A family of three on a European tour

Author: Li Xingyuan et al. / Country:
Publisher:
Publishing Time: 2003-12-01
Features: Staying in a small coastal town for a while, Mr. Yang drove us to London and asked if we wanted to go to Lincoln on the way. Lincolnshire, a name so familiar, its ancient history is enough to make anyone who has visited the city feel an inexplicable sense of superiority, especially with the famous Lincoln Cathedral, which is also an important pilgrimage site in the history of the Church of England. We parked the car by the roadside and followed the narrow, winding ancient streets to find the cathedral. Some people, though never met, always feel familiar; some places, though never visited, never feel strange. Lincoln is such an unforgettable small town. Its history dates back to the ancient Roman era, and during the Middle Ages, it was one of the main cities in England. At that time, Lincoln traded wool, leather, and other goods with the European continent and was very prosperous. Today, the small town still retains a medieval atmosphere, with ancient buildings preserved in excellent condition—even the old walls spanning the streets are not easily moved. The British love flowers, and almost all windowsills and doorways in the alleys are adorned with beautiful flowers. The signs of small inns and the cute trinkets in shop windows create a delightful contrast. We walked all the way to Lincoln Castle, where folk performances were about to begin. Many people in historical costumes came out of the arches of the castle. We seized the opportunity to take photos with them and even persuaded an old man in Scottish attire to play the Scottish bagpipes for us. For a moment, the atmosphere of history and folklore made everything feel unreal, as if we had returned to medieval Lincolnshire in England.
Lincoln Cathedral was built in the late 11th century and has been expanded and renovated over the centuries, considered one of the best and largest Gothic cathedrals in England. After buying tickets, we entered the cathedral to admire its interior. The sunlight filtering through the colorful stained glass windows cast a mystical glow. We learned that the cathedral's choir was also very famous, but due to time constraints, we didn’t dare to linger. As we left the streets paved with dark stone, our hearts were filled with nostalgia for medieval English culture.
"Here is London" — the BBC radio station’s call sign reached London, and the first thing we needed to do was find accommodation. Mr. Yang took us to the New Dragon Phoenix Restaurant in Chinatown for tea while waiting for Miss Huang, who was arranging our stay. Accommodation is arguably the most important aspect of travel. Staying in a hotel is certainly nice, but the price is expensive. Along the way, we saw many advertisements for Sleeping Inns (small inns), with prices generally starting at ￡49.9. It is said that among the capitals of European countries, London has the highest hotel prices. Let alone luxury hotels, even ordinary hotels (most with private bathrooms) usually cost over ￡60-70 per night, which amounts to 700-800 yuan RMB per night—how could one sleep peacefully?
Within London, the cheapest inn would at least cost ￡50 and might be far from the city center. We also inquired about the dormitories at the Chinese embassy’s student lounge, where the fee was only ￡10 per person, but beds were not guaranteed. There is also a problem that many travelers overlook: staying in a hotel means eating only at the hotel, and this expense is also considerable. Eating a dish of (BBQ rice) in Chinatown costs ￡5, and drinking a cup of tea costs ￡0.5. Even the simplest McDonald’s meal costs at least ￡5. We calculated that a family of three eating on the street would spend over ￡40 a day (about 500-600 yuan RMB), and if they had to eat this way every day, how could the naturally food-loving Guangzhou people tolerate it? Therefore, the primary goal of a family self-guided trip is to save money on food and lodging while still being comfortable and eating well (though on the street, one can only hope for simple meals).
Miss Huang, who immigrated to London from Guangzhou over ten years ago, helped us arrange a stay at her friend’s house, where the rent was about ￡10 per day. The advantage of staying with others is having a kitchen to cook your own meals and a washing machine to do laundry. In foreign countries, the same goods and food are much cheaper at supermarkets; cooking at home not only suits your taste but also saves a significant amount of money. The nearby supermarket is run by Westerners, where you can’t buy rice, soy sauce, salt, MSG, and other Chinese ingredients. While their sauces are diverse, they can’t make Chinese-style dishes, so we had to go to Chinatown to buy food.
Exchanging currency is also an art during travel. One day, at a currency exchange shop, I exchanged ￡500 for ￡335, which was ￡5 more than the previous two days. It wasn’t due to exchange rate changes but because I discovered that these shops could be negotiated. When he said ￡100:66, I declined, and he asked how much I wanted. I said ￡67. He called someone and then asked to exchange ￡1000, but I said I only wanted ￡500, and he agreed.
Miss Huai’s family lived in Zone 2 of London’s subway system, and it took less than 10 minutes to walk to the Archway subway station—such a convenient location. It was an apartment with a downstairs kitchen and living room, and bedrooms and bathrooms were upstairs. Miss Huai’s family lived in one room, and the other was rented to us. Her husband worked abroad and came back once a week. They had one son and one daughter. Their son, Tommy, was six years old, wearing small glasses and looking very playful. He had long since grown accustomed to the turnover of guests in the house and played happily with Kui Kui, even roughhousing. Our solo travel officially began.
In such a large city as London, transportation is extremely convenient. It can be said without exaggeration that public transport can take you to any place you want to go. Our accommodation was close to the subway, so the subway was our preferred mode of transport. The London Underground was born in 1870, a product of the Industrial Revolution. I had always heard that the London Underground was very old-fashioned, with wooden window frames and elevators. However, the subway has been completely renovated and now looks entirely new.
The interior of the subway is not as dull as people describe. Many advertisements are neatly hung in the corridors. We noticed that London has far fewer street advertisements than Guangzhou—they are all underground. During peak hours, the subway is extremely crowded, but people generally maintain good order. After experiencing subways in several countries, I realized that the British still maintain the best etiquette. When riding the escalator, most British people stand on the right side, leaving the left side for those in a hurry. Kui Kui quickly adopted the habit of standing on the right after riding the subway in London every day. Later, in Paris and Rome, we found that people there didn’t have the same awareness of the "right side."
In London, children receive many discounts on the subway. It’s an inappropriate analogy, but children can almost be used as tickets. If you want to save money and take children out, the two-person ticket is even cheaper than a single adult ticket. The London Underground offers Family Tickets, with different prices based on the number of adults and children, about 30% cheaper than regular tickets. Our activities were mainly in Zones 1 and 2, so we bought a Family Ticket for two adults and one child every day, which allowed unlimited rides within the designated area for ￡6. A regular ticket for just one round trip would cost ￡9.2. Of course, Family Tickets have time restrictions—they can only be used outside of weekends. Additionally, these tickets cannot be purchased at automatic ticket machines; you must buy them at the window.
One Sunday, we left early, but the subway staff hadn’t arrived yet, so we had to buy regular tickets at the ticket machine. Generally, the ticket gates of the London Underground don’t have staff, and when children’s tickets pass through, only a red light flashes "Child." If someone tries to sneak through with a children’s ticket, no one stops them—it depends on your conscience.
Taking the subway from the south bank of the Thames to Westminster Bridge Station, after getting off, we crossed the south bank and suddenly noticed the sign for the London Aquarium. This magnificent classical building was once the home of the London County Council, and the aquarium is located on the ground floor. Suddenly, we could visit an aquarium, which was an unexpected addition to our original plan. The aquarium charges ￡8.75 for adults and ￡5.25 for children, making it one of the more expensive museums we’ve visited. It is said to be the largest aquarium in Europe, and it truly feels like a huge and wonderful underwater maze. Under the dim, mystical lighting, visitors seem to be wandering in a dreamlike scene. The exhibits trace the journey of a river from its source to the ocean. Different seas, like the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, host different marine life, just as different ethnic groups live in different regions of the Earth. Even within the same ocean, different depths host different "inhabitants." Thousands of various marine creatures swim and crawl in the glass walls—those beautiful, strange fish that glow emit a light that makes one marvel at the diversity of life on Earth.
Who wouldn’t be heartbroken by the pollution of the oceans when seeing such a beautiful scene? Who wouldn’t reflect on the relationship between humans and all things? The deep blue sea is filled with classical architectural elements and ancient statues, reflecting the British love for nostalgia. There is an open fish tank where visitors can touch the bizarre fish, and the splashing water, accompanied by the children’s joyful screams, adds to the fun.
After leaving the aquarium, we took a walk along the Thames. The north bank has a serious and steady style, while the south bank is an arts and entertainment district, a paradise of exciting attractions. Theaters, concert halls, and museums are scattered throughout, almost every building has a rich history and is well-known. Unless you have a travel guide and walk slowly, you might easily miss one of these "great" attractions. Walking under the bright sun among cheerful men and women, watching tourists pointing at the "London Eye," we suddenly noticed a shocking sight: Salvador Dalí’s surrealist exhibition was on display here, but it had already closed. "If I had known this, I would have come to see Dalí instead of going to the aquarium," sighed Xingyuan.
We walked all the way to Waterloo Station, a very large train station. From here, you can take the Eurostar to cross the English Channel and reach the European continent. The architecture of the station is a blend of classical and modern styles. The large, arched glass roof is spectacular, and the station is filled with various shops. More than a train station, it resembles an airport, with a scale and facilities that are no less than the world’s most advanced airports.
The Paris International Art City, where we stayed, was located in the center of Paris, just across the street from the Seine River. The nearest subway station was about a two-minute walk, and it was only a stone’s throw from Notre-Dame Cathedral, the City Hall, the Picasso Museum, and the Centre Pompidou. I can’t think of a better location. It was also very convenient for daily life, with a small supermarket nearby, which the Chinese in the Art City called the "Radish Store" because it had a radish painted on the sign. The store had a wide variety of goods to meet most needs. Of course, if you wanted to cook a proper Chinese meal, like in London, you had to go to the shops in Chinatown. Xiao Xie and his family arrived two hours later, so we waited outside the walls for them while admiring the streets of Paris.
An elderly couple with a large dog passed by, the dog was very rude to the pedestrians, but the old people paid no attention. Xingyuan was very to this and thought the British were much more polite. The apartment in the Art City was almost the same as when he visited nine years ago, showing no changes. The door code remained 1789—was it a coincidence or a reminder of the French Revolution of 1789?
The Paris Metro, known as Metro, has no roof on most entrances, only decorative railings in the early 20th-century Art Nouveau style. To go out, of course, you first need to buy metro tickets. Unlike London, where the price is the same for all metro tickets, buying 10 adult tickets in Paris gives a discount. 10 adult tickets cost 61 euros, and 10 children’s tickets cost 30.5 euros. Why not buy a weekly ticket? In this regard, the romantic French are much more conservative (or perhaps more cunning?) than the British. Early tickets in the UK don’t matter when you buy them; they just recognize the purchase date and as long as you use them within the period, that’s fine. In France, weekly tickets must start on a Monday and end on a Sunday—you can’t use them if you buy them on Saturday. A weekly ticket costs 87 euros, with no discount for children. This ticket allows unlimited rides on the metro and buses within a week, saving both money and time.
The French truly love art. In addition to the many art exhibition posters in the metro, some metro stations have become galleries. At the Louvre station and the station near the Rodin Museum, replicas of sculptures are displayed, giving visitors a sense of the exhibits even before they enter. Other stations have historical photographs on display, allowing us, those not in a hurry, to appreciate them at our own pace, making us feel as if "this is the only place in the world that is so good." In one station, a window displayed fashionable dresses, seemingly reminding you, "This is Paris."
We bought a lot of books in the UK, except for the ones still left at Mr. Yang’s house in London. In London, we bought even more. Originally, we wanted to send the books back to China via mail, but the postage was too expensive. Later, Xiao Xie (who also bought many books) told us that sending books from France was much cheaper, so we decided to bring the books to France and mail them there. However, this made our journey from London to Paris very tiring, and Xiao Xie and Xiao Xu suffered a lot helping us carry the books.
The books were a burden. That afternoon, after Xiao Xie and his family arrived in Paris, a friend named Zhu led us to the post office to send the books. In Paris, large printed materials can be sent by sea, which is much cheaper than regular items—perhaps a special discount for book lovers in France. The postage for the books was