• Home
  • About
  • The List
  • Contact

Summer Chasers

~ Sharing the Thrill of Travel

Summer Chasers

Tag Archives: London

Back from Europe!

17 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by Summer Chaser in Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Back from Europe, Brussels, Channel Tunnel, Czech Republic, Euro Tour, Eurostar, London, Old World, Paris

I’m back and have more or less recuperated from the most amazing, memorable and (These days most people take this word lightly, but still…) EPIC European Adventure!

Before diving into the details of the trip, let me apologize to everyone for not being able to update my blog as I journeyed. Yes… Europe was THAT good. So much so, that I couldn’t concentrate on blogging as I went. The experience was just too intense!

So, here’s what we did. There were three of us who trekked across the Old World. My good friend, Never Winter Again (NWA) along with Pizzarol (Code name explained later), who is NWA’s former co-worker that I have come to call a good friend as well.

Now, I’d like to state this upfront that I do NOT recommend what we did for just anyone taking a trip to Europe. It can get expensive, physically and mentally stressful and may even take away from the enjoyment of your travels. That said, if you are young, single, unburdened by finances and trust the people you are traveling with then by all means, feel free to have an adventure of your own in our footsteps! 🙂

The thing about our grand endeavour (I’ve been to England now and have every right to spell ‘endeavour’ with a ‘u’ 😛 ) is that the only plans we had made was to get in and out of Europe. A flight into Heathrow Airport in London and a returning flight to the U.S. from Arlanda, near Stockholm were the only two things that were set in stone. Everything in between, we decided, would be figured out as we were confronted with it.

That probably makes some people cringe, but we wanted this kind of uncertainty to add excitement to our undertaking.

I shall describe in detail each city we stayed in during future posts, but right now, let me present you with the outline of our enterprise. Upon landing, we spent a couple of days exploring majestic London. Getting the lay of the land, so to speak. Having our fill of fish and chips, we took the Eurostar train under the Chunnel (Tunnel under the Channel, therefore, Chunnel) and found ourselves lost in a dangerous part of Brussels. Recovering from a riveting experience, we acquire a vehicle and make our way up to Amsterdam (Henceforth to be known as Amster-DAMN!), where a good seven and a half hours of my life remain unaccounted for…

From the Netherlands, we journeyed southwards to lovely Paris, where we took on a more cultural tone. After staying in our Five Star Opel, we drove it to San Sebastian, Spain to meet NWA’s aunt. Then, it was back across the Pyrenees and onward to Monaco and Italy. Charming Pisa and Ancient Rome where our hosts in the Italian Peninsula and afterwards we cut through the Austrian Alps towards Germany. Ahhhh… Deutschland, where I have made many good memories and many more good friends. Setting this as our home base, we struck out towards Karlovy Vary and Prague in the Czech Republic to meet and make new friends and to Switzerland and Liechtenstein afterwards.

Lastly, we flew off to lonely Stockholm and spent our remaining two days there before reluctantly returning to the US.

In the coming days, I shall regale you with the tales of our various experiences. Right now though… I really want to update something I’ve been meaning to update for a while now. Last we saw the Travbuddy map, I was at a measly 4% of the World Seen. I am quite glad to have more than doubled that.

Percent of the World Seen after Euro Tour '12

Percent of the World Seen after Euro Tour '12

European Tour Wishlist: United Kingdom

02 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by Summer Chaser in Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Buckingham Palace, England, London, Natural History Museum, Palace of Westminster, South Kensington, Souvenir, United Kingdom, Wiltshire, Wishlist

Since I’m traveling with a group of friends, and since our trip is quite flexible, we’ve decided to put together a wishlist of things we personally want to see in every country. We’ll get to compare our lists and if two or more people share something on that list, it takes priority. This way, we get to maximize the efficiency of the trip and not waste too much time. The plan is to start off in England and spend a day, perhaps two, in the surrounding areas.

 
English: The Clock Tower of the Palace of West...

 
What:
 
Big Ben
 
Where:
 
The Palace of Westminster, London
 
Why:
 
It’s one of the most iconic buildings in England and perhaps the world! It’s also something that pretty much screams “Look at me, I’m in London!”
 
 

 
 
English: Stonehenge, Wiltshire county, England...

What:
 
Stonehenge
 
Where:
 
Wiltshire, England
 
Why:
 
Ancient calendar system or alien landing pad?
 
 

 
 
What:
Troops of the Grenadier Guards on guard at Buc...
 
 
Changing of the Queen’s Guard
 
Where:
 
Buckingham Palace
 
Why:
 
To harass the guards while they stand at attention, why else? Oh come on! It’s in all the movies… You know you’ve always wanted to do it too…
 
 

 
 
What:
English: Front view of the Natural History Mus...
 
 
Natural History Museum
 
Where:
 
Exhibition Row, South Kensington, London
 
Why:
 
London is among the most historical cities in the world (Rome, Paris, Barcelona, etc.) Their exhibits ought to be amazing! 
 
 

 
 
What:
The remains of a fort on Hadrian's Wall near H...
 
 
Hadrian’s Wall
 
Where:
 
Northern England
 
Why:
 
If we still have the time, I’d love to see “the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain.” Think Great Wall of China, but a bit smaller and older. Not much of it remains these days, however the remnants are still evident. It used to mark the northernmost territory of the Roman Empire when Octavian declared Pax Romana. Later, Emperor Hadrian ordered this wall built to protect against the wild north.
 
 

 
 
What:
English: Chateau de Vincennes keep, Paris संस्...
 
 
Stay in a castle, any castle!
 
Where:
 
Anywhere!
 
Why:
 
Seriously… who asks the question “So, why do you want to stay in a castle?”
 
 

 
 
What:
English: Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh North wal...

 
 
Scottish National War Memorial
 
Where:
 
Edinburgh, Scotland
 
Why:
 
If there’s still time, I’d love to see it. I have heard amazing accounts of this place. It is an amazing War Museum, housing the names of Scots who have fought and died in World War I and World War II as well as conflicts that followed. It is a constant reminder of the tragic costs of war as well as the reasons we fight these battles.
 
 
 
 
 
English Souvenirs of Choice
 
 
For the Ladies:
An early Victorian tea set on display in the B...

 
 
Tea set. Why not get one from a land famous for its tea time? A genuinely British tea set would be an excellent conversational piece as well as a classy way to advertise your travels in the isles, not to mention it simply goes hand in hand with that Earl Grey you have brewing. Don’t forget a squeeze of lemon!
 
 
 
For the Gents:

Jóannes Eidesgaard smoking on his pipe.

 
A Smoking Pipe, think Sherlock Holmes… I believe this would make a quintessentially English trinket or keepsake. Small enough to travel with and totally awesome when we get to sit in a cigar bar and smoke while reading the London Times and having a Johnny Walker Blue, neat, of course. Cheerio!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • Armenia, Defying Expectations (Part 1)
  • Reinvigorated
  • Uncovering a Hidden Gem: Camiguin, Philippines
  • El Nido, Off the Beaten Path
  • Hiatus Over!

Archives

  • August 2016
  • February 2015
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012

Summer Chasers

Summer Chasers

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Summer Chasers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Summer Chasers
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...