London Thumakada

It had been almost a decade since I had traveled out of India. Lot of folks around me keep asking why I don’t travel abroad. They find it hard to believe that we are quite satisfied with being in India and travelling within India. My country is beautiful and has some amazing places I am yet to explore. But when the opportunity came knocking last year for a trip to UK, I went for it.

As luck would have it, I fell sick with the worst case of food poisoning with me almost cancelling the trip. But with my doctor coaxing me not to do so and my parents helping me to get my health back on track, I traveled for a brief stay in London with the assumption that I would be staying at home for next 3 weeks happy to just be with my friends and hubby.  But travelling was the most logical thing I did, since the food episode had left me emotionally and physically drained.

I had some really nice company in the flight with two kids constantly saying “All is awesome, all is cool” during the flight take-off and landing. Their chatar patar made me feel better and while watching Sound of Music I fell asleep to wake up and see London Eye and Thames from the flight.

During the journey from airport to home , I was extremely tired since all I had eaten on the flight was water and some food I carried. It was night and I was asleep again. The morning was a beautiful one though since on one side of the house there was Canary Wharf and on the other London City. It was one of the most amazing places to stay with the entire London skyline visible from the balconies. For first 2 days all I did was stare at the trains coming in the DLR station below our house, watch the traffic on the road, sleep, eat some homemade meal and spend the evening with hubby.

Canary Wharf Skyline

London City Skyline (Shard, etc.)

Rainbow over Canary Wharf

The first time I went out, was for a walk to the harbor nearby which extended to Canary Wharf and then to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. James Park, Green Park and the Queen ‘s palace. Phew!!!

I had a nice Cappuccino at a nearby small café at Big Ben (or was it Mumbai university???) , clicked a few snaps with a bagpiper player (wish I could play that instrument like Ross :p)  and we again started walking towards the queen ‘s palace. I don’t exactly remember how many miles we walked but since it was summer and not quite chilly I was enjoying the long slow walk with many new sights and sounds to absorb.

Big Ben

London chi Tara Rani ?? 🙂

Westminster and Big Ben

Churchchill Statue

Buckingham Palace

En Route to Royal Albert Hall

Green Park I guess

At the queen’s palace we met my friend SM , KM and a lifelong wish of visiting Royal Albert Hall came true.  Though I didn’t see it from inside just being there was a pleasure since as a kid I used to love listening the cassette of Lata and Mukesh ‘s live performance at the RAH always wondering where it is. A guy was singing in front of it and it was the most pleasant evening I had spent in many months.

A monument opposite to Royal Albert Hall

Royal Albert hall

London Music College

Sunday was Cambridge univ visit and you can find the link here of that trip.

The next week I visited Tower Hill and Tower Bridge with DH in evening. We sat in a pub, me watching Thames and the ships and hubby enjoying his Fish and Chips 🙂
Later we walked along the bank of Thames and sat watching London Eye and the buildings near it changing their lights.

Thames (London ki Ganga – reference Namastey London )

Tower bridge – Watching big ships pass the bridge is one experience

Walking along Thames

Next to London Eye. Buildings change color

Another beautiful view

The next day I did something which I hadn’t done in a long time. I packed my bag with 2 full dabbas of fruits, a big water bottle and went along on a visit to Cutty Sark (the ship and not the Scotch Whisky).
I started out with a plan to return in 2 hours and ended up spending the entire day at Greenwich Meridian. I visited the Royal Naval college, Queen’s house, National Maritime museum, the Greenwich Meridian line (Home of Time), the Royal Observatory with its awesome clocks and watched the skyline of London from the Greenwich hill. Next, I went to explore the Greenwich parks with its lovely Rose, flowers and herbs garden with kids playing in it. I wonder when Pune will get such gardens!!!
I ended up at the end of the garden only to walk back to it through a route taking me through Greenwich town where I was lucky to witness a wedding in a beautiful church.
Back at the Cutty Sark I went through a tunnel built under the Thames which comes out at its other end. Later I sat alone on a bench, enjoying the fruits and letting the experience sink in. Travelling alone is liberating and quite adventurous!!!

Layout of the Cutty Sark Campus

I think this is the Queen ‘s house

Naval College

A church en route to National Maritime Museum

National Maritime Museum

Different figureheads used in the ships

Awesome Chinaware

Sea faring direction equipment

Cutty Sark in a bottle

Beautiful Roses

Towards Greenwich Meridian

@ Greenwich Meridian

View of London atop the hill

Astronomy Center

Royal Observatory

Church on my walk back to Cutty Sark

Next weekend it was off to Seven sisters

One evening I went off to see King’s cross station, Piccadilly Circus and area around it followed by lunch with a friend.

Me and hubby later took off for our Scotland trip . Links here.
Scotland – Day 1
Scotland – Day 2
Scotland – Day 3
Scotland – Last Day

My trip to London would not have been complete without shopping. So in the last week I was off to Oxford Street (The Laxmi Road, Kumthekar road and peth area of London :p ).

Before we departed we had dinner with our roommate and his friend over a homemade paav bhaaji, sweet dalia with jaggery and extremely interesting conversation ranging from London, India, Mumbai, life experiences and last but not the least Bollywood. As usual I missed the house where I stayed for 3 weeks with me recording a few clippings of the house, its views and the moments I spent there. Of all the places I have lived I loved the kitchen of this home too . It was a brief stay but filled with the most beautiful moments of our life.

I wanted to visit a farmer’s market , Wimbledon, Lords and so many other places. But there is always a next time and surely Cottage Queen will be again visiting Queen in near future hopefully.
Till then I just need to close my eyes, take three deep breaths and go back to the moments in London.