London, England / Part 1

I initially wanted to make a list of things to do and places to go while I was in London for three days before heading to Exeter, but then I thought it would be a better idea to explore one of my dream cities without being tied down by any prearranged plans. So I randomly went about, and actually got a few pleasant surprises here and there!

Got up early the next morning and began my adventure (yep, got over jet lag after my sleep).

The exterior of the hotel that I stayed in, which is located in Kensington. I'm massively in love with the architecture :')

The famous red phone booth!

Love the flowers!

Didn't know there are halal restaurants here.

Kensington Gardens. So much greenery everywhere!

Prepare for a bombardment of photos of swans and the like. Apparently all swans in the UK belong to the Queen, therefore it is considered an offence to steal, kill, or eat them. That's... interesting.

Kensington Palace, with the statue of Queen Victoria. Was legit fangirl-ing here because it is Prince William and Kate Middleton's official residence - was thinking perhaps I might even get a glimpse of them! (Not even sure if they're in London at that time...)

Admission fee is £15 for adults and £12.40 for students. 

Timeline of the royal family printed on the doors in one of the rooms.

What a surprise to see Jimmy Choo's quote about Princess Diana there! Malaysian pride :') You probably can't read it but the words say "A naturally beautiful woman inside and out, and a lady of great warmth, humility and compassion." Awwww.

Wow... it feels surreal to actually stand at the spot where Princess Victoria and Prince Albert first met.

Queen Victoria held her first privy council meeting here at 11am on her first day as Queen on 20 June 1837.

This dress was worn by Queen Victoria, and it was very fashionable in the 1840s. It was typical of the style that the Queen liked, made with light colours and pretty floral and lace decoration.

Apparently she was a vivacious young woman who, together with her husband, loved parties and staying up late. Hmm who knew ;)

Not sure if this was really how they determine who to marry...

A few glass panels combined to form a 3D image.

Some of the royal children's toys.

Life-size dollhouse that belonged to Queen Victoria back then.

Notice Princess Diana's portrait in the background.

These are dresses over the years from the collections of Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950s, Princess Margaret in the 1960-70s and Princess Diana in the 1980s. Five rooms of dress displays explore how these women reflected the fashion of the day negotiating the rules of dressing fashionably within the 'rules' of a royal wardrobe.

Cute wallpaper at one of the corridors.

The King's staircase, leading up to the King's State Apartments.

The paintings on the walls are a recreation of George I's court in the 18th-century. They were completed in 1724 and replaced plain wooden paneling.

The Presence Chamber.

Impressive art on the ceiling in the Privy Chamber, one of Queen Caroline's favourite entertaining spaces.

The Cupola Room, apparently the most beautifully decorated room in the palace. George II and Queen Caroline used Kensington more often for entertaining than for official business. They were patrons of the composer Handel, who dedicated compositions to them and taught music to their children.

The King's Drawing Room, where courtiers would come in search of power and patronage.

Monopoly in the olden days hahaha.

Gorgeous view from the room!

A really cool magic lantern, which is a type of image projector that uses light to project the image painted on a sheet of glass.

The King's Gallery, the largest and longest of the state apartments. It was used for displaying pictures as well as for exercise.

In 1689, William III and Mary II were crowned as joint monarchs and they bought Kensington Palace and transformed it into a royal home. The Queen's apartments were where Mary lived.

The Queen's Staircase. Look at the striking contrast with the King's Staircase. It represents the obvious difference in power I suppose.

The Queen's Gallery, which was built in 1693 and was once filled with sumptuous artefacts, which include Turkish carpets, embroidered silk hangings and oriental porcelain. It was designed as a light and airy space for Mary to enjoy her hobbies such as walking, reading and needlework.

In the Queen's Drawing Room, porcelain pieces from China and Japan are displayed in neat rows.

The other side of Kensington Palace, which I guess is inhabited by the current royals.