Essential Advice: England Edition!

Here I'll share with you a bit of wisdom I collected over my 8-day stay in England. Some points are definitely practical, others may just make you laugh. Enjoy!

5 Essential Pieces of Advice for London/England:



Believe it or not, I did not once need my umbrella this time!

 1. Be prepared for ALL weather contingencies. In England, it's supposed to rain all of the time, and generally be wet and miserable. Lesson learned. The weather during my trip was gloriously warm, sunny, and breezy. To be on the safe side, pack clothing that can be worn in layers: tee shirt, sweater or hoodie, jacket. If you're traveling in the spring or early fall and like me, your foot temperature tends to regulate your internal body temperature, it's probably a good idea to pack a pair of sandals for warmer days. Also, It's a good idea to always have an umbrella handy, because if you don't have one, chances are you'll need one when the skies open up on you twenty blocks from your hotel.



View of a London Underground, or "Tube" station

 2. The Tube is not that scary. In fact, it's your friend. It really is the most convenient way to get around London, and I thought it was fairly easy to figure out. Maps are located at every stop. It is clean, MUCH cleaner than the New York City subways. A day pass costs 6.60 GBP, and buying a new pass each day can actually be cheaper than investing in week or weekend passes, though lines in the morning can  get very long. Of course, there will be the occasional delay; London has the same problems as any other modern city. On the bright side, the occasional train's operator will have a sense of humor. On Friday, ours famously told us to "relax, chill out, and enjoy the weekend," prompting some stiff-lipped Brits to burst out laughing, as such a statement is so unusual. And even at peak travel hours, when train cars were stuffed and the platforms and stairways were packed, I found the tube to be a really satisfying experience.
 

Yes, this happened to me. Be prepared.


 3. If staying in a hostel, it's probably best to take your clothes into the shower room with you. I discovered this the hard way when I found myself locked out of my dormitory at 4:30 a.m. the morning of my departure to Paris, dripping wet and holding only a towel and a useless key card. As it was so early and no one in my dorm was awake, I'd stripped in the room to save my clothes from getting wet in the bathroom. However, for some reason the card, functional until this point, would not work when I tried to get back inside, and I found myself facing a nearly-naked walk into the reception area, which was at all hours crowded with hordes of multilingual guests. I tried, I really did, but couldn't bring myself to walk down there. I got halfway down the stairs once before fleeing back to the bathroom. Finally, after about 10 minutes of frantic inserting of the card, whispered expletives and murmured prayers, I was granted access. At least I can laugh about it now.



If you have a student ID, BRING IT!

 4. A student ID will take you far. If you are a college student (or like me, a recent grad), bringing your student ID with you to the UK is one of the smartest things you can do. Not only can you receive discounts at national landmarks and most museums, but you can also get a discount at many grocery and clothing stores. Top Shop, for example, offers up to a 20% discount with valid student ID. In many places the discount is smaller, but you'll save a lot of pennies! And at the end of the trip, you can treat yourself to something nice with all of the money you've saved!



Eurostar: convenient, comfortable travel

 5. Eurostar 101. Eurostar departs from St. Pancras station in central London, with destinations all over Europe. This is how I got to Paris and back, despite multiple efforts to keep me from doing so! Firstly, you need a Visa or American Express Card to buy tickets; Eurostar does not accept Discover (which unfortunately, is the only card I had at the time; I've since invested in a Visa that works internationally). Also, book as far in advance as you can, because prices will skyrocket the closer to your departure date that you buy. I missed my Eurostar from Paris back to London and had to buy another one for 250 Euro-- that's nearly $300 --one way. Round-trip tickets for the same trip cost $140 back in January, when I should have bought! Also, it may be worth the extra charge to make your ticket refundable or at least flexible; that way, if you miss a train, like me, you won't be stuck buying another ticket. I would have saved myself money in the long run if I'd shelled out for the flexible ticket.
The train itself was very comfortable, even in standard class, with headrests designed for nodding off. There is plenty of space to store luggage. Also, I was able to purchase a standard premium ticket on my way home for the same price as standard, and was treated to a very tasty lunch and complimentary drinks, including wine. Windows are large and afford great views of European countryside. Plus, you have that charming, old-world  experience of getting on and off the train at an open platform.Not a bad way to travel at all, my friends.

So, there you go! Anyone else have any helpful UK travel tips?

Oxford: Dreaming Spires

I've spent the last 12 years of my life in Oxford, Pennsylvania. Saturday, I finally got to experience my hometown's namesake! And it was all I had hoped it would be.

Charlotte was good enough to drive me to Oxford, which was a new city for us both. After an hour's drive through hilly and fertile countryside of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, we left the car at the Park and Ride lot and got on the bus into town. We alighted at the first stop and set off, without any real plan. Another beautiful day greeted us: generous sunshine, a light breeze, warm sun. It was perfect weather for several hours' stroll around Oxford's wide avenues and tiny alleyways, as well as acres of parkland. We actually ended up sunburned by the end of the day! Everyone else seemed to be taking advantage of the weather as well: hordes of sunbathers, picnickers, and families out on walks crowded the streets and lawns. Along the river, I even saw a solitary, scholarly-looking man napping, head on bag and jacket over head.

A drink at the Eagle and Child, watering hole of literary geniuses!

Rather unexpectedly, after just a few minutes, we found ourselves under the familiar sign of the Eagle and Child pub. I had heard it was hard to find! Although, if we had gotten off at the city center instead of the first stop, I guess we really wouldn't have found it. But lucky me, there it was! We stopped in later for half pints, and I tried to soak up some inspiration.

The thing I discovered very quickly about Oxford is that if you want to see the scholarly quadrangles, the halls of the colleges, birds-eye views of the dreaming spires, etc, you'll have to pay admission; we saw it listed anywhere from 2-5 pounds. We did sneak peeks around corners and through barred fences, but we didn't get to see any interiors. I was most tempted by the Bodleian Library, for obvious reasons. Here's some trivia: founded by Sir Thomas Bodley in 1602, it's one of the world's greatest libraries and contains over 5 million books. The collections are housed on three separate sites linked by tunnels. Impressive! (Thanks to Tourist Net UK for the info)

Most of the buildings are historical, though we did discover a few modern ones. This area of the country is famous for its honey-colored stone, which comprised most of the older buildings and walls. As you'd expect, the colleges are the reason that most visitors come.  Some info about the colleges:

"The university is not a campus but a collection of 36 colleges and 5 halls scattered around the city centre alongside the shops and offices of commercial Oxford..today the university accounts for almost 15,000 of Oxford's 115,000 population...the streets, houses, colleges, churches and chapels of Oxford represent a carefully documented catalogue of English history. The centre of the city has 900 buildings of architectural or historic interest. The Carfax Tower is all that remains of the 14th century church of St. Martin: it offers a splendid view of the dreaming spires of Oxford."


The High Street offered shopping and dining galore. We ended up eating small plates in All Bar One, which I later found out was a nation-wide chain, but which was reasonably priced and stylish, and whose food proved quite tasty! I had a small plate of sesame chicken tempura with cucumber salad, and Charlotte's tiger prawns with chorizo smelled delicious. I washed down my meal with the most refreshing drink I've ever had: guava, pineapple and lime juice.

After luncheon we followed signs to the rowing boats and found ourselves riverside. The Thames, the same river that runs through London, is known in Oxford as the Isis, and flows along the western side of the city. The River Cherwell, on the eastern side, allows multiple types of boats to hire for small fares. Along the river were trees hundreds of years old, and veritable seas of daffodils on the banks.

We also managed to accidentally wander through the tents where the Oxford Literary Festival was taking place, (who knew?) where we snooped in on book signings (no authors I recognized, sadly) and were given free samples of gin and tonics...with cucumber instead of lime. Apparently this gin, Hendricks, is cucumber-infused. Who knew?

All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful way to spend a day. I saw so much I'd always wanted ot see, and soaked in some knowledge, some history, some culture, and an abundance of sunshine: when we found our way back to the bus stop, we'd seen ourselves in bathroom mirrors and realized just how red our faces and chests were! We each had necklace marks burned into our chests.

When we'd had our fill, at least for one day, hopped a bus back to the Park and Ride, hopped into the Lupo, and drove back to Cheltenham...

...And then we went to the pub.