Indian sweets from Wembley in London, England

A friend brought wonderful Indian sweets to a committee meeting in London England.

He bought them from a shop in Wembley. The sweets were rather like a soft marzipan in different colours, some with silver on top, great for a party or birthday or silver wedding. You could even put them on a birthday cake or use them to spell somebody's name.

The presentation box was lovely, but underneath the label seemed to be for the makers of the box rather than the shop and its contents. My friend could not remember the name of the shop. I suggested that he used to his phone to go online and enter the name of the area where he had shopped, and search for the shops and see if he could see a picture of the shop and recognise it, then give me the name. He quickly found me a picture of the shop front and address and rather than copy it down, I took a picture of the shop on his phone using my mobile phone.

If you find a great shop on your travels, take a picture of the outside to help your friends to find it.
The shop is Ashapura, Sweets and Savouries, Indian Takeaway, 42 Ealing Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA0 4 TL.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, author, speaker. 

A Tale Of Two Cities' Architecture: Singapore and London Landmarks and Skyscrapers

Returning to London from another city, such as Paris, New York or Singapore, you are struck by the Englishness of England and the layers of history. In the centre of the city you have the Victorian and Edwardian buildings. Around Regents Park are grand terraces of houses with columns, like the Nash Terraces. But out in the suburbs the semi-detached houses from the 1930s and landmark buildings and homes are equally delightful.

Driving through Wembley and Kingsbury, you pass two grand buildings, visible from many areas of London, the Wembley Arch, with its see-through centre. Close to it, when you are close up, you will see a modern building with two spiral towers. Unlike the regimented terraces of the 1800s, and the blocks of the 1950s, this is both modern and individual, totally unlike the stepped blocks beside it (to the left of the picture) attention-getting, like so many modern skyscrapers of Singapore.

On another route, if you plan carefully using an old fashioned map, or modern Satnav, you can pass the solid white Hindu Temple, intricately adorned.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Read more in a later post.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Street Lights in North West London: Hatch End, North Harrow, Stanmore, Watford

Here are the lights in 2015

In alphabetical order:

Harrow Lights


Hatch End Lights
See displays on lamp standards; and in the entrance of Fellini restaurant ;and the window of Bella's blooms. Decorated Christmas Cakes in the window of Genuine Cakes.

Tree and reindeer in the entrance to Fellini restaurant and Caffe.

North Harrow Lights
To be added. Friends, families, foes, strangers , shop keepers, restaurant owners, tourist boards, councils - anybody who has photos please send them to me. Add any option or credit you would like me to use.

Northwood Lights

Stanmore Lights and decorations 2015
Summer flowers in flower boxes on the railings and a winter tree with a five point star on top.

Stanmore street lights on lamp postsDriving from the station to the High Street approaching Prezzo restaurant on the leftStanmore street lights large white stars

More stars strung across the Stanmore shopping areas.

Watford Lights Inside Intu shopping mall 2015
White palm tree tops on columns. Very effective.

More pictures in my previous posts about Intu lights and Santa's Grotto in Intu.

Wembley Stadium Arch 2015
Lit at night, usually in white all year. Was decorated with the red white and blue of the French flag in honour of the French after the Paris bombing and in honour of visiting teams.
1 The arch can be see in Wembley; also from stations and in transit on the Metropolitan railway line, overground section, between Harrow and Baker Street.
2 Also when walking along the road on the pavement on the Morrisons side over the bridge over Hatch End station.
3 Also from Stanmore, driving towards Grimsdyke hotel or parking at the public car park opposite Grimsdyke Hotel, next to the pub.
4 Probably from many other places with views over London, such as hilltops in public parks, or high buildings such as malls, offices or blocks of flats overlooking London. Let me know of any places or public viewpoints you recommend.

If you have any photos of shops or shopping malls or high streets anywhere in the world which you wish to share, please send them to me.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
All photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Lights and What to see in Winter London: Wembley, Watford and Singapore streets and malls

In central London the major lite streets are Oxford Street and Regent Street. The major window displays are Harrods by the Knightsbridge station, Selfridges near Bond street, Carnaby street near Oxford Circus station, hamlets toy store in Regent street nearer the Oxford Circus station, but many people like to walk from Piccadilly and Piccadilly station along Regent street.

Wembley Arch
Travelling by bus or train, you can travel into London to see the lights. If you are travelling out of London, or into London, by train, you can see the Wembley arch lit up at night from the Metropolitan railway as you pass. Have your camera or smart phone ready.

Many shopping malls have lights. For example, Watford's Intu. Most of the London malls have more lights inside than out. Plus a Santa's grotto and entertainment in the middle.

Suburban Watford's Intu

Train for children to ride at Intu shopping mall (for a fee).

Double decker view of lights on columns at Intu, Watford.

Lights on one level at Intu, Watford, England at night.

Intu lights in the day time - still a fairyland.

Singapore's Changi and Orchard Road
Changi airport has changing exhibitions in the departure and arrival halls, even on the carousels. Expect Christmas lights, Christmas trees and piped music of carols, instrumental or with words.

Singapore has lights along Orchard road, the main shopping street with several large malls. You also hear carols. Singapore tends to have the big displays over the front of the mall, sometimes overhead above pedestrians, best seen from across the road or from the upper deck of buses or from the overhead light railway in the suburbs. If you want refuge from the rain or to hide from the haze, an indoor walkway runs under Orchard Road from the huge underground shopping complex below the central Orchard station on basements one and two. You can come up again at any of the malls, such as Ngee Ann City towers.

Diwali
In London Diwali is celebrated with fireworks. Diwali will be celebrated with lights in Little India in Singapore.

Chinese new Year
Chinese New Year decoration will be all over Singapore, in the centre, and the atriums of the larger hotels, as well as in Chinatown's streets and malls.

Red and orange lanterns appear everywhere in Singapore, for Chinese festivals, including swimming pools and public areas and walkways of government and private housing estates.

More information and photos:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3323408/Aux-armes-citoyens-Fan-s-video-shows-incredibly-emotional-Wembley-moment-English-French-supporters-joined-sing-La-Marseillaise-tribute-victims-Paris-attacks.html

See later post Nov 19 2015 for photo of Wembley arch in tricolour. 

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
Pictures will be added later today, Wednesday.

Ice Skating In London, England

Yes, there's ice skating on temporary ice rinks where you can hire ice skates, all over London. Wembley, for example. The way the temperatures are going, we soon won't need ice rinks.