[ajmat]

Today, we hit the Tower!

It is a bit of a walk as there is no station nearby but it is well sign posted.
We pay a high entrance fee and enter. On the hour, there is a free Beefeater tour. They explain with a lot of humour about the history of the tower.

Once fnished - they pass the hat around - who said Baksheesh was only an India thing!

We then went around the museums detailing the armoury, life in the Tower and the Tower being part of early London's history.

We then go to a heavily fortified building housing the Crown Jewels. My wife wants to take the Kohinoor back. We have lunch over in the cafe and walk out onto the river overlooking Tower Bridge. Once of the guards is a Gujju and takesa nice family pic of us. (The one here was taken by my daughter - better view of Tower Bridge!)






We move onto Trafalgar Square where we hang out with Nelson. We want a pic with the Lion. It is a climb. I make a deal with an American girl. I heave you up and you heave me up!!


My daughter wants to feed the pigeons having heard that I used to do so as a child. The ex mayor, Ken banned this however there are a lot of East europeans making a fast buck selling corn seeds on the side.

We then pop into the Tate art Museum for a visit and then home

[ajmat]

It is a rainy day so we move to the indoors activity

Arrive at Baker street and meet Sherlock Hanging out!


At Madame Tussards, we see plenty of Desi's - Shahrukh has moved in and they wanta piece and pic of the action. Some more memorable pics as you see, I took my moderation skills to the ultimate limit!






We then move to the Chamber of Horros showing the guillotine, torture and unsavoury characters out there. My daughter is horrified and we move fat. We are offered a chance to have our own wax image madefor around 50000 pounds!

It is lunchtime and we go to Leicester Square for Lunch and catch a taxi to see Mary Poppins!

[ajmat]

This is an awesome place. Sara would hav told you about the Dinosuars but it deals with every living creature and also about geology, biology, physics. Some of the pics some us in an escalator simatating a jourrney through earth's crust. We were knackered after covering the whole museum.

One thing that caught me was a the power of observation and how poor we are. We watch a movie of a robbery and asked specific questions which you get wrong. They then tell you the answers. No wonder, police out there question you hard, and over here, make their own answers

Again Museums are dehydrating, I was panting for thirst half the time! There used to be a huge whle suspended from the roof. Alas , he is undergoing restoration. Don't miss him next time around!

Some pics











We returned home and we both went to the East End for a Jack the Ripper walking tour!

This is a well researched tour. The guide knows his stuff and takes you around to the murder sights in the poor East End and shows you the gory pics at each location. Morbid - the damp, rainy dark weather adds to the scene. We pass Brick Lane - amazing how it has evolved from a poor english suburb to a Jewish now Bangaldeshi area. I did not take the camera as it is a bit dodgy, security wise

Ironically, it reminds me of our cities, squalid areas with modern office blocks slowly invading it.

We go to the Natwest Tower for dinner and get throughly soaked

[ajmat]

The ladies want to go shopping so I am tasked with taking my daughter to Legoland, at least I get the BMW once again!

This place used to be the Windsor safari Park until it closed down and became Legoland. It was wet. Plenty of queues for some stuff. A nice high roller coaster which I pushed my daughter into going on and she hated it! It took one hour for her to talk to me again.

Sara has already told you about Legoland so here are my pics! in the first one, Windsor Castle can be seen on the opposite hill. Remaining are varous exhibits and her favourite - a mini roller coaster through King Arthurs Castle

[ajmat]

Not covered here was a trip to Oxford - poor light hence no pics. A rainswept trip to Nottingham for Lunch - I was impressed by a little BMW 318!

A nice trip to a sushi bar

and so it was back to India - Heathrow was crowded - dubai also

London is a city that I never tire off, I love the place but I need a six figure uk pound salary to live there!

I realised, it was time to go digital, which I have since!

ciao

[Sar]

So interesting to read someone else's perspective of the same place Ajmat. Love the pics of your daughter, especially where she's eating her noodles. I will attempt to write about our trip to the UK last year, where we stayed on a farm. I am sure if we actually exchange photos we will have duplicates It was so enjoyable!
Sarah

[kartikkumar]

Well compiled and interesting to read! Thanks Ajmat and it certainly looks and sounds like you had fun, more importantly your daughter had fun on the trip. You are so right about loving that city but needing large wads of currency to live there...in reasonable comfort! Again, thanks for the pics and the travelogue. Do thank your daughter for being a willing model in many of the photographs! Cheers!

[redsfx]

Reminds me of my days in Manchester. I used to love taking the cars off Hertz and driving off to scenic Scotland and Chester.