Tag Archives: London England

Unique Indian restaurant in London

July 1, 2017 chaput@live.com

While we were in London, the four of us decided to look for a good Indian restaurant. We were told by our tour director to try the Masala Zone Covent Garden. We walked to the restaurant which was located not far from the Royal Opera House and the Covent Garden Market.

The front of the restaurant was unassuming and fairly normal looking, however, when you entered the restaurant it was uniquely decorated. Inside the restaurant, they had different types of dolls on display.

Dolls on display inside the Masala Zone Covent Garden Restaurant

Even on the ceiling and some of the walls, there were dolls on display.

Trapeze dolls on the ceiling of the restaurant

We did not have a reservation and the restaurant was fairly busy but we were fortunate that they had a table available.

Inside view of the busy Masala Zone Covent Garden restaurant

We sat at our table and enjoyed looking at the different dolls that were on display throughout the restaurant.

Dolls on display from the ceiling of the restaurant

Ray and Shelley at the Masala Zone Covent Garden Restaurant

Jim and Anne at the Masala Zone Covent Garden Restaurant

We ordered an Indian dish called “thalis” which is a traditional Indian dish you share. The thalis dish was a mix of different foods and included curry plus little bowls of varied dishes.

Thalis dish from the Masala Zone Covent Garden restaurant

The meal and atmosphere were excellent and we really enjoyed the thalis dish. Afterward, we decided to take a walk around the area before heading back to the hotel.

We went and looked around the Covent Garden Market which is a popular spot in London.

We explored the market and then went to the central square at the market. We came across a street performer from Canada who was doing a show.

Street Performer at Covent Garden Market in London

We stopped to watch for a while before eventually heading back to the Hotel. Overall it was a very enjoyable evening out with friends.

“Ta ta and cheerio”

United Kingdom

Imperial war museum in London

June 30, 2017 chaput@live.com

We went to the Imperial War Museum in London and spent several hours exploring the museum. There were exhibits from World War One, through to modern-day conflicts.

Ray at the entrance to the Imperial War Museum in London England

We went into the museum through a large pillar entranceway which opened up into a large interior view of the five floors of museum exhibits.

The view from inside the entrance to the Museum

There were original planes and rockets suspended in the air in the central area of the museum. One airplane that was highlighted was the “Spitfire” which is a British single-seat fighter aircraft. It was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries during World War II.

Spitfire on display in the Imperial War Museum

We walked through the museum and started with the world war one displays and worked our way to the current conflicts in the world. There was an enormous amount of information on each war and also artifacts from each period.

We stayed in the World War two exhibits area of the museum for the longest period of time. We saw artifacts from that period and read about the WWII in detail.

We saw items from vehicles, guns, articles of propaganda to clothing and documents from the war. The overall detail of the museum was amazing.

The Iron Eagle on display was removed from the Reichstag building in the heart of Berlin by the Soviets. That afternoon Hitler committed Suicide in his bunker under the Reich Chancellery.

Iron Eagle from the Reichstag Building in Berlin 1945

There was an American airman jacket which had the B-17 Flying Fortress insignia “Leading Lady” on it. This airman was from the 364 Bombardment squadron which carried out 35 bombing missions.

An American Airman’s Jacket from World War Two

General Montgomery was in command of the Eight Army in Egypt in August 1942. He would visit him men in his Humber Staff Car.

General Montgomery’s Humber staff car 1942

We also came to a section of the museum which was focused on the Holocaust. The museum exhibit focused on the Nazi persecution and murder of Jewish people in Europe from 1933 to 1945. We walked through the exhibit and it was sad to see the belongings of Jews which were killed in concentration camps.

The horror of the war is visible in the exhibits and stirs emotions of sadness and grief.

After viewing the exhibits we went outside to admire the monuments and gardens at the museum. The front of the museum was lined with beautiful flowers.

We stopped to smell the roses along the way.

Shelley admiring the roses at the museum

We came to a section of the Berlin Wall that was on the grounds of the museum. The Berlin wall was torn down in 1990 and a section was removed and brought to the museum.

Ray at a section of the Berlin Wall on display at the Imperial War Museum

We enjoyed the visit to the museum and found the exhibits very interesting and comprehensive.

“Ta ta and Cheerio”

United Kingdom

Taxi in London

June 19, 2017 chaput@live.com

We took a London taxi for the first time the other day. It was an interesting experience in a unique vehicle. The design of the car is specifically for a taxi. The back doors open opposite to a normal car door. The inside of the back seat has room for up to five people. There are two folding seats facing backwards and a bench seat facing forward.

We got into the back of the cab and Shelley and I sat on the folding seats facing backwards.

It felt like sitting in the back of a fire truck, and brought back some fond memories. Anne and Jim sat across from us on the bench seat of the taxi.

The taxi ride was not the most comfortable because it was a bit cramped for four people. Overall it was a good ride and we saw some of the London icons along the way back to the hotel.

The taxi had a different system as well for the door. There was a lock system which was activated when we began to move. We could use the intercom if we wanted to talk to the driver.

It was one of those small but unique experiences we enjoyed while in London.

“Ta ta and cheerio”

United Kingdom

Fish and Chips

November 11, 2016 chaput@live.com

We went to a traditional English Tavern when we were in London called “The Anchor Bankside”. It is located on the Bank of the Thames River in the heart of London. What makes this tavern special and unique is the fact that it is over 800 years old. It is one of the oldest Taverns in London.

p1050557 — The Anchor Bankside Tavern in London England

We walked over the London Bridge in order to get to the Tavern. The London Bridge is a plain-looking bridge and not overly impressive.

p1050491 — View of the London Bridge from the Thames River

There is a small stone marker in the center of the bridge which identifies it as the London bridge.

We arrived at the tavern and saw the unique style of the exterior of the building. It certainly looked like it had been there for many years.

We went inside the tavern and it was very busy. The tavern staff didn’t greet us at the door and we were left to find our own seats. We wandered through the tavern looking for an empty table. Eventually, we found a table we could sit at and waited to be served. After waiting for over 10 minutes I managed to talk to a waitress and she told me that they do not take orders that way.

We were told to go to the bar and place our order with the bartender. So we placed our order with the bartender for Fish and Chips. We paid and waited for our meal which was delivered about ten minutes later.

p1050552 — Authentic English fish and chips at the Anchor Tavern

The meal was good and the atmosphere was unique. It was a strange feeling having fish and chips in a tavern that has been there for over 800 years.

“Bob’s your uncle, Cheerio”

United Kingdom

A visit to London England

November 8, 2016 chaput@live.com

We went to London for a few days to tour the city. We took a hop-on bus, in order to view as many of the sites as possible. The capital of England is a very large city with a population of over 8.6 million people.

We started our day with a tour of the main section of London. We saw some beautiful and historic sites. The tower of London was interesting because the tower is not very high, certainly not what we expected.

We also saw “Big Ben” which is the nickname for the great bell in the clock tower. People refer to the clock tower as Big Ben, but the tower is officially called the “Elizabeth Tower” named in 2012 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The tower holds the second largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is very impressive.

p1050403 — Palace of Westminster with the Elizabeth Tower.

We also stopped at Buckingham Palace. The exterior of the Palace is very spectacular. We walked around the outside of Buckingham Palace admiring the building.

Buckingham Palace has a large steel fence with several gates at the front. The gates are very large and have the royal coat of arms prominently displayed on them.

p1050610-2 — Ray and Shelley at the front of Buckingham Palace gates

Inside the fenced area of Buckingham Palace, we could see the Royal guards as well as regular police security.

p1050602-1 — Royal Guard at the Buckingham Palace

We then took a riverboat cruise on the Thames River. The views from the water were different from seeing the sites from the hop-on bus. We traveled the Thames River up to the tower bridge which is an iconic symbol of London.

p1050515 — A view of the Tower Bridge in London from the Thames River

p1050533 — Shelley and Ray on the shore of the Thames River with the Tower Bridge in the background

Along, our water cruise, we saw the London Eye which is basically a giant Ferris wheel with observation platforms.

p1050414 — A view of the London Eye from the Thames River

We saw some very interesting buildings along the Thames River including a Pup called “The Anchor Bankside” which was a pup under different for over 800 years. It was also a location for a scene in the Mission Impossible movie.

p1050478-1 — A view of the Anchor Bankside Pup on the south bank of the Thames River in London.

We also saw the London Bridge which was quite a surprise for us. The bridge was not very impressive and was plain.

p1050489 — A view of the London Bridge from the Thames River

We spent the entire day traveling throughout London looking at the many historic sites. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to tour inside any of the sites. We will plan another trip to London in the future to visit this amazing city in more detail.

“Bob’s your uncle, Cheerio”