Abhängen am Londoner Flughafen und stundenlang auf den Abflug warten (oder zu einem halben oder ganzen Tag Rumsitzen in einem öden Airport Hotel verdammt sein?
Bei mir geschieht dies vollkommen unfreiwillig, ich kann es aber nicht ändern.
Also nutze ich die Zeit und fahre in die Stadt rein. Schon 2 Stunden dort finde ich lohnenswert, allein für das Glücksgefühl. Und all das Schöne und Neue, was man sehen kann. Für das Gefühl des Reisens und Entdeckens.
Als sich diese “Prozedur” das erste Mal ankündigte, habe ich vorab viel im Internet recherchiert. Das hat mir viel Zeit gespart (Geld vermutlich nicht, aber ich freute mich, dass meine Auskünfte mit der Realität übereinstimmten).
GEPÄCKAUFBEWAHRUNG
Zuerst einmal muss man sich seines Koffers entledigen. Oder mehrerer Gepäckstücke, aber die Kosten sind pro Stück, also reise ich nur mit 1 Koffer (und stecke das Handgepäck zur Aufbewahrung hinein), auch wenn ich laut Ticket immer 2 mitnehmen darf, als Seemann.
Hierzu fand ich in der Recherche drei unterschiedliche Webseiten und Preise. Zwei waren total veraltet, mit Angaben von 4 bzw. 8 GBP/Tag.
Aktuell und einzige Abgabestelle ist der “Left Luggage Baggage Storage / Concierge” von der “Excess Baggage Company”.
Aktuell kostet die Abgabe eines Stückes:
0-3 Std. = 6 GBP
3-24 Std. = 10 GBP
und dann pro weiterem Tag noch 5 GBP
Ich zahle also jedesmal 10 GBP (= 14€ im Mai 2015), was happig ist (in Hamburg kostet es z.B. 3€ pro Tag). Aber hey, es geht fix und gut und nett, und ich bin das gute Stück los. Zu beachten ist, dass die Stationen am Flughafen un 23.00 (aktuelle Zeit checken vor Ort) schliessen! Bis dahin muss man sein Gepäck rausgeholt haben, wenn man noch weiter muss und es am nächsten Morgen braucht.
Den Service gibt es auch an diversen anderen Bahnhöfen und anderen Flughäfen Londons!
Nun zum Transfer. Es gibt verschiedene Möglichkeiten, die auf anderen Webseiten beschrieben und auch im Flughafen selbst angepriesen werden. Ich nehme die billigste Variante, die Tube (Underground). Auch das ist noch Geld genug. Vor 9.00 Uhr morgens kostet das Tagesticket 17 GBP, danach dann 12 GBP (16,80€ im Mai 2015). Das nehme ich. Ich habe gegenkalkuliert, was die Bezahlung mit der sensationellen Oyster Card kosten würde (sensationell, weil meine Guthaben über Jahre darauf erhalten bleiben, man sich einloggen und per Computerüberweisung bezahlen kann, es am Automaten schnell geht und billiger ist als Einzeltickets). Der Flughafen liegt im Aussenbezirk, der Zone 6. Die Innenstadt ist Zone 1. Somit brauche ich Zonen 1-6. Und Zone 6 auch zweimal, weil ich ja wieder zum Flughafen nach Heathrow zurück möchte am Ende des Ausflugs.
Man folge der Ausschilderung zur Tube, mit ihrem Logo. Es gibt verschiedene Stationen, je nach Terminal. Dort erwarten einen dann freundliche Engländer, die beim Ziehen des Tickets behilflich sind. Auch einen U-Bahn Plan bekommt man.
Von Heathrow fährt die Picadilly Line. Die U-Bahn Linien sind nicht mit Nummern oder Farben benannt, sondern mit Wörtern. Und an den Ausschilderungen, wenn man in die Station geht, steht hilfreicherweise “East” oder “West”, das geht fix, das kann man sich merken ;).
Ansonsten sind sie wirklich “underground” teilweise! Alternativ zum Fahrstuhl, der schnell geht und Massen fasst, kann man auch die Treppen nehmen. Das hat was von vertikaler Tunnelbohrung und Baustellenbegehung, aber man bekommt einen super Eindruck, wie tief man war. Dementsprechend geht auch nicht überall das Handynetz.
Zurück zur Fahrt von Heathrow in die Londoner Innenstadt: Das dauert. “Bis zur Mitte” gut und mind. 45 Minuten reine Fahrtzeit.
Beim ersten Mal bin ich am Hyde Park und beim Covent Garden ausgestiegen. Was mir daran gefällt: Sobald ich in der Tube sitzt und mich der Stadt nähere, fühle ich mich schon total in London. Und man hat Zeit, sich währenddessen vom Flug zu entspannen, das Butterbrot zu essen ;), und auf den Stadtbesuch vorzubereiten.
This was a spontaneous and completely unplanned visit of London city. And what a pleasant one!
I was dropped off at the airport at about 1pm, completely tired. And would have had to kill time, really feeling like that, until about 8pm for when I was booked (another unfavorable reservation but nothing to do about it). I realized instantly that if I would have stayed at Heathrow my mood would have so gone down the drain, even more when being tired already. 6 hours at an airport just aren´t pleasant.
So I quickly „woke up“, dropped my luggage with Excess Baggage, bought another tube daypass and off I went, indulging into England and London again. Happy.
But what did I want to do today? Oh, I had forgotten to take my city map out of the suitcase, stupid. So I looked at the tube map which I had grabbed at the station. Thinking… Hammersmith again looked nice to me, have to find out if it is nice, because that is the closest to Heathrow, and if it is worth a visit, that would be next, later. Tubed on…. and suddenly I heard „… next stop… museum“ and thought, that must be a nice area.
So I disembarked (from the tube? same word as for ships?) at South Kensington station. Wohoo! Where was I? Amazing. Beauty, richness, money, cars. Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW allover the streets. I wondered for a second but I guess those cars can be left out on the street here in London, in England, as they would not get far, when stolen. Boat or tunnel, not a big chance to escape secretly and stay unseen.
I quickly saw a park and remembered my friend K. mentioning that it must be beautiful here now, all blooming. So I opened a slightly open gate to a park and saw the sign „private park“. Hm… how private? Are all parks here maybe private and that is just a normal sign?… I slowly stepped in. To right away meet an elderly lady in her 80s walking her little dog, who looked at me and nicely talked to me, while I was making an expression of being curious and maybe lost. I was. She explained to me that this was really private, from the surrounding inhabitants, and that she payed as much as 750GBP per year for her key. I also found it interesting that the vegetation was so thick you could not see inside from the outside of the park. I denied here sweet offer to let me in and wonder around by myself, as she lived opposite and would watch me to let me out later.
Instead I walked on, admiring all the posh cars. And suddenly getting to what was announce in the tube… the museum… > The Victoria & Albert museum. I had heard the name but no clue about it really, so I googled a bit. And I remembered, that most museums in England are free, no entrance fee, except for some exhibitions. What a great offer, thank you England!!! I felt I had to go in, and luckily I did so. What a beautiful building, inside and outside! I admit I did not spend too much time on the exhibitions (but want to do so during another visit, the weather was too good outside and I was still discovering London walking and watching life outside on the streets). But what I ALWAYS do in museums, I visit the museum shop. I love museum shops!!! This one was wonderful (of course). So many beauty-beauty-beautiful handicrafted goods, so delicate. I bought a little mother of pearl bracelett as a souvenir to remember this day and visit.
Oh that was nice, how beautiful, an oasis in London (I am learning visit by visit, several short ones this year. So seeing that there are several oasies in this beautiful city…)
Another recommendation, thanks :)! I was lucky enough to arrive just before the annual houseboat festival opening the Canalway Cavalcade. When I got out of the tube other tourist where also making their way to the canal, us trying to quickly figure out which way to go. Lovely houses, wow!!! So beautiful here, gardens, and then the canal with the houseboats. I wandered once down the street and up on the other side again, crossing the bridge, and trying to get a seat in the small restaurant overlooking canal (which was full, but then I actually only needed a toilet stop which was granted).
These house boats all look so (too) narrow to me, but they were beautiful. And due to the festival there was much action on the canal too of course, not just along the shoreside, where owners were out in their „garden“ (one side of the canal has more space in front of the boats on shore, which is used for pretty gardening).
After having had a look at all docked boats, I went to have a look at the decorated house boats in the bay – and witnessed the festivals opening.
At the same day the new princess of England was born, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, only minutes before!!! What a day to be there…
Well, to be honest, there wasn´t more action about it, at least not around me. It was lovely to watch the owners of the house boats, peek inside their swimming homes, see them chatting to each other. Limited but happy life, such it looked like.
From there I went around the bay, back to the point where the river cruise to Camden would start. Another thing that was recommended to me by friends and which I surely wanted to do! What can I say, well, it was okay. But I had wrongly expected a sightseeing cruise along sites. Instead, it was just a (nice) canal tour and not much too see on shore. That was fine with me, I was on a lazy day. And I always love tours on the water.
My flight itinerary was booked in such a crazy way I had to look at it twice to believe it. But it only lasted another few seconds to see the chance in it: a full day in London „for free“ (not completely, but the travel cost was highly low). I actually had to be where I would be picked up some 24 hours after my departure only.
So I previously asked friends, checked websites, studied city maps, to make my schedule for this lovely day. Which I followed through, amazingly, no mishaps at all.
My first stop, after taking the Tube / Underground (wiki) from Heathrow to the city center of London. My first stop was meant to be Covent Garden. But I was so curious and suddenly felt the freedom of doing whatever I feel like this day, rather than having to follow a tight/business schedule, like when I normally travel (which has been for business only in the past years).
So I jumped up at „Hyde Park“ station and went up the escalator. To happily smile and stand „wie bestellt und nicht abgeholt“ in front of the park´s entrance. It was chilly and there wasn´t anything to do there I figured out. And yes, it looked like when I last had been here in 2012.
Quickly asked someone to take a silly tourist photo for my to upload on facebook and instagram right away. The funny thing was, that he wanted to convince me to take a photo in front of the „Underground“ sign next to the tube entrance. While I wanted a photo of me in front of the red typical telephone booth (wiki) :).
I then went back down and travelled on to Covent Garden station, from where I strolled through the lovely Apple market, the beautiful and interesting artist´s and actors St. Paul´s church (I just realize the name now – not to be confused with the St. Paul´s cathedral which I have a connection go > see my June travels for photos from there). Guess I was meant to go shopping here (when friends recommended the area) but had no focus on that.
From there I decided I want to have a look at the water, once bein in London, the Thames river. The weather was not nice, it was grey and fresh, but so much better than the weather report had forecasted, rain. So all very well. And I had free time, for the entire day I could do whatever I wanted to. No appointments I had made, noone waiting for my in the office, to call or elsewhere, lovely.
The river view wasn´t too exciting due to the grey darkish weather, but hey, „I was there“. Went back to Covent Garden, passing on to 7 Dials, which also had been my map and recommendation from a friend. Well, it was nice, but empty, (again: grey and fresh,) and I do not have any money for shopping, so it wasn´t too interesting for me. But what is interesting about this neighbourhood is that it really has wonderful shops, I love to follow the borrow´s Instagram account (7 Dials).
From there I took the tube again to my next destination for the day…
Actually, it never really happened. In the way that there was only 1 day of snow – snow that stayed some 24 hours. In which I didn´t take the chance to take beautiful photos, unfortunately (but I could offer old ones ;), haha).
It´s just been either cold, but mostly wet – presently both together.
And, I haven´t been travelling. So not much to post. The Instagram account is always active, but same here, not with current travel pics (but yes, with some old ones!).
I´ve been to some great concerts here in Hamburg, and I´ve taken lots of Hamburg pics, which I will put together and upload soon. Still taking photos every day, with or without sunshine…
What a beautiful evening along the Alster Lake (it is actually a river), Binnenalster :).
Plus 20°C after 7pm, strolling along the waterfront, parking available, too many joggers, but such a beautiful scenery and light. Busy on the lake, with little wind for sailors and surprisingly many rowing boats.
This is fun for me: when cleaning my travel equipment and emptying all suitcases and bags, I leave a trace behind.
So when I take out that specific bag to travel with next time, it reminds me of the great previous voyage :).
Here: New York City Map, Manhattan, 28.07.2014
After my unsuccessful intents and trying everything to stay overnight, which in the end was even stated on my D2 visa as possible, I had given up days ago to see New York, other than from our fantastic and amazing arrival early in the morning, by ship.
But then suddenly it all changed again. I had enough time between immigration and airport-shuttle, to join my friends for a quick step onto Manhattan Island :)! What a surprise. We randomly picked a nice spot to get off the subway and walked around. One hour isn´t much time, but I thoroughly enjoyed those 60 minutes in NEW YORK CITY 🙂 !!!
I was so excited to see this! And it was a fantastic experience. There is no better way to travel to New York!!! 🙂
Went to bed fairly early the night before, to get up at 4.15am [well, 3,20am as a colleague had not set his clock back ;)] and went up on deck 12. But uuuh, it rained heavily!
Luckily it stopped soon, and more and more crew came out on deck to watch us getting closer to the Verazzano Bridge. With just 4 meters in between us! Lots of traffic on the bridge already at that time (around 4.30am).
That was the first highlight. Then came the arrival, the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan were getting closer. The silence around us. The lights. The athmosphere and experience, the company – unforgettable forever :). This was definetely worth all the hard work on a ship, and also made up a bit for not being able to stay overnight in the city, due to my crew status.
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