What Is It Like To Live In London

As I aforementioned in a previous article the past two months or so I was experiencing the lifestyle in London. With the word lifestyle I mean working full time and fitting in that schedule my traveling and all my other activities like sports, movies, socializing and so on and so forth.

The first thing that I want to note is the reason that I have used the picture that you can all see in this article. This specific picture was taken by me two days ago when I went for some shopping in Oxford street. I wanted to give the picture the black and white coloring in order to show you something, the nature of the lifestyle in London.

Most people in London and in most large cities in the world wake up in the morning eat, go to work, wait for the rush hour to finish in a pub in order to go home more comfortably and they fall asleep. Someone may ask '' so you want us to believe that all these people do not have any other things to do?''. No, of course they have but their state of mind is focused on those things. Money, success, work, sleep, waiting for a single Friday night to show off or get drunk in order to feel happy, these are the characteristics of most large cities on this planet.

Some people may disagree with my statements. However in two months I had the opportunity to meet people from all the classes in London. I have met billionaires, millionaires, middle class people and poor people that barely survive. Thus, this single picture can show you the face of London. Beautiful, charming but moody, boring and without almost any form of happiness.

Now if I compare Cyprus with London there are simple examples that prove my point. Every morning I get up and I want to exercise. In Cyprus I just get up and I want to run. However in London I want to stay in bed regardless of the hours that I have been sleeping. Therefore with just a small example I can show you what I mean about the nature of the lifestyle in London and big cities in general.

Closing, I know that every young person like me wants to explore the world and experience many different things. But be careful where you choose to live those experiences. I have made my choice and my choice is Amsterdam a rich capital but with a lifestyle and character that only a few cities have and that is why I have chosen it. What will your decision be?

An Extraordinary Experience

Last night I was in a restaurant in London. Suddenly two gentlemen came in with a dog. I asked my self, ''why is there a dog in a restaurant?'', and then I realized that it was a guide dog for blind people.

It was the first time I have experienced a situation with a blind person and his dog and I felt that I had to write about it.

The two men sat down. Then the person who was not blind took a look at the menu, he ordered for both and then they had their drinks and food. I was looking at the dog and it seemed like a normal dog sitting on he floor quietly waiting for his owner to finish and then they would go for a walk towards home.

However, at one point the blind gentleman, the dog's owner wanted to go to the bathroom. With the help of the restaurant's owner he went to the bathroom which was a floor lower than the restaurant. The dog instantly stood up and was looking at his owner going down the stairs but with a look that I have never seen on a dog before. I could feel the love and care that the dog felt, it was so intense. The dog would not stop looking at the direction of the stairs that lead to the bathroom.

After a while I asked the other gentleman, ''why are you holding the dog?'' and he said '' it gets very hard to restrain her when he comes back''. I was confused, the dog's owner was at the bathroom only for two minutes. However, when he came back I realized what he meant. The dog was so happy, but not like a usual dog excitement, something a lot more. When a dog is excited with someones appearance you can see a lot of excitement and happiness but after a while it fades. With this dog it would not stop and it was just a two minute absence and you could also feel the infinite love and care that the dog felt for her owner it was something unique and wonderful to watch.

After some thinking and research I realized the reason for the amount of love and care that the dog felt. It is because she had to guide the person everywhere and he was depended on her and her instincts. She was the being that he was closest to. Bounded by a bond higher than owner and dog friendship and love but a bond of absolute trust, responsibility and care.

London

Before the beginning of  my Euro trip experience I was already thinking what I wanted to do after it. I said to my self '' I have three months before the beginning of my studies, so let's go to London'' and so it was, I found a job in London for a couple of months in order to fund my traveling and to buy a camera and a laptop. Thus a week after my Euro trip ended I went to London.
I did not know what to expect from London as a city and that is why I was so interested to experience it. At first I settled in and then I bought a travel-card for a month and I started traveling London bit by bit.
To be honest I thought everything would be bigger, for example the Buckingham Palace, but still the sites in London are very interesting and beautiful. The Hyde park, the Green park, the Regent's park and so many other parks are so amazing and beautiful, you just walk and relax along the water.
When everyone imagines London, they have in mind the London eye or the Madame Tussaud, but for me as I said in a previous post my favorite place is Trafalgar square. However, do not get me wrong, I do not hold anything against those places and I believe you will find them very interesting and fun.
And do not forget, when visiting a place do not just visit the major sites but also the little streets and all the secret places that every city has to offer. The best way to find them, is to ask the locals or simply search the web and the answer is there waiting for you.

During travelling

Today I am going to say a few words regarding what could be helpful during travelling and back-packing.

1. During travelling, I set an amount of 30 euros per day and this makes it very easy with regards to saving money. Sometimes you spend more than your budget but during other days you can make up for it. However, if you are not on a budget then you can spend as much as you like. 
2. Also one thing that impressed me, were the free walking tours. Free walking tours are like normal tours but without payment. So you attend the tour and in the end you can leave without giving anything or just giving them a tip. In this way you can enjoy the tour without thinking about the amount that you have paid for it. Some may say that the free tours are not that good. However, this is a lie. The tour guides are qualified or very well informed about the events that they are talking about and they also provide tips on restaurants, bars and anything else you want, and they are always happy. 
3. Finally in terms of food and beverages, I always like to go where everyone else does not. I do this because one day I was in Prague and I wanted to taste traditional food and I dined in one touristic restaurant that was to expensive for the quality that they provided and it was one of the worst restaurant experiences that I have ever had. However, sometimes many restaurants are very famous due to their quality and therefore these are usually a safe choice because they provide good service, and food for a reasonable price. These are Michelin star or fine dining restaurants or famous patisseries.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Overall, I hope that all the aforementioned will be helpful and useful in terms of your personal experiences around the globe.

Preparing to travel

In this article I am going to analyse in a few words how to prepare for a back-packing experience. By prepare, I mean finding the where you want to go, booking the tickets and the accommodation.

1. What I usually do is having a look at the map of a continent, area or country and I find out the easiest way to connect my destinations and which way is the cheapest. 
2. Then I start looking for tickets. Tickets can be for trains, buses, planes, ferries and anything else that you can imagine. Then I compare the prices because sometimes train or ferry tickets seem cheaper, but many times plane tickets are the cheapest option. Even buses that are known as the cheapest way to travel, many times turn out to be very expensive. 
3. Then I start booking early enough. For trains is usually two or three months and for planes the earlier the better. 
4. After that I start looking for accommodation. The amount that you are going to pay depends on the type of travelling and also on your budget and the amount of people that you are with. If you are going alone or with friends the cheapest way is hostels or using Airbnb. If you are going with your wife or kids you are better of in a nice city-center hotel or somewhere with a nice view. I always like hotels near the train stations which makes commuting easier. However, it depends because if I am going to Rio for example, I would prefer a hotel looking at the beach. Many times hotels have last minute offers, but if you want to play it safe, booking months in advance is a better option.

Nevertheless, I have met a lot of people who prefer booking everything at the last moment, including transportation, accommodation and destinations. Therefore, no matter what I tell you, it always depends on what you find easier, most convenient and of course fun.

The Vatican experience

The Vatican. Most people talk about it as it is one of the greatest places to visit. I love Rome but when it comes to the Vatican I was not impressed. People completely overpay in order to get in for guided tours that say that they will get you fast pass to the saint Peter's cathedral and they do not even come with you. The tours are not that good and when it comes to the Sistine chapel... well it is not that amazing. Actually as I said in Rome you can find a lot better paintings like that in any other cathedral in Rome and I am not lying. However it is a nice experience in order to learn a few things but it is not like going to Auschwitz or into the Parthenon in Athens.

A Michelin star experience

About a week ago I booked a table for me and my two cousins at a Michelin star restaurant in London called Kitchen W8. I wanted to start tasting good food because it will help me for my future studies in Hospitality and of course because I wanted to know the difference between a Michelin tar place and a normal restaurant let as say. Therefore yesterday we had a meal there, I had a carbonara with truffle for starter then I had a medium cooked venison and finally for a desert I had a poached pear with cinnamon and vanilla ice-cream. When it comes to the starter and main courses the taste was good and I could really understand the complexity of the dish compared to a normal restaurant. The price was very good if you think that it is a Michelin star restaurant. The price of those two courses was approximately 40 pounds. Then I ordered my desert and it was amazing simply amazing. When I tasted the first mouthful of the pear, it was like heaven, so soft and so elegant and the taste like something from another world. The price was about eight pounds. Therefore is it worth going to places like that. The truth is for many things you over pay for example the drinks but it is a great culinary experience. However if you want to have a dinner with a lot of fun and a great atmosphere you are better of in a Greek restaurant with some music and breaking plates.