LONDON

          A Wonderful City

London is a popular travel destination and with the recent royal wedding, coverage of the city has been extensive. A quote from my diary on my first visit to the city seems to say it all: London is one of the most exciting, historic, traditional, vibrant and artistic cities in the world. Centuries of  history, timeless traditions, and culture with its familiar landmarks draws one to London. Once the capitol of a world empire, London has harmony, elegance, and royal magnificence. There are exciting visions around every corner.

The popular tourist spots have been so well covered that I’m going to bypass them and concentrate on a few lesser well know items. Language terms can be a little mystifying at first. Elevators are lifts and tend to be small. The subway is called the tube or underground. Be prepared to climb lots and lots of stairs. Getting off the tube you’re always reminded by a recorded voice to mind the gap (watch your step, there’s a gap between the train and platform.) Most stations have 3-4 entrances/exits so to avoid walking around the block pay attention to which exit you want . A circus is a traffic circle and there are many in the city. Remember the English drive on the left so be careful crossing the street. Often crosswalk signs warn one to look right. A flashlight is a torch, and a washcloth, which you will not find in your hotel room, is called a flannel.

Public transportation is very good making it  easy to get around the city. It is also a very walkable city, especially in areas where many tourist attractions are located.

The once well known drab, tasteless English food is from a bygone era. Today there are over 6000 restaurants in London representing every ethnic food you can imagine. This is not a city to use a McDonald's or Pizza Hut as a reference point or meeting place, as there is one on every corner! One can eat in elegant and expensive restaurants, in pubs, single bistros, fast food establishments or picnic in the park with carryout or take away. The pub has long been the center of the community, and it is an important social institution known for its humor, warmth, and good food. It is a good place to have lunch. There are over 5000 pubs in London.

The English are not coffee drinkers and if you are a real coffee drinker you’ll probably be disappointed unless you are a Starbucks fan and partake there. Although tea is the drink of Britain it is not drunk with or after a meal. Tea time is generally 11AM and 4PM.  Tea is also a crisis drink; any time one has a problem it is talked about over tea. Tea drinking is pretty much the center of the family. The English consume 345 million pounds of tea annually! They like their tea strong and it must be brewed. Tea bags and/or lemon are both frowned upon.

          High Tea in the late afternoon is an event in itself. It also is a meal which can include finger sandwiches, scones, crumpets, and sweets with jams and jellies, and or clotted cream. There are a couple of rules governing the taking of high tea: take small sips, small bites, and small talk, no big or controversial subjects.

The well know fare of fish and chips is difficult to find in London today which is really a shame. On one trip we spent a fair amount of time trying to find a spot to partake this favorite meal. We asked numerous people and even stopped at an information booth for directions. Finally we found a pub in Soho and enjoyed our indulgence.

A LESSON LEARNED

                               Never Again  

      

            The first time I was in Vienna I never dreamed that I would return another three times so I just had to see Salzburg.  A friend and I booked a tour which ended being a three hour drive which meant we spent six hours on a bus. The countryside was lovely but still---. It was a multi lingual tour and by the time the guide had given the information in German, Spanish, French and then in English the site was long gone and the English version was very short. Feeling short changed the entire way only fueled my frustration. .

            In spite of an early morning start, our time in Salzburg was limited  only allowing us to see the minimal highlights. The city was founded in 696 by an archbishop who ruled for many years. The monastery, St. Peter, is the oldest one north of the Alps. The city derives its name from the salt found in the mountains. Several foot bridges cross the Sclzach River  which separates the old and new part of the city. The colorful facades along the river in the old city are picturesque. As is common in old cities, an ancient castle sits high on the hill behind the city.

            Along the river in the new city are the beautiful Mirabel Gardens. A 17^th century fire reduced the city to ashes. The archbishop loved the wide open spaces that now house the gardens. We actually got lost in the gardens when on return we thought we crossed the same bridge as we did earlier in the day. But, then again, what better place to get lost!

            Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756 but died in Vienna in 1791. His birthplace, located just behind the pedestrian mall, is easy to find.  We enjoyed walking through his home and seeing the museum, but would have enjoyed it more if there had been some English sub-titles. Many international music festivals are held in Salzburg in the summer and during holidays.

            The shopping plaza is full of fascinating shops where wrought iron signs tell one in pictures what kind of a shop it is. McDonalds even managed to set up shop and conformed with its own wrought iron sign---no golden arches here.

            We chose one of the small restaurants for lunch. It was a cool cloudy day so we both opted for hot soup which was  really a goulash. It was delicious, but we had to put up with a surly waitress. After numerous attempts to get her attention to bring us the bill, we finally had to get up and make motions to leave. That caught her attention and we got our bill in a hurry. We would have loved to have had the time to linger over a cup of hot tea, but our time was much too limited.

            Seeing only the highlights put Salzburg on my return list. It had been a long and somewhat frustrating day. It definitely was my first and last multi-lingual tour of any kind! It was a good learning experience!