London - 14th June 2006
Went Buckingham Palace and Westminister to look at the cathedral and parliament building in the morning.
Church Hill's Statue Near Big Ben
Walked over the bridge at Big Ben there to the London eye.
London Eye
Then we took the metro to the natural history museum and spent like 2 hours there.. until 4pm. (Hey, the museums here are free! Fabulous right! haha)
Natural History Museum.. is damn big and damn cool and super nice.. I think i can easily spend one whole day there
Went back Covent to look around and we went (Mark's and Spencers) and ate there. (Found this bookstore called banana bookshop with super cheap books). We went back to borehamwood but took the express train twice to st Albans and back (we kinda got lost). In the end, we reached Borehamwood at like 8.50pm - we're suppose to reach at 8.10 and auntie kim was waiting... Quickly went back and had a super big bowl of mee goreng with vege's and spring onions... woohoo!
Els Tree Film and TV station at Aunt Kim's place there...
We left at like 10.15 and caught the 10.43pm train, but it stalled and hanged for some reason.. They were saying there's some signal light problem. Stalled for like 20 mins.. die man die, cause we need to catch the 11.30pm bus!!!!! We literally ran to the underground to Liverpool station but couldn't make it in time.. damn! shit! crap! what the ****! Lucky, our plane is not that early and lucky there's another bus. But we had to wait quite a while for the next bus.
Then there was this China Girl who got caught for not paying for the bus transport fee and so she's fined 20 pounds. Then she was asking us for help, she was like crying and said her friend was not answering her call..(When she's actually talking on the phone with her friend.. diao.. ) Then want us to lend her money.. aiyo.. The policeman said she's a conman and crying like that doesn't help.. haha.. i got a feeling she's really some con or something i guess..
So we went to take shelter cause we gotta wait for the next bus and talked to these 2 brazilians (Mom and Daughter) They're super nice man.. cause they brought us to a small cafe nearby to take shelter and treated us to a small cup of tea (50 pence) and a small cheese sandwich. We also experienced something wierd in the cafe. This guy sitting behind us wanted his sausage on his set meal. He said there's no sausage on his plate and was demanding for a sausage - when actually his friend kinda stole/took his sausage.. caused some fuss to happen in the cafe.. hai..
Well anyway, we managed to reach the airport safe and sound and finally. Oh Finally! Took the place home to Tampere. Home Sweet Home!!!!
I'm So DEAD BEATEN & TIRED.. =)
London - 13th June 2006
Okie Dokie! Second Last day of our eurotrip! Tired man.. just wanna go back and sleep and rest...
We walked to the train station from jiuan's aunt's place (took abt an hour). then went Buckingham palace and the Queen's museum.. to see change of guards and stuff.. (normal tourist stuff)
Buckingham Palace
Change of Guards
Think it's gonna be the queen's birthday, so there were a lot of these flags around on the lamp posts and pillars
Walked on down the road and saw horses and guards.. blah blah.. u know.. the whole England palace thingi.. it's really really cool to always see these sort of things in REAL LIFE.
Royal Horse Guards
Walked on to see Big Ben and ate Lunch there. Decided to catch a musical (Settled for Frank Sinatra - 14.50 pounds for Stall Seats).
Sites along King Charles street where you can walk down in order to get to Big Ben and Westminister from Trafalgar Square
Big Ben
Then we went Covent Garden and saw all those street performers and stuff. And we travelled on to the Science Museum at abt 4pm (It's FREE!!) until abt 6pm. Raining.. and Cold.. Damnit.. no choice, museum closed, so can't seek shelter there, so we just ate dinner outside on one of the seats/benches (so poor thing right.. haha.. wanna save money mah.. =p)
Science Museum
Then we went back to Oxford Circus to the London's Palladium to watch Frank Sinatra. Ok la, not bad.. quite good. Got band and stuff and the band also takes part in the acting, and all the cool songs sung by him.. But previously i came London and watch Les Miserabes.. tats was better.. tat was like super duper totally extremely awesome! AND WE GOT FRONT ROW SEATS AT HALF PRICE! BECAUSE WE GOT STUDENT CARD! (That's the first and last time i actually put my International Student Card to good use)
Sinatra Theatre
Ok, by that time, it's like already 9.45pm. We walked around Piccadilly for a while and saw a bunch of crazy brazilian fans around (Remember.. it's the world cup..) Brazil must have won some match.. expected though right.. haha.. Tonight was damn cold.. cold cold cold.. Hope tmr will be better since it's gonna be our last day..
London - 12th June 2006
Toast and peanut butter for breakfast.. YUM! haha.. Wah.. Had to wait like bloody long for the bus!! I think that's the bad thing about living on the outskirts of european places and you don't drive...
We went to King's Cross first (went to search for the 9 and 3/4 platform from Harry potter) went on to madam tussands and then to Kensington Park and Princess Diana's Memorial which is around there.. then we just walked around the park and enjoyed the european style of picnicing and sitting on the grass and stuff.. =)
King's Cross
Madam Tussands wax museum
Kingsington Garden
Queen Victoria's Memorial
Albert Memorial
Royal Albert Hall (Opp Albert Memorial at Kensington)
Then we went Harrods...
Harrods.. WOOO!!!! It's so cool and totally like a museum slash hotel slahs shopping center all rolled into one. It's like.. a shopping mall which doesn't have the shopping mall feel but a hotel feel.. and a museum feel. I dunno how to explain it.. it's just.. AWESOME...
Harrods
Harrod's Lift
And the toilet... got make-up rooms and lotions and stuff!!
Pretty Food at Harrods!!!
Ha ha! Chocolate Cafe at Harrods!!! mmmm.. chocolate...
Then we went on to piccadily center and Chinatown
Statue of Eros at Piccadily
Leicester Square, near Chinatown
Went back to Trafalgar Square to take pictures without craze of mautitions around then we went back home, had a good good shower (again.. hee!) and had fried noodles with chicken and got prawn somemore!!! Wah.. i feel like i'm in heaven.. haha.. ok.. being a little extreme here i guess. Then we watch "She's all that" and well.. tats abt it for the day..
London - 11th June 2006
We slept that night at Stansted airport.. to save money.. =p
So on 11th June morning, we set out, and took a bus to liverpool (12.50 pounds for a return trip). Reached and spent like dunno how LONGGGGG trying to figure out which day pass/ticket to buy.. haiz.. In the end we settled for a day pass. Talked to some vietnam guy while deciding what ticket to get.. he's been like studying here for 2 months.. but his english kinda.. uh.. funny funny.. haha.. (ok.. not nice to laugh at ppl =) )
So the sights we saw today after that are:
Tower of london and tower bridge
We managed to see the bridge open and the cool big ship go under the bridge.. woo!!1
Opening of the Tower Bridge
Then to Millenium bridge and London bridge (london bridge keeps falling down falling down, falling down..)
London bridge.. Is like the most boring and gloomiest bridge ever.. wonder why is it famous.. maybe cause of the nursery rhyme..
Laid on the grass.. cause we're damn tired.. and kinda fell asleep there for a while..hahaha
Then we took a bus to trafalgar square... Mauritius ppl were having some party there.. some mauritius festival thingi..
London Double Decker Bus!!!
Then we were just tired.. just plain tired, so directly went to Jiuan's Aunts place who would be housing us for the next few days.. (so nice.. =) ) so cozy and comfortable.. ahhh.. finally.. a home.. We watch tv, and even BBQ!!! got Home-made sausages & salad & cake & curry and yello rice & Dr Pepper & White Wine.. super luxurious.. after all the pain and shit stuff we had to go thru... !!! I appreciated the hospitality so so much!!! We even had a bubble bath!!! SHIOK to the MAX!!! SHIOK SHIOK & SHIOK!
London Cab... Comes in a lot of different colors
london Duck Tour.. we never go and bother to sit on it of course.. =p
Berlin - 10th June 2006
Went to the East Side Gallery Today.. (The Berlin Wall)
Berlin wall
Quite cool, all the drawings on the wall and stuff, so artistic...hee
guy on street
We went on the Charlottenburg Palace, but like nothing there like that. Ended up shopping and eating a cinamon roll (apple) for 0.75 euros, and pretzels, 3 for 1.40 euros. We went to eat currywurst again (1.50 euros) haha... not very worth it though if you think about it.. sing$3 for a sausage sia...
Scholoss-Charlottenburg
Berlin Bear
Went back to potsdamer platz and the fanfest to just soak in the atmosphere and watch a bit of soccer (sweden VS trinidad) Then went back to our hostel and got our bags to set off to the airport for our last destination... LONDON!!!
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Places we went on the free tour starting at Starbucks.. The guide brought us to quite a few places:
1) Finance building
One of the last few good remaining buildings from the Hitler's period of time... and now it has turned into a Finance building where u gotta pay taxes... funny huh..
2) Bebelplatz
Think you can't see the words i wrote. So I shall re-type here.
This is Bebelplatz. The place where the book burning took place by the Nazi's.
If you face the Opera house (If you're looking at the Opera house), to the right is St. Hedwig's Cathedral, the oldest Church in Berlin.
Behind you is the Old library
And at the center of the square, is the book burning memorial. Which is really cool. It's underground, and all you see is this glass panel, and when u look thru the glass panel, you just see a row of empty bookshelves (as seen in the 4th picture)
The Bronze plaque located below the memorial is written in German as follows:
"In Der Mitte Dieses Platzes Verbrannten Am 10 Mai 1933 Nationalsozialistische Studenten Die Werke Hunderterfreier Schriftsteller, Publizisten, Philosophen Und Wissenschaftler.
Translated:
"In the middle of this square on May 10, 1933 National Socialist [Nazi] students burned the works of hundreds of free-lance writers, journalists, philosophers and scientists."
3)Neue Wache Memorial
Originally built as a guardhouse for the troops for the Crown Prince of Prussia
Inside the memorial is just this statue of a mother with her dead son.
This one is just some dumb museum beside the Neue Wach... nothing to talk abt..hee
4) Museum Island
Think there are 5 museums in total: (i)Old Museum (Altes Museum) (ii) New Museum (Neues Museum) (iii) Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgalerie) (iv) Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, today called the Bode Museum (v) Pergamon Museum
Bridge linking to Museum Island
The Altes Museum (Oldest Museum, finished in 1830)
Outside writes E=mc^2
