A Bit Of London From The South Bank with St. Paul’s Cathedral And More
I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas. I’m so sad that it’s already gone by, I wish it was always Christmas – it certainly is my favorite time of the year. If there was one place that I really wanted to be this Christmas – it was in London. London is spectacular when lit up for the most wonderful time of the year.
Anyway, I need to share more pictures with you. These pictures are still from my third day in London during my recent trip in July of 2014. When we left the London Eye, we were in the South Bank area and just look at this double decker bus. Fancy giving yogurt that name though – I am surprised! That name, not mentioning names has quite a colorful meaning.
Snog Frozen Yogurt Bus, South Bank, London
This is Charing Cross Station in the background
Charing Cross Station from the South Bank, London
This beautiful building reminds me of a castle or palace
Beautiful Palace as seen from the South Bank, London
That’s me in the South Bank area with Big Ben behind me. Oh, how I wish I was back there right now!
South Bank of London
Spectacular London with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament from the South Bank, London
Here’s another mini London Eye – actually it’s just a kid’s ride – some kind of swings. It looks nice though, doesn’t it?
Forgot what this building is called, that’s exactly why I should have written my posts as soon as I came back, but who has the time? If you know, pray do tell.
London as seen from the South Bank
Well, this whole area near the South Bank, including the bus in the first picture is ever so colorful!
Wow, doesn’t this look nice? It might be a bit dark though.
London in the glow of sunset
Now, you will get treated to the same picture with the Snog Bus in sight
London in the glow of sunset
Me and my three kids with the River Thames behind us basking in the sunset of a London evening
Me and my kids in London
Oh, how majestic is St. Paul’s Cathedral – this place is so special. It’s where Princess Diana got married to Prince Charles.
St. Paul’s Cathedral seen from the South Bank
St. Paul’s again
St. Paul’s Cathedral seen from the South Bank
Either it turned dark quickly or I have been watching this man a while, or perhaps it was just my camera that is somehow curiously taking pictures with different lighting.
St. Paul’s Cathedral seen from the South Bank
Here’s St. Paul’s again basking in the glow of London as seen from the South Bank
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St. Paul’s Cathedral seen from the South Bank
St. Paul’s yet again. I guess you know that I like St. Paul’s?
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St. Paul’s Cathedral seen from the South Bank
Seems like someone else likes it too as he’s taking a picture of it or is he looking the other way? If so, I know there’s good views that way too.
St. Paul’s Cathedral seen from the South Bank
More of the London skyline
London skyline
London skyline
St. Paul’s Cathedral seen from the South Bank
This is the building I showed you above, but here it is glowing in the London evening
Now it’s glowing less, but basking in the sunset
London evening
London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben
I’m not sure what this building is either, but just feel compelled to share with you how lovely London looks in the evening.
London in the evening
This picture is quite blurry, but I’ll throw it in anyhow.
Southbank, by the River Thames
Anyway, I hope you liked my evening pictures of London. I don’t have a great camera that takes brilliant evening pictures, but still – I think they’re okay. Have a fabulous week ahead, and Happy New Year to you all!
The London Eye – Oh My!
The London Eye – Oh My!
The views
The beauty
The thrill
Oh My!
I’m not rhyming!
Oh, well!
Seriously, I really enjoyed the London Eye, and thinking back, I think it was one of the highlights of our recent London trip. Here’s some more pictures of the view you will get of beautiful London from the inside of the London Eye.
The London Eye
The London Eye
The London Eye
The London Eye
View From The London Eye
View From The London Eye
These people seem to have one of the greatest spots in London, right next to the London Eye, overlooking the River Thames, with a view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Can life get any better? I bet they even have a cup of tea!
View From The London Eye
Here’s beautiful Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
The View From The London Eye
Here’s me in the London Eye
Here’s me and my daughter – we were so lucky to be in the Eye during sunset!
The London Eye
The London Eye
I can’t remember how I got this picture, I might have taken a picture of a picture – I think that’s my shadow you see on the top of the picture – I give credit to the London Eye for the original of this picture.
The London Eye
Okay, so now we just left the London Eye – here’s the immediate area outside of the Eye
I believe that’s the same building that I took pictures from within the London Eye – now you can see it from street level
That same evening, this is a picture I took of the London Eye.
I hope you enjoyed my pictures of the London Eye, and I hope you are all having a fantastic December so far. Can you believe that these are still only pictures from Day 3 of my trip to London – I still have two more days to cover! Anyway, I will cover those two days soon. Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate, and Happy Holidays to all the rest of you! Until next time!
The London Eye – Here’s Why
London Eye
The London Eye
Here’s why
You can’t escape it
Every which way you go when you are in Central London
It’s before your very eye
(Two examples below: you can see it from Big Ben, you can see it from Buckingham Palace at the Queen Victoria Memorial, and you can see it from Trafalgar Square)
Big Ben with London Eye
Queen Victoria Memorial
The London Eye
Why would you want to give it a miss
When riding it can give you bliss?
Inside The London Eye
The London Eye
Will take you to the sky
Or so it will seem
As you circle the earth
You’ll think you are in a dream
View From The London Eye
The London Eye
Don’t even think of not going
Rain, shine or snow
You must go
To the London Eye
I hope you liked my attempt at a poem! I tried.
The following pictures were taken on our approach to the London Eye.
London Eye
London Eye
London Eye
London Eye
London Eye
Want to know how much it costs – that will be £20.95, please for an adult.
Ticket To The London Eye
Getting On The London Eye
London Eye
London Eye
London Eye
London Eye
Here’s another picture taken from within the London Eye
Inside The London Eye
Here are some pictures of the view from the London Eye
View From The London Eye
View From The London Eye
View From The London Eye
View From The London Eye
View From The London Eye
View From The London Eye
So, I’m sure you’ll want to know if I recommend it? Of course, I do! When I used to live in London, the London Eye was not a part of London. Then when I started returning to visit London, I used to pass it and not really consider going on it, because I used to think it was a waste of money – for a ride that was very costly. However, now that I have been on it – I think it’s not just a ride, it’s an experience. Try it and you’ll love it!
Diwali Mela in San Diego – So Colorful!
The Diwali Mela took place in the Black Mountain Road area of Mira Mesa, San Diego on October 25, 2014. It was a packed-out event, and a great way to spend the evening. There were many performances to Bollywood songs, and of course at least one to Bhangra!
Here are some pictures, and at the bottom of this page, you can see some videos that I made. If there is one thing that should strike you from looking at the pictures is that Indian outfits are so colorful, as well as pretty!
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Now, for a break away from the performances – just take a look at all the people, and there were more!
Diwali Mela, San Diego
I tried a few different dishes including the Punjabi Karhi and Rice, one of my favorites – I should have taken a picture! I did take one of the Alloon Paratha – which were quite delicous (bread stuffed with potatoes and spices, that is cooked on a tava or griddle, and then smothered with oil or butter).
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Now back to the pictures of the performers.
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
Diwali Mela, San Diego
I hope that added some color into your day!
Here is the video showing the Punjabi dance:
Here is the video showing the Rajasthan dance:
Here is the video showing a variety of the performances, including the women’s fashion show and the men’s fashion show.
Don’t miss the performance towards the end of this last video showing a dance to Bang Bang – the Bollywood movie starring Hrithik Roshan, and watch out for the little boy in the audience who definitely has dance fever!
Paradise At Meditation Gardens in Encinitas
Meditation Gardens, Encinitas
Meditation Gardens, Encinitas
Meditation Gardens, Encinitas
Meditation Gardens, Encinitas
Meditation Gardens, Encinitas
Meditation Gardens, Encinitas
Paradise can be found at the Meditation Gardens in Encinitas, which is just 30 minutes north of downtown San Diego. When life is stressing you out, take a break, close your eyes and meditate. Then open them and take in the wonders – the giant fish, the fountains, the palm trees, the foliage and beautiful flowers. Breathe deeply and inhale the fragrance of the freshest flowers. Look beyond and see the ocean. Feeling better? You should end up with a smile on your face! So, go ahead and try to find your Paradise to put the smile back where it belongs.
Diwali at Balboa Park, 2014
I love Diwali, the Indian Festival Of Lights that is celebrated by Indians all over the world. Diwali has its roots in the story of Rama and Sita, and while I won’t go into the historical aspect – let’s just say that Diwali shows us how good triumphs over evil. We celebrate this wonderful time with family, friends, good food, music and often entertainment. While Diwali is on October 23rd this year, we celebrated it in Balboa Park on October 18th. Here are some pictures taken at the Organ Pavilion – the site of the 7th Annual Diwali Celebration in Balboa Park.
Balboa Park, Diwali Celebration – 2014
Balboa Park, Diwali Celebration – 2014
Now pictures of the performances: this was the group from Tamil Nadu
Balboa Park, Diwali Celebration – 2014
This was the group from Rajasthan and I am proud to say that my daughter is a member of this dance group, and this group dances fabulously!
Balboa Park, Diwali Celebration – 2014
This is the group from the Punjab – I have to say that I love Punjabi music and dance, and this group is fabulous too!
Balboa Park, Diwali Celebration – 2014
This is my daughter right before the show.
Balboa Park, Diwali Celebration – 2014
This is a picture of her group performing in a different show
Rajasthan Dance Performance in San Diego
Well, the Organ Pavilion surely looks colorful!
Balboa Park, Diwali Celebration – 2014
Oh, by the way, I uploaded a video to YouTube of the Rajasthani Dance, you can see the link below (first video). I have now uploaded another video of the Punjabi Dance (second video). Want to know something? My camcorder’s battery died and I had been so busy earlier in the day rushing around that I forgot to charge it. I had to use my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to make the video – I hope you like it!
Happy Diwali to all those who celebrate this de-light-ful holiday. May the lights shine brightly on you and may you be blessed with a fabulous year full of happiness, peace and prosperity.
Little Italy, San Diego
Okay, so I have to give you a break from my posts on London, but just a tiny break mind you! Today, me and my kids went to Little Italy in San Diego. It was time to be a tourist in our own city! I love seeing San Diego, and I love Italy, so naturally Little Italy is also a place I love.
Little Italy, San Diego
As you can see, there’s going to be a big “Festa” or festival in Little Italy tomorrow. It’s going to be fun. I have been to one of these before, and would love to go tomorrow. However, with work, kids and just a two day weekend, I can’t make it tomorrow. However, I did get quite a flavor of Little Italy today. We were celebrating today and what better place to celebrate than Filippi’s Pizza Grotto on India Street? Here’s some spumoni ice-cream, tiramisu and a cappuccino – yummy!
Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Little Italy
Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Little Italy
We also had pizza, spaghetti, and lasagna, but I don’t have any good pictures to share of that – let’s say we devoured it before I thought about taking some pictures!
There was another room we could have sat in that is a little darker, and doesn’t have the windows and light that our room had, however, it has a very nice ambiance.
Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Little Italy
As I said, our room had windows and more light
Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Little Italy
Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Little Italy
We really enjoyed our little trip to Filippi’s. I have been here once before a long time ago, and it was certainly time for another visit. We really liked the pizza a lot, and the spaghetti. Let’s say it reminded us of another place in Encinitas – Giovanni’s. The lasagna was okay, but could have been a bit better. The spumoni was good, but I have had better tiramisu.
Little Italy, San Diego
Little Italy, San Diego
Little Italy, San Diego
Little Italy, San Diego
We went on a little walk after all that food, and saw some artists preparing their street art for tomorrow – they did this with chalk, and it is so beautiful!
Little Italy, San Diego
Little Italy, San Diego
Want a bit of vino, and some formaggio? Here’s a chalk art creation in 3D and you can pose in front of it, as Chandi did.
Little Italy, San Diego
Little Italy, San Diego
Of course, I have to get a picture of a British pub!
Little Italy, San Diego
Cafe Zucchero is one of my favorite’s and I have been here on numerous occasions. My favorite is their cannoli, gelato and cassata – an out-of-this world Sicilian cake. I really wanted to go there tonight after Filippi’s, but then we decided to just have dessert there.
Little Italy, San Diego
And now, for a spectacular sunset. Ciao, Little Italy until next time!
Little Italy, San Diego
A little bit of Italy, or a lot of Italy
When I need a little bit of Italy – I go to Little Italy in San Diego.
Little Italy, San Diego
and when I need a bit more of Italy, then it’s off to Las Vegas, where I can get a little more of Italy at the Venetian
The Venetian, Las Vegas
and when I need a lot of Italy, I have to go to the real place – the one and only Italy!
Venice, Italy
Trevi Fountain, Rome
The South Bank, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, London Eye and More
Continuing with Day Three of my trip to London in July. Wow, has it already been nearly two months since I came back? How time flies?
Okay, fast rewind back to that day. We went for a walk all the way from our hotel – The Trafalgar – to the South Bank. It was a lovely walk, it drizzled just a tiny bit at one time, and other than that it was nice and warm – perfect weather for a walk. Do you know that London is a fabulous place to take a walk? Oh, the parks, the sightseeing, and the architecture! This is some of what we saw as we got closer.
The London Eye – isn’t it lovely?
The London Eye
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament – aren’t they just magnificent?
Big Ben and Houses Of Parliament
London, isn’t it wonderful?
Big Ben
Okay, I won’t ask you any more questions, I’ll just let you take a look at the pictures.
Big Ben and Houses Of Parliament
The London Eye, Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben
The London Eye, Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben
Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben
I don’t know what the name of the castle or palace type building is so I’ll just call it “Beautiful Palace”
Beautiful Palace type building on the South Bank
Fancy a ride, you could go on this carousel or the London Eye which you might see if you look closely at the picture.
Carousel At the South Bank
Fancy a walk? London is a terrific place for taking walks. Oh, how I would love to be taking a walk there right now!
South Bank, River Thames and Big Ben
South Bank, River Thames and Big Ben
That’s my 17 year old daughter’s beautiful hair – it looks even more spectacular with the sun shining down on it!
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
Time for bubbles!
Bubbles and Big Ben
The Bubble Blower of The South Bank
Have you ever seen such a big bubble or seen one as beautiful?
The Bubble Blower of The South Bank
Wow! Now, it’s really massive! This man is good, and I think he’s magical!
The Bubble Blower of The South Bank
I will always remember the Bubble Blower of the South Bank
The Bubble Blower of The South Bank
So, we left the bubbles to get closer to our ultimate destination – the London Eye.
Now, we are getting closer to the London Eye
Here we are really close, in fact – we are at the entrance of the London Eye!
So, you’ve seen pictures of the entire wheel, you may have seen what it looks like up close – if not, this is what it’s like
and just for you, another picture…..at a slightly different angle.
Well, until next time…..and here’s a sneak peak at my latest video of the South Bank, the Bubble Blower and the London Eye. Let’s just say I love London, and I hope you like the pictures, and the video.
Bang Bang with Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif – A Must See
Yesterday, I had a glimpse of London again in a Bollywood movie starring Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif called “Bang Bang”. I loved the movie, what’s not to like when it has Hrithik in it, and London, and music and dancing!
Tower Of London
So, you might wonder why I included a picture of the Tower of London? Well, that’s what the plot revolves around – around the Kohinoor diamond – actually that was supposedly taken from the Tower of London. I won’t give out too much more information, and just want to add that the Kohinoor Diamond is really stored in the Tower of London in real life too, it’s not just fiction. It was taken from India by the British.
Going back to the movie, if I had to tell you something that I didn’t like – it was the violence, and especially the guns as I detest guns – they are evil and not necessary. However, even that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the movie. Also, you have to remember that Bollywood movies often have quite a bit of violence in them (just as Hollywood movies do). The singing and dancing are what I like the best though! Also, it helps that Hrithik is actually one of my favorite actors – he was brilliant in this movie. I think Katrina was really good too.
If you are wondering whether you should see the movie, I would say GO SEE IT – I highly recommend it.
You really ought to listen to the soundtrack or watch it on YouTube, and I will include it here. When I listen to it, I can’t get the tune out of my head for ages!
Also, if you are wondering where you can see this movie in the San Diego area, you can see it at Digiplex Poway on 13475 Poway Road, Poway, CA 92064, or AMC Fashion Valley at 7037 Friars Road, San Diego, CA 92108, or at UA Horton Plaza 8, 475 Horton Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101. You may know I love Horton Plaza, however, I saw the movie in Poway.
Horton Plaza
Well, now I think I tied in San Diego, London, India and Bollywood movies all together – to make one huge connection. We could say the Kohinoor Diamond travelled, and now Bollywood movies are thankfully available just about everywhere.
luchanik 