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.
I was standing in front of The National Gallery when I took the Trafalgar Square’s photo.
Photo of The National Gallery
I am not an artistic person, but I headed into the gallery anyway… to be honest I was desperately in need of a washroom. Turned out it was quite an impressive hour of visit in the gallery. It didn’t take an art expert to appreciate those art; the colours and the attention-to-details of some paintings were simply stunning.
Trafalgar Square is just a few minutes walk from Piccadilly Circus. The square was under renovation; in normal days it should be crowded with tourists and Londoners. It is a popular hangout location for London youth, who often referred to the square as Traf.
Trafalgar Square was built in 1820s (completed in 1840) to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar (or Cabo Trafalgar, 1805), a glorious British naval victory against a combined French and Spanish fleet.
The square used to be a favourite spot for pigeons; when I was there in 2001, the pigeons’ droppings were covering the floor, fountains, statues and nearby buildings. The feeding of pigeons is not allowed since 2003, and that probably contributed to their significant reduce in numbers. I am not sure how the Londoners felt, but I missed those pigeons; for me it’s part of the square.
Photo of Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square
At the centre of Trafalgar Square is the Nelson’s Column; built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson who died in the Battle of Trafalgar. The granite column itself is 151 feet tall; and the 18 feet statue of Lord Nelson stands on top of the column.
Admiral Horatio Nelson, or Lord Nelson, is one of the greatest naval heroes in UK history. Nelson is famous for Battle of Nile (1798) and Battle of Trafalgar (1805). He was injured in the Battle of Trafalgar and died after the British fleet achieved their victory.
Nelson was given a state funeral and entombment in St Paul’s Cathedral, London. The bullet that killed Nelson was taken out from his body and is currently in display at Windsor Castle.
I think lots of tourists would know about Piccadilly Circus, the famous traffic intersection and gathering spot of London. I doubt many of them would know the name of the iconic fountain and statue though… the Shaftesbury Monument Memorial Fountain, or Shaftesbury Memorial.
Shaftesbury Monument and Eros
The winged-nude statue on top of the fountain has it own name too, The Angel of Christian Charity, popularly known as Eros after the mythical Greek God of Love.
Piccadilly Circus is within walking distance from St James’s Park. The circus is a busy place; set aside the constant traffic jam, the area is surrounded with theatres, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and pubs. China Town is just a few blocks away as well.
The neon signboards at Piccadilly Circus are quite a scene at night; probably not as splendid as New York’s Time Square, but pretty spectacular indeed.
When I visited London a few years ago there are lots of pizzerias and Kebab stores around the Piccadilly Circus, but only a few of them remained at the area. I still managed to grab a pizza nearby, but it wasn’t as good as it used to be.
St James’s Park is the oldest of the Royal Parks in London. It is located just beside Buckingham Palace, and connected to Green Park. I am not sure the border that separated the parks though; I simply assume that Green Park is part of St James’s Park.
St James’s Park has a small lake, the St James’s Park Lake… and with 2 islands, the Duck Island and West Island. A bridge across the lake provides some nice views of around the area.
London Eye is visible from the bridge across the St James’s Park Lake
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My first tourist destination in London… Buckingham Palace.
Photo of Buckingham Palace
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Arrived at Kuala Lumpur Int’l Airport (KLIA) in early morning; my brother gave me a ride as he was working nearby.
KLIA was more crowded then a few years ago; reminded me that besides neighbouring Singapore, I hadn’t been travelling overseas for almost 5 years… quite a long period for a self-proclaimed travel enthusiast.
My plane departed at around 11am. I don’t really like flying, I always felt uncomfortable on planes. Anyhow, after 11 hours of movies, sleep, food and toilet business… the plane touch-down nicely at the Heathrow Airport in the evening.
The custom officer gave me some rough time, asking all the stupid and irrelevant stuff. I was questioned for 25 minutes before I was allowed to go… I could understand their cautiousness because of the London a few months prior to my visit, but no thanks for that.
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