I arrived at London city via London Bridge subway station and was immediately thankful that I made London my first stop due to several reasons. One, the signs are all in English. Two, because I could speak English, strangers didn't shy away when I needed to ask for directions (although I had to attempt to hide my Singaporean accent). Three, London is a relatively safe city — I could stop every now and then to check if I was heading in the correct direction while dragging my luggage around without worrying about pickpockets every step I take.

Cheryl had arrived from Luton Airport a few hours prior and we agreed to meet at our hostel, Destinations at Roses & Crown London, which was a short ten-minute walk away from London Bridge subway station. After checking in, I quickly put on make up (Cheryl already had hers on since her flight from Warsaw to London was only three hours) and we headed out.

Millennium Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral

Vintners’ Court and Southwark Bridge over River Thames

Walked to London Bridge — a comfortable 15-20 minutes away — and I was taken aback by how run down it was. Everyone who has been to London told me not to expect too much from London Bridge so I went there with no expectations but even then, London Bridge was underwhelming.



Can't miss any photo opportunity though. #tourist




Further down was Tower Bridge, which looked a tad more inspiring than London Bridge. Regrettably, we neither saw Tower Bridge lift up (due to poor planning) nor walked on Tower Bridge (I confused it with Tower Bridge Exhibition and thought visitors needed to pay to walk on Tower Bridge).

Here's some quick info on Tower Bridge so you don't commit the same mistakes:

• It is FREE to walk on Tower Bridge
• Tower Bridge lifts up 2-3 times a day, and Tower Bridge's lift schedule can be found on http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/lift-times/
• Tower Bridge Exhibition costs £9.80 for adults, £4.20 for children up to 15-year-old; £6.80 for students and seniors. There are packages as well — all of which can be purchased onsite or on Tower Bridge's website

While strolling along River Thames, Cheryl and I finally caught up after months of not seeing each other since she flew to Warsaw for exchange, and she took the opportunity to denounce the existence of yellow fever, citing that no one tried to hit on her till now. Famous last words.

Right after taking this photo, someone approached us.

Him: "Gwiyeobda! (Korean word for cute)"
Us:"???"
Him: "Um... Kawaii? (Japanese word for cute)"
Us: "We're Chinese."
Him: "Ohhh... Ko-ai? Ni hao!"

Little did I know that us being greeted with ni hao would eventually become a recurring theme throughout our time in Europe ಠ_ಠ Contrary to popular belief, I don't see the ni hao greeting as a discrimination, unless thrown to us in a condescending tone. I liken it to me saying terima kasih when I'm in Malaysia.

I digressed. He chattered on about himself and asked incessant questions on what we did for a living and why were we in Europe, much to my annoyance because I wanted to take more photos before the sun sets! I was delighted when he finally came to the point of his jabber — to ask us out for coffee, which we politely rejected. I sneered at Cheryl the moment the walked away, "What happened to yellow fever isn't real?"

Tower of London and Tower Bridge

Tower of London and London City Hall

London City Hall

Right beside London City Hall are these modern high rise buildings with huge glass penals. Imagine working here... But I guess if you were in a city for long, you'd grow blind to its charms — much like how I cannot fathom why would tourists gawk at places of interest in Singapore.


We were already on our way back when I realised I forgot to pose for this photo with Tower Bridge so we walked all the way back!



The photo was inspired by an animated Mr Bean episode, Taxi Bean. Bless Cheryl for dealing with my shit.


Underwhelming as London Bridge was, it played a major role in my childhood (who hasn't heard of "London Bridge is falling down" when they were young?); catching the sunset on London Bridge was an impeccable ending to my first day in London and Europe.





Pretty unreal huh? I didn't toggle with the vibrance or satuation setting, just exposure and shadows.

Millennium Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral

It got too cold for us to even get a firm grasp on the camera, explaining the blurry photos.


My favourite thing about Europe is how much they appreciate art. Even though arts is still something that's paid less than other profession in Europe, if you compare the arts scene there to that of Singapore's, you'd undoubtedly notice how much more emphasis they place on admiring arts.


Co-working space for two of the largest and most recognisable advertising/media agencies in the world. I specialised in advertising during my poly days and we were often shown advertisements as case studies — my favourite advertisements came from Ogilvy, and David Ogilvy remains a businessman I deeply admire and fervently respect.

Southbank Undercroft

Cliques of youths were hanging around Southbank Undercroft, a graffiti skatepark within the vincinity of London Eye and Jubilee Bridge. Most were involved in their own conversations while some performed stunts on their skateboards or bicycles.


There were red benches in funky shapes scatteed around the foot of Jubilee Bridge. Not sure if they are permenant features but it was an interesting touch to a space filled with neutral colours.

Jubilee Bridge, London

An obstructed view of London Eye from Jubilee Bridge

Train tracks right beside Jubilee Bridge

It was getting darker and our stomachs soon started protesting so we walked down Jubilee Bridge in search of food. Alas, a simple meal in a proper eatery setting was way out of our budget. I kind of like the vibe of the container cafes located below Jubilee Bridge though.



We walked to Marks and Spencer, where I marvelled at the variety of food and snacks sold there, and how ridiculously cheaper it was compared to Singapore's rip-off price! We bought two tubs of snacks (which would eventually last us through the next five days without lunch #budgettravelling).



Dinner was a simple affair at Pret a Manger, a UK sandwich shop chain.






Took this photo because I just ended my internship at a public relations agency then and the company pictured was one of the accounts I handled. Sent it to my boss who replied, "Guess there's no escaping!" Hahaha.


We walked back to our hostel despite it being cold and dark to save money. The streets of London were also not as well-lit as those of Singapore's at night and we found ourselves taking quick and big strides while holding tightly to our valuables in case we got mugged.

The walk back was uneventful in hindsight but it was heartpounding at that point. The homeless people we bumped into were harmless and did nothing more than stared quizzically at two Asian girls and, call me priviledged but despite reading about the homeless situation, nothing prepared me for the abundance of homeless people just sleeping on the streets of London (and as I later discovered, Europe).