The Amazing Covent Garden in London

Street performers, bars, restaurants, shops and theatres - that is Covent Garden. Situated in the heart of London's Westend, Covent Garden would probably be the most lively and action packed entertainment and leisure destination in London.

The Covent Garden Piazza

The area of Covent Garden consists of  an Italian style central  piazza which is dominated by what orignally was the fruit and vegetable market surrounded by bars, restaurants and fashionable boutiques.

The Apple Market

Built in 1632 by Inigo Jones, the Covent Garden market is a large glass covered building comprising os several arcades of high fashion boutiques, cafes, bars and restaurants and a plethora of arts and crafts. The Apple Market which is a part of this unique market does not sell apples !! It is estimated that 30 million tourists visit this famous tourist destination.

The Covent Garden Market

Covent Garden attracts street performers from all over. You will see numerous mime artists, musicians, jugglers and others entertaining the tourists in the central square. Dont be surprised if a statue springs to life as you approach it and reaches out towards you. This is just one of the acts that you will come across.

Pirot !!!

Another scene of Covent  Garden

So if you are in London , head for Covent Garden , have a drink at the numerous bars in that area, watch a street performance , shop at one of the fashionable boutiques and in the evening take in the theatre. You could end it with dinner at Belgo !

EATING IN LONDON - BELGO FOR BELGIAN FOOD IN LONDON

If you are in London and in search for great seafood - head for Belgo at Earlham Street near the Covent Gardens. Belgo is a very unusual restaurant. The main entrance leads to a waiting bar area where you can start off with a glass of beer before you are seated at your table. The main restaurant is in the basement to which you descend in a cage like lift.

View of the Restaurant

The ambiance and look of the restaurant is very different from most places. A bit noisy with tables and benches for seating. Remember to book your table in advance or you may land up waiting for over 30 minutes.  Lots of steel visible with no false ceiling.

If you think Belgian Food , what does come to mind is  seafood and in particular mussels. There is a wide variety of seafood available at the Belgo, however what you must order is a steaming pot of Mussels accompanied by a bowl of freshly made crisp fries with creamy mayonnaise. And of course the Beer without which Belgian food is incomplete.

View of the Kitchen

The area around the Belgo at Covent Gardens is a very lively and and fun place. There are numerous pubs and other entertainment activities which includes plays and musicals over here.

In front of one of the theatres showing Chicago

THE RAVENS OF THE TOWER OF LONDON

If you are a visitor to the The Tower of London, don't be surprised when you come across some large black birds that look like over sized crows. These are the Ravens of the Tower of London and have a history almost as old the tower itself.

One of the ravens at the Tower of London

There is no authentic record of when these ravens first appeared at the tower, their presence is however surrounded by myths and legends. Legend dictates that at least 6 ravens must always remain at the Tower else the Tower and the Monarchy will fall.

To prevent the ravens from flying away from the Tower, their wings are clipped and have pens to live in.

Pens in which the Ravens live

Currently there are seven ravens at the Tower - this is so in case one of the ravens dies or escapes, six will always remain.

Raven with it's wings clipped

All seven ravens at the tower have names and have their wings clipped. One of the Yeoman warders is the Ravenmaster who cares for the birds.

The Legend of the ravens of the Tower can be traced back to a Medieval chronicler - Geoffrey of Monmouth. In 1136 he wrote a book called Historia Regum Britannia - The History of he Kings of Britain in which he refers to a British King called King Bran Hen. Bran is a Welsh word for Raven. King Bran had requested that on his death in battlefield, his head be buried as a talisman against invasion on the White Mount where the Tower of London now stands. The ravens therefore came to symbolise the king and to this day they are accepted as necessary occupants of the Tower and the legend that should the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the White Tower will crumble and a great disaster shall befall Britain.

It is believed that King Charles II ( early sixteenth century) was responsible for the declaration that at least 6 ravens should be kept at the Tower at all times to prevent disaster. This has since been followed religiously.

Here are some interesting facts about the ravens of the Tower of London

• There are seven ravens currently in residence
• The wings of the ravens are clipped so that they cannot fly away
• The ravens get a healthy diet of meat, bird biscuits and eggs besides other foods
• Ravens can live up to a ripe old age. The oldest raven to live at the Tower was Jim Crow who lived to an age of 44 years.
• Ravens who develop bad habits are dismissed from the Tower and sent to a Zoo.
• Ravens have also occasionally escaped and have been found at distance from the Tower.

If you plan to visit the Tower of London, book your tickets online and save time standing in queues and save time. Click on the Link below for The official site of the Tower of London is

Official Site of the Tower of London

Eating in London - The Dickens Inn

If you are visiting London, The Tower of London would certainly be on your ternary. After a few hours (that's the minimum time you will spend here) and as you move out the exit you will notice the magnificent Tower Bridge on the river Thames on the right. Just beyond the Tower Bridge are the Docklands - St Katherine's Docks. On the banks of the harbour and overlooking the Tower Bridge and the harbour is this picturesque restaurant - The Dickens Inn - a place popular with both the locals and tourists.

The Dickens Inn in London

Tracing its origin to the early 17th century when this building was a warehouse, it was moved from its original position to a new spot and converted into a traditional London pub. Whereas the place has 3 specialist restaurants, the most interesting is ' The Tavern Bar ' a traditional English Pub and the Beer Gardens ( which are really a part of the Tavern Bar)  where you can enjoy some traditional English food with beer.

At the Beer Garden with Fish & Chips and Beer.

If you want to enjoy the warm sunny London summer day , choose one of the beer gardens. Collect your beer from the bar and place your food order - the food will be served at your table ( you will need to choose your table first ) . My choice was the traditional fish&chips which is served with a selection of sauces  and beer. The fish was excellent as was the beer.

Pigeons enjoying a bite at the pub.

A walk around the area after a bite at the pub is very pleasant  with some lovely views of the harbour with its boats.

The Harbour with it's Yachts

One of the many interesting boats anchored in the harbour.

My vote is  a definite YES for  visit to this charming English pub and a stroll around the area

The Address :

The Dickens Inn

Marble Quay
St Katharines Way
London
E1W 1UH
Tel 0207 488 2208

Click on the link below for details on getting there

Link to Directions and Official website of Dickens Inn

London Eye

Was in London on vacation last  week and since I was staying near the County Hall, managed numerous visits to one of the most popular landmarks of London – The London Eye.  The County Hall which till 1986 was the seat of the Mayor of London has now been converted into a hotel - The Marriot. And next to the county hall are 2 of most important landmarks of London - Westminster and The London Eye,. The London Eye, . towering at a height of 135 metres, is the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in the world and attracts over 3,5 million visitors a year. Shot of the London Eye from the Westminster Bridge
The London Eye is the most popular paid tourist destination in the UK. Situated on the south bank of the river Thames, it is located between the Westminster bridge and the Hungerford bridge.

The London Eye at Night
In the summer months of July and August, the London Eye is open till 9.30 at night giving one an excellent opportunity to have a birds eye view of London at night. Particularly spectacular are views of  Westminster and Big Ben overlooking the river Thames.

The London Eye has 32 air conditioned capsules which can hold 25 people each and weighs  10 tonnes. The capsules are designed such that one can easily move around to get views from all angles.The capsules move at a speed of around 10 in per second and takes around 30 minutes to make a full revolution. Since the speed is slow, people alight and get on to the capsules while moving.

 A capsule of the London Eye

The capsules are fixed on a rim which is supported by spokes resembling the wheel of a cycle. An interesting fact is that different parts of the wheel were produced in various European countries - steel from UK, cables from Italy, bearings from Germany, the spindle and hub from Czech Republic.

If you are visiting London and haven't visited the London Eye ,do plan a visit and ride on this most interesting landmark. To avoid ques, book tickets online.

Click on the Link Below to go to the :

Official site of the London Eye for ticketing

St. Pauls Cathedral - London

It's Christmas Eve and my thoughts go to this universal festival that is celebrated throughout the world - whether it is Christian West or China and India where Christianity is in a minority. One historic landmark of Christianity is St Paul's Cathedral in London where Christmas is ushered in with Christmas Carols and midnight mass.

St. Paul's Cathedral - London
Built in 1678 by Wren in a late Renaissance and baroque style and consecrated in 1708, the cathedral is the spiritual home of London and one of its most famous landmarks.

Lantern from the East West End Clock Tower West Front - St Paul's Cathedral Dome and Upper South Transept Anita and Utsav in the South of the Cathedral Tourists in front of St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's was used for the marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer . The religious service for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee was also celebrated there.

Buckingham Palace - Changing the Guards

A popular event that takes place every morning at 11.30 in London is the 'Changing of the Guard' at Buckingham Palace. This is a well liked tourist attraction and draws thousands of tourists for its 45 minute ceremony. In short, this is a ceremony that involves the new guard taking over duties from the old guard and is accompanied with a lot of Pomp and show.

The New Guard Marches towards the Palace from Wellington Barracks

The guards are led in by a mounted guard

This London Bobby ( nickname for police)

had a tough time controlling the milling crowds of tourists during the ceremony. Living up to the image of the friendly face of the London Bobby, this one never lost his cool ( the only thing he lost was his voice which went hoarse trying to make tourists remain behind the fence)
Anita and Utsav amongst the crowd of tourist to see the ceremony
Tourists gathered in front of the Palace to see the Ceremony

Some Facts

- The changing of the guards take take place every day in summer in the forecourt of the Buckingham Palace and lasts 45 minutes. In winter it happens every 2nd day

- The Queen's Guard usually consists of Foot Guards in full-dress uniform of red tunics and bearskins.

- If the Queen is in residence, there are 4 sentries in the front and when is away there are 2.

London as seen from atop a bus - 1

A great way to see and explore London is the tourist double decker open top buses that criss-cross through the city. These offer an entertaining, enjoyable and educative view of London and are accompanied by a running live or recorded commentary with stopovers at all important locations. One can hop on and off as you like. Also a great opportunity to photograph the city from the open top deck.

London Theatre on Anita's 50th Birthday

It was Anita's 50th birthday and a special treat was called for - 'Phantom of the Opera' and dinner at the Mint Leaf after the play seemed appropriate.

London has a vibrant theatre scene attracting theatre enthusiasts from all over the world. The main theatre district is situated in the heart of the West End of London City. Even more than New York, London is the capital of the theatre world. Catching a West End theatre production is a very popular tourist activity. One of the important theatres in the West End is Her Majesty's Theatre. A theatre has been on this site in a street called the Hay market since 1705. The current building was opened in 1896

One of the best mega musicals is THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA which has been running for the last 2 decades. All the great songs - and they truly are great songs are chilling in their emotional power. The Music of the Night is of course exceptional.

Scenes from the play

After an absolutely fantastic performance of the play, we headed for dinner to The Mint Leaf situated just opposite Her Majesty's theatre. This is a stylish restaurant with a sense of elegance. The food is excellent and wine list exhaustive.

The Birthday Cake

Sanjiv, Ranjila and Shaan with us the restaurant

Night scene at the nearby Leister Square


Anita with Sanjiv and Shaan