Let’s begin with a quote from the Paddington Bear himself:

And honestly, I couldn’t agree more.

My trip to London was inspired by many things. Harry Potter was definitely at the top of the list followed by my mum’s stories after staying there for some years. Before visiting, I had a very fantastical picture of the city in mind and honestly, I wasn’t disappointed. It is one place where there’s no fear of homesickness as London truly has something for everybody.

So, without further ado, Imma show you certain glimpses of the Swinging City, all on a walk down the street cause it ain’ London without the walking! Hehe.

This is the clock at Leicester Square, right outside the M&Ms store. I love the little bells and figurines that make the clock chime the hours and if you’re lucky enough to be on the street during the chime, the sound mingles very pleasantly with the bustling London crowd. The day we actually heard the chime was on a lovely, rainy day and the very experience of listening to the clock and watching the crowd pass in the rain is mind blowing, especially if you’re equipped with a large slice of pizza from the stall outside the Leicester Square Station. This is a place that can always make me smile, no matter when I think of it.

One of my favourite parts about London was watching and listening to the buskers playing on the pavements or in the Tube stations. It’s very comforting to hear the music amidst the crowd and I like the excitement that comes in when they happen to play your favourite song. I actually stayed for one brilliant rendition of ‘Kiss From a Rose’ played by a violinist at the Green Park station. This bagpiper here was the first busker that I came across in the city and honestly, I’d never heard a bagpipe being played live before this. I love how he’s got all the details in his outfit, complete with the kilt which really brings out the Scottish vibes on a pavement at Westminster. This, however, was only the beginning of my association with bagpipes on the trip as when we went to Scotland a few days later, bagpipe music was all around. I even got back a keychain that plays a tune on a bagpipe(and it still works). The only thing left now is to try and play one myself. Hehe. Maybe someday. 🙂

This is a ride called ‘Deep Impact’ at the London Fair in Finsbury Park. The fair was right across from our hotel so we could really enjoy it at leisure. This ride was quite the thrill as it moved in real fast circles and kept changing directions but my favourite ride was the ‘Scream Machine’ or the ‘Hammer’. That one was like a pendulum that swung high and fell in any random direction, complete with a rotating base. My dad and I went on all the rides while my mum took the pictures from the ground. She was rather terrified with the way the rides moved and she actually told one of the operators for the ‘Scream Machine’ to slow the ride down but the operator went on Beast Mode and gave us an extra round in the ride. This goes on to show that while some people feed on the thrill, others flee from it. Overall, though, I’d definitely recommend going to the London fair, wherever you see it in the city. It’s truly a lot of fun.

This is a flower garden taken outside the Buckingham Palace. I like the contrast of colours here, starting form the yellow and red flowers to the earth shades of the trees and then the slate and stone palette of the Big Ben, peeking through the vegetation. Buckingham Palace has beautiful surroundings and you have a pretty picture, no matter where you look. I feel that the area could easily be an inspiration to a budding Wordsworth. I can’t say much of what’s inside the Palace cause unfortunately the Queen hasn’t invited me for tea. Yet. It might happen sometime. When it does, I’ll be sure to blog about it..

Never say never. Hehe.

This is a really cool statue that I came across while walking in Piccadilly Circus. I almost missed it, considering I was amidst London rush and the statue was tucked inside a walled compartment but I’m glad I saw it from the corner of my eye. I’ve often seen that in big cities, the rush prevents us from discovering such prominent works of art and it’s really strange as it seems so huge but the crowd tends to conceal it with its bustle. I’ve had a similar incident in my home city of Pune. There’s these two stone lions at the head of a bridge in my city and they’ve been there since time immemorial but I only noticed them recently while doing a blog about my city, despite the fact that the bridge was one of my daily routes of commute. Here’s a picture of it. Imma add this even though it diverts from London, considering it sums up the idea so perfectly.

I truly wonder how many statues remain undiscovered in the midst of city bustle. Imma actually go statue hunting one day. I’m sure I’ll find a whole lot of them. I’m really going to take some time off bustling during rush hour and actually take in the essence of the cities and it’s landmarks going forward. Stone animals, you have opened my eyes. Hehe.

And that is a wrap!

Until Next Time,

Addio:)