Hello from The Sarky Traveller
Been back from China around 3 weeks and still not really back on track. The travel journal is written, the photos have been stored on the external hard drive and souvenirs have been distributed. But the blogs are no where near ready. It's going to be a new year start for the China blogs, with survival guides for each of the cities we visited. Cultural differences that might leave westerners flumoxed will be explained and as usual top tips, the best in cultural and historical sights and amazing places to stay and eat will be revealed.
So to tide you over before the new year exploration of china, I figured a nice edition on Christmas markets, travel and general survival of the festive season was in order.
Now, living in London there are of course lots of Christmas themed markets, craft fairs, events and festivities. Some of them run through the whole month of December and others are weekend or day specific. There will be events spread all over London in different boroughs and areas, so if you are a resident check out your local borough website. For those visiting from around the country or further afield, here's some of the best to keep you going in London:
Southbank Markets and Food Festivals: Running from mid November through to Christmas Eve, the Southbank Markets bring Germany to the Thames. With around 80 stalls filled with gifts, food and drink, it's a beautiful walk along the river and not only that but you're in the heart of the South Bank for museums, galleries and theatres. The markets are open till late every day (Sun-Fri till 9pm. Sat till 10pm) so you can have a jaunt after work, pre or post theatre, or plan the day there and sample the delights of Christmas on the Thames.
In addition to the 6 week festivities are a number of food events. The Chocolate Festival at Southbank is on from Friday 13th Decemeber till Sunday 15th December with artisan chocolatiers, chocolate themed gifts and demonstrations. Bring your sweet teeth and enjoy!
Also the Real Food Christmas Market starting on the 19th till the 22nd behind Royal Festival Hall is a treat for festive foodies. There are food gifts to buy as well as edible treats for on the go such as mince pies and the obligatory mulled wine.
For more information on Southbank and the Winter Festival 2013 check out their website and plan a trip.
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/festivals-series/the-winter-festival
There are links on the site to all the festivals and markets I've mentioned above.
Okay moving on. Also in London is the huge and getting huger by the year, Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Expect queues, especially on weekends, but it really has become a staple of London Christmas over the past few years. With an ice rink, roller coaster, rides, games, stalls, food, entertainment and a certain atmosphere that really makes even those with bah humbug for a motto, sink into that festive feeling. The Winter Wonderland is a great way to wile away a few hours, be it after work or at the weekend, or of course during the day if you don't work or have some holidays free. Open late and into the new year, don't worry if you miss it before Christmas you can still keep the spirit going into the early days of January.
I would suggest booking in advance for the ice rink and take plenty of cash with you, though they do have a few ATMs scattered around. Facilities are good with toilets regularly spaced; plenty of food and drink with some bars and restaurants having inside seating to escape the cold. For tickets and more details visit the event website: http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/
Now to a couple of slightly less well known Christmas events in London and some newbies. There have been various pop-up events around town and there are more to come:
Snowy Fingers Vintage Market which is actually on tomorrow (Tues 10th). Think Christmas jumpers, old school baking and lots of retro treats. Venue: Round Chapel. Transport: Nearest Tube/Train Hackney Central/Hackney Downs.
Join the first Christmas market at Berwick Street Market in Soho. Eat, drink and be merry, whilst shopping the finest in independent fashion and gifts. Hop along anytime as it kicked off yesterday and goes on until the 24th.
Then there's the Finnish Pop up at The Finnish Institute near Holburn. Sample Finnish delicacies as well as hand made gifts and traditional glassware. Check it out.
Of course there is much more going on, I can't mention it all, so check out timeout for their rundown of the best in Christmas events and find something in your area to your taste. http://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/christmas-markets-and-fairs-in-london
Finally for London I will finish up with Handmade at the O2, which is actually number 2 on timeout's list of Christmas Markets and where I will be heading at the weekend with the parentals who are coming to visit.
In the O2 arena with over 60,000 guests expected over three days, it's all about crafts and it's all about the O2. With 100's of stalls, work shops and demonstrations, gifts, fashion, accessories, decorations, food and drink and lovely long opening hours 1pm-8.30pm (Fri and Sun) and 12pm-8.30pm (Sat), Handmade at the O2 is bound to be a great day in fabulous surroundings.
And not only that but of course you are in the heart of entertainment land with countless bars, restaurants, a cinema, music venues and the British Music Experience right under the same roof. And incidentally when you buy a ticket for the Handmade Christmas event for £5 (though they do place a handling fee or something to make it £6.50 each) you can actually visit the British Music Experience for only £2 each, instead of the usual £13. So you really can make a whole day of it at the O2 and know that you are inside escaping possible bad weather and chill.
It's only on this weekend starting Friday 13th at 1pm and going through till Sunday 15th at 8.30pm. So get your tickets whilst you can and buy something Handmade for Christmas. http://www.handmadechristmas.co.uk/
Okay, so if you're not in London this festive time what about heading to Manchester or Birmingham or York or Edinburgh. There is a huge selection of well established Christmas Markets and Festivals up and down the country, some bigger than others and some ever increasing. www.visitbritain.com
Every time I visit the Manchester markets (as I did a couple of weeks back) they seem to have added an extra street or square of shops and activities. In fact, only being slightly biased as I used to live there, the Manchester markets are just fab! Taking you on a lovely walking tour of the city centre, snaking through streets and squares and leading you to Albert Square and the impressive Town Hall, where the large twinkly Santa awaits, there are staples of the market that have been there for years but there are always new stalls and ideas, gifts and food. Incidentally it is the 15th Anniversary of the Manchester Markets this year so go check them out if you're in the North or can easily get there by train/car. http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500241/
Again they have been up and running since mid November and will be there till around 22nd December and are open till late most days (8/8/30pm) closing a little earlier on Sundays (7/7.30pm.) If you do visit and wind up at Albert Square, take a peek inside the Town Hall as they now have a cafe in the sculpture hall and also Afflecks Palace, the world famous alternative institution of Manchester has a pop up market in there too. http://www.afflecks.com/ And you can take tours of the Town Hall now, which I would have loved to do when I lived there.
If driving there, there are tonnes of car parks just out of the centre and by that I mean literally 5 minutes walk to the markets/Arndale Centre (main shopping centre) and they are ridiculously well priced and manned. So well worth it, rather than going for a NCP or multi storey car park. Prices start from around £1.50 at the weekend for all day up to £3/4 during the week. Though if you plan to be there longer than 6pm you may need to look around as some car parks close at 6pm. (Head towards the centre of town and they are all sign posted.)
Oh and check out the newest little square on the border of Salford and Manchester, in plain sight of the markets and incorporating a lovely bridge, market stalls, an amphitheatre and fountains that do a beautiful night time performance. It's Greengate Square and it's wonderful! http://www.visitsalford.info/greengatesquare.htm We stayed to watch the fountains and their light show for some time. Bellagio eat your heart out, this is fountains Salford style. Brilliant!
If you can, please explore the UK and see something new as well as taking in a Christmas market or festival of some kind. The UK has a lot to offer with vibrant cities, bustling markets and huge heart so go and support your local town/city, or take a trip, explore somewhere new.
Now briefly because I have already waffled on for quite some time, I will give you a few tips and survival techniques for travelling at Christmas as it can be the ultimate ball ache of the the festive period.
Expect cancellations to services both train and plane. Expect queues, expect high ticket prices and no where to put your luggage.
So: Book early. Obvious but still a classic. If you know those tickets go on sale three months before but you only book two weeks before you will be lucky to find something affordable, unless of course I am blogging to a load of rich people, although they probably wouldn't be taking the train in the first place.
Also sticking with trains, find out about planned engineering works as they usually go on before and after Christmas and into the new year and can be ridiculously disruptive. I once had a supposed three hour journey to London for New year which became about an 8 hour, bus, train, bus, train and final bus journey, which got me there about five hours before midnight. So to avoid these things, check ahead and be aware. You may have to alter your plans by a day or so but it will give you a much nicer journey.
Also between Christmas and new year there are reduced services with some train services cancelling all services or just operating a one an hour service. And if you can avoid travelling on bank holidays then I would advise it because they are usually rammed and quite often over subscribed so you have people and luggage everywhere and it is not fun.
If taking the train I would advise taking at least one book, bottle of water, snacks and perhaps something to listen to or watch. You never know when your train could be delayed, lose power or have to be diverted. Also in terms of luggage, the big luggage racks are taken up very swiftly as they can only fit on about four cases, so if you can manage with one or two smaller bags that fit in the above seat storage you will have piece of mind and also a free aisle.
Most things completely shut down on Christmas Day and very little goes on Boxing Day but it's often Christmas Eve you have to watch out. Bus, train and tube services finish earlier than usual and that can leave you stranded with only taxi as a possibility and they are double time on Christmas Eve. I've been duped by this before. Check out your local transport site or town site and you'll be able to find out how long your bus and train services are in operation around the festive time.
Well, I think that's the main survival aspects covered. Be prepared, just like the scouts. Find out what is happening and expect the worst. Take additional snacks and drinks on journeys, especially trains and buses and provide yourself with some form of entertainment, be it books, notepads, cards, tablets or computers, phones and ipods, because delays can be lengthy and tiredness/boredom will kick in.
All that said, you could have a lovely travel experience. There could be no delays and everything could run smoothly, but this is Britain and we are not optimists as a whole. Enjoy the run up to Christmas and all it's twinkling, jingling chaos and if you can check out some local festivals or markets then go for it. Support the UK. It's ace!
Keep travelling and until next time......Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 9, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
2 Days In Boston, Massachussetts: The final days of The New England Road Trip
We used airbnb for our accommodation as the hotels in Boston were pretty pricey. You can get great deals on airbnb and it's a service we've been using since 2009 and our first trip to the states. Highly recommended, especially for large cities where hotels and other accommodation are likely to bankrupt you.
Saying that though, we've used it in tiny European towns and cities and stayed in some incredible places. So basically, try airbnb if you haven't already. It's great! This page takes you straight to the Boston pages of airbnb and you can see there is plenty to satisfy every budget. https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/Boston--MA
We were kindly offered breakfast at our accommodation (bagels, juice, coffee and fruit) in Somerville, just NE of Cambridge, setting us up nicely for a tour of Harvard at 10am. Now we were told by our host that parking should be fine but once again it took us several times driving round the block to find a parking space and then we didn't have enough coinage, so it was running into shops to buy chewing gum ($0.35 how cheap!) and various bars of chocolate and stuff, just to give us enough time on the meter for our tour. Unfortunately, by the time we'd faffed around with that we had about 6 minutes to run to the tour. And we made it just as the tour guide was introducing himself. Phew! Parking in Boston is not fun!
The tours are free, which is awesome and at 10am on a Saturday, not too early. Of course stumbling around Harvard and it's grounds is quite special, especially when you graduated from a Northern England University where your building was an old soap factory with windows that fell out on students. Yes this was a tad prettier but it was still a bit like Cambridge and Oxford for me; almost fictitious, like you can't really go there to study because it's too pretty. But of course people do go and they do study and lots of celebrities have been there and it has to be one of the most famous Universities in the world, let alone the US.
Our tour guide was a third year and was confident and outgoing and he had that wonderful American gift of the gab. I always feel like a bumbling idiot, like I live up to all the eccentric British stereotypes. I can't help it, I just appear guarded and uptight and shy. Still he was great and took us first to Old Harvard Yard. Think loads of red brick buildings, beautiful trees lining the pathways and statues that lie.
Massachusetts Hall
Harvard Hall
First years had to stay on campus. Oh no. However would they cope in such amazing surroundings?
Hollis Building
University Hall with the statue of John Harvard outside. (We'll come back to that later.)
We were then walked over to the Science Centre where we found out loads of interesting things like, you can get a grant for a winter coat if you come from out of state and are not used to the brutal East Coast winters. There are five of the largest lecture theatres on campus in there. And presumably lots of other things but I want you to go too, so I won't spoil it for you.
Anyhoo from there it was a short walk to Memorial Hall which houses the first year dining hall: Annenburg Hall, several rehearsal spaces and a theatre. All in this rather spectacular building: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~memhall/
We strolled past Cambridge Fire Headquarters and back into Harvard Yard this time on the other side of University Hall, passing such gems as Memorial Church, which interestingly has services in every denomination.
Memorial Church with it's large tower and pointy spire.
Then turning our backs on the church, we found the columns and steps of Widener Library. This is named after a guy who died on the Titanic trying to rescue some books. Now, I'm sorry but I would have tried to save myself instead of the books but anyway he has a Library named after him now, so I guess it's all good.
The tour guide told us that a lot of the Library is underground and you go into the stacks and the lights only go on as you move. Creepy. He also said there are some pretty ancient texts in there. If you want to know more about the Library and it's treasures, check out the site: http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/widener/
Widener Library
I love this shot of Memorial Church from the Library.
Then we just had enough time to wander back through to The Old Yard past John Harvard's statue which incidentally had been vandalised with green paint over night - a student prank - and was currently being jet washed off.
This statues lies for many reasons but I will let you find those out for yourself. I will however urge you not to rub his golden toe....apparently it is the sight of public urination. Yes even Harvardians pee outside.
We were keeping it educational today and once back in the car with about 4 minutes to spare on the parking, we shot off to MIT taking a scenic drive along the Charles River.
Looking out to Downtown. You can see the golden dome of the State House.
The Maclaurin Building, otherwise known as Building 10
Welcome to MIT - The Massachussetts Institute of Technology, complete with obligatory scaffolding. It really does follow us around the world. No less spectacular though. And for those fans of NCIS you may find yourself squealing, 'McGee went here.' I didn't do that at all. No. Not me.
We had a wander in the main building but there was some sort of event on so we couldn't get far. Still it was impressive to look at and again one of those fictitious places that you hear about in film and television all the time. Nice to see in the flesh. There are student led tours of MIT as well but they seem to be weekdays so we missed out there. More information here: http://web.mit.edu/institute-events/events/tour.html
Building 2
We managed a walk through part of Building 7 and then crossed over to find the numbers man and Grapefruit Building.
Building 7 of The Infinite Corridor.
The Numbers Man
The Kresge Auditorium AKA The Grapefruit Building.
A Berklee College of Music drive by.
And some steamy vents. No it doesn't just happen in New York.
And so to lunch at Top of the Hub@ Prudential Building. Now amazingly you can park underneath in the multi story car park and you get a discount if you buy anything, including lunch, which meant hassle free parking for a change. Yes! We had to sign in as visitors and take a special lift to the 52nd floor. The lunch menu was really reasonable. For around $15 you can have a main course and they're not small. Of course for dinner it is more pricey but for lunch with scintillating views it was well worth it. http://www.topofthehub.net/
Looking down on Logan Airport watching the planes take off. Pretty spectacular.
Chicken flat bread pizza. Yum yum!
You can however not take in a meal and simply take the lift to the 50th floor for Boston's only 360 degree observation platform. But it will cost you around $15 per person, so you might as well hold out for lunch and have a flat bread. Believe me it was great and you ended up two floors higher. Still if you want to just zoom on up there in the lift here's more information: http://www.prudentialcenter.com/shop/shop_detail.php?id=64
Anyhoo don't forget to validate your parking! After lunch we headed back down in the lift and had a quick look in the Prudential Mall. http://www.prudentialcenter.com/ There's all sorts of shops and places to eat down there and then you can exit onto Boylston Street which leads you into many touristic sights and heads through to Downtown.
Looking back on the Prudential from Boylston Street.
I think what I personally wasn't expecting from Boston was for it to be so big. The buildings; the streets; everything was huge. I guess I thought it would be on a smaller scale to cities such as New York and LA, which it still is but compared to most of the cities we visited in New England, this is the giant. With some of the world's most prestigious universities and a Downtown steeped in important US history it is hardly a small place and many of it's attractions and tourist spots are quite spread out.
A look down Boylston Street towards New Old South Church.
We headed in to New Old South Church with it's tower almost competing with the sky scrapers and it's breathtaking interior. This church is free to go in and have a look around and is definitely worth a short time for an explore.
The Old New South Church from Copley Square.
Next stop Trinity Church for a self guided tour. You head downstairs to the gift shop area to gain your sticker and pay for your tour. $7 each and you get your own leaflet to guide you round.
Directly across the street is the Boston Public Library which is one of those Libraries that makes you think, if our Libraries were like that, we'd live there. So much grandeur and art and sculpture, you feel like you're in a museum or a stately home or something. If only all books had a home like this:
Then it was time to head off back to Prudential, pay our greatly reduced parking and set the sat nav for the North End and more parking payments. (If you are doing a driving holiday like we were, allow for lots of additional dollars for parking, especially when you give up on road side and opt for the simplicity but more expensive multi story car parks.)
So the North End is essentially Little Italy and a not so little Italy at that. Red brick buildings, pretty churches, cute restaurants; pastry shops with massive queues. North End is popular for so many reasons, least of all that it encompasses some of the Freedom Trail, has a heavy European flavour, great food and a close proximity to Downtown.
And 7 Elevens with massive Italian Sausages.
Looking down Hanover Street with St Stephen's tower gracefully poking out.
Paul Revere Statue on the Paul Revere Mall heading towards North Church.(Part of The Freedom Trail.)
Visit: www.oldnorth.org
The drive back to the apartment was a pleasant one. Lots of interesting buildings and bridges and time to book a restaurant, change and head out for a night of food, drink and who-done-it murder mystery fun.
We set off super early for our reservation due to parking panic but then of course found a weird valet system and were then early and they were busy and couldn't seat us. Bostonians, as with most East coasters do eat earlier. Between 5pm and 6pm will be rammed and then after 7pm the place starts to empty. We didn't have to wait too long to be seated but what I noticed was this hustle and bustle and just general people noise. Families, groups, couples, friends, locals, out of towners, tourists. The place was full of anyone and everyone and I think chaotic was a word that covered the feeling. Not in a bad way, just the chaos and hubbub of a busy and popular eating establishment. http://www.jacobwirth.com/ Booking is worthwhile!
Warning: Portions are huge. Starters are the size of main courses. Main courses are super sized, but it's all delicious. So if you've had a busy day of sight seeing or have starved yourself for a the last few hours, you should be able to manage a couple of courses. They had a great beer selection and interesting cocktails on the menu but they will ID you. Our waitress was IDing everyone even those people who were obviously in their late thirties so I didn't feel too bad.
Starters.
Main Courses. Meat loaf and Shepherds Pie
A shared strudel for dessert.
Then with a chilly walk over to the theatre, it was time for Shear Madness a murder mystery show that had been running in Boston for over 30 years. I won't reveal anything other than it's a tiny cast; they are acting from the moment you set foot in; there is some audience participation and it is quite an intimate setting. Check out: http://www.shearmadness.com/ or Tkts when in Boston on Copley Square.
And now for our final day in Boston before the flight home. All I could think of was the return home. Very depressing when all you want to do is keep exploring. But every good Speed Tourist knows that it has to end sometime.
So today was reserved for Downtown, primarily the Freedom trail, a staple of Boston Tourism and another State House, though we couldn't go in this one. (Out of the four New England states we visited, we also visited their capitol and state house. Why does that make me giddy?)
We drove straight to a multi storey car park this time, not wanting to faff around with parking on-street and the scrabble for change. Then we emerged around Boston Common to take in the delights of an early November morning.
Boston Common
The Band Stand
The Massachussetts State House in all it's golden glory.
The Freedom Trail starts at the visitor's centre on the Common and takes in 2.5 miles of streets and sights around Downtown and up into North End. There is a red brick line running the pavements for you to follow and it charts the history of America's eventual freedom from British rule and significant events that happened in order for their freedom. Being rather dim at History, I learnt a lot that day. There is also a Black Heritage Trail which starts at the State House and runs up through Beacon Hill. http://www.afroammuseum.org/trail.htm
I won't give too much away as you can learn all there is to learn for yourself when you go. But I will show a few pictures of the key sites along the way.
Park Street Church. You have to go upstairs to get to the actual church.
Follow the red brick line. It won't take you to Oz but it will let you explore the sights of Boston.
Old Granary Burying Ground
King's Chapel. We couldn't go in there was a Christening going on.
The Old State House complete with museum, free talks and an incredible spiral staircase. We learnt about the Boston Massacre by a hilarious speaker. You've got to love that East Coast humour.
Faneuil Hall
The dining area within Quincy and it's beautiful dome.
From there we were only a short walk from The New England Aquarium and we decided to treat ourselves.
Expect huge queues and when we were there, building works, but they have finished now so you should be fine. As some of the exhibits were closed, they offered everyone tickets to an IMAX show of their choice. So we saw Deep Sea 3D as well as lots of amazing creatures in the aquarium. The Blue penguins were personal favourites as were some of the jellyfish species. http://www.neaq.org/index.php
The little blue penguins.
With exhaustion setting in - understandably so - and that depression only a last day of holiday can bring, we strolled off to the financial district to lose ourselves amongst the giants and get ridiculously lost on our way back to the multi storey car park.
- Always have loads of change ready for parking meters.
- Allow at least an additional half hour for parking faffage.
- Take a hat, scarf, gloves and a warm coat especially if going in the latter part of the year.
- Take a big appetite. Portions are huge and delicious so it's difficult to stop.
- Remember where your car park is, especially when you have a plane to catch.
- If you're planning to eat out before 7pm, book as it will be rammed.
16 days of state hopping, city hopping, exploring dams and canyons and valleys, soaking up the sun, hitting the beach, trying our hand at roulette and eating as much as we can for breakfast. We sampled Halloween in Salem, attended a ball, out ran a super storm, visited countless national parks and monuments, drove a ridiculous amount of miles, met some of the friendliest people in the smallest towns to the largest cities and really took a huge chunk out of life in the states.
Now that is speed tourism for you. And even if you read these blogs and think you could never do all that, then take a small piece and stay for longer. Most of the places we've been to you could double the time we were there, if not triple. But taking that little taster of a town or city and knowing that you can come back and still have loads of things to do is a great feeling. And also being able to share this with other people and hopefully give places or shops or experiences a wider audience is the least I can do.
Thank you to everyone that has read one or two or any number of my blogs. Last year's America trip was truly memorable and I still have the scrap book to finish. But at the end of this week we are off for Adventures in Asia 2013 as we take on the colossal China - albeit just a teeny chunk. Expect plenty of blogging when I return and millions of photographs.
Until the next one.....
The Sarky Traveller
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