You didn’t think their were cobras in England, did you?
There are. Outside a zoo, you can find India’s Cobra Beer. I saw bottles of the lager at the market and had to buy it. How could I not?
Two quarts of the liquid left me feeling as if I was full of Cobra venom (the liberal imbibing of red wine with dinner may have exacerbated the effects of the Cobra Beer).
I slept badly, as I do after drinking. Hot, then cold. Cold, then hot. With Mrs. Stevo sleeping blissfully beside me, I tossed and turned. The drink, and not being in the habit of having the wee blast furnace next to me, left me in a confused state come morning.
There is much to do. I leave for London on Monday. My flight to Hong Kong leaves Thursday. Two days in the nation’s capital. Enough time? Probably not.
I had arranged to stay with a friend of a friend. I have learned he is not in London, but in Reading, an 18 pound train ride from London. (Do you know how far I could travel by train in China for 18 pounds?) I’m hostel shopping. I may have found a nice one in Zone 2, a quick train ride away from Heathrow Airport – I’ll be close by for my midday flight on Thursday.
Canterbury, the ancient cathedral and inspiration for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales was where I wanted to go. Alas, not enough time. I like old churches, which is ironic as I have little faith and tend to mock organized religion. I have visited several churches while in England. Maybe it’s the quiet that seems to seep from every pore of the building. Maybe this explains my love of libraries….
So, London. With money given by Mrs. Stevo. There is nowhere in England to use a Chinese ATM card. A program between China’s Union Pay system and the UK’s Link ATM system is in the offing, but that’s too late to be of help to me. (A similar thing happened to a friend traveling in Cambodia. He didn’t have enough money to pay the exit fee at the airport when he tried to leave. He had to beg for $5 US in the departure lounge, accompanied by Cambodian police.)
London. What to see? More importantly: What to see in London on-the-cheap. My only must-see is London’s Highgate Cemetery. Yes, I’m peculiar. I’ve wanted to visit this cemetery, the resting place of Karl Marx, for years. The western area of High Gate, complete with Victorian Crypts and strange Egyptian monuments, only has tours on the weekend. Just my luck. I’ll have to make do with Karl and the residents of High Gate Cemetery’s Eastern area.
The Tower of London? London Bridge? Buckingham Palace? Help! Anyone? Anyone? Throw The Stevo a bone. Have you visited London? Give me a recommendation – what should I see and shoot?
Good call on Highgate Cemetary, it is great on both sides, although it is a tad annoying that the more overgrown and wilder western bit is weekend tours only. If you’re up there anyway, you amy as well wander down the hill afterwards onto Hampstead Heath, from where (Parliament Hill) you have the best view in London.
If you want cheap, all the big state museums & galleries are free (Natural History Museum, Science Museum, British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Gallery & Tate Modern). I think they’re all great, although depends what you’re interested in. Buckingham Palace – don’t bother, it’s shit. Tower of London – obscenely over-priced, huge queues, better history on offer in the British Museum.
You could probably have fun wandering around the City now laughing at all the bankers who’ve messed up the global economy too. Lots of cool little churches there too, incongruously tucked away in between the huge banks as the only reminder that the area was the original heart of London.
Itinerant Geoff´s last blog post..Video: Howler Monkeys in Tikal
If you like churches, there’s the Temple Church (their visiting hours are pretty restricted so you might want to check online for the schedule). It was free when we visited, but that was a few years ago. It’s also easy to get a little lost wandering around the Inns of Court. Directions are online. Since you’ll be near Fleet Street, there’s a church of/for the press over there, too (St. Bride’s).
Westminster Abbey is chock full of kings and history, but kind of expensive. St. Paul’s is interesting, too. If you go to St. Paul’s be sure to climb up to the galleries.
St. Martin in the Fields in Trafalgar Square is free (they have free lunch time concerts, too).
You could just walk around and find plenty to look at and shoot pictures of. There are garden areas along the River Thames that are worth a stroll. Or you could go over to Greenwich and stand on the Prime Meridian. There’s a great view of London from Primrose Hill, but that’s a bit of a hike. Piccadilly Circus at night, Big Ben, the Tower Bridge. And as Itinerant Geoff mentioned, the museums are free. I think you could wander around the British Museum for a year and still not see everything.
Here: http://www.londontourist.org/itinerary.html
That might give you some ideas.
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Cobra Beer- I love it!
When I was in St. Kitts a few weeks ago, I saw an advertisement for Stag Beer. The tagline? “The Man’s Beer.”
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Hmm, I’ve never felt mocked by you, Stevo.
I also know nothing about London, so no help there.
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London is on my “to do” list, so I am by no means an expert.
I am however, a bit of a beer connoisseur. If you want to try another Indian brew I can recommend Soumitree. Not sure you’ll find it there. Look forward to seeing your photos from the adventure.
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Go to one of the many markets around town. I don’t remember which one I went to; I just remember eating all kinds of street food that was so good. There’s so many of them, I’m sure you can find one on one of the days you are there. I’m sure a British market will be quite the change from the Chinese markets!
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The British Museum and the Sir John Soane Museum. best two places in London, bar none.
Good times in England then huh? Can’t wait for the photos
Nomadic Matt´s last blog post..The Saturday City: Bordeaux
I would recommend the Thames through Westminster, at night, great shots of the bridges, big ben, london eye and the houses of parliament all in a short taxi ride from each other!
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