London 2015 (May trip)

My May trip to London was just to see any seights that I missed. I was already doing some spotting at Heathrow and City, now it was time for little culture.

It was Thursday, my flight to London was a delayed for about an hour because of change of tire in London. Plane arrived, just after Airbus 300 Iran Air, who was on flight from Amsterdam to Tehran but because some kind of emargo, Netherlands dont refuel Iran Air planes and they need to refuel somewhere else. Flight was nice, in London was a little wind, so we had a really amazing approach, with a panoramatic view of London.

After arrival we went to Underground and travel to our hotel near Waterloo Train Station. It was late so we went just to take a look at London Eye and check Waterloo Station.

Waterloo station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is one of 19 stations managed by Network Rail and is located near the South Bank of the River Thames, in fare zone 1. A railway station on this site first came into being in 1848; the present structure was inaugurated in 1922. With over 94 million passenger entries and exits between April 2011 and March 2012, Waterloo is Britain's busiest railway station by passenger usage. The Waterloo complex is the 15th busiest passenger terminal in Europe, and the 91st busiest railway station in the world. It has more platforms and a greater floor area than any other station in the United Kingdom.

We have also quickly checked Big Ben and parliament, it was for third time in my life.

Next day, we went on ride on London Eye, it was morning and there was nobody so we didnt

need to wait. The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London.

The entire structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). When erected in 1999 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel. Its height was surpassed by the 160 m (520 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006, the 165 m (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008, and the 167.6 m (550 ft) High Roller (in Las Vegas) in 2014. Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the taller Nanchang and Singapore wheels, the Eye is described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel". But even that this isnt highest ferris wheel in world, there is freaking amazing view.

After that we have headed to Baker Street to visit Sherlock Holmes house. It was opened in 1990 and is situated in Baker Street, bearing the number 221B by permission of the City of Westminster, although it lies between numbers 237 and 241, near the north end of Baker Street

in central London close to Regent's Park. The Georgian town house which the museum occupies as "221B Baker Street" was formerly used as a boarding house from 1860 to 1936, and covers the period of 1881 to 1904 when Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson were reported to have resided there as tenants of Mrs Hudson. The museum is run by the Sherlock Holmes Society of England, a non-profit organisation.

After lunch in near restaurant we went to see some more train stations, St. Pancras and King's Cross. St. Pancras railway station It was opened in 1868 by the Midland Railway as the southern terminus of its main line which connected London with the

East Midlands and Yorkshire. When it opened, the arched Barlow train shed was the largest single-span roof in the world. After escaping planned demolition in the 1960s, the complex was renovated and expanded from 2001 to 2007 at a cost of £800 million with a ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth II and extensive publicity introducing it as a public space. A security-sealed terminal area was constructed for Eurostar services to continental Europe via High Speed 1 and the Channel Tunnel, with platforms for domestic trains to the north and south-east of England. The restored station has 15 platforms, a shopping centre and a bus station, and is served by London Underground's King's Cross St. Pancras station.

King's Cross railway station is a major London railway station which was opened in 1852 near St. Pancras station. King's Cross is the southern station of the East Coast Main Line, providing high speed inter-city services to Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland. Virgin Trains East Coast is the main inter-city operator with destinations including Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Other inter-city operators serving the station include First Hull Trains and Grand Central.

King's Cross is also featured in the Harry Potter books, by J. K. Rowling, as the starting point of the Hogwarts Express to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The train uses a secret platform 9¾ accessed through the brick wall barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Platforms 9 and 10 are in a separate building from the main station, and they are separated by two intervening tracks. Rowling intended the location to be in the main part of the station, but she misremembered the platform numbering.

During an interview in 2001, she indicated that she had confused King's Cross with Euston, but platforms 9 and 10 at Euston are also separated by two tracks. Within King's Cross, a cast-iron "Platform 9¾" plaque was created in 1999, initially in a passageway connecting the main station to the platform 9-11 annex. Part of a l

uggage trolley was installed below the sign: the near end of the trolley was visible, but the rest had disappeared into the wall. The location quickly became a popular tourist spot amongst Harry Potter fans. Crowding problems in the passage after the release of the first movie resulted in the trolley being removed and the plaque being relocated in 2002 to a bricked up entryway to platform 9 on the exterior wall of the station annex. A new trolley was added to the new location in 2003. The sign and a revamped trolley, complete with luggage and bird cage, were relocated again in 2012, following the development of the new concourse building.

After King's Cross we went to the top of the Shard. The Shard is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. The Shard's construction began in March 2009; it was topped out on 30 March 2012 and inaugurated on 5 July 2012. Practical completion was achieved in November 2012. The tower's privately operated observation deck, The View from The Shard, was opened to the public on 1 February 2013.

That was basically end of day, we returned back to hotel, took a brake and then went to dinner. Next day we went to see Tower Bridge and Tower of London. Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London which crosses the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name, and has become an iconic symbol of London.

Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England.

The City of London is a city and ceremonial county within London. The City of London is widely referred to simply as the City and is also colloquially known as the Square Mile, as it is 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km2) in area. Both of these terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's trading and financial services industries, which continue a notable history of being largely based in the City. What is most interesting in City is that every skyscraper here have own awesome and original design. First and most notable building is 30 St. Mary Axe.

30 St Mary Axe is a commercial skyscraper in London's primary financial district, the City of London. It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004. With 41 storeys, it is 180 metres (591 ft) tall and stands on the former site of the Baltic Exchange, which was extensively damaged in 1992 by the explosion of a bomb placed by the Provisional IRA in St Mary Axe, the street from which the tower takes its name.

Second most notable building is for me Leadenhall Building. 122 Leadenhall Street is an address on Leadenhall Street in London where the 225 m (737 ft) tall Leadenhall Building is located. The commercial skyscraper, opened in July 2014, is designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and informally known as "The Cheesegrater" because of its distinctive wedge shape.

It is one of new tall buildings recently completed or under construction in the City of London financial district, including 20 Fenchurch Street, The Pinnacle, and an unnamed project at 52–54 Lime Street. Building looks very amazing, building perfectly fit into London City, and doing great job of creating amazing skyline.

Next building is 20 Fernchurch Street. It is a commercial skyscraper in London that takes its name from its address on Fenchurch Street, in the historic City of London financial district. It has been nicknamed The Walkie-Talkie because of its distinctive shape. Construction was completed in spring 2014, and the top-floor 'sky garden' was opened in January 2015. The 34-storey building is 160 m (525 ft) tall, making it the fifth-tallest building in the City of London.

Next interesting building isnt a skyscraper, it is smal and extraordinary building below Gherkin and Leadenhall Building. The Lloyd's building (sometimes known as the Inside-Out Building) is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London. It is located on the former site of East India House in Lime Street, in London's main financial district, the City of London. The building is a leading example of radical Bowellism architecture in which the services for the building, such as ducts and lifts, are located on the exterior to maximise space in the interior.

That was end of day, we have headed back to hotel. Next day we went to see Downing Street but we were unable because there was protest against James Cameron, so we have headed to Emirates Air Line to take a ride across river Thames. The Emirates Air Line is a cable car link across the River Thames in London, England built by Doppelmayr with sponsorship from the airline Emirates.

The service opened on 28 June 2012 and is operated by Transport for London.

In addition to transport across the river, the service advertises "spectacular views of the city from heights of 90 metres as you travel between Greenwich Peninsula and the Westfield Stratford City ". The duration of a single crossing is ten minutes (reduced to five minutes in rush hour as the service speed is increased). But anyway, there was great view at London City airport and Thames Barrier.

At the Greenwich end of calbe car is located 02 arena. The O2 arena, referred to as North Greenwich Arena in the context of the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in London. It is named after its main sponsor, the telecommunications company O2. The O2 Arena has the second-highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in the UK, behind the Manchester Arena, but took the crown of the world's busiest music arena from the Manchester Arena, a title which it had held since 2001. The closest underground station to the venue is the North Greenwich station on the Jubilee line.

After all that we take a short break to see London City Hall, it is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority, which comprises the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. It is located in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. It was designed by Norman Foster and opened in July 2002, two years after the Greater London Authority was created.

Great part of our adventures through London was filled with traveling in London Underground. The London Underground (also known as the Tube or simply the Underground) is a public rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and parts of the home counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex.

The system serves 270 stations and has 402 kilometres (250 mi) of track, 52% of which is above ground. The network is considered the oldest rapid transit system, incorporating the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, which opened in 1863 and is now part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines; and the first line to operate underground electric traction trains, the City & South London Railway in 1890, now part of the Northern line. The network has expanded to 11 lines, and in 2012/13 carried 1.23 billion passengers, making it the 12th busiest transit system.

The end of my trip was coming to end. As always, I was said because I must left this amazing city. To finalize my article about London: London is great city, for me, probably the best from all cities I have visited (Dubai, Singapore, New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich and much more...) If I ever get a chance to move there, I will definitely go.

#Traveling