Finding my way with Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoestring

My review: 

When I was planning my trip I bought Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoestring. I must say that it has been immensely helpful in picking the right destinations to stay and visit.

On our trip, documented on this blog, we used to get lost in any new city or rather look about blankly figuring out which direction should we head. Luckily at this time Lonely Planet's Europe on a shoestring came to our rescue. It helped us find the tourism offices with ease and also pointed us in the right directions to our hotels and lanes we had to explore.

A little bulky for a backpacker, but very helpful. Do refer to this guide if you want explore the European cities without burning a hole in your pocket.

Day 35: London - Turkey - Mumbai - Goa

It was time to go! Our bags packed we rode the tube for the last time to Heathrow Airport. Thankfully Ryan came to drop us. I was sad to go but excited to be at an airport. Simply because it takes me to newer places. And Heathrow airport is mighty and beautiful. A lot of people might not think so, but I loved it. It's no way flashy like the Dubai Airport but a mighty one it is. 

Stepping off the Tube, we walk into the airport. I say bye to my cousin Ryan and thank him for sheltering us while in London and also for feeding us with amazing dishes. But I have to leave, reality is calling me back. 

Damn I am overweight in luggage. Lucky the Turkish Airlines official let me go without paying a pound. Did I say, I gave her my widest smiles? 

After some duty free shopping which involved picking up brandy for my papa, some chocolates for my mama and brother, all we had to do was wait to take off. Not soon we come to know our flights beeen delayed. Holy shit! I have connecting flights all the way to Goa. London - Turkey, with a stop over for 3 hours at Istanbul. Our flights delayed again at Istanbul. That gives me a bracket of less than 2 hours to make it from the International airport to the domestic one in Mumbai, from the initial 7 hours. In Mumbai I had to request security to cut line as I had to hurry to catch my connecting flight to Goa. 

So preoccupied I was here, that I failed to see Bonnie, then my bestest friend and now my husband, waiting to welcome me back. Tanaya spotted him and I was so glad to see him come. We then raced our way to the domestic airport, where you can say Jet Airways was practically holding the flight to Goa for me. I was whisked away in a special van to the aircraft and got a lot of dirty stares from passengers for delaying them. Not my fault I say. 

In Goa, my Mama and Papa were there to welcome me. How happy was I to see them. Hugs all around. So many questions. And my Mom still aghast that I went half the world across alone. :) Anyway there was a homecoming party. My extended family was there to know where I went, what I did and how I achieved this dream of mine. The end of it, everyone was envious. I can only look back and think WOW!

Day 34: Last day in London

After getting back late last evening from Witham to Ryan's place at Clapham Common, we realise that's it is effectively our last full day in London. 

OMG I need another suitcase to take back the things I've bought and collected on my trip. My backpack suddenly seems so small. 

In London we stayed with Ryan and his roommates - Richie, Ali, Graham And Al Bano. These guys are super fun, awesome cooks, with strict house rules and a home that was so spic and span that it could put the girls hostel I live in back in Mumbai to shame. 

Well on the morning of our last day, Richie took us to a local eatery where we has a super sumptuous English breakfast. After breakfast Richie headed to work while Ryan, Tan and I went to Oxford Circus to do some last minute shopping. Primark, Hamleys, Sainsbury's were all on the list. By evening we had so much to stuff to take back home. 

A not so quite dinner then followed at Ryan's place. Nostalgia was creeping up. I was happy to go home but I did not want this trip to end EVER.

Day 28: Off to Edinburgh

It was time to set off again. This time on we were off to Scotland. I must confess, I am not a fan of the Brit Rail or the National Express. Mostly because one can never seem to get a reservation on it! So here we are at King's Cross Station waiting to board a train to Edinburgh. Watching the indicator... waiting... watching... waiting... making a mad rush for the train. Apparently you can sit anywhere till the person who has reserved that seat comes along. Crap!

Anyway amidst everything, we make our way to Edinburgh and after almost four and half hours we are at Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station. Yet again it was a classic case of we getting lost. Well we managed to track down a bus, the wrong one... had to get off and find the right one, thankfully this bus driver was kind enough to point us out to our hotel. 

Parkview House Hotel, 14 Hermitage Place, is ideally located just opposite a parkland, whcih at that time was buzzing with a local fare. The place was cozy and super comfy for a bed and breakfast. After settling in, Tan & I decided to take a little walk around the place, to find a local mart. We stocked up on bread, cold meats, chips and cold drinks, which would all come handy in preparing our dinners. 

After this since the local fare was on, we decided to walk about in the park. Back at our hotel, dinner was prepared - sandwiches and coke, and we soon got planning our day tomorrow in Edinburgh. 

A few hints: For  local transport familiarise yourself with Lothian Buses transportation system, bus tracker, planner, timetables and much more.

For route maps, click here. 

London by Bus

By now we were pretty much familiar with London. However Richie, one of my cousin’s friends whose house we were staying in at London, got us free tickets to ride the Original London Open Tour Bus so we hop on to see the city and get to know a little more about the places and history. Check this out for all the places you can visit.

It was a rainy day again; viewing London from the roof top was out of the question. Still we managed to have a pretty good ride in this mega city and a Free Thames River cruise. Awesome!

We joined the Red Tour bus from Picadilly Cirus and off we went visiting the following sites. Victoria, Wellington Museum, Hyde Park, Speakers' Corner, Madame Tussauds, Regent's Park, Oxford Street (great for good deals on shopping, do visit Primark), Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Statue of Eros, Leicester Square, The National Gallery, Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards' Parad, Downing Street, Big Ben & Parliament, The London Eye, Covent Garden, Fleet Street, St Paul's Cathedral, Monument, London Bridge, London Dungeon, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, Shakespeare's Globe, Tate Modern, Sherlock Holmes Pub, Westminster Pier, Lambeth Palace and Buckingham Palace.

We did not get down the bus for major of the tour. While in the other European cities the tour bus proved to be economical, in London however it was short of a nightmare. You get caught in traffic at every junction.

 Tan and I split ways at Trafalgar Square and decide to meet up at Tower Bridge for lunch. So in the meantime I go off on my own. I visit St. Paul's Cathedral. Like the other Cathedrals’ in Europe, this place was rather simple. I guess I was just too used to the grandeur of the Basilicas in Rome. I then walk across to see the Millennium Bridge. I had heard so much about it - the architecture, the design, but I was utterly disappointed by it.  

I get back on board the bus and head to Tower Bridge and meet Tan. I loved Tower Bridge. It's old and it's magical. We spend some time by the park watching the Thames pass by and the beautiful cityscape that I have so come to love. Not toot soon we hoped onboard for our cruise on the Thames. Lovely ride with a standup comic! All good things come to an end so soon and so also it was time to get off at Westminster Pier and head home to Clapham Common.

A Date with Diplodocus

Awesome! Entry Free. Situated just off South Kensington station, getting to the Natural History Museum involves a short walk, except in our case a walk in the rain. It's supposed to be summer in England for crying out loud! We made a mad dash to the entrance of the museum and after a quick stop at the washroom we were left feeling a little less drenched.

The moment you step into the museum you feel dwarfed by the enormous skeleton of a Diplodocus dinosaur. The museum is home to more than a million specimens from fields such as Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology. What's amazing is that in this museum you will also find specimens collected by Darwin himself.

As you explore the museum do lend an eye to it's architecture. Victorian in nature with huge vaulted halls, it also boasts of an ornate terracotta facade, mouldings of which are symbolic of diversity in nature.

An extensive powerhouse of knowledge, I suggest you set a day aside just to explore this place. While at the museum familiarize yourself with the different coloured zones which will lead you to different galleries housing the specimens. The Red Zone revolves around the history of the Earth. Here you will find specimens of rock, gemstones, dinosaur eggs, dinosaur skeletons, etc. The Green zone will bring you closer to birds, fossil reptiles, plants and the primates, the Blue Zone houses dinosaurs, mammals, fishes, amphibians, reptiles and human biology and the Orange zone has a wildlife garden and Darwin's centre.

Be prepared for the crowds and educational groups thronging this place.

Do check out my photos on how our trip to the Natural History Museum unfolded.

Day Out at London Zoo

London Zoo at Regent Park is one of the most spectacular zoo's I have ever seen in my life. In India the zoo's are in a pitiful state and best avoided. However the London Zoo is a must visit! It's educational and helps you get away from the buzz of the city. A perfect way to unwind.

At the zoo simply follow the route to meet the different animals. Click here for the interactive map of the zoo and experience what we came across.

Do visit the London Zoo website  for more details and plan your trip better.

Wicked in London

 Uh huh not me :)  But the musical. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire 'Wicked,' the musical too tell the story of two girls in the land of Oz - Glinda the good and Elphaba the wicked witch of the west.

Wicked narrates their profound friendship, life in college and destinies. For more than two hours we sat glued to our seats, eyes on the screen as the stage came alive. It was truly a magical evening in London. 

Your trips not complete unless you watch a musical in London. I suggest you go watch it now, it's still playing at Apollo Victoria Theatre at Wilton Road.

Immortalized in Wax

We rode the London Eye and got 20% discount on our entry to Madame Tussauds. Well what do you know... the offer is valid till today. Click here to grab it. This pass also includes your entry into the brand new 4D cinema.

Madame Tussauds is on Baker Street and to get there from Clapham Common, we had to ride the Northern and Bakerloo lines and walked a short distance till we were at the doorsteps of the museum.

Oh man the crowds! Lucky we had a quick pass, which helped cut the line but not much though. The crowds can be quite a putting off experience especially those who do not respect the works of art these sculptures are.

Inside the museum you go through different sections - A List, Premiere Night, the Royal Family, Sports, Music Stars and Historic figures. Well it was hard not to pose here. OMG Justin Timberlake, Hitler, Shrek, Lance Armstrong... may be this will be the closest I ever get to any of them.

After checking out some of the figurines we headed to the Chamber of Horrors. And it was horrible! This part of the exhibition included victims of the French Revolution and newly created figures of murderers and other criminals. There's no telling from what is real and what is created. Live models at every corner ready to spook you. I lost Tan here and it was seriously scary. Holding onto God knows who I finally made my way out. And man was I so glad to see Tan.

Oh God. Deep breaths does it. It took us quite some time to settle down. OMG what an experience!

The last part included learning a little more on the history of this place, how it got started and the lady, Madame Tussaud, herself.

London: View from the Top

When you are on a budget trip it's all about managing your money smartly. For us discounts, free entries were a big deal. Our London Eye pass also got us a 20% discount at Madame Tussauds. The ticket cost us about 28 pounds. My cousin was of the recommendation that we not waste our money riding this, but it's not everyday that I will be in London and some things just got to be done... like enjoying a ride on the London Eye.

Not many people know this but the London eye or the Millennium Wheel as it is commonly know as is actually named The Merlin Entertainments London Eye. This ferris wheel situated right besides the County Hall on the banks of the Thames is the largest in Europe and is also an observatory tower.

I for one enjoyed my ride on the London Eye. You can see the entire city from the top and it is amazing. Tan and I played a game of landmark spotting and what fun it was. You can see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Lords, the Gherkin amongst many other sites.

Soon it was time to step off. But not before you are asked to pose for a shot that captures your time spent on board. I still have that photograph, paid a mighty 5 pounds for it but it's worth it. It's one of those once in a lifetime things to do.

221B on Baker Street

Oooo we are going to play detectives. We are going to snoop our way to Baker Street. And try finding 221B.

Not difficult since we were geared with our maps and Ryan on speed dial. But then again, you are talking about Tan & me, we get lost everywhere. And so looking for 221B, we walk right past it and begin to think we are lost. Luckily everyone in this country speaks English and soon we were guided to our destination. The home of  Sherlock Holmes. You can easily miss it if you don't pay attention to the signs. 

The house of this fictional character, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a quaint little thing and has an eerie feeling to it. You almost expect Sherlock Holmes to appear behind you smoking his pipe. As you climb the steps you start to realise how easy it is to make real of non-fiction. Spread over two storeys, the home now a museum is immaculate maintained with real life wax figurines and memorabilia. At every level you can find scenes recreated from his books. 

Exploring this place, I made friends with a young attendant and we got talking. She asked me from where I was and having said Goa, she got into narrating her experiences of my home town. We chatted for sometime before it was time for me to leave. But the good thing is that she pointed things out to us we would have normally missed. Like the book filled with letters from little kids. Super hilarious stuff. Check out two of my favourite letters. 

Also check my photographs to see how my day unfolded in 221B on Baker Street.

Transport for London Gadget

Check this super cool gadget I found on the Transport for London website. It gives you the tube as well as bus stop routes from end to end locations.

You can find the same on the left panel of my blog and use it any time you want. I am loving it :) 

Journey Planner

   

Station or stopPostcodeAddressPlace of interest

Station or stopAddress

Advanced options

Riding the Tube

                 The London Underground or the Tube as it is commonly known as, is hard not to fall in love with. From the moment I had the tube map in my hand and my Oyster, all I wanted to do was ride it. We planned our travels at times that beat the crowd and almost rode everywhere comfortably.

Travel on the tube is of a different kind. It's exciting, especially when you have to make sense of the different coloured lines to get to the underground station you need to get to in the shortest possible time. Most of the time we took the tube just for pure pleasure of the ride rather than getting to our destination faster.

Click here for an interactive experience with the London Underground. And what's more, the lines have such beautiful names - Bakerloo, Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern, Picadilly, Victoria and Waterloo & City.

With the tube and buses we explored almost all of London. Oh and while you are riding to the tube do pay attention to the announcer heralding the next stop, it helps plus she is a very pleasant sounding lady.

Day 24-27: London

The next few days in London were filled with shopping, more shopping and riding the tube. The next few post will be broken down by the places we visited or activities indulged in.

Day 23 cont... An Evening in London

In the evening after a short nap we set out along with Ryan to get acquainted with London. From Clapham Common we take bus no. 137 to Oxford Circus. Here we head to Primark, a must visit store for all bargain buyers. Unfortunately we would have to come back later as it was closed.

We then head to Victoria and from here to Westminster Abbey. The Abbey is a beautiful place, and the architecture in almost black stone was alluring. 

Having spent a few minutes here we then head to see Big Ben.

On the banks of the Thames we also catch a glimpse of the London Eye before we head to Buckingham  Palace. The residence of the British monarch, this square has beautiful gardens and the famous changing of the guards. We sat here, clicked some pictures before making our to Hyde Park. 

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in London and known for the concerts that take place here. It was a sad that there was not a single gig during our stay here.

In just an evening we covered a lot of London walking about. The thing about London is that it feels a lot like Mumbai, except it's way cleaner. 

Day 23: Au revoir Paris!

After almost 23 days into our trip, it was time to say goodbye to yet another amazing city. I love Paris. I really do.

The day started with a quick breakfast before we had to make our way to Gare du Nord to catch the Eurostar to London St Pancras International. We had to hurry as we were got a bit late trying to find the right terminal and then had to go through customs before we board the train.

We made it just in time. And soon we realised the air conditioning in our carriage was not working. Shouldn't be that big a deal in Europe you say? Well you are wrong, the route to London is under the sea and with 100+ people seated it tends to got pretty stuffy.

The entire trip it was just Tan and me. I was glad to finally meet family. My cousin Ryan came to receive us at  St Pancras International and he was a blessing. Or else we would have been lost a new city as usual. He introduced us to the Oyster card, it's a blue plastic card used for public transport - tubes and buses which you need to put credit on in order to travel. Wow! I loved it.

We then rode the tube, OMG this too is awesome, to his home which was at Clapham Common. We switched different lines on the tube to get there (more about the tube later) and the famous red bus to finally reach his home.There's a fabulous meal cooked. Chicken Xacuti, mashed potatoes and salad. Oh man am stuffed. Finally I ate a full meal.

Time-out! Will be back after my siesta...phew what a lunch.