Mighty London and Beauty Devon
Recently our family had a chance to visit United Kingdom. Our Dad had a business meeting with few clients of his company in U.K during August this year. We could accompany him as tourist as his trip coincides with Onam holidays of our school. We spent over two weeks in United Kingdom. Most of our time was spent in the mighty capital city of London and in the southwest costal beauty county Devon. We could also visit country sides and experience few other smaller towns. We would like to share our experience with the readers with the aim of giving what these cities are offering and what they can bring to you – an amazing experience we had during this time.
The first thing that brought to our attention as soon we arrived at London Heathrow airport was the cleanliness of the place and orderly traffic. People who have seen the chaotic traffic in India as well as the non-pedestrian friendly ugly surroundings will like this very much. The busses and trains are really nice and fun to travel, not that congested, runs on time in general. Busy junctions have clean under passages for pedestrians to cross over. Where there are no under passages, pedestrians can request pedestrian crossing signals which can be activated on a button. Most roads, junctions and public places have enough sign boards to help to locate important places and roads.
We liked the transport system. There are ticket counters as well as ticket machines to take travel tickets. Tickets can be taken over internet as well. Machines are used mostly by the people who live there as they are quite familiar with this and can avoid the queue system at the counters. You can use credit or debit cards or coins or currency notes to take tickets from the machines. The entry to platforms is generally controlled with tickets which has a magnetic strip too. The tickets have to be swiped or inserted into entry control machines to open the door that lead to the platforms. For small stations these control machines won't be there, but then ticket examiner will check the tickets in the train. For buses, we can buy tickets from driver. There are no conductors or door checkers in the busses. The London has very good underground metro system which provides a very good connectivity. This is popularly known as 'Tube' system. There are several lines that run on different underground levels. In central London; these trains' runs through tunnels built several feet's below the ground. This is why they are called 'Tube'. The trains and buses have electronic boards which inform the arriving station, time of arrival etc. Besides, the train has passenger friendly announcement systems that give direction of train, the stations it stops etc. This is a welcome step that can be implemented in India, where we have no clue on where a train will stop and what time it reaches, unless we ask someone on board or station in advance.
All the residential houses in a residential area look almost the same from outside. This helps to have a uniform look on both sides of the road. However in the city of London, watching from the banks of the Rivers Thames which flows through the heart of the city was another experience. The buildings in this area were constructed in different designs and shapes without taking away the beauty of this city. Readers must have seen these magnificent structures through BBC television, as BBC news telecast rooms are right there.
Each house is known by its number. Once you know the zip code (equivalent to pin code in India) and the house number, you can tap this information on to your Tom Tom devise which is quite popular in U.K; will give you the road maps to get you to that house from where you are starting the journey. The GPS navigational technology used here to map every nook and corner is really useful to find your way.
Most towns and villages have beautiful parks maintained by the county or the city council. They have spacious lawn, playing area, activity area and gardens. Some even have small lakes where one can see ducks, pigeon and other birds. Some parks have swimming pool too. The residential areas are generally protected from industrial penetration and hence you can enjoy fresh clean air. The temperature won't be that high through out the year which adds an extra pleasure. Some house owners have a small lawn in front of their house and they even decorate their houses with live plants and flowers.
People in England are very co-operative and friendly. They are in general not problem makers. However, they do whatever they liked in public places. They drink, dance and even kiss and hug in public. The week-ends and Fridays are having huge crowd near pubs and restaurants. They enjoy their life in their own way. Even women smoke and share a sip of alcohol. This behavior would have far reaching implications on future generation, which is bit hard for us to digest.
Let us now focus on what we have seen – the tourist attractions of the places we have visited. Our first attempt was to visit Devon, the costal beauty on the south west of England. Devon is a tourist area with several beaches and beautiful areas due to its proximity to the North Atlantic Ocean. We have taken a train to Exter St.David station from London Waterloo station. The train moved from the mighty city of London to the country side by crossing rivers and passing through tunnels. The country side is beautiful with vast farm land on both sides of the train track. These farm lands are either used to cultivate different crops or used for animals such as sheep and cows to graze. It looks like we have been passing through a huge lawn. Is this country all about such beautiful country side?
The city of Exeter is the main city in Devon. This is an old city. There are ancient churches and buildings in this city. The cathedral right in the middle of the town is maintained as a heritage place and was built in AD 1050. There was a city wall built about 2000 years ago around the city. We can see parts of city wall even now. It also has an underground tunnel which was built to fetch water from the River Exe. The quay with river Exe is a scenic place to spend a whole day. The river banks were protected with bricks. The city council has made beautiful walk way on both sides of river. This is a place where people can spend time, do their jogging in the morning and have an outing with family in the evening. You will see swans and sea birds here. You will see sports people taking training in canoeing and other such sports events. This is quite a rejuvenating place for general public who lives here.
The river Exe joins the North Atlantic Ocean at a place called 'Exmouth'. This place is developed as a beach area. The vast sand beach around this area is used by tourist to play and relax. You can also take a dip in the water here. However, the sand is not that beautiful compared to our sand beaches. The panoramic view of this beach is good.
Few miles from Exmouth is a beautiful sea coast called Sidmouth. This is another gem in Devon. This is also called the pebble beach as it has loads of pebbles than sand. One side of the beach is a huge cliff which adds extra beauty. The lawn and the rose garden attached with the beach add extra beauty to it. The natural geography of this area with cliff, ocean and hilly surroundings won't be normally seen in any beaches.
We also had been to another beach called 'Torquay, which is about 30 miles from city of Exeter. This place is the home ground for all water sports and activities. We can see several fishing boats, sailing boats, motor boats and sight seeing boats. The beach has summer vacation homes for Prince of England too. Many attractions are around this beach. There is a living cost zoo where one can see live sea birds and water animals. We have seen penguins, seals, octopus and several other water animals and birds. There are few other beaches also in this county.
The Devon is a scenic beauty and every one who loves water and sea will love this place. This is a nature's gift to England. This place is one of the popular tourist destinations of people of England, though other international tourists limit their visit to London only.
Later we had been to City of London. Our first attempt was to visit the Tower Bridge, the bridge that was known to us as London Bridge. This was pictured as iconic bridges of London. The construction of this was amazing to see. The bridge was built on river Thames and was designed to open or close the central portion to allow ships to pass through it. We must thank the engineers who achieved this during a period, where technology was not that developed.
The tower of London, a world heritage center is pretty close to the Tower Bridge. The palace looks charming and proclaims the mighty power of Royal family who ruled England and whose authority spread over many other countries including India. These countries are now called commonwealth countries. The Tower of London was built with huge bricks and heavy stones. There were small windows for the soldiers to watch the area around the palace for any outside threats to the palace. The palace also exhibits various crowns and their replicas used by the kings and queens. These crowns were made with precious stones and diamonds and hence all of them were glittering and shining. Probably the most interesting among them is the State Jewels is the Imperial State Crown, because of the richness of its appearance, the beauty of its gems and the wealth of history associated with them. The Imperial State Crown contains 2,783 diamonds, 277 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies. The Imperial Crown of India is another magnificent piece, heavily encrusted with rich gems. It was specially made for the visit of King George V to India in 1912. It had been intended to use the Imperial State Crown but it was discovered that the laws of England forbade its being taken out of the country, hence the necessity for making an entirely new one. This Crown contains 6,170 diamonds, 4 sapphires, rubies and 6 remarkably fine emeralds.
A few minutes walk through the banks of river Thames from Tower of London can take you to the real London bridge, which is a normal bridge crossing the river. Near this bridge we saw a monument which was built for the memory of 15,000 houses which were burned in the Great London Fire. One can go to the top by climbing 322 steps. A few meters from there, we can see the Southwark Cathedral church. This Cathedral is the oldest cathedral church building in London. Historians say that, a church was existed here well before AD 606. A bit more from there, we can see clink prison which was an old prison now converted to a museum. The prison exhibits the old torturing techniques, how a man was tortured and executed in prison along with various weapons and equipments used at that time – a scary scene for us. Another few meters from there, we can see Shakespeare Globe Theatre where Shakespeare plays are being played even now.
A short walk over the banks of Thames takes you to London Eye. This is a giant 135-metre tall Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames. It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually making it more popular than the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Giza.
The parliament square is not that far from London Eye. The British parliament building and the attached Big Ben clock tower will baffle your eyes. Big Ben is a 320 foot high Clock Tower named after the largest bell, weighing over 13 tons, and was cast in 1858. This use mechanical system unlike today's time keeping machines which generally works on quartz and atomic technologies. However, the time is amazingly accurate which shows the engineering perfection of people at that time.
The Buckingham palace, the official residence of the Queen of England; is not that far from Big Ben. A 15 minutes walk will take you to this magnificent power center. This year, being declared as 'The Queens year', we were fortunate to enter into the palace. The palace was very beautiful and spacious. The rooms were decorated with gold plates giving a golden look to the rooms. The dining rooms, the grand entrance, the white hall, the official room to welcome state heads etc., are really beautiful. This palace has over 200 bed rooms! It was built by Queen Victoria and after her death, her daughter and present Queen, the Queen Elisabeth II lives here. Behind the palace, there is a very large lawn and garden. The palace proclaim the glory of this country which was considered as 'the country were sun never sets'.
The Hyde Park, Regent Park and Kensington gardens are not that far from Central London., in fact they are in Central London. However, due to shortage of time we could not spent time in these places as each garden can take well over a day to roam around – they are huge. In fact, we wonder whether you will see such open spaces in middle of town in any other cities in the world.
We also visited Trafalgar square. The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory. The square is also used as a location for political demonstrations and community gatherings, such as the celebration of New Year's Eve in London, stage shows etc. The national art gallery is right there too.
Taking a tube train to Baker street take you to the Madame Tussands museum, a museum famous for displaying wax works of historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars and famous murderers. You can see wax statues of Obama, Michel Jackson, The Pope, Gandhiji, Sachin Tendulkar, Amitab Bachan, Sharuk Khan etc. Attached to this museum is a scary world show where live actors' acts, screams and jump towards us. This is really a scary and freaky experience. Also there is a 4D show, which takes you to a different world of experience. You feel it like a part of the show. Attached is also a toy car ride that show case the magnificent journey of London from its old days to present days. This was a good educational experience.
Though Devon is beautiful with its beaches and sea cost, the city of London shows the magnificent power and glory that this country has enjoyed over years. They must thank the sailors who conquered the countries all over the world that brought richness and greatness to this country. London has shown its glory over the years. Our visit to this town was really special to us and will remember for years to come. We hope that those who are reading this article can make to this place one day.
The first thing that brought to our attention as soon we arrived at London Heathrow airport was the cleanliness of the place and orderly traffic. People who have seen the chaotic traffic in India as well as the non-pedestrian friendly ugly surroundings will like this very much. The busses and trains are really nice and fun to travel, not that congested, runs on time in general. Busy junctions have clean under passages for pedestrians to cross over. Where there are no under passages, pedestrians can request pedestrian crossing signals which can be activated on a button. Most roads, junctions and public places have enough sign boards to help to locate important places and roads.
We liked the transport system. There are ticket counters as well as ticket machines to take travel tickets. Tickets can be taken over internet as well. Machines are used mostly by the people who live there as they are quite familiar with this and can avoid the queue system at the counters. You can use credit or debit cards or coins or currency notes to take tickets from the machines. The entry to platforms is generally controlled with tickets which has a magnetic strip too. The tickets have to be swiped or inserted into entry control machines to open the door that lead to the platforms. For small stations these control machines won't be there, but then ticket examiner will check the tickets in the train. For buses, we can buy tickets from driver. There are no conductors or door checkers in the busses. The London has very good underground metro system which provides a very good connectivity. This is popularly known as 'Tube' system. There are several lines that run on different underground levels. In central London; these trains' runs through tunnels built several feet's below the ground. This is why they are called 'Tube'. The trains and buses have electronic boards which inform the arriving station, time of arrival etc. Besides, the train has passenger friendly announcement systems that give direction of train, the stations it stops etc. This is a welcome step that can be implemented in India, where we have no clue on where a train will stop and what time it reaches, unless we ask someone on board or station in advance.
All the residential houses in a residential area look almost the same from outside. This helps to have a uniform look on both sides of the road. However in the city of London, watching from the banks of the Rivers Thames which flows through the heart of the city was another experience. The buildings in this area were constructed in different designs and shapes without taking away the beauty of this city. Readers must have seen these magnificent structures through BBC television, as BBC news telecast rooms are right there.
Each house is known by its number. Once you know the zip code (equivalent to pin code in India) and the house number, you can tap this information on to your Tom Tom devise which is quite popular in U.K; will give you the road maps to get you to that house from where you are starting the journey. The GPS navigational technology used here to map every nook and corner is really useful to find your way.
Most towns and villages have beautiful parks maintained by the county or the city council. They have spacious lawn, playing area, activity area and gardens. Some even have small lakes where one can see ducks, pigeon and other birds. Some parks have swimming pool too. The residential areas are generally protected from industrial penetration and hence you can enjoy fresh clean air. The temperature won't be that high through out the year which adds an extra pleasure. Some house owners have a small lawn in front of their house and they even decorate their houses with live plants and flowers.
People in England are very co-operative and friendly. They are in general not problem makers. However, they do whatever they liked in public places. They drink, dance and even kiss and hug in public. The week-ends and Fridays are having huge crowd near pubs and restaurants. They enjoy their life in their own way. Even women smoke and share a sip of alcohol. This behavior would have far reaching implications on future generation, which is bit hard for us to digest.
Let us now focus on what we have seen – the tourist attractions of the places we have visited. Our first attempt was to visit Devon, the costal beauty on the south west of England. Devon is a tourist area with several beaches and beautiful areas due to its proximity to the North Atlantic Ocean. We have taken a train to Exter St.David station from London Waterloo station. The train moved from the mighty city of London to the country side by crossing rivers and passing through tunnels. The country side is beautiful with vast farm land on both sides of the train track. These farm lands are either used to cultivate different crops or used for animals such as sheep and cows to graze. It looks like we have been passing through a huge lawn. Is this country all about such beautiful country side?
The city of Exeter is the main city in Devon. This is an old city. There are ancient churches and buildings in this city. The cathedral right in the middle of the town is maintained as a heritage place and was built in AD 1050. There was a city wall built about 2000 years ago around the city. We can see parts of city wall even now. It also has an underground tunnel which was built to fetch water from the River Exe. The quay with river Exe is a scenic place to spend a whole day. The river banks were protected with bricks. The city council has made beautiful walk way on both sides of river. This is a place where people can spend time, do their jogging in the morning and have an outing with family in the evening. You will see swans and sea birds here. You will see sports people taking training in canoeing and other such sports events. This is quite a rejuvenating place for general public who lives here.
The river Exe joins the North Atlantic Ocean at a place called 'Exmouth'. This place is developed as a beach area. The vast sand beach around this area is used by tourist to play and relax. You can also take a dip in the water here. However, the sand is not that beautiful compared to our sand beaches. The panoramic view of this beach is good.
Few miles from Exmouth is a beautiful sea coast called Sidmouth. This is another gem in Devon. This is also called the pebble beach as it has loads of pebbles than sand. One side of the beach is a huge cliff which adds extra beauty. The lawn and the rose garden attached with the beach add extra beauty to it. The natural geography of this area with cliff, ocean and hilly surroundings won't be normally seen in any beaches.
We also had been to another beach called 'Torquay, which is about 30 miles from city of Exeter. This place is the home ground for all water sports and activities. We can see several fishing boats, sailing boats, motor boats and sight seeing boats. The beach has summer vacation homes for Prince of England too. Many attractions are around this beach. There is a living cost zoo where one can see live sea birds and water animals. We have seen penguins, seals, octopus and several other water animals and birds. There are few other beaches also in this county.
The Devon is a scenic beauty and every one who loves water and sea will love this place. This is a nature's gift to England. This place is one of the popular tourist destinations of people of England, though other international tourists limit their visit to London only.
Later we had been to City of London. Our first attempt was to visit the Tower Bridge, the bridge that was known to us as London Bridge. This was pictured as iconic bridges of London. The construction of this was amazing to see. The bridge was built on river Thames and was designed to open or close the central portion to allow ships to pass through it. We must thank the engineers who achieved this during a period, where technology was not that developed.
The tower of London, a world heritage center is pretty close to the Tower Bridge. The palace looks charming and proclaims the mighty power of Royal family who ruled England and whose authority spread over many other countries including India. These countries are now called commonwealth countries. The Tower of London was built with huge bricks and heavy stones. There were small windows for the soldiers to watch the area around the palace for any outside threats to the palace. The palace also exhibits various crowns and their replicas used by the kings and queens. These crowns were made with precious stones and diamonds and hence all of them were glittering and shining. Probably the most interesting among them is the State Jewels is the Imperial State Crown, because of the richness of its appearance, the beauty of its gems and the wealth of history associated with them. The Imperial State Crown contains 2,783 diamonds, 277 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies. The Imperial Crown of India is another magnificent piece, heavily encrusted with rich gems. It was specially made for the visit of King George V to India in 1912. It had been intended to use the Imperial State Crown but it was discovered that the laws of England forbade its being taken out of the country, hence the necessity for making an entirely new one. This Crown contains 6,170 diamonds, 4 sapphires, rubies and 6 remarkably fine emeralds.
A few minutes walk through the banks of river Thames from Tower of London can take you to the real London bridge, which is a normal bridge crossing the river. Near this bridge we saw a monument which was built for the memory of 15,000 houses which were burned in the Great London Fire. One can go to the top by climbing 322 steps. A few meters from there, we can see the Southwark Cathedral church. This Cathedral is the oldest cathedral church building in London. Historians say that, a church was existed here well before AD 606. A bit more from there, we can see clink prison which was an old prison now converted to a museum. The prison exhibits the old torturing techniques, how a man was tortured and executed in prison along with various weapons and equipments used at that time – a scary scene for us. Another few meters from there, we can see Shakespeare Globe Theatre where Shakespeare plays are being played even now.
A short walk over the banks of Thames takes you to London Eye. This is a giant 135-metre tall Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames. It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually making it more popular than the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Giza.
The parliament square is not that far from London Eye. The British parliament building and the attached Big Ben clock tower will baffle your eyes. Big Ben is a 320 foot high Clock Tower named after the largest bell, weighing over 13 tons, and was cast in 1858. This use mechanical system unlike today's time keeping machines which generally works on quartz and atomic technologies. However, the time is amazingly accurate which shows the engineering perfection of people at that time.
The Buckingham palace, the official residence of the Queen of England; is not that far from Big Ben. A 15 minutes walk will take you to this magnificent power center. This year, being declared as 'The Queens year', we were fortunate to enter into the palace. The palace was very beautiful and spacious. The rooms were decorated with gold plates giving a golden look to the rooms. The dining rooms, the grand entrance, the white hall, the official room to welcome state heads etc., are really beautiful. This palace has over 200 bed rooms! It was built by Queen Victoria and after her death, her daughter and present Queen, the Queen Elisabeth II lives here. Behind the palace, there is a very large lawn and garden. The palace proclaim the glory of this country which was considered as 'the country were sun never sets'.
The Hyde Park, Regent Park and Kensington gardens are not that far from Central London., in fact they are in Central London. However, due to shortage of time we could not spent time in these places as each garden can take well over a day to roam around – they are huge. In fact, we wonder whether you will see such open spaces in middle of town in any other cities in the world.
We also visited Trafalgar square. The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory. The square is also used as a location for political demonstrations and community gatherings, such as the celebration of New Year's Eve in London, stage shows etc. The national art gallery is right there too.
Taking a tube train to Baker street take you to the Madame Tussands museum, a museum famous for displaying wax works of historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars and famous murderers. You can see wax statues of Obama, Michel Jackson, The Pope, Gandhiji, Sachin Tendulkar, Amitab Bachan, Sharuk Khan etc. Attached to this museum is a scary world show where live actors' acts, screams and jump towards us. This is really a scary and freaky experience. Also there is a 4D show, which takes you to a different world of experience. You feel it like a part of the show. Attached is also a toy car ride that show case the magnificent journey of London from its old days to present days. This was a good educational experience.
Though Devon is beautiful with its beaches and sea cost, the city of London shows the magnificent power and glory that this country has enjoyed over years. They must thank the sailors who conquered the countries all over the world that brought richness and greatness to this country. London has shown its glory over the years. Our visit to this town was really special to us and will remember for years to come. We hope that those who are reading this article can make to this place one day.
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