Thus began my suppressed excitement towards the all-expenses-paid trip to London which was the most refreshing beginning to a year that anyone could ask for! Especially because the last time I was in the United Kingdom was when I was six (Pictures below) – and I have limited memories, so one can only imagine how thrilled I was!
The journey began on Sunday with a late night Meru cab ride to IGI T3 and my first ever experience of flying business class with British Airways’ Club World. I was absolutely blown away by the sheer design brilliance of the flat-beds, diverse on-board entertainment added with the customary British service. All the more reason to understand that the product and service are indeed worth the efforts we put in getting them quality public relations! Although I slept through most of the 3:35 am flight, I ensured not to miss either of the scrumptious meals.
Cut to arrival.
Monday, 13th February
Landing in London Heathrow’s British Airways dedicated terminal T5, spent the entire walk to immigrations gawking at the grandeur of the terminal, the beautiful glass façade and the multitude of union jack branded airplanes lined up neatly along the jetties.
Checked into the Heathrow Sofitel, bought an Oyster Card (A must-purchase, along with a free London Underground map for every London traveller); Dennis and I embarked on our London journey. Taking the direct Piccadilly Line from Heathrow T5 to Central London, our first stop was Green Park. An interesting observation was that the tubes are much smaller than the ones we see in Delhi, although the chugging sounds one hears from within the train are quite similar to the Indian Railways. Although the sights are nothing like I remember – orderly homes organised into boroughs, neatly trimmed gardens and hedges, narrow lanes with tidy sidewalks among other very pleasing vistas which came into clearer view once the tube stopped at the cosy little tube stations with quaint names like Boston Manor, Osterley, Stamford Brook, Notting Hill Gate among so many others that had me smiling to myself on several occasions! Another thing we noticed was how multi-cultural London actually was – there were blondes, redheads, beautiful bronze-hair, brunettes and people in the middle of them as well – different languages were spoken whilst on the rather longish rides. It was diversity at its best and so very interesting to observe.
Disembarking at Green Park led us straight to the gates of Buckingham Palace (where the flag was flying!) just in time for the change of guards which I could see nothing of, except for the heads of the bobbies. While Dennis made desperate attempts to capture the ceremony, I spent time clicking the Victoria Memorial Fountain and admiring the architecture one of the most significant residences of the British royal family.
Onwards, after a quick bagel and steaming coffee, we decided to hop aboard the Big Bus Tour, London’s famed open-top sightseeing tour with live commentary, inclusive of a Thames cruise from the Tower of London to Westminster. I would most definitely recommend these bus tours to anybody visiting London for a short haul visit. 27 pounds and two and half hours later, you would have seen most of central London, stepped off anywhere you’d like to spend more time and climb back on to rest your tired feet, and enjoy the chill in the breeze. The live commentary by the witty English guide spotted with periodic showers made the entire afternoon delightful! Beginning at the Green Park Underground, the double decked red bus took us past icons of London’s mesmerising history – Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Marylebone Road, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Admirality Arch, , St James Park, Downing Street, London Eye, South Bank, Covent Garden, St. Paul’s Cathedral, The Tower Bridge, the many London Bridges, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, cruising past Buckingham Palace and the celebrated railway station, Victoria. The entire feeling was as though I had descended into a world of the board game Monopoly. Meanwhile, London was treating us to its best weather, one that I am particularly fond of – overcast with partial rainfall (which is why most of the pictures are us wearing a raincoat-like flimsy plastic!)
The day concluded with a shopping frenzy on Oxford Street, the destination for budget shoppers with the colossal Primark and other souvenir stores where Dennis and I went a little loopy. Loaded with bags and a few hot chocolate drinks later, we walked the 5 miles to Green Park and caught the tube back to Sofitel. Nursing my aching feet and a hot bath later, we ordered in dinner and I happily feasted on the mushroom ravioli and drifted off to sleep before I knew it!
Tuesday, 14th February
Waking up early to a cloudy Valentine’s Day; today was dedicated completely to British Airways and the induction which brought us to London in the first place.
As scheduled, we met the entire APAC team in the lobby at 8 am and informally introduced ourselves to the delightful duo from Japan, the slightly indifferent team from Dubai and Saudi Arabia, an Australian mate from down-under and our friends at the hub from Hong Kong (Inclusive of one gentleman with an incredibly hot voice). Together we boarded the Heathrow-Waterside special BA coach which got us to British Airways’ spectacular international office at Waterside. Located on Harmondsworth Moor, the head office building is shaped like an atrium which links into an internal street, covered by a ceiling made entirely of glass. The street is paved in granite slabs and cobblestones, has bridges which cross it overhead, linking the individual buildings. The street also houses a health centre, a professional beauty salon, banks, restaurants & cafés, a 400-seater auditorium and my personal favourite – a Waitrose supermarket. I’ve hardly ever laid my eyes on a grander structure – especially because the moor it is built around is home to a lot of water birds and is superb sight.
The entire day was spent in sessions, many of which left me astounded – so many of us know nothing of the real communications work that international brands are undertaking globally. For one, I’ve been working on BA for the past year and this session brought to light so many facets of the airline that I had no idea about. The work they’re doing around the Olympics is revolutionary and I feel very privileged to get this opportunity to listen to those people who work tirelessly in making the airline tick!
The day ended with a quiet, rather formal dinner with the client and all the international PR associates – a little awkward as I have hardly attended such proper wine drinking – steak eating meal, but we survived it!
Wednesday, 15th February
Today was the big shift – we moved from the ultra luxurious Sofitel to the budget hotel ‘Etap’ in a quiet borough of Hounslow. Located at a 7 minute walk from the tube station of Hounslow Central, at absolutely affordable rates and a wonderful locality (in a two-minute walk proximity of the Pound Store, ‘Less than a Pound’ Store, Primark and Marks & Spencer) in addition to a lively yet quiet town square, I would absolutely recommend Etap to anyone who’d like to save a few pounds during their travel to London. The rooms are spotless, the breakfast adequate, the service staff mindful – everything is simply perfect!
A little later in the day, we ventured back into Central London – today’s itinerary was to spend some quality time on foot on London’s paved streets (Yes, Dickens was being completely honest – I found myself lost in one of his books whilst I walked the streets). Beginning at the tourist hotspot Piccadilly Circus – the junction is particularly well known for its giant LED video display and neon signs mounted on the corner building on the north end, as well as the statue of an archer popularly known as Eros. Grabbing a quite Big Mac and Strawberry Milkshake from the nearby McDonalds – we sat at the foot of the fountain and munched while a street dancer troupe performed. Walking on to Trafalgar Square much had changed from the time I had last been here – feeding the pigeons was now prohibited, there was spanking new Olympic countdown clock, a lot more people than one would expect on a weekday. Nevertheless, the square is treasure chest of history adorned by Nelson’s Column which rises high above the London skyline surrounded by four majestic lions and the National Gallery serves as an appropriate background. I could sit there for hours and absorb the spirit of the city which this place exudes – but the rest of London was waiting.
Stopping briefly at the Leicester Square Starbucks to grab a hot chocolate and a muffin, we walked the entire stretch to Covent Garden which is home to the London Opera House and is the destination for the city’s best eateries. It was suggested to me before I travelled, that a trip to London would be incomplete without an evening spent at South Bank – so we hopped onto one of London’s customary black cabs and got driven to the north end of the Millennium Bridge and discovered that we were only steps from the breathtaking St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Located at the highest point in London, the church is the seat of the Bishop of London and is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London, with its dome, framed by the spires of Christopher Wren’s city churches, dominating the skyline for 300 years. We also learned that it was also witness to the marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer – in short, an immensely significant historical site. We sat on its steps in humility and admiration of its beauty and baroque watching the Sun go down behind the heavy grey clouds. We were also fortunate to reach right in time for the evening mass and the feeling of overwhelming tranquillity in conjunction with the deep baritone of the church organ was one which can only be experienced.
Then on, we walked to and across the Millennium Bridge leading to the infamous Tate Gallery and the lovely stretch of the Thames paved with cosy benches – the sky was a deep violet lined with grey clouds and I was in my absolute happy place.
Grabbing a hot dog and another cab, we shot off to Oxford Street once more for a final dose of being shopaholic, we strutted along from Marble Arch to catch the tube from Hyde Park Corner back to Hounslow, where we grabbed quick dinner from the TESCO and retired for the night with rather painful blisters on my feet (Courtesy new boots!)
Thursday, 16th February
This day I was absolutely excited about – we were catching a high speed train to England’s southern coastline, a charming town called Dover which is rather well known for its ‘White Cliffs’. We were boarding a Southeastern from St Pancras International – a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture and its closeness to King’s Cross Station and the legendary Platform Nine & Three Quarters! Here, once more, I was all praises for the London Underground – every turn, corner and stretch was branded with directions. So, unless one is blind or not averse with the English language, they will have no problems to get to their destination with minimum asking for directions. Picking up a breakfast burger and our pre-booked tickets, I found myself looking at a high-speed train for the first time and boy, was I awestruck.
Departing exactly per schedule, we were treated to glances of the picturesque English countryside spotted with the Holstein cows, grazing sheep, innumerable brooks, stretches of green meadows and little cottages for an hour and twenty minutes when we began to see traces of the sea.
Essentially, the fascination over the cliffs had arisen from an Asterix & Obelix animated movie feature that I had seen as a child – the White Cliffs were seen by the Romans as a landmark while attempting an attack over Great Britain. The cliffs form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France and the geology can be attributed to deposits of calcium carbonate. Reaching the Dover Priory Railway station, we began to walk along the coastline where the shore was pebble lined and warm under the sun. We also managed a slight misunderstanding with the law and in all awe and high regard of the cliffs, ran from the city, got onto the train back and breathed heavy until we actually got back to London.
Getting back on the Metropolitan Line, we headed to Baker Street – the oldest and one of the originally first underground railway systems started in 1863. Just outside the Marylebone Street exit, a large statue of Sherlock Holmes commemorates the fictional detective’s association with 221B Baker Street, of much interest to me! Major attractions in this part of city include Madame Tussauds, The Sherlock Holmes Museum and the Royal Academy of Music.
After much consideration over the overtly exorbitant entrance fees into Madame Tussauds, we paid and entered the wax museum where Dennis lost his head completely posing endlessly with the numerous wax statues of global icons – only a collage of photographs can do justice to the fact the Dennis turned from 27 to 2.5 for one and a half hours! I was rather exhilarated about the Johnny Depp, Colin Firth, Orlando Bloom, Robert Downey Jr. and most definitely the Shah Rukh Khan effigies.
In addition to the figurines, a ‘Spirit of London’ adventure ride and a 4 dimensional show featuring Marvel’s superheroes have been introduced; gets a little stuffy when there are crowds but a one-time visit definitely! Stepping out of the premises, we grabbed a Belgian waffle, a hot chocolate and sat on a bench on Marylebone Street recapping what a turnaround day it had been and how quickly the past few days had passed! One tube change, one long walk through St. Pancras and a straight tube back to the hotel.
Friday, 17th February
Was mostly last minute currency exhaustion at the local Hounslow Primark and packing. Post checkout we caught the direct bus to Terminal 5, guided by a very kind Indian gentleman and after a multitude of within-locality rounds, we reached Heathrow in around 40 minutes. The flight back was most eventful – with us almost not getting seats as the plane was overbooked, to me staying up the entire eight and a half hours watching Puss In Boots, Sherlock Holmes and the new heart-warming Dolphin Tale not to forget my Ying-Yang seat partner, a Punjabi – British man from Chandigarh who was rather chatty, undertook a little PR for Edelman and simultaneously discovered the Panna Cotta!
Landing at 5 am sharp, there were mixed feelings as it is great to come home to a place you’re familiar with, but I’m quite confident that I left a bit of my heart in London!