Travel – Page 15 – Manisha captures

Chinese New Year in Chinatown

on 28 January 20171 February 2017 By Manisha 1 Comment

Last week the preparations for one of the biggest festivities of the year started: Chinese New Year. To experience this event, we went to Chinatown, the best place to get a good impression of the celebrations in London. Not many of people know this about me, but my grandmother is Chinese so that makes me a quarter Chinese. This is one of the reasons why I was even more excited to visit Chinatown. I was totally amazed by the huge amount of red lanterns which were spread all across the streets. People were selling all kinds of fortune decorations and snacks, said their prayers and I even spotted someone in a big Pikachu costume (very Chinese, I know..). We had dinner in this area and it was definitely a good choice. After strolling along a lot of restaurants, we finally picked one and ordered fried rice and pancakes filled with roasted duck and veggies. Yum! To everyone who is celebrating this weekend: Happy Chinese New Year // Gong Xi Fat Choi!

The Southbank area

on 14 January 20178 February 2017 By Manisha 2 Comments

It was on a cold friday morning at 08:00 am that I decided to spontaneously visit the riverside of West-London. The advantage of being an early bird is that you can take pictures in peace, without ten other tourists trying to steal the best spots. It was pretty quiet in the area, so the perfect chance to take a good stroll and enjoy the surroundings. I stumbled upon the London Eye and later on the Big Ben, the absolute highlights of this area. Just when I wanted to cross the Westminster Bridge, it suddenly began to snow. I began to wonder if I would transform into an icecube once I made all the way to the end, but still decided to do it. And yes, it was worth it.

Oxford- & Bond street

on 11 January 201711 January 2017 By Manisha

For those who shop till they drop and the people who are not afraid of crowds, the shopping district in the West End is the place to be. I visited this area on the first day I arrived in London. My first reaction when I walked past the exit of the underground station: “THE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ARE STILL THERE!”. Yup, I was totally surprised and very happy I got the chance to see them in full glory. Londoners sure know how to treat their visitors well: the decorations were absolute eye-catchers. If you ever get the chance to visit London during Christmas time, I’d defenitely recommend it: witnessing this lush spectacle is an experience you’ll not easily forget.

How to get there? The best way to travel to this area is by underground. The red, blue and brown tube lines will take you to Oxford Circus, where you’ll immediately be in the heart of the city centre.