One Sweet Day In London

Probably, one of today’s state-of-the art cities of human civilization is London. Where world’s culture, business and economic activities centered. For me, as one of young people born in a rural village in a developing country, having an opportunity to visit this city is a priceless experience.  Here, let me share my story to you my dear friend. In the near future, you must come and see London by your own eyes.

It was at the beginning of Spring 2014, again I visited London. It was the forth time, if I can remember, I visited this city. But, spending days is never enough for this lovely city. And it is just like ‘a dream come true’, finally I came along with my small family. Unfortunately,  I am not a poet, capable to beautifully tell the story in wonderful words. So, Let the following pictures captured unprofessionally by me during the travel, tell you the story, instead.

Yeah, the story start here. It is Ilyas , my lovely  3-year-old son, with his pink balloon found by him in front of the train station. We were waiting for the train, east midland train, heading to London from Nottingham, where we are currently living. He is always excited to travel by train.

After approximately 3 hours of travelling, finally we arrived at King Cross / London St. Pancreas  International train station. Everyone looked very busy in this station. It is a very big train station combining traditional and modern architectural building. In this station, you must find 9 3/4 platform, where one of blockbuster film, Harry Potter, scenes taken. But, you should wait for extremely long queue to get exclusive picture with the legend trolley. And I will never sacrifice my time, just for taking that picture.

To travel around London, the effective way is by Tube, under ground fast mass rapid transport train. Though, it was quite expensive for me. You must buy an Oyster card and top up it with enough money to get into tube station.

It is a church by London bridge, that I can not remember the name. What a sunny day it was,  wasn’t it? Beautiful sky, green leaves, enchanting bird really boosted our travelling time at that time.

It is my dearest wife. It was her first time landed her foot in this city. She looked very happy and still could not believe that her dream had come true. But, unluckily the sky started crying just few minutes after the shiny sky. It was so London. Little rain could come every time, all the year. So, be ready with your umbrella, whenever you visit this city.

Finally, it is me by the Tower Bridge. It is one of must visited spots in London. There was a long historical story behind this bridge, that I can’t tell to you because I have no idea about it. But, I believe you can find it, in Wikipedia. It crosses the River Thames. It must be very beautiful view at night.

It is The Big Ben and the red double Decker bus, two mascots of London. It is also a landmark of London as Eiffel tower in Paris. It is at the north end of Westminster palace. Actually, it is a clock tower. So, take picture here, to memorized what time it was.

Another mascot of London is this red telephone box. Though, I do believe that no body still uses this telephone, but they are still maintained around the city of London. As what I believe so far, British people really appreciate each little  step advancement process. I think, they do believe that each single great advancement does not come over night, but through long not trivial processes. Thus, I bet it is the reason behind the existence of this historical red telephone boxes, where in many other cities have been destroyed and forgotten. This telephone box has become an identity of London, so almost all new visitors will take photo by the red box.

You can also enjoy the beauty of the city of London from the sky by riding London eye. It will be an unforgotten moment in your life. Or enjoying London from The River Thames by riding a boat can be alternative choice as well. It will be a priceless romantic pleasure in your life, especially when it come up with your life partner by your side.

It is Trafalgar Square, one of main tourist attractions at the heart of London. Old Romanian buildings dominated this place. The past of London still remains in this modern city. In the square, there are always seasonal events, such as Eidl Fitri bazar or Halal Food Bazaar during Ramadlan or Eidl Fitri season. If you are a Muslim, looking for mosque while visiting London, the nearest one to the center of London is Muslim World League. Here, there is praying space for both brothers and sisters. It is located at 46 Goodge Street W1T 4LU.

In London, I  was imagining that I can view the past, the present, and the future of the city. Old historical buildings remain while modern and futuristic buildings are also built. I can see multi-cultural people from around the world here too.

It is a spot in the center of London. It is typical view in European cities, indeed.

Another tourist attraction in London is Buckingham palace, where the Queen is living. The palace is surrounded by beautifully and naturally designed park. I think visiting this palace is a must, when you are in London. Unluckily, it was  during very late twilight when I was arriving this palace.

It is Ilyas with hundreds of doves, in Grosvenore Square in London, when we were visiting the Indonesian Embassy in London. London is environmentally friendly city, where people, plants, and animals could live in harmony. None threats the others.

It is British Museum. I bet it is one of the most self-contained museum in the world. You can find the history of the world in details here. From this history of Egypt and the modern era of European countries are well documented here. For sure, it is also free of charge entry. One full day is not enough to visit thoroughly this museum.

No need to worry to be boring being inside this museum. The interior is beautifully designed and the collections are equipped with high end multimedia technology that will make us feel cozy spending hours inside the building.

They are Tulip flowers. It was not in Holland, but in London, instead.  Though Tulips are the identity of Holland, but you can find a bunch of them in the UK.

If I don’t tell you in advance, can you guest where is this place might be? A beach in a coast city? No, you are totally wrong. It is at the heart of London. There is a huge green park at the heart of London named Hyde Park. It is just like the living lung of the city of London. You can feel as you are in the middle of jungle, or on the waterfront. Though, actually it is only a park and a lake in the middle of a Metropolitan city.

My son was extremely happy being in this place. He can run, shout, and play around the park. I bet, it is a perfect place for Londoner for releasing their stressful burden from their work. And to feel the sense of living in harmony  with nature.

By the way, you can still find people riding a horse in London quite easily. This past human being transporting mode is still alive in this world modern city. In a single sentence I can describe London as a city where people can live in harmony other people and nature and a city where people can see the past, the present, and the future of human civilization in the world. Eventually, only time limit make us have to say good bye to London. Thank you for reading my story. I do hope you can create you own story about you and London in the very near future !