On Our Own in London (Part 3)

Somewhere in the city, near Great Russell Street, outside a place called 'Shanghai Blues'

Big red bus

St Paul Cathedral

The tourist

Rioters and their camps outside St Paul Cathedral

View of Thames River & Tower Bridge from Millennium Bridge

Pretty Christmas tree at Covent Garden

Le Pain Quotidien at Covent Garden
Where we stopped for a teabreak and recharge

Heavenly delicious pavlova with fresh berries

Freshly baked scones with cream and jam

Christmas decoration and caroling

A place to go for delicious mussels (done in many creative cooking methods)

My mussels in Florentine
Creamed spinach sauce and cheese grilled

Jamie Oliver's restaurant, Covent Garden
JAMIE'S ITALIAN
It is (almost) as good as seeing Jamie in real!

All good things comes to an end.
Goodbye London!

Goodbyes are not for forever.
I WILL BE BACK!

Thank you Europe and London for giving me one of the most interesting, beautiful and fun traveling experience in my life. 

I love your weather, though unpredictable, it kept things interesting and saucy in a way. 

I love your culture and the way buildings were built, romantic and vintage. 

I love almost everything about you and I will miss every single thing about you. 

I will reminisce my days spent with you and will be counting my days, months and maybe years till I see you again. 

• Walked pass St Paul Cathedral and to Millennium Bridge.  View of Thames River and Tower Bridge
• Ride on big red bus to Covent Garden
• Jubilee Market
• Tea at Le Pain Quotidien 
• Window shopped and snap more photographs
• Back to Cumberland to meet up with the others via Underground tube.
• Back to Covent Garden for dinner at Belgo's.  Mussels!
• Walked pass Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant on our way back to tube station.
• Good night London
• Woke up to pack breakfast from Pret's.  
• Head to Heathrow Airport
• yidi yada... checked in, got scanned, asked to take off my shoes.... ok, I passed. 
• D U T Y   F R E E  SHOPPING!
• Coffee at Costa.
• The End.

On Our Own in London (Part 2)

Marble Arch, right in front of our hotel

I shrunk 3 feet shorter and a shade greener throughout my Europe adventure.
Kidding.
Playing around with a wide angled lens.

British Museum

Isn't she adorable?
With 7 year old Nicole (Kelly's daughter)

Catching up with Kelly.
Awesome!!

British Museum

One of the 'residents' in the Museum.

Ancient Mummy
NOT REPLICA. REAL STUFF MIND YOU.

Stairway to heaven??
Very long escalator at Holborn tube station

London

• Meet up with Kelly and family.  Stopped at Wigmore St's Pret-A-Manger for brunch.  
• British Museum
• Meet up with the rest of the troop.
• Walked to Holborn station.

..... to be continued...

On Our Own in London (Part 1)

As the rest of the group left this morning returning to their homes, our adventure in London on our own started today, 17 December 2011.  We omitted the bus and tubes, instead, we walked all the way from Cumberland Hotel, to our first stop National History Museum and pass through the ever famous Hyde Park. 

Bikes for rents - outside Hyde Park

National History Museum

Victoria & Albert Museum

London

• Walked from Cumberland to Knightsbridge
• Harrods
• British National History Museum
• Victoria & Albert Museum
• Late Lunch in Chinatown
• Back to Oxford St to check in to Cumberland Hotel
• Continued shopping
• Late dinner/supper Mcdonald's tapau (I had the yummy Festive Deluxe.  Squarish bread. Too big, I had to share it.)

Image sourced from google search

London!

London Waterloo Railway Eurostar station

Westminster Abbey

Buckingham Palace

Yours truly and Big Ben



Tower Bridge

Oxford Street Christmas decorations

Friday evening at Oxford Street
Busy, crowded and happening

Breakfast at Novotel London

Brussels - London

• Morning call at freaking early 5.00am!
• Left for Brussels train station to board Eurostar to London
• 2 hours train ride
• Arrive at London Waterloo Railway Station
• Visit to Buckingham Palace
• Big Ben
• Tower Bridge (known as London Bridge)
• Lunch at Chinatown
• Shopping at Oxford Street (Selfridges etc.)
• Dinner, in Chinatown again
• Checked in to Novotel Excel Hotel near Stratford
• Next morning - checked out.  Driver sent us to Cumberland Hotel near Oxford Street.
• Bid goodbye to the rest and DS

Exploring Europe (Part 3) ~ Netherlands & Belgium

Day 6-7   Amsterdam, Netherlands / Brussels, Belgium

Amsterdam city night view, around red light district area

De Nissen Restaurant, Amsterdam

Pretty decorations at De Nissen

Proost!!

Salmon - fresh and no fishy smell at all

Yours truly

Cheese!
Volendam, Dutch village

Dutch clogs making demo

Amsterdam artist Mark Raven's gallery store
Free set of coasters with purchase of any item from this store. Holiday & shopping bonus!!

Cruising Amstel River

Us

Luxurious Amstel Hotel

Chocolatey Manneken Pis

Streets in Brussels

Breakfast buffet spread at Schipol Hotel

Roti buffet

Eurostar ticket Brussels - London
199Euro per pax!!!

Sinful breakfast !
The only healthy item is the fresh orange juice (1.50Euro)

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

• Arrived in Amsterdam for dinner.  Salmon dinner at De Nissen
• Checked into Schipol Hotel.  Nice! Goodnight!
• Visit to Dutch village, Volendam
• Cheese making factory
• Dutch wooden clog shoes
• Diamond Centre (window shopping, obviously)
• *extra, own resource* shopped opposite Diamond Centre.  Mark Raven, Amsterdam's artist's gallery.  
• *own resources* took picture outside a museum opposite Diamond Centre and the loud 'I LOVE AMSTERDAM' sign.
• Cruised Amster river in a glass roofed boat.
• Lunch and then more shopping
• Head to Brussels

Brussels, Belgium

• Visit Manneken Pis
• Shopped for chocolates 
• Checked out the gigantic Atomium.  
• Checked in to Holiday Inn
• Good night!