Before I get into the gory details of the trip, a couple more photos to share…
Well, these babies have served me well. Bought new for the Hawaii trip in ’22, their days sadly may be numbered. (They cost less than $50; I think I got my money’s worth!)Pins, magnets and stickers from the trip. The eagle-eyed amongst you may also spot a wine cork I saved from my final dinner with Ruth & Kent in Doha.The pins are slated for the bulletin board in my laundry room……the stickers for the cabinets in the garage……and the magnets of course go on the ‘fridge!
Below are some lists I compiled during the trip. Most are ranked in no particular order; the exception would be if a list is numbered.
Favorite Experiences
A return to Byron House (and spending time with Mary & Tony)
Visiting Ruth & Kent
Hard Rock Cafe Tour
Stamford Bridge (Chelsea Women’s Soccer)
Lunchtime performance at the Royal Opera House
Big Ben Tour
The Who at The Royal Albert Hall
Bach’s St. John’s Passion at St. Paul’s Cathedral
Mini Day at Brooklands Museum
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Ladder of Kotor Hike
The Dave Matthews Band at The Royal Albert Hall
Favorite Places Visited (thanks for the suggestion Kait!)
Qatar
Visit Ruth & Kent
Itinerary
Food
Montenegro
Ladder of Kotor Hike
Perast
Train Ride to Bar
Bulgaria
Hotel
Monastery
Opera
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mostar
Bobsled Track
Romania
Peles Castle
Transylvania
Opera
Slovakia
Hotel
Good for Walking
Albania
Low ranking likely due to my poor choice of locations to visit
I excluded the U.K. and Austria from the list. The U.K. dominated my time, and I only spent one full day in Austria.
Favorite Accommodation
Byron House, Harrow on the Hill
Underwood Manor, Doha
Art ‘Otel, Sofia
Morrol’s Boutique Hotel, Bratislava
Favorite Meals
Welcome Dinner hosted by Mary & Tony
Georgian Restaurant with Ruth & Kent in Doha
Thai Restaurant with Ruth & Kent in Doha
Turkish Restaurant with Ruth & Kent in Doha
Pre-concert Dinner hosted by Mary & Tony
Pre-Byron Talk Tea hosted by Mary & Tony
Dinner at The White Horse with Mary & Tony
Baguette sandwiches from Wenzel’s
You can probably spot a trend here! I rarely went to restaurants when I was on my own. I guess I find dining with myself rather boring! Undoubtedly a lost opportunity on my part, but it wasn’t a huge priority for me. A lot of times I’d just grab something from a grocery store or a takeaway place. And I had my own kitchen in Byron House.
Let’s Crunch the Numbers
Below are a bunch of statistics from this trip and all of my other winter escapes. This is where my weirdness shines! Feel free to scroll through quickly as your eyes begin to glaze over!
Countries Visited
I traveled to 9 countries on this trip, 7 for the first time. I have now visited 88 countries. I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to pursue this passion. I don’t take it for granted. Below is a breakdown of visited countries by continent (and the % of countries I’ve been to on each continent):
Africa: 3 (6%) – planning on increasing this count next winter!
Antarctica: 0 (0%) – still hoping to make this my 100th country (in 2027?)
Asia: 21 (47%)
Europe: 35 (73%)
North America: 19 (83%)
Oceania: 2 (14%)
South America: 8 (67%)
Trip Length
2024 London: 108 days
2023 Caribbean: 100 days
2019 South America: 77 days
2022 Hawaii: 66 days (cut short due to high costs!)
2020 Europe: 33 days
2020 South America: 30 days (cut short due to Covid)
Trip Cost
Total
2023 Caribbean
2022 Hawaii
2019 South America
2024 London
2020 Europe
2020 South America
Per Day
2022 Hawaii (23% higher than second place S. America; what a surprise!)
2019 South America (skewed higher by Galapagos Islands and Easter Island)
2023 Caribbean
2020 South America
2020 Europe (skewed lower due to the use of frequent flyer miles for the transatlantic flights)
2024 London (lower due to a) the use of frequent flyer miles for the transatlantic flights, b) visiting Balkan countries in the winter)
Steps
Total
2024 London: 1.68 million (767 miles!)
2023 Caribbean: 1.32 million
2019 South America: 1.09 million
2022 Hawaii: 1.07 million
2020 Europe: 550 thousand
2020 South America: 440 thousand
Per Day
2022 Hawaii: 16.2 thousand
2020 Europe: 16.1 thousand
2024 London: 15.5 thousand (redeemed myself after last year’s embarrassing performance!)
2020 South America: 14.5 thousand
2019 South America: 14.4 thousand
2023 Caribbean: 13.2 thousand
2024 Extremes
Most: 31.0 thousand in Bucharest
Least: 1.5 thousand on the day after my arrival in London
Postcards
I mailed 8 postcards to Oliver on this trip (from all of the countries I visited except Austria; I was only there one full day, a Saturday). One is still in transit; below are the mailing times for each of the 7 received (thanks for your assistance in documenting this (and promoting my dorkiness!) Holly, Mike & Ray!):
United Kingdom: 8 days
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 16 days (this surprised me; I would have expected Sarajevo to be one of the slowest)
Montenegro: 18 days
Romania: 21 days
Qatar: 22 days (this surprised me too; by how long it took!)
Slovakia: 23 days (the postcard wasn’t thrown in the trash at the post office after all!)
Bulgaria: 25 days
I kind of have a feeling that Albania will windup being the slowest, but maybe they’ll end up making me eat my words!
Planes, Trains & Buses
Planes: 20 flights totaling 26,026 miles (the circumference of Earth is 24,901 miles)
Longest: Heathrow to O’Hare on 25 April
Shortest: O’Hare to Dane County Regional (Madison) on 25 April
Trains: 3 trips in Bosnia and Montenegro (plus several rides in and around London!)
Buses: 5 trips in Austria, Slovakia, Montenegro and Albania (plus several rides on the SL9 to and from Heathrow!)
Trip Map
The trip map, which is linked on the 2024 London+ homepage, is up to date.
Favorite Pictures
I snapped close to 4,000 photos on the trip. Here are a few of my favorites…
SofiaDoha (photo credit: Ruth)Doha (photo credit: Ruth)SarajevoSarajevoSarajevoMostarBran Castle, RomaniaBratislavaBay of KotorPerastSt. Paul’s CathedralBig Ben and The London Eye
Well, that about does it! Please let me know if you have any suggestions for things to add to my lists, or photos I’ve overlooked.
Thank you so much for following along. I hope you’ll join me again next year!
(Spoiler Alert: Mary & Tony have gratuitously offered me the use of their flat again next year, so I’ll be making a return visit to London! My mission in 2025 will be to use London as a base to visit Africa. Can’t wait!)
I’ll be remaining on Hill for the penultimate day of my winter escape.
First up is a lunchtime music performance by a Harrow School student at St. Mary’s Church.
Making my way to St Mary’sThe soloist will be playing the violin, with a piano accompaniment.
It was a pleasure to be in attendance for Mr. Chan’s performance. He played beautifully, and rarely looked at his sheet music! The concert lasted 30 minutes, and there were about a dozen of us lucky enough to be in attendance.
On my way back to the flat I walked by one of the Harrow School playing fields and saw this cricket batting cage being put to use. Not a piece of sports equipment commonly seen in the U.S.!
This evening Mary, Tony and I walked around the corner to have dinner at The White Horse pub.
It’s Pie Night! I chose the Rump Venison & Red Currant. My drink is cider, which was on tap. Both were very good!
This was a fun! I was happy that Mary & Tony were able to join me for a night out before my stay on the Hill come to an end.
Wednesday, April 24 – Harrow on the Hill
I spent the day preparing for tomorrow’s departure – cleaning the flat, and packing up my stuff. Pretty exciting, I know!
But I’ll be ending my stay in London on a (very) high note! I’m heading back to The Royal Albert Hall tonight to see…
…The Dave Matthews Band!
I’ve been looking forward to this ever since I booked it back in September. And once I bought this ticket, my departure window became very small, because I also wanted to do the Crazylegs walk in Madison this coming Saturday, the 27th.
Back in 2010 I attended another DMB concert, this one at the O2 in East London. This is the poster from the show, which is hanging in my den.
So, how coincidental (fortunate) is it that the band is back in London during my stay? I’m lucky!
Since I have the poster from the ’10 show, it seemed logical that I should also buy tonight’s concert poster too, right?
Well, here it is. Is it a psychedelic Mary Poppins? I can’t say I’m hugely enamored with it, but I’m thinking (hoping) it will grow on me!
Sidenote:
A portrait of the venue’s namesake, Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.The view from my seat in the stalls……and during the concert (with a little zoom).It was a great show! They pretty much stuck to this schedule, playing for nearly 3 hours.
Sidenote No. 2: Coincidentally, just three days ago it was announced that The Dave Matthews Band will be a 2024 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Congratulations. Well deserved! (There was a chant of Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame by the crowd during a break between songs)
Okay, I’m on the Piccadilly Line back to the South Harrow station. And it’s surprisingly (to me) crowded at 11:30 on a Wednesday night! (And most on the train were NOT concert-goers)
I got back to the flat around 12:30am. A little late, but well worth it! A great finish to this year’s wonderful winter escape in London!
Thursday, April 25 – transit from London to Madison
After my late night, it’s fortunate that my flight didn’t depart today until 1pm. But since I had bags to check, I decided to get to Heathrow early, leaving the flat a little after 9am to catch the SL9. I’m loving this bus!
The United flight is on a 767 and I booked Economy Plus for the trip. The cost of the one way trip was $329 + 66k miles. Compare that to my one way business class fare when I traveled here from the States: $6 +80k miles. That’s the difference between London travel in early January versus late April. I’m telling you, winter is the time to visit!
The flight to Chicago was scheduled for a little over 9 hours, but we ended up landing at O’Hare around 45 minutes early ( a lesser than normal headwind?). My entertainment of choice during the flight was to binge watch the first few episodes of The Sopranos first season. A nice diversion (and thankfully unedited for airplane viewing; I wouldn’t have watched it if it was). Now I can’t get its theme song out of my mind (You woke up this morning…)!
I know I’ve talked in the past about the benefits of having Global Entry. Well, it was on full display today at O’Hare. There was a massive queue for the normal immigration stations, but I was all by myself at Global Entry. Beautiful! And my bags were there waiting for me when I exited immigration. Spectacular! All of this speed was rather dulled however by the fact that I had a four hour layover! Oh well…
Travel Note: My Global Entry was set to expire this past January. I applied for renewal last May though, and paid the fee at that time. However, for whatever reason, as of this writing, my application is still being processed. Thankfully, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has acknowledged this backlog and has therefore granted Global Entry access to those of us who have applied for renewal, paid the fee, and are awaiting a decision.
It was a beautiful day in Chicago, so I ended up spending much of my late afternoon layover time outside, in the area around the Hilton Hotel at the airport.
The view from the courtyard outside the Hilton at Terminal 2.And once back in the terminal, I spotted this enterprising (and brave) bird scrounging for food!
My flight landed in Madison around 9:30pm (3:30am in London), and from there I grabbed a Lyft to the house. (thanks for the airport pickup offer Kari; I would have felt guilty though, having you make that late night run)
Well! This was another amazing winter adventure! And quite the difference from the manic pace of last year, right? I really enjoyed having a base from which I could make short out-and-back excursions. Thank you Mary & Tony for providing me with that option.
And thanks to all of you for once again following along. It means a lot to me. And I really enjoy your feedback; whether it be by comments on this site, texts, emails, or conversations. You inspire me to keep this going!
I’ll be posting one more entry in the next couple days. It will include trip stats, lists, and some favorite photos. Guaranteed to bore you to death!
My flight is at 10:30 this morning. Due to the rush hour factor, and Tirana’s ugly traffic, the hotel staff recommended that I leave for the airport at 7:30. There is a shuttle bus option that departs from a point near to the hotel at a cost of 400 lek, but its schedule doesn’t accommodate my itinerary very well. So I ended up taking a taxi at a cost of 3,000 lek ($30). It killed me! But I survived. The ride took 40 minutes.
I’m flying Ryanair. I usually don’t go with a discount carrier; in this case though the price was irresistible. Including the extra fees I paid for an exit row seat and overhead bin space, the total cost for the one way flight was $61. The only drawback is that the flight landed at London Stansted Airport, which is north of the city and required a train ride into the capital.
The Tirana airport is well organized. I especially liked the automated readers in the departure hall for U.S. passport holders (plus a few other countries that issue biometric passports). I thereby avoided the queue for the manual passport check, which was pretty long!
Tirana Airport departure area
Travel Note: Like the Italians, the Albanians seem to have mastered the art of cutting in line. Not quite on the level of the Italians, but close. And it’s annoying!
The nonstop flight lasted 3 hours, and the 737 was full. (In hindsight, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to be sitting in the exit row of a Boeing airplane!) The train from Stansted to Liverpool Street station took 50 minutes and cost £23. From there, I grabbed the Metropolitan Line back to Harrow on the Hill.
This evening I attended a talk at the Harrow School commemorating the 200th anniversary of the poet Lord Byron’s death. Byron was a student at the school in the early 19th century, and arguably one of their most famous alums.
Prior to the talk though, Mary and Tony invited a few people in for a proper English Tea, with delicious sandwiches, scones, and cupcakes. It was wonderful. Thank you Mary & Tony!
Back to the beautiful Harrow School Speech Room for the talk.Hanging in the Speech Room, a portrait of another distinguished Harrow School student, Winston Churchill.
The talk was followed by a drinks reception in the Old Speech Room Gallery. A fun evening!
Coincidentally, the calendar page I used as my inspiration to visit the Bay of Kotor featured a quote by Lord Byron!
Saturday, April 20 – Harrow on the Hill
I’ve always wanted to attend a play at the historic Old Vic Theatre. Well, tonight it is finally going to happen!
The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat theater located near Waterloo Station. It was established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal Victoria Palace.
Theater-themed light fixture in the stairway. Cool!My seat was on the aisle in row X (front row). The seat is considered “side view”; it was therefore sold at a reduced price (my favorite phrase!). The cost of the ticket was £25.The view from my seat. Perfectly fine.
Travel Note: I use a website called Theatre Monkey for seat location tips. Very handy if you ever plan on attending a show in London.
Machinal is a 1928 play inspired by the real-life case of the convicted and executed murderer Ruth Snyder. The 1928 production is notable for featuring Clark Gable in his Broadway debut. I enjoyed the play; the lead actress, Rosie Sheehy, was very good.
Sunday, April 21 – Harrow on the Hill
There is more of Lord Byron on today’s agenda. This afternoon the Harrow Hill Trust is sponsoring a walk entitled Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know, George Gordon Byron (Lord Byron, 1788-1824).
Over 60 others joined Mary, Tony and me for the walk/talk. An impressive turnout!Me and Tony are obviously in some serious conversation! (must be about Byron…)The walk concluded with the reading of a Byron poem by a Harrow School student. Perfect!
Following the one hour walk, Mary & Tony invited about 20 folks over to the house (Byron House) for tea and cakes. A lovely ending to a fun Byron weekend!
Monday, April 22 – Harrow on the Hill
I’m down to the last three days of my trip, and I have a fairly busy day planned in the city.
My first stop is to attend another auction viewing, this time at Bonhams in Knightsbridge (near Harrods).The auction is for Important Instruments of Science and Technology (as shown in the glass case).
Many categories of science and technology are represented in the auction: including globes, microscopes, sundials, cameras, telescopes, and more. A link to the auction is here.
I like these miniature globes. The low estimate though is £6,000 on each one. A little out of my price range!
My next stop is The National Gallery, where I’m going to check out a new exhibition.
Enjoying some pretty flowers near Buckingham Palace on my way to the Gallery.
Entry to the exhibition was at no charge. However, I booked a timed ticket to enter The National gallery (also at no charge), thereby avoiding the line outside.
Once in the Gallery though, there was a queue to enter the room with the Caravaggio.I’m close! My time in line was only 15 minutes. People were only allowed entry into the room when others left.The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula (c. 1610)
Well worth the visit. Caravaggio’s use of light amazes me!
And while I was at the Gallery, I absolutely had to stop and take a look at a couple of works by my favorite artist, Claude Monet…
Snow Scene at Argenteuil (c. 1875)Water-Lilies (c. 1916)
I’m attending another play tonight. I had some time to kill though, so I just did some walking around the Charing Cross area.
I ended up at St. Paul’s Church (c. 1633), located just alongside Covent Garden.The church’s grounds include this quiet (and generally ignored) haven just away from the hectic Covent Garden atmosphere. A perfect place for me to chill for a while!Kind of surprised to see a parakeet here!I booked this ticket a while back; when the production was first announced. I was interested mainly in the star power of Patricia Clarkson, and another Succession alum, Brian Cox.Wyndham’s TheatreMy seat was the third one in on row Q. Great legroom, and no one sitting behind me. Another Theatre Monkey suggestion.The view from my seat.
I have mixed feelings about the production. I was very long; 3 hours plus a 20 minute interval. And the subject matter wasn’t all that interesting to me. But it was the kind of play where the actors’ talent is on full display. And Clarkson and Cox delivered (as you would expect). Especially the former (in my opinion).
Wednesday, April 17 – transit from Shkoder to Tirana
I’m back on the bus (Gus; apologies to Paul Simon!) this morning; traveling to Albania’s capital, Tirana. According to the online timetable, a bus to Tirana departs every 30 minutes from the stop in the city center where I was dropped off on the ride from Kotor a couple days ago. The hotel check out time is 10:30, so I’m thinking I’ll grab the 11am departure. A nice leisurely morning.
It’s raining though, and since the bus stop has no cover, I decided to just wait out the weather at the hotel and do some work on a journal entry. My wait wasn’t long. By 11:15 I was on my way to the bus stop.
And there’s my ride, as advertised.
However, 11:30 came and went, with no departure. We eventually hit the road around noon. I think the lateness was due to the driver waiting for the bus to fill up with passengers. It was 2/3 full when we left. The trip took 2 1/2 hours and cost 400 lek.
The regional bus “station” in Tirana is again just a stop on a main thoroughfare; in this case located outside of the city center. Traffic in the area was brutal, and there were no taxis around, so I just decided to walk to my hotel (located in the center). That took 90 minutes.
The walk wasn’t very photogenic, but I do have one image to share…
Shocked to see an Illinois license plate, with a Chicago White Sox frame, on the streets of Tirana!Sar ‘Otel Boutique Hotel. My room was on the top floor, the two french doors on the right with a balcony.ReceptionRestaurant / Bar$117/nt, incl breakfast
I did go out for a little walk around the neighborhood, no photos though unfortunately. Nothing really popped out at me.
Thursday, April 18 – Tirana
As you can probably tell from yesterday’s write up, my enthusiasm has waned a bit as this trip concludes. And that has continued this morning, but I’m still going to head out and roam about some.
But first…
Breakfast!I’ve been lucky. This was another hotel with a very good breakfast selection.Skanderbeg SquareNational Historical Museum (c. 1981)Approaching The Great Mosque of Tirana, or Namazgah MosqueIt is the largest mosque in the BalkansThe Pyramid of Tirana. It opened as a museum in 1988, and became a conference center in 1991 following the collapse of Communism. During the 1999 Kosovo War, the building was used as a NATO base.Block buildings like these occupy the area around the Pyramid.I looked inside this building. It’s an office with a terraced layout to accommodate the incline.View from the top of the PyramidThe Great Mosque of Tirana, as seen from the top of the Pyramid.Tanners’ Bridge (18th century)The bridge can still be used by pedestrians.I’m now in The Grand Park of TiranaThe park includes this artificial lakeBunkers such as this are common throughout Tirana (and Albania). More than 750,000 were built, beginning in the 1960s, and continuing into the 1980s. They were never used for their intended purpose however and the cost of constructing them was a drain on Albania’s resources. The bunkers were abandoned following the dissolution of the communist government in 1992
I started the day with motivation issues, but still managed to do 22k steps worth of wandering!
Albania Notes
The population of Albania is 2.8 million. The largest city is Tirana at 400k. The population of Shkoder is 88k.
For not being a super big city, the traffic in Tirana is ugly.
I think my choice of places to visit in Albania was not the best. Going to the coast or the mountains would have been better. Based on my schedule though, and preferred method of transit, these two inland cities were my best options.
As in most of the eastern European places I’ve visited this winter, there is a lot of smoking in Albania.
The people I encountered here were very nice. An example: I stopped at a kiosk in Shkoder to buy a postcard. The cost was 20 lek (crazy cheap), but the smallest denomination bill I had was 500 lek (~$5). The vendor didn’t have change, yet offered to just let me take the card and come back later when I had change to pay him. Very generous, but I didn’t take him up on it. I did come back the next day though, when I had change, and bought the card.
Monday, April 15 – transit from Kotor to Shkoder, Albania
This is my 150th Journal Entry. Kind of a milestone, I guess? Whoo hoo!
I’m taking the bus this morning to Albania. The departure is 8am, so I won’t have time for breakfast. The hotel provided me with a takeaway bag though. Thank you!
Back to the bus station in Kotor……and my coach to Shkoder.
And this time, in order to get the best views, I planned ahead and sat on the correct side of the bus. Brilliant!
This is the town of Budva on the Adriatic coast (a couple of window reflections, but not terrible)A nice view down into an occupied valley.We’re now riding along the edge of Shkoder (Shkodra) Lake. This is the same lake that I crossed when taking the train from Podgorica to Bar.Everybody off the bus for an identification check at the Montenegro border. Since we were departing the country, this went pretty quick.
We then boarded the bus, drove for a minute, and got off again for the check at the Albanian border.
The Albanian border stationShkoder Lake from the border stationAt the station: This is a rather precarious place to build a nest!
The bus trip from Kotor to Shkoder took about 4 hours, of which 30 minutes were spent at the border crossings. The cost of the trip was €19. I was kind tired after my active last two days; the bus ride was a nice break.
The “bus station” in Shkoder is no station at all, just a designated spot to pull over on a main boulevard in the city center. (I shouldn’t be condescending though, that’s the same process used by Badger Bus for the trip to O’Hare from the UW Campus!)
I arrived too early to check in to my hotel, so I ended up strolling over to a nearby park to relax. It was a nice day, and the park was pretty crowded – all the benches in the shade were taken. I ended up finding some cover under a tree.
The view from my tree trunk seat!A good time to dig into my takeaway meal from Kotor. Hit the spot!
Conveniently, my hotel was a 5 minute walk from the park…
Cocja Boutique HotelCourtyardRestaurant & Bar. I like the tiles!$65/nt, incl breakfast
And per my routine, I did a little walking around this evening…
Bashkia Shkoder (City Hall)Entering Rruga Kole Idromeno, a pedestrian street. That is Xhamia e Madhe (Ebu Bekr Mosque) in the background.
Travel Note: It is recommended that foreign visitors do not drink the tap water in Albania.
The currency of Albania is the Lek. 1 USD = 95 ALL
Sidenote: The Olivier Awards (the West End equivalent of the Tonys) was held last night in London. And coming as no surprise to me, Sarah Snook was named Best Actress for her one-woman performance of 26 different roles in The Picture Of Dorian Gray. Well deserved! (there are rumors that the show will be heading to Broadway; could a Tony be in her future as well?) And I was also fortunate enough to attend a performance by the Best Actor winner, Mark Gatiss, in The Motive And The Cue.
Trivia: For those of you who are fans of the TV series Sherlock that starred Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Gatiss is a co-creator of the show. He also portrayed Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft. And if you’re not familiar with Sherlock, I recommend that you check it out!
Tuesday, April 16 – Shkoder
The hotel breakfast was a set menu, rather than a buffet. And it was very good!Looking out from the restaurant to the courtyard
After a leisurely breakfast, I headed out on a one hour walk to visit Rozafa Castle.
On my way to the Castle, I came across a…
Fuel Price Check: 185 ALL/liter = 7.38 USD/gallonIt looks like I have a little climb ahead of me!So close.And I’m in! The entry fee was 400 Lek ($4.20)The earliest detected walls on the site date to the 4th or early 3rd century BC (not the walls in this photo)
Here are some views of the surrounding area from the Castle…
Looking east to ShkoderSoutheast; the Kin RiverSouthwest; the Drin RiverNorthwest: the Bruna River, and Shkoder Lake in the background
Shkoder Lake is the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula and, as you’ve seen in my posts, is located in both Montenegro and Albania.
Time to head back down the hill!On my way back to the city center I made a stop at the Bruna River.
I ended up walking around a little bit, but was honestly feeling a little tired. I did make one (actually two) stop on the way back to the hotel…
…I picked up a postcard for Oliver and dropped it off at this post office, which was a 5 minute walk from the hotel.
It was nap time when I got back to the hotel! And when I woke it was raining; a perfect excuse to stay in and work on a journal entry.
Another fine breakfast selection to start my day. I’m getting spoiled!
The calories will come in handy today because I’m going to hike The Ladder of Kotor. The rocky path climbs up the mountainside in a series of switchbacks between the Scurda Canyon and the Fortress Walls of the Old Town of Kotor. The Ladder of Kotor (aka the Ladder of Cattaro) is a historic mule track, which was built in the 19th century by the Austrians, in order to connect Kotor with Njeguši and Cetinje, Montenegro’s former royal capital.
I didn’t hike the complete Ladder of Kotor trail to Krsac and the P1 Road. Instead, I opted to turn around at the “Top of the Kotor Ladder” viewpoint, which was plenty long enough for me!
The trailhead isn’t physically marked, but fortunately it is identified in Google Maps!
And here we go!The stone walls of the switchbacks can be seen ahead. Above are the City Walls of the Kotor Fortress.Making progress! Now in view: City Walls, trail switchbacks, Kotor, and Bay of Kotor.The Lovćen mountains flank the opposite side of the bay.Someone running on the trail. Impressive!This is Kuca Milenko Franović, a rest stop selling drinks and snacks.The trail is well marked.Further up the trail is another rest stop.Sorry for waking you!A panorama as I made my way up the trail.I diverted off the trail a bit for this view down the valley. Worth it!And finally, after about 2 1/2 hours, I made it to the “Top of the Kotor Ladder”. Beautiful!
I took my time at the top, and actually found a tree that I could sit beneath and rest for a while. Perfect!
Okay, time to start making my way back down.Mmmmm. We seem to have a bit of a traffic jam on the trail!And a little standoff! #nozoom
After a couple minutes more of our stare down, the pair became bored and decided to go look for something to eat. Whew!
There’s a interesting story behind the trail that you can see running diagonally over to the walls of the Fortress. Access to the interior of the fortress is from sea level near the Kotor Old Town. The entrance fee is €15. In the past, people would ascend the Ladder of Kotor trail and then divert over to the Fortress via the trail seen here. They would then enter the Fortress through the window in the wall, thereby avoiding the entrance fee! Well, the folks running the Fortress caught on to this, and now when visitors exit the Fortress they’re required to show their ticket. If they don’t have one, they’re charged €15. (I suppose someone could sneak back OUT of the Fortress through the window!)
The trek back down to the trailhead took 90 minutes. A little quicker due to the aid of gravity (duh!), but I also spent less time taking pictures.
The Old Town of Kotor is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And it is like a maze walking through there. I got lost many times. (And I had to go in there because that’s where my hotel was located. But I loved it!)
A Map of the Old Town
Here are a couple photos from the Old Town as I made my way back from the trail to the hotel…
Church of St. Nicholas (c. 1909). It replaced a church dating to the early 19th century that was destroyed by fire.Pima Palace (c. 17th century)
After resting up, I went back out and walked around the town a little bit.
A beautiful end to a fun day!
Sunday, April 14 – Kotor
Today I’m going to make the short trip around the bay to the town of Perast. My options for getting there are:
Taxi, 15 minutes, €20
Bus, 30 minutes, €2
Bike, about 45 minutes, not sure of bike rental cost
Walk, about 2 3/4 hours per Google Maps, free
You know there’s no way I’m taking a taxi! And I wouldn’t be comfortable riding a bike amongst the reckless drivers here. So, that leaves bus or walk? I actually thought I might do both; take the bus there, and walk back. I like the idea of walking because I could then take my time and enjoy the views along the bay. Plus, the buses only run every two hours on Sundays, so I may be able to walk most of the way back before a bus even shows up!
Now, the only drawback regarding the bus option is the fact that they’re known to run notoriously late, or sometimes they don’t even show up at all! But I’m feeling adventurous, so let’s give it a shot. The timetable indicates a 9:18am pickup just outside the Old Town near my hotel. I’m at the stop at 9:10, waiting with four other folks. And to my surprise (joy), here comes the bus at 9:22! Awesome! Twenty-five minutes later I was dropped off in Perast.
My ride from Kotor to PerastBack when I was living in Australia, I set aside this page from my calendar, thinking it would be nice to visit this place one day. Well, now 11 years later, almost to the day, I finally made it!
I was a little confused by the location in the photo though. It states Bay of Kotor, so I associated that with the town of Kotor. Not so fast! After arriving in Kotor on Friday, I walked around the waterfront looking for this bell tower, with no success. What the… After doing a little research, I discovered that the photo was taken in Perast, which I had planned on visiting anyway. The plan comes together! (stupid, but lucky!)
And this is the first thing I see when I exit the bus. I think I’m in the right place!The Church of St. Nicholas Bell Tower (c. 1691)
This is a very small town! (The population of Perast is 269) Here are some scenes from my walkabout…
There is also a water taxi service going out to one of the two islets off the coast of Perast, called Our Lady of the Rocks. The service is continuous, with boats running every 20 minutes back and forth. The round trip fare was €5.
The water taxi dock. Two of the boats are tied up on the left.Getting ready to depart. Only two of us are on board. Good timing!I was hoping to recreate the photo from the calendar, but we’re departing Perast at a different angle. Not bad though!Our Lady of the Rocks. It is the only artificially-built island in the Adriatic.The Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rocks. The original church was built in 1452. The present church was built in 1632 and enlarged in 1722.Holy crap! This boatload of folks is about to dock here on the island. Time for me to head ashore!This is the Island of Saint George. It features the Saint George Benedictine monastery, constructed in the 12th century, and is not open to visitors.
Okay, I think I’ve explored all I can of Perast! Time to begin the walk back to Kotor.
The route of my trekNear Bajova Kula Beach (a couple of swimmers are off in the distance to the right)There wasn’t much of a shoulder at times, but I stayed aware of traffic (while not getting distracted by the views!)I believe these are mussel and/or oyster farms.Church of St. Eustahije, located in DobrotaChurch of St. Vincenzo (c. 1828)
With all of my sightseeing, the walk ended up taking 3 1/2 hours. But it was well worth it, don’t you think?
Today was great! In fact, these past two days in Kotor have been a blast! (and the beautiful weather certainly contributed to that!)
Travel Note: If you’re interested in traveling to Kotor, be aware that it is a cruise ship destination. I was lucky in that no ships were docked during most of my stay. One finally did arrive on Sunday afternoon. I checked the Kotor port schedule before I set my Montenegro itinerary though, and was happy that most of my stay would be cruise ship free!
Thursday, April 11 – transit from London to Podgorica, Montenegro
I’m back to Heathrow this morning, so you know what that means. The SL9! I have a 9am departure; that required a little bit of an early wake up to get out of the flat by around 6:30. Not terrible though.
I’m on Austrian Airlines again, connecting through Vienna to Podgorica, Montenegro. The price of the one-way fare was $176. So, the connection is going to be interesting because I only have a 30 minute layover. I normally avoid this big time, but the next flight wasn’t until later in the evening. (And knowing me, I’m sure cost was a major driver in the decision as well! I can’t remember exactly?) Plus, Austrian allowed me to book the itinerary, so it must be legit, right?
And it’s not starting off well because we already have a 10 minute delay departing Heathrow. We can make this up in the air, right? Yes, we did! Also helpful was the fact that the plane was only half full. That should make deplaning quicker. But wait, the plane isn’t pulling up to a gate, we’re stopping on the tarmac. Another bus to terminal transfer. I’m doomed!
Just as I’m mentally preparing to camp out at Vienna Airport, and for a late night arrival in Podgorica, a lifeline appears as I exit the aircraft in the form of a special mini van at the ready to take me and four other Podgorica passengers directly to our plane, which also happens to be parked on the tarmac. Brilliant! Thank you Austrian Airlines! (Fortunately I didn’t have any checked bags; not sure if they would have made the connection!)
The flight to Podgorica took one hour and the A320 was about 3/4 full.
I though this was cool. On the way to Vienna we were temporarily paralleled by another flight.
And here are a couple views from the flight into Podgorica…
Another quick transit through immigration; not a single question from the officer. Where were these people last year when everybody in the Caribbean had these big concerns about my return or onward ticket (out of their country)?!?
And I hate to say it, but I took a taxi from the airport to my hotel. It killed me! It was basically the only option. There is train service to the Podgorica city center, but the stop was a 20 minute walk from the airport. I know, I wimped out. The 15 minute taxi ride cost me €15.
Hotel Aurel. I chose this hotel mainly because it’s close to the train station (which I’ll be using tomorrow). But it had good reviews too, and the price was right (of course!).$76 for the night, including breakfast
The research I did about Podgorica indicated it wasn’t a place really worth visiting. I had some time to kill though, so I absolutely had to get out and roam a bit!
Fuel Price Check: €1.62/liter equals $6.55/gallonWalking the streets of Old TownOsmanagic Mosque (c. 17th century)The Clock Tower of Podgorica (c. 1667)The Church of St. George under Gorica. It was most likely built in the second half of the 11th century.Old Ribnica River Bridge
Travel Note: The Europe eSIM data plan I have doesn’t include Montenegro and Albania, so I bought a Europe Extended eSIM with 3Gb of data for $19. Its validity is 15 days. The nice thing is that the two eSIMs can run concurrently, without having to manually switch back and forth between them.
Friday, April 12 – transit from Podgorica to Kotor
I have a busy day of travel ahead of me. But first…
…breakfast!Another hotel with a great breakfast selection! I’ve been lucky.
So, today I’m going to take a train from Podgorica to Bar and then catch a bus from Bar to Kotor. Now, I could have just taken a bus from Podgorica to Kotor, but I read that the train ride is pretty nice. Plus, I’m a sucker for trains! There are multiple train departures to Bar, so I chose to leave at the not-too-early time of 11:35am.
The Podgorica Train StationA poster in the station depicting our upcoming journey to Bar (at least, I think that’s what it is!)
The train cars were configured with a corridor on one side and enclosed, 6-seat compartments on the other. In the scrum of boarding the train, I was able to snag a window seat in a compartment. Sweet!
Shkodra LakeI kind of like the way this turned out!A view from the corridor window (by this time our compartment door was open because it was getting a little warm in here!). There were passengers standing in this area when we departed Bar. By the time I took this picture though seats had opened up within the compartments as folks got off the train.The Adriatic Coast (apologies for the reflections in the photo)The compartment after everyone exited in BarOur train (taken upon arrival in Bar)Bar Train StationThe trip lasted 70 minutes, which included 10 stops, and cost €2.30. A bargain!
That was fun! The train was packed upon boarding in Podgorica, but was only about 1/3 full by the time we reached Bar. Now I’m off to the Bar Bus Station!
It was only a 10 minute walk to the stationThe ticket to Kotor cost €7.50.I had a little over an hour wait before the bus departed, but I didn’t really feel like going anywhere. Plus, it’s a nice day to lounge, and that’s a pretty view!My coach to KotorNot many folks boarded in Bar, but the bus ended up fairly crowded as we made stops along the way to Kotor.Thank you! It’s good to be here!
The ride lasted a little over 2 hours. There were some pretty views of the Adriatic Coast along the way; it’s tough though to get decent pictures from a bus (reflections, generally blurry). Plus, I sat on the wrong side of the bus for the direct views! (I’m an idiot!) I technically could have switched to the other side of the bus, the seats weren’t reserved. I liked where I was sitting though; in the back row, which had extra legroom due to the emergency exit door. And there was already someone sitting on the opposite side window when I boarded the bus.
My hotel in Kotor is located in the Old Town and is only a 10 minute walk from the bus station. No taxis today people!
Here are a few photos from the walk…
The Gurdic Gate entrance to the Old Town, dates to the 13th-18th centuries.Hotel Vardar (note the yellow awning in the far right of the picture; that will have significance shortly!)View from hotel doorway seen on the left in the picture above.Area from which the above photo was taken (the bar is in the background)$141/nt, incl breakfast
I was kind of tired after my day of traveling, but I did go out for a short walk around…
The area around the corner from my hotel.Now we’re back to the yellow awning next to my hotel. It’s a post office! And they’re open until 8pm! So, of course I had to go buy a postcard to send off to Oliver (there are a lot of souvenir shops in the Old Town). Found the perfect card (it had a picture of my hotel), wrote it out, and dropped it off with a few minutes to spare. Nice!
Monday, April 8 through Wednesday, April 10 – Harrow on the Hill
I’ve just been hanging out on the Hill these few days. I’ve done a trip decompress, worked on a journal entry, and got ready to go on my next (and last) trip. Tomorrow I’m heading to Montenegro, and will follow that on to Albania. I’ll be away 9 days this time, so I’ll be taking the laptop with me and posting updates along the way (otherwise it would take forever to get caught up when I return!).
I expect to do several short entries while I’m on the trip, so you can look forward to hearing from me again in a couple days! (or dread it!)
Tuesday, April 2 – transit from London to Bratislava, Slovakia
I’m back to Heathrow on the SL9 this morning. Fortunately my flight doesn’t depart until 10am, so I don’t have to leave the flat super early. I’m flying into Vienna and then taking the short bus or train ride from the airport across the border into Slovakia and the city of Bratislava. The non-stop flight on Austrian Airlines took 2 hours, and the round trip airfare was $290.
Travel Note: I’ve talked previously about the minimal legroom on the British Airways A320s. Well the Austrian Airlines A320s on this trip were much more comfortable. Just sayin’, in case you ever have a choice between the two!
I had another quick transition through immigration in Vienna. The only question I was asked was whether or not I was staying in the city. When I told the officer that I was going on to Bratislava, she waived me through. I tried to explain that I was coming back to Vienna later in the week, but there was no interest.
Upon arrival at the Vienna airport I checked in at the Information Desk to find out the best way to get to Bratislava. They recommended taking the bus, showing me the schedule and stating that I could pay the driver. The next bus was due in about 20 minutes, so I went outside to the designated platform and waited for its arrival. Well, when I went to buy a ticket from the driver, he told me that the bus was fully booked. Doh! Luckily the wait for the next bus was only an hour. And after learning my lesson (I’m quick!), I immediately went online and booked a ticket for the next departure.
With time to kill, I went back into the terminal to roam around a bit. A short time later there was a little drama…
A portion of the arrivals area was cordoned off and the exits were closed due to (maybe you can spot it)……an unattended bag.After the police analyzed the bag using a remote-controlled device, followed by a physical inspection, the terminal was reopened in about 20 minutes. That still provided me plenty of time to exit the terminal and catch my bus. Whew! (Well done, Vienna Airport Police)
The bus ride in a comfortable coach to the Bratislava Central Bus Station took one hour and cost €12 ($13). Of note is the fact that there was no immigration check at the border crossing between Austria and Slovakia. This is due to both countries being part of the Schengen Agreement – an area encompassing 29 European countries that have eliminated controls at their common borders.
After arrival at the bus station, the short walk to my hotel took 20 minutes.
Marrol’s Boutique Hotel (my room was on the 4th floor, third window from the left)ReceptionBarTerrace in the back$132/nt, incl breakfast
I was kind of tired from the trip, but did get out for a little bit to stroll the area around the hotel.
Hviezdoslavovo námestie (city park)Slovak National Theatre (c. 1920)The Euro is the currency in both Slovakia and Austria.
Wednesday, April 3 and Thursday, April 4 – Bratislava
I’m combining both Wednesday and Thursday into one entry because I basically did the same thing on both days; you guessed it – walked around! And Bratislava is a great place for walking. The city is very compact, and the streets are marked exceptionally well (not always the case). I was planning on taking the short drive out of the city on Thursday to visit Devin Castle, however, when I checked their website on Thursday morning it stated that they were closed for the day (normally open on Thursdays). Anyway, I’m glad I checked and didn’t waste my time going there! (And thanks Devin Castle for updating your website!)
(Devin Castle originated in the 9th century and was ultimately left in ruins during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961.)
Hotel RestaurantVery good breakfast!This 17th century palace, a former home of the archbishop, now houses government offices.Presidential Palace (c. 1760)Slovak Radio Building (c. 1983). Pretty cool!I like this street name! (and an example of Bratislava’s well-placed street signs)Approaching Slavín Memorial Monument and Military CemeterySlavín is the burial ground of Soviet Army soldiers who fell during World War II while taking over the city from the occupying Germans. It is situated on a hill overlooking Bratislava amidst villas and embassy residences. The monument was inaugurated in 1960 on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the liberation of the city.View of Bratislava Castle from Slavin (I guess the tree was cut back to improve the view?)An alleyway approaching Bratislava Castle.Bratislava CastleConstruction of the Castle began in the 9th century and continued on in phases over the next several hundred years.The Castle was eventually abandoned in the early 19th century and fell into disrepair. However, in the 1950s the decision was made to restore it. View from Bratislava Castle of Most SNP (“Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising”) crossing the Danube River. The flying saucer-shaped structure atop the bridge is an observation deck and restaurant.Another view of the city from Bratislava Castle. In the foreground is St. Martin’s Cathedral.View of Bratislava City Walls, St. Martin’s Cathedral, and Most SNP.The Bratislava City Walls date to the 13th century.View into the Old Town from the City Walls. That is Michael’s Gate rising in the background.St. Martin’s Cathedral (c. 1563–1830)Michael’s Gate is the only city gate of the medieval fortifications that has been preserved, and is one of the oldest buildings in Bratislava. Built around 1300, its present design is the result of baroque reconstruction in 1758.Daytime view of the Slovak National TheatreBratislava Old Town Hall. The tower dates to 1370.The Church of St. Elizabeth, commonly known as the Blue Church (c. 1913)Old Town HallIce cream (gelato) break!View of Most SNP, Bratislava Castle, and St. Martin’s Cathedral from Stary Most (Old Bridge).I did some exploring around the Danube on Thursday. There’s a nice path along the river, and I liked this apartment complex.Daytime view from Stary Most.I’m now on the other side of the Danube. This is Janko Kráľ Park. (with Most SNP in the background)View of Most SNP from the park (I think I’m obsessed with this bridge!)Time to mail Oliver a postcard! This post office is located in a rather interesting mall.
Sidenote: I’m a little concerned as to whether or not this postcard is going to make it to Virginia! The clerk I gave the postcard to took my money, but did not apply a stamp to the card (she did write something on the card though where the stamp would normally be placed), and subsequently dropped the card into something beneath her desk (a trash can?). Hopefully I’m just overreacting! I’ll let you know!
I’m attending the opera tonight (Thursday), here at The New Building of the Slovak National Theatre. When I booked the performance I thought it was going to be held at the original Theatre Building (night/day photos shown earlier in this post). However, that venue is closed while awaiting a restoration.View from the theatre grounds looking back to the Old Town and Bratislava Castle.Looking out from the interior of the theatre.Tonight’s performanceView from my seat in row 3 of the balcony (cost of ticket: €28).
It was an enjoyable performance! And like in Sofia, English subtitles were provided (bonus!). I have to admit though that I was a little disappointed in the venue. The interior just seemed a little sterile. And it’s not that I’m adverse to modern design. Not at all. As a comparison, I used the Overture Center and Hamel Music Center in Madison, both relatively new facilities that I’m familiar with. Both, in my opinion, have much more pleasing designs (inside and out). But I’m pretty sure nobody in Bratislava cares what I think!
Sidenote: I may be giving you the impression that I’m a huge opera fan. That’s not the case. I just enjoy checking out different venues, and attending a performance meets that objective (when the price is right!). The symphony would work equally well. But that form of entertainment is more accessible than the opera is to me in Madison, so I’m trying to take advantage of the opportunity traveling to these locations offers me. Plus, I like seeing the sets and costumes of the opera!
Slovakia/Bratislava Notes
The population of Bratislava is around 450,000
Slovak is the local language, but I had no problem speaking English with everyone I encountered in Bratislava
Slovakia (and Austria) is one hour ahead of London
There are not nearly as many smokers in Bratislava, compared to the other eastern European cities I visited this winter. A good thing!
My interaction with the locals was good; generally very friendly
Friday, April 5 – transit from Bratislava to Vienna
I’m back on the bus to Vienna today. The departure isn’t until noon, so I enjoyed a leisurely morning. And yes, I booked my bus ticket two days ago to make sure I had a reserved seat! (and it’s a good thing I did, the bus was filled to the max!)
Here are a couple photos from the Bratislava Central Bus Station…
The bus company has learned some tricks from the airlines and charges extra for selecting your own seat. I balked and ended up in the middle seat of the back row (5 across). I was a little bit squished, but the nice part was that the aisle was in front of me, so I had plenty of legroom!
The route of this bus took us back to the airport, but I stayed onboard until it reached its final destination – Wien Hauptbahnhof (Vienna Central Station). The ride took 90 minutes and cost €10. It’s interesting though, unlike the uninterrupted border crossing into Slovakia a few days ago, today the bus was stopped at the Austrian border for a check by immigration officers. It went really quickly though, and we were on our way. Worth noting: the immigration officers spoke only one language to the passengers – English (not Slovak, not German).
It was a nice day, and I was a little early for check-in, so I decided to walk from the station to my hotel. That took about an hour, but I wasn’t moving very fast, taking in the sights as I went along.
Hotel Stefanie……with claims to being the oldest hotel in Vienna.LobbyBarCheck out the length of this hallway! And my room was at the very end! (I kind of liked that actually; less traffic going by my door!)This room is a little smaller than the one I had in Bratislava! $120/nt, incl breakfast.
Like my first night in Bratislava, I went out for a little while to take in the sights.
Sidenote: I’ve been to Vienna previously. I had to go back and check my log to figure out when. It was in the fall of 2007, and I combined it with a trip to Switzerland and Prague.
St. Michael’s Wing of Hofburg Palace (c. 1893)St. Stephen’s Cathedral (c.1578)I guess I was a little surprised by how crowded is was (around the tourist areas) in Vienna. I suppose it was because I’ve been used to visiting the less popular Balkan countries this winter. Vienna is obviously a popular tourist destination, and this being the week after Easter, it’s the time of year when travel begins to pick up in this region.
Saturday, April 6 – Vienna
Hotel RestaurantLooks a little too healthy, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, it got a messier! Another hotel with a very good breakfast.
While I was waiting for the bus at the Vienna airport a few days ago I picked up a booklet from the tourist office that featured various self-guided walking tours. The weather is beautiful; that seems like the perfect activity for me today. And based on the crowds I saw last night, I think I’m going to choose routes that are kind of off the beaten path.
The first tour I’ve chosen takes me on the Ringstrasse – a circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic Innere Stadt district.
StadtparkVienna State Opera House (c. 1869)BurggartenThe back face of The Neue Burg, adjacent to Burggarten (more information below)The Neue Burg Wing of Hofburg Palace – it forms an extended wing from the main Palace area and lines one side of Heldenplatz Square. It was completed in the early 20th century.View of Heldenplatz Square (the Leopoldine Wing of Hofburg Palace is in the background)The Kunsthistorisches Museum (c. 1891)Volksgarten. That is City Hall in the background.Austrian Parliament Building (c. 1883)It was a little crowded around City Hall! (there was a festival taking place this weekend)A less crowded view of City Hall (c. 1883)Votive Church (c. 1879). It’s too bad they allow tour buses to park in front of the church.The Anker Clock – it forms a bridge between the two parts of the Anker Insurance Company’s building. In the course of 12 hours, twelve historical figures, or pairs of figures, move across the bridge. I was there between 1 and 2; the figure on display is the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, who allegedly died in Vienna in the year 180.
After taking a little break back at the hotel, my next walking tour covered an area where the 1873 World’s Fair was held.
Fuel Price Check: €1.68/liter equals $6.89/gallonThe walking tour took me through Wurstelprater Amusement Park (it opened in 1766!). Very busy on this beautiful Saturday evening!Not sure I would want to go on that ride!Prater Hauptallee (park)Vienna University of Economics and Business. This is an area called Viertel Zwei (Quarter Two). More interesting architecture.I’m now walking along the Donaukanal on my way back to the hotel. A lot of folks are out enjoying the sunset!This was a fun day!
Travel Note: The high temperature here today was 78 degrees. I’m pretty sure that’s the warmest it’s been for me so far on this escape. A little different than my previous winter trips! (but I’m not complaining!)
Sunday, April 7 – transit from Vienna to London
My flight back to London isn’t until early afternoon; I’m a man of leisure this morning!
My transfer to the airport will be by train. The station was a 15 minute walk from the hotel, and trip to the airport took 30 minutes. The cost: €4.40. (avoiding taxis is the best!)
Waiting for the train at Praterstern Station
And of course I took the SL9 back to the flat from Heathrow (not a very crowded bus on a Sunday afternoon!).
This was a fun trip! And the weather once again cooperated. Thank you Mother Nature!
Walking Summary
I did a LOT of walking on this trip, as I’m sure you know I like to do. Here are my daily step counts:
The tours of London buildings continues. I have two booked today, both at The British Library. The first covers their holdings, and the second focuses on the building itself. Each tour lasted about 75 minutes and cost £10. There were about a dozen people in each tour.
With more than 150 million items in its collection, The British Library is the second largest library in the World, trailing only the Library of Congress. If you’re interested, here’s a link to a listing of the Top Ten.
The library is located next to the St Pancras Railway Station. It was a little busy on this Good Friday holiday morning.A Eurostar train can be seen in the background.St Pancras Renaissance Hotel (adjacent to the station)The British Library (c. 1998). During construction, brick was sourced to match the neighboring St Pancras Hotel & Station (in the background).A scale model of the library, showing the eight-story subterranean storage facility. (BTW, the underground storage is already filled up. An offsite location is now used)An 18th century sculpture of Shakespeare.The Humanities Reading Room. The reading rooms were closed to the public for the Good Friday holiday. A good time to be on the tour; we had them all to ourselves!The Maps Reading Room. The celestial globe in the background is by Vincenzo Coronelli (c. 1693).In the middle of the building is a six-story glass tower containing the King’s Library with 65,000 printed volumes along with other pamphlets, manuscripts and maps, all collected by King George III between 1763 and 1820.
The items below are displayed in the library’s Treasures Gallery. This was part of the guided tour, but the room is also open to the public during normal library hours.
The Moutier-Grandval Bible from around 830-840. Amazing!I had to include this: It is entitled Shirin becomes Queen of Armenia (c. early 17th century). It tells of the romance between King Khusraw Parviz and Shirin, Queen of Armenia.Shakespeare’s First Folio (c. 1623). Of the estimated 750 First Folios, only around 250 survive today. Five are at The British Library.The Gutenberg Bible (c. 1455). Leonardo Da Vinci, The Science of Weights (c. 1518). For you engineering nerds, The Science of Weights is known today as Statics.Magna Carta (c. 1215). This is one of four surviving originals from 1215. Two are at The British Library.
This was a fun day exploring the library!
A pretty view of another library (this one the Harrow School’s) on my way back from the tube station.
Saturday, March 30 – Harrow on the Hill
My manic tours of various London buildings concludes today. I’m guessing you’re relieved by that statement. Apologies if I’ve bored you to death!
I’m back to the Palace of Westminster (The Houses of Parliament) for a rare treat – a tour of The Speaker’s House. This tour is only offered during the long Easter weekend, and occasionally during the summer when the speaker is away.
The house is three stories tall, with the top floor being the residence of the Speaker. The second floor is used for administrative purposes, and our tour covered the first floor. The rooms viewed were the Speaker’s Study, the Crimson Drawing Room, the Corner Drawing Room, the State Dining Room, and the State Bedroom. All were very opulent and contained portraits of past Speakers, as well as gifts from visiting dignitaries. The State Dining Room was especially impressive (as you can imagine).
The State Bedroom is meant to be the place where the monarch sleeps the night before their coronation in Westminster Abbey. Apparently though King Charles choose not to participate in this tradition (our guide said that the bed is very uncomfortable!)
The tour lasted 75 minutes. There were 14 of us, and the cost was £20. Here’s a link to UK Parliament’s website with more information on The Speaker’s House, if you’re interested.
As with the other tours in the Palace of Westminster, no photography was allowed.
Below are a couple photos from my visit to the Palace. I’m pretty sure I’ve posted similar pictures from this trip already, but I just can’t resist!
A less common view of the Palace from the west.Past the ticket check gate and on the way to the (airport style) security screening area.Now past the security tent.
As you can see, it was a beautiful day. I did a lot of walking, mainly in the area to the west of the Palace, avoiding the crowds around Westminster Bridge, Westminster Abbey and St. James’s Park.
Taking a break at Pimlico Gardens
Sunday, March 31 – Harrow on the Hill
Ended up staying on the Hill today. Pretty much low key. Did go for a walk though!
Monday, April 1 – Harrow on the Hill
Busy day! Laundry, flat cleaning, 1st quarter financial stuff, journal entry, and prep for my trip tomorrow.
I’m heading to Slovakia and Austria for a few days. No laptop again. I’m back on Sunday, so I’ll likely have the next entry posted on the following Tuesday or Wednesday. Have a great week!