Day 4 - London

Paddington Station
Notting Hill

The next morning (ok, it might have been half one already...) we went to London by train. It was £14.10 return from Reading including the whole underground network. We arrived at Paddington Station and then we went to Notting Hill.

In my view, Notting Hill looked like the try to make luxuries payable. The streets are beautiful, everything looks like a small suburb. Silent and remote. Everyhing seemed to be clean. Since every house was white or light, at least, each looked like a villa. By taking a closer look, I realised that every one looked like the other and lacks of individuality. And if you turn around a corner, you might see small different "normal" houses. :-) It's a pity, we didn't finde blue door Hugh Grant opens in the movie "Notting Hill" (which we watched that thursday evening)...

An embassy
Kensington Palace
Albert Hall
Albert Memorial After we went through Notting Hill we look for Kensington Gardens which is the part of the Hyde Park where Kensington Palace is located. In that palace the royal kids groß up. Just next to the palace, there are many embassies of different countries.

A sign at Kingston

Since we didn't arrive there within the opening hours we neither visited the Kensington Gardens nor the Kensington Palace. So we prewled around in the Hyde Park.

Since Hyde Park looks far smaller on the map than it really is, we changed our decision from walking through it till we arrive at Harrod's to heading for the next tube station.

L ondon Tower at night...
... again without a flash
The building, which, at night, looks like a bee
Tower Bridge at night Since there was a McDonalds opposite the nearest tube station, we had something to eat first. Afterwards, it already was dark, we took the tube to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. There we found an interesting building. But I don't know, what it is, so I'll call it "the building, which, at night, looks like a bee"

From there, we then went to the Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Sadly, there was a nasty hoarding on the bridge in front if the HoP so I couldn't take a photo of them.

Big Ben


"BA London Eye"

In the County Hill, located opposite the HoP, there was a Dalií Exhibition and some scultures from his pictures near the Thames. We had a coffee in a Bar next to the County Hall and watched the "London Eye" which is right there. But it's very expensive (£10.50)...

First, I wanted to look for the Eurostar which might have been at Waterloo Station, but we went back to Paddington Station to take the next train to Pangbourne. We had to change in Reading and met Nicoles spanish flatmate who invited two friends for sleeping at their home...