Hello, my fellow explorers!!
It's yet another travel time with me, let's board on to "Explorernation's Time Machine" to nonetheless, London, United Kingdom!!
Speaking of "The City of London" is an iconic city and county that contains the historic centre and the primary central business district (CBD), the combination of the old, modern architecture and the skyscrapers are what made London the city of wonders and for many people's travel goal!
In this London series, we are going to explore the iconic landmark of "Tower Bridge", have the jitters of entering the highest tower for the amazing 360 Degree view of London at "The Shard" and trying out the legendary "Fish & Chips" all across London.
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If you haven't already know that London is the second most visited city in the entire world that comes after Bangkok, Thailand with the amount of approximately 19.8mil visitors per year!!
If you're judging the number of visitors, to achieve such magnificent amount, there must be reasons for it. The architecture, the culture, the uniqueness and the surrounding is what makes you never want to stop travelling to London. The charms are just irresistible and no one could deny that!
Tower Bridge is one of the most popular bridges in all of London, millions and millions of people travelled here just to have the magnificent view of it. It's a tower which is linked to a 12 acres compound which you can experience a rich history dating from the Norman Conquest and which was once used by Royals through the years as a refuge and power base.
The Bridge is also located next to the Butler's Wharf Pier, which you can get some really good food at the cafe by the pier and also if you're craving for some French cuisines, "Cantina Del Ponte" might be where you want to give it a try. However, be sure that there will be some damage done after the meal over there.
*Interesting Fact: Rumour has it, it was said that the Tower is haunted by the ghost of Anne Boleyn walking the chapel of St Peter and Vincula.
The courtyard of the Tower Bridge which is fully fenced up and completely walled up. If you're keen to explore the place, it is priced at 24.80 pounds per person. Be expected that you'll bring home some legendary knowledge from the world’s most famous fortresses which has seen service as royal palace, prison, armoury and even a zoo.
Some said that the ancient stones within the compound may be holding some dark secrets. The ancient stones hold within them dark secrets, as fortified vaults shine with priceless jewels and historic uniformed is waiting to be unfolded and discovered by you!
The magnificent outlook of the fort is absolutely stunning!
*Tips: Make sure to have come early, the crowds did not slow down at all as the time goes by!
If you're in the UK, there's no way for you to skip Fish & Chips. It's is a crime to have miss having it from the home country of the dish created! So, without any hesitations, we made our decision to give this local bar a shot to try our their F&S. And it turn's out to be one of the best Fish and chips I ever had!!
The lightly coated batter on the fish was deep fried to golden colour and it's crackling crispy. The fish was well marinated with salt & pepper. The juicy white meat with the crispy batter was served with their signature tartar sauce and green peas. It was absolutely a perfection to satisfy our cravings!
How about a close up look?
I am literally drooling right now! How about you? :D
As time goes by, it's time for us to visit "The Shard" where we have pre-booked the ticket ahead to secure our spot. Since we still have some spare time, we decided to take the subway which is highly recommended if you're ever in the UK. Because transportation here is not cheap at all!
Having an oyster card is like you're the King of transportation, there's nowhere you can't go with it! Also, it's going to save you a hell lot of pennies for beers.
Sorry that I lost my oyster card but yea.. you get the point :P
I love being on the subway! Just love the way they included these vintage pattern tiles to brighten up the boring and stuffy subway that you're used to. Oh, also, the wiring, some says it is 'freagging ugly' constructions but I thought they are unique and beautiful on its own. That's what makes London special as it is.
The Shard is located at the CBD where you'll definitely see the skyscrapers around the corner. Modern buildings everywhere, shops and business offices are never going out of your sight.
"The Shard" also referred to as the Shard of Glass is recorded to be the tallest tower in the United Kingdom with the height of 309.6 metres (1,016 ft). The glass-clad pyramidal tower has 72 habitable floors, with a viewing gallery and open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor where it is open to all visitors.
The tower is used for private entering such as residences, Shangri-La hotel and also offices for Arma Partners, Gallup, clinics and even for a Business School.
As you may already know the weather in London is like a roller coaster. The ups and downs are what makes your travel exciting and full of unexpectancy. But!! I was pretty lucky with the weather of the crystal clear sky while we were visiting there during the mid-day.
Upon arrival, we were greatly greeted by the employees and guided us through the security and to the lift which takes you up quickly like a shooting star to the viewing platform. The view was breathtaking but the down part was it's pretty congested where you gotta kinda fight your way to have a 360 degrees view for yourself.
The experience was further enhanced by going a floor down to the bar area, where there are some interactive viewing stations installed with the magnifying technology telescopic devices that can be angled at your desired view. There are guided staffs which they are giving out tours and giving you the information about the surroundings of London.
We spent a good 60 minutes wandering around, discussing the buildings that we spotted while having a sip of our drinks from the bar.
Also, busy taking photos! Even though it's really pretty difficult to take a really good photo because of the glass and not to mention, how unclean they were.
After wandering around the streets, it's almost time for dinner. As we have no plan for any kind of cuisines to go for, we were walking blindly along the street and stumbled into a restaurant which was serving Italian pizza and pasta. The savoury and smoky smells of food they were preparing quickly captivated our attention and we decided to give it a try.
As we were going through the menu, we were told that they cured their own meats and the menu changes every day depending on what they have of the day. As we were again being lucky with our choice, my anticipation for my pizza rose to the peak!
Not too long after ordering, we were already served with our orders!!
Why that quick?
Because they have a frigging massive wood-fired pizza oven! How awesome is that!!
As you might already know, I am a lover of prosciutto ham. If there's one! I have to get it! The crust of the pizza was at the perfect thickness, crispy and packed with flavour. With the combination of ham & mozzarella cheese melts in your mouth was absolutely marvellous!
While the other pizza that we ordered was their home-made spicy sausages baked with house-made cheese. The pizza was not overly spicy but it definitely have some good spicy kick to your mouth. The more you have, the more addictive they are.
A bonus photo:
I was carefully examining my pizza and rolling up my sleeve to get ready to dive into the piece of goodness that displayed right in front of me.
Conclusion
It was definitely a fantastic day to begin with at London. The stunning city that filled with all walks of life and the diverse culture. Not to mention, the architecture left me speechless! It's just perfection.
Hope you enjoy this article about London, next episode is coming soon!
Leave a comment down below, I am always happy to hear from you :)
Cheers~
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