Day 1: Westminster Abbey

We boarded the Underground Tube at Queensway after unpacking and resting at the hotel for an hour. We almost didn't want to get out of the hotel but I guess this is what going on a trip is all about: forcing yourself to go on even though you are already very tired.

while waiting for the train ...

I got myself an Oyster Card and got Coco a Travelcard (Child).

I worked my sums out and decided that this could be the cheaper option.

Oyster Card works in the same way as our Ezlink Card. It stores value in the card and is good for:

- making many journeys in a small area

- making a few journeys or not travelling every day in London

- travelling to Zones 7, 8 or 9

Travelcard is bought on a daily basis. You pay once and can use the Travelcard as frequently as you like within a day. It works best for under-16s.

If I remember correctly, I topped up about 15 - 20 pounds for my card and bought a Travelcard for Coco every day.

At the end of my London trip, I asked for a refund on my Oyster Card at Euston Station and got back more than 7 pounds.

London and Paris trains have wide gaps between the trains and platforms. And the trains are usually a step higher than the platforms.

We were surprised at how small the carriage was, but the seats were cushioned. Comfortable and warm in the cold, cold London.

A British woman sought to educate us,"You stand on the right on the escalator!"

We didn't thank her for 'teaching' us in a condescending tone.

In London, only the National Rail Stations use lifts.

At Undergrounds and Overgrounds (their MRT stations), they use steps mostly.

We were intrigued by the signature red London telephone booth!

Coco tried going into the booth but the door was 'difficult to open'.

The moment we came out of the Westminster Station, we were enthralled by the majestic-looking architecture. Big Ben, Parliament House and Westminster Abbey were gathered at one place and London Eye was within our sight too!

The view was breathtaking - to have so many beautiful, almost legendary buildings surrounding you. I had worked with British expatriates in Singapore and I could understand why they didn't think Singapore was great. Singapore is indeed nothing compared to a place like this.

Beside Westminster Abbey is a small but beautiful St Margaret's Church.

Quite a few tourists were taking pictures inside the church. I wanted to take pictures of it too until I saw the 'No photography' sign.

The old but stately Westminster Abbey

I always thought that it was a huge church with different sections ie. cemetery, sanctuary, chapel. How wrong I was!

It was really a huge internal cemetery or graveyard!

On the tiles would inscribe 'Here lies so-and-so', one after another, and there are tombs of various great men eg. Isaac Newton, Henry the VIII/IV. A small segment of the Abbey is dedicated to the great poets and writers eg. Shakespeare and William Blake, but I noticed that only the male dead would have their portrait done. The female writers ie. the Bronte sisters only have their names and period of their lifetime recorded.

No photography was allowed.

Coco went on the Westminster Abbey Trail by going to different parts of the Abbey to fill up  a questionaire on the Abbey in exchange for 'the biggest gold coin'.

Disappointingly, Coco only received two ordinary chocolates after spending more than 3 hours at the Abbey. The staff at the gift shop cited 'out of stock' as a reason for not giving the gold coin.

We found it hard to believe that the gold coins had run out at 2.30pm.

The Twin Towers of Westminster Abbey

Paid 26 pounds for 1 adult and 1 child (11-18 years old).

We ate at Wesley's Cafe, a cafeteria at Central Westminster Hall, just behind Westminster Abbey.

The cafeteria was warm, but food was running out.

We had 2 daily specials (sphagetti bolognese), 2 cups of hot chocolate and 1 vegetable sandwich for Baby for just 18 pounds.

Why 'vegetable sandwich'? Coco said it was the 'least disgusting sandwich' of all!

The food was alright. Not fantastic but better than just edible. It's cheap, and the cafe had free wifi!

The people here were not as bitter-cold as most Londoners we met. The male cashier thought I was a Japanese!

After the meal, we had wanted to walk to London Eye, but it was too cold for us. On top of that, the experience at Westminster Abbey left us disappointed and tired. So we headed back to the hotel for the day.