London, Day One

Ahhh, London. How exciting it is to be in London with my wife. Since it was a short trip to England and we had to share our eight days between London and Dittisham, we tried to make the most of our sight-seeing opportunities. Thus, we ended up with tired feet at the end of every day. And since I've written at length on what we had done in Dittisham, I shall simply concentrate on our time in London in the next few posts.

We arrived at Gatwick Airport at about seven o'clock in the morning, local time. At the airport, we picked up two Oyster cards for cheap travel and a pre-paid mobile card for the phone - two very essential items for tourists nowadays. As people have been asking me why I had chosen Gatwick over Heathrow, let me just set the record straight. The primary reason was because I had wanted to experience the Gatwick Express, which is the express rail link between Gatwick Airport and Victoria Station, London. A few days before our trip, however, I was surprised to learn that the Gatwick Express would not be running on the day of our arrival, 24 Sep, because of some maintenance work on the tracks. Darn it. However, there was still an alternative rail link using Thameslink. This wasn't an express service; the train made two stops along the way but hey, does it matter? Eventually, we arrived at the Blackfriars station from where we took the District line to Earl's Court station. The Manor Hotel was only about 200 metres from the station, at Nevern Place, possibly within a 10 minutes walk. The man at the reception counter was kind enough to let us check into our room at 11 o'clock.

The Manor was just a small four-storied budget hotel. It wasn't serviced by any lift and I had to carry our two big bags to our second floor room. Luckily, the staircase was wide. Our room did not have an ensuite bathroom and we had to share a common bathroom on the third floor. Now, this staircase was a bit more challenging as it was narrower and possibly steeper. If we had instead stayed on this floor, it would have been difficult for me to carry the bags up. I must say that although the bathroom was shared, it was clean, dry and not smelly. Only on one occasion did I find the floor wet but the housekeeping staff were very quick to tidy up the place again. Our room was small and there was hardly space to walk after our bags were opened up. There was a heater in the room but it wasn't turned on at this time of the year. Anyway, even with the windows opened, the temperature was quite comfortable even in the middle of the night. It wasn't an issue at all. Breakfast was served every morning in the basement but it consisted only of cereals, toast, butter, cheese spread and jam. Nothing elaborate at all. There was a wide variety of tea made available to us. Plus coffee. Would I stay here again? Maybe. Because of its close proximity to the rail station for one thing, and it was cheap enough at around RM270 per night. But I'm sure there are other equally good alternatives.

By noon, we were already out of the hotel to start our wandering in London. Back to the Earl's Court station, we caught the District line train to Westminster but suddenly, I decided to alight one stop earlier at the St James's station. Might as well see a bit more of above-ground London than underground London.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

 Our first tourist landmark: Westminster Abbey.

 The 20th Century Martyrs which, curiously enough, included a Chinese missionary named Wang Zhiming.

 Souvenir store at Westminster Abbey.

 Although entry into Westminster Abbey required a fee during normal visiting hours, we considered ourselves lucky to have been allowed in at four o'clock to attend their Even Song service. Not everyone that stood in the queue was allowed in. At the gate, we were interviewed on why we wanted to enter the Abbey. I must have said something that made sense and that was how we managed to find ourselves inside the place. Listening to the organ and choir life was an unforgetable experience. Pristine sound. Clear and sharp with a slight background echo. Wow!

 Photography wasn't allowed but I managed to get a few shots of the interior. The ceiling was about 100 feet high.

 Memorial to Sir Isaac Newton. Waiting for the apple to drop, Isaac?

 Outside the gate of Westminster Abbey.

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT

 Obviously, one of the most distinctive sights in London, the Elizabeth Tower or Big Ben.

 Statue of a most controversial leader of Britain, Oliver Cromwell.

 The Victoria Tower.

 That's us, with the statue of Richard the Lion Hearted in the background.

 The Burghers of Calais in the Victoria Tower Gardens

Big Ben sounding five o'clock.

MEMORIAL TO THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

The battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilisation. Upon it depends our own British life and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of a perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour". — Winston Churchill

 Memorial at the Victoria Embankment to the Battle of Britain, 10 July to 31 October 1940

WHITEHALL

 A monument to the role played by women during the Second World War. I found it strange that the women should be left hanging in the air.

 It's impossible to walk down the heavily-guarded Downing Street.

 I've always wanted to take a picture of the Mother of all Cenotaphs in the Commonwealth. So, here it is at Whitehall. I'm feeling pleased as Punch.

The Cabinet War Rooms museum was down King Charles Street but it was already closed by the time we walked here.

PICCADILLY CIRCUS

From Whitehall, we took a bus to Piccadilly Circus. We didn't stay there for long as the place was filled with people. Still, we managed to catch the final moments of a street act. After lingering there and going to Soho for a Chinese roast duck dinner, we took the Piccadilly line back to Earl's Court station. Time to rest our weary feet.

 Too bad we missed the Coca Cola display.

Playing chess in Merry England

It's been a month today since I played chess with See Liang Teik against the Dittisham backdrop. Trust him to bring along a chess set - and a chess clock - all the way from home. But he really wanted to play against me. And what better place to play, he told me, than in Dittisham itself. The opportunity presented itself in the morning just as we were about to leave the Red Lion Inn for the long drive back to London. Might as well get it over with, I sighed to myself, or else I will not hear the end of it from him. And so, we set up the chess board at the Inn and with Saw See busily clicking away on the camera all around us, we played. He wanted me to give him the odds of a rook but no way lah, I told him, the most I can promise you is that I won't use my QR unless necessary. Ha ha...!!

Donald Trump

Despite what it may look like, Donald Trump is NOT an Old Free. And we didn't give him a Free School tie.  :-)

Bicentenary celebrations

Yes, I enjoyed myself tremendously during the Bicentenary. Right from very early in the morning at the Protestant Cemetary in Northam Road to the School Speech Day and ending with the big reunion dinner on the school field in the evening. All these activities gave me a sense of pride of being an Old Boy of Penang Free School. A feeling which I haven't felt before.

I call myself one of the original Sesquicentenary boys because my friends and I entered the Free School in Form One in 1966, the year that Penang Free School celebrated its 150th anniversary, but to be truthful, at that time the significance of the event meant little to us. We were far too young to appreciate it. I was merely reaching 12 years old on 21 October 1966, just about two weeks short of my 13th birthday. Moreover, we were in the afternoon school session and most of the preparations for the Sesquicentenary did not involve us. But we were still glad for the carnival-like atmosphere during the week-long celebrations in 1966.

This year, it was different. Now 61 years old, going on 62, I appreciated fully the Bicentenary. This was an event of a lifetime. My lifetime. So, at the Bicentenary Speech Day at the Pinhorn Hall in the morning, I sat in the front row and watched the arrival of the guests - led by the Raja of Perlis who was an Old Boy of the School and the Penang Governor who was not an Old Boy but who always attended Speech Day because this is a Free School tradition that the Head of State would attend - then the playing of the National Anthem and the School Rally by the School Band, followed by the various speeches and prize presentations, before the Speech Day assembly adjourned for the launch of the commemorative stamps and first day covers, the time capsule and the planting of trees.

In the evening, joining in the revelry on the school field, mingling with other Old Frees from the different batches and catching up with old friends, some of whom I've not seen for almost 50 years, and some of whom I've not known despite studying in the same batch! Nevertheless, there was much fun and joy. At many tables, wine and liquor flowed freely. Nobody, absolutely nobody, could have prevented us Old Boys at the RM1,500 tables from enjoying ourselves with drinking, cheering and shouting at the top of our voices. Then there were the inevitable speeches but the highlight among them was the Raja of Perlis' speech in which he said the name of the school would be known officially as Penang Free School, our original name, and not some other sekolah menengah kebangsaan name. That brought on the biggest cheer of all.

My book on the School's history, Let the Aisles Proclaim, was then launched by the Raja of Perlis and soon afterwards, an impressive four-minute long fireworks display took place. Seeing the fireworks erupt directly above us was beyond words to describe. Pretty soon, it was time to say our goodbyes to the people in the field. But although the Bicentenary celebrations were now officially over, the real reunion of old school friends were just beginning. Over the course of the next few days, there would be a lot of catching up to do with old pals from outstation and overseas. Thanks to the School's Bicentenary for the occasion, the excuse, the purpose, the reason to bring us together again.

SPEECH DAY PICTURES

BICENTENARY DINNER PICTURES