The first stop was London Eye - the biggest Ferris wheel in Europe. What better than an aerial, panoramic view of the city before going exploring it further, huh? From my view point I saw the capsule before us slowly rising above the buildings and this picture, where the focus is on the capsule, seems to have captured what was on my mind at the time – people rising above the tall structures that they’ve created. Also shows the striking Golden Jubilee Bridges that span the river Thames.

River Thames, Westminster Bridge, Palace of Westminster, Big Ben Clock Tower and the Twin Towers of Westminster Abbey. Big Ben is the biggest, four-faced chiming clock in the world. And yes, Houses of Parliament is what goes up in flames in V for Vendetta.

The South Bank is a hub for street performers and the sunny day sure brought them out in hordes. It was a slightly unpleasant experience to see the guy doing the limbo; I was half convinced he wouldn’t be able to pull it off.

We had a pleasant stroll through the lovely Victoria Embankment Gardens that were built on the reclaimed marshy banks of Thames.

I was in tears seeing this mock-up of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, nicknamed Little Boy, at the Imperial War Museum. We lost ourselves in the horrific stories depicted by the exhibits in the Holocaust Chamber but everything was so engagingly presented and well documented that I’d like to go back and take my time absorbing them all.

Wonderful light-art on the walls of National Portrait Gallery at Trafalgar Square.

Every stop at Baker Street station reminded me that I’ve yet to visit the museum of one of my favourite characters - Sherlock Holmes.

I really wanted to try something at the Food Hall in Harrods but the queues were so long we had to move on.

Dukes of Wellingtons’ London residence Apsley House; statue of the 1st Duke of Wellington Sir Arthur Wellesley and the Wellington Arch in Hyde Park Corner. The 1st Duke of Wellington is celebrated for defeating Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo.

The columns at the sides of the Constitutional Hill are war memorials to Commonwealth soldiers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Africa & the Caribbean.

We went back to Buckingham Palace a second time hoping to catch the Change of Guard ceremony but missed it by a few minutes - we definitely heard the parade in the distance (schedule).

The moment we sat down for a bite at St James Park, a squirrel came scampering in for food. Squirrels are so tame they eat off peoples’ hands!

The Great North Door of Westminster Abbey had me enthralled with its stunning and intricate Gothic architecture. The Abbey is the scene of coronation for English Monarchs and the burial site for many royal subjects.

The Covent Garden Market is a spot for licensed street performers and guess what we found there - a tightrope-walking knife-juggler! I loved the laid back atmosphere of this place. The picture at the bottom is a stall at the apple market and the one to the right is a shot of the most impressive mime artist we came across.

Trafalgar Square is the main site for public political demonstrations. At the centre of the square is the Nelson’s Column – a monument that honours the death of Admiral Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar. Two of the four lions that guard the monument are visible in the picture along with one of the two fountains that surround the Nelson’s Column.

Certainly an icon of London, St Paul’s Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of London.

Shot of Tower Bridge from the London Bridge. We missed seeing the famous bascule bridge in operation (schedule).

The London Zoo was one of the best highlight of the adventures for me.

At the top is the Royal Observatory with the red time-ball that drops at exactly 1pm every day. Bottom is the view from the Observatory: you can identify the cluster of tall buildings as Canary Wharf (home to the three tallest skyscrapers in UK and is the emerging financial hub of London) and the famous Millennium Dome as The O2. The picture to the right is what we went to Greenwich for – the Prime Meridian (imaginary line that divides the world into West and East).

The famous Abbey Road crossing and the flat where Jimi Hendrix lived in the 60s.

The first ever Hard Rock Cafe’ and one of the many rock memorabilia inside.

Instead of the Queen of England's coffers, the Vault now guards a prime collection of Hard Rock memorabilia. The picture to the left is the costume and guitar worn by Slash in the November Rain video and to the right is Kurt Cobain’s guitar and shades. I was very proud to see my cousin showing off his guitar skills to the crowd at the vault with his rendition of Hey Joe.

Halls: 15 minute walk from Uni..
Shortcut to Uni through Whitworth Park
Bus ride...
View out my window

One of my notice boards..
Hefty brekkie