Travelling With Graveyard: London
London
I’ve been a regular visitor to the Capital, for business and leisure, since 2015 and despite being told how miserable, expensive and unfriendly the city is I find London the complete opposite. Of course like anywhere you have to be on guard for pickpockets, street crime, etc… but I feel safer in London on a night out than in Liverpool. In fact I enjoy my Friday night outs in London than in Liverpool and find the people more friendlier. As for prices, I find that the branded drinks are only a few pence ( in some places maybe a pound) more than in Liverpool – and if you go into a Sam Smiths pub cheaper!
The only thing I dislike is the amount of bin bags/rubbish on the back streets of Fitzrovia on a Friday. This could be due to the bin collection days being, but surely the council could provide bins for the bags. Leaving the rubbish out on the kerb is not very appealing. I know the buildings are office blocks/flats but surely something could be done to fix it. This is the one thing you don’t get in Liverpool (They just through the rubbish in alleyways).
Having been to London a lot I highly recommend going down for a weekend – go Friday morning go home Saturday night/Sunday. Go walk around the city – Tower bridge to Waterloo (About a 7 mile walk) taking in the sights, enjoying a pint in traditional British pubs (Some of the Sam Smiths pubs are like being back in Victorian days (Or 1920’s-40’s at least) – wooden walls, clean, staff mannerisms and a take a penny plate!) and enjoy the people. I find Londoners friendly and helpful.
And let’s not forget getting around. The Tube is fantastic (I’ve used it quite often throughout the days I’ve been there and have never had any delays or cancellations). The only rail network in the country better is Merseyrail, but with an underground station pretty much within a 5 minute walk wherever you are and with trains every 1-2 mins, there’s no faster way around London than the Underground. When you get there make sure you get an Oyster card – they are a must and makes life so much easier when getting around on public transport – and cheaper too! (Oyster cards are cheaper for a 3 stop journey and the equivalent on Merseyrail). Merseytravel need to take notes on smart cards. Walrus? Crap name and a cheap knockoff of an Oyster card. You can get an Oyster card before you (register for one online and get it delivered to your home) or get one at stations or (certain) newsagents.
Visit and London and experience the city yourself. You will enjoy it. There’s a reason why London and Liverpool were the two greatest cities on the planet during the height of the British Empire. Highly recommend, but I do prefer Berlin!
Check out Travellers Cure London guide here.
If you need any advice or recommendations contact me on Twitter (@FirstGraveyard), Facebook (@TheFirstGraveyard) or Instagram (@GraveyardtheFirst).
