August 2023

London Journals – Part 3

London, Travel / By / August 22, 2023

A 6 day London Travel Story – Final Part

This is the final part of my 6 day London trip. Read about Part 1 and Part 2 where I visited most of the major attractions of London over a span of 4 days till now.

Here we are at Day 4 evening which was the view…

The Shard

After the Windsor Castle, I made my way back to central London as dusk fell. I was now headed to the last stop of my day – The Shard. The Shard is a 72-story skyscraper which is the tallest building in the United Kingdom at ~1000ft. It is a commercial building housing offices, hospitals, restaurants etc. I was visiting for the View from The Shard.

Traveling by escalator to the 68th floor, I arrived at a glass enclosed observation deck which gave 360 degree view of the London city. The panoramic night views of a lit-up London were fabulous and not to be missed.

Tip: One can order food and drinks from the restaurant inside this 3-storied deck and enjoy them while admiring the views.

Tickets (without Pass):

The Shard: £ 25

King's Cross!

Before I could call it a day, I made just one last impromptu stop – to Kings Cross station (it was on my way back, in my defense) and there I discovered the “Harry Potter shop at Platform 9.3/4”. I’m afraid I did quite a bit of shopping there! Muffler, mugs, pens etc. A must visit for Potterheads! That was it for the penultimate day of my London trip.

Day 6: Sky And Water

This was a Saturday so that meant my husband was off-work and we could enjoy my last day in London together. However, due to some circumstances, we had a late start to the day. The day was rainy and chilly. Our plan was to visit the Westminster Abbey and the London Eye.

Westminster Abbey is the site of royal coronations and weddings. It is a Gothic structure which is one of the most known cathedrals of UK. Unfortunately, just as we reached the gates of the chapel, the gates closed for entry for that week! I requested to let us through since I would be returning to India the next day but they didn’t budge. So, alas!, the Westminster Abbey was missed.

London Eye

We then turned towards the London Eye. The London Eye is a Ferris Wheel, one of the highest structures in UK, and is basically a rotating observation deck. We rode the London Eye – in the glass-cased capsules which slowly move up and then down in a 30-minute duration. I absolutely loved the 360 degree view of the London City from various angles. There is a guide map provided which points out what we are seeing on each side of the view. This is a must-do in London.

HMS Belfast

We strolled around the area simply enjoying the day when we chanced upon the HMS Belfast and decided to visit.

HMS Belfast was a cruiser built as part of the Royal Navy but is now a museum which stands permanently docked on the Thames close to the Tower Bridge. It has nine decks incorporating bunkers, kitchens & pantry, captain’s quarters etc. But the most notable or visit-worthy are the gun turret experience room on the deck and the boiler and engine rooms at the lower level. Its highly interesting to see the erstwhile workings of ship. We spent a good 45 minutes going over the ship because it was so intriguing! Also, don’t miss the view of the Thames from the bow of the ship!

Tickets (without Pass)

  • Westminster Abbey: £ 24
  • London Eye: £ 27
  • HMS Belfast: £ 22.70

So Long, London

The last night we spent the way we started – dinner and “adda” (bengali; means chatting) with friends, but not before we had another stroll through the twilight-lit city of London.

At the crack of dawn the next day, I left London to return home. The 7 days trip was an amazing one and I really loved it – there was history, there was magic, there was opulence and there was architectural beauty, all wrapped up in one city. I will return again someday!

The Improved Itinerary

In the 7 days, I took a trip to Ireland, I attended a match and I spent time with friends. Had I not had these I would have a full 7 days to visit London. So, here’s my 6-day London itinerary – based on what I saw and liked and what I missed but would have liked to see had I had some more time.

Day 1: Buckingham Palace including Changing of guards, Westminster Abbey

Day 2: Tower Bridge, Big Bus, Trafalgar Square (get off from Big Bus), Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus

Day 3: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, Borough Market, London Bridge, Walking tour (just walk around central hub of London), catch a West End show in the evening.

Day 4: Tower of London, Royal Greenwich Observatory, Cutty Sark

Day 5: Windsor Castle, The Shard

Day 6: London Eye, HMS Belfast, Kensington Palace and Gardens, Hyde Park

Day 7: Optional: If you’re a sports fan – visit Wimbledon/Lords/Wembley Stadium. Or, if you’re a Harry Potter fan, do the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. Or, explore the London Pass for hidden gems. Or, simply walk around and do some shopping for you and yours.

Tip: Apart from the Buckingham Palace and the Harry Potter tour, all are included in the London Pass and/or Explorer Pass.

Useful links:

Paris through new eyes

Europe, Paris, Travel / By / August 22, 2023

Part of the 2022-2023 year end trip with family. Read Part 1 here.

We meet again Paris!

Circumstances change viewpoints and traveling partners change itineraries. It’s not some deep philosophical thought, just an observation. This was my second visit to Paris; first one being a solo. While the itinerary was more relaxed because I now had a baby in tow, my perspective towards Paris changed either because the city itself has changed or because of the time of the year I chose to visit it this time.

The itinerary:

As I said, it was a pretty open plan; with only one booking – Eiffel Tower on the 31st of December and that was the grand plan. What we did come up with on the spot suited us so well though.

  • Eiffel Tower
  • Torcadero Pavillion
  • Arc De Triomphe
  • Montmartre
The family @Eiffel Tower

Day 1: NYE @ Eiffel Tower

Last day of year 2022, and we had an appointment with The Iron Lady in the afternoon. Even though we left with plenty of time on hand, with traffic delays and slow-moving buses, we almost missed our tour group! Thankfully we caught them. And then there it was…. The Eiffel Tower!

Yet again, the sheer size of it and the architecture impressed me. So did the views. A 360-degree panoramic view over the city of Paris on New Years Eve. Could it be any better? High up there, the wind pushed me around but learning about the history of the tower and various factoids about the city of love made my day. I will always say, this is a must-do and is definitely not overhyped.

After spending a good couple of hours there, we wrapped up for the day as it was getting dark and much too crowded (I know, I know – we were part of the crowd yes). Getting to the hotel though was quite a challenge as the metros and buses stopped at random stops and declared it as their last one! Being the 31st of December, metro tickets were free but most routes were cut short due to the NYE party at the Arc De Triomphe. So all roads leading to it were closed. Too much hassle.

Still, a nice dinner at a cozy restaurant returned me to my good mood.

Deserted streets

Day 2: Arches and Towers

Happy New Year! It was the first day of 2023 – all bright and sunny! Ahem, it was interspersed with drizzly bits unfortunately. This day and the next would be divide and conquer. My child was a bit sick so we decided to go out in pairs, so someone was always there with him. In the late afternoon, my mother and I went to see the Arc de Triomphe. For both of us, this was the first time seeing it.

How to get to it??

It was a task figuring out how to reach that structure – standing at the junction of a 4-way 2 street crossroads – without any discernible path. Turns out, it is reached via the subway. Tickets to climb the top can be bought at the booth located underground i.e. on the subway but you can book in advance online.

That day, it being New Year, the top was closed but we could visit the arch and study the intricate sculptures on its 4 sides up close. Just standing there and observing the interminable movement of people and cars under the setting sun was a nice time-out.

Next stop: Palais de Chaillot or The Trocadero or more specifically Parvis des droits de l’homme which is the forecourt in between the two wings of the Trocadero. This place gives the perfect viewpoint for the Eiffel Tower and superb for photo ops. We posed with an Eiffel Tower decked up in lights and was glad for this one in a million view.

At night, I dined in with the kid while the others went out for a fun Indian dining experience.

Day 3: Hills And Domes

Rainy day from the offset but that didn’t deter us. Last day in Paris needed to be treated as such. So we headed off early to Montmartre – a hill located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris – and on its peak, the Sacré-Cœur. You have to climb the literal hill partly on foot and partly via cable car/funicular; we chose to go on foot the whole way via the steps. The view was reward enough for the strenuous activity – Paris!

Montmartre is a town with cute houses, quaint cafes and lots of shopping! The Basilica itself is beautiful to look at, presenting a new view from different angles, the inside is interesting with its stained-glass paintings, sculptures and – for this particular time of the year – a Nativity scene! We lit candles in prayer and looked around the cathedral. Don’t forget to look up at the dome!

We did a wee bot of shopping after that (but of course) for cute knick-knacks and treated ourselves to savory crepes and coffee.

Tip: If you have time, let a street artist draw you a portrait in 20 minutes only! Or, explore this colorful, and very charming neighborhood.

Back "home"?

The time flew by and suddenly it was time to get back to real-life. From Gare du Nord station to Rotterdam in 3 hours via Thalys and we were back to our new home away from everything familiar. But we were on a holiday high which carried us through the next few months to help us settle in and call The Netherlands our home properly.