Fourth and final installment of England A-Z. Enjoy!
S St. Christopher's Inn The St. Christopher's Inn is a youth hostel in Edinburgh where I stayed when visiting Edinburgh. It is located in the city centre and facing the Balmoral Hotel (so you don't forget how close and yet far away from it you are). It is a decent hostel and for everybody wanting to save money, I can warmly recommend it. The staff is really nice, the breakfast good and the have an adjacent pub where you can sit in the evening, chatting, drinking and listening to folk music. It is also opposite the Edinburgh Dungeons, for all the fans of horror among you. https://www.st-christophers.co.uk/edinburgh-hostels?gclid=CjwKEAjws5zABRDqkoOniLqfywESJACjdoiGrWh8bsq5p1zQFOm4MQOOJvR2cYeSCyYfGi8yks6YhhoC_GHw_wcB Shard, The I think it is hardly necessary to explain what the Shard is, but for all the people who have lived on the moon in the past years: it is the tallest building in London, England, United Kingdom and the fourth tallest building in Europe. When my man visited, he insisted on going, so we went up and had a look. Honestly, I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. I didn't feel THE difference everyone was talking about and thirty pounds for walking around for twenty minutes and then leave again is really overpriced. Rather use your money for attractions like Madame Tussaud's, Sea Life, London Dungeon or the Harry Potter Studios (my personal favourite). T Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey is a monastery ruin in Tintern Abbey in Wales from the 12th century. My man and I visited it when we went to Wales and Gloucestershire. It is a majestic ruin in the middle of the valley and looks pretty creepy and imposing. From Chepstow, you can take a bus there (which runs like three times a day, honestly, not much more often, so inform yourself well), or you can wander there on a three-hour-hike, as my man and I did. When hiking, you walk over the crest of the hill and first see it from the top before wandering down to the valley and being able to take a closer look. You can also go inside, but there is an entry fee. But even if you decide not to go in, it is pretty grand from the outside, too. Definitely a must for fans of architecture, history and a creepy atmosphere. Two-Screen-Cinema Located at Leicester Square, this cinema regularly shows sing-a-long-as where you can sing along to movies like Frozen, Pitch Perfect, etc. N and I went there once to see Frozen and it was one of the most entertaining evenings of my life. It is not only singing along but a full event of cheering, booing, shouting obscenities out and gesticulating wildly. A nightmare for every introverted person, but fun with no limits. U Urban Lifestyle Living in London means living in an urban and cosmopolitan surrounding. Everything there is, you can find in London, which makes it so awesome. You can see all shows your heart could desire, eat food from every corner of the world and meet people from all around the globe. When in London, stop for a moment, take a deep breath and take in the smell of urbanity, variation, multiculturalism and then smile. Smile broadly. V Variety Also mentioned in the post above (what am I supposed to do? there isn't much with V...), variety and diversity are definitely one of the things I liked best in London. People are more open-minded, diversity is embraced and variety welcomed. You can find all sorts of events in London, from elegant to casual to absolutely freaking crazy - AND, you will always find nice people on the way. W Wales It is my goal to visit all of the countries belonging to the UK. This year I made good progress. After my trip to Scotland in autumn, I managed to travel to Wales in spring. Admittedly, it was just across the border from Gloucestershire, but Wales is Wales. I know I talked about Wales dismissively in one of my early entries, but you should know, I never mean this things. EVERYONE makes jokes about Wales being a gigantic sheep meadow and, funnily enough, the first thing we saw when we crossed the border to Wales, was a field with sheep grazing on it. But honestly, Wales is beautiful and I enjoyed hiking there with my man (yes, you read right). It is a soft green, the people are nice and the food is hearty. Not for fans interested in the big city experience, but a must for everyone else. Waterstones If you have been following my blog, you already read my entry about the bookstore Waterstones and how much I love it. Well, here I go again. I ABSOLUTELY love it! It is not only a bookstore, for me it is THE bookstore. You might feel different, but once you have sipped your tea at the top of Waterstones in one of their lovely cafés and read a book or written something on your laptop, I am sure you will agree with me. Y Yummy/Yucky First, thank you to N who brought this idea for Y to me (I was desperate at this point and had already lost X, I didn't want to lose Y, too, so thank you). Yummy/Yucky is about the British food. It has most likely the worst reputation of all countries and, in my opinion, most people are profoundly mistaken about British food - well, to some extent. First of all, British people don't sit at home and eat eel pie and chips on a buttered bread everyday. In fact, they have a the same basic edibles we have: a lot of meat spiced up with rice, potatoes and pasta. Most people I met ate similar meals than do Austrians - though, I would say their obsession with meat outperforms the Austrians slightly. They eat meat with everything. Also, the sandwich. If soup was able to be consumed in a sandwich, the British people would have soup sandwich, trust me. They love their sandwiches, but, honestly, their is nothing wrong with a little sandwich snack in the afternoon. However, there are some weird food choices the British do make and which I can neither understand nor support. I can sum this up in one word. Marmite. Whose sick joke was Marmite? It is a yeast extract, black paste which smells like vomit and tastes even worse. Also, their definition of bread is just wrong. Toast is not bread and just because you don't toast it, doesn't make it not toast, OK. Z I wanted to end with Z, as it says A-Z, but actually there is nothing to say to Z, so I want to use the letter to say thank you to you all and what a wonderful year I had. I want to thank all the people who supported me, gave me a chance and read my blog, particularly N, for always being there and generally making this year the year of my life! Also thanks to my bosses at the entertainment party service and Haymarket and to host and host's friend who took me in in the beginning and let me stay with them. And, finally, of course, thank you to the great family which took me in and trusted me with their children, who welcomed me and let me stay with them for all these wonderful months. Thanks to all of you! Without any of you, my year wouldn't have been so great and I really will bear it in mind and appreciate it. I just hope to see you all soon in London - the greatest city in the world!
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AuthorIn September 2015 I started a new chapter of my life by moving (temporarily or permanently, not yet decided) to England where I work and socialise now. Archives
December 2017
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