Post by kena on Sept 16, 2005 20:06:07 GMT -5
I got back on Tuesday night from my semi-work/semi-vacation trip to England. You might recall my graduate school was paying for me to attend a scientific conference in Oxford, and I decided to extend the trip a bit to see England, and visit my family in Paris. It was my first trip completely on my own.
I really loved London; the youth hostel in The City was nice and really really well located. The weather was fantastic, and I've found that people talk a lot more to you when you're alone. I also made a conscious effort to connect with people, while obviously trusting my instinct not to get in dangerous situations.
The atmosphere in the city was a little bit tense because of the bombings, but I never felt in danger. There was extra security everywhere, and very little public garbage cans, but otherwise the city seemed normal. And since people were watching one another more, it felt safer to go out at night as a single woman (other women I've met said they felt the same thing)
I had budgeted 75 pounds per day in London, including accomodation at 23 pounds, and 65 pounds per day in the countryside, including accomodation at 30 pounds, and I was a little underbudget every day. I didn't dine out much though, as it was often more convenient to just pick up a sandwich on the go. Also, I found that dining in restaurants is always a bit awkward when you're alone, especially in the evening. I did splurge on a really nice lunch at the sit-down restaurant of the British Museum though (worth it), and went out for drinks almost every evening (with a guided pub walk by London Walks on day #1 - a bit too touristy for my taste, although the walk itself was nice and well-documented - and with people I met during the day, or at the conference on the other days)
I suggest going for an Evensong service or a concert in churches instead of paying the admission fee. I gave a donation of 2-3 pounds everytime, but it was cheaper than the tourist price, and a better experience. I also mostly visited the free museums - again the suggested donation still makes for a rather inexpensive visit.
I'm pretty glad with the clothes I brought. Jeans would have been better than khakis (people were wearing jeans everywhere, more than in France or Italy) and I had too much cold weather clothes, but then I had unusually warm weather. Clothes successes? My faux-pashmina black scarf, super comfy black mary-janes, a semi-casual black vest I wore all the time, a bunch of colorful cotton tank-tops for layering and my usual linen-lycra knee-length beige skirt.
And the conference itself? It went really well, and I came back with a brain full of really interesting ideas, and an address book full of interesting people.
I really loved London; the youth hostel in The City was nice and really really well located. The weather was fantastic, and I've found that people talk a lot more to you when you're alone. I also made a conscious effort to connect with people, while obviously trusting my instinct not to get in dangerous situations.
The atmosphere in the city was a little bit tense because of the bombings, but I never felt in danger. There was extra security everywhere, and very little public garbage cans, but otherwise the city seemed normal. And since people were watching one another more, it felt safer to go out at night as a single woman (other women I've met said they felt the same thing)
I had budgeted 75 pounds per day in London, including accomodation at 23 pounds, and 65 pounds per day in the countryside, including accomodation at 30 pounds, and I was a little underbudget every day. I didn't dine out much though, as it was often more convenient to just pick up a sandwich on the go. Also, I found that dining in restaurants is always a bit awkward when you're alone, especially in the evening. I did splurge on a really nice lunch at the sit-down restaurant of the British Museum though (worth it), and went out for drinks almost every evening (with a guided pub walk by London Walks on day #1 - a bit too touristy for my taste, although the walk itself was nice and well-documented - and with people I met during the day, or at the conference on the other days)
I suggest going for an Evensong service or a concert in churches instead of paying the admission fee. I gave a donation of 2-3 pounds everytime, but it was cheaper than the tourist price, and a better experience. I also mostly visited the free museums - again the suggested donation still makes for a rather inexpensive visit.
I'm pretty glad with the clothes I brought. Jeans would have been better than khakis (people were wearing jeans everywhere, more than in France or Italy) and I had too much cold weather clothes, but then I had unusually warm weather. Clothes successes? My faux-pashmina black scarf, super comfy black mary-janes, a semi-casual black vest I wore all the time, a bunch of colorful cotton tank-tops for layering and my usual linen-lycra knee-length beige skirt.
And the conference itself? It went really well, and I came back with a brain full of really interesting ideas, and an address book full of interesting people.
