European vacations

Trieste must rank as one of Europe’s most under-rated cities. Lying in the forgotten north-eastern corner of Italy, for years almost cut off from the rest of the country by the so-called Iron Curtain, the port city of Triests is neglected by the tourist crowds in favour of its better known and more beautiful sister venice. I must admit that passing through Trieste by train five years ago en route to Slovenija, there did not seem much to stop for. It seemed ordinary, nondescript, industrial, consisting solely of factories, cranes and mist. A town made to be forgotten…and forget it I did, until I happened across Ryanair’s website offering flights from London Stansted to Trieste Airport for a ridiculously low sum. A quick glance at a map, and my head was filled with ideas of a short trip to Slovenija, a country I had wanted to re-visit for some time. Trieste would just provide a convenient and cheap gateway, nothing more.

Despite its reputation as the most expensive city in the world (apart from Tokyo), London is definitely worth the visit. It takes several days to see everything, though. I suggest starting with one of the bus tours of the city. These allow you to see the outdoor sites (Big Ben, parliament, Buckingham Palace, etc.) without walking forever.

On our recent honeymoon my husband and I visited three big cities in Europe: London, Paris and Amsterdam. London was by far my favorite even though we were only there for three days. The climate, atmosphere and cleanliness reminded me a lot of Seattle. We stayed at the Goring Hotel which is right behind Buckingham Palace. The concierge was the most wonderful of any I have ever encountered while traveling. Friendly and efficient, he was able to secure front row seats for us to see Miss Saigon. We inquired in the morning and when we returned that afternoon from sight seeing our tickets were ready for us. I was expecting the English to be stuffy and stodgy, but found them to be extremely friendly and very helpful. If you are planning a short visit and want to see all of the main sites, I highly recommend an open top bus tour. For about $15 you get a 24 hour pass. The bus stops near the main attractions and you can hop off, do some site seeing and catch the bus again when you are finished. The banter of the tour guides can be somewhat silly (a la Disney Jungle Ride) but they do have a lot of useful and interesting information about the history and sites. It rained on and off the entire time we were there, but with warm jackets and an umbrella, we were not discouraged. A traditional English breakfast can be very fortifying, but if you plan to do a lot of walking I recommend fruit salad and yogurt as eggs and sausage might slow you down. Be sure to try the fish and chips at a pub or from a street vendor.

Properties
City
London
Region
England
Country
United Kingdom
World Region
Europe

As London”s most famous and most widely-visited store is Harrod”s, this opinions majors on that store. I have also tried to mention some other, similar stores for comparison purposes, and the whole thing is designed to be read by visitors as opposed to residents. If you live here, you know this stuff already.

In truth, the large department stores are not really the greatest places to go. If you want to do some real shopping, you want specialist arcades like Piccadilly & Knightsbridge, or more out of the way stores like Patrick Cox or Ghost. But, most visitors don”t want to spend all day getting to one shop for one pair of socks, so I”ll concentrate on the larger stores, and start with London”s most famous store - Harrod”s.

Note:I was told I could post more than one review of Scotland. I tried, but no dice. I guess Epinion wants all of Scotland in one novel. So I am posting this under museums since I do review 2 of them. Sorry, Peter, I tried. I don’t know how you get all of your Australia ones in but I love reading them. If somebody can clue me in, I will be thankful.

Review Topic: Sights & Attractions

Madame Tussaud’s, Marylebone Road

I went to this famous museum of wax figures against my

better judgement. I had a friend staying, and naturally

she had the choice of what to do and this is what she

chose.

The first problem was the queue to get in. We were there

in high season, but apparently there are queues even at

non-peak times as well. My advice is to get there early

in the morning to beat the rush.

It was a few years ago that we went, but Madame Tussaud’s

Not everyone has the chance to go to London; however, everyone should try to go at least once if only for the museums. London has over 200 museums which attract over 30 million people to visit them every year.

Accordingly I have put together a handy package of information regarding each of the major museums in London, including both their websites and basic directions to the museums if you’d be taking public transit. It goes without saying that any of London’s excellent “Black Cab” drivers would be more than happy to drop you off at any of these museums’ door! Since many of the museums are within a very small radius in central London this guide would be great for those with long layovers at either Heathrow or Gatwich (take the Heathrow or Gatwick Express train into central London to save some coin – cabs could run you 40 or 50 pounds for the trip)

The gray clouds roiled and scattered raindrops splattered the windshield as we made our Memorial Day pilgrimage to Arlington National Cemetery. As we entered through the main gate the sky started to lighten. We threaded our way to the corner of McClellan and Roosevelt Drives. The sun breached the overcast just as we reached our destination - the final resting place of 17 crewmen of the USS F-4.

ORDER OF BATTLE

At first glance, the order of events was similar to many Memorial Day services. The ceremony began with the Parade of Colors followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, the Invocation, Opening Remarks, and addresses by the Guest Speakers.

To talk about everything that is excellent in the city of Oxford, England would take a lifetime, but I will try to touch on the best things that I encountered on my trip there during the summer.

I was on a school trip to England over the summer, with a 10 day stay in London and a 17 day stay right outside of Oxford in Oxfordshire.