British People

British people are cool no doubt. Not the cold and quiet cool kind, but is the amazing and fascinating cool kind! For starter, I once saw an old man driving an old car which broke down at a junction. A guy in a huge Audi queuing behind the old car got down and offered his assistance to push the car aside. If this still doesn't impress you enough, you'll be when you get to witness the employees working in the shops next to the junction also came out to offer their assistance!

In the first week of arriving in Sheffield, we were looking for Aldi (a supermarket) but were a little confused by a cross junction since we are still not so familiar with the routes. A British guy, who noticed us debating which route to take, asked us whether are we lost and need some guidance or not. 

After a month staying in the UK, we learnt the basic manners and courtesy that most British people has! We understand and learnt their culture, and executed it. British people tend to add in the word 'please' at the end of a request, especially when ordering their food. So, guess what? "Can I have a cheese bacon and egg sandwich, PLEASE?" 

They are gentlemen indeed. No matter male or female, they tend to open and hold the door to allow you, who is behind them, to pass through without any obstacle. If they are coming from the opposite direction, they will open and hold the door for you and let you pass first! Giving us a feeling of warm hospitality. Everyone was also standing on one side of the escalator to allow those in a rush to pass through on the other side, something that Malaysia SHOULD learn!

British accent! Ahhh!! I would love to have some, British accent sounds deep and manly for a guy. Moreover, it will give people an impression that you are speaking the right English tone and words. Some British have simple accent which is easy for us to listen and understand. But some British people in, for example, York gave us a hard time trying to figure out what they were talking about due to their heavy British accent. Thankfully, Jeremy Clarkson's accent is quite British but still can be heard clearly!

Saying "cheers" is a way British people say "thank you". So, saying "cheers" is not only during drinking time but also a kind of good manners. We were not used to it at first, but in the end we were also influenced by this and said "cheers" instead of  "thank you" in multiple occasions!

British people enjoy alcoholic drinks. They will visit a pub for a beer even in daytime. Unfortunately, a very small portion of British people are drunkards. Some zombie-like drunkards will appear in some alleys after 5pm. We've encountered once where a drunkard yelled at us for no reason while we were taking photos of the beautiful Sheffield Botanical Garden. We didn't provoke him.

I didn't experience this myself but some of my friends shared that some British people, especially elderly, shouted some foul words at we Asian on the street. Perhaps their bad experience with World War II (Japanese?) created their prejudice to Asian?

Generally, British people make the UK a wonderful place to stay in. Their generally slower pace in daily activities and also the soothing weather (in the summer) make the UK a good place to live in after your fifties, or after retirement.

NEXT: Day trip 9 - Castleton, Peak District

Day Trip 8: Newcastle, UK

For the first time our bus dropped us far away from the city centre during our weekend day trip. Welcome to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, any Newcastle FC fan here? For starter, we headed to a museum instead of a football stadium first because of the route that we needed to travel from the bus to the city centre. 

For the first time we get to see a swift moving, larger than life-sized robot dancing around the museum, capable of spraying 'lubricant oil' (water) at visitors! The pace that technology is improving can be clearly seen at the robot, almost on par with what we can see in science fiction movie Real Steel!

For the first time we visited St. James' Park stadium, the home to Newcastle United F.C.. Here is the Chinatown arch with St. James' Park stadium in the background!

For the first time we tried bubble milk tea and pancakes in the UK!

While most of my friends went for shopping in Eldon Square, me and 2 friends went on to explore more of Newcastle. 

The very tall Grey's Monument!

Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas has impressive details in its sculptures.

Some structures in Newcastle have weird names, and inappropriate signage make them worse. Castle Keep is one of the oldest structure in Newcastle.

This long bridge is called High Level Bridge, but the 3 tonnes weight limit says the bridge is a 'weak bridge'. From here, we walked across the Tyne River through the pedestrian walkway in the High Level Bridge, and took some photos along the way...

The Tyne Bridge at the rear can be seen clearly from the High Level Bridge, one of the best spots to capture some photos of the former. 

As we crossed the Tyne River, we walked all the way up towards the direction of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. It's a bridge designed for the usage of pedestrian and cyclists only, and can be tilted up to allow ships to pass through! It has few tilt-up sessions each day, so make sure you'll stay for the session to witness the marvel of engineering! 

The Sage on the left is a centre of performances. 

Along the Tyne River has a recreational area where families can enjoy some 'beach' activities. Here's a volleyball court!

Fold-up seats! Just like on the beach!

The sun was strong (but the air is still considered cold) and after the volleyball and all the walking, we went for Starbucks for some refreshing drinks, my treat! 

After the drinks, it's almost time to go head back to our bus which is now even more further from our location! On our way, there was a small roundabout with only paint on the tar road as guidance. 

On the bus and on our way back to Sheffield, we spotted the Angel of the North, the largest sculpture in the UK! Too bad it is located too far away from the city of Newcastle, but we somehow got lucky and get to stop by the Angel of the North while we were on our way to Scotland later on!

So here's the end of our weekend day trip around the cities of the UK. We went to a total of 8 places: York, Manchester, Whitby, Cambridge, Bicester Village, Liverpool, Cheshire Oaks and lastly, Newcastle. There are few places we opted out like Blackpool and Stonehenge. I'm actually a little regret of why I didn't choose to go Stonehenge, as I am fascinated with its wonders and mystery. 

NEXT: British people!

Day Trip 7 - Liverpool, UK

Familiar with lyrics such as "Let it be, whisper words of wisdom, let it be..."  or "Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better..." ? I'm sure many are. Those lyrics belong to one of the greatest and most successful bands of all time, The Beatles. The band created numerous hit songs that last for decades (till now!), for instance, Let It Be (not Let It Go from Frozen, mind you), Hey Jude, The Long and Winding Road and Come Together.  

I can't help it but to hum along the songs played in The Beatles' store in Liverpool while browsing in the souvenir shop. Why in Liverpool? That's because The Beatles is formed in Liverpool, the starting ground of the band. 

There were plenty of Superlambananas all over Liverpool! Superlambanana is a big sculpture of a cross between a lamb and a banana, one of Liverpool's icon. But why the long name??

Before we departed to the UK, TAR College mechanical engineering students were actually given a choice to go for either Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) in Sheffield or Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in Liverpool. In the end, all of a hundred of us chose SHU. After our visit in Liverpool, we can conclude that live in Liverpool is not bad too! It's a nice city with plenty of tourist attractions and shopping complex nearby, ideal for shopping! 

There is a Chinatown in Liverpool. We went in to explore but came out with disappointment since many shops were closed. 

Liverpool Cathedral is my favourite destination in the city. Located on the St. James Mount, the Liverpool Cathedral is the longest and tallest non-spired church in the world! It might look normal sized in the photo but trust me, it is humongous!

Just look at the gateway! It's so tall! Impressive sculptures on the walls inside and out too! This got to be one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've visited in my life, only Vatican City is comparable.

A group photo time!

World Museum Liverpool has an impressive museum which showcases many things from the dinosaur age to the space age! It's so huge I didn't have time to explore it all, just quickly glance through and go.

The cat is so well preserved I thought it's real! Felt little pity for it though...

Make a guess on what is the most dangerous animal in the world!! The answer is real true since the 'animal' is capable of destroying the world if they are not educated properly!

The left-most building is called the Royal Liver Building where there are two fabled Liver birds that watch over the city and sea. Legend has it that if these two birds were to fly away, the city will cease to exist! 

Merseyside Maritime Museum at Albert Dock showcases plenty of historical details related to maritime. Reading the story of Titanic, about how it sank and how many casualties sent shivers down my bones... 

 I've made a new friend along the way. Joan, a mutual friend who know the others before we went to the UK. Thanks to her, we get to explore more places in Liverpool!

NEXT - Day Trip 8: Newcastle, UK!

London Day 4 (Oxford Street, Bond Street, Covent Garden)

 Indulging a Thorntons caramel ice cream with a chocolate smiley on top, while window shopping in Oxford Street alone is a special experience. I kind of learnt how a backpacker feel like when travelling alone.  As the fourth day would be our last day in London, we decided to go separate way to do the things we like. A friend went for shopping in Oxford Street and Bond Street, a friend went to a museum while the others went to see their favourite football team's stadium. 

Since I don't like football and museum is a little boring for me, I chose shopping, more like window shopping. I joined a friend of mine in Oxford Street and Bond Street, where all the premium and high-end brands can be found there. Louis Vuitton, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Longchamp, you name it!

Oxford Street is so long, I can take a London red bus to travel from one end to another to save some walking time! Anyone want some red cherries while window shopping in Oxford Street?

The royal baby is born on the day after I left London! On my last day in London, Kate is ready to deliver the little prince in a hospital in London! It was a happy news to the nation, and this news was in the news-stand in every corner of London!

The Nike store in Oxford Street is so huge it has 3 or 4 levels inside! I think they have displays for every product in their catalogue there!

The Apple Store is also HUGE! Am impressed with the way they deco the display units.

Walk slightly further from Oxford Street will reach Piccadilly again. I decided to check how it's like in daytime, but it turned out to be like what I've expected - Piccadilly is a merrier place during night time. There's a M&M World in Piccadilly that's worth a visit, especially for chocolate lovers like me! Here's some M&Ms imitating the famous The Beatles Abbey Road album's cover!

Before heading back to Sheffield, we headed to Covent Garden to past some free time. Nothing much is special here, but we heard it's a popular tourist destination, so we thought it might be good to drop by here for a while. 

London Transport Museum, nothing spectacular here and certainly not as entertaining as the National Train Museum in York. 

After checking out some non-moveable bus in the museum, it's time to board the real bus back to Sheffield... I wouldn't mind to pay London another visit anytime in the future. There are so many places which I haven't explore yet. Heard that Greenwich and Kew Gardens have some pretty sights too. Will surely give London another visit if I have a chance to 'drop by' UK again!

NEXT - Day Trip 7: Liverpool, UK

London - Day 3 (Buckingham Palace, Royal Albert Hall, British Museum, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly)

One thing that you shouldn't miss in London is the marching ceremony by Queen's guards in front of the Buckingham Palace, held almost every day in the morning around 10am. Buckingham Palace is now a venue for official Royal events and ceremonies.

We reached Buckingham Palace slightly early in hoping that we can get a nice spot to take some nice photos of the marching. However, the place was already crowded when we got there. We ended up walking around taking photos of the palace at different angles.

The horses were pooping while being rode along the street... A little disgusting.

So red! The guards were marching with utmost tidiness and unanimous! Seeing the guards reminded me of an episode of Mr. Bean where he tries to provoke a royal guard on-duty!

"OMG, a superstar is coming! Grab your camera!!!"

After watching the guard changing ceremony, we headed to the British Museum. Located in a rather remote location, a distance away from Tottenham Court Road Station. We have to walk pass some small streets to reach there, and it is hidden from the main road. Suddenly such a grand looking building emerged in the middle of the area. This is a HUGE museum, one of the best museums I've visited in UK to be frank. Unique architecture, informative relics display, divided into few sections of different cultures. 

Once broken consider sold. Erm... I doubt we can afford, not even one of them!

A typical background of the UK Gothic-styled architecture, with the iconic red bus of London.

Not far away is the Somerset House, looks amazing in photo but doesn't impress much in person. It's more like a venue for various event now. 

Then, we went back to the South Kensington area to visit the Royal Albert Hall, where only successful and globally known singers get to perform here. Adele and Janet Jackson are some of the singers who performed here!

After pretending that we are superstar at the Royal Albert Hall, we returned to our hostel to cook a simple dinner. A little too simple perhaps, a big bowl of spaghetti with just mushroom sauce. The spaghetti was not thoroughly cooked too, in the end it was too spongy... After partially filling our stomach, we headed out again to Trafalgar Square by London red bus! Do you believe a modern London bus costs more than 330,000 Pounds? That's almost equivalent to RM1.5 million!

On the London bus' upper deck!

Trafalgar Square is a beautiful open space with colourful lights illuminating everywhere! I heard that this place is quite merry during festive seasons like Christmas and New Year Eve!

We walked to Piccadilly which is a short distance away. On the way to Piccadilly has plenty of grand looking building, seems like a great place to spend a night at!

Watching a group of Nigerian (maybe?) and joined in by some British, singing some famous oldies beside a street of Piccadilly is a special experience. Although we didn't know what songs they were singing at that moment, but the warm atmosphere can be felt by passer-by.

Piccadilly Circus Underground Tube Station.

Electronic billboard ads, a modern side of London.

NEXT - Final Day 4 in London: Oxford Street, Bond Street, Covent Garden.