Archives for category: Transport

Bilbao 2024

February 29, 2024 //

We’ve been planning to go to Bilbao for a long time, and so decided to choose it for our February half term break, with no great expectations of good weather at that time of the year (we were to be pleasantly surprised).

After a smooth flight with Vueling (a new airline for us, something of a rarity) we arrived at Bilbao Airport in the early evening. To get into the city centre there is a bus that runs every twenty minutes, we bought tickets for €3 each from the kiosk near the bus stop and joined the queue for the next bus. You can actually use the local transport cards for this which is a cheaper option, more on that later.

The journey to the centre took around twenty minutes, and included one of those wonderful moments where you arrive somewhere for the first time and see a sight that really makes an impression on you. This moment occurred as the Guggenheim Museum suddenly came into view, it was dusk and the light gave the building and area around it (including a sculpture reflected in a pool) an otherworldly look. I didn’t take a photo and doubt it would have done it justice had I done so.

After getting off the bus in the Gran Via, a long, tree lined boulevard, we were able to get a feel for the city straight away on the walk to our hotel in the old town, as we joined the many people out for an evening stroll. I always enjoy places where there is plenty going on later in the day and into the night.

We started our first morning in Bilbao by having a look at the beautiful stations on the other side of the river from where we were staying.

At the moment trains run from both La Concordia and Abando stations, which are next to each other, although once the high-speed Basque Y rail network is completed La Concordia will no longer be used.

We also saw the distinctive entrances to the Bilbao Metro, designed by Norman Foster.

I think it was already becoming apparent to us that beautiful and unusual architecture was one of the defining features of this city, and where better to explore this further than at the Guggenheim itself.

After seeing the various sculptures surrounding the museum, we were able to buy tickets with minimal queuing to have a look inside as well. I quite enjoy modern art so I liked most of the exhibits, but from what I’ve heard it’s not to everybody’s taste. The ground floor was mainly participative, with large shapes that you could walk inside, a somewhat disorientating experience. Part of the gallery upstairs was closed, but we were able to see works by Jeff Koons, Gilbert and George, and Andy Warhol.

It’s an interesting building to walk around, designed by Frank Gehry and opened in 1997. I was looking up what other buildings he had designed and realised that we’d seen some of his buildings just a couple of weeks before – some unusual residential blocks at the newly developed Battersea Power Station. We also once had a meal under his giant Fish sculpture in Barcelona.

Other Gehry works in Barcelona and Battersea

The museum is on the banks of the Nervión River which meanders its way through the city, we walked a bit further along to see the Zubizuri Bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava. I’ve mentioned Calatrava in some of my other blog posts, and he’s one of my favourite architects. In addition to the bridge, he also designed Bilbao Airport, which we found to be light and with a feeling of space, despite its relatively small size.

Crossing the bridge took us to the Artxanda Funicular, which goes up to a spectacular viewpoint. We were able to use a local travelcard called a Creditrans barik that is available at ticket machines in metro stations, tram stops etc. This card costs €3 and you can then load it with as much credit as you need, the fare being deducted each time you travel. It gives a big discount on ticket prices so is definitely worthwhile if you’re going to be there for a few days, and is particularly convenient for families as one card can be used for up to ten people. As an example of the fares, it cost €0.65 each for a single on the funicular, €0.96 for one zone on the metro and €1.14 for the bus back to the airport.

We’ve been on quite a few funiculars in the past, but I think this one wins the award for the best views at the top.

The two funicular carriages use a single track with a passing loop half way along

Once back down at the bottom it was a nice walk along the river back to our hotel in the old town, which is full of narrow streets and the Plaza Nueva (or Plaza Barria), one of those atmospheric squares busy with people sitting outside bars and eateries that Spain does so well.

The first time we walked through the Plaza Nueva there was a stage area that was displaying a large model of a fish, it was only later in the evening that we found out what it was all about. We were having dinner in a nearby restaurant when we heard some sort of procession going past, and could see the fish being carried along followed by people with candles. A bit of research revealed that this was the “Burial of the sardine”, a tradition that takes place across Spain during the carnival period. The fish model we saw was being carried to a nearby square where it was going to be burned, this took place on Shrove Tuesday but I think it is often on Ash Wednesday as well. It was in this restaurant that I had something I’d had many years ago in Barcelona – cheese ice cream. It was accompanying a very tasty bread pudding with caramel sauce.

We’ve visited quite a few football stadiums on our travels and I’d heard good things about the San Mamés, home to Athletic Bilbao. It certainly lived up to expectations, with one of the best football museums we’ve been to, followed by a self guided tour of the stadium. As an added bonus there were very few people, unlike some of the other tours we’ve done, and we were able to buy tickets on the day rather than needing to book a slot in advance.

In need of some refreshment we found a café further into the centre that had wonderful cakes, I tried the local speciality called a “Carolina”, which was a pastry base topped with a lot of meringue.

I’m always on the lookout for small museums especially if they’re of local interest, and that certainly applied to the Basque Nationalism Museum, an exhibition about the history of the Basque culture in the surrounding region. I like being in places with more than one language, and Basque is so completely different to the other languages I’ve come across in Spain, such as Catalan and Valencian (which is very similar to Catalan). Those I could work out quite easily, which definitely wasn’t the case with Basque.

Our meal out that evening was in a Chinese restaurant that was typical in every way except one – it had robot waiters. These are still quite a rarity so it provided us with much amusement! The robot would glide along and turn to face the relevant table with food on a tray, you then have to take the food and press a button on the side to make it go away. A clever marketing tool as the restaurant was very busy, partly I’m sure down to its nice food but I’d imagine the robots also draw in more customers.

The next day we got the metro along to Portugalete, a little town to the west of the city. We walked down to the nearby river, on the way there were travelators in one of the steeper streets. We’ve seen outdoor escalators in Barcelona and Lisbon, but never travelators.

One of the highlights of the area is the Vizcaya Bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is a transporter bridge which uses a suspended gondola to carry vehicles and foot passengers across the river, and there aren’t many of them left. It’s quite fun to go on and we were able to use our Creditrans card to pay the €0.55 per person crossing fee.

After crossing the bridge we had a very pleasant walk along the seafront all the way to Algorta, a picturesque little town, passing some big sandy beaches and grand houses on the way. The temperature got up to 26°C, much warmer than you’d expect in February, and actually the hottest part of Spain on that day.

The weather wasn’t nice all the time and the next day was quite rainy, so we were glad to spend some time inside the Itsasmuseum, which tells the tale of maritime Bilbao. It was very detailed and had lots of information about the recent redevelopment of the city as a whole.

Bilbao has some wonderful buildings, and on our final afternoon we walked along the Gran Via again, which is the main shopping district.

Stained glass in the Mercado de la Ribera

One final highlight on the way back was being able to see more Calatrava architecture in the airport.

The stylish design of this airbridge caught my eye from our taxiing plane

Vueling even has pet treats on the menu, as they allow dogs, cats, birds and other animals on their flights

Tags Bilbao, City Breaks, Spain, Transport, Travel

Categories Bilbao, City Breaks, Spain, Transport, Travel, Uncategorized

Lisbon 2023

November 4, 2023 //

One of the things I like best about travelling is seeing new places, however I do have a few favourites that we return to time and time again. So in October we went on what has become an annual trip to Lisbon. In addition to being a great city, my husband was born there and so it has a personal element to it as we see his family.

We decided to stay in a different hotel this time, right next to the entrance to Alameda metro station. This is a good location as it’s on the line to the airport and Oriente (more about this later) as well as the line to the centre of the city, and is a pleasant area full of restaurants and cafés, but away from the tourist trail.

Always on the lookout for small, interesting museums, on the first day we went up to the area around the cathedral and visited the Museu do Aljube Resistência e Liberdade. Although the area surrounding the museum was busy with tourists, most don’t seem to make it into here, but it’s actually far more relevant to modern Portuguese history than many of the popular museums. It focuses on the dictatorship in Portugal, many visitors would be unaware of this aspect of the country’s history, and there are lots of quite harrowing accounts of what happened to those who dared to air a different view to what was expected.

Part of the exhibition and view from museum

There were also some nice views over the nearby cathedral and across to the riverside from the upper floors. Afterwards we had a walk along to a nearby viewpoint, but the whole area was so full of visitors that we didn’t spend too long there.

One of the many cruise ships that visit Lisbon

Another thing I love about Lisbon is how the big shopping centres are open late. Now I know that for some people going to shopping centres might not sound like the best of travel experiences, but they are handy places to spend a bit of time in, often with lots of food options, and are particularly useful if the weather is too hot, too cold, or as on this occasion rather rainy.

Vasco da Gama shopping centre and Oriente station

The shopping centre we normally go to is the Vasco da Gama, next to Oriente railway and metro stations. It is next to the Parque das Nações, which is the part of the city where Expo 98 was held. The area has lots of interesting modern architecture (including Oriente station itself, designed by Santiago Calatrava), restaurants and riverside walks. I’m used to Sunday evenings being a time when things are closed and the streets are quiet, but in this shopping centre everything is open until midnight and it was full of people shopping and enjoying the many eateries.

The following morning we returned to the riverside but slightly further north, getting the metro to Moscavide station and walking along to the Vasco da Gama Bridge. This is the longest bridge in Europe, at 12 kilometres, and was built to reduce congestion on the more famous Ponte 25 de Abril in the centre of the city. At the beginning of our walk we saw the Vasco da Gama Tower, which is the tallest structure in Portugal. Originally built for Expo 98, it is now a 5 star hotel with a rooftop bar and observation deck.

It was the first time we’d walked along as far as the bridge, and it was so impressive that we’ll definitely be returning.

After getting the metro back to Saldanha, near where we were staying, we went to the Banksy Museum. This features very comprehensive recreations of his most famous works, and includes a lot of explanations. Although I previously knew some of his better known works, I had no idea how varied they were and the detailed thought process behind them.

Lisbon is a beautiful city for wandering around and has lots of colourful buildings, including many intricate doorways and other features.

We decided to go on a day trip to somewhere we hadn’t been before, and took the train down to Setúbal, a small city to the south of Lisbon. I’ve written a separate post about this for those who would like to read about it in more detail, but to summarise it’s an interesting place that is known for its fishing industry, market, dolphins, and proximity to beautiful coastal areas. It was rather windy and showery when we were there, and I think it’s better visited in the summer months.

Praça do Bocage, Mercado do Livramento and harbour

What about the food in Lisbon? For two of our meals we met up with family who took us to local eateries, one was an Italian restaurant and the other a traditional Portuguese. The focus in the traditional restaurants tends to be on steak, other meat or fish, served with large platters of chips and rice, and salad. The meal ended with one of my favourite desserts, a molotov, a type of soft caramel meringue. We also tried a sweet fortified wine called Moscatel de Setúbal, which by coincidence was the evening before our visit to Setúbal and we saw plenty on sale there. These meals may sound rather meat heavy but there are more vegetarian options than there used to be, and the city as a whole has far more vegetarian and vegan restaurants than in the past.

We also went to Café Império, a favourite of ours which is set in an old cinema, and which I’ve mentioned in a previous post about Lisbon. The interior is quite grand with smartly dressed serving staff, and it serves the ubiquitous steak, accompanied by an egg and its own recipe special sauce, along with a variety of other meats, pastas and a recently expanded vegetarian menu. As with most places in this area (Alameda, where our hotel was located), it attracts locals rather than just being aimed at tourists, which tends to give a more authentic dining experience. I’ve got nothing against restaurants in tourist areas as they provide a convenient way of trying the local cuisine, but I think if possible it’s better to eat at places that people who live there would also go to. Once again we were amazed at the low prices in Lisbon, many of the main courses were half what you’d pay now in the UK, and that’s not even including the cheap daily lunch specials offered by many restaurants.

On our final full day in Lisbon we got the train down to the Museu do Oriente, which features a large collection of Oriental artefacts and art, including an exhibition on Japanese traditions. It’s next to the docks and the Ponte 25 de Abril, we were able to get the train from Roma-Areeiro station, near our hotel, to Alcantara-Terra, it’s also accessible by bus, tram and a different train service to Alcantara-Mar.

A quick word on transport tickets in Lisbon, I’ve also written about this in my previous posts on Setúbal and Lisbon transport. We always buy a Viva Viagem reloadable ticket, available at ticket machines including the airport metro station. We buy one for each person and put money onto it (easy to do at the machine), I try to do a rough estimate in advance of how many trips we’ll be doing but if in doubt you can add a small amount and then top up as required. Then each time you use the ticket on the metro, bus, Lisbon area trains, ferries and most trams, the fare is deducted using the “zapping” system. There are also 24 hour tickets available which can work out cheaper if you’re taking several trips in a day, but for us the zapping is sufficient.

After the museum we went to the nearby LX Factory, which is a redeveloped industrial area of restaurants, cafés, bars and shops. In need of some refreshment we stopped off at the Landeau Chocolate café, which serves a particularly delicious chocolate cake – in fact it’s so well known for this that I think that’s the only food it serves, along with a good selection of hot and cold drinks.

Near Alcantara-Terra station we found another viewpoint looking over the Ponte 25 de Abril, up near a park called the Tapada das Necessidades which was inhabited by a collection of peacocks, ducks and other birds.

On our final evening we went to the Parque das Nações again, this time to walk to the area with many restaurants and bars. We also saw the giant Bordalo lynx sculpture which has only been there for a few years but has become one of my favourite things to visit there. It’s a bit difficult to see in the dark but I think that actually gives it extra character and an air of mystery.

We had a few hours on the last day before heading for the airport, so had a look around the nearby Arroios market, which featured a range of fresh produce and some restaurants which would open later in the day. There was also yet another viewpoint that we hadn’t visited so we walked up there for a final look over the city.

Arroios market and views from the Miradouro da Penha de França

What we really enjoyed on this trip was going to lots of new places, and in fact I have a list of many other things to do on future trips, such is the range of museums and places of interest on offer in Lisbon and the surrounding area. We will definitely be staying in the same hotel again, the rooftop bar had fantastic views and was made even better by the offer of a free drink each.

On the way back to the airport we ended up going to the wrong terminal. At Lisbon airport the low cost carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair use Terminal 2, a shed-like building with a limited range of places to eat, and which had so little seating in the past that we ended up sitting on the floor by the bins next to McDonald’s. And so we were on autopilot when we got out of the metro station and got straight on the bus to Terminal 2. It was only when we’d got there and couldn’t see our flight on the departure board that we realised easyJet now fly from Terminal 1. Luckily there’s a frequent shuttle bus between the two and we were very early anyway, so our mishap didn’t matter. On further investigation I found out that the Portuguese airline TAP had slots taken away from them last year which were instead awarded to easyJet, hence the upgrade in their status at the airport. Which we were very grateful for as Terminal 1 is much better, with a large food court and ample seating area in the middle. What’s less good about the airport was the 55 minute queue for immigration on arrival, which unfortunately is quite common now – I will come prepared with reading material at the ready next time we go.

Tags City Breaks, Lisbon, Portugal, Transport, Travel

Categories Lisbon, Transport, Travel, Uncategorized

Day trip to Setúbal

October 28, 2023 //

As regular visitors to Lisbon we now know the city quite well, but have tended to stick to certain favourites for day trips, in particular the seaside resort of Cascais which is always enjoyable. On our latest visit we decided to do something different and take the train to Setúbal, a small port city to the south and which is famous for the natural beauty of the nearby coastline, seafood, Moscatel wine and being the birthplace of football manager José Mourinho.

We were staying in our normal area to the north of central Lisbon, which is very handy both for the Metro and also Roma-Areeiro railway station. On arrival at the airport we had bought a Viva Viagem reloadable ticket, which costs a nominal fee of 50 cents and can then be loaded with credit that is valid on nearly all public transport throughout the city (including the Metro, buses, most trams, trains and ferries). Each time you “zap” the ticket when entering a Metro station or bus the relevant fare is deducted, hence the name “zapping” given to this ticket type. The cards are normally green or white, but confusingly we were given a yellow Navegante ticket from the machine at the airport, although it seemed to serve the same purpose.

In order to get to Setúbal we needed to use a train run by the operator Fertagus, which involves a slightly different process. At the ticket machine we had to insert the ticket and choose which destination we were going to, this then ensured the correct fare was debited from the card (currently €4.85 for a single). After that we also had to validate the ticket on the nearby Fertagus validator, all quite easy in practice but maybe not obvious unless you know beforehand!

A quick note on other trains in the Lisbon area – you can also use “zapping” for the urban train services to either Sintra or Cascais (currently €1.90). For those you don’t need to choose the destination at the machine, you can either just enter through the ticket barriers at stations that have them (for example when travelling from Cais do Sodré going to Cascais) or if there are no barriers you can validate the ticket at a CP validator on the platform before boarding.

CP validator, we used this to “zap” our tickets when travelling from Roma-Areeiro to Alcantara-Terra

The train itself was a double decker, still a novelty for us even though we’ve been on them quite a few times now in different countries. It takes just under an hour to get to Setúbal and includes crossing the famous bridge the Ponte 25 de Abril.

Once in Setúbal it is an easy walk to the central area, which includes the very nice Praça do Bocage, a square lined with restaurants and cafés. Many were advertising the local speciality of Moscatel, a sweet fortified wine that quite coincidentally we had tried at a meal with family the night before. I rarely drink but did have a small glass and can confirm that it is delicious.

We then headed to the Mercado do Livramento, a large market selling mainly fresh produce, which has one wall decorated with the famous blue and white “azulejos” tiles. There was a lot of activity with camera crews in the market as filming for Masterchef was taking place, this added some excitement and we had to be careful not to trip on the many cables trailing around the floor.

Just along the road from the market was a visitor centre called the Casa da Baía Setúbal, this included an exhibition about dolphins and a shop selling local delicacies. Dolphins live in the nearby Sado estuary and there are plenty of boat tours available, not something that would have been suitable during our trip though as it was extremely windy and raining!

Whilst Setúbal is known for its sea-related activities, we only had a very brief walk along by the harbour as it was blowing a gale! It was enough to get a good feel for the importance of the fishing industry to this area, and there were some eateries advertising the popular “chocos fritos”, which is fried cuttlefish and chips.

There were some interesting buildings and street art dotted around the centre, and as it’s quite compact it’s easy to see a lot in a short space of time.

Although we did get a good idea of what Setúbal has to offer, I think it is somewhere that is better appreciated in the summer months. It was actually quite mild when we visited, but the wind and rain, combined with some places only opening on a seasonal basis, means it was extremely quiet and perhaps didn’t have the same atmosphere it would have in the height of the season. It is definitely worth visiting though as an interesting option for a day out from Lisbon.

Tags City Breaks, Lisbon, Portugal, Transport, Travel

Categories City Breaks, Lisbon, Portugal, Transport, Travel, Uncategorized

Zurich 2023

October 1, 2023 //

Anybody who has read my post about a day trip to Liechtenstein will know that Zurich was a somewhat accidental trip, booked in a hurry after our original planned holiday in Krakow was thwarted thanks to flight cancellations. I’m a great believer in the saying “every cloud has a silver lining”, and whilst we still plan to go to Krakow (or possibly a different Polish city) in the future, our alternative turned out to be a great choice.

Interior of double decker train from the airport, and Zurich Hauptbahnhof

Getting to the city centre from the airport was easy. There are two main options by public transport – a train or a tram. As we arrived late in the evening we decided that the train was a better option as it was quicker, then took the more interesting tram route on the way back. Our hotel was just around the corner from the main railway station, and in fact we quite often opt for accommodation near the main transport hubs as it’s so convenient. We were also right next to Bahnhofstrasse, the main shopping street, a fantastic tree lined boulevard perfect for a stroll, albeit full of mainly designer stores that are rather out of our price range, although I did treat myself to a Swatch watch.

On our first day of exploration we took the Polybahn up to the university. The Polybahn originally opened in 1889 and is a funicular railway with a very frequent, and cheap, service up the hill, once at the top there are wonderful views across the city from the university terrace. It’s only a short ride but we always enjoy funicular railways.

Polybahn and view from university terrace

After descending we had a walk around Niederdorf, which is the old town district of narrow streets and has a good selection of eateries, popular at nighttime as well as during the day. We then crossed the river and went up to Lindenhof, a public square which is another great viewpoint.

In the afternoon we walked along Bahnhofstrasse right to the end where Lake Zurich begins, it was a hot day (mid 30’s) and the bathing area in a lakeside park was unsurprisingly packed with people cooling off. Very different to our previous visit to Switzerland which was to Basel one February, where the temperature hovered around zero and we struggled to keep warm on a riverside walk. The lakeside seemed like a part of the city that would be very enjoyable at any time of the year, with lovely views and plenty of activity on the water.

We then visited the nearby FIFA Museum, which had nicely presented exhibits including lots of football memorabilia and a variety of video games to play.

The neighbouring Enge railway station is worth a quick look as it’s quite an interesting building.

Enge station including a double decker train

Eating out can be quite expensive in Switzerland and so I did a bit of research before going, to see if I could find some restaurants that were slightly more reasonable. The selection that I found included an Asian fusion restaurant, a very good Italian and a Chinese. Whilst the prices at these were definitely more than we’d pay back home, we noticed that restaurants have got so much more expensive now in the UK that the difference isn’t as much as it used to be. I tried Rivella which I’d never seen before but is apparently the quintessential Swiss fizzy drink. I’m not too sure how to describe it but probably the closest comparison I can make is to Irn-Bru.

On the subject of drinks, I liked the fact that there are lots of fountains throughout the city that aren’t just ornamental, but can also be used for drinking. We saw quite a few people filling up their bottles, especially welcome in the hot weather.

Some graffiti near one of the restaurants – they obviously knew I was coming

Tram by night, these services seem very frequent and reliable

The following day we went on a day trip to Liechtenstein. I’ve already written a blog post about this so won’t go into much detail here, but it was an easy journey involving a train to Sargans followed by a bus to the capital, Vaduz. It’s a very scenic journey and one that I’d highly recommend.

A typical view in Vaduz, capital of Liechtenstein

I’ve already mentioned Lake Zurich, and on our final full day we walked along a different part of it, ending up at a pleasant park which included the Le Corbusier Pavilion and the China Garden. We didn’t go inside the Le Corbusier house, actually the last ever constructed by the renowned architect, but there is plenty to appreciate from the exterior. The China Garden is a beautiful area of ornate landscaping and buildings which is free to enter.

On our walk by the lake we had spotted some divers, and on the way back it became clear what they had been diving for. There was a collection of items that had been retrieved from the lake, I don’t know all the details but presume this is something that happens periodically, it was quite poignant to see these everyday objects that had been rescued from the depths and would make a good art installation in a gallery.

Which brings me nicely to the final place we visited in Zurich, the Museum für Gestaltung or Design Museum. This had a variety of exhibits encompassing fashion, furniture, posters etc, and was a nice place to spend an hour or so out of the rain (the heatwave was rapidly on its way out by this point). You could even sit on a lot of the furniture and browse through a selection of books on art and design.

On our return to the airport we had plenty of time to spare and so took the tram, which gradually trundles up through mainly residential areas and is a good way to see a bit more of the city. The centre of Zurich is pleasantly walkable and so we didn’t need to use it at any other point, and the process of buying tickets for either the tram or train from the ticket machine was very simple.

Zurich makes a perfect destination for a short break, and a great base for train travel further out into Switzerland and particularly up into the mountains, which is something we would like to do more of in the future.

Münsterhof, this square includes a fountain that can also be used for drinking

Tags City Breaks, Switzerland, Transport, Travel

Categories City Breaks, Switzerland, Transport, Travel, Uncategorized

A day trip to Liechtenstein

August 28, 2023 //

In the world of travel it pays to be flexible and able to change either travel dates (if possible) or even destination, and that’s exactly what happened to us this summer. A couple of weeks before our scheduled trip to Krakow in July we were told that the flight had been cancelled, with no obvious reason being given and no convenient alternative available. And so after a bit of searching we decided on a few days in Zurich instead, which would be a new city for us to explore along with the possibility of doing a train trip out into the beautiful Swiss countryside. We then realised that we could also include a visit to Liechtenstein, a tiny nation of around 39,000 inhabitants, and one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world (the other being Uzbekistan).

We were staying in a hotel just a couple of minutes walk from Zurich Hauptbahnhof (main station) and it was very easy to buy tickets from the machine for the frequent service along to Sargans, one of the nearest railway stations to Liechtenstein which doesn’t actually have a station within the country itself. You can buy a through ticket to Vaduz, the capital, which includes the bus from Sargans, alternatively you can buy a ticket on the bus for around 6 Swiss Francs. The tickets we bought would have been cheaper had we bought them in advance and used a particular train, but for various reasons (not least of which being the fear of yet another flight cancellation) we preferred to keep our plans flexible. My daughter was able to travel on a Child Day Pass for 19 Swiss Francs so that did save a bit of money.

The train that we caught had come all the way from Frankfurt, it was fairly quiet and we were able to move seats as necessary throughout the journey depending on which side had the best view! And it was definitely one of those trips where the landscape gets increasingly dramatic, starting with views over Lake Zurich and becoming more mountainous as you approach your destination.

Some of the scenery on the train from Zurich to Sargans

The journey took just under an hour, and on arrival in Sargans it was very easy to find the bus we needed right outside the station. There are two buses to Vaduz, the 11 and the 12E, the 12E is slightly quicker but both take around half an hour to the central Vaduz Post bus stop. We got bus 11, which goes up through Liechtenstein and ends over the border in a place called Feldkirch in Austria, which has a railway station and provides another way of accessing the country by train. There is an open border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein with no controls of any kind, the only indication that you’re entering a different country is the flags on the bridge across the Rhine.

On the bus coming back from Vaduz, about to cross into Switzerland

Part way through the bus trip we stopped at a school where lots of children aged around 7 or 8 got on. There seemed to be no adults to supervise them and the children got off individually or in little groups at various stops along the route, presumably heading home after a morning session at school. It was fantastic to see them travelling independently and making use of local public transport rather than just being ferried around by car, and in this very rich little nation it reminded me of the following quote (said to be from Colombian president Gustavo Petro, although there seems to be uncertainty about this) – “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars, it’s where the rich use public transportation”.

The actual centre of Vaduz is quite small, but with various museums and easy accessibility to nice walks there is plenty to keep a visitor occupied. We chose to go into the Post Museum which has free entry and a large collection of stamps. There is also the LandesMuseum about Liechtenstein itself, an art gallery and some other smaller museums, we didn’t visit any of those but they did look interesting.

To get a view of the surrounding area from a higher vantage point we took a short walk up to a building known as the Red House, in an area full of vineyards with black velvety grapes, and from where you can see the mountains that comprise a large area of this small country.

We considered walking down to the little riverside stadium which is home to the Liechtenstein national football team, but the clouds were gathering and we opted for the bus back to Sargans instead, which turned out to be a wise move as the heavens opened soon afterwards. On the way back we had the excitement of a double decker train, something of a novelty to those of us from the UK where they don’t exist. Apparently some even have a family carriage complete with play equipment, which my children would have loved when younger.

Crossing the Rhine on bus towards Sargans

Double decker trains in Zurich Hauptbahnhof

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Liechtenstein. For those who like outdoor pursuits I would imagine that there are plenty of opportunities for hiking, climbing, cycling etc, but even for those who prefer a more sedate day out there is the opportunity to really appreciate the surrounding mountainous scenery. As with Zurich, we found we could pay by credit/debit card everywhere, and as might be expected from a journey within Switzerland all the transport was very punctual. It has definitely tempted me to do further train travel there in the future.

Tags City Breaks, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Transport, Travel

Categories City Breaks, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Transport, Travel, Uncategorized

My London

May 12, 2023 //

View from Blackfriars station looking east

Despite writing about my experiences of other cities I’ve visited, I realised that I’ve never written anything on the subject of London. I think that as I’ve lived either in or very near the capital my whole life I tend to forget that it’s somewhere that people travel to from all over the world, and take my knowledge of it for granted. I won’t be writing about the typical popular tourist attractions as that information is readily available elsewhere, but will give an idea of which parts of London I’ve enjoyed most over the years.

I grew up in the London suburbs about twelve miles from the centre, then lived in Kentish Town (near Camden), Cricklewood and Sutton, before moving a bit further out. Whilst I can’t claim to actually live in London anymore we can get up there quickly, have one of London’s airports (Gatwick) in our town and are still within the broadcast area to receive London news on the television, which makes it feel like we’re not far away.

One of the things I love most about London is that it’s constantly changing and there is always something new to see. For example we took a ride on the newly opened Northern Line extension in September 2021 and since then Battersea Power Station itself has opened in its new incarnation that includes a shopping mall, giving us something else to visit soon. I find it difficult to believe that it’s finally been redeveloped at last, as it had been disused since I was a child!

As a fan of modern architecture, especially transport related, I also really enjoy the stations of the Jubilee Line Extension and the Elizabeth Line.

Canary Wharf Jubilee Line and Elizabeth Line stations

Of course what lots of people come to London for is its history. My favourite area for getting an idea of what London used to be like is around the London Bridge area. The roads near the station, with their railway arches and narrow streets have always had a feel of the past to me, despite the modern developments that have sprung up in recent years. One of my favourite walks is from London Bridge station down to the riverside and along to Waterloo via Blackfriars, which as shown in the opening photo has possibly one of the best views from a railway platform anywhere in the world (and is also home to another disused power station, the old Bankside which is now Tate Modern).

Graffiti tunnel near Waterloo station, which features a constantly changing collection of street art

Another redeveloped area that we discovered recently is Kings Cross. When I was growing up it had a reputation for being both derelict and rather seedy. Not so any more, there are lots of restaurants and shops and it’s a very pleasant place to spend a few hours. I particularly like how they’ve incorporated the old industrial buildings into a modern setting.

Coal Drops Yard and surrounding area near Kings Cross and St Pancras stations

A highlight of London for many is the number of museums and galleries, many of which are free to enter. Two that we have been to over the last year are the Design Museum and Whitechapel Gallery. The Design Museum is set in what used to be the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, and it was only after visiting that I realised I’d been there for a work Christmas party many years ago when it looked somewhat different! It shows the changing styles of various products over the years and is nice to combine with a stroll around nearby Holland Park.

Design Museum and Kyoto Garden in Holland Park

Whitechapel Gallery is in a part of East London that I don’t know very well, it’s a small gallery that has quite unusual exhibits and a fantastic bookshop. Afterwards we walked towards Shoreditch up the neighbouring Brick Lane which is an eclectic mix of restaurants, vintage shops and street art, and seems to be popular with tourists now judging by the number of tour groups. There is also a new arts centre run by Gilbert and George which was opening around the time of our visit.

Which brings me to the subject of food. When we lived in central London we would eat out regularly, and got to know the best parts of the city for different cuisines. I think most people are familiar with Chinatown, and it does have a great variety of Chinese restaurants, but they may not know that the place to go for Korean food is New Malden, a short train journey to the south out of Waterloo.

Brick Lane is famous for mainly Bangladeshi curry houses, but another area worth looking into for an authentic curry is Southall to the west, which has some great Indian and Pakistani restaurants which were full of families when we went there.

Fans of Middle Eastern food should head to the Edgware Road, and Portugal is best represented in the Stockwell area. When living in Kentish Town I was lucky to have an Ethiopian restaurant across the road, and in Cricklewood there were some good Sri Lankan places.

There are numerous other types of food available in different parts of the capital, especially outside the very central area that still includes anachronisms such as the Angus Steak House (previously Aberdeen Steak House) which is one of those eateries that seems squarely aimed at foreign tourists. One restaurant that we did used to go to regularly in the West End is sadly no longer there. The Stockpot was a casual dining experience where you sat at long benches with shared tables, and offered a daily handwritten menu including a variety of mains (stuffed aubergine was my personal favourite) and desserts (I have fond memories of sponge puddings with custard and jelly with cream) all for a very modest sum. The West End Kitchen opposite it in Panton Street was similar, and I’m sure both would do very well nowadays in these cost conscious times.

I still enjoy the novelty of travelling on the driverless DLR (Docklands Light Railway) and we’ve taken it a few times to Stratford to the east. The station is named Stratford International as the original plan was for Eurostar services to stop there, unfortunately that never happened, but it’s still an important hub for mainline trains and the Tube. Stratford is the site of the Olympic Park and as well as being enjoyable to walk around there is the added attraction of the Westfield shopping mall. I know that wandering around shops isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, and I rarely actually buy anything in these places, but it is quite impressive to see the range of stores and eateries. The other Westfield at Shepherd’s Bush is equally grand and is not far from the Design Museum and Holland Park which I mentioned earlier.

ArcelorMittal Orbit (which contains a tunnel slide) in the Olympic Park

London has an impressive amount of parkland in the centre for such a big city, and one of our favourite areas for a walk on Sundays when living nearby was Hampstead Heath. We invariably got lost there but always eventually found our way to Kenwood House with its pleasant outdoor café. It was also a wonderful place to spend a Saturday evening in the summer listening to the outdoor concerts with a picnic.

Greenwich Park is also worth a mention for the views, and after walking around the town you can go down through the Greenwich foot tunnel under the river, trying to avoid the people speeding through on cycles and scooters, which emerges near to a DLR station on the other side.

View from Greenwich Park and Old Royal Naval College

For a trip outside the centre my recommendations would be either Wimbledon or Richmond. Although normally associated with the tennis, Wimbledon itself has a lot to offer. Starting in the main shopping area by the station (on both train line from Waterloo and Tube) if you go up the hill to the village you’ll find a variety of pubs and restaurants, and Wimbledon Common has some great walks. In fact you can walk all the way through to Richmond via the common and Richmond Park. The easier way to get to Richmond is also by Tube or by train from Waterloo. It too has many cafés, restaurants and pubs, and a walk up Richmond Hill will reward you with timeless views down over the Thames, there are also riverside walks past some fields of cows along to Petersham, where Captain George Vancouver (who discovered Vancouver Island) is buried in St Peter’s Church.

And finally, are there any areas of London that I don’t enjoy? Yes, some of which are actually quite popular with tourists. I made the mistake of going shopping in Oxford Street a few years ago, something I used to do regularly when I lived up there, but now it’s quite a disheartening experience as amongst the flagship stores are a lot of dubious American candy places and there’s a general rundown feel to the area. I would prefer to shop in one of the Westfields, and perhaps that’s one of the reasons for Oxford Street’s demise. I also avoid Piccadilly Circus as that has deteriorated even more than Oxford Street, with tacky souvenir shops and too much traffic. Covent Garden is very popular and whilst I can see that it’s perfectly pleasant, it’s not somewhere I would choose to go, possibly just because I’ve been there so many times in the past and the novelty has worn off.

On a school exchange trip to Germany in my teens I was met with the same response several times when saying that I was from London – “Have you been to Madame Tussauds?”. For the life of me I can’t understand why waxworks of celebrities are so popular, to the extent that it’s the first thing some people associate with London, and a couple of subsequent visits with friends from other countries who were keen to go confirmed that it really isn’t my thing. It does seem amazingly popular though, perhaps even more so now in the age of the selfie.

So that’s a description of just some of my experience of London to date, but ask anyone who knows London well for their recommendations and I’m sure each person would tell you something completely different. I look forward to discovering new areas on a regular basis, so in time my favourite haunts could have changed to places I haven’t yet visited or even that don’t yet exist, that’s the great thing about a vibrant metropolis that is constantly evolving.

City of London near where I used to work, and DLR train at Canary Wharf

Tags City Breaks, London, Transport, Travel

Categories City Breaks, London, Transport, Travel, Uncategorized

Why we sold our car

May 10, 2023 //

This post is a bit different to my normal travel related ones, but as it’s on the theme of transport and getting around I think it’s still related in some ways. Recently we decided to get rid of our car, which we’d owned for nineteen years and had given us good, reliable service throughout that time. I decided to write about why we made this choice as I know how many people find the concept of going car free inconceivable, and I wanted to show how this is a valid option for our particular lifestyle. I’d like to emphasise that I’m not anti car (although not personally a fan of cars myself) and we are lucky to be able to do this, I fully appreciate that to many people a car is a necessity due to health conditions, lack of alternatives where they live or simply because they love driving. I can certainly understand driving being a pleasure in a place with wide open roads, but the reality in built up areas of the UK isn’t so much fun given the congestion and parking difficulties.

When our children were small we used the car a bit more, although still not very frequently, but found in recent years that there are very few journeys where it was necessary. We live within a mile of a large town centre and have always walked to everything we need here – shops, restaurants, railway station, sports facilities etc. The public transport in our town is fantastic as we have plenty of bus services, one of which is 24 hours and runs every few minutes during the day, the very recent arrival of hydrogen buses has made it an even more environmentally friendly option. These buses are always busy even in the middle of the night which shows that if you provide a good service people will use it.

New hydrogen bus (which was being tested hence the lack of passengers!)

When going further afield we have two stations within walking distance for a variety of train services to London and further north, or down to the south coast, and for international trips our quickest options are either the aforementioned bus to Gatwick or a train directly to St Pancras International for Eurostar. We have a busy lifestyle and our family need to get to a job in the business district near Gatwick and an early morning job at the airport itself, as well as two different schools, regular gym sessions, shopping trips, café visits, meals out etc. Also frequent trips both around the UK and abroad. All of this is easy achieved without a car. But what about the weekly supermarket shopping trip that is often used as an example of why a car is necessary? Well I’ve been ordering groceries to be delivered at home since my eldest daughter was a baby (she is now an adult) as it’s a much easier option, I personally don’t see the attraction of battling with a trolley, loading up the car etc when it can be ordered from the comfort of home. I get a few top up items when I’m out and about which are easy to carry, and that’s enough of a shopping experience for me.

Cycling is also an option but not one we feel is necessary for us at the moment, as we can walk where we need to. It was wonderful on our recent trip to Copenhagen and Malmö to see how popular bicycles of all types are there, with extensive infrastructure built for them and a culture that doesn’t just revolve around the car.

Bikes outside Copenhagen Central Station

What about those occasions where a car is the only option? For us I can narrow these down to journeys to places where there are no other transport options, for example the middle of the countryside, and when needing to transport something large eg taking old furniture to the tip. For the first of these occasions it would be quite rare to find ourselves in that position – we tend to go to towns and cities rather than rural areas, and there are plenty of beautiful outdoor attractions within walking distance of railway stations or bus routes should we want to do so. When it comes to disposing of big items, there are various ways of doing that. I’ve found a very good local service that collects anything made of metal or electrical items (old TV’s etc) for free. If we needed to dispose of for example a sofa, I would just pay the local council to come and take it away for around £30 (and very large items would never have fit in the car anyway). And of course there are always taxis for times where you really do want to go by car, although this would be very rare for us.

Financially we are going to make a big saving without the annual cost of car tax, MOT and service, insurance, breakdown cover etc, and that’s before you’ve even paid for any petrol. It’s just another thing to worry about. If we needed to get the occasional taxi or even hire a car, that would be a tiny fraction of this cost. It’s not that we can’t afford to have a car, but would rather put that money towards more fun things like travel or some nice meals out!

I also think that walking and using public transport helps children learn to become independent, as they get used to finding their way to places on their own rather than becoming reliant on being ferried around by car, again this is only valid in areas where it’s a possibility and I know that some families have no choice.

Would we consider getting a car again in the future? If necessary, yes, but I think we prefer a lifestyle where it isn’t. At one point we thought we might keep the car before eventually replacing it with an electric one, but that isn’t a good idea for various reasons. Firstly we still wouldn’t have much need for it, regardless of what type of car it is, and secondly we would have problems with charging an electric vehicle. Our house is set back from the road by a small green, and so parking by the property and therefore charging from home isn’t possible. I was very pleased to read recently that West Sussex is having a big push to install charging points on public roads, but unfortunately there seems to be a lot of pushback against this by local residents – all three points that were due to be installed in our neighbourhood have been cancelled due to opposition by people living near them which is quite disappointing, but hopefully this will change in the future.

I hope I’ve given a good explanation of why we decided to get rid of our car, and shown that other options are more than sufficient to give us an enjoyable, active lifestyle with an emphasis on getting out and exploring the world.