Visit to London- The Land of Dreams

Today, as I sit to reminisce ….I go down memory lane ……my wonderful unforgettable trip to London. Like a typical 11 year old kid, I was way too excited about going to a place.

The day my parents decided that we would be soon vacationing in the city of the Big Ben, exultation overpowered me. It actually felt like sitting on pins and needles for I could just not sit down at one place and was rushing to and fro, calling up all my friends to tell them the good news.

After all the necessary arrangements for the tickets and the accommodation were done, the D day finally arrived. With everyone bustling about the house trying to do last minute packing, and dad securing the house locks, we finally boarded the car and started the one hour journey to the airport.

At the airport, I was as usual on my toes running around here and there, being fascinated by the planes and the people around me. It was my second plane journey and I wanted to savor every moment of my vacation. I thought to myself, “Yippee, finally I am off to the land of dreams”.

The final announcement to board the plane was made and believe it or not, I was actually the first one to board it. In my excitement, I actually dropped one of the bags of my fellow passengers and in return, got reprimanded by the airhostess along with a few dirty glares from the passengers. So with a finger on my lips, I was strapped into my seat. Sitting quietly and looking out of the window, I just kept on breathing in the sights of the airport, considering myself lucky to be able to be there at that moment. It was indeed an exhilarating moment, irrespective of the scolding I had received from the airhostess. After all, I was not going to let anything dampen my mood at that point of time.

Reliving the enthusiasm while I recollect all those special moments, I sometimes actually wish to be a kid all over again, armed with the same innocence and naivety. But knowing that to be impossible, I sometimes just feign the childish innocence and appease myself. After all, it is never too late to live your life to the fullest, irrespective of the age.

After a journey of 3 hours, we reached our destination. I was awed by the décor of the Heathrow Airport. It was simply a breath taking view, complete with the various alleys and baggage claim counters. On exiting, there was a man with a placard which had our name written on it. We followed him to the car, stowed our luggage and off we were into the city. Right from the automatic geared car to the bridge on the Thames River, the city had not yet ceased to amaze me.

On checking into the hotel, I could not help but continue to jump on the plush mattresses. The fluffed up pillows were beyond compare. Our hotel was in the Indian neighborhood, which helped us feel at home even in a different country. The hospitality and the warmth of the people bestowed upon us were truly worth a mention.

After having our dinner that night we retired to our room, in order to be fresh for the oncoming day. The next day dawned bright and sunny, with the slanting sun rays waking us up and as quickly as possible, with brimming enthusiasm, we got ready, finished our breakfast and without further ado, started from the hotel for the sightseeing.

Our itinerary consisted of a general tour of the city on the first day. So, all geared up for the day, we sat in the car and began the general tour of the city. The first place of visit was the Trafalgar Square. The large number of pigeons which flocked there just had me stupefied. I could not resist, so I quickly ran to the food vendor and bought some seeds to feed the pigeons. The pigeons of all sizes and colors flocked together to eat from my hands. At first, I was really scared thinking “ What if they chew off my fingers as well along with the seeds” , but then with a bit of persuasion from everyone, I got the confidence to feed them and it was a moment of pure fun and frolic.

Next, we went to the Buckingham Palace. My eyes literally popped out when I saw it for the first time. There were acres of rolling gardens everywhere and the palace itself was a piece of art. The exquisite carving and the way it was made in the typical British architectural style was indeed worth praise. The guard changing ceremony was to follow the palace tour, but then due to the rain, the ceremony was carried out wearing raincoats.

The best part was that I slipped in the bathroom while getting ready one day and twisted my ankle very badly. Owing to this, I had to wear a bandage and was not being able to walk properly as well. Taking an umbrella as support, I was forced to hobble around the city with a twisted ankle, but the enthusiasm went on unabated.

It so happened that I was traveling through the city and my dad suddenly decided to take a bus. I conveniently stepped onto the bus with a lot of difficulty owing to my paining ankle. But not sure of the route to take, my parents did not climb onto the bus. My pathetic luck, the bus started and I could not get off on time. Seeing my parents going away from me, I panicked and started crying. Somehow, on the next stop I got off and feeling lost and confused, I continued crying. Till the time my parents did not reach the stop, I did not stop crying. Never till now had I felt so lost, so helpless. But then, it was another experience worth a mention.

After the bus experience, we proceeded to see the famous Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. The sight which met the eye was astounding. The wax models which were there were so lifelike, I was having trouble in trying to figure out the difference between the real and the wax models. I remember, there was a guard standing on the doorway, and he was so still, all of us went up to him to check if he was a wax model as well. It was worth a good laugh for sure.

Today, as I sit to reminisce ….I go down memory lane ……my wonderful unforgettable trip to London. Like a typical 11 year old kid, I was way too excited about going to a place.

The day my parents decided that we would be soon vacationing in the city of the Big Ben, exultation overpowered me. It actually felt like sitting on pins and needles for I could just not sit down at one place and was rushing to and fro, calling up all my friends to tell them the good news.

After all the necessary arrangements for the tickets and the accommodation were done, the D day finally arrived. With everyone bustling about the house trying to do last minute packing, and dad securing the house locks, we finally boarded the car and started the one hour journey to the airport.

At the airport, I was as usual on my toes running around here and there, being fascinated by the planes and the people around me. It was my second plane journey and I wanted to savor every moment of my vacation. I thought to myself, “Yippee, finally I am off to the land of dreams”.

The final announcement to board the plane was made and believe it or not, I was actually the first one to board it. In my excitement, I actually dropped one of the bags of my fellow passengers and in return, got reprimanded by the airhostess along with a few dirty glares from the passengers. So with a finger on my lips, I was strapped into my seat. Sitting quietly and looking out of the window, I just kept on breathing in the sights of the airport, considering myself lucky to be able to be there at that moment. It was indeed an exhilarating moment, irrespective of the scolding I had received from the airhostess. After all, I was not going to let anything dampen my mood at that point of time.

Reliving the enthusiasm while I recollect all those special moments, I sometimes actually wish to be a kid all over again, armed with the same innocence and naivety. But knowing that to be impossible, I sometimes just feign the childish innocence and appease myself. After all, it is never too late to live your life to the fullest, irrespective of the age.

After a journey of 3 hours, we reached our destination. I was awed by the décor of the Heathrow Airport. It was simply a breath taking view, complete with the various alleys and baggage claim counters. On exiting, there was a man with a placard which had our name written on it. We followed him to the car, stowed our luggage and off we were into the city. Right from the automatic geared car to the bridge on the Thames River, the city had not yet ceased to amaze me.

On checking into the hotel, I could not help but continue to jump on the plush mattresses. The fluffed up pillows were beyond compare. Our hotel was in the Indian neighborhood, which helped us feel at home even in a different country. The hospitality and the warmth of the people bestowed upon us were truly worth a mention.

After having our dinner that night we retired to our room, in order to be fresh for the oncoming day. The next day dawned bright and sunny, with the slanting sun rays waking us up and as quickly as possible, with brimming enthusiasm, we got ready, finished our breakfast and without further ado, started from the hotel for the sightseeing.

Our itinerary consisted of a general tour of the city on the first day. So, all geared up for the day, we sat in the car and began the general tour of the city. The first place of visit was the Trafalgar Square. The large number of pigeons which flocked there just had me stupefied. I could not resist, so I quickly ran to the food vendor and bought some seeds to feed the pigeons. The pigeons of all sizes and colors flocked together to eat from my hands. At first, I was really scared thinking “ What if they chew off my fingers as well along with the seeds” , but then with a bit of persuasion from everyone, I got the confidence to feed them and it was a moment of pure fun and frolic.

Next, we went to the Buckingham Palace. My eyes literally popped out when I saw it for the first time. There were acres of rolling gardens everywhere and the palace itself was a piece of art. The exquisite carving and the way it was made in the typical British architectural style was indeed worth praise. The guard changing ceremony was to follow the palace tour, but then due to the rain, the ceremony was carried out wearing raincoats.

The best part was that I slipped in the bathroom while getting ready one day and twisted my ankle very badly. Owing to this, I had to wear a bandage and was not being able to walk properly as well. Taking an umbrella as support, I was forced to hobble around the city with a twisted ankle, but the enthusiasm went on unabated.

It so happened that I was traveling through the city and my dad suddenly decided to take a bus. I conveniently stepped onto the bus with a lot of difficulty owing to my paining ankle. But not sure of the route to take, my parents did not climb onto the bus. My pathetic luck, the bus started and I could not get off on time. Seeing my parents going away from me, I panicked and started crying. Somehow, on the next stop I got off and feeling lost and confused, I continued crying. Till the time my parents did not reach the stop, I did not stop crying. Never till now had I felt so lost, so helpless. But then, it was another experience worth a mention.

After the bus experience, we proceeded to see the famous Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. The sight which met the eye was astounding. The wax models which were there were so lifelike, I was having trouble in trying to figure out the difference between the real and the wax models. I remember, there was a guard standing on the doorway, and he was so still, all of us went up to him to check if he was a wax model as well. It was worth a good laugh for sure.

to be continued