The musings of a man who is coming up to the next stage in life.
This week’s photo is of the Liszt Memorial Tablet in Bratislava.
This tablet celebrates the concert that took place at the Leopold de Pauli Palace in 1820 when Liszt was just 9 years old. At that time Bratislava was known as Pressburg. This concert led to offers of sponsorship to help finance Liszt’s education.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
St. Vitus Cathedral is the Roman Catholic cathedral in Prague. It is part of the Prague Castle complex.
Dating from the 10th century the cathedral is an excellent example of Gothic architecture. It is also the most important religious building in the city.
Whichever tour Prague Castle option you choose St. Vitus is always included. However, I must warn you that it is extremely popular and you will find yourself being swept along with the crowds and tour parties. Despite that there is always a hush inside the building. It is only broken with sound of the staff warning you not to take photos with flash. This is the perfect opportunity for you not to use the automatic setting on your camera.
Inside the cathedral there is St. Wenceslas’s Chapel where the remains of the saint are kept. Sadly you will not be able to enter the chapel itself but can be viewed via a side window. There are plenty of statues and monuments to view that reflect the history of Prague.
It is important to take your time to explore the cathedral in order to take everything in. Otherwise if you allow yourself to be swept up in the crowds you may end up on missing out on a lot on what the cathedral has to offer.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
January 10 saw the 150th anniversary of the opening to the public of the first section on what was to become known as ‘The London Underground.’ Operating as the Metropolitan Railway the line ran from Paddington to Farringdon Street via King’s Cross. From this humble beginning the network also known as ‘The Tube’ has grown into the network that we all know and sometimes love.
I would say that the Underground is the lungs of London. It allows the city to breathe and function as the global capital city. The Underground model has now been copied by other major cities around the world. Nearly all capital cities in the developed world has some sort of underground rail network.
Throughout its history the London Underground has been the scene of some of the major events in London’s history. During both world wars tube stations were used to shelter the public from the bombing that rained down on the city. It has also been the scene of several tragedies. The two that come to mind are firstly the King’s Cross fire in 1987. The fire was ignited by a discarded cigarette under the wooden escalator. This led to the death of 31 people. The other one was the 7/7 bombings in 2005. Suicide bombers detonated three bombs on the network. The first one happened between Liverpool Street and Aldgate on the Circle line. The second explosion happened again on the Circle line between Edgware Road and Paddington. The third device was detonated on the Piccadilly line between King’s Cross-St. Pancras and Russell Square. 39 of the 52 victims were killed in these explosions.
There are advantages and disadvantages of using the London Underground. The advantages are that it is a fast method of travelling across London. It is also an efficient way of transporting passengers. As the rolling stock is electrically operated it is also a green option. Imagine the number of people who would be travelling by cars if there were no underground service. Of course there are disadvantages. During peak times the trains always become overcrowded. Also during the summer the lack of air conditioning can make if feel too hot during the summer. You also need to keep your wits about you as crowded trains attract pickpockets.
Having said that I enjoy travelling on the Underground. It gets me across London quickly. With an Oyster card it can be cheap. Sharing a train with visitors from around the world I feel that I am part of the global village. In short I love it and I wish it another 150 years service.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy, keep smiling and mind the gap.
Steve
This week’s photo was taken in Prague. It is of the view along Charles Bridge.
This was taken from one of the towers at the end of the bridge. I was lucky that the photo was taken around 10am and I avoided the crowds that can plague the cit. The surrounding buildings along with the bridge sum up for me the beauty of Prague.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
This post is a follow up to a previous photo of the week.
The Cutty Sark can be found in Greenwich. It is one of the most popular attractions in London.
Built as a clipper ship it was the fastest ship of its type operating during the late 19th century. Primarily its cargo was tea which was carried between Britain and Australia. For ten years it was the fastest ship operating between these two countries. The Cutty Sark ended up being sold to a Portuguese shipping company. The Cutty Sark also served as a training ship based in Falmouth, Cornwall. It became a tourist attraction when moved to its present location in 1954.
Disaster struck the ship in 2007 when it was badly damaged by a fire. It was fully restored and reopened in 2012. So far there have been over 13 million visitors to the Cutty Sark.
What a visit to Cutty Sark allows you to do is to experience what life would have been like on board the ship. There are various collections to be found on board. These include an archive of publications that have featured the Cutty Sark. There are also collections dedicated to the construction and working life of the Cutty Sark, Figureheads, memorabilia, Navigational Instruments, Paintings and objects used during the working life of the ship. Surprisingly, there is a collection dedicated to the Scottish poet Robert Burns. It was from his poem ‘Tam O’Shanter’ where the Cutty Sark got its name.
Entrance fee is £12.00 and that could be considered as expensive. However, given what you get to see I feel it is value for money. There are concessions available to seniors and students. You do have book to your ticket online and select the time you are going to visit. If you miss your slot you will not be allowed in.
The Cutty Sark is located at King William Walk, Greenwich, London, SE10 9HT
Nearest DLR stop is Cutty Sark station.
Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
Like anything in life, we are always learning. This is true of travel. Although I have always enjoyed travelling it has only been the last couple of years that I have managed to take it seriously.
The first lesson I have learnt is planning. I have mentioned in a previous post the importance of planning your trip. Planning for your trip is also a useful skill that I have managed to transfer to my everyday life. Good planning allows me to stay in control.
The second lesson is to be flexible in my travels. Sometimes all the best laid plans can go away from you. Whether it being something going wrong or an unexpected invite. If you get too inflexible you can miss out on experiences that can suddenly appear in front of you.
The third lesson I have learnt is to rest. Most of the time I travel by coach which means long journey times. By the time I arrive at my destination I am feeling very tired. The best thing to do is just lie down and enjoy a quick nap. This was a lesson I learnt the hard way while I was in Vienna. I allowed myself to be talked into going and exploring the city straight after arriving into the city. I ended up feeling unwell for the rest of the trip.
The fourth lesson is to be open to strangers. By nature I am a shy person who has in the past suffered from confidence issues. I travel solo so it is essential that I overcome the barrier. There is always something that you can talk about. The people who I have met have been great and this has allowed me to enjoy my travels more.
The final lesson I have learnt is to enjoy my travels. Being able to travel to different places is a privilege and one that is sadly not open to everybody. My grandfather told me if I ever stop enjoying doing anything then you should stop altogether.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
This week’s photo is of Sutton Park on New Year’s Day. A good walk is always a good way of starting the new year. I am lucky to have this park close to where I live. As you can see it was a beautiful day. I was not the only person to be walking.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
Here are the statistics for Midlife Wanderlust:
The Blog
Posts 10
Views 268
Comments 30
Followers 40 (+8)
Twitter (stevo120665)
Total Tweets 8009
Following 1647
Followers 967
Thank you to everybody who has viewed the blog or tweeted during December. It is greatly appreciated.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner can carry about 250 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,100 times in 2012. If it were a Dreamliner, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.
As the new year approaches thoughts turn to what I would like to achieve in 2013. On the whole 2012 was a good year for me, now it is time for me to look forward.
Over the previous years experience I have found New Year’s resolutions are pointless. They put too much pressure on you and are usually broken before the end of the first week in January. So instead I am going to set myself some achievable tasks for 2013. This time next year we can look at how well I have done or not.
There you go my list of ten things that I want to do in 2013. If I achieve 50% of this I will be happy.
Finally I want to wish everybody a safe, healthy and Happy New Year.
Steve
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