London-Photo essay

Things to do in London for free!!

  London Eye and Big Ben-A walk on the south bank  of River Thames is a must.You can take a stroll as you admire the magnificent Ferris wheel called the London eye and London's famous icon Big Ben.It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe London Eye when illuminated gives a wonderful photo op ,a lot of photo enthusiasts can be seen here.Tickets for the Coca-Cola London Eye can be bought here  https://www.londoneye.com/ .Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell on the Elizabeth Tower.A lot of movies have been shot here as London is synonymous with Big Ben.

London Eye was illuminated with pink lights on the eve of Valentine's day.

Picadilly Circus -is a famous road junction which connects Picadilly to Regent Street.Circus in latin means circle,a round open space in this context.Picadilly was surrounded by illuminated hoardings on buildings since 1900s but now only one remains.Coca-Cola has has a hoarding since 1954. The shadtesbury Memorial fountain located at the southwestern side and the hoardings make a striking picture together.A lot of tourist can be found here clicking pictures with the statue of Eros.Fun Fact-In May 2012 the bow string of the statue was broken by a tourist.A fun place to visit.

Picadilly Circus

Eros

Trafalgar Square-This certainly is the most vibrant place in London, a 10 min walk from Picadilly station will take you to this open space.There is a lot of fun activities happening here,from celebrations on days like St Patrick' Day,Eid,Chinese new year to filming and photography to street performances.At its center is Nelson's column which is guarded by four lions at its base.The column is topped by Horatio Nelson the vice admiral who commanded the British Fleet at Trafalgar.A lot of cafes and restaurants are around here,you can grab a coffee at Café Nero with the an amazing view of Trafalgar square.

 Millennium Bridge-officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge is a steel suspension bridge for pedestrians crossing the River Thames connecting the bank-side with the City of London. A lot of Bollywood movie stars have crossed this bridge in Hindi movies.The Bridge with the St Paul's Cathedral as a backdrop makes an amazing sight and again a lot of photo enthusiasts can be spotted here.Southwark bridge and Tower bridge can be seen from here.

London Bridge-A walk on the London Bridge as you hum London Bridge is falling down :)

Tower Bridge-Is a combined bascule and suspension bridge close to the Tower of London and hence the name.The bridge consists of 2 bridge towers tied together at the upper levels. The Tower bridge has glass floor and the view from here is breathtaking (P.S-you need to buy tickets for that.Again a great postcard photo place.Best place to click pictures-St.Katherine's Pier, or on the south side of the river along Butlers Wharf. The lift times of the bridge can be found here. http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/lift-times/

Take a break and enjoy a cup of coffee.Pret A Manger is all over London and serves some awesome coffee

London is quite famous for the street food,we have had one of the best waffles (Wafflemister-Oxford street) and  falafel wraps walking down the streets of London.There is whole lot of food options on the streets,you don't want to miss out on.You will take some yumm memories along :)

Happy Hampi!!!

Hampi not known to many people is a true hidden gem.Lot of people asked us what is there in Hampi and where is it??To start off-It is a great place and a must visit.We had a wonderful time in both of our visits.You cannot help but fall in love with the place.The place leaves you speechless.The mamooth boulders precariously balanced, lie scattered all over Hampi.The green paddy fields with rustic backdrop is an alluring sight. There is adventure like spotting a bear while climbing the boulders,yes it happened,little did we know that Hampi has bears.Amazing food,we had some awesome falafels here.Backpacker's Mecca,place to have a relaxed time with friends,buzzing with energy...that's Hampi.

Introduction-  Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.  The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi.

Hampi is also referred as city of ruins. Primary connectivity to Hampi is by road. It is about 350km from Bangalore.Hospet, a small town located about 12 kilometers (8 miles) from Hampi is the nearest railway station. Hospet is well connected by rail and road to other important towns like Bangalore, Chennai,Goa,Hyderabad etc.

View from Virupapur gadde

Accommodation-Hampi has budget type accommodation,no fancy frills here.Houses have been converted to guest houses,simple and clean with basic amenities.The other side of the river has more foreigners and serves non veg and alcohol. Hampi side has no non veg and alcohol. 

 Virupapur Gadde across the river is the place for party and night scene.Here you can rent huts, mostly located close to the riverbank.

 Mowgli guesthouse has a great location across the river from the bazaar, the cottages are spacious with a swing outside.It has amazing views over the paddy fields. We loved the food and view from the restaurant.Wifi is free in almost all the guest houses in Hampi,so you stay connected.

Mowgli guest house-Our hut

Hampi side-We booked online Thilak home stay.Kish (owner)makes sure you have a wonderful time in Hampi.There is pick up and drop facility to Hospet.Sight seeing is also arranged by him.Breakfast is included.The guest house has a restaurant right opposite to it,so you don't have to wander much.

Things to do in Hampi-
Temples -there are a lot of temples on both sides of the river.You have to take a boat to cross the river,the last boat is at 5:30PM.So depending on your plans you decide which side of the river you want to stay.
We reached Hampi in the morning after a good breakfast we were all set to explore Hampi.We decided to explore the Virupapur first.You can hire bicycles,mopeds to explore the city.
Virupapur has a beautiful lake which has coracle boats.You can also swim in the lake.Cliff jumping,rock climbing are very common here.Coracle boat is a fun experience,A bit scary but fun,we paid around 150INR for a 15 min ride.
Hampi has a whole lot of temples- Vithala temple is not to be missed for sure.

Coracle ride

Vithala Temple

Sunset 

To view the sunrise from Matanga Hill,you need to get up real early.You need to be on top of the hill by 6AM.It takes around an hour to climb the Hill.It gets scary as there is no light and no proper way.But in the end the view makes up for it.

Matanga hill

Sunrise-Matanga hill

Queen's bath

Stepwell

Sister stones

Lotus palace

chill out cafe

Where to eat- The food is good,you get pretty much the same food in Hampi.All the restaurants have set breakfasts,Israeli food,cereals,pancakes etc.The one which stood were Mango tree and Chill out.Mango tree has amazing falafels and hummus.
Cafe Chill Out
Funky Monkey