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Südengland

April - May 2023
London - Brighton - Isle of Wight - Oxford - London Read more
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  • TravelerSüdengland
    Day 1

    Arrival in London

    April 22, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    My journey began on 22nd April at around 7:50 when my father drove me to the train station in Basel where I had to catch the train to Paris. The train ride to Paris was cozy, but when I arrived at Gare de Lyon and had to change train stations for my connecting train at Gare du Nord I started to get a little nervous, what would I do if I missed my second train? Luckily all went well and soon I was seated on the Eurostar train to London.

    As soon as I stepped off the train in London, I took out my headphones and listen to the English accent all around me, which made me immediately happy.

    I put down my luggage at my hotel and walked down to the London Towers, crossed the Tower Bridge, and wandered along the Themes. Although I discovered cute spots, I made an early return to my hotel because I was tired but very grateful.    Read more

  • TravelerSüdengland
    Day 2

    Rainy day in London

    April 23, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    I started my day with a visit to the National Gallery. I got to see amazing art, such as Vincent van Goghs Sunflowers, 4th Version. Sadly the Trafalgar Square right by the museum was under construction, but I still got to see the high statue.

    The weather was rainy and gloomy, which I didn‘t mind because it felt like England. I made my way up to Piccadilly Circus. After eating lunch and visiting the largest bookstore in Europe I wandered around the streets up to Oxford Street and looked at some shops there.

    In the evening I went to eat dinner in a Greek restaurant right by the Tower Bridge.

    It was a very relaxed day and I got a good sense of London for my second stay at the end of my trip.    Read more

  • TravelerSüdengland
    Day 3

    Traveling to Brighton

    April 24, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    The past few days I woke up pretty early m, probably due to the time difference and being used to waking up early from work. But I enjoy it because I get to have slow mornings.

    I packed my belongings and went to the Bridge train station and ate breakfast there. The train I took to Brighton took around an hour and as soon as I arrived the charm of the city hit me. Besides the fact that I desperately tried to find a bathroom.

    After I checked in at my hotel I strolled around Brighton and sat on the beach. Where I ended my day with a picnic and a seal lying next to me.    Read more

  • TravelerSüdengland
    Day 4

    The Seven Sisters

    April 25, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Today, after breakfast, I took a bus along the coastline to the Seven Sisters. It comprises 280 hectares of chalk cliffs, a meandering river valley, and open chalk grassland.

    From the visitors center, I started my hike. I walked on the cliffs, although it was a constant up and down due to the shapes of the cliffs. Every once in a while I stopped and enjoyed the view, sat down on the soft grass, and ate my lunch.

    I find this a very special place. It is very quiet, and you can distantly hear the waves crashing from the bottom of the cliffs. The grass and ground you walk on feel soft, yet you feel the power these cliffs hold due to their massive size.

    After 4 hours I got back to the visitors center and traveled back to Brighton by bus, where I just sat by the beach and went to bed early because I was tired.    Read more

  • TravelerSüdengland
    Day 6

    Two relaxing days in Brighton

    April 27, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    I spent the previous two days in Brighton and took it slow. I explored Brighton and I walked through the Lanes and North Laine, streets with many cute cafes, restaurants, and stores. Such as jewelry stores and second-hand shops.

    I visited the Brighton Museum where I learned a lot about other topics. Exhibited were furniture, and art, there was a room about the ancestors who lived in this area many years ago, but also a part about Brightons' own history, such as the Brighton Pier or the LGBTQI+ movement in this city:

    In the 5th century, the Anglos-Saxons formed the kingdom Sussex which Brighton was a part of too. Brighton grew to a fisher and farmer city, the fisher lived along the shore and the farmers on a cliff. In 1514, the French burned the little town of Brighton. Which wasn’t a hard task due to most of the buildings being out of wood, it was soon rebuilt though.

    Fast forward to the 20th century, when the Pavilion was used as a hospital for Indian soldiers during world war I. Because it was an imitation of an Indian place.

    Brighton has recorded LGBTQI+ history in the city since the 19th century. Many men were initially drawn to Brighton by the enormous numbers of soldiers garrisoned in the town during the Napoleonic Wars. Evidence suggests that a floating population and good transport links with London helped its reputation as a place for the LGBT community. By the 1930s, Brighton started to flourish as a gay destination and many gay and lesbian pubs started to establish themselves. During the Second World War, Brighton was filled with soldiers. Women and men in the forces who were away from home meeting other lesbians and gay people for the first time in their lives also heard about Brighton and its special pleasures and helped turn it into a gay destination in the post-war years.

    I also enjoyed the beach, although it was pretty windy. I sat and read, listened to a podcast or music, and jogged along the promenade.    Read more

  • TravelerSüdengland
    Day 9

    Isle of Wight

    April 30, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    On Friday, 28th April, I traveled to the Isle of Wight. An Island south of the City of Southhampton, where the Titanic started back in 1912. From there I took a boat to the island which lasted for about 30 mins. I arrived at the city of Cowes. I stayed on the West end of the city. Cowes is parted by a canal of ocean water, and you can only get to the other side by boat which they call a floating bridge (it only takes a couple of minutes), or drive all the way down through another city and then back up. My hotel was directly at the water, approximately 10 to 15 min on foot from the city center. On Saturday I decided to visit the Osborne House in East Cowes. So I made my way through the pretty town of West Cowes. It is filled with restaurants and cafes, local stores, and clothing shops in more of a beach style. I took the floating bridge to East Cowes and the bus to the Osborne House. Osborne House was the home of Queen Victoria. Supposedly it was her favorite place. The property is huge and carries many pathways for walks, and even Woods with animals in it, a private beach, a house for Queen Victorias and Prince Alberts children where they could play and learn and each had their own Garden, called the Swiss Cottage and of course the main building; Osborne House. It is built in an Italian style and has yellowish walls, that shine brightly in the sunlight. On the terrace is a huge garden with amazing flower arrangements and water fountains and you can see the sea. Queen Victoria's private beach access was about a 10-minute walk down the hill from the main house.
    The house was built between 1845 and 1851. It should serve as a summer home and retreat. Visiting the house and seeing all the beautiful rooms, I learned that the Queen always spent her birthdays at Osborne and died there in 1902. On the beach was the bathing machine showcased that the Queen used. It looks like a carriage and when the queen wishes to bathe in the sea, it was pulled into the water and the water flowed into the machine through little openings. This way Queen Victoria had her privacy while bathing.
    I spent a couple of hours at Osborne because I was truly stunned at how beautiful it was, and luckily it was sunny all day.

    In the evening, back in West Cowes, I ate dinner at the beach. I loved my stay on the Isle of Wight and will definitely go back because the island has so many more attractions I want to see.    Read more

  • TravelerSüdengland
    Day 10

    Oxford

    May 1, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    On Sunday and to leave the Isle of Wight and commuted to Oxford. The journey there was rather long, but it was easy to find the trains and buses I had to take. I arrived in the late afternoon at my Bed and Breakfast in Summertown, an area in Oxford with pretty neighborhoods and shops, and cafes. I was pretty tired so I just wandered around the area and went to bed early.

    After a nice breakfast on Monday, I went into the city center of Oxford.
    Oxford was founded back in the 9th century. In the Middle Ages Oxford grew rather important, it’s said it was the 6th largest city in England at that time. In the late 12th century the University of Oxford was built. Today the University and its colleges have around 40’000 attending, which makes up a quarter of the city. Between the massive and elegant-looking old buildings that host colleges or museums, you can always find green spots and trees. As I walked through the city and looked at all the pretty colleges, libraries, and churches I felt the city's charm that the mix between the long history and modernity the people living there brought it. Despite the many people roaming around, you feel safe and connected to the city. I find it a very pretty city and I can tell, why so many students want to study at the University of Oxford.    Read more

  • TravelerSüdengland
    Day 11

    Back in London

    May 2, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    From Oxford, I took the train back to London. I‘m staying in a little apartment in Kensington. The neighborhood with the pretty white townhouses. After settling in I went to Camden Market. It‘s a market with many little shops of all kinds of sorts, jewelry, vintage clothing, art, and many more. As well as food stands.
    After I took the underground to Buckingham Palace and I could see that preparations for the coronation of King Charles are being made. I walked to Westminster and looked at the church and the building of Parliament with Big Ben. Also called the Palace of Westminster. It is the meeting point for both houses, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Across the river, I spotted Big Ben.    Read more

  • TravelerSüdengland
    Day 12

    A sunny day in London

    May 3, 2023 in England

    Today was beautiful weather. So I decided to go to the City Centre to enjoy all the famous sights in the sun. I took the underground to Picadilly Circus and walked towards Oxford Street. I stopped at some shops and enjoyed the atmosphere, somehow it felt everyone was in a good mood. I ate lunch at Trafalgar Square, luckily it wasn‘t under construction anymore, like at the beginning of my trip. The big space was established in the 19th century and its name Trafalgar comes from a battle in the Napoleonic war off the coast of Cape Trafalgar.
    Then I went to my apartment to rest for a couple of minutes and then I walked through Kensington to the famous neighborhood of Notting Hill. Not only is it popular for its pretty and colorful houses and the famous movie Notting Hill with Julia Roberts, but it also has an amazing market, called the Portobello Market. It has very unique vintage stores and stands, cafes, and many more. And I loved it so much more than Camden Market.    Read more

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