Skip to main content

Hop On, Hop Off

It was my first time in London and I was excited to see it's famous landmarks. It was also my first time to try the Big Bus tour. I've seen those double-decker buses in New York and Sydney, but I've never hopped on into one.
My friend Rey and I carefully studied the tour map a night before, choosing only five stops to hop off for our Facebook photo albums. The hotel concierge cheerfully told us that it was a beautiful sunny day to take the tour - no need for heavy jackets. And so merrily, like kids, we hurriedly went up the upper deck to get a better view and enjoy the Spring weather. Oh! It was a good thing Rey brought his wool jacket, coming from a tropical country, a 'beautiful sunny day' in London still felt like winter to him. Luckily, thanks to excess fat, I didn't feel as cold.
Traffic was particularly heavy in Oxford St., it already took us three hours before reaching our first chosen stop, the Trafalgar Square. Mid-afternoon and we were only half way through the tour, and so we cut the trip short from the London Tower, taking the much faster ferry back to Westminster. We made it to Buckingham Palace with the sun still out.
My favorite stop was Westminster Abbey, it's filled with so much history. A monument to noble men and women who made this kingdom a great nation.


Waiting for the Big Bus.

Giving you a little history of each stop, headsets are provided with eight languages to choose from.

Rey Lanada all bundled up for the cold.

Braving the cold.





Our first stop, the Trafalgar Square.

The Trafalgar Lion.


Our next stop, the House of Parliaments.

My favorite stop, the Westminster Abbey.





Tourists waiting for the Horseguards at White Hall.



St Paul's Cathedral

Nearing completion, the Shard.

The Tower Bridge


Famished, Rey buying a hotdog.

A good view of the Tower Bridge.

The gates of the Tower of London.

If you wish to cut the trip short, a free ferry ride takes you from the Tower Bridge  back to Westminster.

The London Eye

The Queen Victoria Monument, Buckingham Palace.



The Mall


The gates of Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace

Achilles

Comments

  1. Hi Kuya JC, it's the same bus tour we took in London last spring. It looks like it's still chilly in London this time of year and you guys had fun. I loved London and it's street fashion. Oxford street was ashopping haven for me. ;) -Annette

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was around 12 degrees celsius and sunny, I loved it, Annette!! :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Rainy Day Food Cravings

What is it with the rain and food? The heavier the downpour, the bigger the craving, and if you don’t give in to your cravings, you’ll be twisting and turning the whole night counting pork buns in your head. Here are ten of my rainy day cravings; savory, protein packed goodness, best eaten warm with a giant glass of Coca Cola. Aaahh, happiness. Ryu's Tantanmen , nothing beats hot ramen on a rainy night. Tim Ho Wan's Pork Buns, something worth lining up for and going out for on a rainy afternoon. Rain or shine, you just can't get enough of Lugang's Xiao Long Bao . Parmigiano's Lobster Pasta at Resort's World, perfect pre-movie dinner. Craving of cravings, Crispy Pata ! Best I've tasted was from Kinabuch in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Peppermill's Bagnet , crunchy and tender at the same time with a yummy sweet and spicy bagoong dip. Rainy night comfort combo, Poppin's Beef Salpicao , pilaf rice a...

The Cojuangco Ancestral House

Our next journey takes us to a historic town in Bulacan, thirty minutes north of Manila. My road trip buddies, my college friends who all share with me the same fascination for heritage houses were privileged by an invitation from Melecio Cojuangco to visit their ancestral house in Malolos. Mel, his cousin in law Marissa Lopa, Rima Datuin and Evelyn Bautista  and I discovered each other's funny bone   because of our love for the ice cream served in a huge bowl at Peninsula Manila's lobby. One evening, to justify our appetite, we pretended it was my birthday and we had the string quartet play happy birthday for me, from then on, we became good friends. Mel's grandfather,  Jose Cojuangco  was born at the Malolos house, very near the Barasoain Church. Jose's mother traded rice from Nueva Ecija, sacks transported by boat via the river at the back of the kamalig to Binondo, Manila. Like most turn of the century houses, the Cojuangco house uses piedra china ...

The Ariel Power Gel Wash

As a fashion designer, I'm often asked on how to care for clothes. Every now and then, I come across new discoveries; mild soaps, detergents, bleaches, fabric softeners, and fabric sprays. One day, I got a call from a friend, inviting me to join a forum on fabric care and a wash test with Ariel's new Power Gel. I was excited about the new product because I heard it was much better than powder detergent. We like to keep our white shirts white, and our black shirts really black. Black has been my uniform for obvious reasons, and I like to keep them looking new for a long time. I was happy to see Bianca Intal , Liz Uy , Darla Sauler , Rex Atienza , and Tessa Valdes at the launch. We all had the same concerns in proper clothes washing, and we were all just too glad with our great find, Ariel Power Gel . Bianca Gonzalez-Intal Kris TV Head Writer Darla Sauler Stylist and Digital Curator for Style Singapore  Liz Uy Interior Designer and Red Cross Governor T...