Posted on :
17:24
| By :
Unknown
Out of all places, Why London!?
London, England has many rainy days throughout the year, it's not as fun as Amsterdam, and it's not as exotic as Thailand. I never really thought it would be the first place that I would want to go to when I was younger, but over the years, that has drastically changed. So out of all the countries in the world, why London? Well, because London has one thing that Amsterdam or Thailand will never have and that's a soccer team ( or as they like to call it "Football") called Arsenal Football club which is located in North London. London, England also currently has 6 out of the 20 teams in the Barclay's Premier league which are West Ham, QPR, Tottenham, Chelsea, Fulham, and Arsenal. So I'm going to London to watch the sport and team I obsess over.
Posted on :
16:50
| By :
Unknown
 |
| This is exactly how I feel |
Arsenal Football Club has
been around for 126 years now and I have only been around for 22 years but the
effect that the club has had on me for the last 9 years is surreal. I remember the
English Premier League was always on TV when I was younger and I would always
occasionally watch a game if I was up. My admiration of Arsenal first began
after watching them play, specifically Thierry Henry. He was the real deal and
I always tried to play and do everything like him. I wore my socks and shorts
like he did, walked on the field like he did and I even wore the number 14 when
I was younger.
 |
| Thierry Henry: The Legend |
Over the years, the team has become
more and more part of my life to the point where I actually stress and get
anxious if I'm missing a game. People usually like to sleep in on the weekend, but
I’m waking up around 7:30 AM and watching soccer until 2:00 PM on a regular
basis. I look forward to every weekend because of this. The results have a big
impact on my mood and will dictate how the rest of my day will go. I
have become obsessed with the team and sport and the obsession is just getting
larger as I get older probably because I don't play as much as I used to. So
the next phase in my obsession is to watch a game at the Emirates Stadium which
is their home field. I have wanted to go watch a live Arsenal game for years
now and I even told myself that I would move permanently to London just so I
could watch every Arsenal game live. Then I realized that it rains a lot and I
just wouldn't be able to handle a lot of rain. If
it wasn't for the rain and high cost of living, I would move to
London in a heartbeat. I
think what attracts me the most to the games, at least in England, is the
excitement and passion by the crowds. The songs they sing and the banter
between the fans. I have really fallen in love with that aspect of the sport
and I even find myself singing on my couch, but I think I would rather sing at
the Emirates with 60,000 other people that feel the same way about Arsenal as I
do. There's so much more to the game than kicking the ball that is also overlooked.
I really enjoy the tactical and mental aspect of the game as well. Soccer truly
is an art and it gives you a sense of belonging and togetherness whether you're
you with your own team or a bunch of strangers singing as loud as they can.
Posted on :
16:33
| By :
Unknown
I plan to go in mid august of 2014
before I start school again (assuming I get into a graduate program) for 17
days (August 15- September 1) so this would allow me to stay for 3 weekends which would allow me to watch more games. I will be graduating this June
2013 and then I’ll be coming back for a semester. After that semester, I plan
to work as many hours as possible from January to mid August so that I can go
on this trip. I would like to go during August because the soccer season begins
in mid August. The downfall about going to London in August is that August has the
second highest rainfall amount in the year so I will make sure to carry
and umbrella similar to the one in the picture. According to the soccer players and pundits,
it rains randomly throughout the day. London also usually has 11-15 rainy days throughout
a month so I need to pack my wardrobe accordingly. I will be going with my 2 best friends who I used to play soccer with. Both of them feel the same way
about soccer like I do and they both have greater travelling experience than I
do so they will be a huge help.
 |
|
Posted on :
16:25
| By :
Unknown
I will be getting a
ride from London, Ontario which is where I’m from to Toronto, Ontario. From
Toronto, I will take an Air Canada plane to London,
England. Through research, I've realized that flying from Toronto to
London would be couple of hundred of dollars cheaper than flying from
London, Ontario. I found the cost of a trip to London for August of 2013 and it
would be $1,237.26 so I'm making the assumption that the
prices will be around the same in 2014. Ideally I would like to get to London,
England around the evening so around 9:00 PM would be fine. I will probably just take a
short walk the first night, depending on how the jet lag feels.
Posted on :
16:21
| By :
Unknown
 |
| My New Diet |
Tea seems to be quite popular in England which I actually
really enjoy drinking since I don’t drink coffee at all. It looks like I will be going for my afternoon tea and biscuits on a regular basis during August, hopefully this doesn't become a habit I take back to London, Ontario.
It seems like I will
probably be drinking a lot of pints of beer as well since there are pubs everywhere and a lot
alcohol is usually consumed during games.Pints range
from £2.50 - £3 and prices for drinks and food are generally more expensive In London so I have to make sure to budget my money. One pub that I'll for sure check and spend a lot of time in will be The Gunners Pub. I hope to become a regular there since it's in between the Emirates and the Arsenal Tavern. I think staying a the Zenith hostel will give me a break from drinking and partying because it is a more relaxed atmosphere. I will use it as my relaxing "break" in my trip.I will also aim to try a different pie everyday whether it contains meat, kidney or fruit. It does really matter to me. I will also look to check out the London Markets so that I can buy some fresh fruit and just food in general. I generally really eat healthy, but it looks like I'm going to be eating a lot of pub food in England which I don't mind.
Posted on :
16:02
| By :
Unknown
I will get around
London using a variety of different transportation methods including the tube
(London underground subways station), bike, bus and I’ll even take a short ride
in their black cabs. I will use London's
Barclays Cycle Hire program quite a bit,
but I cannot use it too long because it does charge you a lot more as your bike
ride gets longer
but I will use them for shorter rides
around the city. I also plan to use the tub and they even have an Arsenal tube
station called the "Arsenal Tube Station" so I will definitely
be getting on that when I go to the Emirates to watch a game. And I
obviously can't travel to England without getting on the famous Double Decker
Bus. The tube is generally more expensive with the prices ranging from
£2.80-£12.20 depending on what zones you are
travelling through. The bus has a
£2.40
per use charge so it is cheaper but obviously a bit slower. I will experiment with
the different forms of transportation when I get there and I will also be
walking a fair amount because it really allows a tourist to just stop, look
around and take everything in.
Posted on :
15:57
| By :
Unknown
I plan to sleep at the cheapest hostels so that I can use
more money for food, drinks, and soccer related events. I could honestly care
less where I sleep. I'm used to sleeping and sharing small rooms with my
siblings so I wouldn't mind sharing a small space with a bunch of strangers. My
family lives in a small home where my bed and room are too small for me, but
I've become accustomed to it. As long as I have some sort of bed then
I will be fine in London. So ultimately the cheaper the hostel, the better. The
3 hostels that I will be looking to stay at will be The Arsenal Tavern hostel,
Globe Trotts Inn, and Zenith Bar and Hostel because they are the cheapest ones
I could find (between 18-20 dollars Canadian/night). I really wouldn't have to
stay at too many hostels because a lot of them have a 3-4 minimum night stays.
The hostels are all different and are all in different parts of London as well
which would allow me to explore different parts of the city. The Arsenal tavern
caught my eye right away because you can't go wrong with a hostel with
“Arsenal” in their name and they also have big screens that play games on the
weekend .More importantly; The Arsenal Tavern Hostel is also very close to the
Emirates stadium and the Gunners Pub. Globe Trotts In has a more
"homely" feeling to it which is something I would need during the
trip when I don't feel like partying so it would allow me to relax for a bit.
The Zenith Bar and Hostel is more of a party hostel because it has a bar with
happy hour specials and it is also close to many tube stations. These hostels
are all offer very different environments which would balance the trip out
nicely. They also all have free breakfast!
Posted on :
15:49
| By :
Unknown
I really have no set schedule
while in London throughout the weekdays but the weekends will just be planned
around soccer matches. The weekend for the home game will consist of
waking up, eating my free breakfast, going to the Gunners Pub for a couple of pints
and then making my way over to the Emirates and then finishing the night off
with a pub or club. Whatever day Arsenal is not playing will be spent
watching other teams play on TV or if the tickets are really cheap and I'm nearby
then I will have no choice but to buy a ticket. I will be there for 3 weekends
so I will watch at least 3 premier league games live. I will be going to a random league
game in London, a home Arsenal game, an away Arsenal game because Arsenal has
one of the best away fan support in the country according to twitter. I'll
probably have to take the train in order to get to the away team's stadium
depending on who they are playing, but that's fine because the away supporters
usually travel together on the same train or bus according to many of the
people I follow on twitter. Unfortunately, Arsenal has the highest ticket prices in England and it also varies depending on who they are playing. For the
bigger teams like Chelsea and Man City, they are more expensive and cheaper for
lower table teams like QPR. Ticket prices vary from £26-£126 and I will be getting a £126 ticket so I can see all the players and action up close. The
amount of money I spend for the away game can significantly vary as well
depending on distance and prices charged by the away team. The prices do not
really matter to me though since I came to London to watch Arsenal so I might
as well make the best out of it. The third game will be another London team
depending on whatever match-up is the best. I will obviously buy
tickets before I leave London, Ontario but I can’t say who going to be playing
or where because the schedule doesn't come out until next year and it always
changes. I can't wait to jump and sing songs with the Arsenalfans!
Posted on :
15:44
| By :
Unknown
 |
| Wembley Stadium |
I want to do different tours of
soccer stadiums in England in the first week. I plan on doing stadium tours at
the Emirates (£12 = 18.51), Wembley (£16 = 24.68), Craven Cottage (£10.50 =$ 16.19) and Stamford Bridge
(£16.00 = 24.68). The last 2 stadiums are practically right beside each other
so I can definitely do them on the same day. These tours allow people to
see the dressing rooms, tunnels and go onto sidelines so this is probably as
close as I'll get to being a professional soccer player. I will also watch any
youth Arsenal games (Under-21) as I follow the youth teams closely as well. The
tickets tend to be a lot cheaper for the youth games and are well worth it
because the quality is still high. I will also go on any other tours of other
soccer stadiums if I am nearby and if the price is right. My goal is to get the
whole soccer experience and I believe that by doing the tours, watching the
games at pubs, and attending the games will show me a whole different aspect of
the game that you can only experience by being in England. I just want to take
in as much of the soccer culture as I possibly can during my time in
London.
Posted on :
15:41
| By :
Unknown
I will use the second week to really discover London and the
surrounding areas. I really have no set plan on what days I will do what but
instead I will do whatever I feel like doing and whatever makes the most sense
in terms of distance and transportation on that day. I will obviously check out
the main attractions like Big Ben and the London Eye. It just seems like I have
to go there because that's the first thing I think of when I think of London.
It would be like going to Toronto without seeing the CN Tower from a tourist
standpoint. I have only gone to the zoo once before and it was on 2 hours
of sleep so it wasn't the best time. Seeing different species
of animals up close ( 760 different species in this case) is always something I
enjoy and I might as well visit seeing as I'm already in the neighborhood.
The ZSL London Zoo will be the exotic part of my London trip. For some reason,
I'm really curious to see Buckingham Palace, more the interior if anything. It
has a lot of history and I would like to see how the royal family lives. I read
a book about Hitler and Churchill last summer and it made me realize how much I
actually enjoy history and how much I like to read. After that book, I have
become very interested in history of war and I hope to look into other eras of
history as well. The imperial War Museum will let me visually see England in
the war because it's one thing to read about the war, and it's another thing to
actually see it and in a way "experience' it. I will also visit the
British Museum which portrays human history over a 2 million year span so it
includes a bit of everything. Best of all, both these museums are absolutely
free!
.jpg) |
| Imperial War Museum |
Posted on :
15:36
| By :
Unknown
During that second week, I will also explore London from a
different angle. Even though I am kind of scared of water and cannot swim well (or at all) ,
I would like to go on a speed boat on the Thames to see London from a different
angle and at different speeds. I want to do it for the thrill and adrenaline.
Although it is a bit pricey, you don't get too many chances of speed
boating like David Beckham on the Thames . The bike tour would be a
nice way to get some exercise and see the "behind the scenes" of
London as well. It will give me a better idea of where everything is so I could
come back if something really catches my eye. The London Bicycle Tour Company
offers a 3 hour tour so this will be enough time to see enough of London and it
will also be enough time to soak everything in.
Posted on :
15:27
| By :
Unknown
I will take one
day, possibly a bit more than a whole day, to visit the outskirts of Wiltshire,
England. I will take the train from London to Salisbury. The train ride is
about an hour and a half and it will cost me £43.90 round trip. I plan
to grab the train from London at 8:30 AM meaning I would be in Salisbury around
10:00 AM. I will buy a ticket for an OldSarum and Stonehenge Tour which are £20. I would rather tour
these places by myself but it would be much more convenient and
faster to tour on a bus than by feet and I would still be able to see the Wiltshire
countryside. I can always walk around the country side and relax after the tour
as well which I plan on doing. I
will catch the last train back to London at night time and sleep back at my hostel. Including food,
souvenirs and the cost of the train and tour, my trip to Wiltshire should be
around £100. Exploring the outskirts of Wiltshire
would allow me to see a different part of England and not just the big city
feel of London.
Posted on :
15:17
| By :
Unknown
Plane: $1237 = £801
Hostels: $340 = £220.27
Food/Drink/Other: $385.90 = £250
Transportation: $92.61= £60
Speed Boat/Tours: $118.86 =£77
Wiltshire Day: $154.68= £100
Soccer Matches: $385.89= £250
Stadium Tours: $54.50 = £84.13
Total Cost: $2690.17 = £1742.81
Posted on :
15:12
| By :
Unknown
It's been my dream to
watch an Arsenal game live at the emirates which I will do on this trip. I want
to learn everything about the English soccer culture and why and how
Arsenal plays a big part in their lives. I want to meet as many Arsenal fans
as possible and just learn everything about them and the history of
Arsenal. I hope to find why I enjoy Arsenal so much through others. I live at
home with my parents and I have never traveled outside of Canada so
this would be a great experience to learn about myself as an individual because
I would be completely free with no restrictions in a foreign country. I like
the idea of being in a country where no one knows anything about me; it's kind
of like a new beginning and it would allow me to discover who I really am.
I've always wanted to go on vacation because it would put me in a
stress free environment where I wouldn't have to worry about
appointments, works, school etc. and I would be able to do everything on
my own time. Ultimately, I'm going to not only discover the beautiful
game, but more importantly,to discover myself.
Posted on :
13:26
| By :
Unknown
.jpg) |
| Santiago Bernabeu Stadium (Madrid, Spain) |
I hope to travel to
Europe to watch Arsenal games on a regular basis once I’m settled and have an
established career. But in the future, I would also like to go to either
go to Amsterdam to watch Ajax or Madrid to watch Real Madrid. Both teams have a
lot of great history with a lot of phenomenal players that have
played for them. Both Madrid and Amsterdam are also very beautiful cities that
seem like they have a lot more to offer than London, but unfortunately they
don't have a club named Arsenal. This trip was only to London because I
realistically wouldn't be able to afford to go to Amsterdam or Madrid after
London and try to do the same thing plus I would have school. That being said,
Madrid and Amsterdam and definitely next on my to-do list! I want to
travel and I will travel a lot when I get older because vacations allow an individual
to get away from everything back home and for just that time, feel completely
free.
 |
| Amsterdam Arena (Amsterdam, Netherlands) |
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg){kind=link}
0