Planning a Trip to the UK and possibly Paris...

[ligeia]

... it's my first time over there! Not set in stone, but I will be heading over that way (with my sister) the last week of April/first week of May. I guess what I would like to know about are places of interest in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland according to YOU guys and not a guide book or tour (or, if you know of a good guide book, even). And how about Paris? What to look for other than the usual touristy stuff? I'd like to do a mixture of some sightseeing, but I'd also like to know what the locals are doing. I dunno, it's overwhelming, but I'm really excited!

[errorinparagon]

I've been to Paris and London a couple of times during the winter, not much outside of those two cities, and I can definitely say just hanging out in London walking around and eating at random restaurants/pubs I passed was the most fun I had on those trips. The tube and bus systems were so easy to figure out, it was difficult not to just wander aimlessly. I saw a couple plays at the National Theater that were spectacular. Spent a couple hours exploring bookstores on Charing Cross Road.. National Gallery in Trafalgar (sp?) Square was free and nice. :D

I wasn't in Paris too long and don't speak a word of French so I basically stuck to the touristy stuff. If you're a museum person (even if you're not!) you can't skip the Louvre, and if possible, make a day trip or two to Versailles, both would take several days each to explore in their entirety. Musee D'Orsay was my favorite of the several museums I saw. Climbing the Eiffel Tower was crowded (mostly obnoxious, stereotypical people from my New Jersey home, unfortunately!) and fairly expensive, so I wouldn't highly recommend it, but at least make the effort to stroll by or go up to the second floor (either free or cheap, don't remember). Sacre Coeur was worth the long, uphill hike.. I passed through Place Pigalle on the way :D.

I'm partial to Lonely Planet travel guides. Great if you're more partial to words and info over pictures.

Well that's my opinion. I hope you find it somewhat helpful. :cheers:

[kittybear]

i have nothing to contribute...but just wanted to say...hello..and...im jealous...

[ajmo.]

I've been to Paris and London a couple of times during the winter, not much outside of those two cities

GTFO

:lol:

[errorinparagon]

GTFO

:lol:

:tongue:

[stee_doc]

Yes - my suggestion is come to Dorset, there is so much lovely stuff here and i can meet you for beers! yes, come to dorset, or failing that check out in london The South 'Bank, Richmond Upon Thames (Richmond Hill feat. much painted view inc. Turner) is lovely in the summer, and the northern territories - Tottenham, Finsbury Park are interesting for a flavour of the multicultural stuff. Hyde Park, Abbey Road, Notting Hill...

I am coming to your country soon (see other thread)!

[ligeia]

Thanks for the advice and non-advice, guys. I always find stuff to do no matter where I go, but it's just nice to have some suggestions. :)

[Mike McCusker]

Come to Manchester meet McCuskers and drink beer with us. The Couch is available for a two night stay.

[ligeia]

Come to Manchester meet McCuskers and drink beer with us. The Couch is available for a two night stay.

I'm planning to be in the Manchester area, actually! Hoping to meet the few of you who are there. I'm not sure of the exact dates, but I'm keeping in touch with Anne about what's going on (prolly driving her crazy talking about it all the time. heh) and I will let you know as well. Wouldn't miss out on Manchester while I'm over there!

[Mike McCusker]

Cool.

[meepghost]

in paris, i recommend --

check out cafe lea

but you should really go have a beer at la pantalone :) i had a lot of fun there, chat w/ the bartender and hangout with the dog that runs the bar ....

go to pere l'chaise

& the latin quarter (esp. ave des gobelins)

the musee d'orsay was recommended to me, but i didn't actually go there - walked by it. i'm a bad tourist. whatever you do, drink a lot of wine and eat a lot of crepes!

[Shadow16nh]

Don't forget to bring a towel...

[ilovemusic]

Don't forget to bring a towel...

:lol:

[Ignorant Bliss]

I'm planning to be in the Manchester area, actually! Hoping to meet the few of you who are there. I'm not sure of the exact dates, but I'm keeping in touch with Anne about what's going on (prolly driving her crazy talking about it all the time. heh) and I will let you know as well. Wouldn't miss out on Manchester while I'm over there!


Hey Kristy, will do my best to be there too

xo

chris

[king for a day]

Hmmmm, from my experience i'd avoid Cardiff, Newport, Swansea (in wales), unless you like street brawling. Nearby Bristol and Bath are really nice though and west wales is meant to be nice, if a little remote. Word of warning: if you're driving you have to pay a ridiculous amount to get into Wales by car, via the toll bridges. Some say it's adding insult to injury haha

Brighton's a really cool town and not too far from London. For Scotland you obviously need to visit Edinburgh and try to get out into the highlands, they're truly stunning.

But, even if you only limited your trip to London and Paris you are one lucky person! There's more than enough in both cities to keep you fully occupied for as long as you like.

[duyster]

I don't know about you but I'll be at Koko where Sebadoh play Bubble & Scrape in its entirety :rockon: :dance:

[placeholder86]

stay well away from the north of wales.....well just leave out wales altogether..:lol: :darn: :O

[king for a day]

I don't know about you but I'll be at Koko where Sebadoh play Bubble & Scrape in its entirety :rockon: :dance:

I'll see you there! I can't wait for that. The original line up playing their second best album (I guess it would be too much for them to rip through 'III'

Looking forward to Jason playing the sublime 'Happily Divided'

[ligeia]

You edited!!! ;)

in paris, i recommend --

whatever you do, drink a lot of wine and eat a lot of crepes!

And that's exactly what I plan to do.

[ligeia]

Hey Kristy, will do my best to be there too

xo

chris

I'll keep you in the know, too.

[Xanadu]

You should try and make it across the water to the Western Isles. If you do I would advise going to the islands further south. They're just alot nicer. It can be quite a treck by sea but it's worth it. You should also go to a gig at the Barrowlands because no matter who is playing it's always brilliant!
Anyhoo I'm sure you'll have a great time whatever you do.

[L]

I'll see you there! I can't wait for that. The original line up playing their second best album (I guess it would be too much for them to rip through 'III'

Looking forward to Jason playing the sublime 'Happily Divided'

even though koko is the easiest venue to get to for me from my house, i refuse to go there again as everytime i have been to a gig there the sound has been terrible, so i'm going to the atp festival instead to see sebadoh:D

[king for a day]

even though koko is the easiest venue to get to for me from my house, i refuse to go there again as everytime i have been to a gig there the sound has been terrible, so i'm going to the atp festival instead to see sebadoh:D

I thought of going to atp but being a huge Sebadoh fan since 1991 and never seeing the original line up play, this was an essential gig. The early Sebadoh shows were quite hardcore anyway so I don't think the venue will make much difference.

I'd happily watch them in a public toilet (cue 'Koko is a public toilet' repost) as long as they play the pre-Bakesale stuff.

[L]

'ello kristy,

well if yr ever in london town and want to meet up, let me know... i work in london but live just outside of london by heathrow airport (the town where 'the office' is set. aargh) and the main tourist attraction near me is windsor (and eton) where the queen lives in the oldest 'working' castle in britain - windsor & eton are okay for a daytrip. when i'm not feeling lazy i take bike rides around there. there are a few lovely restaurants too (pubs are not so good).

recommendations of london-y things to see/do: in one day you could do tower of london + tower bridge + design museum (and meet me for lunch! i literally work next door and it's one of the nicest riverside spots in town) / tate modern / london eye + the southbank at waterloo, the southbank centre is there too with the hayward gallery, national film theatre, royal festival hall and queen elizabeth hall - in the foyer there are often free music performances at lunchtimes and early evenin, i like the unpretentious bar there in the evening time. the old vic theatre is around the corner; kevin spacey is the artistic director and stars in some of the plays.... one of he best views in london is from waterloo bridge looking towards westminster and beyond. maybe go on a boat cruise one evening.

greenwich is a nice area of south east london - pretty and old. nice on the weekend when they have the market... oh other w/end markets = camden (v.busy. too claustrophobic for my liking and full of tards and creepy men trying to sell drugs), covent garden is always busy but there are street performers there too which can be amusing/entertaining to see. notting hill has lots of antiques and overpriced ugly trendy clothes.

soho is good for restaurants, and soho theatre on dean st always has brilliant shows. chinatown is nearby and food is generally cheap and nice there. and if you like overpriced musicals, theatreland's a stone's throw away too.

the vauxhall tavern always has good shows/performance art/cabaret/fun club nites, it's a friendly, alternative gay pub/club + one of my favourite places to go to.

it can be difficult to find really good food that's affordable. if you like indian food there are many restaurants all over. brick lane is alright - it is full of indian/bangladeshi food places. but it has become so popular, and i've seen a few muggings so i don't walk around alone in the dark...

***outside of london...
this year liverpool is the european city of culture (or something) - it has been redeveloped a lot over the past few years; last time i was there it was a bit of a construction site, but i'd imagine it's all sparkly + new this year. and the beer is cheap compared to the south. unfortunately for me i suppose the same goes for anywhere outside the south east :(

brighton is about an hour from london by train - beach, pier, little shops. i don't know it that well, only been there for gigs really in the past few years - sara teresa lives there now and i'm visiting her in a few wks, so may be able to recommend stuff..

the west of england is pretty boring. i think wales is too. oxford is overrated, although if you haven't been there a daytrip mightn't be so bad. and scotland(not glasgow) and the lake district = pretty.

if you have any questions about anyfink specific, ask away...x

[cat]

L? On a bike?
Get the hell out of here!! :)


+ James and I can meet ya
hug ya
bore ya
feed ya

:yes:

[L]

L? On a bike?
Get the hell out of here!! :)



with high heels + much make up-on.

obviously.

[rlr_core]

Obviously London, Stay away from the north other than Leeds would be my advise.
As for Scotland, I loved the isle of Aaron just off the coast,like a 20minute ferry ride, its beautiful and worth it.
And Paris is cool,but i've only been twice, don't bother attempting to drive around the arc de triumph.

[placeholder86]

You cock! :lol: :D

Manchester And Liverpool Are Essential!

[kuta]

aww moite! as u kno, it's the thing 2 DO !!!
:-p:dance::-p

:bop:

:D

x
o

[ligeia]

L? On a bike?
Get the hell out of here!! :)


+ James and I can meet ya
hug ya
bore ya
feed ya

:yes:

I love to be bored! :-D :heart:
I will keep ya updated.

Stillllll don't know the dates, as my time off was denied... so I have to reschedule everything and see how it aligns with my manager who is under the impression that I am an indentured servant. :darn: But it will be in April. That is all I know.

[ligeia]

'ello kristy,

brighton is about an hour from london by train - beach, pier, little shops. i don't know it that well, only been there for gigs really in the past few years - sara teresa lives there now and i'm visiting her in a few wks, so may be able to recommend stuff..

I'm somewhat interested about Brighton as well, please keep me updated. And say hello to Sara Teresa for me, please! It's been a long while since I've talked to her.

[Lyly]

come to Aberdeen, we can meet up and go to a partyyyy
i'll show you the city, of course.

[L]

I'm somewhat interested about Brighton as well, please keep me updated. And say hello to Sara Teresa for me, please! It's been a long while since I've talked to her.


und sara says hallo to you too!

may go back to visit soon, i quite like brighton. it sort of reminds me of portland, oregon, though not quite as cool, and more crowded:D it's easy to walk around everywhere and there are lots o' nice pubs + restaurants all about. there's something pleasant about sitting by the sea too...

[king for a day]

I'm somewhat interested about Brighton as well, please keep me updated. And say hello to Sara Teresa for me, please! It's been a long while since I've talked to her.

Saw Elliott (as well as Supergrass, Sparklehorse, The Delgados) play at the excellent Concorde 2 along Brighton seafront.

Brighton is generally regarded as 'London by the sea' which is probably due to the amount of Londoners moving down there and forcing the house prices through the roof (which is why I 'chose' to move to Wales with my girlfriend, not vice versa - thanks a fucking bunch!).

Although it's extremely lively nothing beats a chilled out walk along the seafront. One of the finest pleasures in life and totally free (for a change!)

[king for a day]

I'd suggest giving Wales a wide berth. Despite the endless crowing about how great Cardiff is, it isn't! I've never enjoyed a night out there as you're never more than a few yards away from potential violence. I think the Americans call them 'rednecks', well that's what we have here in droves.

There's a long standing joke about the best thing to come out of Wales is the M4 (the motorway into England). Hate to say it (as my mum's side are Welsh) but it's true.

Bristol and Bath are really nice but I don't really think it would be worth the hassle of traveling there from London.

[ligeia]

:\ So, I guess the trip is postponed until October. Fine by me, I can celebrate my birthday overseas.