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A Guide To Traveling London Through King?s Cross Station
For visiting London, proximity to King?s Cross is the perfect location. An intersection of six tube lines, including the Northern, Picadilly, and Circle Lines, to name a few, can get you virtually anywhere from King?s Cross. King?s Cross is also a train terminal, in the case that you are planning to visit the north of the UK. But let?s not get off track and get back to seeing London via King?s Cross. London, the cultural melting pot that it is, offers amazing and varied shops of anything you could desire. Located near the major shopping zones of London, both commercial and artisan, King?s Cross is a convenient place for a shopping tour in London. The city is also a magnet for great and creative minds, as is well known by all the thinkers, writers and artists who both came to and from London. The wide range of museums and galleries reflects this intellectual breeding ground, and again, King?s Cross is a skip, hop and a jump away from many of these world-class museums. Less conventional tours to start from King?s Cross could include a round of the city?s parks, exploring the wide web of the tube itself, or the nearby nightlife hotspots. So, whether it?s shopping, rich culture, or any fun explorations that you?re after, King?s Cross will guide you there quickly and efficiently. For the shoppers! Have an early and hearty breakfast (you will need the energy) and put yourself on the Northern Line, heading for Camden Town, where you will find open air markets selling art, crafts, clothes, accessories and much more. It?s best to spend time here in the morning, as the area isn?t the safest at night. After you?ve stocked up on original craft gifts at the market, head back to your hotel, drop them off, and back on the tube! Via the Picadilly Line, head towards Covent Garden, a famous indoor market, and the surrounding area, full of boutiques, shops, and nice cafes. This picturesque market makes a nice lunch stop, with some cozy restaurants nearby. Picadilly Circus comes next: very commercialized, with many well-known brand stores. Picadilly is a fun place to return to at night, as the lights and pubs draw partiers to them like moths to the flame! Head on to Knightsbridge to see the world famous Harrod?s Department store. After this detour, it?s on to Oxford Circus to join the crowded throng admiring and buying the riches of Oxford Street, which is equivalent to New York?s Fifth Ave, a street of fancy department stores interspersed with chic shopping boutiques. If your spending needs are still not satiated, check out other markets, such as Portobello, or just by walking through London, you will find hidden gems of stores throughout the city. If, however, Oxford Street sums up the shopping day nicely for you, head back into the Oxford Circus tube, and the Victoria Line will conveniently take you right back to King?s Cross. For the culture seeker, you will start your day heading in the opposite direction of the shopper. Head south on the Picadilly Line to Russell Square, and just a few blocks south of the shady square is the British Museum. After your explorations, you may also enjoy Covent Garden for its history and theater ? check out the listings as they may draw you back in the evening. Nearby is Trafalgar Square, home of the National Gallery. From here, continue on to Green Park, and gasp at the size and beauty of Buckingham Palace. Changing of the Guard takes place nearby, so check the season?s schedule if you are interested. Slide down the Jubilee Line to Southwark, and enjoy the neighboring Tate Modern and Globe Theatre. Make your way back north of the river to Tower Hill, and explore London?s Tower. Take the Circle line back to King?s Cross to conclude the cultural loop. The adventurer who wants to learn the city by randomly coming across the interesting things may enjoy traveling from park to park, always great for people watching and discovering the wide variety of London?s inhabitants. Regents, Hyde, Green, and St. James Parks are the main ones, each with distinctive personalities. The Tube itself is extremely interesting, and it?s worth reading the entertaining advertisements of the tube, listen to some talented and not-so-talented musicians, pick out who the tourists are and who the natives are? the tube can be really enjoyable during your voyage. Take advantage of being in this unique London sub world! King?s Cross is also nearby to Leicester Square and Picadilly, both popular night out areas. Or try traveling round Circle line and seeing how many pubs you can manage to stop at? after which, see if you manage to find your way back to King?s Cross on this concentric line! King?s Cross, recently made famous through Harry Potter?s platform 9 3/4, is more than a fictitious train platform. It?s a station that literally will get you anywhere in London (and beyond) very conveniently. If you?re visiting London to shop, to learn its culture, or just to explore it for face value, King?s Cross is the best starting and ending point. You will get to where you need to go quickly, and at the end of the long day, you won?t have to wait long to be back at your London home, sweet home. This article was written by Pat Stevens with support from The Jesmond Dene Hotel, an inviting bed and breakfast conveniently located in close proximity to King?s Cross station. To learn more about how bed and breakfasts can add to your travel experience, please visit <a href="http://www.jesmonddenehotel.co.uk/" title="http://www.jesmonddenehotel.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.jesmonddenehotel.co.uk/</a>
Source: www.ArticlePros.com

Queuing in Spain More a Social Event
Going to the bank, post office or any government building in Spain is not for the feint hearted, especially if you think it will be a quick visit! We have a number of banks in our small village and I try to avoid going to mine if possible . .The first thing you notice as you enter are the seats on the right hand sidewall, usually fully occupied Not a good sign, as the queue in front of you is at least four or five long “who is the last” I ask, only for a hand to be raised from one of the people sitting down? “Thank you” I say and look at the clock on the wall I calculate it will half an hour or more before, I am served . .Have you ever noticed that when you visit the bank or post office yours is a quick transaction, it can be done in two minutes or more? Whilst everyone in front of you brings sheaths of papers out of their bag, and your heart sinks! . .One of the things that I do like is the way the Spanish people will automatically make eye contact with you and say “hello” whenever you are out and about Whether walking along or entering an establishment, it is the protocol to acknowledge strangers . .Queuing is no different, as you arrive, so everyone will turn and say “good morning” to you, and you in turn reply the same Unlike the British who will stand in a queue, quietly and patiently in Spain they will strike up a conversation Soon from the counter clerk to the pensioner, heads are nodding, arms are waving You stand there smiling and nodding as though you knew everything that is going on , “yes, yes, of course” and glance again at the clock The hands are moving, but not the queue! . .At the counter, the clerk Javier is dealing with each client, then the phone rings and he immediately answers Somebody needs information on their account, and so he stops dealing with the client at the counter and checks the computer for the caller “No”, I am screaming inside, as this event is repeated constantly “Please I only want to deposit this money” Meanwhile the heads are nodding and the arms are waving, nobody is in hurry, but me . .Eventually I arrive at the counter, Javier smiles, and “how are you”? he asks, I reply that I am fine and hand him my money, the phone rings Oh no! not again, but I smile and wait and once he has finished he deals with me Two minutes, I am done, leaving, saying my goodbyes to everyone and vowing never to go in there again! . .If you visit the butchers, bakers or fishmongers in most villages and towns, there are always seats inside This I do think is a lovely idea and something that could be adopted in the UK For the weary person, no matter what age, it is good to be able to sit whilst the people in front are being dealt with Not only that but you are entering a social arena, where the main focus is not the transaction but the verbal interaction . .The atmosphere when you go out shopping is of a continuous social network Very much like the humming of bees that float in from the street into the shop and then out again, only to be picked up as you enter the next establishment People have time for each other and speed does not really matter . .Having painted a picture of social charm and relaxation please be aware of one of the most cunning queue jumpers known to man, The pensioner still wearing slippers, is quite a common sight in Spain Pensioners, both male and female to go out in their slippers, comfort being everything, and certainly in the south of Spain, climatically not a problem . .My husband was the first of us to become a victim to such a person in a local supermarket Having collected what he needed, he arrived at the cash desk and was waiting in a long queue Eventually as he moved closer to the checkout, he became aware of an elderly woman hovering close to him As he was about to put his shopping on the counter, she gratefully looked at him holding a few bananas in her hand Him being the gentleman, proffered her to move in front to be served Quick as a flash she was there and suddenly produced a shopping trolley from nowhere, laden to the top with groceries! When he came home, he told me” I have just been mugged by a little old lady”! . .This guilt trick is something I have experienced as well, “I only want to ask a question, do you mind” What can you say that would not make you hated by all onlookers, and as you wait and they conclude their transaction, you stand there smiling but knowing . .As with everything in life experience is your greatest teacher and guide and over the years, I have learnt how to adapt from the retiring “English rose” who stood there whilst all and sundry mowed me down We are brought up that it is impolite to jump the queue and wait to be acknowledged Not now, when I go to my local Sunday market, I pick my goods, then bag them and put them in front of the stallholder “Who is next?”, “Me” I call out and with money in my hand, I am served I walk away, knowing that I have been absorbed into the culture, knowing how to play the game and win . .As for visiting the bank, that is something I have not yet mastered, but that is life .
Source: www.rsstnx.com