Sea what I See

Writing home about my Sunday escapade away from London and into England. Today, I invite you to meander with me down the southern coastline of the United Kingdom. It has for a while, (ever since the dawn of Pinterest ;) ) been a dream of mine to see the chalk white cliffs at Beachy Head. So we set out on Sunday morning, a two hour drive that thought me how to read maps and practice the art of patience - for you who've travelled with me, you know how I want to stop every two feet and take pictures. This is ILLEGAL in the UK. You can't stop at random so there were a lot of sights that I had no choice but to commit to memory rather than my memory card. :/

We travelled down Brighton via South Downs National Park into Sussex, to finally reach the Belle Tout Light house at Beachy Head. Once of the things I'm enjoying most about this trip, is being able to put faces to spaces and places that I've grown up hearing about. All the names you've read about in story books and text books, all the landscapes you've tried to copy from postcards and drawing books when you were growing up, suddenly touchable and feel-able. There's no feeling quite like it!

So yes, for those of you like me, who've read the term 'down' and recited poetry about it, here's what a 'down' looks like through my camera.

As you can see, the weather had finally perked up and the sun sat on our shoulders all day long. Resultant effect - bronzed skin and chapped lips (pictures of which you won't have the privilege to see ;) ) Digressing done, we finally got to Beachy Head at around 2 in the afternoon. For a sea junkie like me, it was everything I had dreamed of!

That light house that you see there? That's Beachy Head Lighthouse. The real view, I shall reveal in a bit! But before that, tidbit time - This happens to be UK's most frequently used suicide point!!!! At 531 feet high, it's the stairway to heaven and the highway to hell. However, it's said that the suicide point has a phone booth. If you're low and standing on the edge of reason, you can just pick up the phone before you take the plunge and hopefully, the clergyman on the other end will convince you to give God and Country another chance!

 We suppose an incident had just occurred around there that day because look who came to keep an eye on us - 

So what views did the place have to offer?

This is my favourite view of the Seven Sisters. The Seven Sisters are the seven chalky cliffs of the coast of Sussex. Named after the constellation. These cliffs are in a constant state of erosion. That's why the Belle Tout lighthouse featured below has been set on rails and can actually be moved backward as the cliffside erodes.

From here, we took a quick drive to Birling Gap for another set of pictures from the beach. But before that, i got to finally got my natural pedicure from the cold cold English Channel :)

Cliffs done, it was time to head back to the city and to watch Germany foot the balls of the Argentinean team. But before that, a little more nature gazing and sightseeing.... 

Time Traveling

On today's list of conquests: Mastering the Metro, Tower Bridge, Greenwich, The Cutty Sark and boat ride down the Thames.

Me and The Mike make our way out to Canary Wharf Station. Lessons learnt? - There are Oyster Cards. And then there are lines. And then there are zones. And then there are very tallllll escalators and very hottttt trains :) 

Speaking of wharf, did you know -

So anyway, on the way to Canary Wharf, meet up with an old friend X(

And then met Canary Wharf - Britain's principle banking district. This is where all the big boys play chess with the economies of the world. This is also where Ogilvy London's Cabot square office is situated. Didn't get to see it though. 

From there, we took the Docklands Light Railway right into my 6th grade geography textbook and the underwhelming address of the Greenwich Meridian at the Royal Observatory. TMD meets GMT. That ball-y thing you see there? That's it. That's where the line starts. The picture next to it is a 24-hour clock. Then a few pictures of the Royal Naval College and the Queen's house. Was too tired to read about it so I have no gyaan to pass on  :)

But what I saw next, mom, dad and Tarun, you'll understand the significance of the most :)

What a beauty she is :) History Time - The Cutty Sark was the meanest and fastest Tea Clipper ever built. It was also one of the last. It's job: transport the first and best harvests of tea from the colonies. Built in 1869, this sail boat fought a loosing battle to the onset of steam boats and the Suez Canal. Sailboats couldn't pass through the canal and therefore had to still sail all the way around the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of Africa. This meant that they took four to five days more than the steam boats. And in the environment of commodities trading, rife with betting and piracy, this beautiful sea queen slowly sunk into the depths of disuse.  The ship was named after the nickname of a witch - Cutty Sark. That's her on the figurehead holding a grey horses tail in her hand.

Attempts were made to restore the ship. But during the restoration, the hull caught fire. So the ship now has been damned to an inescapable state of limbo. Instead of resting in the comfort of the tides, it lies here, rather listlessly on a bed of glass.

But hang on, before we leave, lemme take a selfie.

As you might be able to tell by now - the day was grey and a downpour was inevitable. But it came at the most opportune moment I must say. We got onto the Thames Clipper that would take us back into central London. And just as we passed under tower bridge, the sky burst. Standing out on the deck, wind and water in my hair, I felt like a puppy dog on her first car ride :) 

Before I sign off - a few more (phallic :} ) snapshots from the Thames - The Shard (UK's tallest building), The Tate Modern, The Oxo Tower.

 

Thanks for letting me saturate you with today's shades of grey. Tomorrow's post, I assure you, will be far more visually stimulating :)

8 hours on foot!

Today was my first adventure on foot! Goal : Hyde Park. Route: Notting Hill - Palace Green - Kensington Palace - Kensington Gardens - Hyde Park. Walked all the way down Notting Hill (just like in the movie ;) ) and almost tripped over the Queen! hehe. not really. Actually today started out as one of those blah-dee-dah days. Grey Sky, chill in the air, deadpan vibes.

The road leading up to Kensington Palace however was every dog lovers dream - saw 3 dog walkers walking about 8 dogs each of all shapes and sizes! really missed some of my nearest and dearest ladies when i saw them! And the road has London's most expensive houses. Massive Victorian mansions that for the most part serve as embassies. Funnily enough, there is only about  a 20 foot gap between the houses, and no compound walls. So the Ambassador of Russia could look out his window and end up sneaking a peak of the Nepali ambassadors wife bending down to pick something up :) however i saw nothing quite as scandalous.

Boredom in tow, I reached Kensington Palace. It's ok. Just took a look from the outside. Most entry fees in uk are about 18 pounds so I'm trying to choose my visits wisely! However, i did get to see the castle wall that was bathed with flowers when Princess Diana died.

From there, i walked up to the Prince Albert Memorial and then FINALLY got to set my sights on Royal Albert Hall :) Hope to watch a show there. Let's see how well i plan my expenses. By now, i had already been on foot for four hours!

Walked again. Down exhibition road. And then my face lit up!! The Science Museum, The Natural History Museum, and of course the crown of the day - the one thing that made all the walking worth it - The Victoria & Albert Museum!

My camera had died by this point so I couldn't take pictures of the wonderland within, but I'm not quite done with it yet. It's the kind of place that deserves an entire blogpost dedicated to it!!!

Little history - When Queen Victoria was in power, her husband Price Albert had to, well, play the role of Queen! So he was put in charge of educating the city of London about culture and art from around the world. This museum was (and still is) intended to be an educational haven for anybody interested in the arts. Thousands of people were sent around the world to learn the arts and crafts from the colonies and bring back cultural treasures as well as methods and techniques. This museum is a testimony to that. You learn from the second you put your foot in. It is so unimaginably well curated. I spent 1 hour in just the first room. By then, i and already been on foot for seven hours... and yes, i was finally tired. So i just ran through a few more rooms - glass, architecture and fashion, and will go back for a more serious affair with every floor of the place on of these days. Till then, here's a sculpture i found highly loveable - puck from a midsummer nights dream. More later! Ta!

Tara by the Thames

So, day 1. realised my camera is being a bit of a lemon this trip. should have fixed it before I left. So I've decided, lemonade it is. I've decided instead of boring you with pics of London as you've seen them before, all prim and proper, here's my technicolour take on the city!

Today, I set my sights upon the Palace of Westminster along the Thames. It's one of the most breathtaking structures I've ever seen! From a distance, it looks like its made from the most delicate toothpicks! This is characteristic of the Perpendicular Gothic style of architecture that this 19th century building was built with by architect Charles Barry. Bit of reconstruction work happening :) The british parliament functions out of here and those pink and blue canopies you see at the base are where the parliamentarians have tea and crumpets :) 

This is Lambeth Bridge, one of the 200 bridges (!) across the Thames. The Thames is a tidal river, which means that every night, the water rises up to where you can see the moss on the foundation!! During the day, you can walk along the shore of river. Plan on doing that one of these days.

Then i walked down Jubilee Walkway. This runs along the Thames and takes a tourist down a long path of cultural and artistic sights all the way down to South Bank

Southbank :) I just tipped my toes. Will go back and spend an entire evening there. Lots of interesting theatre and performance arts there. And love is in the air, everywhere :) all nationalities, shapes, sizes and orientations :)

This is Westminster Bridge. Wordsworth wrote about it, Monet painted it, and I took these picture ;)

ofcourse, what would a photo essay from me be without a picture of an animal :) this sad fellow had horribly disfigured feet so he caught my attention. i pointed the camera at him and he hid his toes. so i like him. and so should you!

Of course, the London Eye.

And Churchill. 

And at last :) THE BIG BEN :) got the hear it chime 8 in bright chirpy sunshine :) 

The light finally died down at 10 and we went home to cook. But before that, 

RAINBOW :)

So, then. Toodles poodles :D . Today's a new, (rainy) day.