Spring Sprints - London Chapter 1

Glimpses of the unseen , good company , Indian food and loads and loads of pictures pretty much summarize my “ideal trip”.

The season of new beginnings and blooming flowers – Spring is that ideal time to visit the Europe and I started by visiting London.

London has always amazed me for its grandeur , royalty and diversity. It can be best described as that tawa sabzi in Indian weddings :Assortment of vegetables each having distinctive flavor happily coexisting on one tawa :D

Our day started with a walk towards Buckingham palace. With London Marathon scheduled for the very next day , roads were blocked with the English flag daunting the whole stretch for the Royal Parade. Helicopters were hovering , media vans were spotted in abundance , sniffer dogs , police , volunteers and tourists occupied the area. Interestingly the area wasn't closed for tourists but for vehicles thus providing scope for carefree walks and clicks.

On our way to the palace , we crossed the James Park which was full of flowers of impeccable colors adorning the garden. The cherry blossoms trees ornamented with flowers paved a welcoming path for the joggers , cyclists , roller skaters and walkers alike. Pigeons , Squirrels and ducks busily and hurriedly interacted with humans and flapped around in search of food and made their way to the lake and grass.

We reached the palace and it was time to witness a traditional ceremony prevalent since the 1800s – The Change of Guards.

Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace exhibits colorful extravagance , military bands and British pageantry. The ceremony lasts about 45 minutes and usually takes place daily at 11:30 from April until the end of July and on alternate days for the rest of the year.

You can view the details and schedule at :

https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/what-to-see-and-do/changing-the-guard

After the visual treat , brimming memory card and optical satisfaction , it was time to satisfy another important sense : The taste buds.

After some brainstorming and Zomato-ing , we walked towards the Covent Garden and queued outside Dishoom : An Indian Restaurant. If you think the name of the restaurant is the only typical thing about it then wait till you hear more.

Looking at the never ending and ever increasing queue, we were about to give up and settle for Subway , when a pretty attendant offered us Mint Chai tea and Sherry shots and apologized for the wait. Energized and appetised , we entered the restaurant in another 15 min.

It was certainly Mumbai in London. Movie posters , Hindi songs , the smell of curries and kulfis , hindi notice boards and signs , the gola maker ,cutting chai , vadapao and a sumptuous Indian Menu was enough to make us forget that we were in London and not a Cafe in Mumbai.

Although limited choice was available for the vegetarians , the food was good in taste and display.

You can read more about them at : http://www.dishoom.com/

After the splendid food and Bombay experience , we headed towards Leicester Square.

A particular entertaining and foot tapping performance there grabbed our attention ; a comedy song and dance show by a group of  boys on the street.

Do watch the whole video at: https://youtu.be/gh5uxur8-K8

A few more steps and we reached  the Piccadilly circus.

We witnessed there a huge array of shops bustling with offers , live performances,music , Ripley's believe it or not museum ,the Times Square of London and needless to say loads of people.

It was time to return home after bidding adieu to an eventful and memorable day.

The journey of London and discovering the spring and summers of Europe however is still on.

See you soon on the journey to another place another time with  another peculiarity and magnificence.