Now get this
London calling, yeah, I was there, too
An' you know what they said? Well, some of it was true!
London calling at the top of the dial
After all this, won't you give me a smile?

London will always be one of my favorite cities in the world. It's also the first foreign city I've been to. So it's no surprise that the moment I stepped out of the plane, I gazed upon every little thing with wide-eyed wonder. There was so much to see, so much to do, and as was the case in every place we went to, so very little time. Lucky for us, we were staying with my relatives who were excellent tour guides!

Our time in England was split between London and the countryside. And what a sight it all was! London is a wonderful city, steeped in history and culture, the perfect blend of the cosmopolitan and the traditional. It's chock full of famous attractions and landmarks, renowned museums and grand historical buildings that I've only seen in movies. There are quaint pubs at every turn as well as the most gorgeous town houses and acres and acres of the greenest parks. Stepping out into the city for the first time was actually quite overwhelming and I had to stop myself from taking a picture every other minute or so.

The River Thames *

Ubiquitous red double-decker buses and red phone booths *

Have some fish & chips in a quaint London pub! *

The Tower Bridge *

London is very tourist-friendly and it was easy to navigate around the city via the Underground. I was also struck by how clean the city was and how disciplined the people were. And of course, a trip to London wouldn't be complete without the quintessential London rain. After several days of sunshine, our last day in London was a melancholic, gloomy sort of day - as if anticipating our sadness in leaving the great city and our family there. But a little rain did not hamper our eagerness to soak up more sights and it proved to be the perfect time to visit the wax museum. By the time we went out, the rain had stopped and London was bathed in the prettiest blue haze.

And when I'm home,

curled in your arms

And I'm safe again

I'll close my eyes

and sleep, sleep

to the sound of London rain.

I'll be back, London!