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.
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.
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.
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