It was a sunny day, but also a bitterly cold winter day. It is alright when we walked under the sun, but once we stepped across that line from the sunny side into the shade, we entered another world -- a world with cold winds from all directions fiercely fighting against one another, and we unfortunately got swallowed up in the swirl of ravenous forces, leaving us helpless and vulnerable.

We fought bravely our way out of the war of winds; and we were rewarded with the beauty of the scenery, the vibrancy of the city, the richness of the different cultures and the harmony of old and modern architecture. Who cares about the nasty winds!!

Walking across London Bridge (opened in year 1973) from Monument station, our destination is Borough market. The Market has a long and twisting history, which could be traced as early as 43AD. In the 15th century, the market had been so successful that it attracted tons of traders all over Europe, and resulted in dreadful traffic problems. Since then it had been moved around along the south bank of river Thames. Not until 1756 did it finally settle into its trading at this current site. It is undoubtedly a lively, noisy and bustling place crowded with both tourists and locals.

On our way to Tower Bridge, we stopped at Hays Galleria for lunch. This is currently a shopping arcade composed of small stalls in the courtyard and with bigger stores and restaurants lining the main arcade. The whole courtyard is covered with a glass roof put in during the late 80s. Hays Galleria was once a wharf famous of its tea clippers and pioneered cold storage.

While we were walking along the river side, we could see this egg-shaped glass building, slanting backward as if it has been affected by the winds. It is, of course, the famous city hall of London. The shape actually bears a state-of-the-art architectural design in energy efficiency.

How can one resist going up to the Tower Bridge. There are 2 walkways on the higher level of the bridge, and here we took as many pictures as we liked, for there are special sliding viewing windows just for the keen photographers. We also learnt about the history of the bridge. Built in 1894, the bridge was a hydraulically operated bascule bridge, using steam power to operate the massive pumping engines. Since 1976, the hydraulic power has been driven by oil and electricity instead. The original pumping engines can still be seen in the Engine Room, which is situated under the bridge. The engines are exhibited with a very sophisticated lighting effect; as if they are being praised for their heroic past and respected for their close relationships with the bridge.