Why London is the Best European Capitol I've Visited

Disclaimer: I initially wrote this on my iPod on one of my long train rides somewhere in Belgium/Netherlands/Luxembourg.  They all blurred together.  I have tried to correct my thumbs' typos.

Also, I didn't write this to be negative about cities that aren't London.  I'm just pointing out differences that made my travels a bit annoying at times.

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Berlin is too spread out.  It's pretty impossible to walk from landmark to landmark, and the U/S bahn stations are far away from some of the landmarks (I.e. museum island).  Distance is important when you have to factor in walking through the museum/around the landmark.  Don't get me wrong - it's still nice to walk around and see the city, just make sure you know where you're going ahead of time so you don't walk more than necessary.

If you're in Zone 1, tourist London is walkable.  The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace is pretty long, but if you want the real experience of visiting (i.e. looking at) the castle, it's the way you have to go, not Green Park.  Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus (I really don't get why this is such a tourist destination), and Trafalgar Square are near enough to St Paul's Cathedral, which is by Millennium Bridge and the Tate Modern.  Trafalgar Square et. al. are also near enough Parliament and Westminster Abbey, which are by the London Eye.
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To me, Brussels felt very unsafe.  Restaurants are pricy, even away from the tourist area, or involve deep fried things.  In a city known for waffles and french fries (which autocorrect just aptly changed to "franchise fries"), I suppose one shouldn't have high expectations regarding affordable cuisine.  I ended up just walking around for 2 hours, then giving up and retreating to my hostel at 5 PM.  I just wasn't interested in what I saw.  Everyone told me to go to Brugges or Ghent instead, but they were too far, and I had to leave from Brussels the next day.

Sure, England doesn't have the best food related reputation, but I beg to differ.  Most pubs provide decent meals, and places like EAT and Pret a Manger have tasty pre-packaged sandwiches made fresh every day.  Grab them and take them to a park with a drink....great way to have lunch without just sitting in a restaurant.

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Luxembourg is made up of a high city and a low city, which means there is a part-between-the-cities which involves being high and gradually becoming low, or, worse, the opposite.  As far as I could tell, there were no buses in the low city, so it's all leg work.

Aside from some slight inclines, London proper is pretty darned flat.  This is obviously counting out Hampstead.
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Amsterdam is expensive an overcrowded.  And Holland doesn't accept €.01/02 coins, so things get rounded up and you're shorted change you'd receive pretty much anywhere else. The Rijksmuseum won't be fully open until next year, meaning only part of the exhibition is visible. This means the same amount of tourists is jammed into 1/10 the space, and is paying the fully-opened entrance price of €14.  And there is no student rate. Under 18s are free, but thats it.  I was told how much a night at het Concertgebouw costs.  Ouch.

London's museums are free for everyone.  Tickets to the major orchestras and operas can be bought for under £10.  Sure, living is expensive, but tourists can stay in hostels for around £22/night.
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Dublin.  I spent most of my time at a concert, touring the Jameson distillery, or locked in a Starbucks bathroom, so I didn't form much of an opinion.  It's a lot like a smaller, more compact, hillier, Irish-er London.  River through the middle, and all.  I want to go back.

I haven't visited Paris, but general consensus seems to be that it's overrated and dirty, yet obviously a must-see.

It's now 10:30.  I'm moved into my own room, complete with a balcony overlooking the garden.  There's currently a ladder in place of a non-yet-built staircase to the garden, but it's still accessible.  

Upon opening my large suitcase, which was delivered by courier today, I discovered that a full bottle of face scrub burst, making a massive mess.  Also, TSA went through the bag, and failed to put my bottle of ink back in its secure niche.  They also didn't tighten the lid, so there was expensive ink dripped throughout my paintbrushes.  Filing a claim.  The ink is pricy, and it ruined a shirt, as well as an eraser, and likely some brushes.

Sunday's task will be sorting out my 1000 photos.  Until then.

I am a Jelly Doughnut

Disclaimer - I am on a German computer, and I don't know where any of the keys are.  Every word has a red squiggly line under it as I type, too.
...and all of my y-s are trying to be z-s.
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I come to you now on my final full day in Berlin with the incredible Julia.  It's hard to believe that we've put up with each other for 8 years, when she was an exchange student at FHS.  Look back to http://ashleydonaldson.blogspot.de/2009/08/prost.html and http://ashleydonaldson.blogspot.de/2009/08/and-now-end-is-near.html for youthful accounts of my visit to her in Munich in 2009.

The train ride to Berlin was about 8 hours long.  Somehow the German train system was not punctual, so I arrived 30 minutes later than anticipated.  Julia picked me up, drove back to her apartment, then exchanged my suitcase for her puppy, and drove to the Brandenburg Gate.  Lucy, the puppy, had her picture taken in front of Bellevue, where the President lives, the Siegessäule, and the Brandenburg Gate.  We enjoyed a coffee at Pariser Platz (next to the Gate, and where Julia works).

Monday, I arrived at the Pergamon Museum a few minutes before they opened.  I stayed for a little over an hour, then wandered on my merry way.  I took many photos, but forgot my sketchbook.  For that reason, I didn't bother paying to go into the Cathedral, as I would have wanted to sit and draw.

Instead, I aimlessly walked, eventually ending up at Alexanderplatz, where I bought a new memory card.  Yay for being able to take pictures of whatever I want, now!  I will not be able to upload any until I am back in London, though.

After relaxing in a Starbucks that had internet, I returned to the apartment to rest.  The afternoon was spent in a local park, where a lady angrily asked for directions.  I could not help, as I didn't understand the word for the place she was trying to find.  When she rode past me later, she hissed and asked, "I thought you didn't know where it was."  A lake, apparently.  Which was right next to us.

Tuesday, I hunted for the Berlin Philharmonie, with only a vague idea of where it was.  Luckily I found some maps along the way - it was like a treasure hunt.  The place was under construction, so I just shot some photos and walked on.  Moments later, a sign appeared: "Musical Instrument Museum - 50m."

During my 2.5/3 hours at the MIM, I learned that, before the war, they originally had a collection of 4500 instruments.  After the war, it was battered down to 700.  Some of the broken and destroyed instruments are still on display near the front door.  The collection is now back up to a healthy >3000, including the fortepiano on which Weber composed Der Freschütz, Ben Franklin's glass harmonica, and the piano Lizst is playing in the painting, "Franz Liszt Fantasizing at the Piano" which possibly includes my Berlioz standing off to the left.

I saw the painting itself later that afternoon at the Altes Nationalgallerie.  There was also a room full of Caspar David Friedrich, some incredible paintings of locations I had just seen the day before (Opera, Neue Wache - a 19th century war memorial), etc. etc.  I left full of inspiration, with names of artists I'd never heard, and some examples of texture I one day hope to be able to emulate.

Wednesday, a very hot and sunny day, Julia, Lucy, and I drove to Potsdam, stopping along the way at the Wannsee (a large lake between Berlin and Potsdam).  In Potsdam, we took a carriage ride around the park Sanssouci.  The ride (in a carriage of 20 people) ended up being more of just...a ride/escape from the sun.  There was narration (pre-recorded), but not much actual "seeing."  A 15 minute break at the Neues Palais provided some nice photos, at least.

Today I am resting and entertaining Lucy.  Today is even hotter than yesterday, so it will mostly be spent inside.

Early in the morning, I will be on the train to the Netherlands.  I am very excited to see yet another new place - one I have been looking forward to for a long time.  A huge fan of Dutch artists, I am ready to plant myself somewhere and just draw away a day.  Plenty of photos will be taken, as always, and hopefully at least one of them will turn into a painting.

Caio