Day at the Museum(s) (British and London) July 29, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Travel.Tags: attractions, British Museum, Europe, free attractions, London, London museums, Museum of London, top attractions, top free attractions, UK
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Here’s a short post I wanted to put up ages ago but didn’t have the time – my visits to the British Museum and the Museum of London while I was still in the UK.
The totally free British Museum
According to TripAdvisor’s Best and Worst of Europe, there’s not much good about London, except it has the most free attractions. That I can agree with. And two of the best free attractions are the British Museum and the Museum of London.
British Museum
If you do a quick stroll-through you can probably do it in 3 or 4 hours, but you probably need a full day to properly appreciate the British Museum, one of the best museums in the world. I went there twice, but could have easily gone a couple more. It’s not as classy or stylish as say the Louvre in Paris, but it’s absolutely free (except for the occasional temporary exhibit). And it is stacked with priceless artifacts from just about every culture you can think of. Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, just to name a few.
But this is the British Museum, I hear you say – well, the one thing the Brits were incredibly efficient at back in the day when they were the world’s pre-eminent power was to take stuff from other countries and cultures. ‘Take’ is probably a very kind way of saying it. Consequently, the British Museum holds some artifacts from countries that don’t have anything nearly as valuable themselves. For instance, the interior of the Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens – there’s a whole room filled with fragments of its walls.
The thing that amazed me the most was the size of the things the Brits took back to England. Gigantic monuments. Whole sides of buildings and temples, broken down into fragments and reassembled. It really is a fabulous collection of the world’s treasures.
You can take all the photos you want inside!
The place is huge and it’s free. Some of the rooms could use a little refurbishment and air-conditioning in the summer, but I’m nitpicking. My number one must-visit in London.
Museum of London
The hugely underrated Museum of London actually has two museums, with one located at London Wall and the other (newer) one at Docklands. I only went to the former, which is free, but the latter charges an admission price.
Currently it is a small place, one you can explore in a couple of hours, but it is incredibly rich in history has plenty of fascinating and interactive exhibitions. I say currently because it is under renovation and will not be complete until Spring 2010. However, it is still worth a visit right now if you are around in London. The current exhibitions detail the history of London from pre-historic times to present day, and covers highly interesting events such as the Great Fire of 1666 and the Black Death. I was surprised to learn so much in so little time.
Highly recommended.
My Trip to Macau! July 28, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Travel.Tags: Bellagio, casino, Cirque du Soleil, egg tarts, gamble, gambling, Grand Lisboa, hotel, Koi Kei Bakery, Las Vegas, Lisboa, Macao, Macau, Magaret's Cafe e Nata, MGM Grand, Portuguese, Portuguese tart, tarts, the Sands, Vegas, Venetian, Wynn, Zaia
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- Inside the Venetian Macau
I just got back from a 3-day, 2-night trip to Macau, not unexpectedly, as a slightly poorer man.
Since returning, many people has asked me whether it is a trip worth taking, and also how it compares with Las Vegas. Well, here are my thoughts.
Was it worthwhile?
Macau is definitely worth visiting for a couple of days if you are around Asia or you like to try your luck. I had been to Macau once before as a young child and I can’t remember much of it, but I’ve been told that the place has changed so much that I wouldn’t have recognised anything anyway. Actually, back then there was only one casino there, Casino Lisboa, and I was too young to get in. The only thing I recall was that there were heaps of pawn shops all over the place, and there were plenty of people heading in and out with their belongings, trying to exchange some money to win back all they had lost. It was incredibly sad.
Casino Lisboa, once upon a time the only casino in Macau
These days, there’s already a plethora of casinos in Macau, with many more still in development, though I hear some have halted building due to the global financial crisis. The most famous ones are of course the Venetian (where we stayed), the MGM Grand, the Wynn, the Sands, the Crown, and the new Grand Lisboa.
Unlike Vegas, most of the casinos are not located along one long strip. The casinos in Macau are spread out (but keep in mind that it is a very small place), with the main casinos either in the downtown area on Macau Peninsula, or along the Cotai strip (which is where the newer casinos are being built). Most hotels/casinos have free air-conditioned shuttle buses that can get you to most of the other casinos, and some of the casinos probably have enough to eat, see and do (mostly shopping) that you don’t even have to leave the complex at all during your stay.
If you do go casino hopping, make sure you check out the Grand Lisboa. The exterior has a highly unique design, with the building looking like a blooming flower from afar, but with sharp protruding edges pointing at their rival casinos. I hear that many grand Feng Shui masters were hired in its development. The lobby is also worth a stroll as it displays many near-priceless treasures. The one that stood out in my mind (apart from the many amazing sculptures) is The Star of Stanley Ho, a freaking 218.08 carat, D-colour, internally flawless diamond. It’s right there, in the front lobby, next to a GIA certificate as proof. Many gamblers make the trek just to see the diamond, hoping it will give them a bit of luck, without realising that it was most probably their hard-earned money that funded its purchase!
The Star of Stanley Ho
However, it would be a big mistake to not venture out of the casinos to take a look around. Macau is a deeply fascinating place with its unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese heritage, and there are plenty of attractions which reflect both cultures. While the casinos may be worthwhile attractions in themselves, those who like to do a bit more than just gamble should take their time to visit some of the old districts, churches and monuments that still hold a lot of history, and the old streets with houses that still have their exteriors preserved by law. It should also be noted that much of the land in Macau is man-made. We were fortunate to have a (non-blood) relative who grew up in Macau to show us around and tell us the stories behind the things we saw.
Oh, and don’t forget about the food! The food in Macau is simply divine, whether you are looking for Chinese or Portuguese delights, and there’s plenty of fresh seafood to be tried at very reasonable prices. Of course, there is also the ubiquitous Koi Kei Bakery that seems to be around every street corner selling food ’souvenirs’, such as biscuits, cakes and egg tarts. And when it comes to Portuguese egg tarts, one cannot go to Macau without trying some. The best is at Margaret’s Cafe e Nata on Macau Peninsula, just around the block from the Grand Lisboa. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t have them!
Macau vs Vegas
Honestly, apart from the gambling, the two places are extremely different. Vegas is more of a spectacle, with the desert setting, the Grand Canyon nearby and the clusters of bright neon lights along the strip full of 5-star hotels and top class casinos. Many people do go there for the gambling, but plenty of others go there just for the experience. You didn’t need to gamble a single cent to enjoy yourself. Macau didn’t give me that feeling – the casinos were there for strictly for the gamblers and shoppers, and if you wanted to be a tourist, you needed to get out and about. But if you do happen to leave the casinos, there’s a lot more to see in Macau, with worthy attractions scattered all around the various islands.
I don’t know if this will change in the future, but compared to Vegas, there were very few shows playing in Macau. We watched Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Zaia’ at the Venetian, but that was the only show that was being heavily advertised. There was the odd Asian superstar concert being promoted but none played whilst we were there. When we were in Vegas, we watched a different show almost every night, and each session was jam packed. ‘Zaia’ at the Macau Venetian, on a Thursday night, was only half full at best. I suppose people there would rather spend their money on the tables than on shows!
Grand Lisboa
Cost and service in Macau are also different. Food is generally cheaper (and better!), especially if you leave the casinos, and people don’t expect a tip. I remember in Vegas there was a dude waving in the taxis at the Bellagio (which would have come in anyway) and getting tipped handsomely for doing virtually nothing. There are no such expenses in Macau. On the other hand, the service standard in Macau is waaaaaay lower than in Vegas. Many of the service people (even in the hotels) are from mainland China and are not properly trained. In fact, they can be downright rude at times. But if you know what to expect then it won’t catch you off guard as much.
The quality of the patrons in both Vegas and Macau are varied, but it bothered me a lot more in Macau. Due to its proximity to the rest of Asia, many people come to the casinos for day trips and don’t stay at the hotels. People bitten by the gambling bug. The majority of people you’ll see are probably from mainland China, and some of them don’t like to follow the rules. The thing that bothered me the most was the constant smoking in non-smoking areas. We had to change hotel rooms a couple of times because of the overbearing cigarette smell in the non-smoking rooms. The non-smoking elevators are also almost always smoke-filled. There’s also clearly a massive phlegm problem there. Unfortunately, the beautiful canals at the Venetian are constantly spat in, and 2 out of 3 people have a penchant for generating phlegm in public places where they aren’t allowed to spit it out (like in buses and coaches). Also don’t be surprised to be woken up by loud chatter in the hotel corridors at weird hours of the night or to see people wandering around in their underwear. We were and we did. It’s a shame because Macau is really an extremely classy place.
Transport in Macau can also be frustrating. Even though it’s a very small place, it can take ages to go from one place to another because of the way the roads are designed. I think it’s a deliberate ploy to maximise revenue for taxi drivers. There’s a lot of U-turns and one-ways and roads and bridges that go round and round in circles. Walking may actually be a quicker (and cheaper) option sometimes.
Lastly, I don’t know if the global financial crisis has had a significant impact, but when I was there, the casinos in Macau were not particularly crowded, day or night. It was not until the Friday (when I left) that the crowds started picking up. I wonder if Vegas has been suffering the same fate.
Full UK Review, Part I: Overview/Travel July 11, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in On Writing, Travel.Tags: Aspiring Writer, Cambridge, college, life, Novel, overview, review, Travel, work, Writing
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[Note: I started this post on my final night in Cambridge and ended up with only a brief summary, but didn’t get to flesh it out until I was on the plane – here it is in full, split into parts]
Overview
The last 9 months of my life has been like a dream. My wife and I put our jobs on hold to come to the UK so I could pursue my masters in law at the University of Cambridge. At the time, I was at a crossroads in my life. I had worked for 3 years as a lawyer, but I wasn’t particularly happy, and I was constantly more stressed than necessary. There was also this dream of completing my first novel (my shitty horror novella more than 10 years ago doesn’t count), but I wasn’t sure how it fit into the grand scheme of things. All I knew was that I needed a break.
And so, the days came and went with frightening speed. We lived a simple but blissful life- travelled all around Europe, watched a lot of movies and TV shows we didn’t have time to watch before, read the odd book (other than textbooks), and I poured hours into my first serious effort at completing my fantasy novel. I even started this blog and it soon became a mini-obsession. Oh, and I studied occasionally too.
Yesterday, as my wife and I made that final bike ride down to my College to hand back the keys, donate our bikes and finally ‘sign out’ of Cambridge, these wonderful times came flooding back to me. Sure, the UK can be bloody awful sometimes. A lot of the time, actually. Prices can be criminal, especially dining out. Efficiency is definitely not a strength here (you get shocked how ‘behind’ this supposedly ‘advanced’ country is), and it can get ridiculously cold in the winter; and don’t even get me started on the schizophrenic weather and the Tube in London. But as I signed my name on college paper, it hit me that I was going to miss this place.
And fittingly, as we walked out of my college for the very last time, rain started bucketing down. It marked the end of 9 of the best months of my life (though I also rate my 6 months in Japan as right up there!).
Okay. Now I got the corny stuff out of the way, it’s time to review what the heck I did with my time in the UK. Here goes: visited 15 countries and 38 cities/towns/villages/islands, watched 79 movies and 17 seasons of 11 TV series, read 9 novels and 1 non-fiction book + 1 audio book, wrote 100,000+ words on novel and 170 blog posts…oh, and obtained ONE masters level law degree.
Travel
Visited 15 countries and 38 cities, towns, villages and islands around Europe. For the full list of places and a round-up of the best and worst, see my Ultimate European Adventure Round-Up.
Ultimate European Adventure Round-Up! July 10, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Travel.Tags: Amsterdam, attractions, Austria, Barcelona, Basel, Basle, Berlin, best attractions, Bruges, Brussels, Cambridge, cheap, cheapest, Colosseum, Copenhagen, Czech Republic, Dachau, Dachau Concentration Camp, Denmark, Disney Castle, England, Europe, Europe holiday, Europe Vacation, European Adventure, European holiday, European Vacation, expensive, favorite cities, favourite cities, Florence, France, Freiburg, Fussen, Germany, Greece, holiday, Italy, Lucerne, Neuschwanstein, Neuschwanstein Castle, Oxford, Palatine Hill, Paris, Pisa, Prague, Rome, Sandanavia, Scandanavia, sightseeing, Spain, St Mark's Square, Stockholm, Sweden, Switzerland, Switzerland expensive, top 5 attractions, top attractions, Travel, Travel Diary, UK, vacation, Vatican City, Venice, Vienna
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Sensational Palatine Hill in Rome
One of the main reasons I decided to come to the UK to study (rather than say the US) was so I could get to visit and travel around Europe (something I had not done before but had been a life-long dream).
I have done a couple of round-up posts before after long trips (see ‘My European Adventure Round-Up’ and ‘My Big Fat Greek Adventure Round-Up’), but since I have left Europe now, I thought it would be good to consolidate all the places I’ve visited over the last 9 months and deliver my final judgment.
Here are the places I visited:
(a) England – London, Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, Salisbury, Avebury
(b) Italy – Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa
(c) Vatican City (technically a country and a city)
(d) Greece – Athens, Santorini, Delphi, Arachova, Hydra, Poros, Aegina, Milos, Corinth, Mycenae, Nafplio
(e) Ireland – Dublin
(f) France – Paris
(g) Belgium – Brussels, Bruges
(h) Netherlands – Amsterdam
(i) Spain – Barcelona
(j) Germany – Munich, Berlin, Fussen (Neuschwanstein), Freiburg (Black Forest)
(k) Switzerland – Basel, Lucerne
(l) Sweden – Stockholm
(m) Denmark – Copenhagen
(n) Austria – Vienna
(o) Czech Republic – Prague
[Note: I didn’t count Frankfurt in Germany as I only stopped there for transit (twice) but did exit the airport]
In Bruges
Favourite places:
In terms of countries I would vote: (1) Greece; (2) Italy; (3) Germany.
Greece is simply incredible with its plethora of well-preserved archaeological sites and mythology, but is also one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited with its marvelous islands and beaches. Italy is similar in some respects, and gets extra marks for the number of attractions it has on offer (and its proximity to the Vatican). Germany, on the other hand, is very underrated, with wonderful, historically rich cities such as Munich and Berlin as well as terrific attractions such as the Black Forest, Neuschwanstein Castle and Dachau Concentration Camp.
Individual places are too hard to vote on as each location has its own flavour and strengths. Further, some places are big while others are small, and the differing lengths of time I stayed in each place may play a decisive role. It’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges sometimes.
However, if someone held a gun to my head I would probably pick: (1) Santorini; (2) Rome; (3) Athens; (4) Paris; (5) Amsterdam; (6) Venice; (7) Munich; (8) Stockholm – though the order might not always be the same.
Santorini was my favourite
Least favourite places
No prizes for guessing that Prague was my least favourite city (see my rant here) but at least I can say that I may have just had some bad luck with my experiences and that I didn’t spend enough time there. Now London, on the other hand, has no excuses.
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with London because I visited the place at least a dozen times during my 9 month stay. There are lots of things to do and see there, and the British Museum is a must-visit, but the exorbitant prices, poor service (they just don’t care) and the absolute filth and over-crowdedness just about everywhere (and especially in the Tube) would drive me insane if I lived there!
Prague Castle from afar
Most/Least Expensive
Just about all of Europe is expensive compared to where I come from. It got to a point where if I tried to convert the currency I would probably just start sobbing uncontrollably.
But in any case, the ones that stood out for me were obviously London, Switzerland (as a whole), and in particular the Scandinavian cities of Stockholm and Copenhagen.
Cheapest was definitely Prague, but I think Italy was not too unreasonable. In Greece it depended on where you went (the islands, for example, were relatively more expensive compared to Athens).
Best/Worst Food
Another tough one because I probably didn’t get to sample the best/worst food each place had to offer. Hence I’ll just try to recall the best foods I can remember.
Number 1 has to be the calzones we had in Barcelona. Damn they were bloody good (Can Conesa at Jaume I). Number 2, the hotdogs (from portable street vendors) and ice cream we had in Copenhagen (see more at this post). Number 3, the some of the pizzas we had in Italy.
Copenhagen's Marble Church
As for the worst, this is probably a little unfair because I ate there quite a bit, but London has some extraordinarily bad food (though to be fair, as well as good food), but you just don’t expect something so bad for the prices that you pay.
Most Romantic
Easy top 3: (1) Venice; (2) Santorini; (3) Paris. Three very different places with different charms, but all great for a romantic weekend or getaway.
Most Romantic: Venice
Top 15 Attractions
This is probably the toughest of them all. My list started with 5, then 10, then 15, then got to 20 (and could have gone to 25) before I cut it back to 15.
In the end, I decided just to go with gut instinct on this one. Note that while Santorini is, as a whole, one of the best places I visited, it’s not really an ‘attraction’ per se. Also important to note is that I love archaeological sites, museums and memorials, so keep that in mind when you read on.
Counting down:
15. Dachau Concentration Camp (in Dachau, near Munich) – a highly depressing place to visit but also one of the most important and informative. It wasn’t exactly enjoyable but it’s one of those places you’d be glad to have experienced.
Depressing but worthwhile: Dachau
14. Rosenborg Castle (in Copenhagen) – one of those unexpected gems with a neat little castle, beautiful gardens and a well-managed sea of flowers. A great place to have a picnic or just to chill out for a couple of hours.
13. La Sagrada Familia (Barcelona) – this freakish, still-under-construction piece of art created by Gaudi is either loved or hated. But either way, it’s hard to keep your eyes off it.
12. Roman Baths Museum (Bath, UK) – the site of the ancient Roman Baths, where much of it is still wonderfully preserved. I went there twice and I can tell you that it has been newly renovated and has improved on its already exceptional audio guide.
11. Nea Kameni (Santorini, Greece) – Fira and Oia are beautiful, and the Red and Black beaches are spectacular, but if I had to pick an ‘attraction’ from Santorini, the volcanic island of Nea Kameni is it! Take a 90 minute walk up to the top and back – even in the heat it is well worth the experience of seeing the destructive power of the volcano up close.
Nea Kameni in Santorini
10. Tivoli (Copenhagen) – the famous theme park has a splendid carnival atmosphere. The entrance fee does not cover the rides, but you don’t need to go on a single one to enjoy the place, especially when it gets dark and the coloured lights illuminate the fairground. Magical!
9. The British Museum (London) – if nothing, London has tremendous free attractions, and they don’t get much better than the enormous British Museum. If you race through it you can probably see it all in half a day, but to truly appreciate how much priceless stuff the Brits stole from just about every other culture in the world, you’ll need at least a full day, if not 2 or 3.
8. Anne Frank House (Amsterdam) – Amsterdam may be best known for its weed and girls, but the highlight for me was the Anne Frank House, in which you can get to see where the legendary Anne Frank and her family once hid from the Nazis. Yes it can be depressing at times, but it is also quite uplifting too to read Anne’s touching words and see just what a magnificent and insightful writer she was. One can only imagine how many great writers must have perished in the Holocaust.
7. Vasa Museum (Stockholm) – the Vasa sank on its maiden voyage and was not salvaged until 333 years later. Today it forms the centerpiece of the exquisite Vasa Museum, one of the most unusual museums I’ve ever been too. I loved how you could get a different view of the Vasa at each level of the museum, from the bottom all the way to the top.
6. Neuschwanstein Castle(Fussen, Germany) – no wonder this is the number 1 attraction in Germany and has been for so long. It’s the type of place you can go a couple of times during different seasons, because I hear it’s a different feel with and without the snow (I went with a bit of snow during early Spring). The walk up to the castle itself is just magical, and the inside is worth a look too.
Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany
5. The Acropolis (Athens) – I would have never thought that I’d rank a single monument so high, but the Acropolis has captivated my imagination ever since I was a child, and seeing it up close in person at last fulfilled a life-long dream. Even with the scaffolding along the sides and back it still takes the breath away. Now with the Acropolis Museum opened it will be even better.
4. The Louvre (Paris) – the best art museum, one of those humongous places that can take days to full appreciate. With limited time, I only got to see the main masterpieces (the most high-profile ones, at least – and there were many), so I look forward to going back there someday and seeing the rest.
3. Vatican City (Vatican City) – (I’m calling it an ‘attraction’ because it is small enough) regardless of your religion, Vatican City is one of those places that you just need to see, even if it’s just for the amazing artworks painted on almost every empty space on the inside. St Peter’s Square and St Peter’s Basilica are also some of the amazing places within the world’s smallest country that left my jaw ajar many times.
2. Palatine Hill (Rome) – the archaeological site next to the Colosseum is one of the most fantastic I’ve ever seen. Just use a bit of imagination and thousands of years of history will unfold before your eyes! Make sure you head up to the top around the outside wall to get a full view of the site.
1. Archaeological Site of Delphi (Delphi, Greece) – the centre of the world, up in the mountains, where the oracle once sat – the enormous, well-preserved archaeological site of Delphi is a remarkable place that is well worth the journey from Athens (if that is where you’re staying). There’s a lot to see and absorb and enjoy, so take your time and really use your mind to envisage what it was like 3,500 years ago in Ancient Greece.
Delphi Archaeological Site is No. 1
Well, that’s it. I’ll probably disagree with a lot of what I just wrote the next time I look at it, but right now, these are my thoughts.
Farewell: a review of my 9 months in the UK July 6, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Blogging, On Writing, Travel.Tags: adventure, Europe, farewell, journey, UK
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Goodbye Europe!
As usual, I’ve run out of time. This will be my last post in the UK, and as I write it, I feel a tiny tinge of sadness. It’s been a great ride over the last 9 months, but as they say, all good things must come to an end.
Although I haven’t finished catching up with my old posts, this one will have to do. I’ll have about 15 hours on the plane tomorrow to complete this post (chances are I’ll snooze through most of it), but for now, I need to get some sleep so I can get up at 4am!
Here’s a brief, temporary summary of what I got up to in my 9 months: visited 14 countries and 38 towns/cities/villages/islands, watched 77 movies and 16 seasons of 10 TV series, read 8 novels and 1 non-fiction book, wrote 100,000+ words on novel and 160+ blog posts…oh, and obtained ONE masters level law degree.
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