European Escapade - Trafalgar Square

From Hotel Novotel in Paddington, we made our way to Leicester Square before proceeding to Trafalgar Square. When we arrived, Leicester Square was jam-packed with people and police security and I wondered what major London events were going on that day.

Tight security

The crowd got louder as we approached the central square and we realized that we had unknowingly walked into the UK Premiere of Zac Efron's new movie Charlie St. Cloud!

Presenting Zac Efron!

Excitement filled the air and the crowd was wild; loudly chanting for Zac Efron with loyal fans (mostly girls) waving banners and screaming his name every few minutes!

We want Zac Efron!

I wanted to wait for Zac Efron to make his appearance but that would have set us back by another hour at least so I settled for a picture of me in the crowd instead.

At the Premiere!

B, Zany & Aidid Marcelo

Our visit to Trafalgar Square was memorable in so many ways. As one of the most famous squares in UK and worldwide; there were plenty of things to see, history to soak and of course pictures to take.

Trafalgar Square

Water fountains

The latest addition to the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, Nelson's Ship in a Bottle is a replica of Lord Nelson's ship Victory, designed by artist Yinka Shonibare. I've always loved the collectible ship in a bottle so I was in awe at such a gigantic display of magnificence!

Ship in a Bottle

Mariuca and B

Nelson's Column stands tall in the center of Trafalgar Square. This monument was built at a cost of £47,000 in commemoration of Admiral Nelson who died in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Nelson's Column

Famous for its feral pigeons at one point, Trafalgar Square is now completely void of these birds. Aside from tarnishing the physical appearance of buildings with their droppings, the birds were considered a health hazard and were gradually driven out so there were none around to feed or photograph.

Along the way, we spotted a group of B-Boys getting ready to do their routine. They were friendly and eager to pose for our cameras. While I was busy taking pictures of them; the obvious leader of the group beckoned me to come over for a snapshot, which I willingly obliged of course!

Want a picture?

Chilling with the B-Boys

It was getting colder and I was starting to feel hungry but vacation memories are important so we continued walking and snapping more pictures for our London album!

National Gallery

Around the base of Nelson's Column sit four lions, each 20 feet long and 22 feet high. Several tourists took the trouble to actually climb up to the lion and sit on the mighty king to pose for photographs. The climb up looked pretty steep and since I was wearing my booties, I did not bother to try. Patting the lion from down below was good enough for me!

My Lion

This tourist below however had other plans and we watched her climb up to pose for pictures with her girlfriend who had also climbed up after her. Initially, she seemed happy and excited but when it was time to jump down; she was suddenly crippled with fear!

Jump, Jump!

Her shrieks had gathered quite a crowd and everyone waited to see her next move. Her friends were laughing so hard, it was contagious! Almost in tears, she did look quite funny and despite the small crowd encouraging her to jump, she was truly and utterly stuck!

In the end, we friendly Malaysians offered her a helping hand .. or two! Her fear was apparent by how tightly she gripped my hand as she slowly made her way down the steep high monument; all the while shrieking, which made us laugh louder!

To the rescue!

Lion & Us

Leaving Trafalgar Square

It felt like we had walked for miles that evening and I was exhausted. However, I didn't want to miss anything worth viewing so I endured the fatigue; stopping for pictures at Tourism Malaysia.

I ♥ Malaysia

Can't remember the name of this building!

Mariuca in London

Our next stop was Big Ben, which is actually not the tower itself but refers to the nickname of the great bell of the clock tower, located at the north end of the Palace of Westminster, London.

B and his Fighter plane

Big Ben, Clock Tower

Loving London

London Eye

The rest of the group went ahead with the London Eye ride, scheduled for later that night. B and I were too tired to tag along so we bid the group good night. While the guys continued exploring beautiful London, B and I took a tube back to Leicester Square from Westminster Station.

At Leicester Square, we had dinner in a restaurant which serves Malaysian local dishes. I was actually hoping to find a restaurant serving Mexican or Spanish food but the ones we did come across were packed and we were too tired to wait for a table to clear. Perhaps I'll satisfy my craving for authentic Spanish food when vacationing in Spain! I hear holidays to Tenerife are having great promos right now, must check them out when we return home.Anyway, I opted for Spicy Chicken with fried rice while B had the Sweet n Sour Chicken. My dish was a tad too sweet for my liking and as expected, not spicy at all. So thank goodness for the red hot chilli oil you see here, which saved my meal and made it tasty and spicy!

Super Spicy!

By the time we finally reached Hotel Novotel in Paddington, it was late night; marking the end of another splendid day in London. Next up, Day 5 in Covent Garden!

MARIUCA LOVES