(Links to all parts of the series are at the end of this post.)
June 11, Tuesday
We said goodbye to the scenic, serene northeast of England. It was a fabulous five days of seeing new places and learning new vignettes of history.
The second lap of the tour is London. Sreerekha and I had booked a train ticket on Trainline from Newcastle to King's Cross. We were sceptical about a train journey because of threats of snap strikes by unions. The alternative was a book a bus journey. That would have taken longer.
We kept our fingers crossed, and everything was fine.
We took a metro from Northumberland Park Station to Newcastle Central Station, from where we boarded the 10.27 am train. It was a very pleasant three-hour ride and we reached King's Cross around 1.30 pm.
PLATFORM 9 3/4
My son, a great Harry Potter fan, had told us to make sure we go to Platform 9 3/4 at the King's Cross railway station.
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters is a fictional platform at King's Cross Railway Station. It is the departure point for the Hogwarts Express, the magical train that takes students to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
We alighted on platform number 11, so it wasn't difficult for us to figure out where Platform 9 3/4 is.
While the platform itself doesn't physically exist, King's Cross Station has created a popular photo opportunity with a Platform Nine and Three-Quarters sign.
Upon reaching there, we were completely taken aback by the huge crowd and the long queue of fans to take photographs with a luggage trolley. We didn't know it was so hugely popular!We hung around there for a while, soaking in the enthusiasm of the young children.
WANSTEAD
We then got a prepaid Oyster travel card for commuting on public transport around London. It was very nice to see that at the automated ticket dispensing machines, there was an official to help out people like us who were new to the place and needed assistance.
It's not a surprise, actually, considering the number of first-timers coming to London.
We then took a tube to Wanstead, where we will be staying for three days. It is a suburb in the east of London. It takes about 45 minutes by tube.
We spent the rest of the day today walking around Wanstead and seeing the place. Since the sun would set only by around 9.45 pm, there was plenty of daylight time to walk around and see the place.
Though a very urban setting, the entire locality has a quiet ring around it, almost village like. We didn't see any heavy traffic.
I am not good with architecture, but many buildings had a Victorian / Edwardian look about them. Nice to see the old retained in the midst of the new.
There were a lot of open spaces. We went to Wanstead Park. It's really a vast stretch of greenery. Some people were exercising, some others walking their dogs, some children playing, some others just relaxing reading a book.
(I thought I had taken some pictures of the park and some streets. But strangely, they are not to be found.)
The park was a part of Wanstead House, a magnificent mansion built in 1722 by Sir Richard Child, an English politician who was a member of the House of Commons from 1708 to 1734.
Wanstead House was so magnificent that it was hailed as one of the finest houses in the whole of England! What is now the vast Wanstead Park was the garden of the Wanstead House!
The mansion was demolished in 1825 because the owners fell into financial difficulties.
Today was all about travelling to London from the northeast of England.
There wasn't much time to see any place, nor did we have the energy. We are conserving whatever we have for tomorrow, which is going to be quite hectic.
(To be continued)
Here are the links to all parts of the series:
02 -Dockwray Square, Tynemouth
04 - Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum
07 - The Holy Island of Lindisfarne
Did you carry any coal from Newcastle! Instead of to Newcastle. Just joking. Ahh. King's Cross Station. Love that area. Lot of pleasant memories. Long time ago, we lived a few blocks from the Station for 2 years.
ReplyDeleteNo! :-) But, we did make sure we went down a colliery (defunct one) when we were there. Actually, we didn't step out of the King's Cross. We only passed by the station, or we switched trains there.
DeleteReading the above comment made me go back and check that you were in England, as I am in Newcastle NSW, Australia, ok that said I liked the post
ReplyDeleteHi Jo-Anne - I'm glad you enjoyed the post! Even though we're on opposite sides of the globe, it's great to connect through our shared love of travel and storytelling.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteYou must have been starting to feel quite worn out... holidays are fabulous but do require quite a bit of stamina! Navigating public transport can be fun, but also adds to the physical demand. It's frustrating when photos also seem to disappear... YAM xx
Hi Yamini,
DeleteI am just going over comments now! Didn't find time!
You're absolutely right! By the end of my trip, I was definitely feeling the effects of all the exploring. But it was all worth it for the incredible experiences and memories I made.
Public transport can be good way to see the local culture closely.
Yes, it's so frustrating when photos disappear!
It was still light at 9:45!!! Wow. (The latest the sun is ever up at my latitude is a little after 8 PM.)
ReplyDeleteYes, Liz. A lot of daylight hours. Sun used to set around 9.45 pm and rise around 5 am. We used to go to bed around 9 pm (tired of going around a lot of places) and wake up around 6 am. So, we didn't see darkness during our stay in the UK! That was quite weird!
DeleteI hope patience prevailed and your son had his moment with the luggage trolley. I just checked where Wanstead is located and there are a lot of parks in the area.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew, no, my son wasn't there with us. He is in Sydney. Wanstead is a pretty quiet suburb. We enjoyed our stay there.
DeleteYou have written the best chronicles of your voyage and they are very interesting to read. Quite something took forward to.
ReplyDeleteHi Katie - Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm thrilled that you're enjoying my chronicles. I'll be sure to keep you updated on my journey.
DeleteYou certainly kept a great record of your travels Pradeep. I love the Harry Potter reference and the train station giving fans a photo op.
ReplyDeleteHi Leanne - I'm glad you enjoyed my travelogue! The Harry Potter-themed train station was definitely a highlight. It's amazing how they managed to capture the magic of the series in such a unique way.
DeleteThoughI have passed through London airport three times, i had not the pleasure of visiting there. The names are familiar and your description makes me want at least a short tour of London.
ReplyDeleteHi KP - I'm glad my post has sparked your interest in London! If you ever have the chance, I recommend exploring the city's iconic landmarks, vibrant neighborhoods, and world-class museums. There's something for everyone!
DeleteYou are a wise traveler. I wish I could tag along. :D Thanks for sharing your adventures.
ReplyDeleteHi Darla - Thank you for your kind words! Travelling is definitely an adventure. In the meantime, I'll keep sharing my adventures with you!
DeleteHi Pradeep - well done ... your trip down south is really quick ... it takes me over an hour and half from the south coast to Victoria terminus, London ... painful - I enjoy going north!! Great you saw 9 3/4 station ... they do move it occasionally ...not sure if Harry has any say in that wizardry, or it's just management-control! I'll be interested to see what you did on the last few days of your trip. Good to wander around ... and those parks are wonderful remnants of days gone by ... Hyde Park, Richmond Park were all the king's forests etc ... at least we get to share them now-a-days. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHi Hilary - Thank you. Yes, I found the parks quite nice. We were in London for two more days. I will put up the posts in a few days. I am just going through my rough notes.
DeleteIt looks like you had a great visit to wanstead. I is a place I have never been.
ReplyDeleteHi CherryPie - Thank you for your kind words. Wanstead is a nice quiet place. I was pleasantly surprised by its charming atmosphere and beautiful green spaces. If you ever find yourself in the city, I highly recommend exploring it.
DeleteShwmae, Pradeep Nair, thank you for visiting my blog, you have very interesting posts, I've read back and you do so much. Sounds as though you're enjoying touring different parts of England, I have visited London many times because I used to live in Essex, so on a direct line to London. I'm living here in S Wales now, the town where I was born, in my 81st year I've come home!
ReplyDeleteHi Chris - Thank you so much taking the time to read my posts. I'm glad you're enjoying my tour of England. It's a beautiful country with so much to explore. I'm happy to hear that you used to live in Essex. I have heard it's a lovely part of England. It sounds like you've come full circle, returning to your hometown. It must be a special feeling to be back.
DeleteIt's strange to think that children's books could have such an impact on a major railway station.
ReplyDeleteIt's a testament to the power of storytelling, isn't it? The book and author are incredibly popular. So, it's not such a big surprise!
DeleteWhat fun that you went to Kings Cross and saw the Harry Potter platform! Having lived in Woodford (just down the line from Wanstead, I know the park well but didn't know about the great house that is no longer there. A lovely 'learnsome' post. Thank you, Pradeep!
ReplyDelete