European desired destinations - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Is there a trip somewhere in Europe that you'd love to take but haven't yet?

"Dozens! Top of my list at the moment, though, is Iceland - I really want to visit Reykjavik, and some of the surrounding countryside - amazing landscapes, natural thermal spas, the Northern Lights, Icelandic horses, whale watching, Vikings, the thriving music scene - really - what's not to like! I'm going to just have to make my peace with being a tourist and not speaking the language, and it's not in my budget for this year, but maybe 2012..."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Ingvar_SV, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London departure points - Ric

Question of the week: Whether it's heading out of London for a day trip, setting off for a weekend elsewhere in the UK, or travelling further afield, do you have any particular favourite points of departure?

"I'd plump for anything that leaves Paddington or Euston train station late at night because these are the sleeper trains. Sleepers enable you to make long distance journeys while having a relaxing night's sleep. You arrive early at your destination, saving a day's travel - or the early morning dash to the airport.

Sleeper services operate nightly Sunday to Friday and link:

* London Euston with most principal business and holiday locations in Scotland
* London Paddington with Southwest England and Cornwall

In addition, consider a similar kind of journey in Europe: London to Paris to Venice anyone?" - RPW

* Photo by Rain Rabbit, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London departure points - Prof Kucich

Question of the week: Whether it's heading out of London for a day trip, setting off for a weekend elsewhere in the UK, or travelling further afield, do you have any particular favourite points of departure?

"My favourite departure point for air travel to many continental destinations is London City Airport.

Less crowded and more efficient than London's larger airports, it is also fairly close to Kamen-Minerva and can be reached by Docklands Light Railway, bus, or taxi. Take offs and landings are dramatic as you soar over the river, Canary Wharf, the O2 Arena and the London Olympics site."- Prof Kucich

* Photo by picfix, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London departure points - Catherine

Question of the week: Whether it's heading out of London for a day trip, setting off for a weekend elsewhere in the UK, or travelling further afield, do you have any particular favourite points of departure?

"Those of you on a student budget might agree with me that the best starting point for travel out of London is the cheap option. Although Gatwick and Stansted are much more attractive when you arrive there on the Gatwick Express and Stansted Express trains they have running every 15 minutes from the city centre, heading out of London on one of the many coaches will keep your costs low. If you book early enough with Easybus, for example, you can get £2 fares, and they have a few different pick-up locations -at £2, I say any of those locations is the best starting point for your trip!"- Catherine

* Photo by AndrewHA, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London departure points - Kris

Question of the week: Whether it's heading out of London for a day trip, setting off for a weekend elsewhere in the UK, or travelling further afield, do you have any particular favourite points of departure?

"I'm from a bit of the world that, strangely, doesn't really 'do' train travel. Utah, where the transcontinental railroad was completed, isn't known for ease of rail travel...

So, when I moved to Britain, I discovered that I love taking trains. If Alice hadn't just written about St. Pancras, I would have. That said, I also love Marylebone Station, as it has managed to maintain some of the old-fashioned magic that I like to associate with riding the rails. As you come up to it from the outside, you can see the replaced glass awning that links the station to the Landmark Hotel. All stations used to have beautiful hotel attached to them, so you could rest before or after your journey, and the Landmark is a beautiful reminder of the tradition. But even the tube station still bears witness to its connection to trains - its original name was Great Central, in honour of the train company that originally ran from the station.

Inside the station you can still see care and attention that the Victorian craftsmen put into designing and building it. It has most of the standard little shops, flowers, cards, WH Smith's, and a variety of food - including a really good cheese shop.

Where can you go from this little piece of heaven? All the way to Birmingham, and beyond - and tickets tend to be cheaper than if you leave from other stations (but the trains stop more frequently as well...). You can also get to places that aren't served by other stations, like Warwick (and its famous castle) and Stratford-upon-Avon (of Shakespeare fame).

Also, the station has been used in many films and TV shows, mostly to represent other, bigger stations like Paddington and Waterloo. My favourite film fact about it is that it appeared in the Beatles' film 'A Hard Day's Night'. For me, that's hard to beat."- Kris

* Photo by redvers, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London departure points - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Whether it's heading out of London for a day trip, setting off for a weekend elsewhere in the UK, or travelling further afield, do you have any particular favourite points of departure?

"So much depends on where you're going to, but maybe St Pancras, for trains to the midlands and Sheffield, local trains North to Luton and South to Brighton, high speed trains east to Dover, and international trains to Paris and beyond. Not to mention its spectacular restored Victorian architecture and the mini shopping centre that's sprung up around it - the Sourced deli and Foyles bookshop covers almost all my hostess gift needs, plus the 24 hour Starbucks that makes the earliest of starts easier to manage."- Miss Alice

* Photo by minor9th, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London historical dramas - Prof Kucich and Dr Holt

Question of the week: “The awards heaped on The King's Speech this weekend makes me wonder, could you suggest a favourite London-ish historical drama?”

"I would enthusiastically nominate The Madness of King George."- Prof Kucich

"If they're not too cheesy to include...
Shakespeare in Love
Perfect Strangers
and Sliding Doors." - Dr Holt

* Photo by Ed.Ward, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London historical drama - Ric

Question of the week: The awards heaped on The King's Speech this weekend makes me wonder, could you suggest a favourite London-ish historical drama?”

"Can it be historical comedy?

If so, let's cross reference London with the holdings of Blackadder DVDs in the library!

Whilst it is does not reference many specific London sights in its four season passage through more than five centuries of English and Scottish History, the historical comedy Blackadder is based in and around London for much of its setting. It is well-written, educated wit that will also 'contextualise' the rise to prominence of a man you now know as one Gregory House of Princeton, New Jersey...

The series is available from the library, with DVD players obtainable from the Rectors."- Ric

* Photo by wootang01, used under Creative Commons, with thanks. (The picture shows Samuel Johnson, author of the 'Dictionary of the English Language', in honour of an episode from series III)

London historical drama - Kris

Question of the week: “The awards heaped on The King's Speech this weekend makes me wonder, could you suggest a favourite London-ish historical drama?”

"Watching the old Sherlock Holmes series on PBS was, I think, one of my introductions to Britain and Britishness. What this says about me, I don't know, but my love of the Baker Street detective has stuck with me ever since.

The series I saw was produced in Britain, for ITV and starred Jeremy Brett as Holmes. It used lots of London locations for filming, and when I watch it in re-run, I play 'where are they?', and sometimes I can figure it out. But while this series is a good adaptation of the stories, it certainly isn't the first, last, or (possibly) the best.

Holmes has been taken out of his own period to fight the Nazis - many of the Basil Rathbone films have this as a plot point. But in 1942 it was topical and patriotic. Guy Ritchie's recent film takes another view of Holmes, and while leaving him in his time period makes his London out of pixels. My favourite reworking, though, has to be the new BBC series Sherlock which brings Holmes and Watson into the present day. (Not on topic for this week's theme, but do check it out.)

So, if you're interested in London on screen, try some variety of Sherlock Holmes. Even if you don't play 'spot the London location', the stories are usually good enough to keep you interested until the last clue is revealed."- Kris

(The LUP Library has dvds of the Jeremy Brett adaptations, versions of Hound of the Baskervilles from 1959, the 1980's and from 2002, plus the BBC's Sherlock. A replacement copy of the missing Guy Ritchie film, and also one of Rathbone's second world war adventures, are on order.)

* Photo by markhillary, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London historical drama - Hal

Question of the week: “The awards heaped on The King's Speech this weekend makes me wonder, could you suggest a favourite London-ish historical drama?”

"Providing perhaps the more extreme alternative to what’s on offer with ‘The King’s Speech’, I’d nominate Mike Leigh’s seminal film ‘Naked’. It’s an extremely bleak yet darkly comic view of London in the early nineties from a visiting misfit’s eyes and is an absolute tour-de-force from lead actor David Thewlis.

I should warn; it doesn’t make for easy viewing but if you can stomach seeing some of the darker undercurrents of London’s night-life then you’ll be treated one of the best screenplays that era had to offer – the acerbic, protractedly intellectual & cunningly brutal wordsmithery is really second to none.

Time Out has just rated it as #11 in their list of all time best London films"- Hal

* Photo by artant, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London historical dramas - Miss Alice

Question of the week: the awards heaped on The King's Speech this weekend makes me wonder, could you suggest a favourite London-ish historical drama?

"It is pure drama, and should absolutely not be taken as a serious history of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, but Desperate Romantics comes immediately to mind.

This 2009 BBC mini-series turned everything up to the max, as the personal and professional lives of the four members of the brotherhood spin increasingly out of control. The casting's fantastic, too - Aidan Turner as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Tom Hollander as John Ruskin particularly. From a London perspective, there's some lovely location work, and this is really an intrinsicly London story - the energy and opportunities and hardships of the Victorian metropolis are part of the warp and weft, and the creative relationships it made possible are its driving force. The dvd is in the LUP Library."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Jim Linwood, used under Creative Commons, with thanks, showing Dante Gabriel Rossetti's La Castagnetta, now in the Guildhall Art Museum .

Cheap eats - Kris

Question of the week: "Do you have any suggestions for cheap eats in London?"

"Okay, I admit that sending you to a hostel for cheap eats is a little unusual. Most of the hostels I've stayed in (and possibly it's the same for you) have had basic food at the very best of times.

Prepare to be surprised by the Indian YMCA. For around £5 you can have a great home-style Indian meal, and while the dining room may not be five star, you will not leave hungry. The canteen is open to non-residents, and is well worth the trek into Bloomsbury. (It's very near UCL, so if you're looking for a place to eat before hitting the surrounding student pubs, you could do a lot worse.) Vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals are always available, but they have been known to run out of popular dishes by the end of service.

They are open: Monday to Friday Saturday/Sunday/Bank Holidays
Breakfast 7.30 - 9.15 a.m. 8.00 - 9.30 a.m.
Lunch 12.00 - 2.00 p.m. 12.30 - 1.30 p.m.
Dinner 7.00 - 8.30 p.m. 7.00 - 8.30 p.m.

Check it out - and enjoy!"- Kris

(For bargain Indian food close to Kamen/Minerva, don't forget Indian Veg, on Chapel Market - Miss Alice)

* Photo by , used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Cheap eats - Greg Kucich

Question of the week: "Do you have any suggestions for cheap eats in London?"

"There are two small but attractive, inexpensive cafés right around the corner from the London Centre: Orsini and Sandwich Express. Orsini has great Italian character. Turn right from the London Centre main entrance and cut through Hobhouse Court on the right (a lovely little shortcut and good spot for outdoor lunch on a sunny day) to Whitcomb Street. Go left on Whitcomb Street. And you are there in under 5 minutes."- Greg

* Photo by Miss Alice

Cheap eats - Dr Holt

Question of the week: "Do you have any suggestions for cheap eats in London?"

"Sign up for to the www.VoucherCodes.co.uk newsletter, and enjoy 2 main courses for the price of one or 2 courses for £10 or other similar deals."- Dr Holt

* Photo by theonlyone, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Cheap eats - Kris

Question of the week: "Do you have any suggestions for cheap eats in London?"

"As is the case with many stereotypes, the belief that everyone in Britain eats fish and chips wrapped in newspaper has a kernel of truth. Fish and chips has spread across the country, and even has regional variations, but it is, in its origin, a London combination. The oldest, still running, chippy (as is slang for the fish and chip shop) is in Covent Garden. A Rock and Sole Plaice has been going since 1871.

Other chippies you may want to check out are the Golden Hind and our own local, the Golden Fish Bar, which was named the number one chippy in London.

Try to eat your fish and chips hot and fresh, don't be afraid of getting salt and vinegar, and the most popular types of fish are cod (in the South) and Haddock (in the North). Plaice is also a great choice if you're feeling like a change. If you aren't feeling that hungry, see if they do a small portion, or share the chips with a friend. And try the mushy peas. They are a shade of green that shouldn't exist in nature, but they are delicious.

Enjoy!"- Kris

* Photo by modenadude, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

cheap eats - Miss Alice

Question of the week: "Do you have any suggestions for cheap eats in London?"

"I know it's not London-specific, but it's still too big a money-saver not to at least mention - cook from scratch. At least, cook from scratch some of the time, to free up money to spend elsewhere.

If you find a local supermarket that's large enough to carry a good selection of their own-brand 'basics / value / essentials' range, and one of the local markets for bargain fruit and veg, you're in with some big savings.

Take breakfast - you can easily pay £3 - £5 for Pret or Starbucks to make you porridge and a coffee in the morning. Even if you sprang for Via sachets to keep the Starbucks taste, that's still less than a pound's worth of ingredients to DIY.

Personally, I wouldn't drink dried milk as a drink, but I think it's a store-cupboard essential for oatmeal, partly for cost, but mostly so you don't have to worry about when you last got fresh milk.

Per person, you need:

1/2 mug (value/basic/essentials) porridge oats
1 mug water
1 teaspoon dried milk powder (or use 1 mug milk)

- bring to the boil in a pan, stir, and you're done within a minute or two, when it's thickening up, or it's about 3.5 mins in the microwave, in 30 second increments to keep it from boiling over. Meanwhile, flip the kettle on to boil the water for your coffee, and get out whatever fruit, sweetener or spice you want to add to your porridge, and - that's it. Breakfast's ready. (It also takes 0% extra effort to make two or three servings, thus earning the gratitude and appreciation of any of your housemates who also have to be up and out at the same time of the morning.)

You can get as fancy as you want with the additions and toppings - a chopped apple and a good sprinkle of cinnamon cooked into it, or brown sugar, or golden syrup, or a handful of raisins, or honey, or chocolate chips, or bananas or jam or ...

If you want a full cooked English breakfast, though, that's another story - there's an art to getting eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, black pudding, mushrooms, toast and tea all ready to hit the table at the same time, and, frankly, I've never mastered it. Particularly as that lot's likely to cost you about the same as the coffee-and-oatmeal option in Starbucks, that's always seemed like a fair bargain for an occasional treat to me!"- Miss Alice

* Photo by //andreea//, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Favourite tube line? - Cornelius

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite tube line, and why?

"As one of its daily commuters, I will admit to deep love / hate relationship with the Northern Line. One cannot but be impressed with its historical significance and its modern-day statistics. It was the world's first deep-level electric line to be constructed in the shape of a "tube". Until the opening of Channel Tunnel, it had the longest tunnel in the world, stretching over 17 miles from East Finchley in the north to Morden in the south.

It is also one of London's longest tube lines (36 miles long), with more stations than any other line (50). During rush hour 84 trains operate on the line at any one point in time, and the system shifts nearly 700,000 people around London every day. It also boasts Europe's longest single public escalator (nearly 200 feet long) at the Angel tube station and can lay claim to the deepest station beneath the surface at Hampstead. It also has some of the Underground's spookiest "ghost" stations such as the defunct South Kentish Town Station and King William IV Street Station.

Sadly, however, none of these facts can pacify the irate Northern Line commuter who all too frequently gets trapped in a crowded train for hours on end, often in sweltering heat, because the blasted signalling has gone down YET AGAIN at the infamous Camden Town interchange!"- Cornelius

* Photo by Sifter, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Favourite tube line? - Kris

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite tube line, and why?

"I suppose my favourite tube line is the Bakerloo Line - and not only because it has a bit of a funny name. The Bakerloo line isn't the oldest, but it does have a fun 'foundation myth' - apparently a number of businessmen wanted to get to and from Lords Cricket ground as quickly and easily as possible... It was founded in 1906, and ran between Baker Street and Lambeth North stations, linking London, north and south of the river.

Another, silly, reason that I like the Bakerloo line is that a number of the stpps have fun or interesting decorations - ranging from the traditional tiles of Marylebone Station, to the British-history-themed Charing Cross, to the slightly psychedelic-Sherlock Holmes tiles of Baker Street. It's fun to watch them whizz by on the way to wherever you want to go!"- Kris

* Photo by sashafatcat, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Favourite tube line? - Ric

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite tube line, and why?

"My favourite tube line is somewhat anomalous: I'm interested in the ones that have been closed and are hidden but can still be seen in and around current tube stations. The library has a copy of a recent book on the London Underground*. This website has links, photos and tips on the disused stations, lines and means to see them yourselves."- Ric

*Connor's London's Disused Underground Stations. See also David Long's books on finding 'hidden' London buildings and these on London Underground's history - Miss Alice

* Photo by Ben Sutherland, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Favourite tube line? - Dr Holt

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite tube line, and why?

"The Jubilee. Not just because it has wheel-chair access from Westminster and points east, and not just because it diagonals and then horizontals so exquisitely through all manner of Londons -- but because of the play on interior and exterior architecture. Thus, descending from Parliament Square through the zig-zaggity architecture of the Westminster station reminds me of Piranesi's drawings of Rome's catacombs. Thus, ascending through the straight steep diagonal architecture of Canary Wharf evocatively be-buzzes the excitement of rising to the plaza, surrounded by striking buildings with their variegated fenestration..."- Dr Holt