Buying Bargains Worldwide - especially tee shirts, flags and landmarks.

 Many countries have local specialities you can buy easily from kiosks in tourist spots. You often see t-shirts with the national flag.

Albania

 In Albania I bought a cross body bag which was light weight and woven.

You can also buy lots of items with the national flag.

If you are not travelling, two of the big online websites from China are Shein and Temu.

In the UK even the post boxes (Americans call them mail boxes) wear fancy, seasonal hats.

 In the UK we have Ebay online.

Bargains can by bought in charity shops. Well known companies include Barnardoes, Oxfam, St Lukes (in London).

This is a t-shirt with tower bridge in playing cards which I bought online in early 2923

USA

The USA has thrift stores, Dollar stores, Goodwill. 

Online you have EBay and Etsy, Amazon and many more.

Most websites have a sales page, and an offer of discounts if you give them your email.

Shopping In Your Spare Room

Another way to shop without travelling is to shop in your own cupboards for those old beach bags and souvenir tee-shirt which you bought on holiday and never wore. With global warming, you have an opportunity to wear summer clothes and beach clothes in the city without looking out of place.

 In the good old days people used to store their winter clothes in a suitcase in the loft or attic in winter. The reverse took place in summer. Nowadays we recycle and collect clutter. Only a quarter of UK garages are used to store cars. Now cars are left in the front forecourt, and garages are used for storage, clothes, accessories, bric a brac.

You need t keep moving clothes. Why? To be sure that moths get disturbed. Also so that the clothes do not get mouldy from damp.

I try not to go shopping for food. I postpone my trips to Tesco supermarket because it is right near a charity shop. 

Every time that I look in the spare room, I found a new outfit which I have not seen or worn for years. Often great colours and styles. Better suited to me than most of all of the items in the shops.

I won't say that everything fits. I have had to re-label some drawers. Move too small or too large clothes into a different area. Or start alterations.

I recently gave a speech in which I said that I liked to go shopping in my own wardrobe, in order to recycle, re-wear clothes. even Kate Middleton is making this fashionable and acceptable. You don't have to wear a whole new outfit. You can ring the changes by altering the hat, shoes and belt or gloves or scarf.

Instead of going shopping, shop in your own wardrobe. (Americans would say closet. They have larger homes, which often have walk in closets, small rooms, without windows, storage rooms, kitted out with clothes rails under a shelf for hats and shoe boxes, scarf boxes, what you will.

Please share links to your favourite blogs and blog posts. I have other blogs on travel with angelalansbury.blogspot.com and dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Funny Tower Bridge Tee-Shirt in pale blue and 11 more colours

 

From Etsy. Link below

You can buy all sorts of items from the UK with amusing slogans and images of cards, cats and chess, tee shirt clothes, a chess bow tie, a playing card blouse, and sets of pencils with playing cards for friends who play bridge, or whist or poker or casinos or any card games.

Playing card jacket in window of Dojo shop near Bond Street. Photo taken July 1st 2023. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

This jacket has a green background, white background cards, red hearts, red diamonds. black aces, black spades and other circular designs with centres in black, or red, or turquoise. It would do with many colours., black, white, red, a mid green or a blueish green

 turquoise green and could be worn with black shoes and belts and hats and bags or for summer in white, or for jollity and liveliness in red.

The Dojo website tells you that they sell many types of goods as well as clothing. Postage is free. You have 14 days, two weeks, 

as we say in Britain, a fortnight, to return the goods or exchange them.

Check with them for their latest opening hours and online conditions.

Do jo

I remember it as do a good job. Do - jo for Dojo. The word comes from the Japanese dao or way, do-jo meaning place of the way, in other words, place of instruction or learning centre. A dojo used to be a school (for adults?) attached to a Buddhist temple.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Playing Card Patterns

The pattern might suit you if you want to pair it with red hearts. Or to start a conversation. Or to find new friends or old friends who are also interested in card games such as whist or bridge.

Props and Additions

Playing card designs can be found on tablecloths sold by playing card sellers and card game suppliers. They also sell stationery and crockery with card patterns. In the past I have bought pencils, notepads, cups and saucers, green felt card table cloths, black felt square card table cloths with playing card decoration on the corners.

Playing card design. Elizabethan Staffordshire Fine bone china. England. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Saucer for small coffee cup. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I bought one set of a tablecloth and cards from a friend whose stepmother had died. You might buy from players who have items which they rarely use. You might buy from or for a club or from an informal group which meets weekly for a card game afternoon or evening.

Chess

A combined card and chess shop has chess items, more chess than bridge and playing cards. Chess clothing includes a bow tie. The Chess company has a shop in Baker Street, not far from Bond Street. For Christmas or a birthday, wedding, or other gift, you could check out both the chess and bridge shops for gifts for your family and friends.

Etsy has numerous playing card blouses, and reasonably priced tee shirts with black or white backgrounds and either multiple cards or one big card.

Useful websites

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1446983910/playing-card-bridge-ladies-t-shirt?

Card patterns

https://retaildojo.co.uk/collections/all-clothing

Playing card trays from a company called Nauticalia which gives you ten percent off when you sign up.

https://nauticalia.com/products/playing-card-trays?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dojo#:~:text=The%20term%20literally%20means%20%22place,Japanese%20name

Chess Patterns

https://chess.co.uk/collections/chess-t-shirts/socks

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Stansted's Welcome With Pictures of London

Stansted has done what I always thought London's Heathrow should do, a series of pictures of what there is to see in London, the main landmarks and tourist attractions, when you land at the airport from overseas. Plus a brief text on each one.

I stopped to photograph the Stansted mural and there seemed to be an awful lot of it. However, I discovered that it repeats, so if you miss something you want to read again you don't have to dash back whilst your travelling companions disappear ahead.


Stanstead. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The pictures cover Tower Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, The London Eye, St Pauls' Cathedral, the Cutty Sark, and more. Some you probably know. Others you might not know or may have forgotten. For example, the Bridge of Sighs in Cambridge. Worth a look, or a photo.

Stansted
Why would you go to Stansted, rather than Heathrow? Because the big boys such as British Airways and Singapore Airlines use Heathrow. But for inexpensive short hops to europe on budget airlines such as RyanAir, Stansted is their hub.

RyanAir. Photo by Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Copyright.

Useful Websites for travellers
https://stansted.airport-parking.uk.com/
ryanair.com

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author and speaker.

How To Promote Your Homeland Or Destination Like Ambassadors and Tourism Advisors

View from the plane window. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

When travelling, always speak positively about your homeland and your destination. You lift everybody else so they are more helpful and you lift your own mood. Don't get off the plane grumpy. If you meet somebody at an airport or a plane, what have you to say about the USA, the top three UK, tourist attractions and successful people?

Dee-Ann Ferguson-Rogers has won Miss Universe GB, I read on the BBC news July 18 2018.  Interesting that as an ambassador for Britain she has to speak well, inspire and encourage, in addition to looking good.

I have no chance of being an ambassador, nor of winning a Miss World or Miss Universe competition.

However, when I leave London, I am aware that everywhere  go, I am an ambassador for Britain and England and London.

Angela Lansbury, behind a model of the Queen of England, at a shop in the Departures area, at Heathrow airport, London. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I can visit Toastmasters International clubs worldwide, and I am always an ambassador for Britain, my destination, and any other country I chose to describe.

It's really handy to keep a diary in your pocket and note the names of hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions. This month at a Toastmasters meeting I was asked to speak to the person sitting beside me and tell them what you did last weekend?

I had completely forgotten last weekend. I was so focused on yesterday's problem, which was all day cleaning a flat to rent, and the problems. It was all tense and negative.

After I finished speaking, I remembered I had visited the wonderful free Horniman Museum. The museum had loads of kiddie activities which would interest the person I was speaking to who had a daughter.  I should have reached in my pocket for my diary, and read up my last weekend.


TOASTMASTERS
In Toastmasters International's clubs worldwide I meet local people. If you are asked about yourself, what you are doing in the country, or what you like, to get smiles all around, say how much you love travelling and seeing their wonderful country. Be specific, name a tourist attraction or landmark everybody knows, also one most people might not know. That makes a good conversation opener in the break.

Frequent questions in the table topics or impromptu speech will be:
Which country would you most like to visit and why?
What is your favourite film. (Pick one including landmarks of the host city or your homeland. Remember the title, name of director and star or starlet.)

If you are asked your ambition or hope for the future, you could name an attraction you have yet to visit. If you are asked what you don't like, say the weather. Nobody can take offense at that.

Toastmasters started in the USA and has more than 200 clubs in Singapore, of which I have visited more than 50. We learn how to speak well, mostly entertainly, occasionally seriously or sadly. We get evaluated.

DRESS TO IMPRESS
However, we are rarely advised how we should dress. I think we should be watching all aspects of presentation, including clothes.

If you speak on TV, you are advised in advance on suitable clothing.  For example, no low necklines on a TV panel show with close-ups because you look naked. That sounds amusing, but it distracts the viewers from what you are saying. On the day, the show's make-up artist has five minutes to adjust your hair and make-up.

Well, you may say, mostly I am just travelling and not a VIP on TV. My main concern when travelling is dressing comfortably for the weather at the destination. I'm also worried about not having too many clothes so I don't lose a jacket or scarf at security. I want to sleep on the plane, not promote a business or listen to somebody else doing a sales pitch.

AMERICAN INTEROGATION BY A TAXI DRIVER
However, every time you travel, you are an ambassador for your country. I remember getting off a plane from England in New York and Washington DC and being questioned by taxi drivers about the UK. The weather, did it always rain, which months? I scrambled my brain to recall whether April or May or June was the wettest month.

The President
What about politics, what are your views on the President of the USA?

How about the present government in the UK. You had an election recently, didn't you? In what way is the new Prime minister better than the old one?

I was jet-lagged. I had been up all night watching two and a half films (movies to him) on the plane. What were the names of the prime minister, the government cabinet, teh foreign minister, the ambassador to the US?

What was the cost of living? What was dearer or cheaper in London? I recently read a survey. But I couldn't remember a thing. It took a while to gather my thoughts. What do I like about living in America? Large rooms and huge walk-in closets (in London we have built-in wardorbes).

What did I like about living in London.  Where would I recommend to visit?

Anything free. Ah yes, the musuem in south London - what's its name? (I'll tell you later.) Had London changed over the last twenty years since the taxi driver had been there?

CONVERSATION IN LONDON
When I got off the plane from Heathrow I took a hire car and home would go straight to the neighbours in London. Had the indoor pot plants which they watered for me survived? I collected the post. They asked, 'What was it like living in America?' What did I think of the President? Was the price of a cup of coffee in Starbucks cheaper or dearer in the USA than at home?

Did I find Americans friendly? I struggled to think of three examples of good things to say about America - not because there weren't any, on the contrary, because I had more than three months of memories since I'd last been back to England. Which story should I tell?

Which was most amusing story? Which was shortest, so I didn't take up their time - and mine as I wanted to go in and unpack.

What could I say succinctly about my trip to the gardener and the postman, when they asked, 'Did you like living in America?' I could not delay them twenty minutes with my stories. I had to pick which story, and condense it.

SINGAPORE QUESTIONS
When I got off the plane from Heathrow to Changi in Singapore, I met the same questions about Asia and America and the UK. Taxi drivers were not the only people to ask. A wine and dine at a local restaurant had me sitting next to people from Asia and America. How is Singapore life different from London, and Washington DC?

EUROPEAN QUESTIONS
You can work out what you might be asked about your country by look at the headlines of the newspapers in the departure point and the destination. What do the Italians want to know about the UK? Italian restaurants, English restaurants. If they are not visiting the UK, but staying home, could they visit the UK for a holiday without a visa, or get employed in the UK after BREXIT, and how will Italy be affected?

ITALY - POLITICS IN THE SWIMMING POOL
Over in Umbria, Italy, I was waiting for my turn at the underwater power jets in the swimming pool. The man who was occupying the jets asked about Brexit. Who voted which way? What would likely happen next? How would it affect Europe, and Italy?

PLANE TALK AND PLAIN TALK ABOUT TRANSPORT
If you are stuck waiting for a plane to load on the passengers, or waiting for take-off, instead of being anxious, nervous, impatient, annoyed, you could be thinking of positive things to say about the country you are leaving, or what you plan to do in the country you are visiting.

People from overseas expect you to be an expert on public transport. I was on a plane back to the UK and an American told me he had watched Meghan Markel, (an American!) getting married in Windsor. He asked, "How do I get to Windsor, by public transport?"

Windsor? Where's the train?
I hadn't a clue. I had driven there by car many times. I knew Windsor had a station. I'd seen the station at Windsor and photographed it, with a royal train exhibition.

Windsor castle at the end of the pedestrian street at Christmas. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I just looked up the journey from London. The travel time is an amazingly short average thirty minutes, stretching to 35, as short as 26 minutes.

You leave from Paddington station. I have loads to say about Paddington station. While there, see the statue of Brunel, seated, wearing his top hat. He designed the station and built the railway from London west across Wales to catch the boats to America.

When I arrive in a country I am always concerned about the cheapest, quickest, safest way to travel to my hotel.

MADEIRA AND TRANSPORT
I recently travelled to Madeira. The person sitting next to me worked for a hotel - not the one where we were staying which was the Pestana. On arrival, while waiting for luggage at the carousel, we asked his advice on getting a taxi to our hotel.

If there's something you need to know, such as the cost of a taxi from the airport, the person next to you on the plane might be the person to ask. Instead of delaying them on arrival at the carousel when you collect your luggage, you could ask them earlier on when you have nothing to do.

NEWSPAPERS - AS QUICK RESOURCES
Before you chuck away the free newspaper, or pass it onto somebody else, you can make a mental or physical note of temperatures at your home and your destination, the curency conversion rate, and the names of VIPs.

HOW TO REMEMBER A NAME - MISS UNIVERSE GB
What was the name of the Miss Universe GB? Next time I am in a conversation about how Britain has changed, or the progress of women, or black women in Britain or worldwide, I might want to mention her.

Her name is Dee-Ann. How will I remember it? ABCD. D-A. Dee - Ann. Ann or An is short for my own name, Angela.  I shall identify with her. You might think of reading about Dee-Ann in Angela Lansbury' travel blog. Or relate her name to another Angela you know.

What is the length and spelling of her name? Dee-Ann. Two three-letter names hyphenated. Both names have a double letter ee and nn.

We now have a light, cheerful subject of conversation. You can use the same method with any other topical news story, serious, light-hearted or humorous.

When you leave home, you have a chance to hear about the attractions which others have visited. On your way back, you can tell incoming visitors what others have recommended. However, if I keep a diary or notebook or piece of paper in my pocket, and a page with a paperclip marking the websites, I can tell them instantly. If they don't have a pen or internet connection, they can photograph the page with the details.

TOURIST SITES
I always have my business card in my right hand pocket in case I meet somebody interesting. That way we can keep in touch and they can call me to ask about advice on what to visit if they forget the name of a place I recommended.

Singapore flag.

Next time I travel, I shall note the websites of three tourist destinations
TOP 3 SINGAPORE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
Singapore - I have three top places to recommend:
1 Gardens By The Bay - the giant waterfall in the four-storey high conservatory. Free waterfront walk outdoors around trees and plants from the world with captions.
2 The top of Marina Bay Sands for a view over the city and the infinity pool.
3 The Night Safari, to see animals, uncaged, at night.
The Singapore Flyer (big wheel) is good too , for views and history commentary - but we did say three.

TOP 3 NEW YORK TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
New York
1  Classic Sight: The Guggenheim Art Gallery with its spiral design. Still surprising, still memorable. (9-11 is a modern site, but a bit depressing for a starter. Leave it until later.)
2 Do the hop on hop off bus combined with a Duck tour if possble. Get off at whatever interests you. For me, on a return visit looking for something new, it was the Jewish museum and ...
3 The Sex Museum. Sex and the City has been a long running online promotion for New York. At the Sex Museum I opted to see the extra exhibiton which was on animals. The one thing I remember is the sex life of Flamingoes. Keepers put up mirrors because seeing another pair copulate makes the flamingoes all go at it and breed.

TOP 3 LONDON TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
London
1 The View From The Shard. All London landmarks. Near other attractions. (Cheap, free alternative, the gardens of the free Horniman museum. Just four or five landmarks on an outdoor panel.) See Borough Market.
2 The Victoria and Albert Museum. More museums alongside. Natural History Museum.
3 Tower Bridge. It's London. You must do London. Great views. Take Camera. Go on to the Tower of London and the Museum of London.
 The well- known places are Madame Tussauds and Planetarium and the Sherlock Holmes Museum. by Traflagar Square you'll find The National Portrait Gallery and The National Gallery - but we did say three tourist attractions.
See my earlier posts on attractions in the USA, the UK and Singapore. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Useful Websites
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Weather
https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/ (Current and comparing depature and destination.)
https://weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine,London,United-Kingdom

Politics
https://www.geni.com/projects/Current-World-Leaders/
https://www.priceoftravel.com (This website has a backpackers' section.)

 

Money
http://www.convertmymoney.com

BUDGETS
JAPAN
https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/basic-info/for-budget-travelers/budget-travel-hints.html

UK
vistibritain.org
visitengland.com
visitbritainshop.com
visitlondon.com

USA
visittheusa.co.uk

ITALY
visititaly.com
umbriatourism.it

MADEIRA
visitmadeira.com

SINGAPORE
visitsingapore.com

WORLDWIDE
wikitravel.org
wikivoyage.org
tripadvisor.com
wikipedia.org
simple.wikipedia.org

SAFETY
gov.uk.foreign-travel-advice

SINGAPORE TOURIST SITES
Gardens By The Bay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens_by_the_Bay
http://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/nature-wildlife/parks-gardens/gardens-by-the-bay/

Marina Bay Sands
https://www.marinabaysands.com/sands-skypark/observation-deck.html#uvbvYVfGwkxzGkcR.97

Night Safari
https://www.wrs.com.sg/en/night-safari/

USA NEW YORK TOURIST SITES
Hop on hop off bus
https://www.topviewnyc.com/
Website offers discounts of up to 23% if you stay on site and book.
Sex And The City Tour
https://onlocationtours.com/tour/sex-and-the-city/

Guggenheim
https://www.newyorkpass.com/new-york-attractions/solomon-r-guggenheim-museum.

Museum of Sex
https://www.museumofsex.com

UK LONDON TOURIST SITES
The Shard
the-shard.com

Tower Bridge
towerbridge.org.uk

Victoria and Albert Museum
https://maps.apple.com/place?address=Cromwell%20Road%2C%20London%2C%20SW7%2C%20Lloegr&auid=5391179260921406078&ll=51.496661121976366%2C-0.17215490341186523&q=Victoria%20and%20Albert%20Museum

Finally, remember to promote yourself or your profession. Most people would find something to ask or say about your work. If you don't like your job, ask about theirs. It's polite.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Songwriting Courses And Competitions, Discounts And Hotel Offers

Composing music. Photo by Daniel Means, in Wikipedia.

Problem
All the online songwriting courses I've looked at are so expensive. They veer between luxury hotels in the likes of Los Angeles for meeting record producers and world-famous songwriters, to sleeping in tents with hippies, singing and strumming folk songs on campsites, sleeping in tents, meeting in tents or around campfires and under trees, all mud, and music, a bit like Glastonbury.

The Songwriting Academy runs courses in London, New York, and in Germany at Kiel and Hamburg. In addition, they have online courses. Assorted discounts are available to members and subscribers to various programmes and organizations - check it out for yourself.

Answers
Songwriting In Spain
If money is no object, or you think it's a worthwhile investment, you can go to a songwriting retreat in Andalucia, Spain. The Andalusian songwriting retreats cost £1,195.00+VAT.  The fact that they quote the VAT separately tells you that they are aiming at people who are in the songwriting business, rather than aspiring amateurs.

The choice of dates in 2018 is:
April 28- May 5.
May 26-June 2.
June 9-Jun 16.
Sept 8-Sept 15.
Flights are extra, they say, since they have people coming from all directions all over the world.

Photo courtesy of Paradoxion from Wikipedia.

Jazz, rock and pop songwriters typically write out newly composed songs in a lead sheet, which notates the melody, the chord progression, and the tempo or style of the song (e.g., "slow blues").

Songwriting Two Day Event In London
Happening soon in London in November 2017 is something for songwriters which looks more modestly priced.

When?
Nov 11-12 2017.

How much?
£77  for One Day.
£127 for Two Days.

£197 for Platinum - which also includes
the conference video (£97);
free one day introduction to songwriting course (£27);
Forward seating.

THE VIP fee is £237 which also includes
front row seating
evening concert
VIP party
glass of bubbly
TSA tee-shirt (£19.95)

Where?
At the Hilton Hotel, Tower Bridge, London, England. The Hilton Tower Bridge is an award-winning hotel, with a Tripadvisor rating for being green. The location is also great for major sights.
I've been on the Songwriting Academy mailing list for some time, waiting for a date, price, and place which suits me.

HOTEL DISCOUNT
The Hilton Hotel, Tower Bridge,  is currently (Oct 31 2017) offering a discount deal on booking a weekend stay for a minimum of three nights, 25% off.

Book an executive room or upgrade to one on check-in and you have access to the 9th-floor executive lounge where you benefit from free continental breakfast each morning, tea in the afternoon, all-day refreshments and evening canapés - as well as a dramatic view of the City of London from the terrace.

(Always ask the cost of an upgrade to the executive floor. If you are staying a week in a hotel, they might offer a free upgrade. The saving on breakfast for one or two or three, coffee all day, a place where you can sometimes invite a guest or business acquaintance for a free coffee and nibbles. Very handy, as a gesture of goodwill, or to reciprocate for meals they bought you.  Usually hotels allow one guest per resident, so if two of you are resident, you can invite two guests.

For current prices and more details about the hotel, see:

 HILTON LONDON TOWER BRIDGE

5 MORE LONDON PLACE, TOOLEY STREET, LONDON, SE1 2BY, UNITED KINGDOM TEL: +44-203-002-4300 FAX: +44-203-002-4350.

You might also be interested in

The John Lennon Songwriting Contest:
http://jlsc.com

For more from The Songwriting Academy contact:
https://thesongwritingacademy.co.uk/
https://thesongwritingacademy.co.uk/making-happen-songwriting-conference/
The Music Benevolent Fund also offers courses, one in Buxton, England, with awards.

The Song Singing In My Spinning Head
By Angela Lansbury

My half-finished novel hides under the desk
In my head drums a half-finished song
One day I'll be proud to show you my words
Like panning diamonds, it won't take too long
When thoughts flow so right, what could go wrong?

I wish money would rain like confetti
I'd love to make you feel proud
Yet I stammer and sing in a whisper
But one day I'll stand tall, and sing loud
The sky will be blue, I won't allow cloud!

One day both the sun and the moon will shine bright-ly
The world will dance circles and chant my name
I'll see white neon light blink my name in the night
Maybe my simple life won't stay the same -
I won't drink water; I'll drink Champagne!

Because I have your love already
Why lose you in crowds? I have all that I need
Yet I'd love our future to blossom
Like big, colourful flowers, grown from small seeds
I'll wave a gold wand and turn words into deeds!

My half-finished novel hides under the desk
In my head drums a half-finished song
One day I'll be proud to show you my words
I promise I won't delay too long
I could end in a week, if I could be strong

I  need a great friend to show me the way
To assure me wild dreams can come true
Whilst I scan the world for a stranger's soft eyes
I hope and pray my sweet saviour is you.
New friends will be countless, old friends, like you, few.
Angela Lansbury, copyright 2017.


https://thesongwritingacademy.co.uk/making-happen-songwriting-conference/
http://www.prsformusicfund.com/2017/01/need-a-short-break-a-songwriting-retreat-we-can-help/

Update 2022

https://welcome.online.berklee.edu/general-download-berklee-online-songwriting-handbook.html?pid=6963&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=bol-gen-google-adwords-songwriting-handbook&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhqaVBhCxARIsAHK1tiPTBmhNnaEJdFndwXVaioDBd_MyyW3VowpMM4oiZM8rLtebBKDs0wwaAhgkEALw_wcB#?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=bol-gen-google-adwords-songwriting-handbook&utm_content=

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

My Guide To Walking From Bank To Monument to Tower Bridge on The River Thames.

Problem
Where to walk to the Thames?

Answers

Where to Meet And Start
You can take the train to the old City of London as I did. I started from Euston. Euston station is a busy place. Shops include branches of Smiths and Marks and Spencer so you can stock up on food and drink. The statues include one of a mapmaker and his cat.

The Euston station Cat statue. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

 Skyscraper The Shard, seen looking across the river Thames and London Bridge. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Map signs show you where you are and what you can see.

You can pick a riverside walk avoiding steps. Directions show you which way and to find your way to The Monument, Bank station, The Tower of London and Tower Bridge and Exhibition. The directions even tell you how long it will take.

You can see the red London buses will take you across the London Bridge to The Shard. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Walk along the Thames Path or sit and rest by the river. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Beyond the London Bridge, more bridges and steps up London Bridge Staircase. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

A plaque tells you about the London Bridge Staircase which opened in 2016. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

London Bridge information. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The history of London and London Bridge. The famous song, London Bridge is Falling Down. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Notes on what lives in the water.

 The river may look misty and murky, but there's life down there. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Here are the bridges across London's River Thames. You are here by London Bridge. Fifty million vehicles a year cross the bridges. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Station Choices
From Euston it is five stops on the Northern line to Bank.

Stations
At the stations look for a handy map of the stations. Other interesting leaflets include one on art on the underground.

You could start from Bank station, near the Bank of England. Or do what I did and start from Monument station near The Monument.

Stories
Confession: We took the wrong branch of the Northern line and detoured a very long route via Embankment and changed onto the District and Circle line. The friend we were meeting for lunch at The Don restaurant was delayed so we had time to kill.

I was not impressed by the Northern line's Charing Cross on the underground section, nor the District and Circle line at this end.

Some of the stations are being rebuilt. I think it they look dismal. No colour, no pictures of local history. London has some wonderful colourful stations and dramatic statues. However, when I got out at Monument,  my depression disappeared and my whole day transformed into delight.

If you wish, dine in The Don, an upmarket, expensive, olde worlde restaurant in a courtyard off St Swithin's . (See previous posts.)

If you are looking for something cheaper, opposite The Don is the Travelodge which has a bar. On my way walking from Monument station along Cannon Street I also passed several more options such as a Juice place.

On the other side of Cannon Street you can see down the Arthur Street to the river.


Down by the riverside you can sit and read or watch the boats going up and down the river.

You can see the tall triangle of the Shard, Tower Bridge, and tour boats going up and down.

Walking back uphill you can pass The Monument. It commemorates the great fire of London.  In London, history is all around you.

The Monument to the great fire of London. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Tips
If you are meeting friends who are flying into London from overseas, for example from the USA, into Heathrow Airport, they will probably know the royal blue Piccadilly underground train line from Heathrow airport.

Anybody flying into London from Europe might know the DLR, Docklands Light Railway from London City Airport station.

Your visitors from Europe taking the train might also be familiar with Victoria station on the Circle and District line.

Many cheap hotels are in the Notting Hill Gate area on the red central line which goes to Bank station.

USEFUL WEBSITES
https://tfl.gov.uk
https://art.tfl.gov.uk/projects/permanent-commission-by-daniel-buren/
www.visitlondon.com
www.visitlondonpass.com
www.visitbritain.org

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have other posts on London, England and trips worldwide. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Modern Architecture in Singapore

One of the delights of travel is seeing the skyline and landmarks in a city, architecture which is a delight to the eye, a delight to passers-by. Tourists, more than those scurrying to and fro, can see the city afresh, pause and take photographs.

Landmark Buildings Worldwide
Wherever you go, you can admire the big landmark buildings of the city, also the bridges. Famous symbols you know and recognise before you even see them include Tower Bridge in London, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, and Sydney Opera House in Australia.

London also has The Shard, where you can visit the inside for a fee, if you have both time and money, or just admire it from nearby or afar. Tower Bridge can be visited from inside, with its glass walkway recently added to offer views of the river and boats below. London has other bridges such as the bouncing bridge.

But a journey around every city also reveals innovative housing development designs, unusual local buildings, and even windows, doorknobs and curtains, in unexpected colours and shapes.

Driving From Changi Airport
When I take the taxi from Singapore's Changi airport, the journey is always a delight. First, the airport itself, modern, yet filled with statues, flowers, trees, waterfalls, exhibitions, and the butterfly garden.

Sheraton Towers Hotel - oasis
Sheraton Towers Hotel is an oasis of calm. You can run up a bill of about £20 just having coffee for two after work. However, the first three Mondays of most months, often including public holidays, you can attend a Toastmasters International speakers club meeting as a guest.

Arrive by 6 pm in order to sign in as a guest. For a guest fee of $20 you can enjoy four or more speeches from Singaporeans and members from around the world. Before the meeting starts you have a small buffet light supper. When I was last there in 2016 I enjoyed rice, noodles, Indian Bread, sandwiches and fruit. I could have helped myself to coffee and milk, hot and cold water and slices of lemon. This is the biggest and oldest speakers group, attracting perhaps a hundred people. Smaller meetings of about thirty people take place all over Singapore most days of the week, regularly Monday to Friday, often on Saturday, occasionally on Sunday.

Community Centres
Every area of Singapore has community centres. From the outside you can see the basketball court in the open air, usually another inside. You can usually eat and meet and have coffee or a snack in a fast food outlet such as McDonalds or Starbucks. Each community centre is different, adapted to age and food preferences of the local clientele.

Water, Fish, Tortoises
A water feature is an Asian favourite. Hotels have fountains and waterfalls.

If you visit a friend, relative or work colleague at their home, or inspect property with a view to buying or renting, you will see the fountains or water features in the lobby, near the lifts, or in the gardens at the back. A pond usually contains large fish and often tortoises.

Community centres have mini gardens with curved or S shape paths. Water is thought to attract wealth, which is why there is a huge fountain in the financial district.
(More photos being added to this article and previous posts.)

See my previous posts such as the one on the Butterfly Garden in Changi Airport.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, author and speaker.