A walk by the palace...

So, I'm in London again. Came here just the other day for my very first conference as a company delegate at the prestigious National Physics Laboratory (NPL), Teddington. And here I am again... What for this time you might ask? Well, here's a hint in this picture:



Yes, I am going to Tokyo in March for 3 weeks!! Just gave my passport at the Japanese embassy for visa in London. It is the season for cherry blossom and I am more than excited and ready to witness it first hand in the land of the rising sun.

Although the visa process is not too complicated in itself, it only costs me £4 for the visa (crazy!) I did have to travel all the way to the embassy for the ordeal, and will have to do so again in a week's time to collect my passport again. For more details on the application procedure and fees, visit the embassy page here.

Thankfully, the embassy is easily accessible and is suitably located right across the Green Park, on the left side of Buckingham palace.

While making my way to the embassy, I had to pass the coveted landmark. And I couldn't help but admire the immensely artistic Victoria statue and the majestic gates of the palace. But that was the extend of my admiration... The palace itself never made much of an impression on me sadly. Anyway, here are a few captures of the day:

Anyway, I have always had a strange love-hate relation with London. London has a strange vibe to it that makes it appear to me like a suburban ghetto. It has its prim and smart houses, beautiful landmarks, vibrant markets, vast gamut of entertainment in the form of museums and theatres, and yet so many crammed up areas and of course people, lots and lots of people... There is bound to be over flow of everything, from restaurants and cafes to shops and crummy residential areas.

Now, I've never been much of a city gal, but neither am I a country girl. I'm more of a wanderer, who just wants to explore. However, I would always prefer a quite countryside of Romsey over the hustle-bustle of London. The first time I came to London, I didn't expect much, but likewise, I didn't really get too impressed neither. There are parts I absolutely admire like the Notting hill, Camden market, the cruise of Thames, the park across the palace, but the true landmarks like the Big Ben, the Buckingham palace, the London eye, I can't really care much about them in all brutal honesty. Every time I have come to London, yes, the architectural ingenuity did hit me, but overall, London is rather bland if you don't know where to go for your kind of entertainment. I don't think it is a crime to have my own opinion about a place... However, like I said, I have a love-hate relationship, I don't all hate London. There is much I appreciate in this city that I will miss in a month's time when I have to leave this country for my new life...