LONDON CALLING

Spent 2 days in London en route to India... Beautiful city... Every nook and corner carries a big chunk of history within itself... Bone numbing chilly weather preceded by the worst snowfall in the last 18 years in London made things difficult, but still, once one is dressed appropriately, nothing should stop one from reveling in this town of amazing architecture...

S's cousin was sweet enough to accommodate us in their lavish London home during our visit and we had the most comfortable accommodation and the best home-cooked food in London... Their guidance helped us decode the maps and tricky London roads easily and left us using our brains only for sight-seeing...

Here are some points worth mentioning during the entire visit --
1 - Heathrow -- a mini-city within itself... Huge, clean and very organized... And the Indian diaspora just loves working at Heathrow... Reminds me of Russell Peters -- Indians can never think of bombing airports, because Indians love working at airports...
2 - Subway system -- very convenient and most-importantly, clean... I did not see even 1 trash bin (or litter-bin as it is called there)... Instead, there were message boards which said "Take your litter home with you"... Interesting concept, especially considering it works... Makes me wonder, is it so difficult to expect our transport system to be clean? I don't expect to do away with the trash bins, but is the effective usage of the trash bins too much to expect?
3 - Monuments -- Each of them stands apart in its own way... London Eye, Buckingham palace, Tower of London, River Thames, Lords cricket ground, London Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar square... Each one of them are legend which blend perfectly into this extravaganza called London... Makes me wonder, if all the heritage that India had could have been harnessed, how many Londons could India have boasted of?
4 - Crazy Cold -- I was wearing a jacket which was meant for Antarctica and 4 layers of clothing underneath... Still was numb to the bone... Had to sip coffee (2 pounds a cup) to keep me warm... Pity the cricketers who have to play with 4 sweaters on...
5 - Expensive -- Train ticket from airport to paddington station at 34 pounds per head... Train ticket at 2$ per line per head... whoa!!! Thats First class fare in Mumbai for an entire month (ALL U CAN USE!!!)... The Indian in me doesnt stop converting currency...
6 - Accent -- After seeing the UK accent being made fun of in US (esp. Emily in Friends), it was kind of funny to actually talk to ppl talking that way... Had to try not to burst out laughing...

Having said all that, I repeat, London is a beautiful city with loads and loads of history... Visit that city for atleast a week in summer... Unforgettable experience for sure... And dont forget to load your pockets before u enter the city...