Travel Notes of Great Britain

📍 London · 👁 4700 reads · ❤️ 21 likes

The more famous something is, the more distant it is from you.

So is the United Kingdom.

Only before departure, when exchanging British pounds, did I realize that the exchange rate had dropped from the 1 pound = 13 yuan I remembered to 9.54 yuan.

The 'UK' written in blue ink after the word 'from' in letters from a close friend since she was 16 has now become 'UAE'.

Ten days: enough for a bit of wandering. Apart from the British Museum, which is a must, I couldn't think of much else.

In the end, I didn't visit many popular attractions. The most comfortable day was spent lying in Hyde Park, basking in the sun, without a camera, just taking a few small photos with a phone filter app.

Just a glimpse, let me recap.

I stayed on Strand Road, right by the River Thames, with the nearest bridge being Waterloo Bridge. Day and night, morning and dusk, I crossed it many times. On the other side of the bridge is the South Bank.

Night view from almost the same spot

Covent Garden is a lively mix of open-air dining, second-hand markets, street performers, and trendy snack shops, but it's not chaotic—everything has its place, quite tasteful. From here, you can walk to Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery (which I visited twice), the Crypt Café under St. Martin-in-the-Fields, as well as Chinatown, the TKTS booth in Leicester Square for discounted same-day theater tickets (there are nearly 50 theaters and venues scattered around, collectively called the West End), and to Soho for a taste of bar culture.

But really, just staying in Covent Garden at dusk, with the terraces and pigeons, is already a wonderful pleasure.

When Chinese people see this kind of 'street performance', they laugh...

Notice the old man's hat

Successfully catching the attention of passersby

Perhaps he enjoys being watched every day, finding joy in it.

National Ballet Company

Royal Albert Hall

Is this the Hall where Adele held her concert? ~~~

Actually, it's the exclusive theater of the English National Ballet.

Royal Albert Hall

Only on weekday mornings can tourists like us see real Londoners: impeccably dressed, spirited, with indifferent expressions, walking briskly, holding a coffee cup in one hand and rushing into a shop to buy a sandwich and a salad—the sandwich for breakfast, the salad, I guess, for lunch.

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Trafalgar Square

At night, it's solemn, peaceful, and magnificent.

The square's name and statues seem to commemorate a British naval admiral who first defeated Napoleon.

Trafalgar Square

Exterior of the National Gallery

Trafalgar Square

A dedicated street performer still working at night

Trafalgar Square

By day, the square is a different place.

Especially on this day of shooting, because that night there was a football match between Scotland and England, and supporters of the Scottish team had occupied the square since early morning, starting to entertain themselves.

In fact, residents near the square had heard noise the night before, with drunk people waving beer bottles, hailing taxis, and singing loudly.

Self-entertainment acts included: taking off shirts, singing, brave ones climbing into the fountain waving flags, passing a ball around, etc.

Trafalgar Square

First the fountain on the right was occupied

Trafalgar Square

I was even moved~~~~

Trafalgar Square

Not inferior to the column

Trafalgar Square

Had an opportunity to visit Birmingham, the second-largest city in the UK, by train.

The ticket wasn't cheap.

The express train from London to Birmingham took just over an hour, and the carriage was nearly empty. I went to the dining car immediately after boarding to buy coffee.

Birmingham Museum's exhibition on Rossetti, but unfortunately no time to see it.

Birmingham Library

Birmingham City Institute of Art

Birmingham City Plaza

A large commercial property blending seamlessly with the church

London Chinatown

Very similar to Rua do Cunha in Macau

London Chinatown

Tofu tasted good

London Chinatown

Had to have some lobster

London Chinatown

Just a casual look, it's full of Chinese flavor

London Chinatown

There are many piers along the north and south banks of the Thames. Usually, first-time visitors to London are advised by travel guides to take a river cruise first.

When we went, it was around four in the afternoon, and only the route to near the Gherkin and back was available; the one to Greenwich Village and back had already stopped.

The river cruise boat has two decks: the upper deck is open-air with good views but cold weather requires a hot drink; the lower deck is enclosed with tables and chairs. We boarded at Embankment, and the round trip took about an hour and a half, with half an hour stop at Westminster. Since we planned to visit Westminster separately, the four of us didn't get off, just went downstairs to the lower deck, sat around a table, had some snacks, and chatted about zodiac signs.

We saw Tower Bridge open, and the whole boat was excited. The onboard announcement said this sight is rare, but actually it happens often - ,-

Eating and drinking downstairs

The little kid was mesmerized