Thursday 14 June 2012

Sentosa!!

I am excited today! My friend of many years, who has been living in India is coming to visit me.. I can’t wait! We have so much fun talking about stupid stuff, important stuff, and laughing.. I can’t wait to see him!

I always wanted to take a photo of this to share with you because I have never seen this anywhere else.. At many of the pedestrians crossings here there are these signs… Elderly persons or persons with disabilities are given these cards which they can “tap” and get more time to cross the street. I found this such a tangible way of showing how a society cares for its elderly and infirmed..

Even in the buses and trains (public transportation), there are seats assigned for the elderly and women who are pregnant. I have never as yet seen an old person standing while a young person sits on those seats.. people are so quick to giving their seats to the elderly..

Ok.. so my day at work is over and I am heading to meet my friend at his hotel..

Tall residence at Outram Park metro..

I am telling you.. these large, green, and beautiful trees and shaded streets get me everytime!

Singapore.. the Garden City (see below for more)..

A look back..

These drains again.. I like them.. it think because they’re not “just drains” to me but they have a sculptural tome to them..

So I meet my friend, we have some drinks, reminisce, and laugh.. All the while I couldn’t believe I was seeing him in the flesh.. it was as though we saw each other yesterday! I couldn’t shake how cool that was.. I am so happy to share the beauty of Singapore.. He asked me what I wanted to do, I was game for it all… He told me about some place named “Sentosa” here.. I said ok and off we went…

We took the train and went to our destination.. I had no idea!!!!! We disembarked at the Harbourfront Metro stop and searched for where we needed to go.. The mall is HUGE and we had a little confusion finding where we needed to be but found it eventually… My friend “Joe” wanted to do the luge.. the what? I wondered… then he said let’s do the Segway ride through the Eco Park.. Check the long list of adventures at Sentosa above!

We took a cable car ride to the island.. but what’s cool about getting to this cable ride is that to get to the cable cars you walk for a bit.. All I knew is I was in the city with tall buildings. We bought our tickets at the ground floor of this “office building” and were told to take the elevators… In the elevator(s) was a button to press that would take us to the cable cars.. In one voosh! an express elevator we were several floors up in the air.. The efficient combination of business and pleasure with an elevator impressed me.. Giving a piece of what may have been a private building for public access to fun… great idea!

Cable cars in a constant loop picking persons up..

Shots from inside the cable car..

A look back at where we got on the cable car.. The top of an office building!

I have no clue what I am seeing here.. I am just in awe! Standing, going to the left and right of the cable car trying not to shake it to much…

Singapore’s port all aglow.. One of the busiest ports in the world..

Weeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some sort of resort below.. Pools, huts, etc… Wow!

Hard Rock Cafe..

Thank you..

The Tiger Sky Tower

We took a bus to the place with the Eco Park and segway ride..

Look at people!!! I tell you.. no joke.. this place had so many people.. soooooooo many people.. so much joy and excitement in the air..

Joe and I went to a restaurant.. by this time my tummy was calling for something to eat.. So we went to the restaurant SKY atop the building..

Shots from the restaurant…

I don’t know what I seeing there… but they’re aglow too..

The restaurant and bar.. people chilling out, relaxing, and just enjoying it…

Live band playing music.. They were really, really good too!!

This you see here is a must I think.. I hope to go to it before I leave.. This is the Songs of the Sea show… People flock to it! From the restaurant we could see and hear some of the action… and what impressive action it was! OMG!!! I have included some short vids I took below…

Water is spraying out here and it is being used as a screen for these singing and talking characters…. WOW!

Look ting!

Fireworks too of course!

This is not even 5% of how spectacular I am sure actually being at the show is…

Singarich!

Nice eh?!

Spectacular fireworks closing of the show…

After our dinner, which really wasn’t to good (the food was tasteless), we decided to head back to Singapore proper..

We have to walk back to an MRT (metro) because the cable cars are now closed. :-(.. At least we get to see more..

The Merlion – mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore…

We eventually got home.. It was a long but fantastic day for us… tomorrow will be another adventure filled one!!

Click here to read a paper on Singapore the Garden City…

Check this below video too

Sentosa is a MUST DO!

This work by Vernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Sunday 10 June 2012

Hi friends…

I’ve been busy with work and experiencing all I can of Singapore.. Slow internet at home doesn’t help quick upload of photos either.. therefore my posts have been slower in coming….

Today my friend and I are heading out a bit..

We get off at this bus stop an walk a bit..

Many of the sloping drains I see here look like this…

A church along the way…

Garden city is right!

Temple…

The doors to the temple were very beautiful…

While my buddy Ki is getting some stuff done, I take a walk throughout the area to see what may be in store for me.. The sun is extremely HOT today.. Aye ya yai!!! No umbrella.. pure sun! Ouch!

Mohamed Sultan Road – There are some restaurants and massage places along this street.. I will be going for a massage some time soon…

The scale here is a success… broad streets, tall buildings, shorter historic buildings too..

As I saunter down the street I see this temple and decide to check it out..

Wow!

Hi!

Such vivid colors..

The juxtaposition of modern and historic in Singapore is so successfully done I think..

Very ornate…

A bit about the temple…

After my wandering through Hong San See I head back out to the streets to continue my exploration..

I turn right and stroll up this narrow street… feels quaint..

Looking back onto the main street..

Wowee! Tall buildings are everywhere…

I make another left down this street…

So beautiful.. so green..

I wanna roll down the hill, but….

I’m back out on the main street again..

I make a left, keep walking straight and I meet the river…

What the what?! I love, love, love water and waterfronts.. and this brings me great joy!

It’s very calm, clean…

I wanna live here!

The water isn’t clear or blue or anything, but it is clean.. i.e, there is no trash, no odor.. it’s just muddy or murky I guess..

I see joggers along this path too…

This is like Europe man!.. Bilbao?

View from the bridge…

I head back to meet my friend and took a photo of this… FYI.. My friend Ki and I head back the the river to have a drink or something…

We were kinda surprised by this.. I can’t remember why… I think because it felt so much like Europe.. or somewhere really pricey that we have never been but have seen on television..

Fountain…

Having a drink and cooling down after such a HOT, HOT day! I look forward to sharing so much more!!

Enjoy your day everyone!!

This work by Vernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Thursday 07 June 2012

SUTD – Singapore University of Technology & Design

I’ve been a bit busy settling in, starting work, and getting to know Singapore better as I am sure you would have guessed. So much I want to see!

It’s my first day at the office in SUTD today..

Waiting for the bus.. the #33 from Tiong Bahru to SUTD

Bus lay-by

Shots from the bus along my journey…

I never thought I would be seeing this.. This is The Interlace by OMA under construction. I remember discussing this project when it was revealed by OMA… Wow! What a monster..

We missed our stop because the bus driver wasn’t sure also.. so we are now walking back to where SUTD should be.. Took this photo of a building along the way..

Ughh!!! It is sweltering! Walking in this heat is no joke!

Lovely skies and green forests…

Look at bush! (as we would say in Trinbago)

This is SingTel’s tower I believe.. the phone company.. I love this shot against the sky…

High density high-rise apartments that are the norm in Singapore…

We stop along the way to ensure we were on the right track… Ki checked his email and I went across the street and asked a lady for Dover Drive.. we were about a block or two away…

.. and we’re walking, and we’re walking…

Here we are! Finally!

I will be here for the summer doing research in Digital Fabrication technologies…(Rapid Prototyping)… I have a lot that I hope to accomplish by the end of this summer…

Wow.. we’re really here… One of SUTD’s buildings…

Beautiful landscaping…

Walking through the facility …

A Better World by Design.. YUP!

Stay tuned for more…

Have a mind blowing week!

This work by Vernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

My culinary experience in Singapore thus far…

Pack lightly.. all you need are your taste-buds!

Today I thought I would post my culinary travels in Singapore thus far… in cases where I remembered to take photos… Hope it’s not too painful on your eyes… and stomachs..

This was my first meal in Singapore.. It was ok.. nothing to talk about just yet… I think I was just settling in and overwhelmed by it all…

Ki had this soup.. it was good.. but we wanted more spice! More heat!

Thus far, this guy is my favorite! I have had food from him only twice.. but both times I was blown away..

Heat!

Delicious!!!

The beer of Singapore it seems..

I had this for breakfast… Milo (which I am very familiar with.. I grew up on it), lightly toasted bread with something akin to a jelly in it, and soft boiled eggs… I tried the soft boiled on my friend’s encouragement…

Soft boiled eggs after adding soy sauce to it.. this was not my cup of tea… My palate could not wrap around the texture… and the taste wasn’t much either.. it needed seasoning or crunch or something.. I could not finish it!

Ki had laksa.. this was good! I would not have it for a breakfast meal due to its spiciness, but it was really good! There were some little things that looked like beansprouts, but had the texture of slightly boiled dumplings.. it was really, really good!

Bakery with so many delights!!

Get in my belly!!!

Dinner at home.. On this night I tossed some green leafy vegetable (like pak choi) with garlic, had left overs from lunch, bread, and ramen…

This was a good meal…

Fish was fried in a batter, and there was a chilli sauce accompanying it… It was warm, light and tasty…

Fried chicken.. it was ok.. it was a bit cold… so not enticing to my palate…

Mmmmm.. this ramen was a boss!!! It was very delicious and it looked good too..

At this point I was sleepy and wanted my bed…

Black pepper fish, with veggies and rice… this was good too.. the fish especially was very tasty with a light crisp on the outside!

I can’t remember what this was too clearly, but it was chicken.. and there was tofu with the veggies…

Fish Delights – FAILED! This dish was not for my liking, neither was it for Ki… I think maybe with time we can get used to it… but for now.. it was a failure for us… Currently Ki is 2/14 when it comes to failures… I am  0/7… haven’t had a failure as yet.. and I hope it stays this way…

LOL!!! Ki eventually discarded his meal and got another dish…

I had black pepper beef.. It was good… It wasn’t enough, and if you know me.. if I say something was not enough.. IT REALLY WAS NOT ENOUGH..

Best Thai Green Curry I have ever had!!!

This was the best green curry I have ever had, hands down! This was so good I can still remember my experience as I ate it.. OMG! The curry was rich, flavored, aromatic, all the adjectives to describe an awesome meal… This chef is currently my favorite  thus far… I am going to try almost everything he has!

Mango Salad… This is the second mango salad I have had here.. This time I took it without the peanuts.. It reminds me of Chow (a Trinbagonian favorite). It is essentially a mango chow, but presented as a salad.. which means sans the soul of a chow which is the sauce.. But it is really well done.. This salad had carrots in it too, but the previous one I had was 100% mango… mango, salt, cilantro, onions, hot pepper, and maybe a bit of lime.. just a little… Heaven!

I like spicy food… so peppers are always at my side.. I had a scrumptious meal this night.. My stomach was definitely full after this meal!

Ki had this which contained noodles, and seafood… it was also very tasty.. cheap too!

I had this meal from ‘Pots and Pans’ I think was the name of the stall… You get your food simmering on this hot plate… I had black pepper pork and rice… It was good… but again my stomach felt it was not enough..

This will burn you to smitherines!

Ki went back to the place with the failed meal above to try this… numerous people were leaving that stall with this meal.. so he tried it..

You get your meats (fish, shrimp, and more), veggies (lettuce, pak choi stuff) vermicelli all raw. Along with it comes a boiling pot of soup to cook them in…

It seemed like first degree burns were on the menu for us tonight .. 🙂

This was a success.. the soup still needed a little work.. but great experience!

After walking around in the hot sun I had this.. Sprite never tasted this good!

Ahhhhhh!!

Smile!!

This work by Vernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Photo Journal – Monday 04 June 2012

Where did I wake up?

After having an intense 2 days in London, including a Coldplay concert, my cousin and I woke up on Sunday morning ready for me to head to the airport once again… My poor cousin was tired this morning… she started feeling it.. She dropped me off at the airport, I did my security check and went up t0 my gate for my flight…

At the gate waiting for my flight… Falling asleep, and anxiously awaiting the time to board… I just want to sleep!!!

The food on this plane ride was good.. I chose to have curried shrimp, rice, and vegetables… The shrimps (prawns) were really good! Well seasoned, succulent, the gravy rich.. and tasty! I slept for a couple hours then watched movies for the remainder of my trip..

I disembarked from my flight and headed to baggage claim once again… Where am I you may be asking?

Singapore!!!

Inside the Singapore airport…

Going to collect my bags at the carousel… The water wall intrigued me though…

A look at the water wall once again..

When I exit my driver Micheal was there (sign in hand) to meet me… The airport was really nice, and way-finding was easy… which is paramount when someone exits a plane in a foreign land.. We went to the car and proceeded to my place of stay…

Michael told me that this was their new terminal, Terminal 3 – it has an annual handling capacity of 22 million passengers, bringing the total handling capacity of Changi Airport to about 70 million passengers per year.

En route

Took some shots while driving… shots of excitement!

These clusters of buildings blew me away..

Blown away again… This will be visited eventually by moi…

Passing nearby the Marina Bay Sands, which looks as though a cruise ship is mounted atop the building… Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is billed as the world’s most expensive standalone casino property at $8 billion, including cost of the prime land…

I’m impressed…

I get home and am happy to see my buddy Ki waiting for me! We are happy as usual… and we are in SINGAPORE! But there’s no time to waste.. I can’t wait to have a shower and have something to eat…

View from my apartment’s window onto Tiong Bahru Road… it is sooooo humid today!

Almost 10am, we make moves to get food..

Apartment buildings behind ours.. TALL!!

It feels like a decked out forest here… The trees and other vegetation are lush, green, and abundant.. But behind and among such thick forest are these tall buildings that range from 30 – 50 stories tall… It’s amazing!

We go to Tiong Bahru Plaza a few footsteps away from us…

My first Singapore meal… I had rice, chicken with caraille aka bitter melon, greens, and another kind of chicken… there are soooooooooo many options here, you can’t eat them all.. I doubt…

Ki had a soup.. It was ok.. not spicy enough for us.. but still alright..

After eating we bought a few things then went back home where I fell asleep for a bit..

It’s dinner time and we go to a market just across the street from us.. I love all of these little kitchens and options for food in Singapore.. There are soo many options it makes choosing difficult… Food prices can range from $2.50 (Singapore dollars) to $18.00. I see fish meals running in the $18.00 range and I am not sure why just yet.. But most of the food is cooked right there on the spot.. like this one for example.. Almost everything else here is expensive..

The green peppers (jalapeno) are really good… they have a slightly sweet tone to them.. really good! The red peppers.. burn the hell out of your palate if your not expecting it.. We call them bird peppers in Trinidad.. The brownish looking thing on the left tasted like something to be eaten with seafood..

This was a successful meal!

Why not have a beer. I do not really like beer, it’s way too much to drink for my tiny stomach.. This beer has only 5% alcohol content.. but it was refreshing in this heat..

Heading back home…

Apartment buildings behind ours…

Interesting facts about Singapore (Wikipedia)

Singapore:

• An island country made up of 63 islands
• The English name Singapore is derived from the Malay word Singapura (Lion City)
• Singapore is highly urbanized but almost half of the country is covered by greenery.
• Has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons, uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall.
• United with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963 and became a fully independent state two years later after separation from Malaysia.
• The world’s fourth-leading financial center
• The world’s second-biggest casino gambling market,
• The world’s third-largest oil refining center.
• The port of Singapore is one of the five busiest in the world,
• The world’s highest percentage of millionaire households, with 15.5 percent of all households owning at least one million US dollars in net assets
• Noted by World bank as the easiest place in the world to do business.
• Has the world’s third highest GDP PPP per capita making Singapore one of the world’s wealthiest countries.
• Some 5 million people live in Singapore, of whom 2.91 million were born locally. Most are of Chinese, Malay or Indian descent.
• On 31 August 1963, Singapore declared independence from Britain
• Gained independence as the Republic of Singapore (remaining within the Commonwealth) on 9 August 1965
• Has penalties that include judicial corporal punishment in the form of caning for rape, rioting, vandalism, and some immigration offenses.
• Mandatory death penalty for murder, and for certain drug-trafficking and firearms offenses.
• Outdoor public processions or assemblies require police permits. Without police permits, such outdoor assemblies are illegal.
• Consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in the world
• Attracts a lot of foreign direct investment because of its location, corruption-free environment, skilled workforce, low tax rates and advanced infrastructure.
• Roughly 44 percent of the Singaporean workforce is made up of non-Singaporeans
• The world’s fourth largest foreign-exchange trading center after London, New York and Tokyo.
• Acute poverty is rare in Singapore; the government has rejected the idea of a generous welfare system, stating that each generation must earn and save enough for its entire life cycle. There are, however, numerous means-tested ‘assistance schemes.’
• Singaporean military arguably the most technologically advanced in Southeast Asia
• Total fertility rate is estimated to be .78 children per woman in 2012, the lowest in the world and well below the 2.1 needed to replace the population.
• Buddhism is the most widely practiced religion
• Life expectancy in Singapore is 79 for males and 83 for females

That’s it for now folks… looking forward to another day of great food and experiences…

Smile!!

This work by Vernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Photo Journal – Saturday 02 June 2012

Some Coldplay on a cold day!!!

After an awesome arrival into London yesterday, I will be having another great day. My cousin surprised me with tickets to Coldplay at the Emirates Stadium!! She was so excited about her surprise for me that she could not hold back and told me before I arrived.. LOL!!! I wake up feeling so happy that I was there and I slept so good! I had breakfast, dilly-dallied a bit, then we started getting ready for our day. The concert would be starting at 4pm.. or opening at 4pm.. something like that..

Dressed, coiffed and ready to go.. photos first though… even though I am extremely hungry now..

The sun is out right now… I am happy about this.. the London gloom is not my cup of tea…

We will be going to have a late lunch, then begin our transit to the stadium..

Walking…

We passed through this park/ garden which was breath-taking! So lush, so well taken care of, so beautiful!!

Isn’t this a painter’s dream? I wouldn’t believe this if I didn’t see it for myself! Picturesque and absolutely beautiful… This is a landscape architect and gardener’s dream..

Look at this! My goodness!! Scale, color, texture, shadow, shade, reflection, hard, soft, horizontal, vertical… so many relationships that work…. I need to spend an entire day here on my next visit to London… this is a MUST DO.

Sunlight is such a gift!

I like the little cars in London… this building looks lovely too..

We are having lunch at an Italian restaurant nearby… My cousin saved her first time visit to this restaurant for my visit..

We start with bruschetta  and calamari… and I had a carbonara for my main course.. I realize now that I apparently forgot to take photos of it… Hunger called I guess! I assure you it was good! After our very satisfying meal we took the bus to the train station and headed to Highbury & Islington station… It was a lovely train ride… Soft, clean seats, comfortable ride…

The station was filled more than usual I think with concert-goers.. We meet our friends, and take a bus that would take us there…

At the Stadium…

Numerous people were asking if anyone had spare tickets to sell..

Oh yes!! Coldplay tickets in hand, we’re ready to head in!!!

 Coldplay T shirts anyone?!

Get ya beer and burgers if you like!

After we enter we get these wristbands which are supposed to light up during the show..

It’s still early.. people are still traipsing into the stands.. it’s cold!

Great stage design! This interests me a lot you know.. stage/ set design…aka production design… if you have any advice for me regarding this field, please don’t hesitate to share… The backdrop is like the speakers of a boom-box but are actually screens.. The graffiti artwork, color, and spirit of fun adds to it too…

Oh yes! The Trinidad posse representing!!! Decked, and ready to have fun, and get warm!!

Back inside getting something to eat before the show begins… so that I won’t have to leave during an expected awesome performance…

This bun was really good!! I forget what it was called.. but it intrigued me because it was white unlike the brown buns… but it was good, the dough was chewy like I like it!

My cousin LOVES Pimm’s so I had one.. I can only speak for the one I had here at the concert.. it was good, but it could have been much better.. Maybe it was because the Pimm’s here didn’t have all the assortment of fruits I usually see in the others.. it was good, but I tasted potential to be better in it..Next time Pimm, next time!

Look Ting!!!!!!!! I forgot to mention Rita Ora and Robin opened the show..

Below is my video recording of their entrance onto the stage promptly at 8:45pm..

WOOOHOOO!!!!!

Chris Martin!!!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone loves a light show! what is it with humans and light shows? We love it!!

Do your thing guys!

Large heart and teardrop shaped balloons aglow…

Those wristbands I showed you earlier…. yup! It’s their time to shine..

After their first set.. they thanked the crowd and left…We were all chanting for more… after approximately 5 minutes, I could be wrong, but applause was heard and spotlights were shining following people.. and there was the band.. This time however, they set up on a stage closer to the back of the stand..closer to us! How cool is that! Chris was in a pink tshirt this time.. after soaking through his blue one I am sure.. Because, it was pouring throughout the show… rain, rain, and more rain! But you could barely tell…

Here he is closer to us… He encouraged us to applaud.. the louder we cheered, the longer they would stay on stage for us.. Chris martin is such a great entertainer!! he really has the respect of the crowd..

Through these lights we were able to see how heavy the downpour was….

Fantastic finish!!!!

After the concert we stuck around a bit hoping the rains would ease… then had left in it anyway, with concert goers chanting Oh Ohhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Oooohhhh Oh…. Oh Ohhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Oooohhhh Oh in the streets! It was a wonderful community of happy people… I even saw one policeman smile… We walked for a bit to get to another train station, as the one closest to us was closed.. How is London going to handle the Olympics, I really don’t know. This was a concert of approx. 60,000 people and the metro was not in the game at all. I hope it is figured out for the summer games…

Metro…

We went to this restaurant that closes really late after.. The food was good. Everything was well seasoned, well cooked, and delicious!

After there we went to a late night Italian bakery/ diner I would say…

I had a nice cup of hot chocolate and a cannoli… both scored high on my Delicious scale… It was now roughly 2 or 2:30am… and still rain was pouring. My cousin really wanted me to see Piccadilly Circus, so we braved the rains and I was glad we did…

Piccadilly Circus..

Piccadilly Circus

As we wait for our bus to head home I took this photo.. the lights and the architecture was attractive…

When we get home it’s time for me to pack, rest, and get ready for another day tomorrow… See you again soon..

Coldplay ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This work by Vernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Photo Journal – Friday 01 June 2012 (London)

London, I have arrived!

It’s 7:30am (London time), and I have arrived!! The thought of meeting my cousin gives me the biggest and most uncontrollable grin ever! I’m soo excited! I haven’t seen her since May 2007 when she came to Washington, DC for my graduation… We have both been dwelling in different time zones since then..

Walking through Heathrow going to baggage claims, then exit! (forgive the lack of photos documenting my cousin and I meeting).. Photos were the last thing on my mind! it took FOREVER at immigration. I have no clue what London intends to do for the Olympics.. it was terrible! I think a few flights, maybe 3 or 4 came in simultaneously… it took more than an hour to clear there…

After we meet, hug, laugh, express happiness, excitement, and sheer disbelief that I am there and we are there together, we sort ourselves and head for the train… and so do many other travelers, all with their suitcases in tow.

When I exit the train station at our stop, I had to capture it.. take it all in! The sights, the sounds, the smells…. ahhhh. I feel so happy! it reminds me of that feeling I had in Europe.. Every time I disembarked at another city, my little heart would flutter with happiness… I already love it here! Why? Professor Winston always says, whenever you like something, try to articulate why you like it… The air was crisp and fresh, I felt free, I was with my wonderful cousin, I was traveling, which I really love, I knew I was going to have an adventure in store for me, and I knew I would see new faces, and have another experience and story to tell…

After we get home I had no plans for rest. I unpacked stuff, showered, ate, and we headed back out. This would not be a trip of rest but instead one of pace, like my cousin says.. PACE!

Camera in hand we boarded the bus and came here. We would be doing a bus tour.. the yellow bus.. Original Bus Tour.. I take photos of the Eye behind me.. I am sure I will see it again later..

Map of tour in hand…

Cousin and guide working logistics out…

Photo-op!

The guide for this bus was really good.. I was just excited I was taking photos like crazy.. I can tell from my early photos that it was all excitement and no thought.. LOL.. It’s jubilee weekend so London is bahut busy!

A glimpse of the London Eye and Big Ben

Like I said before… these photos are reminders of pure excitement!! I was shooting left, right, and center!

I think the guide said this was the narrowest pub in London I think.. it’s in the Guinness Book of Records he mentioned…

We came off the bus here so that I could walk around and get up close and personal with St. Paul’s Cathedral.. designed by Christopher Wren…

View from the cathedral back toward the street.. This is a hot tourist spot…

As we were approaching this I wondered what it was.. reminded me of something Libeskind would do… still not sure who did it…

Thanks for the welcome my dear sir…

I got a glimpse of the Tate on our walk and had to get closer… See the tower behind there? You can’t miss it… This organization of steps and ramps in this urban public space is also a beauty…

A look back at St. Paul’s…

The Shard by one of my favorite architects, Renzo Piano… (article on The Shard)… View from the bridge to the Tate.. The 1,016 ft high skyscraper will be the tallest building in Western Europe and will provide amazing views of London…

I liked this building… the detailing and marriage of materials and textures I found nicely done!

Back out on the main road walking London… See the Gherkin ahead?

Bakery along the way that my cousin frequents.. I had a raisin thing.. the pastry was soft, flaky, warm, delicious… Oh how I love food! it is such a treat for the eyes and the palate… Mmm.. The bakery was quite warm and inviting too… great service!

I can’t remember what here was called, but I love arcades and this was a successful one… A well-lit “place” and “path.” There was a pub at the corner and I realized that at most (if not all) of the pubs I passed by people were standing having their drinks…

The Lloyd’s building (also sometimes known as the Inside-Out Building) by Richard Rogers on my left, and the Gherkin straight ahead… (Homepage for Richard Rogers)

Another view of the Lloyd’s Building…

The Gherkin by Foster & Partners, and Arup. I like Wikipedia links because they are often very informative because it gives nice background on the history of the site, the building, etc..

The London Monument by Sir Christopher Wren…

After this we walk to catch the bus again.. it’s a jump on jump off bus… you can get off and get back on anyone you choose along your way..
Cool right?!!

Flags all around!!! Jubilee here they come!

We approach The Shard…

The Shard closer up… and yes those are men working up there.. How awesome!

I think they were waving at the tour buses…

How fantastic is this?! i hope you guys get paid a lot!!! They reminded me of a modern version of this>>>

London City Hall by Foster & Partners, and Arup (Engineers)

Big Ben!!

Big Ben…

Buckingham Palace

Crossing the Thames with Buckingham Palace on the right.. Reminds me of crossing the Charles River… 😉

The temperature continued to drop during the day and a little after this point I needed to close my eyes a bit.. I was going on no sleep for approx. 38 hours… I rest my head on my cousin’s shoulder and closed my eyes for a bit.. We were going to have dinner at a place she likes.. Well we were going to pass through the palace first, but it was closed off in preparation for the Jubilee celebrations..

“Still Water” (horse head) sculpture by Nic Fiddian Green.

Nic was born in Hampshire in 1963. He graduated from Wimbledon School of Art, London with a BA in Sculpture, and went on th attain his MA at St. Martins School of Art, where he also took a Diploma in Advanced Lost Wax Casting.

He is best known as an equestrian sculptor, working primarily in bronze and in beaten lead. He held his first exhibition in 1986, and has sine been in demand by galleries and collectors alike: his work is now shown regularly in London, New York and Australia. In addition he is well-known for carrying ot major site-specific commissions; tow recent monumental pieces have been Turning House for Glyndebourne Opera House in Sussex, and Horses Head in the Wind, for Treasury Holdings in Barrow Street, Dublin.

Like many who have spent a life with horses and know them intimately, Nic took them for granted during his early life; they were simply there. However, his view was changed in 1983 when he first saw the Elgin marbles at the British Museum. He began to see the horse as a spiritual entity, not just a living thing with a beauty and energy particular to itself but a universal vessel for a whole breadth of emotions. A Fiddian Green horse is not an animal sculpture in any traditional sense. It goes beyond the portrait to become a study in energy and quietude, exuberance or wistfulness. (taken from here…)

The Royal Family circa…. I don’t know…

We came off the bus at one point and my cousin decided we would pass through Carnaby… I took photos of this store because I loved the beautifully colored spheres hanging on the interior…

Carnaby Street area

Nicely deconstructed British flag…

We stumbled upon some sort of street party along the way.. We joined, sampled wine, enjoyed songs by Tina “Tea” Turner, and had a ball!!

We then meet another friend and have dinner here at Busaba Eathai… My cousin loves here so she brought me here.. and the food was really good! I must say in London I ate all of my food every time! I think it’s because of the sizes of their portions… I never had leftovers, which is common whenever I eat out..

This drink was DELICIOUS!! It’s name was a guava collins I believe… it had guava, coconut milk, lime, thai lime leaf, and other stuff I guess… So good.. soo sooo good..

I had a pad thai… which was delish!

Calamari.. delish!!

My cousin had this green curry fried rice… delish again!

Our friend Giz had these wings.. They were the smallest things I have ever seen!! Pigeon wings they looked like, BUT, they were succulent, well seasoned, nicely fried, and delicious….

After dinner we went to a bakery and got dessert.. I had red velvet cake – one of my favorites.. but I just love cake on the whole… We went back to the street party, then went home… I could not wait to go to sleep.. tomorrow would be another wonderful day!

Love ya London!

This work by Vernelle Noel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.