LONDON DAYTRIPPER

Nothing to do? Why not go day tripping...

Lunch Buffet at a Chinese Buffet Restaurant for £6.60 plus 30pence unlimited water
(The best things in life aren't FREE anymore)


WIMBLEDON
We took the train via district line to Southfields station then a 10 minutes walk to the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club. I'm pretty sure my father would love to see this personally.

Since the first Championships in 1877, Wimbledon has grown from its roots as a garden-party tournament to a Grand Slam tournament with a following of millions around the world.

The Beginning

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which is responsible for staging the world's leading tennis tournament, is a private Club founded in 1868, originally as 'The All England Croquet Club'. Its first ground was situated off Worple Road, Wimbledon.

In 1875 lawn tennis, a game introduced by major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so earlier and originally called Sphairistike, was added to the activities of the Club. In the spring of 1877 the Club was re-titled 'The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club' and signalled its change of name by instituting the first Lawn Tennis Championship. A new code of laws, hitherto administered by the Marylebone Cricket Club, was drawn up for the meeting. These have stood the test of time and today's rules are similar except for details such as the height of the net and posts and the distance of the service line from the net.

PLATFORM 9 3/4
SOUNDS AND LOOKS FAMILIAR?
YES! This is the famous platform where Harry Potter's point of entry to Hogwarts.
This is located in King's Cross St. Pancras train station via Victoria line then transferred to Northern line.

AUTUMN COLLECTION

MY FIRST EUROPEAN AUTUMN
credits to Brian Chavez

Autumn

Autumn or fall is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in March (Southern Hemisphere) or September (Northern Hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.

The equinoxes might be expected to be in the middle of their respective seasons, but temperature lag (caused by the thermal latency of the ground and sea) means that seasons appear later than dates calculated from a purely astronomical perspective. The actual lag varies with region, so some cultures regard the autumnal equinox as "mid-autumn" whilst others with a longer lag treat it as the start of autumn. Meteorologists (and most of the temperate countries in the southern hemisphere) use a definition based on months, with autumn being September, October and November in the northern hemisphere, and March, April and May in the southern hemisphere.

Autumn in the United Kingdom lasts from September to November. The season is notorious for being unsettled—as cool polar air moves southwards following the sun, it meets the warm air of the tropics and produces an area of great disturbance along which the country lies. This combined with the warm ocean due to heating throughout the spring and summer, produces the unsettled weather of autumn. In addition, when the air is particularly cold temperatures on land may be colder than the ocean, resulting in significant amounts of condensation and clouds which bring rain to the country.

Atlantic depressions during this time can become intense and sustained winds of hurricane force (greater than 119 km/h/74 mph) can be recorded. Western areas, being closest to the Atlantic, experience these severe conditions to a significantly greater extent than eastern areas. As such, autumn, particularly the latter part, is often the stormiest time of the year. One particularly intense depression was the Great Storm of 1987.

However, the United Kingdom often experiences an 'Indian Summer', where temperatures particularly by night can be very mild and rarely fall below 10 °C (50 °F). Such events are aided by the surrounding Atlantic Ocean and seas being at their warmest, keeping the country in warm air, despite the relatively weak sun. Examples of this were in 1985, 2005 and 2006, where September, and October even more so, saw above average temperatures which felt more like a continuation of summer than autumn. Autumns since 2000 have been very mild with notable extremes of precipitation; the UK has seen some of its wettest and driest autumns since the millennium.

Coastal areas in the southern half of England have on average the warmest autumns, with mean temperatures of 10.7 to 13.0 °C (51.3 to 55.4 °F). Mountainous areas of Wales and northern England, and almost all of Scotland, experience mean temperatures between 1.7 and 7.5 °C (35.1 and 45.5 °F).

BRIGHTON

It is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove (formed from the previous towns of Brighton, Hove, Portslade and several other villages) in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain. For administrative purposes, Brighton and Hove is not part of the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex, but remains part of the ceremonial county of East Sussex.

The ancient settlement of Brighthelmstone dates from before Domesday Book (1086), but it emerged as a health resort featuring sea bathing during the 18th century and became a destination for day-trippers after the arrival of the railway in 1841. Brighton experienced rapid population growth, reaching a peak of over 160,000 by 1961. Modern Brighton forms part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation stretching along the coast, with a population of around 480,000.

Brighton has long been renowned throughout the UK and Europe as gay-friendly, and is home to a very large LGBT population. Eight million tourists a year visit Brighton. The town also has a substantial business conference industry regularly hosting the Liberal Democrats, Labour Party, occasionally the Conservative Party and Trade Union annual Conferences. Brighton has two universities and a medical school.

WINDSOR

Windsor Castle, in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, is the oldest in continuous occupation.The castle's floor area is about 45,000 square metres (480,000 sq ft).[2]

Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is one of the three principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends in the year at the castle, using it for both state and private entertaining. Her other two residences, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, are the Royal Family's private homes.

Most of the Kings and Queens of England, later Kings and Queens of the United Kingdom, have had a direct influence on the construction and evolution of the castle, which has been their garrison fortress, home, official palace, and sometimes their prison. Chronologically the history of the castle can be traced through the reigns of the monarchs who have occupied it. When the country has been at peace, the castle has been expanded by the addition of large and grand apartments; but when the country has been at war, the castle has been more heavily fortified. This pattern continues to the present day.

CAMBRIDGE

It is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about 50 miles (80 km) north-by-east of London. Cambridge is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the city.

Cambridge is well known as the home of the University of Cambridge. The university includes the renowned Cavendish Laboratory, King's College Chapel, and the Cambridge University Library. The Cambridge skyline is dominated by the last two buildings, along with the chimney of Addenbrooke's Hospital in the far south of the city and St John's College Chapel tower in the north.

According to the 2001 United Kingdom census, the city's population was 108,863 (including 22,153 students), and the population of the urban area (which includes parts of South Cambridgeshire district) is estimated to be 130,000. Cambridge is surrounded by many smaller towns and villages.

LONDON FACTS AND FINDS

HERE ARE SOME OF THE FAMOUS SPOTS I'VE VISITED IN LONDON FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS

A lot of destinations can be visited and a week is not enough to tour the London area.

1ST LIVERPOOL UNDERGROUND ENCOUNTER
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street,is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London. It is the terminus of two main lines: the busier Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) to Norwich and the West Anglia Main Line to Cambridge. There are also local commuter services to parts of East London and Essex. In addition, it is the terminus of the Stansted Express, a fast link to London Stansted Airport.

It is one of the busiest stations in the United Kingdom, the third busiest in London after Waterloo and Victoria with 123 million visitors each year. Liverpool Street is one of seventeen stations directly managed by Network Rail. The station has exits to Bishopsgate, Liverpool Street and the Broadgate development. The station connects the Central Line, Circle Line, Metropolitan Line, and Hammersmith & City Line. The station is in Travelcard zone 1.

HUSTLE AND BUSTLE LONDON
It is the capital of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures.London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who called it Londinium.London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core.The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area,governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.


LONDON EYE
The Merlin Entertainments London Eye (commonly the London Eye, or Millennium Wheel, formerly the British Airways London Eye) is a giant 135-metre (443 ft) tall Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames in the British capital.

It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually making it more popular than the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Giza.When erected in 1999, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, until surpassed first by the 160 m (520 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006, and then the 165 m (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008. It is still described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel" (as the wheel is supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the Nanchang and Singapore wheels).[2]

The London Eye is located at the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Lambeth in England, between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. The site is adjacent to that of the former Dome of Discovery, which was built for the Festival of Britain in 1951.


PARLIAMENT HOUSE, BIG BEN AND WESTMINSTER BRIDGE
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly referred to as the British Parliament, the Westminster Parliament or, formerly, the Imperial Parliament) is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories. At its head is the Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II.

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London,and is often extended to refer to the clock or the clock tower as well.It is the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world.It celebrated its 150th anniversary in May 2009,during which celebratory events took place.The clock first ticked on 31 May 1859.

SHAFTESBURY MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN AND EROS
Piccadilly Circus, London W1B - England, UK

The fountain, located on the south west side of Piccadilly Circus, was completed in 1893. The fountain was built as a memorial to the works of Lord Shaftesbury. The fountain is topped by one of the most famous landmarks in London, the ‘Eros’ statue. This winged statue was designed by Alfred Gilbert and is actually called ‘The Angel of Christian Charity. The statue is noted for being one of the first ever statues to be cast in aluminium, and it is the symbol of the Evening Standard newspaper.

RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT

The world's largest Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum opened on August 20, 2008 at the London Pavilion, 1 Piccadilly Circus. It houses over 500 exhibits from educational artifacts to the truly weird and wonderful. It is famed for its large collection of Marilyn Monroe personal belongings and interactive exhibits.


LONDON TROCADERO

The London Trocadero is an entertainment complex in Shaftesbury Avenue, London originally built as a restaurant but most recently used as an exhibition and entertainment space.

The complex incorporates a number of historic London buildings, including the London Pavilion, that have in the past hosted the Palace of Varieties, the New Private Subscription Theatre, the Royal Albion Theatre, the New Queen's Theatre, the Argyll Subscription Rooms, the Trocadero Music Hall, the Royal Trocadero Music Hall, the Eden Theatre and the Trocadero Restaurant.

The name Trocadero indirectly derives from the Battle of Trocadero in 1823, through the Palais du Trocadéro in Paris, named for the French victory.

LONDON IS POPULAR FOR IT'S ENTERTAINMENT





WAPPENBAUM/ SWISS CANTONAL TREE
the Wappenbaum -the Swiss Cantonal Tree, displaying the coats of arms of the Confederation and the 26 cantons, which joined it 14 years later- was placed in the Swiss Court.



LONDON SOHO
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London, the capital of the UK. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable transformation. It now is predominantly a fashionable district of upmarket restaurants and media offices, with only a small remnant of "sex industry" venues in the west. Soho was excessively famous for the first large Cypriot immigrant community until late 19th century


THE NATIONAL GALLERY
The National Gallery in London was founded in 1824 and houses a rich collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900[a] in its home on Trafalgar Square. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.Its collection belongs to the public of the United Kingdom and entry to the main collection (though not some special exhibitions) is free of charge.


TRAFALGAR SQUARE
Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. With its position in the heart of London, it is a tourist attraction, and one of the most famous squares in the United Kingdom and the world. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. Statues and sculptures are on display in the square, including a fourth plinth displaying changing pieces of contemporary art. The square is also used as a location for political demonstrations and community gatherings, such as the celebration of New Year's Eve in London.

OXFORD STREET, SHOPPING!!
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in London, England. There are 548 shops in Oxford Street; it is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as the most dense.The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate, City of London, when it was known as Oxford Road. Today the road forms part of the A40, although, like many roads in central London which are not now intended as through traffic routes, it is not signposted with the road number.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch.
Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a rallying point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis.

THE VICTORIA MEMORIAL
The Victoria Memorial was created by sculptor Sir Thomas Brock in 1911 and erected in front of the main gates at Buckingham Palace on a surround constructed by architect Sir Aston Webb.

UK EXPERIENCE

THE START OF A NEW BEGINNING
June 5, 2010
Arrived in UNITED KINGDOM
via Heathrow Airport
7 Filipino Nurses arrived to become a part of the Princess Alexandra Hospital workforce

MESMERIZING CALAGUAS ISLAND

Finally! Another blog made by me since I have a lot of pending travel blogs and for no reason I cant even start a word. Here I go, inspired once again by another hella vacay! The Bicol region never failed us because it showcased marvelous spots and astonishing views. Just last year it was Camarines Sur and now,

CAMARINES NORTE- Another heavenly place.

A 9 hour bus ride from Manila to Daet where we took the Amihan bus at Philtranco terminal. Everybody was too excited for this trip aside from it was our first time to do the real "camping" thingy, we met friends of friends who have the same interests. We departed at 9:30 pm and had 2 bus stops before we ended this bus trip at Talobatib Bus Stop, it the junction between Manila-Paracale-Daet. It was not a terminal, it's just one of the provincial bus stops going to Daet. We arrived Talobatib at around 6:30am, stayed at Aquino's eatery to have breakfast and wait for the other bus. They tried pansit bato which is the well known Pansit version of the Bicol region. This is not new to me coz both of my parents were from Albay so Im very much oriented to Bicolandia. It was not as delicious compared to my mother's cooking, truly a Bicolandia's version.

Based on what we've researched from other bloggers, we had to take the bus to Paracale which is only P25. We were also aware that we had to wait for an hour or so for a bus to arrive going to Paracale since bus usually passes by at 7am or so. We were swarmed also by the tricycle drivers offering us ride to Paracale fish port which we ignored because they want us to pay P300 for 5people in 1 tricycle. Good thing, one driver offered the lowest price of P200 for 5 people which was a good bargain since we were 10 in the group and needed 2 tricycles. In the provinces, it's common that every single seat and space must be occupied by passengers so I opted to try the seat near the wheels :) It was almost an hour ride to Paracale fish port and I admit that it was ass-numbing coz I was seated on the rods protecting the side wheel. But it was fun! I enjoyed it and I want to try things that I wont ever do in Manila.


We've reached the Paracale fish port and haggled for the boat trip to Mahabang Buhangin. Our idea of the boat ride was P2,000 but since we were 10 and we don't want to waste time anymore fighting over the price then we settled with Kuya Nelson's price of P3,700 with side trip to Pinagcastillohan island while some other boatmen were charging us P4,000 to 7,000 which was so absurd. We were comfortable enough with the deal since he was kind enough to help us do the marketing, accompanied our boys to and from buying stuff and letting them use his motorcycle. He even offered his house so we can take a bath before heading back to Manila. A must tip, bring everything you need before going to the island and bring lots of water or soft drinks. You can also rent coolers or the big styros boxes they use to keep their fishes. The market was just few blocks away from the port so it was not a problem to do all the marketing since locals are very helpful and friendly.




The 2 hours boat ride started and everybody was hyped already because of the beautiful feedback about this magnificent island while still planning for this trip. We were welcomed by the lush foliage of the hills and other neighboring islands which we think are as beautiful as Calaguas island. From time to time, we kept on asking if it was near already- typical impatient traveler and wants to reach the final destination! :) Finally, we were closer and closer to the island and it's not just an island- it's a PARADISE! We hurriedly fixed our things so we can set our feet on the crystal clear bluish green pristine beach!


At last we're here!!!! I couldn't wait any longer, I wore my swimsuit and tested the waters. I was so mesmerized because the sand was so fine not only on the shore but the underwater sand was as fine also. No shells, corals, stones or anything; it was simple powdery white sand! Good thing, our boys did all the cooking and the girls didn't do nothing except to go swimming and wait for the food to be cooked and then eat :) I loved our lunch coz It was of course heavy- rice and grilled liempo! yummy!After lunch, in no time, Im ohh so ready again to go swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling and bazillion photo ops :) Some of us didn't want to for a swim yet since it was exaggeratedly hot. Well, I didn't care :0 I swam and swam, sunbathed and did snorkel :) Some were busy building "sand castles" but at least they tried :P

Another reason why I love this place is that you will be welcomed by the island dogs who are very sweet and friendly just like the people in the island. One of the dogs name is Bulldog, who loves to sunbathe and swim also. We were amazed when we saw the dog walking towards the shore then sat and swam. How amazing!Look for him when you guys visit Mahabang Buhangin. He's like a guard dog who roams around the island to check if everything's ok and if visitors are enjoying. If he felt the heat the he would immediately run towards the water and easily submerged his body. How cute is that!

Another island dog is Ganda and is very friendly also. When she hears her name, she wiggles her tail enthusiastically as she comes close to you. And with no hesitations, she immediately lies down and waits for you to scratch her belly. And she even sleeps on that comfy position. Compared to other dogs that when you call their names, they would still open their eyes to check who's calling or just wiggle their tail to acknowledge. But this dog, if she sleeps, she sleeps.

The view was simply relaxing, jaw dropping, exciting and inviting. For the rest of our day 1, we stayed most of the time swimming, sunbathing, taking jump shots and snorkeling because basically that's the only thing to do. Regardless of the heat, we were all in praise of the sun- playing, picture taking, chatting, overlooking the picturesque view of the blue green waters and green mountains and simply enjoying doing nothing.

As the sun set, we readied our tents by the shore before it got dark since there's no electricity on the island. Good thing, Another group of travelers organized by Melvic were also on the island as well and has generator. Its just enough light to survive and do things easily. Thanks to the boys again for the food that they prepared which were rice, grilled snappers and sisig. Time to fill our hungry tummies..Attack!

Drinking session started where they drank rum coke with corned tuna as the pulutan. The night became more special because of the fire dance. There were visitors who knew how to do fire dancing--Planet Zips! Kuddos and Thanks for the show! Im so loving it again and at least i know the basics of poi dancing! We slept at almost 2am to recharge for another day of beach bumming!

Day 2
Good Morning Beach!
It's such a wonderful feeling when you wake up in the morning and you see a view like this
Time to go to Pinagcastillohan Island. Kuya Nelson didn't gave us any background of this island, he just said that it's beautiful in a very monotonous way. As we approached the island, we were surprised of the long stretch of sand bar! We hurriedly jumped and ran like kids in vast playground. Of course, gazillions photo ops again and again!

Sad to say but we had to go back to Mahabang Buhangin and it was a sign also that were going back to Manila soon. No time to waste--swim swim swim!
Its past 12 noon and our stomachs were screaming already hehe
Best Lunch- rice, chicken barbecue, grilled hotdogs, grilled Muñit fish
Too late, One fisherman was selling huge lobsters for only 800 pesos for all but we were all set to eat awww :(
Last few hours before leaving...


Time to bid farewell to Calaguas Island for now..so long and thank you for this wonderful experience