Central London: The Basics

How do you cover Central London in 3 hours?  The key would be to focus on what you wanted badly to see. In my case, since I have seen most of the sites during my previous visits, I was more interested in seeing the inside of the National Gallery. We decided on the said museum, and the different sights close to it.

When in London...

After our graduation ceremonies, we had only 3 hours to see Central London.  Together with my colleagues from our other Asian office, we had a quick run to Central London.  We took the underground train from Heathrow Airport to Leicester Square and reached Central London after an hour train ride. Good thing it was summer time, so the sun was still up, and the National Gallery was open until 9PM.  

On the way to Trafalfar Square.

We walked towards Trafalgar Square, where the National Gallery is.  We passed by St. Martin-in-the-Fields church, which is the royal parish church which is well known for its orchestra. We missed their free noon time concert but we had the chance to watch their rehearsal for the evening performance, which was lovely.

With St. Martin-in-the-Fields church in the background.

From the St. Martin-in-the-Fields, we crossed the street to the Trafalgar Square where the Nelson’s Column is. Nelson's Column commemorates one of England’s heroes.  There are also other statues including the statue of George IV.

The National Gallery is in Trafalgar Square, a very huge museum housing 2,300 or so works of art. It is free of charge. The museum is divided into different sections based on the century the work was created.  The 13th to 15th century paintings are mostly of religious theme, and many are remnants of altars of old churches. The collection include works of Botticelli and Bellini. The 16th century collection include works of Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael and the themes are mostly religious or mythology.  The 17th century paintings are the works of Claude and Rembrandt among others, and themes include religion, landscape and everyday life. The 18th to early 20th century paintings include works of Monet and Van Gogh and many are mostly about nature. Personally, I would advise visitors not to see the entire collection in one visit.  Where possible, spend time only on one or two sections per visit, in order to appreciate them properly. 

With a Monet work

After the National Gallery, we headed to the Covent Garden Market, which offers various gifts, crafts and other goods.  Across the Covent Garden Market is the St. Paul’s Cathedral, where we were to meet another colleague. St. Paul’s contain the grave of some 18th and 19th century actors.  In between the church and the market is a plaza with street performers.  It is definitely not a good meet-up place because it is way too crowded.  

A different kind of "attraction"

When we finally found our colleague in the midst of all those people, we  had dinner in a Mexican restaurant. Afterwards, we traced our steps back to the Trafalgar Square and onwards to the Houses of Parliament or the Palace of Westminster, for the view of Big Ben.  The Big Ben is the most iconic landmark of London, and a visit to London is incomplete without seeing it. 

Meet Big Ben.

We then crossed the street to the Westminster Abbey, which is said to be a 700 year old building and where coronations of the monarchs happen since 1066.

 

At the Westminster Abbey

By 9, we boarded the underground train for another hour of travel back to the hotel.

And that was our very quick run to/in Central London.

Some Thoughts On My Graduation Day

Back to the reason why I was in UK.  After 18 months of readings, assignments, webinars, papers and group work, I am finally graduating from the Plan International Certificate in Management.  I did work hard for it, lost a number of me-time in order to complete the requirements, and finally I was on my final workshop week and graduation.

I was happy for all the knowledge, tools and skills gained.  I was specially happy to have met special people during the workshop week: my group mates for the workshop.  A very diverse, hard working and competitive group who genuinely cared about learning, and valued the friendship that has developed through the week.

My team

I was also happy for all the insights learned throughout the week.  Though the speeches of the guest speakers were anchored on organizational priorities, I have learned more from their personal insights:  the need to be true to who we are, and to pursue our passion.  One is born to live life in his/her own terms.  

18 months worth of hard work

London: Hampton Court Palace

I guess I am trying to walk in the footsteps of the British royal families that I grabbed every chance I could to visit at least 1 palace when I am in UK.  Buckingham, the home to the British royals, was the first palace I have visited few years back.  On another visit, a friend took me to Windsor Castle, the "oldest inhabited castle in the world". This time, I visited Hampton Court Palace, originally built for Cardinal Wolsey but was presented to King Henry VIII and which is said to be his favorite residence. 

From Bath Road, Heathrow, I took the double-decker red bus #111, for a more than 1 hour joy ride to the borough of Richmond upon Thames, where Hampton Court Palace is.  The bus stop (Hampton Court Palace) is a stone's throw away from the palace gate.  The palace opens for visitors at 10AM and since I arrived quite early, I strolled along the Barge Walk which runs along the Thames River right beside the palace, and around the Rose Garden, one of the castle’s many gardens, where roses of different colors and sizes are in full bloom.

At  10 minutes before 10, the ticket office opened and I purchased a ticket for GBP20.90. It would have been cheaper by around GBP2 had I bought a it online.  We entered through the Seymour Gate instead of the main entrance, as there were some works going on, seemingly for an event, at the main entrance and the base court.  Upon scanning of the ticket, we proceeded to the "Base Camp" for the audio guide and to get a copy of the day’s programme and map. Upon entering the castle, I immediately noticed the decorative bricks and stones, which is a prominent feature of the palace. 

Bricks and Stones

I headed towards the Clock Court, which has the 16th century, still-functional, astronomical clock which shows not only the time, but also the “phases of the moon, the month, the quarter of the year, the date, sun and star sign, and high water at London Bridge.”

The Clock Court

From the Clock Court, I proceeded to the Young Henry VIII's Story section, and to the different rooms which shows the major events of his life, including his controversial marriages.  Visitors will then be led towards William III's state apartments and private rooms, through the King’s Stairs, a very regal staircase. There, guests will see the Guard Chamber, the Presence Chamber or the throne room, the Privy Chamber, the Great Bed Chamber and the Little Bedroom.  Downstairs is William III’s private apartment where they lived. 

The King's Stairs

The Presence Chamber

At the other side of the Clock Court is Henry VIIIs Apartments, which includes the Great Hall.  I visited on a Monday there was a 60 minute play at the Great Hall called “Power Play”, which gives a glimpse of the politics, intrigues and power plays in 1533 during the reign of Henry VIII. Part of the play was musical, and the actors and actresses engaged the audience on some parts and kept us moving. Together with  “King Henry VIII” , we walked to the Council Chamber, and with “Jane Seymour”, we went to the Wine Cellar.  The other half of the audience walked with “Anne Boleyn” to the other parts of the palace.

The Power Play cast

After the play, I went to the Chapel Royal, which is said to be the heart of the palace.  There are regular services held in the Chapel Royal and taking pictures is not allowed.  On the other side would be the Fountain Court, which showcases baroque architecture. The East Front Garden can be accessed from the Fountain Court.

The Fountain Court

My favorite part of the palace is the East Front Garden or the Fountain Garden.  It looked very beautiful with the fountain framed in avenues of clipped yew trees.  I also loved the really colorful flowers. It is said that some of the yew trees in this garden are around 300 years old, and the others 75 to 100 years old. There are seats under the yew trees, which is a very nice place to sit, and to just enjoy the view or to have a picnic.

The fountain

Avenue of Yew Trees

Flowers and Yew Trees

Close to the East Front Garden is the royal tennis court, which is still being used today. From the East Front Garden, there is an access to the Privy Garden. From the Privy Garden, I took a short walk to the Great Vine, passing through the Banquetting House and the Pond Gardens.  The Great Vine, planted in 1768, is still producing grapes until today, making it the world’s largest productive vine.

The Privy Garden

I headed out through the Seymour Gate and went to see the Maze, the Rose Garden (again) and the Kitchen Garden.  The Maze is the oldest hedge maze from the late 17th century.

After 4 hours, I had to head back to the hotel to make it to the evening socials, which officially starts our 1 week workshop.  Time to do some work!

How to get there from the Bath Road, Heathrow:

Hampton is in Richmond Borough.  From the Bath/Nene Road bus stop in Heathrow, Hampton Court Palace is only 1 bus ride via Bus 111, though the journey will take around 1.5 hours. The travel time is shorter if you take the underground train, however it would amount to the same journey time if you count the waiting time for the bus to transfer you from the underground station to the palace.  

London: Free Public Bus from Heathrow Airport to Bath Road

I am currently attending a workshop in London and the venue is along Bath Road near Heathrow Airport, which is where most of the major hotels. The good thing about the venue is that those flying in from different countries could just take the red, public bus coming to the hotel, free of charge. Heathrow has a "free travel zone" area which means the you could take the public buses for free, as long as they are within this zone, which are within the airport vicinity. However, you need to watch out not to go beyond the free travel zone, otherwise, you will need to have your Oyster Card to pay for the fare.  Click here to download  the free travel zone bus route.   

Screen grab from Heathrow.com

You may board the public buses from the Central Bus Station.  If you are arriving at Terminals 1, 2 and 3, after getting past the immigration and after collecting your luggage, just follow the walk way leading to the bus station. If arriving at Terminal 4, use the Heathrow Connect Rail, which is free of charge, to go to Terminals 1,2 and 3. 

Click here to download the maps of Heathrow Airport Terminals 1-5, or to view the interactive Heathrow Airport map. 

  

Taal Volcano- The Third Time

The third time I went to the Taal Volcano crater was when we accompanied a Thai friend, Sudthida and her mother.  She was on a short visit for a meeting and one of those in her “must-see-must do” list is the Taal Volcano crater. 

There are many individuals or businesses  offering a tour or a boat ride to the crater.  We opted for Taal Yacht Club as we have already tried them when we did our 2013 team building for around 40 persons, which they handled very well.   They are organized, easy to deal, they provide good customer service and most of all, they have fixed rates so there are no surprise charges.

We reserved a tour with Sonya, the caretaker of Taal Yacht Club who manages the bookings , the same person we talked to in 2013. You may reach TYC at +6343 7730192.  Alternatively, they have an office in Makati City which may be reached at +6328113283 or +632 8113183.

There are two options for the tour.  The first one is the  Regular Tourist Trail which leads to the crater view point or the rim of the volcano. It takes 20 minute boat ride to reach the dock in the volcano, and the entire tour will take around 3 hours. The second option is called the Secret Trail, the more difficult one leading to the lake crater itself, which was what me and I friends did way back in year 2000 or so, the first time I went there.  It takes 40 minutes to reach the dock by boat, and the entire tour will take around 5 hours. Considering that we have an elderly with us, we opted for the regular trail.

The view from the view point of the Regular Tourist trail

We paid the tour in advance (through bank deposit) and we were given a discount.  We paid Php2,400 instead of Php3,300.  The price includes 1 boat good for 5 persons, fees for the boatman and the  fee tour guide, entrance and parking fee to the yacht club, use of hut for 2 hours upon return from the tour, and shower!.  We also opted to rent horses at Php600 per horse.  Other expenses at the volcano itself is the municipal tourism tax of Php100 per person and the Php50 landing fee per boat. 

It was raining very hard when we left Manila and we were not very optimistic that the crater visit will push through.  But lo, the sun shone on us when we reached Talisay, Batangas, the jump off point for the  boat ride to the crater.   Everything was ready when we reached the Taal Yacht Club.  Our guide and the boatman were waiting for us.  

All throughout the 20 minute ride to the volcano, the water was very calm.  Upon landing at the volcano, our guide gave us a short overview of the tour before we headed for the horseback ride.  Each horse is accompanied by their caretaker, which they also refer to as guide.  I was assigned “Trisha”, a 2 year old beautiful, playful horse who stops every now and then to eat some grass- which I didn’t mind at all.  (I am however a bit disturbed that a young horse had to carry me on her back- it felt cruel that I vowed never to ride a horse again!).

We reached the rim where one can look down into the crater.  The view of the “island within a lake within an island within a lake within an island”, is beautiful as ever- and it was a good idea to opt for the trail to the view point, rather than the secret trail or the trail leading to the crater. I love the view of the green crater, superimposed in the view of the mountains and the bigger lake. At the view point, we spent a long time just marveling at the view, enjoying the cold wind, and of course, taking a lot of pictures- selfies or otherwise.

After the crater, the next stop was of course the Bag of Beans in Tagaytay, where we enjoyed a really good lunch.  We also dropped by the Puzzle Mansion, before heading home.

Our guests were very happy with the visit - it was their first time to ride a horse, and was their first time to be in a volcano.  Our guests were very amazed that they vowed to return to the Philippines to see the other places!  

Other information:

About the tour:

Bring some bottled water.At the view point, you will be offered to buy “Gatorade for your horse driv er/guide” at Php100 ($2 dollars) which is 60% more than the original price.  I handed my guide a bottled water which I brought with me, instead. 

About the horses:

According to the caretaker of the horse, there are around 200 horses in the island, and these are not owned by the residents.  The households are assigned a horse to take care of, and they are also provided with feeds and vitamins by the owner.  The horses work around 3 times a week, and for only one trip each time. (I still feel bad for the horses though!).