Glad to have another chance to live vicariously... I'm glad you've realized that your ascension to the rarefied air of semi-retirement includes an obligation to allow us yet-toiling worker bees to live vicariously through your travels! Happy to have another adventure to ride along on!
Couldn't agree more! Jeff - I found the parks in London to be a delightful and unexpected and glorious surprise. I did not expect them to be a large or beautiful or numerous. Glad you had a great trip.
St. Pancras What perfect timing your blog is! I just booked Eurostar passes from London to Paris and I was worried the St. Pancras area was going to be trashy and unsafe based on my travel book! Is London generally safe? Where do you recommend I stay? I have to get your email address from Shannon.
London Advice Emily, Please get my cell number from Shannon and give me a call. I will let you buy me dinner, and in exchange I will share whatever insights into London and Paris I may have. A couple of things to think about up front. If you have not booked your Eurostar ticket yet, take a look for non-refundable seats on trains that depart before 7:00 a.m. and after 8:00 p.m. Non-refundable seats on Eurostar Trains that depart early in the morning or late at night offer SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS (as in hundreds of dollars of savings). As for safety, by American standards, all European cities are extremely safe. The things you need to watch out for are pickpockets and street scams ... violent crime is much less problematic than it is in America (that being said, any woman traveling alone should always be vigilant). The area around Kings Cross/St. Pancras Station has historically been a little rundown. With the renovation of St. Pancras that is changing a lot. Kings Cross is being gentrified faster than almost any other part of the city. If you are worried, just take the Tube right to the station, and you will not even have to go outdoors. In London you should stay at the K+K George Hotel in Earls Court. This is my favorite hotel in the world. It is 50 yards from the Earls Court Tube Station, in a vibrant area with many pubs and restaurants. The room rate also includes a Proper English Breakfast which will be big enough for you to make it through most of the day. Take a look online and they generally have a \"non-refundable\" rate. But before you book send them an email (use my name) and see if they can do a bit better than the \"non-refundable\" rate. Often times they can. Keep in mind that in the UK there is a 20% VAT Tax, so make sure you understand if prices include or exclude the VAT. You can borrow one of my Oyster Cards. Also, November is a great time to go to London and Paris. It is inexpensive time to travel and weather will be fine (jeans, hoodie, jacket) but wet (but its always wet in London). JJF
Love your blog! Hi Jeff,
Still enjoying your blog. You have inspired me to visit London and Paris in November! I will definitely check out Regents Park when I am there and I am wondering how you arranged for all the people to leave London in time for your visit there?
Royal Parks Emily,
Thank you for your nice comments. I believe your comment about getting everyone to leave London has to do with the fact that there are not a lot of people in my photos. This has been pointed out by other bloggers. A couple of things play into the lack of people, especially in the photos in the Royal Parks. First, the Royal Parks are so big, that some sections are relatively secluded. Second, I often wait for a long time for people to clear out of the frame of my photo so that I can get the photo I want. Finally, I was on vacation, so I was talking my photos on a week day, in the middle of the day, when Londoners are not in the parks (because they are working). On the weekends, the parks are a lot busier.
Royal Parks Emily,
Thank you for your nice comments. I believe your comment about getting everyone to leave London has to do with the fact that there are not a lot of people in my photos. This has been pointed out by other bloggers. A couple of things play into the lack of people, especially in the photos in the Royal Parks. First, the Royal Parks are so big, that some sections are relatively secluded. Second, I often wait for a long time for people to clear out of the frame of my photo so that I can get the photo I want. Finally, I was on vacation, so I was talking my photos on a week day, in the middle of the day, when Londoners are not in the parks (because they are working). On the weekends, the parks are a lot busier.
Breathtaking! Wow, beautiful photos. And hey, another one of you - good to see! I can tell you are in your happy place! I was at GK today - boy my life is dull. I think if I could have any one day of your trip - it would be this one. Thanks for sharing the moment.
Great Snap of JJF! Great to finally see your smiling face. Jeff, we know you put a lot of thought into your blogs - you aspire to be like Jack and you are doing quite well! The reason we all love you is for your story telling - time flies when you are on a ski lift with Jeff. The drowned bikes are so funny!
#12 The difference in the murder rate is astonishing. Glad you are back in London and thanks for sharing the list. I wish we had #9 here - I find tipping stressful since it forces me to "judge" after my meai. Enjoy the last few days of your trip Jeff!
Venice vs. Amsterdam Tim,
That is a very good question. The similarities are obvious and I enjoyed my time in each city. Venice is a much older city than Amsterdam. Amsterdam is more colorful than Venice. What I like about Venice are the narrow streets, alleys and walkways. Amsterdam is more wide-open. Both great places to visit, but because of the issues I cited in the blog, I give the nod to Venice. JJF
Venice vs. Amsterdam Tim,
That is a very good question. The similarities are obvious and I enjoyed my time in each city. Venice is a much older city than Amsterdam. Amsterdam is more colorful than Venice. What I like about Venice are the narrow streets, alleys and walkways. Amsterdam is more wide-open. Both great places to visit, but because of the issues I cited in the blog, I give the nod to Venice. JJF
Jeff likes to travel and more importantly he likes to write witty little blogs about his travels. His blogs are generally factual, but certain names, places and/or events have been changed to protect the innocent (or to punctuate a joke). Jeff thinks he is funnier than he is, and he has an unattractive habit of referring to himself in the third-person, or, even worse, as JJF. The spelling mistakes are real (JJF is not trying to be funny, he really is misspelling those words). And the stories? Well the stories go on ... and on ... and on ..., but what is truly annoying, what makes people r... full info
Jed
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Glad to have another chance to live vicariously...
I'm glad you've realized that your ascension to the rarefied air of semi-retirement includes an obligation to allow us yet-toiling worker bees to live vicariously through your travels! Happy to have another adventure to ride along on!