And in the morning they woke up. What will Scotland choose - London or Edinburgh? Which city is bigger edinburgh or london

The UK's first referendum since 1975 combined the issue of changing the electoral system with elections for local councilors in England and for Welsh MPs, Northern Ireland and Scotland. About 68% of voters said "no" to replacing the existing majoritarian electoral system with alternative voting. And the main winners of the elections were the Scottish nationalists. The Scottish National Party won an absolute majority of seats, 69 out of 129, for the first time in the ten-year existence of a regional parliament. Now it remains to be decided what the Scots will do with their victory.

Long-time SNP leader Alex Salmond ordered the preparation of a referendum on Scottish independence immediately after winning the election. This idea was long delayed due to the lack of a majority in the parliament by the SNP. Although the party won in 2007 precisely on the wave of nationalist sentiments, and the undisputed leader for the past 15 years, Alex Salmond, became the first Prime Minister of Scotland in 50 years. The independence referendum was one of the items on the SNP's electoral agenda.
In 1998, the British Parliament granted broad autonomy to the Kingdom of Scotland and resumed the work of Parliament and Government, which had been dissolved in 1707. Elizabeth II remains Queen of Scots. With her person, she unites England and Scotland.
Scotland has always had its own flag, coat of arms, currency (the Scottish pound is equal to the British one and is obligatory for the whole kingdom). Parliament has legislative powers in education, health, agriculture, environmental protection, justice, culture, tourism. Everything is very beautiful and politically correct. However, divorce is not ruled out. Or is it still excluded?
Salmond has already discussed with Prime Minister Cameron the role of Scotland in the coming years. Scottish Secretary of State Michael Moore said: “The UK Government has no intention of blocking a Scottish independence referendum. Now it is up to the Scottish Parliament, where the SNP has a majority. What we are going to do is stimulate the discussion of the issue of independence as such.”
Both supporters of independence and opponents have their own arguments. Public opinion in Scotland is characterized by strong fluctuations, the pendulum can swing in any direction. In a white paper published a few years ago by the Salmond government, there are three options for the future of Scotland: maintaining the current limited autonomy; the expansion of this autonomy; complete independence.
For many Scots, increased autonomy and additional powers seem more realistic and beneficial than independence. In addition to the loss of subsidies from London, independence can provoke a regional economic crisis and a drop in living standards, which local voters will clearly not approve of. “The SNP will have to accept that full Scottish independence will be put on hold until better times,” said Jonathan Clifton, a research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research in London.
The Scots see the sad example of Ireland, which has gone from a "Celtic Tiger" with high growth rates and low unemployment over the past two years to one of the most crisis-hit countries in Europe. As a result, only slightly more than half of the Scots support holding a referendum on independence, and only one in ten believe that Scotland will separate from the United Kingdom in the next 20 years. And if in 2007 45% of the Scots unconditionally wanted to secede from the UK, and 18% supported this idea with reservations, then at the end of 2009, less than 30% of those dreaming of getting rid of London turned out to be. “Full independence is a dream that those who have nothing to lose can afford,” said Graham Paton, President of the University of Edinburgh Student Union.
The trumps of the Salmond party are the historical past of the country, which has been a state-forming part of the United Kingdom for 300 years. And developed in the twentieth century oil and gas reserves on the Scottish shelf North Sea. 90% of all British oil is from Scottish fields. So the nationalists consider Scotland not just an equal part of the state to England, but also a source of its energy security. And in the event of gaining independence, Edinburgh is turning into a regional energy king, who gets almost all of the hydrocarbon wealth. Therefore, the key to Scottish separatism is the "oil trail". Not for nothing that Alex Salmond worked as an oil market expert at the Royal Bank of Scotland before his political career. He is confident that the economic growth of the region depends on gaining independence. If Scotland stops sharing oil revenues with England, she will earn an additional $600 million annually. And the economic crisis has highlighted the shortcomings of Scotland's autonomous status - the government cannot direct investment in infrastructure projects, which would help bring the region's economy out of crisis.
In addition to oil, Scotland has developed the electronic industry, shipbuilding, and fishing. There is the largest submarine base in Faslane and other military installations. Thanks to the famous lakes and men's kilt skirts, millions of tourists come here every year. The production of the world-famous whiskey also generates considerable income. “Economically, Scotland is ripe for independence,” said Tom Cloherty, director of political research at the Adam Smith Institute. Salmond offers Scottish businesses a very tempting idea - to reduce income tax as much as possible: “I want Scotland to have the same obligations and opportunities as other similar nations. Until we can have all the economic and financial leverage that other governments in the world have at our disposal, Scotland will always be at a disadvantage.”
Nevertheless, the loss of grants from London may seem to many Scots an unacceptable price for independence. Indeed, with the separation of the local government will receive a budget hole in the amount of 6-11 billion pounds, which will have to be closed somehow. Here it should be taken into account that the population and business perceive the initiative to separate Scotland much more skeptically than nationalist politicians. Most of the Scots would like to remain part of the UK, while gaining more autonomy.
In general, independence is not so desirable. And what happens now? Salmond has served as First Minister of Scotland for the last four years, but has never ventured to hold an independence referendum. Before the elections, he made it clear that if he wins, he will not rush to hold a plebiscite, since his main concern will be to restore the economy from the consequences of the crisis. “Achieving independence is a matter more or less inevitable, but its timing will depend solely on the Scottish people. Independence will only be declared when the people of Scotland say yes to it in a referendum,” Salmond said in an interview with British television.
He confirmed that the referendum is planned to be held in the second half of the term of the new parliament, that is, within the next 4-5 years. British experts tend to believe that the wording on the timing of the referendum is just an attempt to buy time and enlist the support of the Scots, who are currently not very enthusiastic about the idea of ​​independence. Businesses are also cautious about the prospects for independence, doubting the economic viability of Scotland in the event of a separation of the tax systems of the two countries.
In general, Alex Salmond is ready to compromise. In a referendum, he is going to add the question of the possible expansion of the financial freedom of Scotland as part of the United Kingdom, writes the Guardian newspaper. And he promises to negotiate with other parties about options for "fiscal autonomy" for Scotland. That is, he proposes to get away from the rigid wording of the question, which implies complete independence from the UK. “I am open to dialogue and dispute. Just because we won the majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament does not mean we have a monopoly on wisdom,” he told the BBC.
“I think a lot of Scots woke up today and thought, 'What have we done? Did we say yes to the referendum? What if a shock wave rolls over the whole of the UK? - fears one of the voters. “Many voted for the Nationalists because they want to see Scotland independent. But I'm not sure if that happens, we'll really win," said another."
Basically, they woke up.

Name 4 parts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

5. What is the name of the short skirt, part of the national costume of the Scot?

6. What is special about English traffic?

7. What colors are on the UK flag?

8. What colors are present on the flag of England?

9. What plant is the symbol of England?

10. What plant is the symbol of Scotland?

11. How many years ago was London built?

12. What is the name of the most big park London?

13. What is the name of the residence or place of permanent residence of the English queen?

14. What does the raised flag on the building of Buckingham Palace mean?

15. What is " Big Ben»?

16. At what age do English children start going to school?

17. What time does the school day start in an ordinary English school?

18. What is the UK?

19. What is the name of the Prince of Wales?

20. What was the name of the Princess of Wales?

22. What color are taxis in London?

23. What color are telephone boxes in England?

24. What are they called double-decker buses in London?

25. Is it true that in Buckingham Palace is there a private pool and cinema? (Not really)

our hall! it is very comfortable. In the hall there is a large wardrobe, TV, 2 armchairs, a sofa and a floor lamp.

my bedroom is very big! it contains a wardrobe, a table, a chair, a stereo system, 2 bedside tables, a chest of drawers, a mirror, 2 beds and a computer.

Grandma and grandpa's room has a wardrobe, bedside table, TV and 2 beds.

the kitchen has a table, 4 chairs, a refrigerator, a sink, a gas stove, a microwave oven and cupboards for dishes and products.

My apartment is amazing!

current not through Yandex

spacious rooms where freshness is constantly felt. Nearby there is a lake, near which there is a small bench for rest. no, and I am surrounded by absolute peace. This house has everything you need for life and even more. On the ground floor there is a wonderful kitchen in peach and brown tones and a bathroom. There is a large and spacious living room with a wooden table, easy chairs and a sofa. Top floor occupied the bedroom and the library. The bedroom has a huge number of paintings and a soft bed. The library is huge and contains an incredible amount of books. Shelves filled with originals of classical literature.

Temple Church - construction of the end of the XII century. in London,
located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Templars as their
English headquarters. Today the Inns of Court (two corporations of barristers in
London: Inner Temple and Middle Temple) share the church. She
known for large tombstones and round shape. was seriously damaged in
during the Second World War, but was completely restored. area around
Temple Church is known as "The Temple" and is near the metro station of the same name.
green and yellow lines.

Who can translate without a beaver driver

I suggested to New Year something summer, warm, sea - Miami, some Mexico, Singapore at worst .. but no - my girls unanimously pulled the blanket over themselves. Scotland and England. At first there was an option with Ireland, but it turned out that this was an additional flight and Ireland was left for the spring. Damn - I went to look where Scotland is on the map .. Well, at least not Iceland, and that's good. I read here how people flew to Iceland on New Year's Eve - people were moaning from longing, it was already getting dark at three days and it was very cold, well, very cold.

We are flying out of Domodedovo.. Haven't left here for a long time. Surprise knew no bounds - I drank a cup of cappuccino for 7.5 euros ... (450 rubles). Cool - where else can you drink coffee like that, except perhaps in Venice on San Marko Square ... I drank a cup of tea there - two mugs for 24 euros ..
I'm flying British, while from a joyless delay of 50 minutes. We will fly from Heathrow to Edinburgh .. We will probably arrive in the city at 23.30 .. and most importantly, what would the owner of the apartment meet ..
I booked apartments in the center of Edinburgh through the British Bobos system .. no one else could offer a decent room for adequate for three, but there were a couple of inadequately priced options. In general, it is a problem to fly three together. When looking for a room for 2, systems give 100 options, for example, no matter where. Three of you are flying - 14 .. damn it. In short, I took an apartment from 28.12 to 02.01 for 950 pounds (a joke, after January 3, for example, they cost 300 pounds). Everyone pulls three skins on NG, and Europe is no exception in this regard, although there are a lot of guesthouses in the city - cheap hostels. Tickets also cost 36 rubles per person, and the plane was almost empty ... either it was expensive or the time was not right.

So Heathrow .. Again, I haven’t been here for a long time, in 2007 I flew in for the last time. The airport is like a city. Nice. Comfortable. This vvm is not Domodedovo, where there is one terminal and crowds of people in the corridors. We went to the Gordon Ramsay restaurant, tested the cod - wonderful, we will also visit in London.
Compare prices; They have 118 croissants, we have 270. We have 6,450 Givanshi new toilet water, they have 4,000 ... well, what to do, you have to put up with it, I haven’t bought anything in our dutiks for a long time.
It takes an hour to fly from London to Edinburgh, 13 km to the city center. It turned out that it costs only 24 pounds, but I don’t have any pounds .. the taxi driver does not accept a card, 12 nights, the exchangers are closed of course ... well, I agreed to take 45 euros .. gad. ripped off us for 15 euros .. well, it's a shame. Something I didn’t assume that they didn’t use the euro, but they took it at Heathrow.
Because we arrived late - the person who met us also cut down 30 pounds from us ... You can't say anything about the warm welcome, they agreed on 40 euros.
For the future, I realized - you need to buy pounds in advance - at home.
The apartments are quite an apartment, two rooms, a kitchen, everything you need is present, of the minuses - low ceilings, I touch it with my hand, it’s unusual.
We live sort of like on the Royal Mile, but on the outskirts, five minutes from the Royal Castle of Holyroodhouse, the main attraction of Edinburgh - but far from the center.

Scotland.
1. Day one. 29.12.
In the morning we stomped to the Royal Palace. There is a line of Chinese at the box office, a normal thing - where they are just not there now. The coolest thing, when asked by the cashier - where are you from, the Chinese answer EC. Here they are - narrow-eyed Europeans it turns out.
The palace is not bad, I can’t say what struck me inside, I’ve seen so many of these palaces ... dear mother. An interesting fact is that the palace is functioning, the Queen comes there in the spring. We walked in the garden, examined the romantic ruins of the abbey. They also took over the art gallery next door (combi tickets 50l for three - nothing to see at all), but the exhibitions there are constantly changing.
In the center of the old city - there is a huge Christmas market, cashmere, toys, mulled wine with sausages and meat, sweets and a lot of people ... the atmosphere is cheerful and calm at the same time so measured.
There are a large number of Hindus on the streets - already apparently local, adapted, mixed families are found ... a white father is a Hindu mother.
By the way, you can get a map of the city in special black boxes on the street for 1 pound.
On the way to the apartment - we went to the pub-restaurant "The INN on THE MILE", decent enough in appearance - we booked a table for the 31st. The kitchen is open on New Year's Eve until eight in the evening, the pub is open until 3 am ... they promised live music. The cost, which is most surprising, is on the menu. How much you ate and drank, pay as much. Not bad, considering the fact that they wanted to book a respectable restaurant via the Internet - they asked for 85 pounds (without alcohol per person), but we refused - there was a dress code (jeans are excluded - a tie is required) .... well, what the hell, I I don't wear ties at home.
In the evening, Edinburgh looks gloomy, especially in the old part of the city. The houses are sheathed in gray hewn stone, the lanterns are dim, and the buildings have little illumination. At the same time, numerous groups of tourists drawn by guides periodically appear on the squares, evening-night excursions are in progress here: "City of the Dead", "Witch Dungeon", "Ghost Tour" and the like, there are a lot of people who want to, but everything is in English , and given the local accent, it's hard to understand.

2. Day two.30.12
On the sightseeing bus we went along the blue route "Majestic". The whole route is for an hour. We left in the village of Leith near the Ocean Mall. I went to see The Royal Yacht BRITANNIA, girls for shopping.
The yacht tour is very well organized, costs 15 pounds and starts from the 2nd floor of the mall. There is a Russian audio guide.
The yacht was good, of course, for its time - the 50-70s .. All 4 decks are open for viewing, but I didn’t go to the engine room. Many eminent people have been here, the Clintons and Boris Yeltsin dined at banquets. Would recommend if you like this kind of stuff. The Mall itself in terms of shopping sucks, stuffed with consumer goods with disgusting fast food eateries - in one of these, Wagamama dined something - I don’t recommend it, but their whole network .. In general, this bus trip to the yacht, its inspection and lunch, ate half a day. By the way, you can also get there on foot, but far away.
Our sedate and measured pacing the streets of the city clearly indicates that we will have to miss something.
It is evening and the city is preparing for the torchlight procession, which starts at 19.00 on Princes street. Crowds of people idly walking and hurrying about their business form eddy currents, well, a very dense movement .. I can imagine what will happen in NG.
We didn’t make it to the castle on the mountain today, it closes at five in the evening. We will arrive early tomorrow morning ... and then to the Nat. Museum.
We poked our head in for dinner at the fashionable and respectable Amarone restaurant - we had to wait an hour and a half ... there were no seats. Forward to Rock cafe - even more people. However, gentlemen, where is McDonald's here?
The Hogmanay torchlight procession began on time. The musicians followed and the river of torchbearers flowed. Hogmanay's symbol is fire. It is believed that by lighting it on the evening of December 31, you thereby transfer wisdom from the old year to the new one. It is also an effective way to end all the black thoughts and hardships of the past and enter the new year with fresh hope. Human fiery river slowly flowed from one avenue to another and disappears somewhere around the corner. The stream creeps visibly from Royal Palace- the torchbearers walked off five kilometers - it's normal - they shook. It all ended with a grandiose fireworks - beautifully.
By the way, I noticed - there are few smokers on the streets, well done.

Day three 31.12
Went to Edinburgh castle. The castle stands on a mountain and if you are lucky with the weather, you can take a couple of nice pictures of the city.
There is an audio guide in Russian. We wandered quite informatively for a couple of hours, listened to various historical sketches. Dates, kings, wars and artifacts are all mixed up in a burning mixture with which I will probably say goodbye when I leave.
By noon the city was attacked by a storm wind from the sea. And a good rain broke out, the sky was covered with clouds and everything plunged into dusk. It's time for the boardwalk City of the dead", but the Obscura Tower turned up nearby and we were still sucked in by the mystical component of this city. And we liked it - honestly! There were a couple of moments there - it was breathtaking ... the Vortex tunnel (when you walk along the bridge and the walls rotate) children - you definitely need to go there!
By 20.00 - when we firmly took up defense at a table in the center of the hall of one of the local trendy pubs, crowds of the afflicted began to overwhelm the institution in waves, but alas, ah. All restaurants in the city are packed to capacity - and this is natural. We booked a couple of days in advance. By 10:00 pm, the onslaught intensified ... people just stood where they entered, the kitchen closed like an hour, but the bartenders barely had time to turn around ... The musicians in the far corner tore the strings and voices, the crowd rustled like a sea tide - the rumble either subsided or increased trying not to to lag behind the music... oh, thank God, they don't smoke here - I can imagine how the smoke hung before too... By 23.00 at night the waiters disappeared, to see the shift was over, but there was no way to get to the bar. People slowly start dancing with different parts of the body.
Everything is peculiar, of course, but this is how the Scots usually celebrate the New Year, in pubs. Of course you can live with it..
After 23, 30 - the people began to slowly flow into the streets and focus mainly on the North bridge. This is understandable - the best point for viewing, as the battery fired in volleys from the positions of Edinburgh Castle on the left. . I'll tell you - well, a good fireworks. I was surprised by the cold calmness of the crowd - few and languid cries of cheers. Of course, ours are more emotional, but as I remember, the Italians in Verona were yelling - it was something.
Well here it is 2017 - Happy New Year Everyone. Fascinating and positive travels to all.

People.
It seemed to me that the Scots are very friendly people, always ready to give advice or help. A smile is a common expression, in any case, for a service person, but passers-by smiled cordially at me ... damn it already weaned. Mutual respect is felt in everything: in high culture traffic- although a couple of times I just managed to jump back in time, in dozens of "sorry" for any reason, "thank you", "no worries" in respect for the queues, heroic patience at fitting rooms in stores. We often miss this. I noticed - they cut through that a foreigner - they speak more slowly (not all of course), they correct if you distort the words ... at first it seems like rejection - then once, you understand - it’s for your good.

Day four. Year 2017. 01.01.
Morning. The city is dull and cold. Icy wind cuts to the bone. In the alley, young people who have not gone to bed on time are recklessly rolling an empty beer can. Still boozy. There are no cleaners to be seen, and garbage flutters along the pavement, creating the illusion of abandonment. There are a lot of garbage, he is already a year old. But this is an illusion, life in the center is in full swing, but even there they are not fighting with garbage.
We got to HolmCalton Hill, it's right in front of us. This is an unfinished monument of the Athenian Acropolis, which was originally called " national monument". View of Old city like nothing else, towards the sea - melancholy.
I went to the National Museum (Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF,). today it is open until 17.00. Almost all souvenir shops and a number of pubs are open. I walked through the museum in less than an hour. Well crap - I'm sorry, I won't even describe it. Don't waste your time - if there isn't a lot of it. Better go to art gallery. It's a bitch, it's hard here on the weekend, I wanted to buy a picture yesterday - I didn't have time, everything was closed and it will work only on the 2nd, and we'll rush to London on a steam locomotive. By the way, the locomotive goes to St. Petersburg - 4 hours. It costs 75 pounds, you can fly for this money, but the train is more fun.
We also failed to set up a farewell dinner. Having bypassed SEVEN pubs and restaurants - everywhere we came across
- There are 8 people in front of you.
There are five couples in front of you..
- more than an hour and a half waiting time.
- everything is reserved until 22:00.
- Today there are no places AT ALL.
A badge of a fly - well, I have never come across such a thing anywhere. New Year was yesterday, but there are no places today.
Fortunately, we live in an apartment - we went to the supermarket (there are two for the whole center) - we stocked up and had a luxurious dinner at home. They would go through the forest - these pubs.
By the way, on the New Year we met a certain number of men in kilts - how do they not freeze there?
Conclusion - a rather expensive country for tourism, even too expensive (but cheaper than England, of course), and it's hard to imagine how to live in general. I read that it is very expensive for students to live even on the campus at the university - living is more expensive than studying, they live in hostels.
The food is terrible, of course, we are picky people with girls (we don’t eat meat) - and it was really difficult for us. Whatever pub you take - fast food is everywhere, and the service is at a low level ... they don't care about customers because there is a queue.
Yes, there is something to see, but what to do here for a week? And for some, even a week is not enough .. Well, it's hard for me to imagine, if only to bypass all sorts of different museums, but this is not Saint Petersburg sorry, and not Paris .. everything is modest here ... In short - three full days for the eyes - it's my opinion.

Great Britain. London..02.01
There was a small incident at the station .. I forgot the tickets, it’s good they were at the post office and I have an Internet connection - they printed it out.
Drive 534 km and 4 hours of time. Well, Sapsan will be faster and more comfortable. . And don't buy internet on the train - waste of money...it doesn't work. And they have damn cool trains.
Ah London.. looks like a big anthill, especially on the way to our hotel. We got up at the "Marriott Country Hall" - right in front of Big Ben. Yes, he went nuts from such impudence, when he chose the hotel - he strangled the toad a little - while he was passed out - he paid.
In fact, everything is very difficult with hotels for holidays (holidays), either inexpensive but in the ass or hostel, or expensive but in the center. There were a couple of good options, but the reviews began with the words
Bed bugs bit me at night.
- there were no radiators in the room and we slept in clothes ....
Here - in the center of London, either bedbugs or dubak ... go nuts.
By the way, Marriott threw with the number - he provided not at all what I paid for, but softly sent all claims - like now there are no other numbers.
Well, so - the city is teeming with tourists .. horror. It's hard to walk - I cut through the crowd, trying not to lose the girls with my eyes. Every third person is photographed, themselves, views, the river, Big Ben, friends. You walk and stumble over people who suddenly got up to take a picture.
In the evening, it's time to go shopping, for this lesson we went to Oxford Street.
Traffic on the roads is a little freer than during the day, but the incredible number of traffic lights is depressing. And the cost of a minute has grown decently over the past ten years. I remember we didn’t spend more than 10 pounds moving around the center, and now it’s more than 15. True, the metro costs 3. The promenade in the center reminded me that London is a huge city, they tried to walk from Oxford, but they broke down, although they had already seen Big Ben.
As I understand it, you still need to look for Londoners on the street .. mostly tourists, and the number of Arabs and Indians goes off scale.
Shopping is certainly a fun activity, especially in the midst of sales (sales), but the Huge Mall on Oxford Street stunned with its prices and the crowd, most of course just came to take a look. And by the way - and here the euro is not welcome, they are not taken anywhere. The course in exchangers is deadly .. losses up to 30%.
So that we would not get bored - at night the hotel brought everyone out into the street on a fire alarm. Maybe there was an idea to count us or reacquaint us - I don’t know, but thank God everything went without fire brigades.

London. 03.01.
Walk the first - Westerminskoe abbey.
Passed .. looked .. listened. At the 33rd minute - lost in kings, queens and other lords there. However - the entrance is 20 pounds.
2. Parliament...
We met wild compatriots (at least Russian speakers) - such types are already rare, but still exist in nature (they shy away from words of greeting like from lepers).
Admission 18 pounds, strictly on time. Listened, watched - interesting.
3. Tower Bridge in the evening. We decided to walk beautiful views to the Thames and the business center, travel time from Marriott - 40 min.
Today we walked from Oxford .. such a normal transition turned out. London in the evening is very beautiful, the central streets are in New Year's garlands, the beautiful illumination of houses - everything is very festive.

London. 04.01.
They felt a burning desire to break into the Warner Brothers studio - in the suburbs of London where the Harry Potter movie was filmed, alas - no matter how the service service from Marriott tried to get tickets - wherever they called, it was useless. In general, everything is packed until 15.01 and only at 09 we were offered three tickets ... (and the Marriott service has good connections) - but we are home on the sixth.
It turns out that the holidays have been extended for the local kids.
1. Let's go to Lomdom Eye. Ferris wheel.
The queue for an hour, or maybe more .. But we were not here on the last race. The rides cost 22 pounds. There is a fast line - 34 pounds. Raises the wheel high enough .. well, very high. Posner correctly said that London is ugly from above. In short - a big carousel ... if you don't have time to go - and that's fine. It took three hours for the wheel.
In the building where the Marriott is located from the side of the river, there are attractions Shrek, the Oceanarium, and what a horror movie. This is where the boats sail from. There are also a couple of good restaurants Chinese and Steak House.
Since museums were not included in the concept of the route for my girls at all
- let's go to Leadenhall marker.
2. Leadenhall marker - located in the Tower Castle area - and is - a building dated 16 some year. Scenes from Harry Potter were filmed here. Nothing much to see to be honest. Closes very early tourist places and objects, at 16-16.30 and by 17.00 everything is practically closed, well, or almost everything.
- And shopping is up to eight - my husband dragged me towards the neon signs.

London. 05.01.
After all - when you have already seen the main thing - and something went through the second time - you think where to go ?. Someone may object - they say in London, where to go? What are you? Yes, we can’t see everything in 5 races. Well, I agree, there are 60 objects in London (such as those recommended for visiting), here even a month is not enough.
Epochs and events, Kings and ministers, Queens and favorites, Lords, Peers, Sirs, Palaces and interiors - everything is mixed up and can no longer be classified.
I just want to take a walk around the city, stare at passers-by, sit down in a street cafe and squint my eyes in the sun while burning coffee - and not in a hurry. Do not think frantically about the schedule of visiting museums, about possible queues, the time of which is always short.
Yes ... do not care about time and history, we take the subway and move to the Notting Hill area - the Portabelo market.
The sun floods the streets and carefree tourists lazily sort out souvenirs, look at handemade gizmos and bypass expensive antique shops - disappear in clothing stores, tiny cafes and bookstores - of which there are a great many. And we happily mixed up in this serene atmosphere with few visitors and curious tourists. We went to that famous bookstore - which Julia Roberts used to visit in the movie "Notting Hill", bought something in local shops, were surprised at the price tags for antiques, dined in a pub.
Separately, I will write just a couple of lines about the English service and dishes. Remembering the recently watched film by V. Posner - England in general and in particular, I laugh in restaurants at the sight of local dishes, because his statement:
- looking at this, I want to say not Bon appetit, but only suitable - Do you want to eat?,
And it's perfect for most dishes.
Service apparently died under King Arthur, a rare waiter will smile sweetly at you, and if he does a cute facial expression, he will definitely not serve something, will not offer or forget. And you feel the provinciality of what is happening and not the respectful courtesy of the world capital.
Another big disadvantage of all European countries- toilets closed with combination locks (such as only for visitors), this applies to many fast food establishments - such as McDonald's. Only Starbucks does not suffer from this. And you can, without any conditions, go into any pub, cafe and just wait for a person with a check to come in or out and kindly hold the door for you. Wifi - as a nice option in most local eateries - is missing, it's us Muscovites and St. Petersburg people who are used to good things, but here it's somehow sad. Although what is surprising is that in Moscow wifi networks are not fundamental to us.
I did not suffer from the lack of a network - the megaphone worked properly in London, I don’t know how much it costs - I have a corporate connection. But a travel card for one day, for all types of transport costs - 13 pounds, damn it .. - give yourself a ride.
Next stop is King's Cross station. Central station London. No ... we are not gathered for the city, not at the airport. We stood in line for an hour at the wall where 9 3/4 is written, and there is a cart half-walled into the wall. famous place pilgrimage for Harry Potter fans. From there he got to platform 9 ¾ and took the express to Hogwarts. Everything is again well organized, and they will tie a scarf to you and give you the right position, and then the photo will be sold for 10 euros with a digital copy in addition. Well, since they defended it, I was imbued with the moment, froze against the wall with a cart and fantasized a little.
Cleverly and efficiently, the British have learned to extract money from everything. In the souvenir shop, for example, they are also not overcrowded, that's how popular this story is. If you saw the number of souvenirs - and you would be impressed. Rowling's stories are undoubtedly a new milestone in literature, a new religion - these are books on which our children have already grown up and grandchildren will grow up, so you need to be in the subject. In fact, this wall easily leaves behind a bunch of London's museums in terms of attendance, and in general, it can already be included in the top 20 in London.
I cannot but write about the cab, the English taxi. Incredibly comfortable and functional car, no need to think and guess whether five suitcases and four people will fit in for example ... yes, easily. Fell in love with red buses. Amazing - five points to the British for the ingenuity and ingenuity shown in the design of this apparatus.
By the way - please note that you do not need to buy tickets as before. I attached a plastic card (bank card) to the reader at the entrance and went (1 pound costs the fare). Most buses run 24 hours a day.
Over the past ten years, the cost of public transport has not increased, but taxis have risen in price decently. From Oxford Street to Parliament, for example, from 15 to 18 pounds came out, this is if the bitch drove the winds - and such cunning in London through one. I set the main navigator - the driver takes it to the right - navi shows straight ... navi writes 12 minutes - we drive all 25. So at some point we switched to buses.
But if you are for 5-6 days, then you need to take London pss and not look at the prices - very convenient.
https://www.londonpass.com/london-pass-prices2.php.
In general, when I threw out all the ideas of a cosmic scale for the development of London - I felt so light and at ease, I couldn’t convey. I walked, smiled, breathed, watched and didn’t think about anything - a wonderful state, I just fell in love with the city.
It's sad to return to Moscow, in a frost of minus 25. Oh well -bye London - see you later!

And for work and for home, family, I need to go once a week along this distant route: Edinburgh-London-Edinburgh. How to save money, not "fly out the pipe" on this long (6-9 hours) route?

In this note, I will give you some good advice on budget travel from the capital of England to the capital of Scotland.

It just seems like simply drive from London to Edinburgh and admire the beauties of the northern capital on that day. It is not that simple. Distance between London and Edinburgh: 650 km., or by English standards - about 410 miles. In general, Scotland is always long distances, both to it and within it. So let's take a look at the travel options.

Googlemap will give you the information that if you decide to burn gasoline by car on the UK's busy highways, it's 7 hours of clean road on the M6. There, add breaks for rest, coffee - as a result, you get the whole day on wheels.

Of course, the fastest way is by plane, but not the cheapest. Relatively cheap tickets on the plane only you can buy in advance, 3 weeks (at least) in advance. Most convenient airport departures - Heathrow - closest to the center of London and cheaper, the fastest way to get to it than to remote ones (conditionally called London airports - Stanstead (Ryanair, Easyjet), Luton (Easyjet), London City (Flybe, British Airways ), Gatwick (Easyjet, BA), Heathrow (Virgin Atlantic, British Airways). The most modern terminal is Terminal 5 at Heathrow. And the most convenient flight is BA (British Airways). The average cost of a one-way ticket from there is 65 pounds ( without luggage).

I offered for the New Year something summer, warm, sea - Miami, some kind of Mexico, Singapore at worst .. but no - my girls together pulled the blanket over themselves. Scotland and England. At first there was an option with Ireland, but it turned out that this was an additional flight and Ireland was left for the spring. Damn - I went to look where Scotland is on the map .. Well, at least not Iceland, and that's good. I read here how people flew to Iceland on New Year's Eve - people were moaning from longing, it was already getting dark at three days and it was very cold, well, very cold.

We are flying out of Domodedovo.. Haven't left here for a long time. Surprise knew no bounds - I drank a cup of cappuccino for 7.5 euros ... (450 rubles). Cool - where else can you drink coffee like that, except perhaps in Venice on San Marko Square ... I drank a cup of tea there - two mugs for 24 euros ..

I'm flying British, while from a joyless delay of 50 minutes. We will fly from Heathrow to Edinburgh .. We will probably arrive in the city at 23.30 .. and most importantly, what would the owner of the apartment meet ..

I booked apartments in the center of Edinburgh through the British Bobos system .. no one else could offer a decent room for adequate for three, but there were a couple of inadequately priced options. In general, it is a problem to fly three together. When looking for a room for 2, systems give 100 options, for example, no matter where. Three of you are flying - 14 .. damn it. In short, I took an apartment from 28.12 to 02.01 for 950 pounds (a joke, after January 3, for example, they cost 300 pounds). Everyone pulls three skins on NG, and Europe is no exception in this regard, although there are a lot of guesthouses in the city - cheap hostels. Tickets also cost 36 rubles per person, and the plane was almost empty ... either it was expensive or the time was not right.

So Heathrow .. Again, I haven’t been here for a long time, in 2007 I flew in for the last time. The airport is like a city. Nice. Comfortable. This vvm is not Domodedovo, where there is one terminal and crowds of people in the corridors. We went to the Gordon Ramsay restaurant, tested the cod - wonderful, we will also visit in London.

Compare prices; They have 118 croissants, we have 270. We have 6,450 Givanshi new toilet water, they have 4,000 ... well, what to do, you have to put up with it, I haven’t bought anything in our dutiks for a long time.

It takes an hour to fly from London to Edinburgh, 13 km to the city center. It turned out that it costs only 24 pounds, but I don’t have any pounds .. the taxi driver does not accept a card, 12 nights, the exchangers are closed of course ... well, I agreed to take 45 euros .. gad. ripped off us for 15 euros .. well, it's a shame. Something I didn’t assume that they didn’t use the euro, but they took it at Heathrow.

Because we arrived late - the person who met us also cut down 30 pounds from us ... You can't say anything about the warm welcome, they agreed on 40 euros.

For the future, I realized - you need to buy pounds in advance - at home.

The apartments are quite an apartment, two rooms, a kitchen, everything you need is present, of the minuses - low ceilings, I touch it with my hand, it’s unusual.

We live sort of like on the Royal Mile, but on the outskirts, five minutes from the Royal Castle of Holyroodhouse, the main attraction of Edinburgh - but far from the center.

Scotland.

1. Day one. 29.12.

In the morning we stomped to the Royal Palace. There is a line of Chinese at the box office, a normal thing - where they are just not there now. The coolest thing, when asked by the cashier - where are you from, the Chinese answer EC. Here they are - narrow-eyed Europeans it turns out.

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The palace is not bad, I can’t say what struck me inside, I’ve seen so many of these palaces ... dear mother. An interesting fact is that the palace is functioning, the Queen comes there in the spring. We walked in the garden, examined the romantic ruins of the abbey. They also took over the art gallery next door (combi tickets 50l for three - nothing to see at all), but the exhibitions there are constantly changing.

In the center of the old city - there is a huge Christmas market, cashmere, toys, mulled wine with sausages and meat, sweets and a lot of people ... the atmosphere is cheerful and calm at the same time so measured.

There are a large number of Hindus on the streets - already apparently local, adapted, mixed families are found ... a white father is a Hindu mother.

By the way, you can get a map of the city in special black boxes on the street for 1 pound.

On the way to the apartment - we went to the pub-restaurant "The INN on THE MILE", decent enough in appearance - we booked a table for the 31st. The kitchen is open on New Year's Eve until eight in the evening, the pub is open until 3 am ... they promised live music. The cost, which is most surprising, is on the menu. How much you ate and drank, pay as much. Not bad, considering the fact that they wanted to book a respectable restaurant via the Internet - they asked for 85 pounds (without alcohol per person), but we refused - there was a dress code (jeans are excluded - a tie is required) .... well, what the hell, I I don't wear ties at home.

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In the evening, Edinburgh looks gloomy, especially in the old part of the city. The houses are sheathed in gray hewn stone, the lanterns are dim, and the buildings have little illumination. At the same time, numerous groups of tourists, drawn by guides, periodically appear on the squares, evening-night excursions are in progress here: "City of the Dead", "Witch's Dungeon",

"Ghost Tour" and the like, there are a lot of people who want to, but everything is in English, and given the local accent, it's hard to understand.

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2. Day two.30.12

On the sightseeing bus we went along the blue route "Majestic". The whole route is for an hour. We left in the village of Leith near the Ocean Mall. I went to see The Royal Yacht BRITANNIA, girls for shopping.

The yacht tour is very well organized, costs 15 pounds and starts from the 2nd floor of the mall. There is a Russian audio guide.

The yacht was good, of course, for its time - the 50-70s .. All 4 decks are open for viewing, but I didn’t go to the engine room. Many eminent people have been here, the Clintons and Boris Yeltsin dined at banquets. Would recommend if you like this kind of stuff. The Mall itself in terms of shopping sucks, stuffed with consumer goods with disgusting fast food eateries - in one of these, Wagamama dined something - I don’t recommend it, but their whole network .. In general, this bus trip to the yacht, its inspection and lunch, ate half a day. By the way, you can also get there on foot, but far away.

Our sedate and measured pacing the streets of the city clearly indicates that we will have to miss something.

It is evening and the city is preparing for the torchlight procession, which starts at 19.00 on Princes street. Crowds of people idly walking and hurrying about their business form eddy currents, well, a very dense movement .. I can imagine what will happen in NG.

We didn’t make it to the castle on the mountain today, it closes at five in the evening. We will arrive early tomorrow morning ... and then to the Nat. Museum.

We poked our head in for dinner at the fashionable and respectable Amarone restaurant - we had to wait an hour and a half ... there were no seats. Forward to Rock cafe - even more people. However, gentlemen, where is McDonald's here?

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The Hogmanay torchlight procession began on time. The musicians followed and the river of torchbearers flowed. Hogmanay's symbol is fire. It is believed that by lighting it on the evening of December 31, you thereby transfer wisdom from the old year to the new one. It is also an effective way to end all the black thoughts and hardships of the past and enter the new year with fresh hope. Human fiery river slowly flowed from one avenue to another and disappears somewhere around the corner. The stream creeps apparently from the Royal Palace - the torchbearers walked back about five kilometers - it's normal - they shook. It all ended with a grandiose fireworks - beautifully.

By the way, I noticed - there are few smokers on the streets, well done.

Day three 31.12

We went to Edinburgh Castle. The castle stands on a mountain and if you are lucky with the weather, you can take a couple of nice pictures of the city.

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There is an audio guide in Russian. We wandered quite informatively for a couple of hours, listened to various historical sketches. Dates, kings, wars and artifacts are all mixed up in a burning mixture with which I will probably say goodbye when I leave.

By noon the city was attacked by a storm wind from the sea. And a good rain broke out, the sky was covered with clouds and everything plunged into dusk. It's time for a promenade through the "City of the Dead", but the Obscura Tower turned up nearby and we were nevertheless drawn in by the mystical component of this city. And we liked it - honestly! There were a couple of moments there - it took your breath away ... the Vortex tunnel (when you walk along the bridge and the walls rotate) If you are still with children, you definitely need to go there!

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By 20.00 - when we firmly took up defense at a table in the center of the hall of one of the local trendy pubs, crowds of the afflicted began to overwhelm the institution in waves, but alas, ah. All restaurants in the city are packed to capacity - and this is natural. We booked a couple of days in advance. By 10:00 pm, the onslaught intensified ... people just stood where they entered, the kitchen closed like an hour, but the bartenders barely had time to turn around ... The musicians in the far corner tore the strings and voices, the crowd rustled like a sea tide - the rumble either subsided or increased trying not to to lag behind the music... oh, thank God, they don't smoke here - I can imagine how the smoke hung before too... By 23.00 at night the waiters disappeared, to see the shift was over, but there was no way to get to the bar. People slowly start dancing with different parts of the body.

Everything is peculiar, of course, but this is how the Scots usually celebrate the New Year, in pubs. Of course you can live with it..

After 23, 30 - the people began to slowly flow into the streets and focus mainly on the North bridge. This is understandable - the best point for viewing, as the battery fired in volleys from the positions of Edinburgh Castle on the left. . I'll tell you - well, a good fireworks. I was surprised by the cold calmness of the crowd - few and languid cries of cheers. Of course, ours are more emotional, but as I remember, the Italians in Verona were yelling - it was something.

Well here it is 2017 - Happy New Year Everyone. Fascinating and positive travels to all.

It seemed to me that the Scots are very friendly people, always ready to give advice or help. A smile is a common expression, in any case, for a service person, but passers-by smiled cordially at me ... damn it already weaned. Mutual respect is felt in everything: in the high culture of traffic - although a couple of times I just managed to jump back in time, in dozens of “sorry” for any reason, “thank you”, “no worries” in respect for the queues, heroic patience at fitting rooms in stores . We often miss this. I noticed - they cut through that a foreigner - they speak more slowly (not all of course), they correct if you distort the words ... at first it seems like rejection - then once, you understand - it’s for your good.

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Day four. Year 2017. 01.01.

Morning. The city is dull and cold. Icy wind cuts to the bone. In the alley, young people who have not gone to bed on time are recklessly rolling an empty beer can. Still boozy. There are no cleaners to be seen, and garbage flutters along the pavement, creating the illusion of abandonment. There are a lot of garbage, he is already a year old. But this is an illusion, life in the center is in full swing, but even there they are not fighting with garbage.

We got to HolmCalton Hill, it's right in front of us. This is an unfinished monument of the Athenian Acropolis, which was originally called the "National Monument". The view of the old city seems to be nothing, towards the sea - melancholy.

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I went to the National Museum (Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF,). today it is open until 17.00. Almost all souvenir shops and a number of pubs are open. I walked through the museum in less than an hour. Well crap - I'm sorry, I won't even describe it. Don't waste your time - if there isn't a lot of it. I'd rather go to an art gallery. It's a bitch, it's hard here on the weekend, I wanted to buy a painting yesterday - I didn't have time, everything was closed and it will work only on the 2nd, and we'll rush to London on a steam locomotive. By the way, the locomotive goes to St. Petersburg - 4 hours. It costs 75 pounds, you can fly for this money, but the train is more fun.

We also failed to set up a farewell dinner. Having bypassed SEVEN pubs and restaurants - everywhere we came across

There are 8 people in front of you.

Here are five couples..

Waiting time over an hour and a half.

Everything is reserved until 22:00.

Today there are no places AT ALL.

A badge of a fly - well, I have never come across such a thing anywhere. New Year was yesterday, but there are no places today.

Fortunately, we live in an apartment - we went to the supermarket (there are two for the whole center) - we stocked up and had a luxurious dinner at home. They would go through the forest - these pubs.

By the way, on New Year's Eve we met a certain number of men in kilts - how do they not freeze there?

Conclusion - a rather expensive country for tourism, even too expensive (but cheaper than England, of course), and it's hard to imagine how to live in general. I read that it is very expensive for students to live even on the campus at the university - living is more expensive than studying, they live in hostels.

The food is terrible, of course, we are picky people with girls (we don’t eat meat) - and it was really difficult for us. Whatever pub you take - fast food is everywhere, and the service is at a low level ... they don't care about customers because there is a queue.

Yes, there is something to see, but what to do here for a week? And for some, even a week is not enough .. Well, it's hard for me to imagine, if only to bypass all sorts of different museums, but this is not St. Petersburg, sorry, and not Paris .. everything is modest here ... In short - three full days for the eyes - it's my opinion.

Great Britain. London..02.01

There was a small incident at the station .. I forgot the tickets, it’s good they were at the post office and I have an Internet connection - they printed it out.

Drive 534 km and 4 hours of time. Well, Sapsan will be faster and more comfortable. . And don't buy internet on the train - waste of money...it doesn't work. And they have damn cool trains.

Ah London.. looks like a big anthill, especially on the way to our hotel. We got up at the "Marriott Country Hall" - right in front of Big Ben. Yes, he went nuts from such impudence, when he chose the hotel - he strangled the toad a little - while he was passed out - he paid.

In fact, everything is very difficult with hotels for holidays (holidays), either inexpensive but in the ass or hostel, or expensive but in the center. There were a couple of good options, but the reviews began with the words

Bed bugs bit me at night.

There were no radiators in the room and we slept in clothes….

Here - in the center of London, either bedbugs or dubak ... go nuts.

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By the way, Marriott threw with the number - he provided not at all what I paid for, but softly sent all claims - like now there are no other numbers.

Well, so - the city is teeming with tourists .. horror. It's hard to walk - I cut through the crowd, trying not to lose the girls with my eyes. Every third person is photographed, themselves, views, the river, Big Ben, friends. You walk and stumble over people who suddenly got up to take a picture.

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In the evening, it's time to go shopping, for this lesson we went to Oxford Street.

Traffic on the roads is a little freer than during the day, but the incredible number of traffic lights is depressing. And the cost of a minute has grown decently over the past ten years. I remember we didn’t spend more than 10 pounds moving around the center, and now it’s more than 15. True, the metro costs 3. The promenade in the center reminded me that London is a huge city, they tried to walk from Oxford, but they broke down, although they had already seen Big Ben.

As I understand it, you still need to look for Londoners on the street .. mostly tourists, and the number of Arabs and Indians goes off scale.

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Shopping is certainly a fun activity, especially in the midst of sales (sales), but the Huge Mall on Oxford Street stunned with its prices and the crowd, most of course just came to take a look. And by the way - and here the euro is not welcome, they are not taken anywhere. The course in exchangers is deadly .. losses up to 30%.

So that we would not get bored - at night the hotel brought everyone out into the street on a fire alarm. Maybe there was an idea to count us or reacquaint us - I don’t know, but thank God everything went without fire brigades.

London. 03.01.

Walk the first - Westerminskoe abbey.

Passed .. looked .. listened. At the 33rd minute - lost in kings, queens and other lords there. However - the entrance is 20 pounds.

2. Parliament...

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We met wild compatriots (at least Russian speakers) - such types are already rare, but still exist in nature (they shy away from words of greeting like from lepers).

Admission 18 pounds, strictly on time. Listened, watched - interesting.

3. Tower Bridge in the evening. We decided to go on foot, beautiful views of the Thames and the business center, travel time from Marriott - 40 minutes.

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Today we walked from Oxford .. such a normal transition turned out. London in the evening is very beautiful, the central streets are in New Year's garlands, the beautiful illumination of houses - everything is very festive.

London. 04.01.

They felt a burning desire to break into the Warner Brothers studio - in the suburbs of London where the Harry Potter movie was filmed, alas - no matter how the service service from Marriott tried to get tickets - wherever they called, it was useless. In general, everything is packed until 15.01 and only at 09 we were offered three tickets ... (and the Marriott service has good connections) - but we are home on the sixth.

It turns out that the holidays have been extended for the local kids.

1. Let's go to Lomdom Eye. Ferris wheel.

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The queue for an hour, or maybe more .. But we were not here on the last race. The rides cost 22 pounds. There is a fast line - 34 pounds. Raises the wheel high enough .. well, very high. Posner correctly said that London is ugly from above. In short - a big carousel ... if you don't have time to go - and that's fine. It took three hours for the wheel.

In the building where the Marriott is located from the side of the river, there are attractions Shrek, the Oceanarium, and what a horror movie. This is where the boats sail from. There are also a couple of good restaurants Chinese and Steak House.

Since museums were not included in the concept of the route for my girls at all

Let's go to Leadenhall marker.

2. Leadenhall marker - located in the Tower Castle area - and is - a building dated 16 some year. Scenes from Harry Potter were filmed here. Nothing much to see to be honest. All sorts of tourist places and objects are closed very early, at 16-16.30 and by 17.00 everything is practically closed, well, or almost everything.

And shopping is up to eight - dragged me towards the neon signs of the spouse.

London. 05.01.

After all - when you have already seen the main thing - and something went through the second time - you think where to go ?. Someone may object - they say in London, where to go? What are you? Yes, we can’t see everything in 5 races. Well, I agree, there are 60 objects in London (such as those recommended for visiting), here even a month is not enough.

Epochs and events, Kings and ministers, Queens and favorites, Lords, Peers, Sirs, Palaces and interiors - everything is mixed up and can no longer be classified.

I just want to take a walk around the city, stare at passers-by, sit down in a street cafe and squint my eyes in the sun while burning coffee - and not in a hurry. Do not think frantically about the schedule of visiting museums, about possible queues, the time of which is always short.

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Yes ... do not care about time and history, we take the subway and move to the Notting Hill area - the Portabelo market.

The sun floods the streets and carefree tourists lazily sort out souvenirs, look at handemade gizmos and bypass expensive antique shops - disappear in clothing stores, tiny cafes and bookstores - of which there are a great many. And we happily mixed up in this serene atmosphere with few visitors and curious tourists. We went to that famous bookstore - which Julia Roberts used to visit in the movie "Notting Hill", bought something in local shops, were surprised at the price tags for antiques, dined in a pub.

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Separately, I will write just a couple of lines about the English service and dishes. Remembering the recently watched film by V. Posner - England in general and in particular, I laugh in restaurants at the sight of local dishes, because his statement:

Looking at this, I want to say not Bon appetit, but only suitable - Do you want to eat?,

And it's perfect for most dishes.

Service apparently died under King Arthur, a rare waiter will smile sweetly at you, and if he does a cute facial expression, he will definitely not serve something, will not offer or forget. And you feel the provinciality of what is happening and not the respectful courtesy of the world capital.

Another big drawback of all European countries is the toilets closed with combination locks (such as only for visitors), this applies to many fast food establishments - such as McDonald's. Only Starbucks does not suffer from this. And you can, without any conditions, go into any pub, cafe and just wait for a person with a check to come in or out and kindly hold the door for you. Wifi - as a nice option in most local eateries - is missing, it's us Muscovites and St. Petersburg people who are used to good things, but here it's somehow sad. Although what is surprising is that in Moscow wifi networks are not fundamental to us.

I did not suffer from the lack of a network - the megaphone worked properly in London, I don’t know how much it costs - I have a corporate connection. But a travel card for one day, for all types of transport costs - 13 pounds, damn it .. - give yourself a ride.

Next stop is King's Cross station. London Central Station. No ... we didn’t gather outside the city, not at the airport. We stood in line for an hour at the wall where it says 9 3/4, and there is a cart half-walled into the wall. The famous place of pilgrimage Harry Potter fans. From here he got to platform 9 ¾, and went by express to Hogwarts. Everything is again well organized, and they will tie your scarf and give you the correct position and then sell the photo for 10 euros with a digital copy in addition. Well, if you defended it and I was imbued with the moment, froze against the wall with a cart and fantasized a little.

Cleverly and efficiently, the British have learned to extract money from everything. In the souvenir shop, for example, they are also not overcrowded, that's how popular this story is. If you saw the number of souvenirs - and you would be impressed. Rowling's stories are undoubtedly a new milestone in literature, a new religion - these are books on which our children have already grown up and grandchildren will grow up, so you need to be in the subject. In fact, this wall easily leaves behind a bunch of London's museums in terms of attendance, and in general, it can already be included in the top 20 in London.

I cannot but write about the cab, the English taxi. Incredibly comfortable and functional car, no need to think and guess whether five suitcases and four people will fit in for example ... yes, easily. Fell in love with red buses. Amazing - five points to the British for the ingenuity and ingenuity shown in the design of this apparatus.

By the way - please note that you do not need to buy tickets as before. I attached a plastic card (bank card) to the reader at the entrance and went (1 pound costs the fare). Most buses run 24 hours a day.

Over the past ten years, the cost of public transport has not increased, but taxis have risen in price decently. From Oxford Street to Parliament, for example, from 15 to 18 pounds came out, this is if the bitch drove the winds - and such cunning in London through one. I set the main navigator - the driver takes it to the right - navi shows straight ... navi writes 12 minutes - we drive all 25. So at some point we switched to buses.

But if you are for 5-6 days, then you need to take London pss and not look at the prices - very convenient.

In general, when I threw out all the ideas of a cosmic scale for the development of London - I felt so light and at ease, I couldn’t convey. I walked, smiled, breathed, watched and didn’t think about anything - a wonderful state, I just fell in love with the city.

It's sad to return to Moscow, in a frost of minus 25. Oh well -bye London - see you later!