My must-see UK landmarks!A Dutch kennis (acquaintance) once told me about her daughter's wide-eyed excitement over their yearly summer vakantie. That time they were going to "Engeland", and her daughter asked if there are indeed a lot of "angels" there. You see, "Engeland" is the Dutch name for England or the UK, but it can also mean Angel's Land for engel=angel, and land=land...Kids!
Anyway, last month, we also visited Engeland for the first time. Me and hubs always said that a European experience will never be complete (for us at least), if we don't make a call to her majesty, Queen Elizabeth of the UK ;)
I had the same level of excitement as the little girl, but not for ethereal reasons :) I've always wanted to see Great Britain... After all compared to its neighboring European countries, it offers a plethora of castles and ruins and other historical structures that were unharmed by the war; or if damaged, have been magnificently restored.
Preparing for the Trip
Luckily Donna and Zach invited us over to visit. Actually after their trip to the Netherlands (and Belgium) last December, we kind of agreed that it will be our turn the next time to come to the UK. She sent me everything we needed for the visa application (yes we need a visa, since the UK is not part of the SCHENGEN states), and as soon as I received the parcel booked an appointment with the UK Embassy, went to their consulate in Amsterdam, and got the VISA the same day. Pretty straightforward...
Getting There-Aug 22
Rey has earned enough KLM Flying Blue miles and was eligible for promo (cheaper-than-usual) plane tickets to the UK on August. Cool! Hence, this sped up our travel plans to Engeland, as it was originally scheduled for a December trip (to spend the holidays with some relatives and friends there).
It was an hour flight from Schiphol (Amsterdam) to London's Heathrow airport. Donna and Zach live an hour away from London, and they initially offered to pick us up from the airport. But of course we politely declined the offer. After all, what is traveling minus the adventure(always,always travel light and wear comfy walking shoes), map-reading and arguing which way (he3x)? We said we wanted to find our way to their address. Nonetheless, they gave us the number of a taxi service in case we changed our minds... ("Don't bother Ming a, manawagan lang ko kung madula ah!") .
Though nothing beats the train system in the Netherlands (my hats off to the Dutch for putting a train station directly underneath the airport's passenger terminal complex !), commuting in the UK is not bad either. From Heathrow Terminal 4 (KLM flights arrive at this terminal), follow the signs to HEATHROW EXPRESS/CONNECT and board the train to transfer to Heathrow Central (travel is free within terminals). At the Heathrow Central, find your way to the central bus station for your bus. We boarded the Heathrow Railair Coach to WOKING ("Don Woking gid ni ya???He3x"). Heathrow-Woking Railair is a fast and frequent luxury coach service serving both the Heathrow Central bus station and Terminal 4 directly. Then, Donna fetched us from the Woking Train Station... Smooth trip!
LOOK RIGHT!!!
*As soon as I saw these signs(or heard them talk!) , I knew we were in the UK.
Believe me, nakakalitong tumawid!He3x
We made it at Woking!!! (w/ Donna)
our special pasalubong for ZachZach: "O ano,buksan na natin? Kantahan na rin kaagad!"
Sights
DAY 1- A day in London (Aug. 23)
Donna can quit her day job at Nokia anytime, and just start her own tourism company :) She had a very strategic (aka aggressive) sightseeing schedule prepared for us, that we saw most of London's popular landmarks within a day! Thank you Don! To you, we are forever grateful ;)
Enough said, let the pictures do the talking... (Click on pictures for larger view)
Houses of Parliament and the Big Ben
The House of Commons and House of Lords in the Palace of Westminster and the "Ben"
"Parliament: The building where Parliament now stands has been a centre of authority for over a thousand years. Once the home of the royal family, and still officially a royal palace, the buildings that now make up the modern Houses of Parliament have developed through design, accident and attack.
The Clock Tower (Big Ben)owes its existence to a fire in 1834 that destroyed most of Parliament. A commission was set up to choose a new building design from 97 submissions and a clock tower dominated Charles Barry's winning plan. The clock swung into action in 1859. No-one knows the exact origins of the name 'Big Ben' but the most popular theories are:
That the bell was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the First Commissioner of Works and a tall man known in the House of Commons as Big Ben.
That it was given the nickname of a champion heavyweight boxer of the time called Ben Caunt. He fought his last fight in 1857 when the bell, and the debate of what to name it, was in the public consciousness.
More info here."
The Clock Tower (Big Ben)owes its existence to a fire in 1834 that destroyed most of Parliament. A commission was set up to choose a new building design from 97 submissions and a clock tower dominated Charles Barry's winning plan. The clock swung into action in 1859. No-one knows the exact origins of the name 'Big Ben' but the most popular theories are:
That the bell was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the First Commissioner of Works and a tall man known in the House of Commons as Big Ben.
That it was given the nickname of a champion heavyweight boxer of the time called Ben Caunt. He fought his last fight in 1857 when the bell, and the debate of what to name it, was in the public consciousness.
More info here."
London Eye
Lovers and the London Eye
Westminster Abbey
Ladies-in-waiting...err, in purple and the Westminster Abbey
"coffee break"
Westminster Abbey*This large Gothic church is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and later British monarchs
More Pics
"BEWARE. Horses may kick or bite. THANK YOU!"(At the "Horse Guards")
Buckingham Palace
"Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. The palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, and a major tourist attraction. It has been a rallying point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis. More info here."
"Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. The palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, and a major tourist attraction. It has been a rallying point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis. More info here."
Buckingham Palace's principal facade, the East front
Throngs of tourists at the entrance...Waiting for the Queen, or
...waiting for him to move?
and he did!!!(Change of guards)
taking a rest at St. James Park
Trafalgar SquareKensington Palace
Regal Rey :)
Kensington Palace is a royal residence in Kensington Gardens in London. It is once residence to Princess Diana...of course me and Donna, wanted to visit this.
We arrived there a bit late, so we decided to forego touring the apartments, and just visited the souvenir shops and the Kensington Gardens with interesting features including the Round Pond, formal avenues and a sunken Dutch garden.
the "sunken" Dutch Garden
The "Duchess" and the "Dutch Garden"
my furry friend
(and fussy! this squirrel was so friendly, it will run up my shoulder if I let him!)
*Grey squirrels were introduced to Britain in the late 1800s, and their adaptability has allowed them to successfully populate much of the country. They are now a common wildlife species in urban areas and mixed woodland.
Rey and the Round Pond
More info here."
Regal Rey :)We arrived there a bit late, so we decided to forego touring the apartments, and just visited the souvenir shops and the Kensington Gardens with interesting features including the Round Pond, formal avenues and a sunken Dutch garden.
the "sunken" Dutch Garden
The "Duchess" and the "Dutch Garden"
my furry friend(and fussy! this squirrel was so friendly, it will run up my shoulder if I let him!)
*Grey squirrels were introduced to Britain in the late 1800s, and their adaptability has allowed them to successfully populate much of the country. They are now a common wildlife species in urban areas and mixed woodland.
Rey and the Round PondMore info here."
Tower of London
With a history both gruesome and fascinating, " The Tower" should be in every visitor's must-see list. It is a historic monument in central London, England, on the north bank of the River Thames. In fact, it is one of London's four Unesco World Heritage sites (the others are Westminster Abbey, Kew Gardens and Maritime Greenwich), and continues to fascinate history, monarchy and warfare buffs.
"The tower's primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower" (meaning "imprisoned"). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. More information here."
impaled!!!
With a history both gruesome and fascinating, " The Tower" should be in every visitor's must-see list. It is a historic monument in central London, England, on the north bank of the River Thames. In fact, it is one of London's four Unesco World Heritage sites (the others are Westminster Abbey, Kew Gardens and Maritime Greenwich), and continues to fascinate history, monarchy and warfare buffs.
"The tower's primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower" (meaning "imprisoned"). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. More information here."
impaled!!!Tower Bridge
"London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down London bridge is falling down, my fair lady!"
*Or did they mean the Tower Bridge?
Perhaps, the "Tower Bridge" (mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is the next bridge upstream) is second to Big Ben for being London's most recognizable landmark. And indeed, it doesn't disappoint upon closer look. There's something about its construction and suspension, that makes it an engineering marvel as well. For detailed description about the nuts,bolts and screws (he3x), visit their website: http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TowerBridge/English
*Those high-level walkways are used for exhibition and even parties
The River Thames and the Tower Bridge
London's Cityhall(taken from the Tower Bridge's walkway)
*That curious-looking, bulbous-shaped building is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly
*Because of it's odd shape it is referred to as: Darth Vader's Helmet, a misshapen egg, among others
Floating Naval Museum
The Tower Bridge was the last item in the itinerary for that day, and after a few minutes of rest we headed home. And still, the train ride going back to Fleet is an interesting experience for me. Fellow commuters have entertained me for an entire hour. I am so amazed how the English language can sound so distinguished(different) to what we have been exposed with. And I just don't mean the accent, but the entire structure: pronunciation, lexicon, grammar and punctuation even! We were seated with a lady (an Audrey Tautou dead ringer) and her husband and their older friend. Never did I expect that I will be amused or riveted to listen (eavesdrop?) to a conversation involving a toddler, his bottoms and nappy cream :) (Ambi ko Lan tulog ka, kapamati ka gali? He3x)
It was a great day and again, thank you Don! Bwas naman! He3x
"London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down London bridge is falling down, my fair lady!"*Or did they mean the Tower Bridge?
Perhaps, the "Tower Bridge" (mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is the next bridge upstream) is second to Big Ben for being London's most recognizable landmark. And indeed, it doesn't disappoint upon closer look. There's something about its construction and suspension, that makes it an engineering marvel as well. For detailed description about the nuts,bolts and screws (he3x), visit their website: http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TowerBridge/English
*Those high-level walkways are used for exhibition and even parties
The River Thames and the Tower Bridge
London's Cityhall(taken from the Tower Bridge's walkway)*That curious-looking, bulbous-shaped building is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly
*Because of it's odd shape it is referred to as: Darth Vader's Helmet, a misshapen egg, among others
Floating Naval Museum
The Tower Bridge was the last item in the itinerary for that day, and after a few minutes of rest we headed home. And still, the train ride going back to Fleet is an interesting experience for me. Fellow commuters have entertained me for an entire hour. I am so amazed how the English language can sound so distinguished(different) to what we have been exposed with. And I just don't mean the accent, but the entire structure: pronunciation, lexicon, grammar and punctuation even! We were seated with a lady (an Audrey Tautou dead ringer) and her husband and their older friend. Never did I expect that I will be amused or riveted to listen (eavesdrop?) to a conversation involving a toddler, his bottoms and nappy cream :) (Ambi ko Lan tulog ka, kapamati ka gali? He3x)
It was a great day and again, thank you Don! Bwas naman! He3x
