YeinJee's Travel Journal

I had been wandering on foot in London for more than 6 hours; travelling on foot in London is not a bad option, that is if you have a strong pair of legs.

It was getting dark, time to end my London foot tour. I boarded on the Underground with one last thing in mind… I dropped by the station near Big Ben to have a glimpse of the night view of the clock tower and House of Parliament before heading back to Chiswick.

Big Ben and House of Parliament at night

I have wonderful memories of the night view of Big Ben and House of Parliament during my visit in 2002… it didn’t disappoint me this time again. The buildings were splendid at night, a recommended visit for all.

Shopping at Sainsbury

My sister lived in a convenient location; supermarkets like Mark & Spencer, Sainsbury and Tesco were all nearby. Later at night my sister brought me for some grocery shopping at Sainsbury which doesn’t have any outlets in Malaysia. We bought lots of ‘fast food’ like ham, sausage, cheese and fruit juice.

I first saw this egg like building when I was nearby Tower of London; wasn’t sure what the building was until doing some researches after I was back from London… its name is 30 St Mary Axe, or the Gherkin, or Swiss Re.

Photo of 30 St Mary Axe

It seems that London is crazed to build modernized buildings since the 90s; and the Gherkin is probably the defining masterpiece.

The building was designed by Lord Foster and team of engineers and was constructed in 2001-2004 to replace the old Baltic Exchange building which was severely damaged by an IRA bomb in 1992.

Its official name is 30 St Mary Axe, which is obviously its address. The nickname Gherkin is referring to its shape; some press actually called it the erotic gherkin when the project was first announced. Swiss Re was the first owner of the tower, and still the largest occupant of the building.

Despite the curved shape, the building only uses one piece of curved glass in 30 St Mary Axe - the lens on top of the building. However, the building won multiple architecture awards not just because of its structure, but also for its energy saving and other features. [Facts]

The Gherkin claimed to have the tallest restaurant in London (at its top - 40th floor) but it is only opened for tenants and guest. I guess I should start networking with some London businessmen in order to get to the top of 30 St Mary Axe next time.

Tower of London was already closing when I reached there (closes at 6pm, but last admission at 5pm). I was not disappointed though. I don’t know why but I am not fond of visiting the tower; some travel guides actually ranked Tower of London as the ‘must visit’ place ahead of Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge and Big Ben etc… but somehow I am just not interested.

A glimpse of the Tower of London

Note that the Tower of London is not really a tower; it’s more like a complex instead. It was first built as a fortress by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was named White Tower back then (some people still calling it this way).

The main attraction of the Tower of London is probably the Crown Jewels which have been kept in the tower since 1303; but the most interesting tale of the tower is perhaps the Tower Ravens…

According to legend, if the ravens left the tower, the White Tower would fall and a great disaster befall the Kingdom. Till these days, at least 6 ravens are kept within the tower compound at all time. [Reference]

Tower of London was also used at a prison for royals, nobles and religious dissidents in the past history. The tower is often referred as one of the most haunted places in London because of the large number of prisoners executed here.

This is the real London Bridge. People often mistaken the Tower Bridge as London Bridge; fact is the real London bridge is nothing as fancy as the famous Tower Bridge.

Photo of the London Bridge

London Bridge does have a long history of glamour and tragic though; the first bridge across the Thames in London area was built by the Romans on the present site around 52 AD and was made of wood.

The original timber bridge was replaced with new timber bridge for probably a few times before a stone bridge was finally built in the 12th century. The construction of the bridge started in 1176, and completed with the gates, chapel, shops and houses in 1209.

The stone bridge stood for over 600 years despite facing structural damage numerous times; the bridge was finally replaced by another London Bridge in 1831. This ‘new’ London Bridge however didn’t last as long as the previous one, as structural problem again arouse since early 1900s.

The bridge was dismantled and replaced section-by-section with a new concrete structure since 1967; the dismantled parts were sold to the McCulloch Oil Corporation and transported to Arizona to be rebuilt at Lake Havasu City. [Reference]

The current London Bridge was opened in 1973, and thankfully it’s not falling down.

London Bridge is Falling Down

London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down;
London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady…

One of the most well-known nursery rhyme in the world; the song is referring to the incident in 1270s when Queen Eleanor (the ‘fair lady’) was appointed to repair the collapsing London Bridge. Queen Eleanor misused the funds, which led to a major collapse in 1281.

Tower Bridge is one of the major landmark of London, and perhaps one of the world’s most famous mistaken identities as people tend to mistaken it as the London Bridge.

Tower Bridge was opened since 1894 after 8 years of construction; it got its name from the nearby Tower of London.

Photo of the Tower Bridge

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I was walking to Tower Bridge from Big Ben; it had been more than 3 hours since I started walking from Victoria Station, and fatigue had started to take its toll. Luckily, there were benches on the promenade along River Thames, allowing me to stretch my legs a bit.

Good thing about travelling by foot is that we might stumble across some interesting places that are not famous tourist spots…

Somewhere along River Thames; a small but beautiful park, and an elegant building; sort of like a college or library… not really sure about the name and purpose of the building though

The Clock Tower, famously known as Big Ben, is the name of the tower at Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London. Big Ben is actually the nickname of the clock’s main bell; and the official name of the main bell should be the Grand Bell instead.

Regardless, everyone is calling the clock tower as Big Ben these days.

Photo of Big Ben

‘Culture Shock’ at Big Ben

I encountered some annoying people around Big Ben… they were handling ribbons and little paper-souvenirs and then asked for money saying that it was for charity.

‘Handling’ is actually an understatement… they basically forced those stuffs into my palm and pocket, and demanded money for it…

I spent a few pounds just to get out of trouble; I was not sure if the money would be channeled into charities… regardless, I felt like daylight robbery honestly; or perhaps I should call it a culture shock instead.

(Later at night my sister told me that it’s pretty common stuff in London; what I could do was to hand back the thing to them… let’s just hope that my money was getting into the right hands at the end of the day)

Btw, Big Ben wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for the fire in 1834 that destroyed most of the Parliament building. A commission was set up to choose a new building design, and Charles Barry’s plan (with the clock tower obviously), was the eventual winner. The clock swung into action in July 1859.

The Horse Guards is an old Palladian style building in London which was constructed in 1750s and is now the headquarters of the Household Cavalry.

The white building is the Horse Guards; the red building is the Old Admiralty Building;
while the ground covered with pebbles is the Horse Guards Parade, which is set to host
the beach volleyball competition of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London

I wanted to visit this building after seeing its unique architecture across the lake from St James’s Park… but somehow my poor sense of directions had let me to Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and National Gallery before finding the Horse Guards, which is actually just beside the St James’s Park.

The architecture is not the real sensation though; the most vivid memory I have at the Horse Guards is actually the unpleasant smell from the horse stables (dungs I assumed)… I never thought that horses could stink that much.