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London in bits and pieces

London - Big BEN

I had the opportunity of visiting London twice and each stay was for two months in summer. The first stint was mostly solo travelling in London and a short trip to Scotland with a friend. The second trip was one that I enjoyed the most as I had a group of friends to hang around. I got a chance to visit Cornwall, Devon, Bath, Brighton and the beautiful Durdle Door. More on these destinations would follow, here is a short list of some random things about London.

London - Big BEN

London – Big BEN

Titbits about London

  • London follows the left hand driving rule
  • Driving License acquired in India are valid for driving on the streets of London for a year after arrival
  • Driving in central London is a nightmare in terms of parking charges and tickets levied for breaking rules
  • The difficulty level for clearing the practical driving test is high and not many clear it in the first instance
  • Central London is costly in terms of transport and stay
  • It is better to stay in the outskirts and commute for work
Life near London

Life near London

  • On most days Londoners carry an umbrella that they call brolly
  • London is divided into boroughs and zones
  • Central London falls under Zone 1 and the outskirts suburbs extend up to Zone 5
  • The London underground transport system is more than 150 years old
  • Travel to Zone 1 by tube is very costly. People prefer taking the tube till Zone 2 and then commute by bus to Zone 1 to avoid the cost
  • You cannot take or make calls in the underground as signals are practically zero
  • You can find display of beautiful paintings  in the tube stations and also in the train.
  • Mind the Gap experience is one that shouldn’t be missed. Travelling in a tube rail is one interesting commute
  • Rush Hours are from 8 to 9 a.m. and in the evening from 6 to 7 p.m.
  • In case of tube maintenance and repair works in a particular area it is announced well in advance and there is an increase in the frequency of buses to compensate
  • The black and yellow cabs are ubiquitous to London
Cabs in London

Cabs in London

 

  • Britishers love the sun and would never trade it off 🙂
  • Come summer they get into their skimpiest best and head to the sea shore
  • Brighton is one hot destination amongst the other beaches lined with bikini beauties
Brighton

Brighton

  • There are shingle and sand beaches in and around London
  • Caravan Camping, Trekking, Hiking, Cycling and Fishing are vary dominant in summer
  •  Londoners travel out of London with their gear and get off the grid every summer
  • The river Thames is murky and brown
  • They are die hard football fans and cheer for various well know clubs
  • Traffic is heavy during match days to Wembley Park Stadium. There is change in tube routes during these days
  • The British love their coffee and their English breakfast. For lunch they mostly grab a sandwich
  • Fish and Chips is a well known dish in Britain
Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips

  • They love to catch up with  friends in the company of a drink. Thursdays pubs are frequented and on Fridays they are overfull and people spill out on the streets with their mug
  • Beer is considered cheaper than water
  • Most Londoners switch off their work around 3 p.m. on Fridays
  • Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street, Westminster, London Eye, Parks, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace are frequented by tourists
Westminister Abbey Cathedral

Westminster Abbey Cathedral

  • Tourists flock to check out the change of guard sequence in Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

  • Indians are pre dominantly found in and around Wembley, East Ham, Southall, Croydon areas
  • Wembley is dominated by Gujaratis, East Ham by the South Indian community and Southall by Punjabis
  • Indian Food is easily available in London
  • Performing Art, English plays are very dominant in London. Some running for almost a decade.
The Scoop London

The Scoop – Open Air Amphitheatre

  • You can claim your taxes in case you leave the country in a brief period

These are some observations from my end in the city of dreams.

2 Comments on “London in bits and pieces

  1. So fortunate of you to have visited London twice. 🙂 It’s my dream destination. Fun facts about London.

    • Yes Renuka, I have been twice lucky. My job took me overseas. You have a great blog out there.I have subscribed at your site 🙂

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