SQ318 SIN-LHR in New Y (77WN), Terminal 2, The Shard, and Perfect Fish & Chips

[yflyer]

I also attended a concert by the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) at the Barbican Centre.



Not only are they a reknown symphony orchestra, one of the world’s great ones…they are also known for their recordings of original film scores for movies such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Harry Potter…

In fact, the LSO is playing in Singapore next week, on the 19th and 20th of November. But tickets for that concert are very expensive – too expensive for me in fact.

Listening to the LSO in London is far more affordable than when they are on tour. I snagged a last minute ticket available for about GBP 45, for a full house concert by reknown pianist Mitsuko Uchida, playing Mozart, with conductor Bernard Haitink, who is a legend in his own right.

It was a wonderful concert…



The acoustics of the hall were not great (The Esplanade here has much better acoustics – the LSO will sound great when they play there next week), but Uchida’s piano tone was beautiful, and the orchestra played wonderfully for Maestro Haitink.



And the good thing about classical music is that you get far closer access, without layers of security and hoards of fans, to superstar pianists like Ms Uchida, than you would with pop stars…

After the concert, Ms Uchida signed autographs for her fans (including yours truly) and took the time to speak to each one. A very warm and gracious individual…

[yflyer]

Over the weekend, I headed out for a long jog across London. These days, I find that I don’t consider myself to have really seen a city unless I have had the opportunity to run through it.

The Hilton is located right across the street from Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, all accessible from a gate right in front of the hotel. This is huge park which is ideal for walks, runs or a cycle.



The thing about London is that with the tube, it is so tempting to tunnel into the subway system at point A and emerge at point B without really getting a sense of where you are, or where things are relative to each other in the city, and I was guilty of that on previous trips.

On this trip, I went for a leisurely jog, which took me 10km from the hotel, through Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park and past many of the sights in London, including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminister and past the London Eye, to the Tower Bridge. Then I retraced my steps back to the hotel via a similar route, for a total of 21km.

Having covered all that ground on foot, I can say that I now have a much better sense of the size and scale of this wonderful city. The weather, warmer than usual for this time of year, also made the runs very comfortable in the afternoon sun. Warm enough to dress in just PT kit, but cool enough to make running pleasant.



Some of the sights along the way…

Kensington Gardens (Adjoining Hyde Park)…





A large recreational lake in the park, named the Long Water / Serpentine, which spans Kensington Gardens and Hyde park.



The Shard and the London Eye in the distance…



Lots of cyclists on rental bikes (London has an automated bike rental system)…

[yflyer]

Jogged past Buckingham Palace…





Past Big Ben and the London Eye…



Here is a pic of Big Ben and Westminister I snapped a few days prior, in the evening…



My jog also took me past Borough Market, a very busy and festive market with both produce and food on offer…





As I jogged further East along the Thames, towards the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, the route got increasingly busy…



Many pedestrians, locals and visitors alike, were heading to the Tower of London to see a piece of installation art, named “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red”, which comprised a sea of ceramic red poppies, each commerating a British soldier who died during WWI…this is a stunning , and very moving commemoration, and was drawing huge crowds.

[yflyer]

The Millenium Bridge, heading towards St Paul’s Cathedral…



The sea of poppies could be seen from the viewing gallery of The Shard, a distinctively shaped building, the tallest building in London, seen in the distance…

[yflyer]

The next day, I bought a GBP 25 ticket to the viewing gallery on top of The Shard.



69 floors up, you had panoramic views of the whole of London, including amazing views of the ceramic red poppies in the moat of the Tower of London…





It was a wet day when I was there, and the views were still very good. It must be spectacular on a clear day…



Apart from the enclosed, air-conditioned viewing gallery, there is an open level one floor up…



Up there, you are exposed to the elements…did I also mention that while I was there, the building swayed slightly, but quite noticeably?





A new must-see attraction in London. Try to go when the weather is good. Some people have had success changing their tickets to other days/times when the weather was poor.

[yflyer]

I also found it amusing that, there is a trend for tourist attractions (including attractions in Singapore) to set up a green screen for visitors to take souvenir pictures, with the background digitally added later. Why bother with a green screen when the real thing is right there next to you?

[yflyer]

That evening, I headed to The Shard again for dinner at Aqua, one of several restaurants at the Shard. Like the other dining outlets, Aqua was located about half way up the building, but the views were just as stunning.





Aqua serves modern British cuisine…



I had an early reservation, and was seated as soon as the restaurant opened.





If you were dining there for the view, I would recommend going there for lunch, however dinner should be perfect if you were looking for a quiet, romantic dinner.



I was shown to a wonderful table by the full-length windows.



A very interesting menu…all the dishes looked great…

[yflyer]

Bread to start…





I had the slow roasted veal fillet as a starter…



Very tender, almost carpaccio-like…with very small and subtle tasting chunks of bone marrow on top…

My main was Dover Sole…a stunningly presented dish, unlike any other sole I have had, and absolutely delicious…



The bone decorating the top of the fish was not just for show, it had been deep fried till edible...



A wonderful dish…



For dessert, I had peanut parfait, which was delicious…



A memorable dinner. A place I would want to return to, especially for special occasions.

[yflyer]

After a few more days in London, and a very short side trip to Lisbon (A story for another time), it was time to head home.

Next up, Heathrow T2 Departures, Heston Blumenthal's Fish & Chips, and my flight home on SQ321 (A380) in Y.

To be continued!

[eminere™]

Gorgeous photos, as usual. Question for you: what camera do you use? And do you run with a backpack so you can take your camera along?

[9V-JKL]

.....I went for a leisurely jog .....for a total of 21km.

leisurely jog = 1/2 marathon.... Amazing

[yflyer]

Another immensely enjoyable TR! Looking forward to the next instalment.

Thanks, eminere™!

Gorgeous photos, as usual. Question for you: what camera do you use? And do you run with a backpack so you can take your camera along?

On this trip, all I had with me was an iPhone 6+, which takes great photos. Even the dusk photo of Big Ben & Westminister was taken with it. Very good low light performance. I wish I brought my other camera, though, an Olympus E-P2 with a 14-150mm zoom (which is equivalent to 28mm-300mm in 35mm film terms).

When I go running, I actually just hold the cellphone in my hand, with the phone in a ziplock bag to prevent rain or perspiration from getting to it. At one stage I used to use an armband/phone holder, but found that I was quite used to carrying the phone in my hand as I ran, as both the iPhone 5 or 6+ are light enough to carry comfortably for extended periods.

I almost never wear a backpack when running. Too heavy. The only time I do that is if I need a change of clothing at the endpoint.

But I have been tempted to carry a backpack with the Olympus in it when I run along the Changi Coast Road...the telephoto zoom would be perfect for taking pics of planes landing and taking off! Have not done it yet, though!

[yflyer]

thanks for the detailed report yflyer. For those of us who find ourselves at the longer part of the plane, as opposed to the pointy end, these details go a long way in assuring us that the next ride is going to be just a tad more bearable For a 13 hr (or even lesser) every single inch of recline, every single cm of width, make for an ever more slightly more comfy ride. Wonderful TR

Thanks, jammed!

Agree that every cm of width or recline matters in the back!

[yflyer]

Glad you had a really good experience on the 77WN, yflyer! It's my first trip to T2 next week, so it's great to see that it's quite nice. I hope the immigration queues in the morning are as light as the evening (yes, not on the 77WN this time, as I'm heading to work in the morning instead of arriving evening as I normally do).

Yes, I had a great time, and some very good luck with the weather too. Unexpectedly sunny and warm on quite a few of the days I was there.

Enjoy your trip!

[yflyer]

Thanks for the wonderful TR as always. I always get nostalgic reading about London. Waiting eagerly to read more!

Thanks, LHR!

London is a wonderful city. Engages the senses and the spirit in ways that Singapore does not (yet)...