LONDON
Hi, and welcome to my blog! I would love to share my adventures with you! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I will start off with London...
COMMUTING:
One of London's best features is the easy commute tube system. Wherever you see this sign, be sure that there is a station near you. It is difficult to get lost, so if you do, well ... enough said! Each station is clearly marked with it's own name, and you can follow your route inside the train looking at the map. In most cases, the "conductor" will announce the next station and the final destination. Oh, and mind the gap, will you?
TIP: The most affordable way to travel in London is the Day Travel Card. It allows you to travel the whole day on ANYTHING, be it the bus/tube, you are sure to get there without having to worry about getting tickets everything. (Cheaper too)
Here is a pic of the tube map to familiarize yourself. (Click on image to enlarge) This will make it easier for you to plan the shortest and easiest route to your destination.
LONDON CITY
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
Closest Tube Station: Trafalgar Square/Charring X
On the left is Trafalgar Square, a great place to visit, and also close to St. Paul's Cathedral and the National Museum. For great shopping, check out Oxford Street. Be sure to wear your most comfy shoes and take your umbrella, just in case. ...Pic on the right is St. Paul's Cathedral.
TOWER BRIDGE
Closest Tube Station: Tower Bridge
TIP: Go and see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and hear the history of Tower Bridge, it is fascinating! ...If you are lucky, you can watch as the bridge opens its doors to incoming ships! A must see for history lovers.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Closest Tube Station: Westminster
Where you will find the BIG BEN.
THE LONDON EYE
Closest Tube Station: Waterloo
You just have to go on this one, it costs around 7 pounds stirling (that was in 2000, though, not sure of price now.) It goes around in 45 minutes, and you get a great view of London and Westminster.
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES PUB
Closest Tube Station: Embankment
This pub has all sorts of memorabilia and cool stuff to check out from the Sherlock Holmes era.
The Sherlock Holmes Pub, Rice Howard Way, Edmonton, AB. A great pub to visit if you are a fan.
LONDON DUNGEON
Closest Tube Station: London Bridge
The Dungeon, situated beneath London Bridge Station on Tooley Street, Southwark, was first opened in 1975, and is now a world renowned attraction welcoming more than 750,000 visitors every year. It is worth a visit if you are not faint of heart!
CAMDEN MARKET
Closest tube station: Camden Town
Located in Camden Town, one of the best markets if you are a Shop-aholic like me! One place you just HAVE to go to while in London. It is more important than going to the museum. Trust me. TIP: Comfy shoes!!!
This little "Village" has a huge variety of shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs and live music venues such as The Roundhouse where Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and The Rolling Stones performed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
CONTIKI TOUR - EUROPE
THE EUROPEAN HORIZON TOUR (06/2000)
Featuring: Belgium (in transit), Holland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France.
Finally we come to the exiting bit! We started our amazing trip in a Big Contiki bus.
Duration of this tour is around 10 days - very short, I know, but for those who want more time and see more countries, check out the tours on the
Contiki WebsiteTRIP ITINERARY:
Day 1: London to Amsterdam: Meet your Contiki Crew as we head for the White Cliffs of Dover and our cross-Channel ferry to France. We continue through Belgium to the Netherlands and its capital, Amsterdam. First an orientation tour before spending the evening in Amsterdam.
TIP: Keep an eye out for cyclists! Everyone here has one. Also check out the Red Light District - on the left - Take a boat tour and have some home made apple cider. While you are at it, explore the town a bit and have speciality coffee at one of their shops. (It has extra "Kick"). There is the Van Gough Meuseum, Diamond Factory to explore. Take a Tram! The city seems to thrive on its mix and, despite hordes of tourists, still manages to feel quintessentially Dutch. The old crooked houses, the cobbled streets, the tree-lined canals and the generous parks all contribute to the atmosphere.
Day 3: Amsterdam to Rhine Valley: A free morning to enjoy the delights of Amsterdam (make sure to keep your street map handy when visiting the City), before we drive to Germany and the Rhine Valley. We stop in the picturesque town of St.Goar.There are lots of little shops to visit in the City.
The mighty slate rock Lorelei in the Romantic Rhine Valley - around 16 miles/ 25 km from Rudesheim and 50 miles/80 km from Frankfurt airport - rises up almost vertically to 145 yards/132m above the water-level. Downstream the river is squeezed into its narrowest and deepest (24 yards/22m) point, so the Middle Rhine at this point used to be very difficult to navigate and the correct passage is (today) clearly marked with buoys.
Hence the tale of the mermaid, Lorelei, that sang to the sailors, they got so mesmorized that they crashed on the banks of the river...
Day 4: Rhine Valley to Munich: We follow the Rhine on our way to Bavaria and its capital, Munich. On our orientation tour, see the Marienplatz and Glockenspiel.
Tonight a chance to experience a Bavarian beer hall.
Day 5: Munich to Hopfgarten - Austrian Tyrol: We travel south into the heart of the Austrian Tyrol. A chance to relax in this picture postcard paradise.
Day 6: Hopfgarten to Venice: Spectacular scenery as we head south to Venice. A motorboat takes you onto the Islands to see St. MarkÂ’s Square, the DogesÂ’ Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and why not treat yourself to a gondola ride.
TIP: Do not touch the water as it is filthy.
Day 7: Venice to Lauterbrunnen - Swiss Alps: A magnificent Alpine drive takes us past Lake Como and climbs into Switzerland. Lakeside Lucerne awaits with its cobbled streets. Our orientation tour takes in the wooden Chapel Bridge. An opportunity to see the Lion Monument. Tonight, stay at the base of the Jungfrau in the beautiful Swiss Alps.
Day 8: Swiss Alps at Leisure: Choose to hike the many trails or enjoy a trip up the snow-covered Jungfrau mountain on a cog railway that passes through the Eiger mountain.
Day 9: Lauterbrunnen to Paris: Through the French countryside to the romance of Paris.
Day 10: Paris Sightseeing: This morning on our city tour we see the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Nôtre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre. Visit a French perfume house and later an opportunity to discover the Opera district or one of the many attractions that Paris has to offer. This evening why not experience a Parisian cabaret.
Day 11: Paris: This morning your scheduled tour ends at your accommodation. After breakfast but before 10am, there will be a transfer for you to Paris where you can spend a few hours sight seeing and going up the Eiffel Tower.
Hi, and welcome to my blog! I would love to share my adventures with you! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I will start off with London...
One of London's best features is the easy commute tube system. Wherever you see this sign, be sure that there is a station near you. It is difficult to get lost, so if you do, well ... enough said! Each station is clearly marked with it's own name, and you can follow your route inside the train looking at the map. In most cases, the "conductor" will announce the next station and the final destination. Oh, and mind the gap, will you?
TIP: The most affordable way to travel in London is the Day Travel Card. It allows you to travel the whole day on ANYTHING, be it the bus/tube, you are sure to get there without having to worry about getting tickets everything. (Cheaper too)
Here is a pic of the tube map to familiarize yourself. (Click on image to enlarge) This will make it easier for you to plan the shortest and easiest route to your destination.
TIP: Go and see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and hear the history of Tower Bridge, it is fascinating! ...If you are lucky, you can watch as the bridge opens its doors to incoming ships! A must see for history lovers.
Where you will find the BIG BEN.
Closest Tube Station: Embankment
LONDON DUNGEON
