“London is my cup of tea.”

-Anonymous

So, my friends, after a long time I am here again to take you to one of the most culturally rich parts of the world where history amalgams with the technology and literature with daily life.

London, the name itself draws up a picturesque view in our mind’s eye which takes the heart to the Victorian Era and fills it up with hearty thoughts.

There are so many things to see, to learn, to observe. It’s not possible to get familiar with every nook and cranny of a country by only one visit. Still, we try to explore as much as possible in our limited period of visit here.

Day 1:

The London Eye:

  • The London Eye , or the Millennium Wheel , is a cantilevered observation wheel, and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over three million visitors annually. It has made appearances in popular culture.
  • How to reach there – The nearest London Underground station is Waterloo, although Charing Cross, Embankment and Westminster are also within easy walking distance. Connection with National Rail service is made at London Waterloo station and London Waterloo East station. City Cruises stop at the London Eye Pier.
The London Eye

The underground trains or tube rails of London have made it easier for people to actually get to know every corner of this Victorian city.

The Stations
  • The River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England, including London. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.

Day 2:

The Buckingham Palace:

  • Buckingham Palace is a London Royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom which is located in the City of Westminster, it has been a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and mourning.
  • How to reach there by tube train – Green Park is the nearest tube station to Buckingham Palace.
  • The best time to get inside Buckingham Palace is summer time. The primary touring time is summer. Summer also offers the best weather for viewing the Changing of the Guards.
The Buckingham Palace

So, next we would like to go to Westminster Abbey which is formerly titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster.

The Westminster Abbey:

  • It is a large mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster.It is one of the United Kingdom’s most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and a burial site for English and later British monarchs.
  • The Abbey is the burial site of more than 3,300 people, usually of prominence in British history: at least 16 monarchs , eight prime ministers, poets, laureate, actor , scientists, military leaders and the Unknown Warrior.
The Westminster Abbey
  • How to reach there? By underground one may go through St James Park and Westminster or by London River services at Westminster Millennium Pier.
  • Some of the famous person whose ultimate resting place is here as
  • Sir Issac Newton- A leading figure in science, mathematics and astronomy, Newton is one of the most well -known individuals across the world. Newton passed away in 1727 at Kensington and is buried here . His monument is made up of white and grey marble , depicting objects from his optic and mathematical work.
  • Stephen Hawking – An eminent astrophysicist, mathematician, and author , Professor Stephen Hawking was buried at Westminster Abbey in 2018, next to the tombs of Charles Darwin and Sir Issac Newton.Hawking’s gravestone depicts a series of rings that swirl around a dark eclipse, reflecting his pioneering work of black holes.
  • Charles Darwin – Renowned for his work on natural selection “ On the origin of species ” Charles Darwin was a geologist and biologist and is buried at Westminster Abbey.
  • The unknown warrior- Representing the thousands of soldiers who died during World War I ,as a sign of respect , this is the only tomb that guests are not allowed to walk into.
  • Laurence Olivier – One of the greatest directors of history, whose work dominated in the British stage in the 20th century.
  • David Livingstone – a writer , explorer , physician and missionary who is famous for his exploration of Africa and for discovering of the source of Nile.
  • Rudyard Kipling who is known for ‘The Jungle Book’ and his short story collections of Kim and just So stories for Little Children.
  • Charles Dickens , a renowned British author with books such as “ Oliver Twist ” and many more .

So , next we would to visit the most iconic “Tower Bridge” of London.

The Tower Bridge:

  • Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combine bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. It crossed the river Thames close to the Tower of London.
  • Tower bridge has become a recognisable London landmark. Sometimes it is confused with London Bridge.
The Tower Bridge

“ London Bridge is Falling Down ”( also known as “My Fair Lady ” or “London Bridge ”) is a traditional nursery rhyme and singing game , which is found in different versions all over the world. It deals with the dilapidation of London Bridge and attempts, realistic or fanciful, to repair it. It may be date back to bridge-related rhythms and games of the Late Middle Ages, but the earliest record of the rhyme in English are from the 17th century.Several explanations have been advanced to explain the meaning of the rhyme and the identity of the “Fair Lady ” of the refrain. The rhyme is well known and has been referenced in a variety of works of literature and popular culture.

  • Tower Bridge is famous as it is London’s most striking bridge with it’s Neo- Gothic architecture and lifting central sections. When it opened it was the most sophisticated bascule bridge in the world.

Day 3:

The Madame Tussaud’s Museum:

  • Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London; which was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud in 1835 . It is a major tourist attraction in London , displaying the waxworks of famous and historical figures, as well as popular film and television characters. The nearest station to the museum is Baker Street which is at the walking distance of 120 meters.
  • The tour is self guided. It should take you approximately 60 to 90 mins to complete your tour.
  • With 14 interactive areas, Madame Tussaud’s London combines glitz, glamour and incredible history with more than 300 stunning wax figures.
  • 9.00 am sees the least crowds and the crowds also tend to reduce significantly towards the closing hours. It is better to avoid weekends at all costs.Visiting Madame Tussauds after mid -September is recommended as London is less crowded during this time.
  • A wax sculpture is a depiction made using waxy substance.
  • The distance between Madame Tussaud’s and London Eye is two miles.
The Madame Tussaud’s Museum

The Sherlock Holmes’ Museum:

So, next our destination would be Sherlock Holmes Museum , London which is situated at 221b Baker Street, London NW1 6XE. It is at a walking distance from Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.

  • It is a place one must visit and absolutely worth it ! It does focus much more on the books than the film and television incarcerations ,as it should.
  • This museum is a privately run museum in London , England, dedicated to the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. It is the world’s first museum dedicated to the literary character Sherlock Holmes.
The Sherlock Holmes Museum
  • 4 House’s character is based on Sherlock Holmes. Just like Holmes, House’s street address is 221B .
  • The rooms are packed full of all sorts of fascinating memorabilia which were referenced in the books , such as a magnifying glass , an old copy of The Times, a pipe, a chemistry kit, ink bottles, a violin, a deerstalker, and much and much more .

The Tower of London:

Next we will go to the Tower of London. Officially Her Majesty’s Royale Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Themes in central London.

  • It is a famous and the most secure castle in the land , the Tower guarded royal possessions and even the royal family in times of war and rebellion. Throughout history, the Tower has also been a visible symbol of awe and fear.
  • It is estimated that at least three hours to see the entirety of Tower of London.
  • The Tower of London is an internationally famous monument and one of England’s most iconic structures.
  • The real crown jewels are kept here.
The Tower of London

Day 4:

St. Paul’s Cathedral:

So, my friends today’s trip start with St.Paul’s Cathedral which provide the iconic view of city of London.

  • St. Paul’s Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral in London.It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London.
  • The Cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London. The dome remains among the highest in the world.
  • St Paul’s is the second- largest church building in area in the United Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral.
  • The nearest underground station is St Paul’s, which is 120 m away from St.Paul’s Cathedral.
  • St.Paul’s Cathedral boasts one of the biggest dome in the world at 366 feet high.There are famous areas inside the Cathedral, one of them is Whispering gallery another is the Crypt , which is located on the bottom floor.
  • Stone and golden galleries are open on Saturdays and daily during half term holiday period.
  • St. Paul’s Cathedral miraculously survived the Blitz during WWII and witnessed during the 20th century many historical events including the funeral of Winston Churchill and the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. For all these reasons St.Paul’s Cathedral is definitely worth visiting.
St. Paul’s Cathedral

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich:

  • The Royale Observatory, Greenwich as the Old Royal Observatory from 1957 to 1998 , is an observatory situated on a hill in Greenwich Park in south east London, overlooking the River Thames to the north.
  • It played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, because the Prime Meridian passes through it , it gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time, the precursor of today’s Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
  • The ROG has the IAU observatory code of 000 , the first in the list. ROG, the National Maritime Museum, the Queen’s House and the clipper ship Cutty Sark are collectively designated Royal Museum Greenwich.
  • Greenwich is widely viewed in the British tradition as the “ Centre of the World ” and the “Home of Time ”
The Observatory of Greenwich
  • The bright red Time Ball on top of Flamsteed House is one the world’s earliest public time signals , distributing time to ships on the Thames and many Londoners .
  • Anyone visiting Greenwich can see the telescope’s distinctive ‘Onion dome’ roof when they look up towards the Royale Observatory.But to truly appreciate the scale of the Great Equatorial Telescope, you have to step inside.
  • It will take almost two hours to complete this beautiful tour at Royale Observatory Greenwich.
  • One have to buy tickets to see the Meridian Line.
  • There were two main reasons for choosing Greenwich as prime meridian. The first was the fact that the USA had already chosen Greenwich as the basis for its own national time zone system. The second was that in the late 19th century , 72% of the World’s commerce depended on the sea-charts which used Greenwich as the Prime Meridian.
  • The Greenwich is at 0 degree longitude because, the prime meridian is arbitrary, meaning it could be chosen anywhere. Any line of longitude can serve as the 0 longitude line. However, there is an international agreement that the meridian that runs through Greenwich, England, is considered the official prime meridian.
  • On 1st November 1884 , the Greenwich Meridian was adopted universally at the international Meridian conference in Washington DC , USA. As a result, Greenwich Mean Time became the standard and the 24 time zone created.
  • London has two time zone , Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT) during standard time and British Summer Time ( BST) during Day Light Saving Time DST or summer time.

One can reach here by train from London Central.

The Royal Albert Hall:

Our next destination will be The Royal Albert Hall which is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. It is one of the United Kingdom’s most treasured and distinctive buildings which is held in trust for the nation.

  • It seats more than 5,000 but held a record audience of 9,000 in 1906 for a gramophone concert. Today the hall is the London home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, it is the venue of the annual “Proms” sponsored by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
  • The hall has been affectionately titled “The Nation’s Village Hall ” .The first concert was Arthur Sullivan’s cantata On Shore and Sea , performed on 1st May 1871.
  • Transport Link – London Buses , Royal Albert Hall 9 , 23 , 52, 360, 452 .
  • London Underground- Gloucester Road, High Street Kensington, Knightsbridge , South Kensington.
  • The hall was originally supposed to have been called the Central Hall of Arts and Sciences , but the name was changed to the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Science by Queen Victoria upon laying the Hall’s foundation stone in 1867, in memory of her husband Prince Albert , which forms the practical part of a memorial to the Prince Consort ; the decorative part is the Albert Memorial directly to the north in Kensington Gardens , now separated from the Hall by Kensington Gore.
The Area around the Royal Albert Hall

A few words about British Desserts…

The British kitchen has a long tradition of noted sweet- making , particularly with puddings, custards and creams. Some of them are:

  • Apple pie
  • Butterscotch Angel Delight
  • Carrot cake
  • English cake
  • Fudge
  • Gingerbread
  • Knickerbocker glory
  • Lady cake
  • Manchester tart – It is a traditional English baked tart consisting of a shortcrust pastry shell , spread with raspberry jam ,covered with a custard filling and topped with flakes of coconut and Maraschino cherry .
  • Rice pudding
  • Short cake
  • Sponge cake
  • Swiss roll
  • Trifle
  • Tea cake
  • Victoria sponge
  • Syllabub is an English sweet dish described by the Oxford English Dictionary as “ A drink of dish made of milk drawn from cow or cream , curdled by the admixture of wine , cider or other acid and often sweetened and flavoured.
  • Yorkshire Curd Tart
  • Malt loaf is a common snack food in the United Kingdom.
  • Welsh cake are made from flour , sultanas, raisins and / or currants and may also include such spices as cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Bread and butter pudding
  • Queen of puddings served with custard .
  • Christmas pudding
  • Figgy pudding
  • Jam Roly -Poly
  • Sticky toffee pudding
  • Sussex pond pudding
  • Treacle sponge pudding
  • Waldorf pudding.
Desserts

So, my friends next time when you make sure to visit United Kingdom, then you must have some of the English desserts which I already enlist.

There can be so many ways where we can enjoy the stunning beauty of London, be it walking through the alleys and parks or enjoying the Big Ben during sunset. Now as the restrictions are lifting up slowly, it’s time to pack your bags and answer to the call of this magical city.

Last updated on May 14, 2022