Malaysia Diaries - Day 3 - Kuala Lumpur

There was rain forecast for the day so after waking up, getting ready and having breakfast, we took a taxi to Kuala Lumpur's Independence Square, locally called Merdeka Square. This large square is the colonial focal point of Kuala Lumpur. Located in the heart of the colonial district, this vast rectangular grassy square once hosted cricket matches and parades. Surrounded by the mock-Tudor Royal Selangor Club, the National Music Museum, Saint Mary's Cathedral, and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the square offers a rare glimpse into the city's past. The building that stands out the most is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building with its Moorish architecture and red dome. It was in this square that the British Union Jack flag was lowered when Malaysia became an independent country in 1957.

After checking out Merdeka Square, we decided to walk to the nearby Jamak Mosque. Pedestrian sidewalks are already a bit difficult to manage with Sereen's strollers since they don't always have a ramp but due to some construction going on in the area, we had an even tougher time maneuvering our way. The rain got heavier which didn't help. Thankfully we have invested in a quality stroller that came with a rain cover so Sereen was well protected. Once we got closer to the mosque, we found out that it was closed for renovation. We continued walking to the nearby Central Market which is indoors so it was a much needed respite from the rain.

The Central Market used to be a fresh produce market but now it's a shopping mall where ethnic arts and crafts are sold. At the Central Market, we explored different shops with souvenirs and were close to buying some stuff when Sereen started crying so we had to abandon the deal and take care of her. We sat down at a Malaysian chain cafe called Old Town White Coffee and tried their specialty iced white coffee and Malaysia's national dish Nasi Lemak. After this break, we resumed shopping and bought some souvenirs. Then we took a taxi to the Petronas Twin Towers. Taxi drivers not turning on the meter and overcharging is an issue in Malaysia so to get a metered taxi, you usually have to pay a small fee to an agent who then hails a metered taxi for you. This time we didn't get a metered one so the taxi driver tried to sell us on additional stops on the way that we politely declined. He couldn't drop us off at the regular taxi entrance either and dropped us off in front of the side entrance. That worked to our advantage since we were in front of the Petronas Towers and decided to take some pictures before going inside.

It was extremely humid and the temperature was 35 degrees Celsius. Our Canadian baby wasn't impressed and her usual smile was missing from the posing pictures. After a few minutes, Sereen started crying because of the heat so we decided to not push our luck and hurried inside in the air conditioned Suria mall located in the Petronas Towers. We picked up our tickets for going to the top of the Petronas Towers and then did window shopping since there was still some time to go before our slot. Strollers and bags were not allowed to go up so Sereen rested in her baby carrier facing outward in her daddy's lap. She loves being in the baby carrier and enjoys gnawing any parts of it that her mouth can reach. First we went up to the sky bridge which is a covered bridge connecting the two towers. We took in some great views of the Kuala Lumpur skyline and snapped a few pictures in our allotted 15 minutes. Great for me that the bridge is covered on all sides so my phobia of heights didn't set in too much. Then we took the elevator to the top of the first tower. The views were even more breath taking from the highest vantage point in the city but owing my fear of heights, I could only push myself to see a little bit. Samia enjoyed it more than I did, having no such fears.

Then we came down to the food court of the Suria Mall and tried some more of the local Malaysian specialties for dinner - Beef Rendang with rice and curry puff, a crispier version of the samosa. After dinner, we went down to the KLCC Park that's adjacent to the Petronas Towers. Originally, we had planned to stay till 8 pm to watch the fountain show but it was way too hot and we read a few reviews online that it's not an attraction for which you should wait. Having seen the spectacular fountain show outside the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, it wasn't going to be a novel experience for us anyway so we decided to leave around 7 pm. Then we took a taxi back to our hotel and called it a day and went to bed early. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 2 - Malacca

After waking up and getting ready, we went up to the breakfast lounge to have another heavy breakfast. The strategy had worked great on our first day so we decided to stick to it. After breakfast, we came down where our guide for the day was waiting. We were doing a day trip of Malacca which is a UNESCO World Heritage town two hours drive southeast of Kuala Lumpur. Our first stop in Malacca was a church called Saint Peter's Church which had a white outer facade. It was a little underwhelming for us after having seen numerous churches in Europe.

The next stop were the ruins of an old Portuguese fort that's at the top of a hill. The fort was taken over by the Dutch after they invaded Malacca. There used to be a secret passage from the top of the hill to the base that was closed after the Malaysian government took control. After seeing the ruins that included ten foot high tombstones, some with Dutch seals on them, we climbed down the stairs to the base of the hill which used to be the other end of the old secret passage. The building where the passage ended is now an iconic symbol of Malacca, much like the Petronas Towers are the icon of Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia has seen five different invasions in the past - by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British, briefly the Japanese and then the British again. The town of Malacca provides a glimpse into its old colonial past with red buildings from the Portuguese era, Dutch office buildings and British bungalows with verandas and balconies. We walked to our next stop and saw an entertaining tourist trap along the way - rickshaws decorated with popular cartoon characters that give you a tour of the main square and the adjacent area while blaring loud music. We saw Hello Kitty, Frozen, Minions and Pokémon to name a few.

We stopped at another set of ruins of a fort that still has the cannons from the Dutch times. Then we saw a plaque marking the place where Prince Parameswara sat down under a tree by the river. He had fled from Singapore and while he was sitting under the tree, he witnessed a tiny white mouse deer defeat his two big guard dogs. That's when he realized that if a small mouse deer can stand up to bigger opponents, he should stop running too so he decided to lay down roots in Malacca and start a new kingdom.

Then we walked back to the main square that has red buildings from the Portuguese time, including a church called Christ Church. From the main square, we turned towards the famous Jonker street which has temples and street food stalls. We passed through a street called Harmony street which gets its name from the fact that it has a Muslim mosque, a Hindu temple and a couple of Chinese Taoist temples, all within walking distance of each other. We stopped at the mosque and the two Taoist temples but the Hindu temple was closed. We continued walking on Jonker street and had our first taste of the Durian fruit. We got a puff that had Durian filling in it. It smelled like a mix of onion and garlic and was extremely sweet with a bitter after taste. I didn't mind the taste but Samia had to spit it out. We also had the Portuguese dessert Natas (custard egg tart) that we had first tried a couple of years back in Lisbon. We wanted to try the famous Malacca specialty chicken rice ball but the line up was long so we decided against it.

Then we drove to our next stop, the so-called floating mosque. It's a solid structure but the foundation pillars are in water so it looks like it's floating. It was an extremely hot day so we sat inside the mosque next to a fan and let Sereen stretch out on the floor. Like the mosque on Harmony street, Samia had to wear a head scarf before she could go inside the mosque. After visiting the mosque, we drove to our highlight of the day - our lunch. We had South Indian thali, served on a piece of banana leaf. We had chicken and mutton, with vegetables and rice and the best part was that we had to eat with our hands. It has been a long time since we ate rice with our hands but it was fun.

After this delicious lunch, we started heading back to Kuala Lumpur. It was the end of the Chinese New Year public holiday for some people so there was lots of traffic on our way back. Then it started raining which caused flooding on the highway so traffic moved extremely slowly. The drive that had taken us two hours in the morning took almost four and a half hours on the way back! Thankfully it was Sereen's bedtime so she slept most of the way in her car seat which allowed Samia and me some time to doze off as well. We were really tired by the time we got back to our hotel so we went to bed as soon as we could, after changing Sereen. In retrospect, we learnt another lesson for our future trips with our infant Sereen - never do day trips. If we had to do it again, we would've just gotten a hotel in Malacca for the night and driven back the next day. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 1 - Calgary to Kuala Lumpur

So much has changed since our last international trip. We have a new travel companion - our four month old baby girl Sereen who melts our hearts with her toothless grins and shapes our days with her baby care needs. With Sereen in the picture, we had to think hard if we could still do international trips. In the end we decided that we shouldn't stop doing the things we love just because we are a family of three now. It does require more planning and thinking about different concerns but that challenge is part of what makes traveling to new cultures so alluring. We also want to instill in our daughter a love for travel and the appreciation of the human experience that comes with it. We had learnt a few travel tips from our trip to Southern California over the Christmas break so decided to put them to good use with a trans-Pacific vacation to Malaysia and Singapore.

Sarim stayed over the night on Thursday so that he could give us a ride to the airport (and play with Sereen). She is a social baby and loves having people visit her, as demonstrated by the smiles she showers on them. We left home at 4 am. Our first flight from Calgary to Seattle took off at 7 am and landed a little early which gave us ample time to have a meal at the airport. Whenever we are transiting through Seattle, we somehow always end up eating at Wolfgang Puck and it was no different this time. We shared a chicken salad and a chicken sandwich. The next flight was from Seattle to Hong Kong and this almost 15 hour flight was going to be the real test of our endurance. We got lucky and got an entire row to ourselves so we placed Sereen's car seat in the middle which allowed her to sleep more comfortably. Another lucky break was that due to stronger than usual tail wind, the flying time was reduced by about half an hour. When Sereen was awake, we entertained her and took care of her but that was only for about 6 hours since she slept for a total of almost 8 hours in 3 naps. Samia and I were both able to get some sleep too and even sneaked in a 2 hour movie. One air hostess was so enamored with Sereen that she took her for a walk around the plane and we learnt later that she even got to meet the pilots. They said goodbye to her when we were leaving the plane and knew that we were traveling from Canada. It was a Delta airlines flight and the only blemish on an otherwise comfortable and well-serviced flight was the bland food. Sereen enjoyed her diaper changes in the airplane washroom because they allowed her much needed stretching breaks on the pull-down change table. Overall, the flight went well - more smoothly than we had expected.

After landing in Hong Kong, we had a couple of hours of layover which was just about sufficient to check-in with Cathay Pacific airlines for our next flight to Kuala Lumpur, stretch our legs, use the washroom, collect the baby stroller and gate-check it for the next flight along with the car seat. The flight from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur was only three and a half hours but it was the most challenging since by this time Sereen was tired, we were tired and there was no car seat to help either. Despite that, Sereen had a 15 minute spell of laughter which served as an energy boost for us. We finally landed in Kuala Lumpur past midnight just as Sunday was starting, thanks to the 15 hour time difference between Canada and Malaysia/Singapore. We passed through immigration, picked up our luggage, bought a local phone SIM card and then took a taxi to our hotel, Grand Hyatt, close to the Petronas Twin Towers. The airport is outside the city so the drive was about 45 minutes.

We reached our hotel room 31 hours after leaving home but still had a few things to do before we could sleep. After giving Sereen a bath, we showered and by the time we got in bed, it was almost 4 am. Technically, this update is for two days but the first day was a travel day. We had decided to not sleep for too long so that we could get over the jet lag and were up at 8:30 am and ready for breakfast. We made sure while booking our hotels for the entire trip that breakfast was included as part of all reservations. This was by far the most impressive breakfast spread that we have seen at any hotel. The breakfast lounge is on the 38th floor with great views of the city - you can see the Petronas Twin Towers and the KL Menara Tower gracing the city skyline. The multi-cultural breakfast included traditional western items such as cereal, croissants, omelettes, bread, yogurt, smoothies, fresh juices and also Malaysian, Chinese and Middle Eastern breakfast delicacies. We decided to have a heavy breakfast so that we could last longer and make the most of daytime.

Our first stop of the day was the Islamic Arts Museum. We took a taxi since it's quite difficult to take transit with Sereen's stroller and other stuff. After seeing a lot of churches and Christian history on our previous trips, it was the first time we were going to a museum which focused on Islamic history. The museum starts with a unique section housing detailed scale models of some of the most iconic mosques from around the world, including those from Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem, Central Asia, Pakistan, India, China, Western Africa and Asia Pacific. There was even a mosque from New Mexico State in the US. There was a guide on the design styles of mosques in each region that adapts the original style to incorporate distinctive local architectural elements. There were galleries displaying jewelry, arms, coins, metalwork, woodwork, ceramics and textiles from India, China and Malaysia. There was a Manuscript gallery displaying calligraphy and different scripts used for the Quran. A restored Ottoman room from a house built in Syria in the early 19th century is another highlight of the museum with its painted wood paneling and spectacular decorations. The history of all kingdoms and dynasties since the Prophet's time that have had Muslim rulers, including the history of the Mughal rulers of India was chronicled in different sections of the museum. Sereen slept in her stroller through our 2 hour exploration of the museum and only woke up towards the end.

Our next stop of the day was the KLCC Bird Park which is a 20 minute walk from the Islamic Arts Museum. The weather during our trip is going to be hot and humid with temperatures in the early to mid 30s. Sereen fell asleep again, probably helped by the high humidity and heat. Later when I checked my FitBit, I realized that the 20 minute walk had been categorized as riding a bicycle because I was pushing Sereen's stroller and the grip is similar! The bird park is the world's largest free-flight walk-in aviary with different sections for different birds. We saw over 200 species of birds. Lovebirds were very cute and the peacocks were magnificent. We even saw a monkey which Samia tried to scare away with the brochure in her hand. The "world of parrots" section dedicated to parrots of all kinds loudly chattering in flight was the most entertaining section but the highlight of the entire park was Samia getting her picture taken with two birds sitting on each of her hands. I'm always scared of such encounters so I decided to stand by Sereen's stroller on the pretense of protecting her. When Sereen woke up, her back was drenched in sweat so we sat down at the exit cafe under a fan to cool her down and had ice cream. Too bad Sereen can't eat solids yet otherwise she would've enjoyed the respite.

Our final stop of the day was the air conditioned Pavilion Mall. Sereen is a true Canadian and does not appreciate hot and humid weather but as soon as she sat in the air conditioned taxi, she was fine and kept babbling and playing even after we had reached the mall. It's an impressively organized mall so we went to the floor that has kids and maternity stores to shop for our little queen. In the center court of the mall, there was a special dragon dance show being put on to celebrate the Chinese New Year so we saw that at 6 pm. It was dinner time after shopping so we stopped at a Lebanese restaurant. The service was extremely slow but the food was good. We shared hummus for appetizer, I had beef and chicken shawarma platter and Samia had shish tawook. We took a taxi back to our hotel and then entertained our little emperor before going to bed. By the way, I'll be using the terms "sleeping" and "going to bed" quite loosely during this trip's updates. There is no such thing with a baby so waking up during the night to feed her, change her, put on a blanket, remove the blanket, blow her nose or even play with her to tire her out back to sleep are all part of the parenthood "sleep" routine. Till the next update, take care!

Italy Diaries - Day 20 - London to Calgary

On our last day of the trip, we woke up at 8 am and had in-room coffee. We finalized our packing, got ready and checked out around 10 am. We took a taxi to the London Bridge station where we bought peri peri chicken wraps before boarding the 10:42 am train to Gatwick airport. We ate our sandwiches during the train ride. After reaching the airport, we dropped off our bags, passed through security and waited in a lounge.

WestJet airlines had emailed us a few days back that they had changed the time of the fight from a departure of 11:15 am to 1:15 pm. When we checked-in, we found out that the flight was further delayed by 20 minutes. After everyone had boarded the aircraft by 1:35 pm, the pilot announced that the airport had suspended all activity because of a passing thunderstorm. Even after the weather had cleared up, we couldn't take off for another couple of hours. That meant that we sat in the plane for exactly three hours before it took off! Our total journey ended up being close to 12 hours instead of the scheduled 9 hours.

During the flight, we were quite hungry by the time the purchase-only dinner service started so we purchased three main courses instead of two. The cabin service was quite efficient with several rounds of complimentary beverages. Towards the end of the flight, we also bought a cheese tray for snacking. Overall, it was a comfortable flight. We slept for an hour at the start of the flight and another hour towards the end of the flight. During the rest of the flight - between meal, beverage, washroom and stretching breaks - Samia watched a couple of movies on her phone while I wrote the three updates for London that I hadn't had a chance to write earlier during the trip.

Our flight landed in Calgary at around 6:45 pm local time. We got a ride from Sarim to our home. On our way home, we stopped at a burger joint to have dinner. After reaching home, we did unpacking and laundry. It's back to work for me in the morning whereas Samia has some more days off till the weekend for resting. Hope you enjoyed reading the updates. Till our next travel adventure, take care and ciao!

Italy Diaries - Day 19 - London Part Three

We woke up at 8:30 am on our third day in London and started the day with in-room coffee and biscuits. Then we got ready and left our hotel at around 10 am. We stopped at another chain Pod for a proper breakfast. I had Turkish scrambled eggs - regular scrambled eggs with some veggies and black pepper as toppings. Samia had a bagel with cream cheese and we both had smoothies as well. Then we walked to the tube station and took the train to Westminster station.

Our main sightseeing attraction for the day was the Westminster Abbey. We did a tour of this old church that is a symbol of continuity of the royal family. We did the audio tour offered by the church. In typical British fashion, you see organization at its best. It's the first church we've been to that had full time staff walking around and you could ask them any questions. The audio tour is also laid out in the most efficient way with very clear directions and excellent narration. The church hosts royal weddings, coronation of the new monarch and funerals. It's also significant as the final resting place of many English monarchs and famous people. It was a little weird to walk on top of stones marked with the names of the people buried under them but I guess when you have to bury so many people over the course of centuries in what's not a huge church, that's the only option.

We saw graves of pioneer scientists like Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin and the so-called Poet's corner with the graves of many writers and poets like Charles Dickens, Jane Austin, William Wordsworth and CS Lewis among many others. We saw the resting place of many kings, queens, members of the royal family and dukes. The church itself is a fine example of gothic architecture with its ornate nave and the so-called lady chapel. We saw the main altar with its decorative floor of Italian tiles lined with semi-precious stones. It's the location where English monarchs have been coronated since the eleventh century. After doing the audio tour, we exited the church but not before we saw the original oak coronation chair that was last used in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth the second's coronation and will be used next time for her heir.

Then we took the tube to Oxford Street for some shopping. After that, we decided to stop at the Turkish restaurant where we had dinner a couple of days ago, this time for lunch. We tried their combo deal that came with 8 appetizers to share followed by two small main courses - lamb for me and chicken for Samia. All 8 appetizers were outstanding and included hummus, baba ghanoush, yogurt with beans, falafel, cheese pastry, eggplant, mahmara and fatoush salad. We then had Turkish tea before ending the splendid meal with kunafe for dessert. We decided to rest up so we took the tube back to our hotel to rest for about an hour.

We left at about 6 pm and took the tube to the Greenwich station. We were meeting Samia's aunt Phoppo Appa for dinner. As soon as you walk out of the station, you see the Greenwich line which is the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) line that's the standard reference used for specifying time zones around the world. We met her outside the O2 arena which is a huge complex for shopping and restaurants. We walked along the River Thames for a very peaceful walk, very much unlike the busy touristy path outside the Tower of London. The weather had cooled down after a hot day and the breeze was just perfect. We walked to a bench along the river bank and sat there for about an hour catching up with Phoppa Appa while savoring the serene sights that lay in front of us.

Then around 8:20 pm, we started walking back to the O2 arena and reached Jimmy's Restaurant. The restaurant was picked by Phoppo Appa and it was an excellent choice. The restaurant offered an all-you-can-eat buffet for a variety of cuisines - desi, Chinese, continental, Thai, sushi and of course desserts. There were also stalls where you could get freshly stir-fried noodles and fresh naans. It was a delightful dining experience and we made the most of it since we needed a few hours to do justice to the variety of offer but only had an hour before the restaurant closed at 10 pm. Dinner was a treat by Phoppo Appa. After dinner, we walked back together to the tube station and took the first train together to the junction station of London Bridge. After a splendid evening with Phoppo Appa, we then took the train back to our hotel and finalized our packing for our flight in the morning.

London has been the perfect end to our vacation. There is so much to do, so much to see and such excellent food that we have decided that we will continue coming back, perhaps for short stopovers on our trips to Pakistan and other parts of the world. The cosmopolitan mega city is a unique blend of history and the global modern world with excellent culinary options and a worthy transit system. For urban explorers like me and Samia, it's the perfect getaway. We were lucky to not get any rain so perhaps that's why our experience was so good but we'll put that to test by making London a frequent destination in future.

Italy Diaries - Day 18 - London Part Two

London is the relaxing leg of our trip so we had decided to sleep in and woke up around 10 am. Last night we had again purchased butter croissants from the grocery store across the road from our hotel so we had them for breakfast, in addition to the in-room coffee and biscuits. Sleeping in late was a great idea in terms of catching up on sleep but since that meant a longer gap between meals for Samia, she started having symptoms that she typically gets before the onset of a migraine. We walked to Eat for a proper breakfast comprising hot oatmeal (which is called porridge in England), toast with avocado spread and latte. Then we went back to our room and Samia rested some more while I opened the windows to let in fresh air. Thanks to the caffeine, food, oxygen and rest, we were able to quell Samia's migraine before it had started. Then we got ready and left for the day at around 2 pm.

We took the bus to a stop close to the Westminster bridge, another iconic bridge over the river Thames. We stopped at a Pakistani restaurant for lunch. I had chicken achaari with rice and Samia had a beef burger. I also had a samosa. The food was pretty good which was more than we expected as we had stopped at the first place we saw after getting off the bus. It was a much hotter day as compared to yesterday.

Our plan was to do a walking tour using Rick Steves' audio guide. We started in the middle of the Westminster bridge where we could see the giant Ferris wheel called the London Eye on the East End behind us. We then walked to the end of the bridge to perhaps the most famous icon of London, the Big Ben. This giant clock tower is on one corner of the Houses of Parliament. The Houses of Parliament used to be the royal residence in olden days but is now the location of the two Houses of Parliament - the lower house called the House of Commons and the upper house called the House of Lords. House of Commons and the MPs that comprise it are the real governing power of England. We also saw the offices of the MPs in a modern looking building that's the real seat of power in today's England.

We walked a little further down to the parliament square that has statues of some famous world leaders like Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. The parliament square sits between the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the adjoining smaller Saint Margaret's church and finally a boulevard called Whitehall that leads all the way to Trafalgar Square. We started walking along Whitehall and saw various departments' ministry buildings such as the foreign ministry and the defense ministry. We also saw the road that leads to Churchill War Rooms that chronicle the world war history. There were a few statues in the middle of the boulevard as memorials to women soldiers and a couple of generals. We also saw Downing Street being guarded by London policemen called bobbies. The Prime Minister's house at 10 Downing Street could be seen with a nondescript entrance a few houses down the street.

Our last stop of the walking tour was the Trafalgar Square, the important square that sits between the National Gallery, the road called The Mall that leads to Buckingham Palace and of course, Whitehall that leads back to Parliament Square. There was an event going on in the square where hundreds of Sikhs wearing orange turbans were present on the occasion of the anniversary of the 1984 massacre of Sikhs in India. We walked back to get an ice cream from McDonald's and then made our way to Churchill War Rooms. Unfortunately, we missed the last entry into the museum by two minutes so we decided to pass time in the Saint James Park across the road.

We sat there for about half an hour at a bench, savoring the shade of the green trees on the hot day with a view of a pond with different types of birds including pelicans. Then we started walking on a path that is a memorial for Princess Diana of Wales. We crossed a bridge that has some great views and then exited the park on to The Mall and continued walking towards the Buckingham Palace. It's the official residence of the Queen of England who is technically also the Queen of Canada. When I took my citizenship oath earlier this year, I swore allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the second and now here I was, at her residence, to thank her personally. Just kidding, the queen wasn't at the Palace which is signaled by flying the Union Jack on the palace. If she is in the building, the royal flag is flown instead. After having seen many palaces all over Europe, the Buckingham Palace didn't seem as grand as some of the others but it's unique because it's an active royal residence. We sat at the base of the giant statue of Queen Victoria in front of the palace for a few minutes before making our way to the closest bus stop.

We took the bus to Edgeware Road and passed the Marble Arch on our way. The Marble Arch was originally designed to be a part of the Buckingham Palace but Queen Victoria did not like it so it was moved where it stands today. We were meeting Samia's childhood friend Sameen and her husband Bilal for dinner on Edgeware Road. This road is quite well known to Pakistanis as many rich Pakistanis live around this area. Altaf Hussain, the in-exile leader of MQM also lives here. The road is dominated with Middle Eastern shops, shisha bars and restaurants. We met Sameen and Bilal at a Lebanese restaurant. We spent the next four hours chatting with them over dinner that was a treat by our friends. We had hummus, kibbeh and fatoush salad for appetizers. I had the mixed grill and Samia had chicken Shish Tawook for the main course and finally we had a Lebanese version of the Turkish dessert kunafe. After dinner, we took the bus back to a stop close to our hotel since the tube wasn't running anymore as it was pretty late. Then we walked back to our hotel and called it a night.

Italy Diaries - Day 17 - London Part One

We woke up at 7:30 am and after relaxing for about half an hour, we had the butter croissants that we had purchased the night before and then had complimentary in-room coffee with biscuits. Then we got ready and left the hotel at around 11 am. We stopped at a chain cafe called Eat that's one block away from our hotel for a second breakfast. I had an avocado and egg sandwich with ciabatta bread and Samia had a toast with avocado spread. We also shared a latte. All ingredients were fresh so everything tasted great.

Then we walked to a nearby bus stop and boarded the red double decker bus to London Bridge. When people think of the London Bridge, the image that comes to mind is that of a bridge that passes through two giant towers - that's not the London Bridge, it's the Tower Bridge. London Bridge is a very plain looking modern bridge and the name is perhaps more significant for a nearby station by the same name that's a major junction for the underground tube and rail service. Then we walked for about ten minutes to our main sightseeing attraction of the day, the Tower of London.

The Tower of London is a medieval complex of buildings that's still intact. It gets its name from a white tower that was one of the first buildings to be built within the complex. There is a main castle in the middle surrounded on all sides by towers and stone buildings, some of which serve as a museum now. One of the buildings is a chapel and one old barracks has been converted to a modern cafe for tourists. The buildings are behind a tall thick wall that used to be guarded. Beyond the thick wall used to be a moat filled with water and the other end of the moat was another thick guarded wall, shorter than the inner wall but still quite tall. There used to be only a couple of bridges connecting this fortress to the rest of the city but when those were drawn, it was virtually impossible to penetrate this stronghold. It was built in the mid-eleventh century by the then English king as a means of intimidating the residents of London with the power of the royal crown. Through the centuries, it was used as a prison for notorious criminals and enemies of the state and had state of the art torture techniques. Just outside the stone building complex is a small square that's now next to the ticket booth. This square has witnessed many executions that were carried out using a chopping block and axe. The axe and the chopping block are now on display inside the tower.

We bought our tickets and waited for about half an hour for the next guided tour of the Tower of London. These guided tours are conducted by the so-called beefeaters. These beefeaters were the guards of the tower and got the name because of the generous quota of beef that they got from the monarch. Currently, there are 35 beefeaters and to this day, they live with their families inside the tower. This was an extremely entertaining one hour long tour with typical British humor being employed while narrating gory stories and the history of the tower. We found out during the tour that among the many executed at the tower, some of them were members of the royal family that were executed on the monarch's orders. Specifically there was a king who had a few of his wives executed as they were unable to provide him with a male heir. We also found out about how one executioner botched an execution because he was drunk and needed seven strokes of the axe to kill the poor victim on his block!

After the guided tour, we went to the cafe to have lunch. To our surprise, unlike most tourist attraction cafes that offer very one dimensional food, it had a great variety of cuisines. We had a roast chicken leg with steamed veggies and butter chicken with rice. After the lunch, we got in line to see the most famous items housed inside the Tower of London - the Crown Jewels. We saw the scepters, orbs and crowns of various monarchs of the past including a crown that has the 530-carat Cullinan diamond from South Africa and the crown with the Koh-i-Noor diamond from India. We also saw the extravagant gold vessels that are used for royal coronations and important events. We also learnt that the royal crown can never leave England so when King George visited India just before the partition of British India, new crowns were forged for him and his queen to wear in India.

We also checked out the Fusiliers museum that pays tribute to the Fusilier soldiers of the British Crown. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the British is the continuity of traditions that they've held on to for centuries, with adaptations to keep up with changing times - they still follow royal protocols, still have a monarch, the palaces are active palaces, Westminster Abbey is an active church and in the same vein, the Fusiliers are active soldiers that still fight in wars around the world. There was a sample Fusilier backpack on display that people were invited to lift. It was very heavy and I could only briefly lift it, only to find out that the typical Fusilier backpack is much heavier than the one on display! Then we visited the Beauchamp tower where various prisoners who were held there for multiple years have left their mark on the walls in the form of engravings - quotes, last words or their coat of arms.

In the remaining time, we could've gone up some of the other towers or walked on the inner wall but instead we decided to visit the coin museum that's located inside what used to be the coin mint of the day located inside the tower. Now it's next to where the beefeaters live with their families. The coin museum chronicles the different techniques that were used over time to mint coins. We were surprised to find out that Sir Isaac Newton was the Master of the mint. When he wasn't busy theorizing gravity or the laws of motion, he would find new techniques to make the coin minting process more efficient. We learnt that to this day, British currency Pound Sterling has the face of the reigning monarch on it. This means that when a new monarch ascends to the throne after the much loved Queen Elizabeth the second, all currency will have to be reprinted. It was time for the Tower of London to be closed for the day so we decided to head out. Then we rested for a few minutes at a bench next to the River Thames and took a few pictures with the tower bridge in the background. We walked back to the London Bridge bus stop and took the bus back to our hotel where we rested for an hour.

We left for dinner around 6:30 pm and took the underground tube. London's transit system is the most comprehensive and efficient that we've witnessed anywhere in the world. Due to its coverage, it rivals the Japanese train system in Tokyo but is probably slightly better than the transit system of New York City or Paris. We got off at Oxford Street that's a lively shopping street. We passed through a narrow alley that opened into a square where our restaurant was located. It was a Turkish restaurant with delicious food and efficient service. We got hummus and mahmara for appetizers. My main course was a mixed grill plate with two types of lamb kababs and a chicken filet whereas Samia got chicken Shish Tawook. To make room for dessert, I had the traditional Turkish tea while Samia had mint tea. Then we had kunafe for dessert which is by far our most favorite middle eastern dessert. We don't have any Turkish restaurants in Calgary so the excellent depth of cosmopolitan London's culinary scene is our chance to enjoy delicious Turkish food. After dinner, we took the tube back to our hotel and went to bed.