April 2006 - Glasgow, Scotland

April 2006 - Glasgow, Scotland

After saving some more money and checking some good (cheap) deals, I decided to visit Glasgow. I chose this city simply after doing a quick search for deals on Aerlingus website... The return ticket was only around €50 with taxes so without too much thinking I booked a flight, then a hotel and was ready to roll.

To be honest I didn't do too much research on the things I should see or do. I simply decided to go with the flow!

The hotel I was staying in, Premier Inn Glasgow City (Buchanan Galleries)  on Nile Street was really comfortable and cozy. I got a room with an amazing view on the mountains, with a windowsill so big, that I could sit on it each night and admire the breathtaking view.

My trip was only a weekend long, so I most probably didn't have a chance to see all that this city had to offer  but I wasn't bothered by that back then. I was simply happy to be able to get away from Dublin and have a taste of what the World has to offer.

The simplest thing to do when you only have two days for sightseeing is to catch one of the tour buses. It costs you around £10 but you get a chance to get around the city and visit the places worth seeing. You can always hop off at any time and hop on the bus whenever you are finished with looking around. That's exactly what I did. The tour takes around 1h 45 min and stops at 24 points of interest. Details and map of the tour can be found here.

The only place that I had been eating at was China Buffet King on 22-24 West Nile Street. Because I was on a budget, "eat as much as you can" Chinese Restaurant came in handy. Delicious food and a great price!

Most of the time, on this two day trip, I was wandering down the streets, taking photos of anything I found interesting enough to document. I explored some of the most beautiful places in Glasgow, like George Square with its City of Chambers,Royal Exchange Square and its Gallery of Modern Art , Cathedral Square and its Glasgow Cathedral and Glasgow Necropolis, Glasgow Green and its Peoples Palace & Winter Gardens, Glasgow Science Centre on the Pacific Quay, The Tall Ship Glenlee on the Pointhouse Quay and the Royal Concert Hall, just to name a few.

Glasgow is a small and old city, full of charm and history. It reminded me a little of my hometown, Krakow. Probably that's the reason my heart beat there a little faster and I am left now with those beautiful memories...

A view from a hotel window, Premier Inn

George Square

Science Center

Clyde Auditorium

Imax

The Tall Ship Glenlee

City of Chambers

George Square

Necropolis

Glasgow Cathedral

Necropolis

Necropolis

Doulton Fountain

Gallery of Modern Art

December 2005 - London, England

December 2005 - London, England

There was no better time for me to visit London than during Christmas and New Year's Eve! I absolutely love that time of the year so this trip was even more magical to me...

Since I was an unexperienced tourist, I managed to plan a small itinerary but nothing really exciting. Future visits to London were definitely more thought through but because this was my first time in London, it was nonetheless an exciting experience on its own.

I was lucky enough to have a place to stay for free in London's suburbs (not sure exactly where, all I remember is that I had to travel by a train to the City Center), so I had a little taste of how life in this enormous city looks like. The subway system is pretty complicated but I managed to figure it out in a little more than an hour , after getting on the wrong tubes and getting off on the wrong station. I didn't mind though, as this was the best way for me to learn how the subway works, not having any previous experience in that matter...

In just a few days that I spent in there, I managed to visit:
Natural History Museum on Cromwell Road,
Madame Tussauds London on Marylebone Road,
Dali Universe on the South Bank of the River Thames ( I believe it's no longer there as on one of my further trips to London, I went back there and the Museum was closed down)
Tower Bridge Museum.

I also took a ride on the London's Eye and in general wandered along the streets, admiring famous buildings and monuments, like London Bridge, Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace or vibrant Piccadilly Circus ...

What thrilled me the most, was the fact that I was able to spend a New Year's Eve on the South Bank of River Thames, being part of a worldwide count down to the New Year 2006. What a great place to start a New Year in!

Madam Tussauds, London

British Museum, London

Tower Bridge, London

London's Eye

London Bridge

HMS Ocean warship

Tower of London

Banks of River Thames

River Thames

River Thames

Tower Bridge Museum

Monument to the Great Fire of London

Big Ben and Palace of Westminster

London's Eye

London's Eye

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

Queen Victoria Memorial

The Mall Street

Dali Universe

Piccadilly Circus