Jolly Ole' Blighty
In and around London, United Kingdom
"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." Samuel Johnson.
Even in the early 18th century, it was understood that London was the centre of the modern world. There's nothing that money can't buy in this properous and flourishing metropolos and accordingly, Londoners approach life with a certain air of self assuredness; confidence bordering on selfishness.
When I ask most people what they're doing in London and they'll rub their thumb and fingers together in the universal sign for 'money'; but dig a little deeper and they'll offer up 'culture', 'music', 'friendships' and sometimes even 'love'.
While, on the surface, London, like most cities, is a flashy, boisterous, dazzling flurry of folks trying to get from 'A' to 'B' in as few human interactions as possible, after nearly 4 years here, I've grown to love it's eccentricities (what do you mean there's no such thing as B.Y.O?!) and I'm quite able to look past the apparent disadvantages and see a city with much to offer traveller and resident alike.
So it is here that our journey begins; based in London, we're a mere 2 1/2 hours from mainland Europe. A perfect place for a long working holiday with plenty of trips to famous & imfamous places.
Simon joined me in April 2005, and we've travelled much of the UK together. Even more so than most of our English friends. This journal is as much for our records as it is for your amusement.
Louise x
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Lou & Simon
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1
Arrival...
After around two hours of mind-numbing travel on the tube (please mind the gap between the train and the platform) I finally arrive at Heathrow, the w... Continue reading » -
2
Abbey Road Studios
A Beatlemaniac's Mecca. Thousands of tourists every year make the pilgrimage; walking the short distance from St John's Wood tube station - as the... Continue reading »
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3
Verulamium.
Half an hour by train from London is the charmingly scenic St Albans, settled by the Romans around AD50 as Verulamium, it was their third largest city... Continue reading » -
4
Welcome to Paris.
"O est le commissariat de police?" or for the benefit of non-French speakers like myself, "Where is the police station?". Asked so that one might repo... Continue reading » -
5
Embassies in Paris
Making a fresh start on the Monday, Simon takes a brisk morning walk to the markets around the corner and brings back fresh fruit for breakfast, lifti... Continue reading » -
6
The palace and the chalet.
Escaping Paris for greener fields, we pick up our hire car and head out to Versailles, France's former capital and site of the signing of the Treaty o... Continue reading » -
7
R.I.P Jim Morrison
Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918), poet & soldier, coined term "surrealism";
Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923), actress;
Jean-François C... Continue reading »
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