What's Black, Red and Goes Around on Wheels?

London Buses and London Cabs!

Bright red London double-deckers are seen everywhere in the city. The ebony black London cabs are more expensive to travel in but really spacious and comfortable for the passenger at the back. We saw one guy put his bicycle in the back together with him when he board the cab. O_o

It pays to wait a while for one of them to pass you just before you click on the camera. You'll see them everywhere! Beep beep! Buckingham Palace!

I thought they were all black, but I was proved wrong with numerous with different colours and some even with patterns. Honk honk! Another one driving along Westminster Bridge, passing the magnificent London Eye!

There goes the bus! In front of Royal Albert Hall, opposite Hyde Park where Royal Albert Memorial is at! It was fun sitting at the top floor, at the very front. You can feel as if the bus will run down those people in the bus stop waiting to board while it came to a smooth stop.

The Royal Albert Memorial sits opposite the Hall. I'd found a way to take a photo of both of them. (Me and my gal were captured in the photo as well, try to find us... ;P )

Now in Westminster Abbey! They were everywhere! It was nice to travel on them, when you had the day pass or better still, the Oyster travel card. You can hop on and hop off as the daily rate was capped: Unlimited travel around the city and just blindly going up any busses!

Now, this is called traveling in style, the London way!

The London Eye

Behold, the London Eye! One of the biggest observation wheels in the world.

It was built to celebrate the millennium, and when it was opened to the public, was the tallest. It is now surpassed by the Singapore Flyer, they were both very similar. However I have not yet have the chance to board the one in Singapore, yet.

The pods were really spacious, easily able to accommodate nearly 20 persons. A small air conditioning unit was left in the pod, keeping it well ventilated and cool while you take your own sweet time savoring the views of London from above. Due to its location, you can see the Houses of Parliament very clearly. At the distant, you can see St. Paul's Cathedral and Tower Bridge (commonly and mistakenly known as London Bridge, about that in coming posts...) . The views were spectacular, however the sun was nearly at the horizon and it was hard to look at buildings on the west. We took the 830pm ride and the sun had not set, amazing no?

The night scene was taken just past 11pm, accompanying the Eye, is the London Aquarium. We did not have time to visit that however. These are the new attractions to revive the south bank of the Thames. The dark moonless night brought out the best of the London Eye.

Big Ben

One of the icons of London, the Houses of Parliament and the Clock Tower, or more affectionately called Big Ben, greets us every time we walked to the city. Listening to the chime sound and seeing the black London cabs zipping on the roads really makes you feel like you're in a movie.

The chime was split up into 4 parts, just as the quarters of an hour. The chime was played in parts with every passing quarter. Come one full hour, the whole chime was played and the corresponding hour will determine the number of single 'dong' at the end. Big Ben was actually the name of the great bell in the tower, not the tower as mostly mistaken.

The intricacies of the architecture and sculptures on the building can only be admired by one on location, no photos can do it justice. At night it was an even better feast for the eye.