Miami Herald-- EMILY RISTOW
Associated Press
London may have a deserved reputation for being royally expensive, but by taking advantage of the free museums and sights in the historic capital, tourists don't have to feel like paupers.
MUSEUMS: Most of London's major museums are free. The British Museum, the Science Museum, the Victoria & Albert and other state-supported museums have free admission every day.
SIGHTS: If you want to experience the workings of Parliament, you can sit in on debates for free. For a taste of true parliamentary banter, go to the prime minister's Question Time, which takes place Wednesdays when Parliament is in session; be prepared to wait in line.
To get an up-close look at the Tower of London without paying the US$30 (16.50 pounds) admission, go to the Ceremony of the Keys. You won't be able to go inside the tower, but you'll be part of the 700-year-old tradition of locking up each night. You need to submit a written request for tickets two to three months in advance; www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon.
THEATER: London is known for its drama but tickets for West End shows can cost over $75 (50.) To go on the cheap, purchase tickets on the day of the show at the half-price ticket booth in Leicester Square.
In summer, take in some Shakespeareat the Globe, where standing tickets will cost about $7.50 (5.) You'll get to experience the play as a groundling -- as they were called in Shakespeare's day -- and have the performance take place around you. But come prepared: You'll be standing for the whole play -- usually around three hours -- and you'll be exposed to the weather at this open air theater.
If Shakespeare's not your scene, check out the Royal Court Theatre, a two-theater venue dedicated to producing new plays. All tickets on Mondays are about $15 (10). For theatergoers under 27, $7.50 (5) tickets are available every day for plays in the downstairs theater.
FOOD: Pop into a pub for a meal and a pint. You'll get to enjoy some iconic British grub -- fish and chips, meat pies and puddings -- at a reasonable price.
London also has a wide selection of ethnic food. For inexpensive Indian food, try the Indian YMCA's dining hall near Warren Street tube station, www.indianymca.org, where you can grab dinner for around $7.50 (5).
GETTING AROUND: The cheapest way to travel is by foot. For the Underground and buses, buy an Oyster card -- an electronic card that serves as your ticket. You get reduced fares for a single trip -- down to about $3 from $8. Children under 11 ride free.
ACCOMMODATION: Budget hotels are clustered near train stations, especially Paddington, Victoria, Euston and King's Cross. The Earl's Court neighborhood is another option. Book early.
If you're traveling when the universities are on break -- roughly mid-June through September -- you can rent a room in one of their dorms; single rooms start around $55. www.wmin.ac.uk/page-5198 or /kcl.ac.uk/about/structure/admin/facser/conbro/
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
36 Hours in Reykjavik, Iceland
NY Times Travel
By FRANK BRUNI
Published: January 11, 2009
A chattering woman on a barstool near mine swirls her screwdriver as if it were cabernet sauvignon, not seeming to notice the waves of orange liquid crashing over the rim. A cackling woman in a strapless black dress and a red Santa cap whirls by, glancing over her shoulder to make sure her three beer-toting, leer-throwing suitors are still there.
When I get up and start to walk toward the door, a woozy man heading in the same direction falls onto my back to use me as transport. He mumbles something in Icelandic. After riding me for about 20 feet, he collapses onto someone else. Many people notice. No one bats an eye.
It’s midnight on a Saturday, which means Reykjavik’s runtur, or pub crawl, is under way. Many bars stay open past 4 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday. And from what I can see and what I’m told, this country’s financial collapse — a sharp devaluation of the currency that has made this once prohibitively expensive destination more affordable for visitors — hasn’t emptied them a bit.
“Quieter?” laughs Elva, a bartender at the stylish club Solon, repeating part of my question to her. “Oh, no. No. People want to drink their troubles away.”
Friday
3:45 p.m.
1) WALKING BEFORE CRAWLING
Don’t dally! If it’s January or February, you don’t have much sunlight left, and you want to get your Reykjavik bearings well in advance of the overnight pub crawl, when the number and unruliness of the locals in the downtown streets, coupled with your own possible inebriation, could make navigating (or even perambulating) slightly difficult. Start on the northeastern edge of Tjornin, the pond in the center of this city of only about 120,000, which feels more like an overgrown village. Walk northeast, past the Hotel Borg and the lovely square it faces, until you hit Austurstraeti street. Hang a right and follow it as it rises uphill and becomes Laugavegur. You’ll get tantalizing peeks, to your left, of the stunning harbor.
9 p.m.
2) PUFFINS AND REINDEER
If you’re smart you’ve planned a late dinner and taken a little nap beforehand, so you don’t have to bow out of the night’s pub crawl before you’ve made a decent go of it. If you’re even smarter, you’ve thought to make a reservation at Fish Market (Adalstraeti 12; 354-578-8877; www.fishmarket.is), which fills up quickly, even in these less affluent times. It spreads over two handsome floors and, most important, has a menu that lets you know you’re in Iceland. My companion and I tried smoked puffin, which had an appealing livery quality like that of many game birds. Grilled whale meat was even more compelling: it had the appearance, texture and heft of beef, but faintly saline nuances that suggested its source was the sea. As we drank frigidly cold, excellent martinis made with Icelandic vodka, we moved on to reindeer (predictably like venison), goose and Arctic char. Although the dinner wasn’t the super-splurge it would have been six months ago, it wasn’t inexpensive. For three courses with drinks and tip, expect to pay at least 25,000 kronur for two, about $200 at the current rate of 126 kronur to the dollar; but that’s more than a third less than six months ago, when the rate was around 78 kronur to the dollar.
Read the REST
Iceland Vacations arranged by World Travel Warehouse
By FRANK BRUNI
Published: January 11, 2009
A chattering woman on a barstool near mine swirls her screwdriver as if it were cabernet sauvignon, not seeming to notice the waves of orange liquid crashing over the rim. A cackling woman in a strapless black dress and a red Santa cap whirls by, glancing over her shoulder to make sure her three beer-toting, leer-throwing suitors are still there.
When I get up and start to walk toward the door, a woozy man heading in the same direction falls onto my back to use me as transport. He mumbles something in Icelandic. After riding me for about 20 feet, he collapses onto someone else. Many people notice. No one bats an eye.
It’s midnight on a Saturday, which means Reykjavik’s runtur, or pub crawl, is under way. Many bars stay open past 4 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday. And from what I can see and what I’m told, this country’s financial collapse — a sharp devaluation of the currency that has made this once prohibitively expensive destination more affordable for visitors — hasn’t emptied them a bit.
“Quieter?” laughs Elva, a bartender at the stylish club Solon, repeating part of my question to her. “Oh, no. No. People want to drink their troubles away.”
Friday
3:45 p.m.
1) WALKING BEFORE CRAWLING
Don’t dally! If it’s January or February, you don’t have much sunlight left, and you want to get your Reykjavik bearings well in advance of the overnight pub crawl, when the number and unruliness of the locals in the downtown streets, coupled with your own possible inebriation, could make navigating (or even perambulating) slightly difficult. Start on the northeastern edge of Tjornin, the pond in the center of this city of only about 120,000, which feels more like an overgrown village. Walk northeast, past the Hotel Borg and the lovely square it faces, until you hit Austurstraeti street. Hang a right and follow it as it rises uphill and becomes Laugavegur. You’ll get tantalizing peeks, to your left, of the stunning harbor.
9 p.m.
2) PUFFINS AND REINDEER
If you’re smart you’ve planned a late dinner and taken a little nap beforehand, so you don’t have to bow out of the night’s pub crawl before you’ve made a decent go of it. If you’re even smarter, you’ve thought to make a reservation at Fish Market (Adalstraeti 12; 354-578-8877; www.fishmarket.is), which fills up quickly, even in these less affluent times. It spreads over two handsome floors and, most important, has a menu that lets you know you’re in Iceland. My companion and I tried smoked puffin, which had an appealing livery quality like that of many game birds. Grilled whale meat was even more compelling: it had the appearance, texture and heft of beef, but faintly saline nuances that suggested its source was the sea. As we drank frigidly cold, excellent martinis made with Icelandic vodka, we moved on to reindeer (predictably like venison), goose and Arctic char. Although the dinner wasn’t the super-splurge it would have been six months ago, it wasn’t inexpensive. For three courses with drinks and tip, expect to pay at least 25,000 kronur for two, about $200 at the current rate of 126 kronur to the dollar; but that’s more than a third less than six months ago, when the rate was around 78 kronur to the dollar.
Read the REST
Iceland Vacations arranged by World Travel Warehouse
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