transportation – SteveWhittythoughts1965

July 5, 2013

Liverpool Street Station, London

The hub of the walks I took part in on Sunday was Liverpool Street Station. It serves the east and south-east of England. It is also acts as the terminus for the Stansted Express. Despite over 55 million people using the station (April 2010 – March 2011) in my eyes it felt smaller than some of the other railway stations in London. The station itself does have some sites that are worth checking out.

Outside the main entrance is the Fur Das Kind Kinderstransport Memorial sculpture. It shows a group of children by a railway track. Liverpool Street Station was where many Jewish refugee children arrived into the UK.

Once inside the main entrance there is a large memorial dedicated to the workers of The Great Eastern Railway who died in World War 1.

If you can allow yourself some time just have wander around the station. There is surprisingly plenty to see.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

Posted with Blogsy

May 8, 2013May 8, 2013

Vienna Card – A Review

Like all major cities Vienna offers a discount card to all visitors to help the budget conscious traveller. The Vienna Card costs €19.90. It lasts for 72 hours and it entitles you to more than 200 discounts across the city.

The major discount would be the free travel on public transport for the 72 hour period. You are also entitled to discounts on major museums and attractions such as the Hofburg and Schonbrunn Palace. However, the discount is only between 10-20%. You also receive discounts for restaurants and shopping up to 20%.

The problem with the Vienna Card is that to get value out of it you will have to cram a lot in the 72 hours. Especially with the museums. You could end up running through and not really appreciating the exhibits. This could lead to a case of museum fatigue. Personally I like to take my time when visiting museums and art galleries to take everything in. Also most museums and galleries are only open from 9-5.

To get the most out of the card I suggest that you carefully plan your 72 hours and stick to that plan. Otherwise if you want to take your time and visit the occasional museum but still want to take advantage of free travel then I would recommend that you purchase a 72 hour public transport ticket. This currently costs €14.50.

In short I felt that the Vienna Card will represent value with planning but it may not suit everybody including myself.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

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April 25, 2013

Photo of the Week – Trolley Car, Castle Hill, Budapest

This week’s photo is of the Trolley Car that takes you up the Castle Hill in Budapest.

The Trolley Car climbing its way up the hill.

This is the alternative way of climbing the hill if you did not fit enough to do so by foot. I’m glad to say that I walked up Castle Hill.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

March 31, 2013

Vienna & Budapest – Days 10 & 11

Well the day has arrived, it is time to go home. I worked out that I will be spending nearly 36 hours travelling before I arrived home. This is going to take a lot out of me. Spent my final morning in Budapest eating breakfast, shopping for supplies and chilling out making sure my gadgets were fully charged.

At around 12pm it was time to go. The sun was shining and I was expecting no problems travelling today. I made my way to the coach station. Once there I thought I better make sure that the coaches to Vienna were running today. To my horror they had all been cancelled and if I wanted to travel then I would have to make my way to the railway station. When I asked about where I could find the railway station the reply was they did not know. I stunned at the apparent lack of help towards my situation. Next, I asked at the information desk. Again, they appeared reluctant to help. Eventually they produced a metro map with the stop for the railway station marked out. I only hope that I had enough money for a ticket otherwise I would be stuck.

Getting to the railway station was easy enough I just had to find the ticket office. I was relieved to find out that I could purchase a ticket. Must remember not to judge other countries railways by the UK’s. A train was about to leave the station. I managed to board it and as I was storing my rucksack the train pulled out of Budapest. At last I was on the road and would be in Vienna with time to spare.

I arrived into Vienna Westbanhof Station later in the afternoon. The best thing for me was to make my way to the coach station and check to see if the coach to London was running. After initially scaring me the staff confirmed that my coach was running. I explained the situation with the coaches to Vienna and the kindly refunded half my coach fare. As I had plenty of time to spare before I left Vienna I caught the U-bahn to St. Stephen’s Cathedral for one last look. Took the time to enjoy a Bratwurst and take one last photo.

Final photo of St Stephen's Cathedral — Final photo of St Stephen’s Cathedral

Finally the time to leave Vienna had arrived and the coach pulled out of the station. My heart felt heavy and sad. To comfort myself I listened to some comedy on the i-pod and started to read up on the places I would be visiting in September. Always have something to look forward to.

The coach journey itself was unspectacular and I slept through a lot of it. I did arrive back into London almost an hour earlier than expected. Took the opportunity to have something hot to eat before boarding the coach back to Birmingham. I had forgotten that today was St. Patrick’s Day. As soon as I arrived back in Birmingham I was confronted with the sight of drunken people who were looking for a fight. During my trip I had not witnessed any anti-social behaviour. Was I glad to be home?

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

March 29, 2013

Vienna & Budapest – Day 9, 15 March 2013

It is time to leave Budapest today. Sadness is filling up my heart as it is the start of my journey home. I will spend a night in Vienna before I finally leave for home.

I checked out on time and thanked the hostel for a wonderful experience. This has been one of the best hostels I have stayed in. As I left I noticed that it had snowed during the night and left quite a covering. Today is also a national holiday in Hungary celebrating the 1848 revolution so everything seemed quite but there were plenty of flags flying about.

I arrived at the coach station and everything seemed alright. There were people waiting for their coach. There was also a reporter and camera crew from the local TV station. I was hoping that they might ask me for an interview. Sadly, my quest for stardom was thwarted.

I had began to wonder why there was no information about coaches to Vienna. So I went up to the ticket office and ask about the check-in times. It was there I was told that all coaches to Vienna had been cancelled for the day and I would need to make my way to the railway station. Taking this news in I was a little concerned on what I was going to do next. Being stuck in Budapest was not the worst situation to be in. After weighing up my options I decided it would be best to stay in Budapest for an extra day. After getting my ticket changed free of charge I went back to the hostel to see if I could book another night there. To my relief there was still room and at €10 it worked out cheaper than staying in Vienna.

After spending a couple of hours in the hostel I checked in. This was my opportunity to explore Buda which I missed out on the previous day. It was cold outside and being a public holiday there were not many people outside. Staying in the warm and drinking Pilinka was a better idea. I did get the chance to explore Buda. It just felt strange not seeing people about on a Friday afternoon. Normally, I would be working public holidays back home.

View of the Parliament Building from Buda.

I treated myself to a warming cup of coffee and a large slice of chocolate cake. From there I made my way back to the hostel. This was my chance to do some washing. It will save me from doing it when I got home. I spent the evening relaxing in the bar with a couple of beers before going to bed. Despite what happened today I considered it a plus. Staying in Budapest was a bonus as I had become rather fond of the city. Also the next two days were going to be spent on the road.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

March 10, 2013March 10, 2013

Vienna & Budapest – Day 2, 7 March 2013

I had managed to get some quality sleep. The neck rest my sister brought me for Christmas had come in useful. As dawn broke I could see the wonders of Austria. As the sun rose it shone on the snow on the mountains. It was beautiful. Sadly, I was not awake enough to think about taking photos.

The pulled into Vienna coach station just over an hour late. I was not bothered to be honest as I was just happy to arrive. The coach station in Vienna is not in the most fashionable part of the city. As I had been here before I knew where I was going so it was off to the U-bahn station. Took the train to my destination. When I arrived I ended up leaving the station at the wrong exit. The last thing I needed to be dong was wandering around like a lost soul. Suddenly I found my bearings and it was off to the hostel.

When I arrived at the hostel, the staff could not have been more helpful. While I could not check-in until 2pm they said I could have breakfast and relax in the lounge. It was too good an opportunity to turn down. It gave me a chance to catch up on answering some e-mails and re-charge the batteries.

At around midday I was starting to feel sleepy so I took the decision to go out for a walk. The weather was good with the sun shining so I made my way towards the station and towards Stephansplatz.

You might have been aware that I had purchased myself a new camera. There had been little opportunity to use it until now. I was snapping away like it was going out of fashion. I am not too sure how many of the photos will turn out right but I felt more confident with it. I will post the results in future posts. Promise you will not laugh. These photos were taken by the iPhone.

After three hours I knew that I needed to get back to the hostel so I could check-in and rest. Check-in went smoothly enough and soon I found my way to the room. As usual I always seem to get the top bunk. I must have it tattooed on my forehead. I did not mind as the bed felt comfortable so I should get some sleep. I hope that my snoring will not keep everybody awake.

After a quick nap I felt hungry but did not want to cook for myself. Nor did I want to go too far. After a quick walk I found myself a well known chicken outlet and that satisfied my hunger for the night. Finally I cashed my free drink voucher, looked at more emails before settling down for the night. Man, I needed my bed.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

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March 9, 2013March 9, 2013

Vienna & Budapest – Day 1, 6 March 2013

Well the day has finally arrived, I am about to leave for my trip. Since Christmas this has been the only thing on my mind. I am so ready for it to begin. I managed to get some sleep the night before. It meant missing the Man. U and Real Madrid game but I was not that bothered. I heard that United had lost and Fergie was not happy. Nothing new there.

The taxi came and dropped me to the coach station. So far, so good. While I was waiting for my coach I could see the departure getting later and later. This was beginning to concern me. After all I had a connection to catch. After a few more minutes I asked the information desk if they knew what the problem was with the coach. I was told the coach was held up in traffic congestion. At 2am I found that hard to believe. Then the coach suddenly appeared.

The journey to London went smoothly enough. I had enough time before check-in to buy a sandwich. Again check-in was not a problem and soon we were on the road. While on the coach I sensed that something was not right but I could put my finger on it right away.

Soon the coach was going through France and Belgium then it hit me. The coach does not have any seat belts. I was amazed as surely it would not legal to be on the road without them, especially in the UK.

The rest of the day went smoothly enough. Apart from getting stuck in the traffic in Antwerp. I thought a one-way traffic system allowed traffic to run smoothly. The coach found itself stuck between two trams.

Anyway tomorrow I will be in Vienna so I should try and get some sleep.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

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February 28, 2013

Photo of the Week – Pall Mall, London

This week’s photo is of one of my favourite spots in London, Pall Mall.

The road leading up to Buckingham Palace is very popular during the summer. On Sunday’s the road is closed to traffic allowing pedestrians to be able walk down the Mall. It is a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep on smiling.

Steve

February 1, 2013

Photo of the Week – Gas Street Basin, Birmingham

This week’s photo is of the Gas Street Basin in Birmingham.

The area is located in the centre of the city. It is a hub where the canal boats dock. The basin is also home some of the most popular bars and restaurants in Birmingham.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

January 28, 2013January 28, 2013

My Travel Tech for 2013

As this year I have decided to devote more of my spare time to travel I need to ensure that my tech is up to speed. There are five items that I will be taking with me on my travels.

1. iPad 4 64GB Wi-fi

This is my latest piece of tech. I am not a full time travel blogger so the iPad gives me all that I need. There are plenty of apps available and I can make hardware changes such as adding a Bluetooth keyboard if required. I am using Blogsy for updating my blog. If I were to become a full time blogger then of course I would look to invest in a MacBook or MacBook Air. I have tried to a Windows 8 laptop but I found it to be a frustrating experience. I am back to what I know and love.

2. iPhone 4S 16GB

This is my third iPhone and I have never suffered any problems with them apart from battery life. It is a device that can do almost everything. Take photos, play music, be a GPS and you can make calls too. My favourite apps are Spotify and Instagram. With iCloud it links to the iPad. As for battery life I take a power pack as back up. I never leave home without it.

3.Panasonic Lumix LZ20 Bridge Camera

I am not the world's greatest photographer as these photos show. This is a area that I wish to improve on. While I am not ready to move to a DSLR this is the next step up. Hopefully in the coming months you will notice the results.

4. Amazon Kindle

This is purely for reading. I do travel on long coach journeys and it allows time to pass. There are plenty of books stored on it. A big plus is that the battery life lasts a long time between charges.

5. iPod Classic 160GB (2007)

Old faithful, this has been with me on a lot of my travels. Lasts a long time on one charge it allows me to have all the music I need. Even better when shuffle is on.

These devices should keep me happy. Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

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