London October 2015.

 

Camden town

For the fourth time in this beautiful city, and every time something new, but I don't want to be boring by listing places and attractions, this time I'm just letting these pictures.
Enjoy!

Airways Hotel Victoria London

 

room

Two month after Sarajevo (october), I decided to go to London again :), I  love tihs city,  and like last time I chose hotel next to Victoria station. My dougter and I stayed in Airways hotel Victoria London for three nights and I have only a good words for it. This was a pleasant stay, you know when you feel like you're at home. The friendly reception staff, a discrete staff at breakfast room, clean rooms, all neat, but there's one flaw, no elevator.
We were on the fourth floor and if someone is not sure that could every day make lot of steps, it's better to ask for a room on the lower levels.

 

bathroom

Location is excellent, affordable price, and of course don't forget bus number 24 runs in a parllel street about 100 meters from hotel.

 

I recommend!

 

 

Chritmas in London

I fell in love with London a long time ago. But the first opportunity to visit this city I got far back in 2003.
Since I didn't have much time to explore the city then, and when you're in London there's always a lack of time, ten years later in 2013 I came back but this time it in the summer. O God, how I enjoyed in long walks through the city, through the beautiful parks of London and of course in Camden Town, to me, the most charming part of London. That summer the city completely won over me and I decided, just a year later, to go there again. I did it, but this time, at the most beautiful time of all Christmas time.

I don't have much to add, as I told previously we followed the "old paths" and enjoyed London on a completely different way. Beautiful new experience of the city we already knew. I love London even more now and I'm sure I'll be back!

Christmas Carols - Trafalgar Square 2014

Last year I told you, through the posts on my blog, my experience of London. I don't have much to add. This time I wanted to see this wonderful city dressed in Christmas. We pretty much walked the same paths. Of course that London is a city that one can't see in three times as much as I was there, one should stay a little longer, but this time even if I wanted  I couldn't go far from the path that I'm familiar with.
In fact on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day almost everything is closed. The most difficult thing is that at the Christmas public transport doesn't work at all, and the work of the restaurants is limited so it's not easy to find a place to rest and have lunch. But put aside all, the reason why I came to London for Christmas come true. I wanted to experience singing Christmas Carol in Trafalgar Square where there's a tree that is a gift from the people of Norway to London to say thank you for Britain's support during World War II. This historic tradition is happening every year since in 1947. When I heard about this custom of singing Christmas Carol, I thought it was some kind of organized singing with choirs and music, however, it's even more beautiful. I was touched to the heart and I was very happy to be a part of it.
See this short movie from YouTube (it's mine and me, my daughter and her boyfriend were singing while my husband was making this, happy, happy  :)).


 

Hotel Comfort Inn London Westminster

Hotel

Reading previous reviews I must admit I was a little worried about this hotel. However city center hotel, reservation at the last moment, very good price and the decision was made. 

Hotel, according to the standards that I'm used to, shouldn't have 3 stars, but the location is unbeatable, every major sight is close to the hotel (Parliament, Big Ben, London Eye, Westminster Cathedral, Buckingham Palace...). Hotel is very good connected to the other parts of the city by bus number 24 and the station of the bus is right in front of the hotel.

Truth is that the rooms are really, really small, bathroom too, but everything is neat and clean. Breakfast is solid. The hotel deserves grade 3 of 5, but the its staff is excellent and therefore I give it 4.

London - 2013 more photos

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Photos by: ilovetravels

London 2013 - day.....!

Tower of London

Tower of London

Tower of London, Tower Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral remained to us as a some kind of must visits for the last days in London. We've already seen it when we were here for the first time but we wanted to do it again to renew the memories and make a lot more photos. We set Tower of London as the first task.
The Tower of London was built at the beginning of the 11th century. The tower was expanded during the 13th century into the fortified complex as we know today. The Tower's most popular attraction is famous collection of Crown Jewels. The fortress, strategically located at the

Tower of London

Thames, was originally a temporary wooden building which was replaced later by the White Tower and over time expanded into a stronghold with about 20 towers. In the past it used to be notorious for the many political opponents of the kings that there were locked, tortured and killed. The Tower was also a royal residence. Several kings lived here, especially during turbulent times when it seemed a lot safer than the palace in Westminster.

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge

Very close to Tower of London there is a famous Tower Bridge. London's Tower Bridge is one of the most recognizable bridges in the world. Taking photographs of the Tower bridge is a favorite London tourist activity, but you can also go inside the bridge, where you'll have a magnificent view over London from the walkway between the two bridge towers. Inside the bridge is the Tower bridge Exhibition, a display area that encompasses the walkway and the two famous towers where you can observe the Victorian engine room. Visitors can learn about the history of the bridge via photos, films, and other media. Of course we visited it all, a nice experience.

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral an Millennium Bridge 

For the and of this London tour we decided to go to the St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's Cathedral was built by Christopher Wren between 1675 and 1711. It is one of Europe's largest cathedrals and its dome is only exceeded in size by that of the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The church was the site of a number of important historic events such as the funeral of Admiral Nelson in 1806 and the funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer married here in 1981. Beautiful, magnificent church, one of many great cathedrals we saw during our travels.

St. Paul's Cathedral

Must see even though the ticket is pretty expensive.

Covent Garden

Covent Garden

Finally at the end we left enjoyment of the beauty of walking through the streets of London and of course, something you should not bypass Covent Garden. Covent Garden is one of the London's biggest tourist magnets. The area around the glass-covered building, a former fruit and vegetable market, is always crowded, especially during weekends and in the summertime.

Singer

Covent Garden is known for its many open-air cafés, restaurants, pubs, market stalls and shops. It is also well knowen by the street performers who entertain the visitors on the pedestrianized piazza.

At the end what to say except, see you again London, goodbye!!!

Adieu London (sigh)

Photos by: ilovetravels

London 2013 - another day......!

Trafalgar Square

Nelson' column

After British Museum we went to Trafalgar Square.
It's  the largest square in London considered the heart of the city. At the middle of the square stands a tall column honoring Admiral Nelson.
Name of the square commemorates the victory of Admiral Nelson over the French fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805.
There's also the Notional Gallery, which we left for visiting tor the next time, again. We just wanted to enjoyed a wonderful sunny day. It wasn't hot or cold outside, it was actually a perfect day, perfect weather.

National Gallery

Walking slowly over the whole Pa Pall Mall street we arrived at Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace, one of several palaces owned by the British Royal family, is one of the major tourist attractions in London. The changing of the guard takes place daily at 11 o'clock in front of Buckingham Palace.

changing of the Guard

A colorfully dressed detachment, known as the New Guard, parades along the Mall towards Buckingham Palace and during a ceremony replaces the existing, Old Guard. The ceremony, which is accompanied by music played by a military band, always attracts throngs of onlookers.

Pall Mall street

Buckingham Palace

We didn't want to wait for the changing of the guard, we have already seen it when we were here first. We entered and walked through St. James Park and enjoyed it every moment we spent there. What a wonderful day!

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London 2013 - another day...... British Museum!

British Museum now and ever

British Museum and me today

In the morning, right after breakfast we went to the British Museum. We enjoyed the to drive by the London Double Decker, it's like sightseeing, and so we arrived to our goal. The first time we were in London, I was delighted with the wealth located in this area. I was most impressed by large library, which is located under the glass dome. I wanted to see it this time again but it was closed because of some special exhibition. Never mind, next time! We made a short walk through the museum and went out.It was really a nice weather outside that it was far more enjoyable experience walking around London than go through the

Library 10 years ago

museum and indoor space, especially as I've already seen it. Don't misunderstand me this was my choice then, but I'll be back here again and visit it for sure, British Museum deserves it, that is not disputed.

Egyptian mummies 10 years ago and me

British Museum is established in 1753 with the donation of 71,000 objects from the collection of Sir Hans Sloane and quickly became one of the city's top attractions.British Museum contains a lot of collections but it seems that the Egyptian Collection is a highlight collection. There are many sarcophagi, statues, including an enormous one of Pharaoh Ramesses II, famous Rosetta stone with the text created in 196 BC after the end of the Egyptian dynasties and written in three different writings: Greek, hieroglyphic and demotic.

The British Museum is also known for its very large and popular collection of Egyptian mummies and coffins. You can even find animal mummies here.

under the dome

under the dome

under the dome

Photos by: ilovetravels

London 2013 - day ........!

We were delighted with Camden Town, we returned there twice, but it was unfair to to devote a lot of time to one place, so we went to the center to see the well-known places. We passed by the Parliament and Big Ben (it's really pity that they can't be visited), we crossed Westminster Bridge, went down under the bridge and made ​​a long walk by the river all the way to the Millennium Bridge and to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Along the way we passed by the London Eye on which we did a spin 10 years ago. This time we didn't want to wait in a long queue. London Eye is a very popular tourist attraction. It's a giant observation wheel 135 meter tall structure built as part of London's millennium celebrations and as part of a competition to design a landmark for the new millennium. British Airways sponsored the project. A complete turn takes about 30 minutes. Thanks to the construction of the glass capsules we have a great view over London. Many famous landmarks are clearly visible, including Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament.

Below the bridges, everything is alive, a lot of people strolling, running, stopping to enjoy the moment, there are cafes, playgrounds and attractions like creating figure in the sand. Thus we enjoyed in light stroll that we haven't noticed when we arrived to the Millennium Bridge which is opened in June 2000. London's modern Millennium Bridge is now a favorite with locals and tourists alike. Bridge is located near the new Globe Theater and the Tate Modern Museum. The northern end sits near London's imposing St. Paul's Cathedral. Pedestrians can gain a wonderful view of the cathedral's dome from the bridge. We came to the

to the Cathedral but we were pretty tired and decided to come back here the next day. We made a short break in the hotel, and went back to the night walk through London.

The starting point Piccadilly Circus and further where the way led us. So another wonderful day in London ended .

To be continued......
Photos by: ilovetravels

London 2013 - Camden Town

The moment you get to Camden Town, you instantly realize that you are no longer in London, as you knew, as you have seen and experienced by then, you suddenly become a part of a completely different world. Camden Town is definitely a wacky place full of people and stalls of various goods, from souvenirs, clothes, shoes to the bags of all types and even more stuff. There you can also taste the food from many corners of the world. It's a lively place where the shopping can be be worthwhile, still everything is adapted to a younger people. But we, let's say, people in middle age can also enjoy there watching the river of people which constantly circulate in the are, that's life.

 ,

I wouldn't tamper anyone to visit Camden Town, this is my personal delight with this part of London I still think that my visit to London would have been poorer if I was,'t there. Here are photos.

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London 2013. - day 2.

View from London Eye 10 years ago

Early in the morning we went boldly forward. In the nearby underground station, bought daily tickets for public transportation,  took a bus and went right to Camden Town.
Anyway when we were in London for the first time we wanted to get everywhere and see as much as it was possible in a short time of our stay (when you're in London you never have enough time). During thet time we got very tired but we saw everything that we considered essential, so we made ​​a spin with the London Eye, went to Westminster Abbey, the British Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, watched the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace, visited Tower Bridge and of course Madam Tussaud Wax Museum.Then, I mean in the past 10 years ago, we left the National Gallery as unfulfilled desire, and that is why we have set ourselves to must see it this time. However, the weather in London was so beautiful, we loved our long walks thorough the city and when we decided to enter the gallery we just went back and decided to leave it for the next time. It turned out that our return to London is not questionable, we'll go there again.

The history of the abbey starts in 1050, when King Edward The Confessor decided to build a monastery. Only a small part of this Norman monastery, consecrated in 1065, survived.  Most of the present building dates from 1245 to 1272 when Henry III decided to rebuild the abbey in the Gothic style. The building was later significantly expanded: the Chapel of Henry VII was added between 1503 and 1512, while the two West Front Towers date from 1745. The youngest part of the abbey is the North entrance, completed in the 19th century.

Westminster Abbey also serves as the burial ground for numerous politicians, sovereigns and artists. The abbey is stuffed with tombs, statues and monuments. Many coffins even stand upright due to the lack of space. In total approximately 3300 people are buried in the church and cloisters. Some of the most famous are Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton and David Livingstone.
Westminster Cathedral is connected with the Houses of Parliament also known as the Palace of Westminster. It is the seat of Britain's  two parliamentary houses, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The most famous part of this "complex" is the elegant clock tower, originally called St. Stephen's tower and later named after the tower's largest bell Big Ben. Unfortunately, neither the House of Parliament nor Big Ben can not be visited.
You noticed that I mix a little bit of last visit and a little bit of the recent visit, so let's get back to the beginning of the story.
We started the morning with the Camden Town, hm it deserves a special post.
To be be continued......

Photos by: ilovetravels