Diaries of an English Journey

South...south it was!

The weekend was light,
I was alone,
The tarantula was invisible,
I was in high spirits!

Although on friday, I did ditch the Live gig at the Beit quadrangle!
I was and am perennially tired of gays and lesbians..

Well, actually, aman and his friend, stephanie...i think...i dont remember now..
were off for coffee when I met them at Gloucester Road station.

I got invited and went along!
Me and Aman were busy explaining to her the intricacies of Indian food.
I am not the best person to do that..
but still managed to add a few good points.
She also wants to come for a tour to India!
We guided her about all the places and also invited her to IIT....
Now, that would be fun.....

The next morning...
It was Greenwich time...
well literally as i headed off for Greenwich Village!
Before that, stops at some beautiful south london locations...
The Big Ben, The Westminster Abbey and the Cathedral

I then went off on a river cruise on the Thames!
from Westminster to Greenwich...
The cruise was truly enjoyable...
especially the anecdotes by the guide....
Under the bridges,
across the barrier,
along the old Markets,
along the modern ciy landscape,

The cruise came to a stop at the Cutty Sark.
Greenwich is literally greeeeeeeen.....
parks and roads and parks and roads...
and then more parks and roads...

Main attraction was the Prime Meridian of the World.
Sometimes, childhood fascinations do come true....
I still remember, aditi narula, showing me her pics of the london trip in 4th or 5th standard!!
I decided that day that I would stand across the line and be in the east as well as the west...
:-DD
and it came true...
I was pleased...
The trip included visits to the Royal Observatory and The National Maritime Musuem.
Now, I am actually amazed at London's attractions being a major city...
Mumbai has to progress a lot!
I think it is all a money game!

from the top at Greenwich Village, I saw 2 structures where I couldn't go!
One is the greenwich Power station and the other is the Millennium dome.
Greenwich Power station is special because it features on the cover of Pink floyd's album "Animals" with a pig floating at the top.

I reached the Fan Musuem late, coz i was too busy buying myself a turkish sandwich!
although, it tasted like a normal burger!!!..:-((

I reached Waterloo a bit too late for the London Aquarium.
but then I setup a trip to the Kennington Oval.

The Oval was closed for visitors as it was undergoing some refurbishments, but then I took some pics from the outside!!!
I neared the Main Gate and it was open.
I asked the security in charge, whether he could close it for me and take a pic for me.
thats becoz the gate was huge and looked attractive when closed!

I think he took pity on me and invited me inside!!
although not too much inside.
A picture was taken at the small cartooonish image hung up on the ground since ages!

I came back to Waterloo and went straight for the eye!
The London eye!
Oh! It was stupendous.
Magnificendo!
Inspirando!
Brilliant!
Fantastic!

The City of London from such Towering Heights!
Come aboard, people! For a flight in the British Airways London eye!
I met a sweet lady in the cabin!
She took a pic of mine 5 times just because she thought it was not perfect each time!

the smile at the end of the day was observed by me too!

the next day was sunday!
Off to Stratford-upon-Avon!
the Birthplace of William Shakespeare!
The village is a tiny place....
I covered the entire town in 3 hours!

from the Town Centre to the The birth Cottages....
from Greenway to the grave...

I even had an ice-cream...in the COLD!!!
realized it was a bad idea after all....
but I was tempted by the soft cream and choco biscuit at the top and huge amounts of the ice cream itself!

There were boats selling food...
and the park was lively...
all with circus performers and live bands...
It was a fun evening...
but then i was tired..
the fact that I was alone too made me a bit more tired than what I would have been!!

I came back to London listening to MatchBox 20 and fully engrossed in the Da Vinci code.
Ate a lot of pulao rice....
and slept
slept......
slept.........

This weekend, it is time for Salisbury and Stonehenge!!!
I have things to do...
I have reports to write....
For the first time in my life....
I think I am pleased about who I am and what I do and what I think....
Thank you, London!
You opened my eyes!

It is all a plastic life.

posted by Rahul @ 3:50 PM