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London - St. Paul's Cathedral & Phantom of the Opera
I'm finally on to my last blog entry on my London/Amsterdam trip! HAHA I actually spelt Amsterdam as Amsterdamn... Damn.
Hope this blog isn't getting too dusty yet.
As I was making my way to St. Paul's Cathedral in the morning, I was amazed by its backdrop of a cloudless blue sky.
I wound up at the wrong entrance. Lol.
One sneak peek of the interior of the Cathedral. It was really breath-taking and beautiful.
View of the first floor from don't know how many stories above
The Stone Gallery
Panaromic view from the Golden Gallery which was 582 steps up! pant pant
Outside the main entrance of the cathedral
Definitely one of the best sightseeing place I went to in London
Chilling at a cafe opposite the Cathedral as I was waiting to have lunch with Mish
The moment I touched down from Amsterdam, I grabbed a quick lunch before rushing to catch Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre! Tix were booked online before hand :D
Maybe because I watched the 25th anniversary performance screened at GV 2 years back, I was expecting quite a bit and was a tad disappointed with the performance. But it will always be my favorite musical. Can't wait for the show that is coming to MBS in July!
After the musical while still carrying allll my barang, I went to Regent Street and Harrods for some last minute shopping for friends and relatives before heading back the next day.
Kudos to this bride baring it all in the freezing cold weather
There was some kind of celebration going on at Harrods and I arrived just in time for the fireworks
the iconic bear of Harrods
It was this fateful night that I *almost* became a target of pickpocket.
I posted the status below on FB detailing what happened that night:
Man behind me on escalator going down to tube platform: Do you speak English?
Me: yes?
Man: you were being followed by the woman with a head scarf.
Me: really? How did you know?
Man: I saw. It's because of your bag. Be careful.
(Now I'm not sure if he was referring to the ultra big Burberry paper bag I was carrying or my satchel slung on the same shoulder being pushed behind by the Burberry bag which I guess makes it an easy target for pickpockets- totally let my guard down cos I was tired & carrying so many things: Burberry bag, my satchel & travel bag from Amsterdam)
Me as I cross slung my satchel in front of my chest: thank you!
Man: that's why I was standing behind you. Be careful.
Omg super nice soul in London! Most unfortunately I suspect he's gay cos he was dressed in a bright yellow trench coat.
I reached the platform & sat down. Shortly after, a woman with a head scarf took the empty seat next to me.
I glanced at her, stood up, and walked away.
Me: yes?
Man: you were being followed by the woman with a head scarf.
Me: really? How did you know?
Man: I saw. It's because of your bag. Be careful.
(Now I'm not sure if he was referring to the ultra big Burberry paper bag I was carrying or my satchel slung on the same shoulder being pushed behind by the Burberry bag which I guess makes it an easy target for pickpockets- totally let my guard down cos I was tired & carrying so many things: Burberry bag, my satchel & travel bag from Amsterdam)
Me as I cross slung my satchel in front of my chest: thank you!
Man: that's why I was standing behind you. Be careful.
Omg super nice soul in London! Most unfortunately I suspect he's gay cos he was dressed in a bright yellow trench coat.
I reached the platform & sat down. Shortly after, a woman with a head scarf took the empty seat next to me.
I glanced at her, stood up, and walked away.
Thank God for keeping me safe, really.
Forced myself to sit down and pack my luggage as I was heading back the next evening.
Some of my loots hehe
The next day I decided to head to Bicester Village where the outlet stores are located. I made a big booboo finding my way there and almost didn't make it there! But eventually I did and I'm glad cos the shopping was pretty fab :D
I bought a Prada bag for mumsy and a cardholder for myself, a GA polo tee for daddy, and a Bally bag and a pair of Tod's shoes for myself :D Good thing I was rushed for time and didn't get to stay long... else I'm quite sure I would have maxed out all my credit cards!
My story of making my way from Mish's apartment to the airport was epic. My luggage was so heavy and stuffed and I had another bulky runaway bag bought from Portobello Market a few days back. And I had to walk from the apartment to the subway station which proved to be too much for the flimsy runaway bag and the handles broke!
I was already huffing and puffing from the weight of it all. When I finally made my way to the tube station (I was planning on taking the tube to the airport), I was at quite a loss cos I have no way of carrying a broken bag and overweight luggage by myself.
Thanks to the free wifi at the station, I contacted Mish (who was away for a school trip) and booked a car to the airport. So I was waiting in the cold, getting worried that I won't reach the airport in time. After quite a wait, the car finally arrived. It was one of the most 不划算 item I spent on the trip - it cost 70 GBP which at that time converted to about SGD140. HEART PAIN.
But never mind, that's not the worst. When I arrive at the airport I was about 2 hours ahead of my flight. I went to queue at the VAT refund counter and the queue was so long it stretched from inside the room out into the cold. But I thought I'll give it a shot still since I had time. But the people in front of me bought like 10,000 items and each person took such a long time to process that I didn't get to reach the counter before the SIA personnel came in and threatened us to check in else they would take off without us.
So I had to leave the queue to go check in with just a few more people to go ahead of me! Urgh.
Remember earlier on I said my bag handles broke? After rushing to check in I rushed to a shop to buy a new hand carry. The only suitable one I could find was like Tommy Hilfiger and I paid over 200 SGD for it. HEART PAIN x 2.
And I didn't get to claim my tex refund. HEART PAIN x 3.
Hai. That being said, it was still one of the most awesome trips of my life. For the first time, I travelled solo to the Europe continent and even went sightseeing by myself and survived by myself. (Y)
I even made a new friend on the plane. Hehe.
Most people will know me as being spoilt and extremely dependent on others so here's a pat on my back for taking care of myself. Haha.
And it is always good to go home to people who care.. and of course to my buddies :)
5 comments
Hey just stumbled onto your blog and wanted to say you are super brave to go to London alone!! I am planning a trip to London too but with a few girlfriends. I thought you were pretty unlucky that you did not manage to get your tax refund! BUT I think you saved a lot by staying at I assume your friend's place because I was looking for hotels in London http://www.trivago.sg/london-38715/hotel and they sure are super expensive!!
ReplyDeleteHi there! Haha YES the VAT refunds were a big heart pain to me considering I bought quite a few luxury items. Would advise you to go to the airport 4 hours before checking in just to be safe :) Indeed the accommodation in London is not cheap and I was lucky to have a friend to bunk in with! I know my friends paid quite a substantial amount per night for a tiny room :( Nonetheless, London is a nice place to visit and do let me know if you need info on any stuff - I might (or might not) be able to assist! Haha :)
DeleteYes! Actually I wanted to ask you if you tried some really good food when you were there? :D
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I wasn't really on a food trail there (it was mostly shopping and sightseeing haha! and food was quite expensive I only had 2 meals a day haha) so I didn't really go to lots of 'famed' places etc. But I guess there are some things I can recommend:
DeleteBorough Market (note that full market is only opened Fri - Sun)
how to get there: http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/visit-us
what i tried:
-toasted cheese sandwich (3.5 stars out of 5! tasted delish in the cold weather when you are starving)
-fresh oysters (5 out of 5! if you like oysters you are going to enjoy this. spot a HK dude selling them out of a pushcart)
-pork burger (3 out of 5. it was forgettable but perhaps other choices are nicer as there was a queue when i was buying it)
-there's a shop that sells really good coffee but I forgot the name! I think if you walk pass it you can't miss the fragrant aroma and crowds of people in the shop =)
Borough market is a good place to explore for eats and drinks :)
Cafe East (Vietnamese restaurant)
My friend brought me there for dinner and they serve pretty authentic and delish Vietnamese fare in big portions!
How to get there: http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/cafe-east
Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant
this seems to be a must-go for every Singaporean who goes to London! It's run by Hongkies and they are famed for their roast duck and pork. It's worth a try IMO.
How to get there: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/maps/23791.asp
Hummingbird Bakery red velvet cupcakes
YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS IF YOU LIKE RED VELVET AND CREAM CHEESE! although ridiculously expensive it is by far the best red velvet cupcake I have ever tried in my life. You can skip on all their other stuff tho - save your calories and just indulge in them red velvet cupcakes!
How to get there: they have quite a few outlets in London so pop by whichever if you happen to be nearby!http://hummingbirdbakery.com/our-bakeries/
Salt Breef Brass Rail at Selfridges
This is good stuff! Fuel yourself with a salt beef sandwich after shopping at Selfridges
How to get there: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/maps/34291.asp
What I tried but didn't like: Fish & Chips. Apparently fish & chips are from England but the outlet we went to was pretty disappointing. Perhaps expected too much from the hype or we are just not used to the style - I prefer our own Fish & Co or Manhattan Fish Market fish & chips! Nevertheless the outlet we tried is called Rock & Sole plaice. http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/rock-sole-plaice
That's all I have for you. Hope it helps in any way! Have fun and enjoy London!! :D
Thank you so much for the tips!! :D
ReplyDelete