London Days 1 and 2: Of an Abbey... and Mummies

OK, the heading is a misnomer. For the first thing i saw on FRIDAY during my recent adventure in London were the Mummies...


Yup, i witnesses the Return of the Mummies at the British Museum! I also saw some magnificent winged creature (below):

And a big head...

Yup, the British Museum was a fantistical place to visit on my first day... On my first night, i found myself dwarfed once again by a huuuuge raindeer (everything seemed to be supersized over there, incl. the food):

On SATURDAY, my second day, i visited Westminster Abbey...this picture just shows a SMALL portion of it:


Inside the cathedral, i continued to hone my pleading-with-complete-strangers-to-help-me-take-a-photo-please skill. A useful skill when travelling alone!

The beautiful stained glass inside:

Oh and did i mention that this place was also the burial ground for many a famous English writer? The "Poets Corner" has the likes of Chaucer (whom i studied, and hated in Uni), Thomas Hardy (whom i studied in JC) and of course, Shakespeare (just his memorial)...

While i was there, i also took pictures of the landmark Big Ben (and in the background, the London Eye...ha! we have our own Singapore Flyer now!)

And i also saw the Houses of Parliament:

And while i was not able to get into Parliament, i managed to eat at the Cafe Bar - Churchill on 49 Parliament Street.. It had "discounted" fish and chips. "Only" $7.95 pounds...but still quite a steal compared to the rest of London's cafe prices...

To save $, i walked to Buckingham palace and chanced upon wonderful St James' Park, with its wildlife (huuuge ducks/geese/swans?, i wonder what they eat):

And then of course, i visited the Queen (ok, not quite - they wouldn't let me through the gates!)






Finally, to end the day on a high, i watched Les Miserables, with its fabulous plot, singing and acting :)