How could we go to London and not do all the touristy things like see Big Ben & Parliament? And true to total geekfest style, I’ve been reading up. Of course everything you read on the wikipedia is gospel! Who knew that Big Ben’s official name is actually the Great Bell? Or that it chimes on BBC radio every hour? Or that the bell weighs 13.5 tonnes? I’m sad that overseas visitors can’t go on a guided tour of the clock tower—only locals are allowed to, and only if they arrange a visit through their MP. Anyway, I’ll be seeing it soon enough even if I can’t climb to the top.
Before we’d even looked at flights we started looking at backpacks. Jon’s has an Osprey pack right now, but after using it for Thailand, he decided to get a new one with a few more features. I didn’t actually have a pack beyond daypack size, and I sure wasn’t going to be trekking a suit case with me!
So, we checked out a few websites and a few stores to try them on, and I found one that was awesome. The one requirement I wanted for sure was the side zip the length of the pack. If you think about it, a pack that only has an opening at the top would be extremely frustrating. I know I would always want something at the very bottom of the pack—so I wasn’t going to budge on having a side zipper. The separate bottom compartment is also convenient because it also opens into the pack from the bottom if needed. I also like the watertight zippers (slight overkill for my needs, but it could be rainy!) That said, I especially think I’ll get the most use out of the ice axe holders…
Why start a blog at all? Well, some people we know aren’t so good at e-mail (checking or composing), and some people we know are not so good at the internet! (Psst, that’s you ma!) So if we made one central location with all the what not and where with all that’s going on, they’d be able to know that we’re alive and well with little effort on their part.
ps: Just so you know to which degree of computer illiteracy we’re dealing with—my fazh can turn OFF the computer, but not ON. True story!
pss: Yes, I’ll bookmark the site on the desktop so they won’t even have to look for it. That’s just how nice I am. You might want to too, just to stay all caught up!
I found our first accommodation, the easyHotel, in one of my million travel books. I remember reading, “Our rooms come in three sizes: small, very small and tiny.” And apparently they also come in CLEAN and CHEAP which works just fine for me!
It’s gonna be awesome! Check out some of the reviews from trip advisor. I especially like the boneheads who complain about the rooms being too small. What were they expecting?!? Note the one reviewer claims “I have seen prison cells that are more spacious.”
But, it sounds like a great location. “The easyHotel Victoria is a short stroll from Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park and the Thames.” Who doesn’t want to see all of those?
Have you ever stayed anywhere tiny or quirky just because you could?
~j
ps: we’ll be sure to post photos of our actual room. I’m sure we’ll be wishing we’d spent more for the room with a window.
We’re going on vacation in just over 4 months. At first, the whole idea of taking 3 weeks off work and jetting off to Europe seemed utterly impossible. But, somehow it all worked out—flights and accommodation are booked and there’s no turning back now! Hopefully this will help me make sense of all the places we’re going to visit for sure, and all of the places that we end up along the way. If you’ve got any suggestions for amazing things to see or do in London besides the usual, by all means send them.
Here’s to waiting until February 21st, 2009 to hop a flight to London.
I’ve been meaning to start this for some time now, but hadn’t remembered until tonight. We need a place to share our adventures with friends and family while we’re away. Who would have thought selecting an address would be so difficult?
Adventures of a couple seeing the world 2 weeks at a time.
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