Singapore Zoo

Orangutans at the Singapore Zoo

Recently awarded with the ‘Best Leisure Attraction Experience Award’ in the 20th Singapore Tourism Awards, Singapore Zoo is undoubtedly one of the prime tourist attractions of Singapore. One of the most beautiful zoos in the world, Singapore Zoo was formerly known as Singapore Zoological Gardens. Spread over an area of 28 hectares, Singapore Zoo is a one-stop platform where you can observe the great wildlife of Singapore.

Singapore Zoo is not just about watching different animals and birds. With a variety of interactive shows giving all the details about the animals of the zoo, a visit to the Singapore Zoo is an altogether educational experience. These shows are held in the amphitheaters of Singapore Zoo and serve as an effective way to spread the message of wildlife conservation. The “Wonders of the Wild” show is the latest addition to the series of shows that are conducted in Singapore Zoo.

Singapore Zoo is an abode to a variety of monkeys and apes. You are sure to have a rendezvous with some of the rarest monkeys in the world at the well-maintained Singapore Zoo. Peacocks, Spider Monkeys, Langurs, Lemurs and Guinea Fowl are some of the free-ranging animals and birds that you will get to see in Singapore Zoo. Singapore Zoo is a great place for kids as it allows them to touch and feed different farm animals.

For the convenience of tourists from Japan and China, there are different languages like Japanese and Chinese incorporated on the signboards at the zoo. The facility of having breakfast and a cup of tea sitting next to an Orang Utan makes a trip to the Singapore Zoo an experience of a lifetime! Not only this, you can even take snaps with the grinning chimps at the zoo. Feel free to capture those Kodak moments in your camera during your tour to Singapore Zoo.

Entry fee for an adult is $20, for a child is $13, and for senior citizens is $11. Children below 3 years of age are freely admitted. Boat and tram rides cost extra.

Westminster Abbey, London

Westminster Abbey, London at the time of Sunrise

Westminster Abbey is basically a Gothic Church and its profile is more of a Cathedral located in Westminster, towards the west side of the Palace of Westminster. It serves as the venue of coronation as well as burial of the British monarchy.

Westminster Abbey is a stunning architectural marvel, which dots the London city landscape. The Abbey has been the venue for every Coronation that has taken place since 1066 in Britain. Today it still serves as a church and is one of the most preferred places of Christian congregation in London. However, one has to bear in mind that the Abbey is neither a parish church nor a cathedral, but somewhere in between.

A staggering 3,000 people are buried here and one the most revered monuments is the one which has the engraving written as – “The Unknown Warrior”. The Lady Chapel in particular is splendid and has a stunning fan vaulted roof. The superb craftsmanship of renowned Italian sculptor Pietro Torrigiano is amply evident in the grave of Henry VII.

The year 1540 saw the culmination of the medieval monastery. Of course, during its 900-year-old history, the Abbey has witnessed lot of renovation and even extension, but the core area has remained unchanged.

The transepts which are located to the north and south are a virtual treasure trove. The southern transepts which is popularly called as Statesman’s Aisle has the graves of renowned personalities like William Pitt, Charles Fox, William Gladstone, Benjamin Disraeli to name just a few.

The south transept, on the other hand, is known for its beautiful rose windows, the glasses of which dates back to 1902. You will marvel at the two exquisite 13th century wall paintings that adorn the door to St. Faith’s Chapel.

One of the most popular facade of the Abbey is the Poet’s Corner. The first poet to be buried at Poet’s Corner was Geoffrey Chaucer. Even the great Edmund Spencer was buried here. William Shakespeare who was originally buried at Stratford-upon-Avon was moved here in 1740, when a monument designed by William Kent in honor of the great poet appeared in Poet’s Corner.

The Chapter House is one of the must-see places at the Abbey. It was from here that the monastery functioned and it also used to be the venue where the parliament met in the 14th century.

No visit to Westminster Abbey is complete without a visit to the library, which has an impressive collection of historical books, manuscripts and archived materials