Day 3: Our first stop was the Buckingham palace. The change of guards at the palace is touted as a must see and so we set forth to catch the action on time. By the time we reached the palace, it was teeming wi
th tourists and finding a vantage point seemed impossible. The group split up and for a while each one seemed to be on his own. Somehow all of us managed to individually find spots from where we managed to see the entire ceremony and it was definitely worth the hype. From here we walked out towards Trafalgar square. As was the case on my last visit, this time also I did not have the time to visit the National Gallery situated right opposite the square. After a quick lunch nearby, we proceeded to Baker Street, not to meet Mr. Holmes, but to the equally famous Madam Tussauds wax museum. Inside the mus
eum, the group was like kids inside a candy store; totally delirious and wanting a piece of everything around. Kiran, am sure, got his photo clicked beside every single celebrity statue inside, giving special attention to the ladies. Hollywood/ history/ royalty/ sports / science/bollywood music all sections were covered. The newly unveiled Salman Khan statue seemed quite popular, so did Jack sparrow and Gandhi. I found George Bush to be hideous and the one of the British royal family splendid. But other than statues, there was something else in the museum which we ventured into – the scary dungeon which is a walk though a dimly lit, narrow path, with unexpected scares expected around the corner. On my visit earlier with Rusa we had chosen not to try this, but this time with a larger group I was bold enough. We thought we might be looking at more statues of murderers and infamous men, but had not bargained to run into live actors impersonating devils/ vampires/ and killers and scaring the living daylights out of us. Kiran had his eyes closed the entire stretch and yelled out howls which would have woken up his ancestors from their grave.
Shubhada started questioning the logic of live actors coming too close for comfort, little realizing that logic was the last on their minds. I was bringing up the rear and I was scared to my wits. The only unfazed person seemed to be Kirti who returned the cold stares of these actors. This testing experience aside, the time spent in Madam Tussauds was enjoyable.
Day 4: We were due to catch a morning train from Paddington station to go to Bath. For some reason the underground s operation was suspended and we had to catch a bus to get to Paddington. We got into one of the famed Double Decker London buses and soon we were at Paddington. Previously, I have run into Tamilians at unexpected places like San Sebastian and this time as me and Kiran were deliberating about something at the ticket counter, we heard a Tamil voice addressing from behind the counter. An ex Loyolite now settled in London, he helped clear what ever doubts we had and directed us to the platform.
After a short uneventful train ride, we alighted at Bath amidst pouring rain and dampness. Our YMCA hostel was about 10 minutes walk from the station and with the rain showing no signs of abating; we trundled on in the rain to the hostel. By the time we were ready to move, the sun had come out and we made our way to the Great Bath, from which the city has derived its name. A Roman discovery, this place was established as a spa resort in the ages gone by thanks to the naturally occurring hot s
prings. Today the Bath is one of the most visited tourist places in Great Britain and a UNESCO world heritage site. An impressive audio guide helps you to understand the history and significance of the bath and you can visit the museum, temple and also the spring. Tourists are not allowed to enter into the water though there is enough history in the place to keep you occupied. Right next to the Bath is the majestic Bath Abbey. A quick tour of the Abbey followed after which we caught a hop on hop off bus which was to take us on a tour of the city as well as the surrounding hills of Bath. The live commentary given by a raconteur of a man was enjoyable as we were told about famous sons and daughters of Bath, celebrity guests and residents. At the end of the hop ride we alighted at the Royal crescent- majestic building housing flats, museums and offices. As the name suggests, the building takes a shape of a semi circle that extends across what seems like a small hill and it is simply a spectacular sight.
Day 5: We left Bath early in the morning back to London via a short hop at Oxford. The weather was typical English – cold, gloomy and with intermittent rains. We really could not enjoy our stay at Oxford due to t
he conditions, but still managed to take a bus ride around the town and catch a glimpse of the various colleges that make the city what it is. By nightfall we had reached Stansted. It made sense to book hostels at Stansted with early morning flights to catch. Most of the hostels offer free pick up and drop to the airport and that’s such a boon as finding public transport in the early hours was going to be impossible. By next day noon all of us back at our respective cities and now I don’t recall if I did manage to go to work the same day. Knowing me I would have, at least to upload all the photos.
th tourists and finding a vantage point seemed impossible. The group split up and for a while each one seemed to be on his own. Somehow all of us managed to individually find spots from where we managed to see the entire ceremony and it was definitely worth the hype. From here we walked out towards Trafalgar square. As was the case on my last visit, this time also I did not have the time to visit the National Gallery situated right opposite the square. After a quick lunch nearby, we proceeded to Baker Street, not to meet Mr. Holmes, but to the equally famous Madam Tussauds wax museum. Inside the mus
eum, the group was like kids inside a candy store; totally delirious and wanting a piece of everything around. Kiran, am sure, got his photo clicked beside every single celebrity statue inside, giving special attention to the ladies. Hollywood/ history/ royalty/ sports / science/bollywood music all sections were covered. The newly unveiled Salman Khan statue seemed quite popular, so did Jack sparrow and Gandhi. I found George Bush to be hideous and the one of the British royal family splendid. But other than statues, there was something else in the museum which we ventured into – the scary dungeon which is a walk though a dimly lit, narrow path, with unexpected scares expected around the corner. On my visit earlier with Rusa we had chosen not to try this, but this time with a larger group I was bold enough. We thought we might be looking at more statues of murderers and infamous men, but had not bargained to run into live actors impersonating devils/ vampires/ and killers and scaring the living daylights out of us. Kiran had his eyes closed the entire stretch and yelled out howls which would have woken up his ancestors from their grave.
Shubhada started questioning the logic of live actors coming too close for comfort, little realizing that logic was the last on their minds. I was bringing up the rear and I was scared to my wits. The only unfazed person seemed to be Kirti who returned the cold stares of these actors. This testing experience aside, the time spent in Madam Tussauds was enjoyable.Day 4: We were due to catch a morning train from Paddington station to go to Bath. For some reason the underground s operation was suspended and we had to catch a bus to get to Paddington. We got into one of the famed Double Decker London buses and soon we were at Paddington. Previously, I have run into Tamilians at unexpected places like San Sebastian and this time as me and Kiran were deliberating about something at the ticket counter, we heard a Tamil voice addressing from behind the counter. An ex Loyolite now settled in London, he helped clear what ever doubts we had and directed us to the platform.
After a short uneventful train ride, we alighted at Bath amidst pouring rain and dampness. Our YMCA hostel was about 10 minutes walk from the station and with the rain showing no signs of abating; we trundled on in the rain to the hostel. By the time we were ready to move, the sun had come out and we made our way to the Great Bath, from which the city has derived its name. A Roman discovery, this place was established as a spa resort in the ages gone by thanks to the naturally occurring hot s
prings. Today the Bath is one of the most visited tourist places in Great Britain and a UNESCO world heritage site. An impressive audio guide helps you to understand the history and significance of the bath and you can visit the museum, temple and also the spring. Tourists are not allowed to enter into the water though there is enough history in the place to keep you occupied. Right next to the Bath is the majestic Bath Abbey. A quick tour of the Abbey followed after which we caught a hop on hop off bus which was to take us on a tour of the city as well as the surrounding hills of Bath. The live commentary given by a raconteur of a man was enjoyable as we were told about famous sons and daughters of Bath, celebrity guests and residents. At the end of the hop ride we alighted at the Royal crescent- majestic building housing flats, museums and offices. As the name suggests, the building takes a shape of a semi circle that extends across what seems like a small hill and it is simply a spectacular sight.Day 5: We left Bath early in the morning back to London via a short hop at Oxford. The weather was typical English – cold, gloomy and with intermittent rains. We really could not enjoy our stay at Oxford due to t
he conditions, but still managed to take a bus ride around the town and catch a glimpse of the various colleges that make the city what it is. By nightfall we had reached Stansted. It made sense to book hostels at Stansted with early morning flights to catch. Most of the hostels offer free pick up and drop to the airport and that’s such a boon as finding public transport in the early hours was going to be impossible. By next day noon all of us back at our respective cities and now I don’t recall if I did manage to go to work the same day. Knowing me I would have, at least to upload all the photos. 
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