#the journey can’t have been more than 30 mins. it was from the city centre (pretty small city) to the suburbs where i live | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nightglider124 · 6 years

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Japan: My Trip

Thought I’d put together a little photo diary of my two weeks in Japan because why not and I just like to share with my tumblr pals.

Read on to find out what I got up to.

Sunday 13th May

This was the day I flew out to Japan. I packed my bag and was ready to leave at 11am UK time. I’m not gonna lie to ya’ll, I was an emotional mess, leaving my family behind.

You should know, I’ve never been on a trip without my family and I’ve never been out of Europe. So, going out to Japan with just my best friend was a big thing for me. So, was pretty tearful and then my mum like burst into tears; she’s a worrier.

Anyway, my dad dropped me off at the airport to meet my bestie and we did all the boring airport stuff and soon enough, we were on the plane. The sky is ridiculously pretty at different times during an overnight flight or at least, a flight that crosses different time zones.

Pretty uneventful. I mostly ate, slept and wrote chapter 1 of CTD: Bound.

Monday 14th May

So, I arrived in Japan’s Narita airport at 11am.

Then I went up and grabbed my suitcase as well as going and grabbing my pocket wifi - Something that is tremendously helpful if you go to Japan. I don’t know what it’s like for you guys but in London, I pretty much have wifi anywhere I go whereas in Japan, it wasn’t as easy to come across; at least not for free.

The pocket wifi was a godsend. It can connect up to 10 devices and it lasts all day long when fully charged. Now, there were a couple times it tapped out but you just need to turn it off and turn it on again.

It cost about £60 for 2 weeks but if you’re going with people, it works out better. Me and my friend split it so we only paid £30 each but very worth it.

But, yeah, defo recommend this for anyone who is going to Japan. It was a big help, especially when needing to look up locations and/or directions.

Next, we went and grabbed our Japan rail passes which look like so:

This was probably the best thing I bought for Japan. Not even joking.

Even if you aren’t going very far, this thing helps so much. It’s a pass that allows you to use any trains that are owned by the JR company which is a fair amount that helps you get around Tokyo and surrounding districts. Note: You have to buy it before you fly to Japan and take the exchange form that comes in the post with you to Japan. You exchange it at the airport and they give you the passes above. Just make double sure your passport has been stamped because otherwise, they won’t let you have it.

Anyway, this was £310 for 2 weeks but again: WORTH IT. It does depend on what you’re doing but me and my friend were out and using transport every single day. We also went far. We went to Hiroshima, Kyoto and Osaka - All covered by the passes. And for example, £310 is basically a return ticket to Kyoto so you are already making your money back.

So, we picked these up and using them, hopped on the shinkansen (bullet train) to Shinjuku (Sound familiar, Titan fans? Yes, it’s the ‘roughest part of town’ according to Robin in the Trouble in Tokyo movie). It took about an hour and then we checked into our hotel which was: Shinjuku Prince Hotel.

It was a really nice hotel actually. The staff were friendly and spoke really good English. I recommend staying here; it’s right in the heart of busy Shinjuku and was only 5 mins from the station. We booked a deluxe twin room because two rooms worked out more expensive and it was not too shabby at all. I didn’t actually take any pictures so I snubbed some off google.

Anyway, we were running a little late and we had tickets to the Studio Ghibli museum so naturally, I was freaking out because the website expresses that they are strict on being on time for your slot. I nearly had a breakdown because... dunno if ya’ll remember but I had a right time trying to get a hold of these tickets. They sell out so quickly it is unreal. Anyway, our slot was 4pm and they only allow you to be 30 mins late.

We arrived at 4:50pm and I was close to tears as I ran into the park it’s situated in. I was so annoyed and so scared they weren’t going to let us in. But...

They did!! The guy was so sweet; I think he could see by my face how much I wanted to go inside. He was like all smiley and was like it’s okay, go on in. I was like THANK YOU JESUS. Here are some photos:

They don’t allow photography inside to preserve the magic of visiting. And honestly, it was so nice inside. It felt just like a Ghibli movie and seeing the animation process and the short film and the original drawings... it was all so amazing. Being a Ghibli fan makes this 1000% better but it’s still great for people who aren’t as into it. My friend isn’t really into Ghibli movies but she thought it was still pretty cool whereas there was me in like awe over all of it.

Anyway, we stayed there about an hour and as you can imagine, we were frazzled af. We were tired from the flight but I wanted us to force ourselves to stay up so jet lag wasn’t as much a problem.

After, we made our way back to Shinjuku where I took some pics from my hotel room:

Then we grabbed some McDonalds which was literally just across from us; something quick so we didn’t starve. I facetimed my family, showered and fell asleep.

Tuesday 15th May

So, the first full day we were there, it was a more chilled, sightseeing day. Nothing too taxing and we felt a lot more refreshed after a proper sleep.

First, we went and checked out the Tokyo Imperial Palace which was really pretty but we couldn’t go inside. It was mega hot the entire time we were in Japan; I thought I’d die. I hate the heat.

And because I was out in the heat all day and didn’t think to put suncream on... yeah, you can see where this is going...

More on that later, because then we carried on to the Yasukuni shrine which is just down the street from the East Gardens of the palace.

The shrine was cool and everything was so pretty; very tranquil and peaceful.

In the afternoon, we headed over to the Sunshine City mall in Ikebukuro where I forced my friend into the Pokemon Centre Store which was LIT.

I was fucking excited, ya’ll. I got some really cute stuff too. Got myself some Mimikyu chopsticks, an Eevee tail key holder, a Pikachu glasses case, a Pikachu makeup bag and a little Mimikyu figure bc Mimikyu is a fave and I have no cool stuff with it on.

I also got my brother most of his souvenirs in here because we have loved Pokemon since the dawn of time. I mean, we’ve fallen out of it in recent years because all the new gen pokemon etc... we’re more for the original pokemon and original series and games. Seriously, when kids come up to me like, do you even know Pokemon I’m like bitch step back you don’t even KNOW. It’s like I got a Pokemon CD for my brother and it had a japanese version of one of the songs from the first movie and we were like screaming. That film man, don’t even look at me.

Ahem... the Pokemon store was so wicked but mega expensive like shit son. Glad I took so much money with me because I NEEDED IT.

After the Pokemon store, we went down a level to the Studio Ghibli store where I didn’t get as much stuff as I thought I was gonna.

But, I got a Spirited Away fan with No Face on it, a Totoro and No face figure as well as a Totoro bib and hat for my niece.

Then we went and had fooood where I noticed... I was extremely sunburnt... Like in the below pic, you can’t see it that much because it hadn’t really come out full pelt yet.

Pls ignore my hamster face but see my chest? Burny burny burnt burnt. I got back to the hotel later that night and I had the shakes where it was hot and all the heat was there rather than all over. It was horrible.

I’m lucky I decided to wear full on makeup that day otherwise my face would have gotten buuurnt. Well done, Estee Lauder foundation, well done.

But yeah, it wasn’t the best end to the day because then I was all uncomfortable and my skin was sensitive and I was mad at myself for not putting on cream so then I got all upset and cried but I think I was still tired from the journey too and I was overwhelmed but yeah; kinda sucked.

Other than the sunburn, I also didn’t pack shorts for under my dress so my thighs rubbed and were in agony as well as my vans gave me like 4 blisters on each foot so I couldn’t walk or at least was in extreme pain when I tried so getting back to the hotel was a damn hoot.

Besides all that, it was a pretty good day!

Wednesday 16th

This was the day we trekked all the way down to Hiroshima which is like a 5 hour journey by train. We had to take two trains but it was actually not too bad. It certainly didn’t feel like it took that long to get down to Hiroshima.

One thing I will say about longer train journeys; remember to reserve a seat. Some like the one from Narita Airport are reserve only so you have to reserve a seat for it. But, others don’t need it and have “non reserved” cars but mark my words, if you’re travelling on these trains at a busy time, it really pays off to reserve a seat. We didn’t for Hiroshima and whilst we found seats for the 3 hour part of the journey; on the second train, we had to stand for like 45 minutes because there were no seats and then even when we did get to sit down, it was separated so yeah; book your train seats, people.

Once we arrived in Hiroshima, we hopped on a ferry which took us to Miyajima island. It’s about a 10 minute journey and once again, it’s covered by the JR pass. I loved that thing to death not even kidding.

Here’s some pictures I took on the ride over:

This island is home to the big red Torii gate that people may know of. I picked up some cute souvenirs and ate katsu. And there were even deer roaming around the place! A couple got married too whilst we were visiting and it was so nice. Again, it was mega hot so I was dying from that aspect but otherwise, I could live on this little island.

Unfortunately, we spent so much time at the island; we didn’t get round to doing the two other things we had planned which were seeing Hiroshima Castle and the Atomic dome memorial. I was kinda bummed by not seeing those but the last train was at 5pm and we weren’t staying the night so we had to get said train. It was okay though; it’s something to add to the list of things to see when I eventually revisit.

We got back at about 10pm and then it was lights out because we were exhausted.

Thursday 17th May

This was another sightseeing day that was fairly local considering we were pretty tired from Hiroshima still.

We traveled over to Asakusa which has the lovely Senso-ji temple and shrine. It was really cute, the walk up to the temple is lined with all these little shops and souvenir like places which have charms and fans etc. Really nice.

Inside, they do this thing where you pay 100 yen and you shake a metal box that contains lots of sticks with numbers on. When you bring out a stick, you find the number it matches and you bring out the fortune. You get a good fortune, regular fortune or bad fortune. I got myself a regular ol’ fortune XD.

But, they also have this rack so that if you get a bad fortune, you tie it to the rack to rid yourself of the bad fortune whereas a good or regular one; you would carry it with you.

Other than that, we hung out and then went back to our hotel for a while before heading out again to check out the nightlife of the area. Everything was mega lit up and was so nice. We went and grabbed dinner and also went and got crepes. They were a m a z i n g. Like they were so good ugh.

After that, went back, showered and slept. Pretty uneventful day; just being touristy.

Friday 18th May

Again, more sightseeing on this day. We went and saw the Tokyo Metropolitan Building and looked out over Tokyo.

Then, we went to the Meiji Shrine.

Aaand lastly, we went to Shibuya for the evening.

Yes, those are people dressed as characters from Mario Kart driving in the streets of Tokyo. This place was crazy. XD

After seeing the crossing scramble that is so infamous, we trekked back to the hotel and fell asleep.

Saturday 19th May

This day we literally went on trains all day to collect stamps. In Japan, they do these things called Eki stamps which are stamps you can find at stations, museums, shrines, tourist spots etc.

I haven’t got any pictures of mine but i got like 50 of them whilst I was in Japan. Going on one train line at all the stops got me like 30.

We had nothing else planned on this day so my friend suggested the collecting stamps XD.

Sunday 20th May

This was one of my two absolute favourite days whilst I was there. It was the day I went and saw Mt Fuji and went into Aokigahara forest.

It was approx 2 hours from Tokyo but we’d booked a tour instead of trying to do it ourselves. It worked out a lot easier. When we reached the highest point you can go to on Mt Fuji, by vehicle anyway, we had 30 mins to sightsee. We took pictures and went into the souvenir shop etc.

My god, it was so frickin’ cold up there. Obviously. We were high off the ground like shit, it was freezing. But, pretty pictures.

We then went caving in an ice cave that is iced over all year round and is not usually open to the public.

After that, we were taken back to Shinjuku where we grabbed food and went back to sleeeep.

Monday 21st May

We went to Kyoto on this day. We managed to see all we wanted to as well but then again, Kyoto was only a 2 and a bit hour train ride away.

When we got there, we saw the Fushimi Inari Taisha.

They were pretty but boy, was there a lot of people. I had to wait for so long to get pictures with none of very few people in it.

Then, we headed over to Kinkaku-ji which is this golden temple.

Again, very pretty.

Lastly, we checked out the Arashiyama Bamboo grove which was pretty also.

After that, we headed home to our hotel. We had an exciting day the next day.

Tuesday 22nd May

TOKYO DISNEYLAND, BITCHES.

I was excited and I can see why people hype Disneyland up. No matter which one you visit, there is this big sense of nostalgia and magic. It was unforgettable and wasn’t half as busy as some theme parks get here. But, I suppose we did go on a Tuesday.

Would hate to see it on a weekend.

The mike melonbread was delicious <3

Disneyland catered to the childish side of me and I loved every single bit of it. <3

Wednesday 23rd May

On this day, we visited Osaka which is about the same sorta time out from Tokyo as Kyoto is. Again, not too much going on. We checked out Osaka Castle.

And then, we checked out Dotonbori which was also very cool.

After that, we headed back to Tokyo. There wasn’t too much we were desperate to see in Osaka and it was raining which wasn’t the nicest.

Thursday 24th May

Last full day meant Harajuku and Shibuya for shopping day. I haven’t got any pictures but omg we went and did those purikura photo things? They are hilarious. It was funny doing them but even looking at them; they funny XD

I bought a bunch of stuff for myself as well as my family as souvenirs. It was funnn.

Friday 25th May

The day I flew home to London :(. I was sad to leave Japan but I was really happy to be coming home. No matter how much you may call your country a shit place, there’s no place like home.

Omg, I went over my bag weight limit with all the stuff I bought. I’m allowed 23kg and my suitcase was 27kg -.-

I paid £65 for that extra weight because I was not about to be that person who opens their suitcase in the middle of check in trying to decrease the weight XD

Pretty straight forward afterwards. I flew home and when I got to my house, my family let me have reign on dinner so we got KFC.

So, that is what I got up to in Japan. I loved every minute I was there. It is so very different than London and it has much more beauty than any city I’ve been to has.

I can’t wait to go back someday and I encourage anyone and everyone to go there. It is something else! <3

Thanks for reading if you made it to the end! I appreciate it ^.^

#night in japan #night wants to travel #nightglider124

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gadgetsrevv · 5 years

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Frankfurt 0-0 Arsenal LIVE: Score, Unai Emery makes SEVEN Europa League changes | Football | Sport

FRANKFURT 0-0 ARSENAL

Frankfurt XI: Trapp, Abraham, Hasebe, Hinteregger, Da Costa, Kamada, Kohr, Sow, Kostic, Silva, Dost

Arsenal XI: Martinez, Chambers, Luiz, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Willock, Smith Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang

Unai Emery makes even changes from Watford draw

FRANKFURT 0-0 ARSENAL

30: Chance! Great counter-attacking football from Arsenal with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang driving down the left channel. He clips the ball over to the advancing Joe Willock, who loses composure and leathers it high.

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

27: I don’t want to use David Luiz as a punching bag – but he’s looking vulnerable. The centre-back completely misjudges the flight of a Frankfurt corner – allowing Hinteregger to chest it down and leather one at goal. Blocked.

24: Arsenal are creaking now as Frankfurt continue to boss things here. Emiliano Martinez keeps Arsenal in it when making a fine save from Filip Kostic, who struck a firm effort having beaten Calum Chambers for the umpteenth time today.

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

21: Chance! Frankfurt should have the lead. Kostic strolls in down the left and angles his run towards goal only to fire high and wide. Andre Silva then sits Calum Chambers on his backside with a nifty turn before winning the corner. This place is going mad, just imagine if they actually scored!

18: Injury concern for Arsenal with Lucas Torreira in agony. He strides to meet a through pass from Saka and looks to have twisted his ankle when jumping over goalkeeper Trapp. Fallen very awkwardly.

He’s getting booed by the Frankfurt supporters, who aren’t exactly sympathetic. Oh… he’s fine. Miraculous recovery…

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

15: Frankfurt get away with one as Sow gifts the ball to Saka in midfield. The teenager runs at goal but delays the pass to Aubameyang, who can’t find a way past Hasebe. Good opening not taken advantage of.

13: Silva has a pop from distance having been afforded far too much space by David Luiz. The striker doesn’t need a second invitation to fire wide of the target.

Hinteregger earns an early booking for tugging back Chambers. Silly.

10: How’s that for a stat. Half of Arsenal’s starting XI have played in the Bundesliga. Don’t ask me to go through them all – it’ll take me far too long.

I also can’t hear myself think with these Frankfurt supporters. They haven’t stopped signing since about 5pm. I wonder if they offer a discount to anyone sitting behind one of the nine giant flags they are holding…

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

7: Slow-burner? Did I really say that?! Well things have burst into light now as Lucas Torreira squanders an absolute sitter.

Bukayo Saka sends a delightful cross in from the left to an unmarked Torreira, who arrives to balloon it miles into the stands from five-yards out. Should be 1-0 to the Arsenal.

5: First shot of the evening falls to Djibril Sow. He arrives on the edge of the area to crack a first-time effort straight at Emiliano Martinez.

3: How have things started? Very slowly indeed. Lots of huff, puff and tackling – not much fluency, chances or even completed passing. We’ll call it a slow-burner.

FRANKFURT 0-0 ARSENAL

1: Right then, the long and winding road to the Europa League final starts now. It’s a hard journey – but it’s worth it. Just ask Chelsea, who lost at home to Valencia… OK, that didn’t work, but you know what I mean.

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Europa is massive for Arsenal

17:50: BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves: “I think the Europa League is massive for both of them [Manchester United and Arsenal]. They’ve fallen behind Manchester City and Liverpool, they have.

“The fact of the matter is this competition I think for both teams is, in a way, must win. I don’t see either of them finishing in the top four the way they’re currently playing. So I think the best way to get in there is this competition.

“I think for Arsenal, with all the players they have, can they find a way to win this competition? They probably have one of the best squads in the competition.”

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Frankfurt fans…

17:40: Not much to write in this update, other than these Frankfurt supporters are completely committed and certifiably insane.

A quick Google search led to hundreds of videos of supporters shaking stadiums, taking 12,000 fans away for a group stage game against Bordeaux and removing seats in protest of not being able to stand.

To say a hostile atmosphere is expected inside the 51,500 capacity Commerzbank-Arena would be an understatement.

youtube

Twitter round-up

Ally: Wow Aubameyang starts this match after playing for 90 mins in all our games. Meanwhile, Ozil is rested after just playing 70 mins.

Dan: Ozil being rested is a terrible decision. If anything the man needs more minuets. Definitely not match fit and we won’t see the best of him until he gets back into the swing of things.

Ire: Betting companies need to have an option to bet on Ozil getting “rested”… Cuz based on the last 2 seasons, that’s a pot of gold.

I suspect that’s why they don’t have a market for that, Ire…

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Ozil rested…

17:25: Yep, one 70-minute appearance and Mesut Ozil deserves a rest. Sounds about right.

The German playmaker made his first appearance of the season against Watford on Sunday. The 30-year-old missed the start of the season after being targeted by carjackers and because of illness.

“Really the first match he played on Sunday, he played well and was good physically,” Emery said.

“Now he is ready to help us, not tomorrow but on Sunday – we are going to play another match and tomorrow we are thinking to do some rotation.”

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Predictions

17:15: Frankfurt have a fun game on their Twitter feed. The randomly generated scorelines stop when you click on it – revealing your prediction.

Mine, as you can see, says it’ll be 5-4 in favour of Arsenal tonight. Just checked and it’s 200/1 on Betfair. Easy money I reckon.

Another tweet Frankfurt sent out read: “Dear Arsenal fans, a warm welcome to the Frankfurt City Forest for the first group match of the 2019/20 Europa League campaign. We are very pleased to be able to greet you in our wonderful stadium. Let’s enjoy an exciting and fair European cup tie together!”

Awwww, aren’t they nice.

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: TWITTER)

Elsewhere…

17:10: Arsenal aren’t the only British representative in action this evening – not by a long shot.

Celtic are also in the strange, silly and unnecessary 5:55pm slot. Neil Lennon’s side travel to France for a tricky clash with Rennes.

Later tonight Manchester United welcome Astana to Old Trafford, Feyenoord travel to Steven Gerrard’s Rangers and Wolves host Braga.

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Twitter round-up

James: Shkodran Mustafi x David Luiz is the most ambitious crossover event in history.

Boom: David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi paired together for a Europa Group Stage match away at Frankfurt. What could possibly go wrong?

Jack: Shkodran Mustafi, David Luiz AND Calum Chambers. Sounds like Unai Emery wants a sweet payoff and few months off.

We’re one Mike Dean officiating away from complete and utter comedy tonight.

Team news – Frankfurt

16:50: I’ve no idea how many changes Frankfurt have made – but I know there’s no sign of Luka Jovic, Ante Rebic or Sebastien Haller.

All three of last season’s heroes have been sold to Real Madrid, AC Milan and West Ham for well over £100million.

There’s still more than a couple of threatening players in Frankfurt’s ranks with Bast Dost, Andre Silva and Filip Kostic all starting.

Frankfurt XI: Trapp, Abraham, Hasebe, Hinteregger, Da Costa, Kamada, Kohr, Sow, Kostic, Silva, Dost.

Subs: Ronnow, N’Dicka, Falette, Fernandes, Joveljic, Chandler, Paciencia.

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Team news – Arsenal

16:45: Unai Emery has made seven changes from the trip to Vicarage Road.

The four survivors are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Granit Xhaka, Sead Kolasinac and David Luiz, the latter presumably a punishment for conceding that late penalty.

Elsewhere Emiliano Martinez starts between the sticks with Calum Chambers at right-back with Shkodran Mustafi partnering Luiz in the middle.

There’s starts for youngsters Joe Willock, Emile Smith Rowe and someone I’ve been hugely impressed with – Bukayo Saka.

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Starting XI…

16:40: Well… Unai Emery has certainly made changes from the side who drew with Watford on Sunday. What a game that was… for the neutral.

Arsenal XI: Martinez, Chambers, Luiz, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Willock, Smith Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang.

Subs: Leno, Ceballos, Maitland-Niles, Pepe, Nelson, Guendouzi, Martinelli.

Afternoon

16:35: The return of Thursday evening football… how I’ve missed you.

That’s right, folks. Europa League action returns to our screens with an unusually exciting opener. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Usually it’s someone like Astana, Qarabag or Ludogorets – but tonight Arsenal must travel to Bundesliga outfit Frankfurt.

Frankfurt’s Commerzbank-Arena is an absolute cauldron. I remember last season against Chelsea they had flares, terrifying flags and even dismantled the seats.

This will not be a walk in the park.

Frankfurt vs Arsenal LIVE: Europa League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

FRANKFURT vs ARSENAL – TEAM NEWS

Arsenal continue without striker Alexandre Lacazette, who is sidelined until October with an ankle injury.

Full-backs Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney have resumed training but haven’t made the trip to Germany. Rob Holding is in line for a first appearance for nine months.

Serbia winger Filip Kostic and midfielder Mijat Gacinovic are expected to be available for last season’s Europa League semi-finalists.

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#Premier League Frankfurt 0-0 Arsenal LIVE: Score #Unai Emery makes SEVEN Europa League changes | Foo

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readfelice-blog · 6 years

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Moominland Chronicles achtzehn: Gran Torino

Hello, let’s just jump straight in shall we?

Oh, no wait, firstly, have a look at Colin Self’s Siblings (which is surprising and delightful in certain places, I’m only on my first listen though so havent got to its core yet.)

https://colinself.bandcamp.com/album/siblings

And something a bit more Italian for you, Franco Battiato, who was the essence that was channeled vicariously in the naming of LA LUCE AL BUIO,

-Un’ora Con…

….Makes for very interesting listening, there's a clangers track in there, though I’m not sure if that's what Franco was going for it definitely made me smile:

This is fetus (a track off the album but it's hard to source online so might be a spotify / google play search tbh) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd_59SCLlZY

Well then, Turin’s right nice.

I got a plane at 6:30 in the morning, the wing of the airport I was leaving from was closed when I got there.

This time I got a seat on the bus to get to the airport. My seat was directly in front of a mentally disturbed man who was walking up and down the aisle for the entire journey. He eventually got blocked in by other passengers boarding, he had a strange distant smile, I can't say it wasn’t disconcerting, but it was also curious and strangely beautiful.

He disappeared when we arrived at Tegel, I doubt he was getting a plane, though who knows, perhaps he was some fractured billionaire burnt out from all the money he was juggling.

After customs took their seats and sent me through the barriers I sat to wait for the cafe to open, wrote my diary: which is another thing im doing now, in case you're not content with one ‘Felice’s tell all story’ - theres now a rawer instagram only version charting my journey through ‘восем acht ocho’ as well, its totally unedited bile and thoroughly embarrassing - I’m not re reading / editing it, but it’s the best way to keep track of all these publications being haphazardly launched around Central Europe.

The airline I was flying with was called Lauda, some subdivision of Ryanair, who I bought my ticket through, all the staff had Ryanair uniforms on and the plane was a Ryanair plane.

Last week I was a bit mad on death, I read Michel De Montaigne’s essay ‘To philosophize is to learn how to die’ and then put its message into practise - looking for and becoming acquainted with death wherever I went, envisioning it in the lamp light of darkened streets, the glass eyes of dolls and even under the toilet seat.

Lauda was death, a Ryanair flight would never crash, not in my mind, but a Lauda flight could….

We left Berlin in fine weather, we travelled to a sunless sky framed by thick blocks of grey. As we went along the turbulence was unbearable, I am not an easy flier, perhaps I've not done it enough, but also I’m riddled with anxiety before I even get in the sky, one small shake is ok, but a continuous rattle for 20 mins and the safety belt signs coming on whilst still mid journey does not fare well with me. I was utterly convinced at one point that it was the end of my relatively short but eventful time on earth and glad I’d written my last requests before I left, though much more scared than I wanted to be.

Breathe deep, it does work.

Just as we descended and the spectre of death rescinded I suddenly realised how incredible the view was outside my window and eagerly attended to the sight of clouds upon clouds, a dense celestial cacophony lit by the golden rays of the sun. We passed through this heavenly land, everything becoming hazy and disappearing into the fog of vapor.

When we landed the plane applauded the pilot, clearly I was not the only person on board so terrified that if I’d clenched my fists any tighter they’d have snapped off my wrists.

Our pilot deserved those claps, he flew us close to death but was strong enough to skim it rather than be sucked in.

The airport was the same as last year,

no wait no it wasn't because I flew to Milan

and then had two train rides to Torino (Turin), the second train was very pleasant, trains are nice in Italy, they have power ports under the seats and are 2 floors like double decker buses. I think some of them are like that in Germany to.

This year I was officially in Italy, joyfully attached to my window, taking in the edge of decay that skirted wonderful quaint yellow houses, one glass fronted building bursting out of another which contained hundreds of lamps in different shades and sizes. Studying the people, handsome and somehow and open, there was a vividness to their faces that arrested me.

And I was in Italy when I got off the train and walked on to the streets of Torino, it wasn’t Paris or Berlin or Helsinki or Cork, it wasn't the setting where I would be saved by a man I’d never met before.

It was captivating and full of heart.

Firstly, my ableton tote that held 3 publications needed attending to, I neatly veered towards Piazza Statuto, reputedly a potential gate to hell, this little trip would chart me walking from dark to light.

It was raining as I stood under the jagged rocks and mangled bodies of the Monument, I’d been panicking that the rain would ruin these labored over gifts , where would I leave them?? Not in toilets, especially not disgusting piss sprayed italian cafe toilets, they were worth more than that, as with much of my life I stepped back a little from this worry and just trusted that something would present itself.

A couple approached me after a short time of being stood in front of the gates of hell, they asked in Italian, then English, for me to take a photo of them, I talked myself down from chucking my parcel in their direction and then launching myself the opposite way. This turned out to be sensible, as the opportunity then presented itself, in the form of a thick tree stump, under the gaze of the tortured stone faces. It had once been a pair of trees, but now in the wet air of the afternoon, it was one tree and one monument of a tree, the remaining oak sheltering its lost compadre with thick branches still full of leaves.

They were off the beaten path, in truth I wondered if it would be found, the person that might spy it would have to be observant and sensitive: children would find it, but I don't want kids to find these books, there's some art smut not for children's eyes bound inside the covers.

The act of leaving this gift was much easier than I envisioned, it turns out you can do all sorts of things in plain sight and most people won’t even bat an eyelid, at least not in Torino that day.

I really like Italy now.

I left it, then I zipped off to a nearby cafe to have a cup of tea (coffee is to strong for my delicate disposition these days). Last year I spoke to no one for days, but after months of not being able to speak German in Germany, not being able to speak Italian in Italy wasn't quite such a big deal.

The cafes I visited remind me a bit of Amelie, who I couldn't find in Montmartre, she had somehow transferred herself to Torino.

This one was brightly lit, glass cases of cakes and thick sandwiches hugged the floor, then the bar followed round behind them, I blundered through asking for tea, was given a pot of water and a tray of teabags, i just took all the teabags unthinkingly and then considered the inadequate ratio of tea bags to water.

D’oh,

They were returned to the counter and I parked myself outside to start my diary.

When I went in to pay at the end I found out that it was the lady, on her own little island aside from the bar, nestled amid nik naks and sweets, who was the person i should give my money to. I chuckled a bit to myself for my lack of common sense, the staff had big smiles on, it was a happy place I left, it was a happy place I had entered.

Then to Piazza Castello, but via Dama art fair.

In the rain it suddenly struck me how incredibly sensible and kind all these covered footpaths were, graced by arches and gorgeous decorative embellishments, they sheltered the people of the city and provided ample space for outside seating, whatever the weather. Because, the people of Torino like to be outside even when they’re inside, lots of cafes have glass paneled structures adjacent to the main building, so you can always eat on the street.

I sidestepped the main street, a direct passage from dark to light, to go to Dama art fair, a smaller less commercial affair than Artissima, set inside a baroque palace. It announced itself calmly, no fanfare and the first room you entered was empty, aside from sound, then into a journey, maps stretched across the wall, details of the passage overhanging the main plots, drawings and observations, in monochrome.

Dama art fair was elegant, but not arrogant, against the gorgeously decadent furnishings and trimmings of the palaces rooms quiet art pieces, drawings and sculptures mainly, investigating and working with form, sat just ebbing and pulsating in the atmosphere of the surroundings they inhabited. On arrival upstairs, after dumbly staggering around a courtyard for about 15 mins with a wealthy and well dressed man and his companion, who were also very friendly.

He “Its the most secret art fair in the world”

Me “You have to work for your art”

On arrival you were greeted by ‘THE END’ : woven fabric around big wooden words hung from the ceiling between two large blue speakers.

“How do they know?” I wondered to myself - “How do they know that this is my ending, here in Torino?”

No sign of a beginning though, I guess I will find it somewhere else.

Then back out onto the street again and walking past high street shops to the Piazza Castello. On my straight line from dark to light.

I’m glad my bag is light, you don’t need much to travel.

It’s raining and overcast, but the Piazza Castello is opening up in front of me like a beacon of light, it’s not an angel that stands in its centre, which I expected to find, but a man, I feel like he's a logician, an academic, an emblem of reason and enquiry. I haven’t done my research because I like to work with impressions and weave my own kind of mysticism into what I find as I walk around, so I don’t know who he is.

The piazza is huge, on my left to horseback riders announce a big art gallery where curious visitors stand in bunches waiting to go inside, on my right are white fronted buildings, all majestic and grand, there is so much room to breath here. But where do I leave my publication? I circle the statue and then spy what looks like a plinth, a kind of chalice almost, I imagine it’s filled with the elixir of life but as I get closer I find it’s actually an ashtray, its covered though and as I take a turn about it I notice that the wise man in the centre of the square is pointed towards me.

It might be an ashtray but it’s the right place, I’m more confident this time as I prop my publication on its rim, take a photo and then walk away. I’m noticing though that I barely take in the surroundings I find when I’m doing this and then I get panicky and run away, I make a note to myself that after all this work I need to sit where I lay my gifts, I need to draw them and understand them, be able to describe them to myself for years to come. Quick photographs don’t give enough time to what I’m doing.

I then arch off and look for food, because I’m hungry. Lots of people seem to be gathering about a nearby pizza shop, like a chicken headed tourist I join the crowd, I’ve decided I’m allergic to lactose and wheat but hey, I’m on holiday, when you’re abroad your hysterias change.

I get myself a ‘Gran Torino’ and then I eat it there on the street, wrapped in paper, there’s a man sat down nearly opposite, the first homeless man I’ve seen here, we don’t interact but I pay him mind, I don’t want to make him invisible to suit my view. As I’m just stuffing the last of the delicious breaded cheese feast into my mouth I enter another cafe, pulled in by its ample outside seating and its corner position, I don’t want any more tea but they have freshly squeezed orange juice, yes please.

Whilst sat outside I am approached 3 times at my table, twice by Italians looking for somewhere to eat, who are very friendly when they find out I’m not Italian and go on their way cheerily. Once by a woman pushing a very young girl and braced little boy who very aggressively asks for money, her young son and her stand and shout at me for a few minutes whilst I refuse to give them anything then go off into the surrounding city, they shout in Italian and I think to myself that it’s probably not the best way to ask for charity, but maybe it works for them sometimes.

I’ve already experienced more interaction with people in a few short hours than I did in the 4 days I was here last, who am I this time? I’m not the same person that traipsed miserably up and down these streets 12 months ago.

Nowhere is this more profound than on my walk to my air bnb, the wet warm air and clouds hug incredible views down each street that I walk past, as I look to my left I can see the glorious green hills that surround the city, I can feel the magic that is rife here, and I notice the Italians going about their daily lives so full of energy and vitality. There’s a spring in my step every cm of the way that I walk.

My air bnb host is a superhost, I’d actually settled to stay alone but my trip was cancelled a little while before I went to Paris and her place was available, I’d taken it because I wouldn’t be alone, because even though my stay in Paris was not great I’d appreciated having someone there when I got to my accomodation and I’d wanted to repeat that more sensibly this time, with a private room rather than a sofa bed in common space.

The house is spotless, she is a compact and very handsome older woman, it feels safe, I feel like I’ve been here before. We can’t really communicate, she cant speak English and I can’t speak Italian, it’s frustrating but we manage somehow. I have my own private bathroom in this house and a little tidy bed with soft pillows that make me realise the one I have in my room at home is far to hard and unfriendly.

I have a nap, which I’ve promised myself since getting aboard the plane, I get into my pajamas and lie in bed for 3 hours, half awake. Whilst I’m spread out in my little bed I listen to the noise that surrounds me, the young family that live next door chatter and argue and laugh, the birdsong echoes outside my window, the sound of cars and the church bells fill my ears, they are resonant, like a chorus. I find my demons lurking inside me, but I just face them and then have a little stretch and turn over, we are a multitude of traumas and triumphs, not just one but several people and in order to rest we must be able to live with all these voices inside us, come to terms with them and pull them together to fight for us.

Because life isn't simple or easy all the time, no human is not inflicted at some point in their lives and it's very important when you face problems to be able to know who you are, so that you can love yourself whilst you receive the madness of the world.

I get up when it’s dark, thinking I’ll order a taxi to the AC Hotel, I shower and furnish my face with glitter, put on my blue velvet dress. I’m not excited, but it's what I must do and so I will go to the AC Hotel with my last publication stowed under my arm, to the garden where last time I had invested so much hope, though I know logically now that it's not the key to this trip, in some ways I’ve already lived what I came here for, but I must re walk these steps to release myself from the past and move forward.

I end up walking because buses and trams are to complicated and the taxi doesn’t come.

Before I get to the hotel I want to eat, the cafe I went to last time is closed but there is a gelato shop on the opposite side, with a hot pink table, totally empty. I’ve still not had any gelato in Italy and as I used to work in a gelato shop it's something I’d like to try.

Its an old couple that own the shop, I get the most gelato I possibly can: fior di latte, amaretto, pistachio, in a great big cone, I’m treating myself because I’m not drinking and I need the energy. Though I worry it’ll make me puff up I eat it enthusiastically at the hot pink table whilst looking out at the rainy streets of Lingotto, considering the other desserts in a glass case by the window.

I’m quite a sight tonight, in blue velvet and glitter, my red tousled hair brushing my shoulders, I can tell its made an impression on the owners of the shop, who buzz about, welcome a customer that seems like a friend, go about their lives surrounded by all these delicious sweets.

Once I’m done I consider leaving my last publication there as well, but think better of it, sling it over my shoulder and continue to the AC Hotel.

Everyone’s so good looking once I get inside the hotel, a smorgasbord of chic sportswear and chiselled faces, I don’t look anyone in the eye whose not a member or staff so I manage to kid myself that people are who they are not to suit my fantasies. I go upstairs to an ‘installation room’ which is some led lights and a person fiddling on a laptop, the room is filled with people socialising, I go downstairs to try and see if I can get into the secret rooms, but the hostess, after flirting for about 15 minutes and ignoring me, gleefully tells me there are no rooms left, except lust at 21:40, its 20:00 ish, I don’t know what I would do whilst waiting for that room and actually of all the rooms lust is not whats in my heart right now, I do think about just taking it to prove a point but really I’m not petty enough to sit in this place bored for over an hour waiting to go upstairs.

Clearly the secret rooms will remain secret to me.

I don’t get a drink because I don’t drink (alcohol).

I go to the garden, there’s a lot of people gathered around the door and I push through them to find space and to consider where to leave my publication, it's still raining.

This garden is not the Garden of Eden tonight, perhaps it never was, now its a concrete courtyard with a tree and some grass in the dipped area, and rain streaked white seats on the raised platform I’m standing on. It's not the Garden of Eden, its a hotel courtyard. Where do I put my publication?

Just past the crowd, behind a shrubbery, there's a window sill thats large enough to perch on, which is sheltered from the rain, it's quite hidden but it seems like the place. I sit in the cove and have a cigarette then I get out my book and place it where I’ve been sitting, take a photo and scamper off. The last of the 3 now placed in Torino.

After this is is a kaleidoscope of moments: wandering around a shopping centre, which is called 8, going up escalators to unravel the triple 8 scrawled on a door before me and see where the seeds were sown. The venue and Aphex twin and all his lasers, scurrying from room to room through intolerably long hallways to watch a myriad of vocalists, dancing about in various places, realising that the toilets were never that bad, as long as you manage to effect a good squatting position. Finding out that question marks are not always doorways that open to fantasies being realised.

I stand and wait for a taxi for an hour behind women with artist badges around their necks.

I Get home after a 20 minute detour because my taxi was invaded by impatient people.

I Sleep.

In the morning I wake up in good time despite not getting my full 8 hours (or anywhere close to this) I wander out and make tea, I try to talk to my host but it’s very difficult, though I’ve noticed the traces of her in the flat, the handmade lemon body wash, the single malts, the honey. Eventually after starting a note to her I just use the paper in my hand to write what I am saying, my London accent is always a problem wherever I go but she understands written English. This works:

“It took me 90 minutes to get home last night.

12:30 > I’m going to shower, my aeroplane is at 3:30 (15:30)

So hopefully I have time

I like to have a lot of time

Biggest stress

Lots of people don’t understand my accent because I mumble”

Me and my host have a strange connection, she is another angel, she sees my fragility and the sadness that sits at the basin of my eyes, she offers me food and shelter, I can feel her heart wrapping around me and giving me warmth. I go to sit outside and wait for my taxi 20 minutes in advance, she comes and brings a sock I’ve left in the flat, as we embrace its tight and full of love, not like the hug of strangers, like family. Later she tells me via email that I am always welcome, that I am a friend now and friends don’t have to pay to stay with her.

I will go back to that house and those church bells, though I can’t say exactly when.

My ride home is flawless, as I sit on the mezzanine over looking TXN airport, a beautiful well proportioned space where you can look out at the snow capped mountains, I listen to a man playing drukqs by aphex twin on the piano below me and I let go of Turin, of last year and all the residual pain that I brought here when I came before.

There’s no need for me to go back to that festival again, there’s other places and new journeys I must embark on.

I enter Turin a mangled and not very good musician, I leave Torino a curious and dignified artist, that sings. I let art return to me and realise it never really left, I will always be an artist whatever I do.

That's just me.

85 publications to go….

#aphex twin #torino #turin #travel #self growth #dama art fair #piazza castello #piazza statuto

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beyondthe49th-blog · 6 years

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Jaipur: गुलाबी शहर

I'm not much of a train person. I'm also not much of a "second class" person. So the idea of taking a 6-hour train ride in second class was not too appealing. I put my reservations aside, as Darjeeling Limited had such a huge influence on my wanting to travel to India and I had a grandiose vision of travelling in similar style. This dream was quickly shattered as I saw our compartment, but the trip ended up being pretty faultless and dare I say, even enjoyable. Far from the Darjeeling Limited train, ours was more... weathered. Our second class seats were shared with another traveller, which was actually nice as we got to share experiences of which he had many. He was a solo traveller from Seattle who had been in the country for 3 months and had another 3 to go. He was quite the character with his gold front tooth and had recently been bitten by a dog and was in the midst of a series of rabies shots of which he was stressing to adhere to the strict vaccination schedule. Half way through the journey, feeling a little stir crazy, I wandered the train, finding an open door which allowed for some nice shooting of the passing countryside, and before I knew it we were pulling into Jaipur. Saying goodbye to our new train pal, we exited the train station and were, predictably, swarmed by taxi and rickshaw driver all offering a ride.

We had arranged for a pick up from our hotel, but couldn't locate the car, so we just grabbed a cab. Arriving at our hotel, 47 Jobner Bagh, I knew this was going to be a great stay. I had found it difficult finding a hotel that was just right. There were plenty of beautiful places to stay, but if they weren't in our budget - they were fully booked. Finally, after countless hours and many cancelled reservations, I settled on 47 Jobner Bagh, as recommended by Condé Nast Traveller. When in doubt, trust Traveller. After a quick check in, we were shown to our room off the rooftop terrace with sweeping views of the city with Nahargarh Fort in the distance. This beautiful white washed, boutique hotel offers most of the amenities of a large hotel including a spa and small restaurant featuring home cooked meals as opposed to a set menu. The hotel truly shines as a tranquil relaxing oasis where the air is sweet with flowering trees. Not feeling up to much after check-in, we opted for a massage in the spa and a private dinner on the rooftop. We had an early morning tour booked the next day through the Pink City Rickshaw Company.

After a light breakfast at the hotel we were picked up by our driver from the Pink City Rickshaw Company. I had read about this tour operator and wanted to support its cause. As stated on the company's Facebook page, "The Pink City Rickshaw Company is an innovative project which aims to train and empower 200 women from urban slums of the city to take you on specially curated tours of Jaipur in unique customized environment friendly rickshaws." We opted for the The Pink City Heritage Tour which stops at the areas top sights The first stop on the tour was Jal Mahal- translated: Water Palace. This royal palace appears to float in the middle of Man Sagar Lake. While the building itself is closed to visitors, the view from the shore is the true highlight. After snapping a few pictures we were off to our second stop, the City Palace. Arriving at the palace, we made a game time decision to just wander the outside of the building as opposed to entering the palace, as tickets were outrageously expensive. Our stay at the City Palace was short but sweet and we were then off to Jantar Mantar- one of five sundial monuments build across the country. I have to admit, however, that my favourite part of Jantar Mantar was the name. I found myself saying it throughout the whole trip, and it became sort of an impromptu mantra- our Jantar Mantar Mantra. Inhale- Jantar. Exhale- Mantra. Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is the biggest of the five and while I wasn't quite sure how all of them operated, this did not detract from their impressiveness. The accuracy of these primitive sun dials was astounding, as they were accurate to 2 seconds of the current time. My favourite stop on the tour was Hawa Mahal, a pink honeycombed palace in the centre of Jaipur. In true Indian ingenuity, as its architecture was not only , but also practicality, as its construction perfectly obscured the female royalty from public view as they gazed out from their palace. While the palace itself now stands on a busy street amongst clothing stores and restaurants, it is impossible to not be wowed by its intricate design. The final stop on the tour was the Albert Hall Museum - the state museum of Rajasthan.

After the tour we stopped for an amazing thali lunch with fresh naan and a couple beers at Handi, and the remainder of the day was spent wandering the alleys and streets of the city browsing the shops and stalls. The next morning we grabbed a rickshaw who took us on the long trek up and over the mountain to Amer Fort. Here's a tip- when heading on a 30 minute ride, don't opt for a cushionless rickshaw. Arriving at the base of the fort, it's hard not to be impressed by the imposing building that looms above. Along the steep walkway up the mountain the path is dotted with a long procession of elephants slowly sauntering their way through the main gate of the fort carrying visitors on their backs. Prior to our visit we had done some reading and discovered that these elephants are not housed in the most humane conditions, so we opted to make the trek ourselves. Even after arriving at the top, puffing and panting, I was happy with our decision. I found it hard not compare the Amer Fort to Mehrangarh Fort we visited in Jodhpur, and felt it just didn't hold up. The best part, in my opinion, is the view of the fort from the bottom. After wandering around the grounds, taking care to not disturb the monkeys- who both fascinate and terrify me- we made the easier walk down the steps to the base of the mountain.

After a relative long haggle with a rickshaw driver, we were on our way back into the city towards Bapu Bazaar. The market wasn't quite what I had expected. In my mind I had pictured more of a wide space, where it was more just a long road of stores and shops. Somewhat underwhelmed, after a short stroll, we decided to wander the side alleys instead. After stopping for some snacks and the obligatory chai, we grabbed a rickshaw to hit a few shops to pick up some gifts and souvenirs at a pottery shop. Heading back to the hotel we enjoyed the shade of the rooftop terrace with a few Kingfishers. This evening we had booked a spot at a cooking class in the outskirts of the city. When we visited Marrakesh last year, we took a cooking class and loved it. It's a great way to learn a new skill, get to understand the local cuisine, and have a meal. We had read a lot of good reviews and settled on Jaipur Cooking Classes with Chef Lokesh Mathur. On the menu for the evening was samosas, paneer butter masala aloo gobi, vegetable pulao, paratha, and saffron phirni (rice pudding). The greatest (and in a way the worst) thing I took from this class was just how easy it is to make paneer. Bring milk to a boil, add vinegar, drain through cheese cloth, let sit under pressure for 5 min. That's it. Too easy... I can't recommend this place enough. The class takes place at Lokesh's home, with his wife and son pitching in to help with the prep. At the end, after everything has been made, you sit down at the family table and enjoy a home cooked meal at the dining room table. It's a great way to get to know the the country and the city from a local. This was our last evening in Jaipur, so after dinner was primarily spent packing up our suitcases, getting ready for our flight the next day to Delhi. Little did I realize, landing in the countries capital the next day, how much I would long to be back in Jaipur- actually how much I would rather be anywhere else than New Delhi.

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beingmad2017-blog · 7 years

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Business Traveller Flying to London? A London City Guide for Getting to the Centre

New Post has been published on https://beingmad.org/traveller-london-business/

Business Traveller Flying to London? A London City Guide for Getting to the Centre

London. The vibrant, beating heart of the United Kingdom. It’s one of the Global’s maximum famous locations for vacationers, and for enterprise travelers too. The quantity of commerce that goes through London is wonderful, with a financial center 2nd handiest to New York, and carrier industries that cater for each the United Kingdom, European and international markets. As the area’s most multicultural metropolis – there are over three hundred languages spoken by means of a population of over 8 million human beings (twelve million in case you consist of the metropolitan area) – the possibilities for business are clear.

With the UK strategically located for the business definitions tourist on the western fringe of Europe, London is a global hub for air tour, offering easy get admission to mainland Europe and a stepping stone to America. Primarily served via 5 airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stansted, and Luton – London is without problems reached from everywhere in the global. But aside from London City Airport – smallest of the 5 and positioned in East London, close to the commercial enterprise district of Canary Wharf – the alternative four airports are satellites calmly dispersed around the town. The most popular, Heathrow, is positioned to the west of London; Gatwick is situated to the south; Stansted to the north east; and Luton to the North West. Knowing this before you make your travel plans may be useful. Since the greater metropolitan area of London covers over 1,000 rectangular miles, your final commercial enterprise destination may not be proper in the center. Researching which airport is closest on your vacation spot can save you time, effort and money.

However, whether or not you’re a business ideas vacationer flying from in the UK or from remote places, your beginning vacation spot may regularly determine the airport you arrive at. Other elements, including your selected time of the tour, price range and availability can even make a distinction. For example, in case you’re visiting with a main global carrier from a prime town, which includes New York, the probabilities are you may arrive at Heathrow or Gatwick (Stansted also gets flights from New York, however, is the smallest of the three). If you’re traveling regionally from in the UK with a price range service you are much more likely to arrive at Stansted or Luton (although not exclusively). And in case you’re journeying from a prime European metropolis, particularly an economic capital, along with Frankfurt, London City Airport is a probable arrival point (the airport changed into created in particular to cater for short haul enterprise travelers, especially between financial centers).

Each airport is served by comprehensive rail and road infrastructure, presenting commercial enterprise travelers with a selection of alternatives to go into London. All 5 airports provide direct rail journey into the heart of Central London, teach journey to the principle Victoria terminus, and rent an automobile, mini-bus, certified black cab, and taxi offerings with the aid of avenue. If you’re a VIP commercial enterprise traveler, chauffeur services also are to be had, and excluding London City Airport, every also offers direct helicopter transfer into the coronary heart of the town.

London Heathrow Airport

The busiest of the 5 airports in London Heathrow. Located much less than twenty miles from principal London, Heathrow is situated to the west of the town within the M25 toll road metropolitan boundary. The quickest path into London is through the Heathrow Express teach service, taking just 15 mins from terminals 1, 2 and three to Paddington station (located on the western face of Central London). If your flight arrives at either terminal four or five it is a similarly four and six mini tour time respectively, and you’ll need to switch directly to the primary London-bound carrier at terminals 1, 2 and three.

The carrier is the first rate, providing comfort and convenience, however, does no longer continually suite everybody’s travel price range. The fashionable ‘Express’ single adventure ticket fees £21.00 (€25.00 / $35.00), but commercial enterprise guests can get the higher price when purchasing a return price ticket, priced at £34.00 (€forty.00 / $fifty six.00). The ‘business plan First’ ticket is greater luxurious, with singles costing £29.00 (€35.00 / $forty eight.00) and returns £52.00 (€sixty two.00 / $86.00), however it does have the funds for commercial enterprise guests notably greater leg room, the privacy of an ‘unmarried seating’ layout, and a fold out desk. The revel in is corresponding to that of air tour. All passengers throughout each pricing structures experience to get admission to electrical sockets, USB ports, and free Wi-Fi. The typical great of carrier and passenger revel in generates a ‘wow’ issue, and in case your finances can find the money for it, is certainly the smoothest, quickest and maximum convenient manner to journey into London from Heathrow. Trains run often every fifteen mins in each direction, especially beneficial for closing minute dashes to the airport.

There are further rail options to be had to commercial enterprise travelers, each drastically less high-priced, though this is contemplated within the first-rate of a carrier. That’s now not to say either is not a good solution for business plan visitors, simply that there is a sizeable difference in comfort and comfort.

With a carrier typically running every thirty mins, and a journey period – relying at the time of day upon – of between 23 and 27 mins from terminals 1, 2 and three, Heathrow Connect is more than adequate for enterprise guests who are not in a rush. Like the rival Express carrier, Connect also arrives at Paddington station, but not like it’s quicker rival stops at as much as 5 different stations earlier than reaching its terminus. The ‘inconvenience’ of this less direct journey is compensated for through a substantially much less luxurious price ticket rate. Single journey’s value £nine.Ninety (€12.00 / $16.00) whilst a return is £19.Eighty (€24.00 / $32.00). There isn’t any saving to be made from shopping a go back price ticket. While the ease and luxury of the vacationer revel in can’t fit the Express, the Connect commercial enterprise travel answer is an appropriate compromise that suits a greater wide variety of journey budgets.

The 1/3 – and least steeply-priced – rail option is the London Underground ‘tube’ community. Despite the network’s call, the majority of the adventure from Heathrow is overground until the business news traveler nears Central London. Starting at the Piccadilly Line, the service connects all five Heathrow terminals and offers frequent trains into London, preventing at a lot of outlying stations before arriving at the capital’s center. This usually ‘interrupted’ adventure – there are seventeen stops between Heathrow terminals 1, 2 and 3 and Paddington Tube station (the nearest equal tube terminus for an honest evaluation) – and takes about fifty minutes journey time on average, substantially slower than its more direct competitors. This journey evaluation additionally requires the inconvenience of a switch among traces.

So why would the enterprise traveler remember the use of the tube from Heathrow to Central London? Simple. The frequency of the carrier, the array of destinations, and the cost. At a cash charge of just £5.70 (€6.80 / $9.50) for a single adventure in either course at some point of eight hours (06:30 am to 09:30 am), financially the Underground is an attractive option. At almost half the rate of the Heathrow Connect, and at just over 1 / 4 of the charge of the Heathrow Express, this service is comparably good value for money. Further cost may be observed if the enterprise vacationer purchases an ‘Oyster Card’, the ‘cashless’ electronic ticketing machine liked by using such a lot of Londoners. Available to buy at Heathrow London Underground stations, this useful option permits you to get tickets inexpensive than for cash – in this situation a discount to just £5.00 (€6.00 / $8.30). Off-height travel with an Oyster Card gives the even greater fee, with Heathrow to Paddington in either course costing simply £three.00 (€three.60 / $5.00) per adventure. The Oyster Card also can be used for the unlimited journey on buses and trains at some point in London, with a most every day spend capped at £17.00 (€20.00 / $28.00) peak time and simply £eight.Ninety (€10.60 / $15.00) off-top for a six region ticket (destinations throughout London are divided into six most important zonal rings. Travelling from Heathrow to Central London crosses all six zones).

The Underground is mainly a metropolis-wide mass transit machine, as opposed to an ‘educate’ provider. As such the extent of consolation and convenience is appreciably much less than that of both the Heathrow Express and Connect services, and at height, hours can be drastically uncomfortable. Having continued a current flight, commercial enterprise bing travel who pick this option run the hazard of getting to rise up the complete journey if journeying at some point of peak hours. If the carriage is full to squeezing factor (as is frequently the case at peak time) dealing with your bags may be a mission. It needs to additionally be cited that the tube network – which, as the sector’s first city mass-transit system is over a hundred and fifty years antique – is regularly susceptible to signal failures and delays. If the time among your arrival at Heathrow (remember to aspect in clearing immigration to manipulate, luggage series and customs) and your enterprise appointment is tight, specifically at some stage at top hours, it isn’t always unfair to say that you are taking a chance in case you choose to use the Underground.

Compared to using rail, visiting by way of avenue into Central London is far less handy. Like every main metropolis around the world, visitors congestion plagues the streets of London. The M4 and A4 direction from Heathrow into London is usually busy and in elements may be slow transferring at times. No, be counted what your method of road delivery, the enterprise bing travel is vulnerable to the hazard of delays and injuries.

Buses and coaches are ample. The dominant provider is known as National Express. They operate services between Heathrow Airport and London Victoria, the primary coach terminus in London. From here guests can journey to many other locations around the UK. The coaches run from Heathrow Airport Central Bus Station, which is located in terminals 1, 2 and 3. It’s nicely signal posted so without problems discovered. If you’re arriving at terminals four or 5 you’ll need to first take the Heathrow Connect educate to the valuable bus station. From Victoria Station, you may get to another a part of London without difficulty, through the Underground, plentiful buses, neighborhood trains, and licensed black cabs/minicab taxi offerings.

An unmarried adventure tickets begin from £6.00 (€7.20 / $10.00), at the same time as returns price £11.00 (€13.20 / $18.00). Although you should purchase your price tag at Heathrow, it is recommended to achieve this in advance, and online. This will make certain you’ve got an assured, reserved seat in your instruct of desire, and also offer you with the possibility to pick a time of departure and/or return that quality suits your wishes. Typically this service runs 3 coaches in step with the hour to and from London Victoria educate station. The adventure time can vary, depending on the path taken, the time of day and traffic situations, but you may generally expect your journey to take between 40 and ninety minutes.

National Express also gives business travelers a Heathrow resort switch provider to and from the airport, called the Heathrow Hoppa. With masses of offerings every day jogging around the clock, it’s a smooth, secure and lower priced way to get approximately, costing £4.00 (€four.80 / $6.60) for single adventure and £7.00 (€eight.Forty/ $11.50) for a return adventure. This carrier is particularly useful if your enterprise appointment is placed close to Heathrow and you don’t have any want to travel into Central London.

An opportunity to instruct bing travel is taking a bus. This can be mainly beneficial in case you arrive at Heathrow past due at night. Depending on the day of the week, the N9 night bus runs about every 20 minutes to Trafalgar Square in Central London, from eleven.30pm to 5 am. The adventure time is approximately 75 mins, the challenge to visitors delays. It’s a totally cheap provider, and as a part of the Transport for London infrastructure, an unmarried journey may be paid for with an Oyster Card (£1.Forty (€1.70/ $2.30) or by coins (£2.Forty (€2.90/ $4.00).

If your journey into London calls for the freedom to pick to journey whenever you need, to wherever you need, or you certainly require privateness, then private lease shipping is quite simply to be had at Heathrow. If you are simply interested in getting from A to B and lower back once more, with none different journeys in among, taking a certified black cab or minicab taxi might also in shape your desires. Traveling in an iconic certified black cab into Central London will take about forty five-60 mins, concern to traffic delays, and might typically price among £50.00 (€60.00/ $83.00) and £80.00 (€ninety six.00/ $132.00). If you do discover your self behind schedule in traffic the adventure will price extra, on account that black cab meters additionally rate for ready time whilst not transferring. Black cabs are quite simply to be had at all hours, and appropriate signal posting at Heathrow way they are easy to locate. At a squeeze up to five commercial enterprise travelers may be accommodated, although in case you all have huge luggage it’ll be a problem.

An alternative private hire to black cabs is certified taxi services. This may be a better option for the commercial enterprise tourist, specifically if a number of people with luggage are journeying together. An array of car sorts are available, starting from fashionable 4/five seater saloon and 6/7 passenger human beings service motors, up to 15 or 17 seater minibusses or even educate taxis. A delivered gain is you could e book your automobile of preference in advance and at a set charge. With such a lot of one-of-a-kind businesses presenting those offerings, fees – and nice of service – can vary, but commonly for a single journey, the business traveler can assume to pay a set, an advance charge of £forty.00 (€forty eight.00/ $sixty six.00) for a saloon car; £50.00 (€60.00/ $eighty three.00) for an estate automobile; £55.00 (€66.00/ $ninety.00) for an executive vehicle; £fifty five.00 (€66.00/ $90.00) for a humans carrier; £sixty five.00 (€seventy eight.00/ $108.00) for an eight seater minibus; £80.00 (€96.00/ $132.00) for an govt people carrier; and £165.00 (€198.00/ $272.00) for a 16 seater minibus. Savings can be made on all tariffs if a go back journey is booked earlier.

Traveling by using the black cab or certified taxi presents the commercial enterprise traveler the freedom to travel at his or her own pace, and may take the problem out of a journey. It can be a very relaxing manner to trip from the airport into London, mainly after a protracted flight, and gives the business traveler an opportunity to unwind prior to their commercial enterprise appointment.

If you want to arrange senior govt or VIP transportation, chauffeur driven offerings are with ease to be had (booked earlier) among Heathrow and London. The automobile kind and the period of time you require it for will dictate the price you may pay. Chauffeur pushed offerings are conveniently available to discover online. The equal is authentic of helicopter charter offerings that could switch the govt enterprise vacationer from Heathrow into Central London (Battersea Heliport) in approximately 15 mins. Flightline b ing travel management is experienced at impacting our customers with each mode of delivery, and we’re happy to take your inquiry.

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11degreesofsvijany · 7 years

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24 hours in the eternal city...

A few weeks ago I was discussing unusual travel ideas with one of my classes and one group of students came up with the idea of ‘7 days, 7 countries, 7 flights’. It intrigued me and after fiddling around with the kiwi app for a bit I realised that by taking the cheapest flight of the day from almost any airport Ryanair fly from you could easily fly for £10-£20 a day max. I set myself this challenge for sometime in 2017 and tweaked it a little. The rules will be that every day has to be a different country and the countries can’t be chosen, I’d have to choose the cheapest available flight for each day from wherever I am. Radka agreed to do it with me. I spent hours choosing different dates and seeing what potential itineraries arose and it was quite fascinating. This quick visit to Rome was a bit of a dry run to see how it would work flying to and from one city in 24 hours and actually seeing something. It was very helpful.

Radka and I teach in different regions which means our half term holidays are different weeks. The reason for that is to ensure the ski areas aren’t too busy. Since I now only teach at the school one day a week that’s the only holiday I get whereas she gets a week! Radka planned a ski trip with cousins etc for her time off and I was quite jealous so she told me to use my day off and go on a trip. I think she had a trip to the zoo or a day trip to a ski slope in mind but I booked a flight to Rome instead.

My flight was about £56 return which wasn’t as cheap as the 7 day trip will be but I booked it late, 14 days ago. The 7 day trip will be booked a few months in advance. I left the flat early on Tuesday morning in order to make my 7:10am flight from Prague to Rome Ciampino airport. A quick breakfast at the airport was ruined a little because I could only chew on the right side of my mouth. Radka cooked some beef on Monday night and it was so tough it sent shooting pain through my mouth and caused the teeth on my left side to be out of use.

I used to hate Ryanair but over the last three years they really have changed for the better. They ended the ‘we don’t care, your flight was cheap’ attitude and put all their efforts into customer service. As usual there was a mile long queue 40 mins before boarding. Why do people do this? Ryanair give allocated seats these days anyway. Completely pointless. I waited until the queue had died down and made my way onto the air bridge to the slow moving queue boarding the plane. That’s when someone farted. These air bridges are quite small spaces and it was bloody awful. I was almost certain I knew who the culprit was but all I could do was grimace and try to look as innocent as possible whilst shaking my head.

I found my seat, put my small cabin bag into the overhead locker and sat down. A young Italian steward called Giuseppe then tapped me on the shoulder, took my bag out of the overhead and asked if I would put it under my seat. He looked like he would have cried if I’d said no so I reluctantly agreed and spent the flight with little to zero leg room. Giuseppe was literally about 4 foot tall and probably has no idea how it feels to be 6 foot tall on a Ryanair flight even without a suitcase shoved into your leg stretching area.

The flight was a little bumpy but after about 70 minutes we were making our descent. I am one of those people who suffer with ear pain as the plane descends, sometimes worse than others followed by half a day being deaf in my left ear. The worst I ever experienced was on a flight to Sydney in 2006. I’d been given a free upgrade to business class so I had one of those bed things but there’s a rule in Sydney where they can’t fly below a certain altitude until 5am. My plane had an expected arrival of 5:05am so at 4:58 the pilot did a huge nosedive. We dropped thousands of feet in seconds.My ears were exploding so badly that I threw a tin of altoids against the wall in front of me and my water bottle completely crushed itself under the pressure. This wasn’t quite as bad as that and I was deaf but nowhere near an altoid throwing level of pain.

One thing that does my head in on planes is that as soon as the wheels touch the tarmac you hear seat belts unbuckling despite frantic calls from the cabin crew not to. Who are these fu**ing morons!? Then came a moment of beauty. The Italian guy sat next to me was one of these morons. He was unbuckled and taking his things from under the seat in front. As we continued down the runway the pilot did one of those harsh brakes and his head smashed into the back of the seat. He didn’t seem in pain but he knew I saw it and was embarrassed so that was enough for me.

I was out of the airport within minutes, one of the beauties of schengen travel. Unfortunately this is where the fun started...

If you’ve ever been to Rome Ciampino airport you probably know the issue I had next. The trip from the airport to the centre of Rome is 17km...no big deal. Unfortunately, actually getting there IS a big deal. There are three options. Take a taxi for a fixed price of 30 euro (pointless as that’s more than half the price of the flight), take a shuttle bus for 5 euro or use public transport for 3 euro. I was in the arrival hall at 9am and was quite relaxed. I walked over to the 2 shuttle bus desks and was quite surprised to see that one of them had ‘next bus 10:30am’ and the other ‘next bus 11:00am’. What the hell was I supposed to do in the arrivals hall for all that time!? I then joined the huge queue for public transport tickets only to spot in the corner of my eye the hundreds of people waiting at the bus stop. Way too many people for a bus. There was no way this was going to end well as the bus came every 40 minutes. Ridiculous! I walked back and forward for about ten minutes hoping for some miracle. Surely there must be an easier way to get to the city!? Mental. I knew the public transport method was a 5 minute bus from the airport to a local train station followed by a train into the city do I thought I’d ask a taxi driver how much for the 3km journey to the station. I didn’t want to spend 8-10 euro on a taxi but needs must. I wasn’t too bothered.

“Taxi?”

“How much to Ciampino train station?”

“Ciampino station? errrrm, twenty five euro”

“Oh, no thanks”

Robbing bastards. I was quite stressed at this point so I thought ‘F**k this!’, grabbed by little case and set off walking out of the airport grounds. I’d read a forum post on trip advisor saying this was possible if ‘you don’t mind a bit of walking’. Well, I didn’t mind a bit of walking and my case wasn’t exactly heavy so I went for it. It was only 3km to the nearest village according to google maps, how bad could it be? Incredibly bad would be the most accurate answer.

The issue was that there were no pavements. I was wearing my nice brown boots and casual blue trousers. I wasn’t dressed for off road hiking. The first part of the walk had me walking into oncoming traffic on a very busy road. There was a thick white line which cars ‘shouldn’t’ cross which gave me some walking space but motorcyclists tended to ignore this so every time I saw one approaching I had to hop up onto the grass verge to escape death.

I felt like such an idiot. I was without doubt the only person attempting this. I was thinking about the author of the forum post through gritted teeth. The road seemed to go on forever. At one point I thought I’d taken the wrong road and it was just going to turn into a motorway. Was I just walking to Milan? Eventually there was an intersection and I knew I had to turn left onto the next road. This one was even worse. Actually, fifty times worse. There was no space to walk on the actual road so the only option was to walk on the grass verge. This grass verge was worse than the previous one as it had some kind of ditch in the middle of it and at times the grass narrowed and the only option was to walk in the ditch.

I continued my walk down the ditch in my nice, brown, bugatti boots and it only got worse. The grass turned into huge thorn bushes which were unavoidable. I walked through the first one and was instantly pierced by some strange black thorns all over my legs. There were also huge stones which I kept kicking hidden in the grass which was now so long that I couldn’t see the mini ditches and kept losing my footing. I could just imagine the laughs of the people in the constant stream of cars flowing past. I was sure I’d be on an Italian youtube channel later that day. After 3km of pure misery, ruined and soaked shoes and trousers I finally came across a train station. Somewhere called Casabianca.

There was nothing there. No ticket machine, no ticket office. I worked out the schedule and saw that I had about 30 minutes until the train to Rome arrived. I calculated that I’d be at Rome Termini station at 10:56am. A full 4 minutes before the 10:30am airport shuttle bus and I’d only have to pay 1.50 without having to wait in crowds of people. Win! Unfortunately I’d probably have to buy a whole new set of clothes when I got to Rome as I’d only packed 1 extra t shirt and no extra trousers. It was 17 degrees and sunny so I was sweating after that walk and my trousers were soaked. I spent the 30 minute wait assessing the damage, 28 minutes of which were spent picking individual thorns out of my trousers, coat, wrists and suitcase.

An old man turned up, looked at me, said something in Italian and smiled. I assume it was something along the lines of ‘you walked from the airport didn’t you ha ha’. A plane then took off and it was so close I probably could have just left the plane, climbed over a fence and been in exactly the same place. Very frustrating.

I booked a 1.50 online ticket from the treinitalia website, the train came on time and 15 minutes later I arrived in the centre of Rome!

I had a quick look at the prices of clothes in the shops at the train station before deciding that I didn’t want to spend 140 euros on trousers and it’s nothing that a wet cloth at the hostel wouldn’t sort out. I bought a 24 hour transport ticket and went one stop on the underground to my hostel ‘Maikol Guesthouse’ (£9.70 per night in a 4 bed mixed dorm).

“Hello David, we’ve been waiting for you!”

It was Giuseppe from the Ryanair flight, he must have taken a taxi.

“My name is Miro, nice to meet you”

“Hi, does your brother work for Ryanair?”

“No, I no have brother. Why?”

“I don’t know, doesn’t matter”

Seriously, they were long lost twins. He was the spitting image of Giuseppe. Miro was brilliant. It was a family run place and he must have been the son. He spent a few minutes showing me where everything was on the map before giving me his mobile number in case I got into any trouble. What a guy! My room wasn’t ready so I left my bag, told him I’d come back around 3pm and headed out.

This was a short trip so I knew I couldn’t be the average Rome tourist. I wasn’t going to have any tours or see much. My plan was to have a nice walk and see some sights. I’d planned a coffee and pizza stop in some famous spots so I got the metro to Barberini square and started walking down towards the Trevi Fountain. Walking around the centre of Rome, around the side streets, is a very pleasant experience. The weather was great and everything seemed to go at a very relaxed pace.

After the Trevi fountain I walked towards the Pantheon.

I knew that my special espresso was just round the corner from there so excitement started to build. The pantheon wasn’t as busy as I remember it so I’d say this is a good time to visit Rome. I’d downloaded a podcast on the Pantheon to avoid paying for an audio guide but I switched it off after about 43 seconds. Those stupid iphone earphones don’t stay in my ear. I have to be completely still if I want to listen to something. I can’t even chew chewing gum with them never mind walk. Maybe the strange shape of my ears is connected to my ear pain on planes? I decided it was too touristy for me so I used the panoramic setting on my iphone for the first time, took a photo and left.

I had decided not to bother buying shoes but I felt a bit uncomfortable walking around Rome in my completely scratched boots. I looked so scruffy and to make things worse everyone in Rome dresses perfectly. I walked past a clarks just around the corner from Pantheon and boom, an idea. I went in and asked if they had some polish. He had some kind of neutral colour cream so I bought it (7 bloody euro). As the card transaction went through my heart sank as I realised that the tube of polish probably wasn’t 100ml or less and Ryanair wouldn’t let me take it in my little see through bag. I’d only get about 23 cents of use out of this. I went outside and checked, 120ml. Bollocks. I used it straight away and look at the difference it made! The right shoe is post cream. Spectacular...

I was quite pleased with myself now. It wasn’t perfect but it was better than before. A couple more side streets and I found my espresso place. Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè is an ancient Coffee Shop and Roaster that dates back to the thirties. I loved the place. You pay for your coffee at the till and are given a paper which you take to the bar. That’s where you get your espresso and drink it there and then. People drink and then leave. None of these student twats buying a water in starbucks and using the wifi for 3 hours. It was the best espresso I’ve ever had. Simply perfect.

After leaving the cafe I headed towards the spanish steps which meant walking back past the trevi fountain. One problem in Rome is people constantly trying to cash in on tourists by selling them all kinds of crap. Being on my own I’d largely managed to avoid this. No roses for a start. The only issue I had was being asked if I wanted to buy a selfie stick about fifteen times. I got to the spanish steps and meh...too many tourists. I took a picture and left the area as quickly as possible.

I was then approached by a girl on a segway wearing an AS Roma kit. She tried to sell me a ticket for the evening’s Serie A game vs Fiorentina but I already had one so I asked her where the nearest Roma shop was. I wanted to buy an official scarf for the game. She gave me directions which turned out to be completely wrong. I think she got her left and right confused. I was walking for 25 minutes trying to find the damn place which was in Piazza Colonna. On the way around various side streets I noticed a guinness sign. My eyes lit up. This is exactly what I needed. It was now about 13:30, I’d been on the move since 4am and a nice pint of guinness would hit the spot. I headed over to the bar.

It was closed.

I carried on walking and eventually found the Roma shop and bought my scarf (18 euro).

It was time for a snack. I read about a place online which was apparently a must visit. Bonci Pizzarium. I had to go 5 stops on the metro to ‘Cipro’ and it’s right there.

They say the owner, Gabriele Bonci, makes some of the best pizza in the world. It’s quite a strange place. There are loads of different pizza toppings on show and it’s quite difficult to understand what they are unless you speak Italian but the staff are very friendly and happy to help you out.

The first one I chose I thought was small pieces of chicken covered in cheese.

“I’ll have this one please”

“Are you sure you want this one?”

“erm”

“It’s stomach”

“What?”

“you know, tripe”

“oh shit no I don’t want that”

He helped me choose another, I still don’t know what it was but it was absolutely amazing and i washed it down with an extra special cascadian dark ale.

If you visit Rome make sure you go there! You pay buy the kg and they slice a piece off they cut it up for you with a pair of scissors. Bizarre. I lost half of my square because of a kid. There was a couple and 2 kids stood at the table next to me outside the place and after my initial sigh the kids did what I expected them to do and started running about. Eye contact with the parents did nothing to resolve this annoyance and then one of the little twats decided to stamp her foot into the floor sending about 6 pigeons flying in my direction and I dropped what I was eating.

My next plan was to one stop on the metro to Vatican city and take a picture in St Peter’s square but my left leg had started hurting, presumably from the trek in grass verges and detours around Rome caused by the segway girl. I’m not into religion and I’ve been there before so I couldn’t be bothered and headed back to the hostel. Shame I didn’t get a picture as it’s a beautiful place but I still have this cracker of Paul from 2005...

I got back to the hostel, Miro introduced me to my new roommate.

“It good news! Russian man and he go to football too”

That was good news as I was a little worried about walking there alone. We got the pleasantries out of the way. His name was Sasha and he was the manager of a dry cleaners in Moscow. His english was broken at best but we got by with a mix of Czech-Russian-English. He poured me a beer, hostel style.

Peroni is quite a popular, and expensive beer in England. In Rome it’s the beer choice of the homeless, much like Branik in the Czech Republic. I finished my cup and left to take a quick picture of Colosseum before preparing for the game.

I love the Colosseum and it’s a place I’d really like a full tour of when I come back for longer than a day!

I went back to the hostel with 2 more beers and had a chat with Sasha. He kept starting sentences in English and then giving up because he didn’t know the words. It really started to grind.

“I know man in Moscow and he...erm...erm...ahhh...no, no...nothing”

“I very like visit erm....no....i don’t know”

In all the excitement I completely forgot about my bad tooth and I let out a squeal as I chewed my chewing gum on the left side. Sasha looked alarmed but I couldn’t be bothered explaining.

We set off to Stadio Olimpico. Not an easy task. Rome is great for coffee and food but the transportation network isn’t great compared to Prague. We took a metro to Ottaviano and had to get a bus from there or walk 3.5km. The bus came and we were like tinned sardines but we finally made it to the stadium. We were seated in different sections so I gave Sasha strict insturctions.

“Meet at this statue after the game. I will wait max 15 minutes because I have to be up early for a flight.”

He seemed to understand and i made my way to the mental security procedures of the Stadio Olimpico. Two different ticket and passport checks, 3 full body pat downs.

I went into the stadium and tried to find my seat. I’d booked online via the main ticket company in Italy. They didn’t let me choose my seat, just the stand, the famous Curva Sud. The ticket cost 30 euro which isn’t bad but isn’t cheap either. My Sparta Prague season ticket costs 40 euro. Anyway, I was a bit surprised when I did get to my seat. I sat down and this is what I could see, nothing else...

A friendly Roma fan then tapped my on the shoulder.

“It normal. You sit anywhere. Stand here at back”

So I stood at the back of the stand. The problem was my leg pain was becoming increasingly unbearable. My iphone told me I had walked 21.6km so far, 28,600 steps. It had clearly taken its toll. The pain was in the lower shin and it was getting worse. I must have aggravated something I did skiing last week. I found an open seat and had a perfect view of the rest of the game.

An interesting thing about football in Italy. Most fans don’t drink beer. The snack bars in the stadium sell beer but each window also had 4 huge chrome espresso machines connected to each other. There were bald headed rowdy football fans just stood everywhere with tiny cups of espresso. I joined them and it was brilliant.

The match was great. Roma put in their best performance of the season to batter Fiorentina 4-0. The atmosphere in the Curva Sud was also electric. I really enjoyed the game.

Here are a couple of videos I took. First, the amazing anthem ‘Roma Roma Roma’...

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The introduction of the legend, Francesco Totti...

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Celebrating Edin Dzeko’s goal and the 4th for Roma. I had the camera ready for about 10 minutes to try and get a goal with the announcer saying the scorers name but I missed it because I was looking at a really fat man walking past. Anyway, I got the announcer bit...

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After the game I waited 15 minutes for Sasha and nothing so I hobbled the 3.5km to the metro station on my own. The pain in my left leg was now so intense I had a huge limp and I was almost screaming in pain with every step. I thought that Sasha might have left the game early because he wasn’t a huge football fan but he wasn’t there when I got back to the room. There were, however, a couple who looked in their late 40′s. This was weird. Usually in hostels if you have a dorm it’s bunk beds. This ‘4 bed mixed dorm’ was more like a hotel room with 2 single beds and a double.

Sasha had a single bed and I assumed the double bed would be left empty because 1)it’s weird and 2) there were no pillows on it.

“HEY! My name’s Julio! Where you from!? This is my wife Olivia”

Handshakes, pleasantries. It was almost midnight I really wasn’t in the mood. I set my alarm for 5:30am. My flight was at 9 but I didn’t want to risk a struggle getting to the airport. I definitely wasn’t going to walk there. It was really weird being with an older couple in the same room. I’ve got nothing against older people using hostels but if you’re a couple you should be getting privates. I’d never take Radka into a dorm room. Luckily they were also ready for bed. I got in bed and started reading my phone trying not to make eye contact with my mexican roommates. The woman started whispering in Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish but I assume it was something along the lines of ‘how do I get changed? Should I ask him to leave while I undress? This is weird. Why are we in a shared dorm Julio you prick!?’

I turned over to give her a chance to undress and I could hear her rapidly changing her clothes. I told Julio I’d be leaving at 5:40 and I’d try not to wake them. No problem. He seemed like a really nice guy. I tried to sleep but I was getting worried about Sasha. Had I just left him to get lost in North east Rome? Had he been jumped by a gang of Lazio fans. I’d arrived back at 11:30pm, it was now 1am and he wasn’t back. If I wake up in the morning and his bed is empty....jesus. I had visions of the Amanda Knox case. The police would blame me for his murder as I was the last to see him. I thought about escaping the country at 9am and never answering my phone to an Italian number, ever.

My fears were allayed when I heard the hostel entrance door slam. He then burst into our room and shook my hand despite the fact I was obviously trying to sleep..

“HEY DAVE! MAN FOOTBALL GREAT YES!?”

“Sasha, shh, people are sleeping there..”

“ok, wow. I stay in olimpic stadium and make pictures”

He then took 2 bottles of beer from the fridge and left. I have no idea where he went but he came in at 4am and woke me up again. Within 12 minutes he was snoring. Probably the worst snoring I’ve EVER heard. It was horrific. There was no chance I was sleeping through that. Julio was tossing and turning. I wasn’t satisfied with my 3 hours sleep. At 4:45am I’d decided I’d had enough. I got up, put my clothes on, grabbed my bag and left. I’d rather roam the streets of Rome at 5am than listen to that. He knew he was a bad snorer because he warned me within 5 minutes of meeting him but I didn’t realise it was possible to be that bad. It’s so selfish. If you have a problem like that you should be in a private room. Don’t get a dorm and stop everyone else from sleeping.

I made my way to Termini and waited for the shuttle bus. There was a family there before me and we had 40 minutes to wait so we decided to form a queue. By 5:55am there were about 15 people behind us. The bus came and everyone ignored the queue and formed a pile around the door. This pissed me off. Italians are friendly enough but they are definitely rude and arrogant. The queue is a very important aspect of British life. We invented it and we know how it works. These bastards have no respect for the queue. It was a mess. I finally got a seat on the bus and had a Czech girl in front of me with her mum who kindly reclined her seat for this mammoth 25 minute journey, crushing my legs in the process. Miserable. I couldn’t wait to get to the airport. When we arrived the recliner girl almost threw up a lung. She must have suffered from motion sickness as she was projectile vomiting into a carrier bag for about 5 minutes. Served her right for reclining her seat with a tall guy sat behind her. Unfortunately the Italian manners continued. Everyone knows that you let people in front of you get out of the seats and off the bus first. The Italians didn’t do this so I was stuck behind the girl trying my best to stop the smell of her vomit entering my nostrils.

I’m still not sold on Italian people but the coffee is amazing. Even the vending machines serve a decent cup.

I decided to wait until the plane for a coffee. Ryanair serve a Lavazza coffee in a special cup which as a built in filter in the lid. I was really looking forward to it. I had some time to kill so I decided to sit in the gate area and people watch. I love watching idiots scramble to their gates and do stupid things. It’s like a drug. I used to love watching ‘airport’ on bbc seeing all the arguments etc One guy turned up after gate closing and missed his flight to Athens. I’ve never missed a flight in my life and unless there’s a huge problem getting to the airport I don’t know how it’s possible. This guy had duty free bags in his hand so it was clearly his fault. He kept telling the woman that the plane was only there and he could go but she was having none of it. I then started looking at the cabin bags of the other passengers on my flight. Ryanair used to be really strict with the sizes but they seemed to have stopped checking. It’s a shame. I used to enjoy guessing if the bag would be turned away or not at the gate. They just let everyone through. Again, there was a panic to get on the plane first. Again, I waited until the end. This time it backfired because their big bags had taken up all the overhead locker space and there was no room for mine. They stuck a sticker on it and put it in the hold for free which meant I would have to wait at the baggage carousel in Prague. Bastards.

The flight was uneventful apart from the coffee I was looking forward to. This happened to me for the second time in the last few months. I was on row 10. There’s a drinks trolley coming from the front and one from the back. They meet, bumping into each other on rows 9 and 11. The cabin crew have a chuckle and then walk away. Completely forgetting to ask row 10 if they want anything. Second time this has happened to me!! I had to unbuckle the seat belt, rearrange and my stuff, walk to the front, interrupt their conversation and ask for a coffee.

I was back in Prague at 11am! A very quick and mainly enjoyable trip. In conclusion I’d say the trip made me realise that whilst I’m not old I’m not as young as I was in my backpacking days and I think my days in hostel dorm rooms are over. I’ll be using privates only in future. The walking I did was definitely too much. I’m still suffering now. On the 7 day trip I have to plan better and follow the ‘less is more’ attitude in each city.

Aside from the 7 day trip I’d love to go back to Rome with Radka for a few days and explore more amazing food places, do some real tours of the sights and get another Roma match under my belt.

A great city!

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