The London Underground

For travelers who have never been to, or aren’t familiar with London, the underground rapid transit system, much like the subway system in New York, can be a great help for getting around, quickly from place to place. With hundreds of stops, detailed schedules, service near airports, hotels, popular attractions, and virtually everywhere, The London [...]

For travelers who have never been to, or aren’t familiar with London, the underground rapid transit system, much like the subway system in New York, can be a great help for getting around, quickly from place to place. With hundreds of stops, detailed schedules, service near airports, hotels, popular attractions, and virtually everywhere, The London Underground is one of the most popular ways to traverse the city, for both locals and those there on vacation. Urban areas can be frustrating, and hard to reach if you’re not sure where you’re going, or don’t do so well with directions. However, reading over the schedules, many tourists will find that the rail runs pretty much everywhere, and at various times, which can help a frustrated situation as well.

The London Underground, despite being a very old rapid transit system, will never remain a stagnant railway. Throughout the years, quite a few different changes have been taking place in the Underground’s railways. The city of London has expanded over the years, which means that the city’s transit must as well, and several new projects for expansion are in the works for the Underground. Some examples of new projects are the new station for the Heathrow Airport, on the Picadilly line, another new station on Wood Lane for patrons at the Westfield London shopping center, as well as others. Some projects are more time consuming, like the re-extension of the Bakerloo line to Watford Junction; it used to end at Harrow and Wealdstone.

One of the newest ways for travelers to take advantage of the London Underground, is called The Oyster Card, which is basically a prepaid card for all public London transportation, whether it’s the tram, the Underground, or the bus system. This is probably the most convenient of travel fund methods for travelers; having to keep track of multiple tickets and payment methods and prices can be a hassle. The Oyster Card is also cheaper to pay for than so many separate tickets; there’s a lot of encouragement to use the Oyster Card so there are significant prices differences in the usual rates for the transportation were it to be all paid for with separate tickets instead. More and more frequently increasing as well, are the number of routes on which passengers can pay as they go.

Information for travelers is available in the many different Underground stations found throughout the city, as well as online. Some helpful trips for traveling are to keep your travel information and tickets readily available, in your wallet or purse, so that you can check on important information at the last minute. Also be sure to bring a map of the route, know where your stops are, and at least have a cursory knowledge of the area. If you’re traveling with a family, be sure to bring snacks if it’s going to be a longer trip, but keeping an eye on your small children is very important, public transportation is dangerous in many ways to small children, with strangers, and a fast-paced atmosphere. Keep a close eye on any baggage or belongings as well.

Read More...

Beijing (also known as Peking), which literally translates to “Northern capital,” is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Beijing will be the home of the Summer Olympics in 2008. As the name suggests, Beijing is located in the northern section of China. It is a fairly mountainous area with [...]

Beijing (also known as Peking), which literally translates to “Northern capital,” is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Beijing will be the home of the Summer Olympics in 2008. As the name suggests, Beijing is located in the northern section of China. It is a fairly mountainous area with rivers running through it. Monsoons affect the climate there. Summers in Beijing are hot and humid while its winters are very cold and dry with strong winds. Three quarters of the rainfall takes place in the summer months. Beijing also experiences frequent dust storms due to the erosion of the deserts. At times, rain is unnaturally induced by the Beijing Weather Modification Office to lessen the effects and aftereffects of said storms. The best time hands-down to visit Beijing is in the fall as that is when the weather is at its best, or as a second place option, during the spring. The weather is also favourable, but the dust storms can be impeding. If you can handle the harshness of China’s winters, the snow does wonders to brighten the beauty of the city. Try to avoid traveling there during peak vacation times for China as traffic becomes heavily congested.

Beijing’s modes of transportation of course include air travel and roads that accommodate both cars and buses. In addition, the city has a five-line subway system. Two of the lines are run on land and three run underground. Several more are under way. There are also railways, the two main train stations being the Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station. Taxi services are of course available, as well.

Beijing is home to countless incredibly beautiful attractions, some old and some new. The Great Wall of China needs no introduction and is of course a must-see while visiting the city. One particular section of The Great Wall at Mutianyu called JianKou is what you might call wildly beautiful. It is more unkempt than many other sections, set amongst the mountains with nature abounding. Another pin in the map that absolutely should not be surpassed is the Forbidden City Imperial Palace. Built in the 1400’s, this palace is breathtakingly beautiful from the gardens up to the rooftops. Also, check out the Jingshan Park-the highest point of Beijing city, to get a view of the Forbidden City from above. Some other incredible attractions include the world’s largest town square-Tiananmen Square, the National Museum of China, the Ruins of The Old Summer Palace, and the Temples of Heaven, Earth, Sun, and Moon. These are only a tiny percentage of the amazing sights the city of Beijing has to offer.

The cuisine of the city has long relied greatly on mutton-be it boiled, fried, minced, or steamed. Pork is also what you might call a staple food item in Beijing. Some other favorites are fish and (of course) the Peking duck. One of the more widely used seasoning-type foods is the onion. Beijing has many fabulous restaurants to feed your appetite during your travels there. Some widely recommended examples include Fangshan, Quan Ju De, Alameda, Huang Ting, and Din Tai Fung. Beijing will be a vacation you will remember forever.

Read More...