotel and waited for S to arrive. We went to the nearby Singaporean hotel for dinner and called it a day.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Travelogue- day3 in London
Tuesday morning, S had to go to Belfast. Hence, the alarm was scheduled to ring at 3:45am. I woke up suddenly to find the sun rays seeping through the curtains into our room and I was shocked for a moment and already started thinking if S has missed his flight..And I turn to the clock to see it showing 3:05 AM.relieved, went back to sleep only to be up again at 4AM. After sending off S, tossed and turned , and finally woke up and got readied. Had b'fast of pizza and left for changing of the guard at the Buckingham palace. Before going to the palace, went to Westminster , and en-quired the debate viewing hours in the Parliament and the service timings at Westminster Abbey. Walked to the Palace via St.James park. and when I reached there it was 10:30AM and people had already started thronging around.. En-quired a security guard on the best viewing place, and sneaked through the crowd and placed my backpack right in front of the palace gate. Crowd was beginning to swell and there was a family of 3, a mom and her two daughters among others around me. The mom was preparing her daughters as to what to expect during the ceremony. You know what she said , here it goes : "Two guards, one from either side (pointing to directions) will come forward and one will hand over the customary equipment to the other and the changing of the guard is done. It will happen so soon that you might probably start thinking "Is this what this entire hoopla about changing of guard is?Is this why I waited for 2 hours?" Well, everything in life is like that..We build up expectations, desires, and one fine day,, it happens, and the moment passes by too , and we'll be like,"Has <xyz> already happened? Have I already experienced <abc> ? Is this what all is? " We keep anticipating for something or the other all the time and we ignore the present and when we get the opportunity to experience what we were anticipating for long, it passes by so soon, that we start building up desires for something else..and this thought process and journey goes on and on..." <end of what that mommy said her daughters>
She told this sitting on the compound wall of the palace right next to me and it hit me so hard that I thought probably that was meant for me. <another post for the profound impact that it had on me>.The ceremony was quite an experience viewing it among thousands of tourists like me. After changing of the guard, left for Little Venice (as suggested by my cousin the previous day) . At Little Venice, took a river boat ride to Camden Town .The market at Camden Town was similar to the kind of shops in Ranganathan St in Chennai, small shops selling knick-knacks and people teeming them..If you are an insider, then this is a good place to shop. Else, tourists can visit the market to get an experience of it and there is nothing worthwhile buying there (as people wouldn't believe that the gifts are from London if you get gifts from this place). Left the place and came over to St.James' park, had my lunch there amidst pigeons who seem to have an enormous capability to sense slightest smell of any eatable even from a distance..I'd in fact parked myself in a place along the road side (outer boundary of the park in order to not to attract the pigeons) and little did I expect that in a few minutes after opening my lunch packet, I was to witness a row of pigeons walking towards my side.
After lunch and brief rest at the park, left for the evening song at Westminster Abbey. We were given pamphlets that described about the history of the church and the sequence of the prayer which was very useful.It had narrations so clear that that it said when to stand, when to kneel and what song the choir will sing. After offering prayers, came to the Parliament only to be told by the security that there was a long queue inside and it would take an hour and hence she advised me to come after about 30 minutes.Spent time around the Parliament area, soaking in the sunlight, the traffic and the people around..Then, joined the queue in the Parliament and I was allowed to go inside in about 15-20 minutes. This was the first time I was visiting a Parliament (haven't visited the Parliament of my own country of residence) and the had a good experience. came back to the hotel and waited for S to arrive. We went to the nearby Singaporean hotel for dinner and called it a day.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Guess where I'd been to? yes, London ,it is! Ever since I got my tourist visa late December '10, I've been waiting to travel to this place. And finally, the opportunity came and I grabbed it. And What a wonderful holiday, it was!! (I'm beginning to get some belief that things really do happen at the RIGHT time, and this time is not decided by us, but by a Highe Supreme force). Though I had a dozen things listed out to shop before the vacation, I didnt buy a thing , courtesy, S's work schedule during the days preceeding to the travel. Nevertheless, I used the clothes, bag, shoes and other paraphernalia that was bought years ago and they were put to good use,especially the shoes.
Saturday dawned bright , we did the packing and were all set to catch our early evening flight. We had a comfortable two-seater and reached Dubai at midnight and spent time around the terminal doing some window-shopping. The next leg of our journey was spent having a good sleep to be ready to spend the Sunday sight seeing in London. Though the hotel that we were booked into stipulated a check-in time of 12 noon, we managed to checkin at 10AM itself..Freshened up, we left the hotel to explore London. Firstly, we went to tesco, then bought our sim cards , and then went to Sainsbury's and bought some salad/muffins. Came to hotel, finished up whatever edible we bought and left for the proper touristing ..
We went to the Thames alongside the Big Ben, went to the London Eye, saw the Big Ben and walked along the Westmister Abbey, Parliament Square and took in the beautiful but unpredictable english weather while we went to the Buckhingham Palace via Downing Street ,House Guards Place and St.James' Park. There at the palace, there was a huge crowd gathered to witness the parade of the 120th year of the Salvation Army and we joined the crowd to cheer the parade from 12 countries. From there, we marched to Trafalgar square , ate at Mc.D . This was the first time in my whole little life that I've walked so much for about 3 hours, and I felt my legs were beginning to call out for help..Hence , we took the tube and reached Gloucester Road (this is where we were put up). We walked the stretch in G.Road to check out the restaurants and took away pizzas for dinner.Reached hotel and called it a day.
S had to visit UK on a business visit and I tugged along with him. Hence, the next day, on Monday, S had to go to office and I was all mby myself to explore the city.Since it was raining non-stop ,I was a bit hesitant to venture out .hence, walked to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. Was surprised to find a loong queue even before the museum was opened. However, got a map, and covered all the zones (orange, red, blue zones). Needless to mention, all the models were working perfectly and there were good explanation for all the artifacts displayed. It was close to 1 PM by the time I was done with the musuem . Walked over to Albert Memorial Hall via Imperial College of London , visited the Albert Memorial too and clicked a few pics. Since my stomach was calling out and there were no McD or Subway or Burger King around, I walked over to Siansbury's to grab a salad , bread, muffin and a smoothie. Only later I realsied (tubelight flickered and started to emit light :-)) that I could have taken the bus from museum to Sainsbury's. Anyways, on the way back, took the bus and went to Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum was too huge to cover in half a day. Got the map and decided what all sections I wanted to cover and visited them. Both the museums were wonderful and awesome. A good experience. In the evening, mu cousin suggested that she would come over to meet us. Hence waited in the South Kensington tube station for a while, and once she arrived, we went to Pret a Manger and caught up on each others lives to some extent and she suggested a few places to visit too. From there, we headed to the hotel where she said a quick hello to S too and left. Now, S and I went to Oxford Circus, walked through Oxford Street and when it was time for dinner, we had a fight on where to have dinner (Baaah..The last thing I expected in the vacation..I think it was a kala tikka, as my cousin was like all praise for S !!) ..Finally, went to Mc.D(could have gone here even without that silly quarrel), came back to the hotel and called it a day..
Day 3 in the next post. And the pic is slightly skewed..Will correct it later
Monday, May 30, 2011
Confused..
and unable to make a decision..Or should I say, decision is made and I'm not certain if the decision taken is the correct one or not. Last week , including the weekend that passed by was highly streeful. This is when I have two job offers at hand, submitted my resignation, have no work in the office except for transition, and actually supposed to be a time where I should just be relaxed, cool and looking forward for the next assignment.
Took help from a well-wisher about an hour ago, expressed my concerns and am feeling better now.
Is it normal for people to feel anxious about any impending change, especially, while changing jobs? I've been in this organisation for 6+ years now and I've gotten inside a comfort zone here, because of which I'm ambivalent about changing jobs. While one part of me wants a change (that's the reason why I even prepared my resume , floated it around, attended interviews and landed at one) to re-discover myself, to test myself if I'm smart, strong at heart, a chance to take things at stride , an opportunity to stay calm and relaxed, an avenue to mingle and make new friends/accquaintances, probably a change in schedules, an opportunity in learning something new and different, , to just go out and see whats there outside, to try my luck at a different organisation, with a hope that things will get better on personal front with this change, a faith that good things are now beginning to happen.. At the same time, another side of me is scared , is terrified as to how the new environment will be, as to how I'll adapt to the new team, how the people and mamager will be like, about the work and inclusivity in the team, if I'll get to work from home , if this is the right time to change at all, if I should be waiting for some more time till I decide on my personal front and then make a move, ...
I've submitted my resignation, and now serving the notice period. I'll stick to the decision taken and see how life takes it course and I trusting in Lord .
Took help from a well-wisher about an hour ago, expressed my concerns and am feeling better now.
Is it normal for people to feel anxious about any impending change, especially, while changing jobs? I've been in this organisation for 6+ years now and I've gotten inside a comfort zone here, because of which I'm ambivalent about changing jobs. While one part of me wants a change (that's the reason why I even prepared my resume , floated it around, attended interviews and landed at one) to re-discover myself, to test myself if I'm smart, strong at heart, a chance to take things at stride , an opportunity to stay calm and relaxed, an avenue to mingle and make new friends/accquaintances, probably a change in schedules, an opportunity in learning something new and different, , to just go out and see whats there outside, to try my luck at a different organisation, with a hope that things will get better on personal front with this change, a faith that good things are now beginning to happen.. At the same time, another side of me is scared , is terrified as to how the new environment will be, as to how I'll adapt to the new team, how the people and mamager will be like, about the work and inclusivity in the team, if I'll get to work from home , if this is the right time to change at all, if I should be waiting for some more time till I decide on my personal front and then make a move, ...
I've submitted my resignation, and now serving the notice period. I'll stick to the decision taken and see how life takes it course and I trusting in Lord .
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