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Halkun is in Jolly 'Ol England! [UPDATE pg 4, Following Jack the Ripper.]

halkunhalkun Registered User regular
edited August 2012 in Social Entropy++
So I'm taking a vacation for the first time in 15 years. I've decided that because I lived all over Asia, it was time to visit Europe. I'm only going to be there for 7 days, so where should I go? I was thinking of trying to find a place outside a city. I want to be away from the touristy places and check out village life... Maybe? I donno.

Any Ideas?

halkun on
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Posts

  • Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood My baby's in there someplace She crawled right inRegistered User regular
    british my little pony fanclub

  • MrMonroeMrMonroe passed out on the floor nowRegistered User regular
    you know Europe is larger than just England, right?

  • halkunhalkun Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    Yes, but I'm lazy, only have 7 days, and don't have a budget to go gallivanting across the West. I chose England. So far on my itinerary, I have two things

    1) "a pub"
    2) The grave of Douglas Adams.

    halkun on
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Do all the touristy things. Tower of London, Big Ben, Edinburgh palace etc etc.

    http://www.enjoyengland.com/

  • halkunhalkun Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    Ehhh, touristy is seriously not my thing. I don't like being with crowds of people, that's why I'm looking for somewhere village-y , but yet, having a quickie-mart nearby. I want to be by myself, but still be able to wander about at like 2:00am

    halkun on
  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    Punch prince Phillip.

  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    halkun wrote:
    Ehhh, touristy is seriously not my thing. I don't like being with crowds of people, that's why I'm looking for somewhere village-y , but yet, having a quickie-mart nearby. I want to be by myself, but still be able to wander about at like 2:00am

    So you want to visit a sleepy little village in the Yorkshire Dales, yet still go to the 7/11 at 2 a.m.?

    It's the English countryside, not Tokyo. If you want shit to be open late, stay in a city.

  • TonkkaTonkka Some one in the club tonight Has stolen my ideas.Registered User regular
    Go to one of them football matches, get super drunk, and visit a British prison!

    Steam: evilumpire Battle.net: T0NKKA#1588 PS4: T_0_N_N_K_A Twitter Art blog/Portfolio! Twitch?! HEY SATAN Shirts and such
  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    Well it seems to me that to really experience village life you'd have to live in one, not visit one.

    And, for a first vacation in 15 years and for only seven days, it seems to me you'd be missing out not to do any touristy stuff! And touristy stuff doesn't have to mean in a city or anything that's too hectic.

    Europe is very different from Asia and aah such a different history and what could you possibly pick in seven days.

  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    go visit hammer studios and tell them to make another captain kronos movie, halkun

    7656367.jpg
  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    halkun wrote:
    Ehhh, touristy is seriously not my thing. I don't like being with crowds of people, that's why I'm looking for somewhere village-y , but yet, having a quickie-mart nearby. I want to be by myself, but still be able to wander about at like 2:00am

    So you want to visit a sleepy little village in the Yorkshire Dales, yet still go to the 7/11 at 2 a.m.?

    It's the English countryside, not Tokyo. If you want shit to be open late, stay in a city.
    Also seriously

    Everything in England shuts at 5-6 pm, heck, even in the large cities.

    It's the one thing I always forget when returning home, I'm very spoiled living in a place where you CAN go shopping after work or buy last minute ingredients for that midnight snack.

  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    Halkun, in all seriousness I think you would do well to jump on a seven day tour of England. They are reasonably priced and you will a lot of the country side.

  • facetiousfacetious a wit so dry it shits sandRegistered User regular
    Blake T wrote:
    Halkun, in all seriousness I think you would do well to jump on a seven day tour of England. They are reasonably priced and you will a lot of the country side.

    Where can one find info about this sort of thing?

    I've been trying to visit England for the past couple years and logistics keep getting in the way.

    "I am not young enough to know everything." - Oscar Wilde
    Real strong, facetious.

    Steam: Chagrin LoL: Bonhomie
  • Butler For Life #1Butler For Life #1 Twinning is WinningRegistered User regular
    If you go to London, I highly recommend the Churchill War Rooms. You get to go through the whole bunker and see what it was like during WWII. It's really neat.

    And the British Museum is a must see. Even if you're not into the classics, it is truly stunning.

  • TaskmanTaskman Registered User regular
    What sort of village are you envisaging here? There's going to be a big difference between a village on the edge of a major city and one in rural Wales or in Yorkshire, for example. You're going to have to go for the former if you want to go to the shops at 2 am though; I know from experience that village shops almost invariably shut at 8 at the absolute latest.

    uGn5f.png
  • halkunhalkun Registered User regular
    I'm not looking for shopping at 2:00am, just wandering about. However I think I might be "overlaying" my knowledge of a foreign country from when I lived in Japan. When I lived there, it was fun to wander the streets in the early morning after everything was closed and be like the only person on the planet. I would get myself lost and check out all the empty streets that winded everywhere. I thought that would be fun to do for a night.

    I wish I could stay more than 7 days, however, my job only allows 14 days off per year and I need to save the other 9 days in case I'm sick or can't come into work. (I'm taking 5 days, Monday though Friday, then the two weekends as a "freebee", so technically, I will be free for 9 days. (May 5th - May 13th 2012) Also, technically it's not vacation, it's "Personal Time Off" (PTO) so I'm not exactly going to get paid while I'm gone either. In a year or two I may have a less shitty vacation package though my work, but since I can afford to leave the country, I want to be somewhere other than the U.S. for about a week.

  • Shazkar ShadowstormShazkar Shadowstorm Registered User regular
    this sounds like an odd vacation

    poo
  • Good Looking Fat GuyGood Looking Fat Guy West Hartford, CTRegistered User regular
    I guess it's just me, but I have a hard time understanding why you would go on vacation and be excited about being by yourself. One of the most appealing aspects of vacations is meeting new people and temporarily inserting yourself into their daily experiences. That was one of the highlights for me when I went to PAX prime last year. I met some of the most interesting and friendly people ever and and gained new perspectives on certain things in life. I found that very fulfilling.

    I guess I'm just naturally a social person, and being from the city I naturally gravitate toward communal activities. Personally, I would be rather lonely and creeped out on an empty street at 2AM.

    Oh well, different strokes for different folks, I guess.

  • LiiyaLiiya Registered User regular
    Personally, I would be rather lonely and creeped out on an empty street at 2AM.

    I am concerned you may get stabbed to death.

  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    Okay, some things to consider:

    Transport: How do you plan to get around England? If using a train, that's fine, but it means you'll want to look for a place to stay with a train station (not a problem for most cities/towns, might be more difficult in the countryside).

    What do you like? Are you at all interested in history? I mean, seeing any of the hundreds of English Heritage/National Trust properties or endless museums (nearly all free), etc., is the main draw for most English tourists (heck, I lived there for 25 years and when I visited this summer I still visited at least one national park, two castles and one cathedral!). Luckily finding a pub won't be a problem anywhere, although if you're serious about pubs you might want to look at something like The Good Pub Guide, because some pubs are very commercial/chains and you might be disappointed to find out you visited one of a hundred identikit pubs instead of the more unique and unusual ones England has to offer.

    Or... countryside? If you're not interested in big cities, are you looking for somewhere you can hike/bike?

  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    Liiya wrote:
    Personally, I would be rather lonely and creeped out on an empty street at 2AM.

    I am concerned you may get stabbed to death.

    By either a gang of hooded-youths (city), angry farmers (rural) or an EDL-squad hunting down the 'Mussie' (either).

    forumsig.png
  • V1mV1m Registered User regular
    halkun wrote:
    So I'm taking a vacation for the first time in 15 years. I've decided that because I lived all over Asia, it was time to visit Europe. I'm only going to be there for 7 days, so where should I go? I was thinking of trying to find a place outside a city. I want to be away from the touristy places and check out village life... Maybe? I donno.

    Any Ideas?

    Are you going pretty much now? You know that England, never the driest of countries, is at it's coldest and wettest at this time of year? Bring rain-tolerant clothing.

    If you want to look at places that aren't London than I applaud that -London is a European city, not an English one, really - but this time of year is pretty much the off-season for tourism, and you're going to find a lot of facilities in the countryside ares are simply not open. Even at the best of times, life in the English countryside goes to ground by midnight at the latest. But that's OK, drinking time starts at noon.

    If you are making plans for next year, say late April/early May, which is the best time IMO, then from personal experience I can highly recommend staying at a B&B* Hawes in Wensleydale for a couple of days (make sure to buy your cheese at the local co-op not from the Wensleydale Cheese centre, only chumps pay the cheese centre prices), then you could either head north to Hexham in Northumbererland (Hadrians Wall), East to the Yorkshire coast (I advise Robin Hood's Bay as a charming and fiendly place, and maybe a day in York), or west to the Wye Valley on the border with Wales. Then finish up with a day or two in London to relieve yourself of the weight of any money you have left and to see stuff like the British Musuem.

    If you're not set on confining yourself to English sights, there's also a lot to be said for Scotland. Eg: the Islands.

    PS you can get train tickets a lot, LOT cheaper if you book ahead, but advance booked internal flights on Easyjet can also be very cheap, especially if you're travelling midweek. We do not have TSA thugs in Britain.


    *Ask around for a good one. A good one will serve you a three course breakfast. I am not making this up.

  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    He is visiting in May! Which, yes, is the best time of year to visit.

  • JoeUserJoeUser Forum Santa Registered User regular
    facetious wrote:
    Blake T wrote:
    Halkun, in all seriousness I think you would do well to jump on a seven day tour of England. They are reasonably priced and you will a lot of the country side.

    Where can one find info about this sort of thing?

    I've been trying to visit England for the past couple years and logistics keep getting in the way.

    I've used Monograms travel to visit Budapest, Vienna and Prague. Something like this. It wasn't a totally guided tour; they showed us around and were available for questions, but we got to wander around on our own. I liked that we didn't have a strict daily schedule or anything, but those are available as well.

  • halkunhalkun Registered User regular
    Ok, I might be used to Japan. I guess I should elaborate...

    I'm not keen on seeing "the city". For example, when I was in tokyo proper, or even local here in milwaukee/chicago, walking around the feet of skyscapers gets tiresome. In japan, I liked finding out-of-the-way karaoke bars where Americans bearly ever went. It was fun to get the initial "what are you doing way out here?" Look. As a gag I would have an American map of Chicago and claim I was lost :) One good natured Japanese let me know I was on the wrong side of the planet. He also gave me the year, in case that was helpful.

    I don't drink or do clubs. I want to meet people, but feel more like I'm "dropping by" than hang a camera around my neck.

  • QuothQuoth the Raven Miami, FL FOR REALRegistered User regular
  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    halkun wrote:
    Ok, I might be used to Japan. I guess I should elaborate...

    I'm not keen on seeing "the city". For example, when I was in tokyo proper, or even local here in milwaukee/chicago, walking around the feet of skyscapers gets tiresome. In japan, I liked finding out-of-the-way karaoke bars where Americans bearly ever went. It was fun to get the initial "what are you doing way out here?" Look. As a gag I would have an American map of Chicago and claim I was lost :) One good natured Japanese let me know I was on the wrong side of the planet. He also gave me the year, in case that was helpful.

    I don't drink or do clubs. I want to meet people, but feel more like I'm "dropping by" than hang a camera around my neck.

    Okay, well, first of all you're never going to attract as much attention or 'what are you doing way out here?' looks as you are in a country like Japan. The most you may get is a disbelieving, 'you chose to visit here? Really?'

    I can understand not wishing to visit London (I love London, but it certainly is very distinct from the rest of the country), but there are so many villages, towns and cities that have all kinds of neat things to see.

    So... can you answer our earlier questions re. transport, anything you would like to see? v1m's post is also really great.

  • PiptheFairPiptheFair Frequently not in boats. Registered User regular
    go to london's south end at 4 in the morning wearing very expensive clothing and ask for directions to the nearest bank

  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    Quoth wrote:
    I liked Bath

    You might like it, too

    stop telling people they smell

    7656367.jpg
  • LiiyaLiiya Registered User regular
    Janson wrote:

    Okay, well, first of all you're never going to attract as much attention or 'what are you doing way out here?' looks as you are in a country like Japan. The most you may get is a disbelieving, 'you chose to visit here? Really?'

    Janson is right.

  • ChimeraChimera Monster girl with a snek tail and five eyes Bad puns, that's how eye roll. Registered User regular
    I lived in London briefly, it was right good fun! :D

    Anywho, I have nothing else to contribute in here. I just wanted to say that. :3

  • SnicketysnickSnicketysnick The Greatest Hype Man in WesterosRegistered User regular
    edited November 2011
    Liiya wrote:
    Janson wrote:
    The most you may get is a disbelieving, 'you chose to visit here? Really?'

    Janson is right.

    The best thing is this applies literally anywhere in Britain you choose to visit!

    To be constructive there are some nice places in the south west you might like from the sound of it, as well as seconding Quoth's Bath suggestion, there's some neat stuff there for sure.

    Snicketysnick on
    7qmGNt5.png
    D3 Steam #TeamTangent STO
  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    halkun wrote:
    Also, technically it's not vacation, it's "Personal Time Off" (PTO) so I'm not exactly going to get paid while I'm gone either.

    What? PTO is "Paid Time Off". It's time off that you get paid for.

    Time off from work that you don't get paid for isn't a benefit. That's just not showing up to work.

  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    Man, London is amazing. It's also amazing because there is so much free shit to do (although some of my favourite places are pretty pricey, I've dragged Mori to both St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London).

    But there are PLENTY of great places in England. I've holidayed in the Lake District, Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, York, Nottingham and Birmingham (both several times), Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon (so touristy, but I still loved it), Kent, the Norfolk Broads (great for losing your dog in), several farms in the south-west (Devon and Cornwall), the Cotswolds (also several times), and I've lived in both the south (which has Brighton - a fantastic city - and the Dover Cliffs and Battle and Lewes and several great castles) and the north (Sheffield, which is actually not really a place to visit but a great place to live).

    I've also been several times to Wales and Scotland, sometimes in the middle of nowhere, and I've always had a lot of fun!

    Janson on
  • facetiousfacetious a wit so dry it shits sandRegistered User regular
    Janson I am so jealous of you.

    I too want to visit every part of the UK individually.

    "I am not young enough to know everything." - Oscar Wilde
    Real strong, facetious.

    Steam: Chagrin LoL: Bonhomie
  • PeenPeen Registered User regular
    The Imperial War Museum in London is pretty great.

  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    facetious wrote:
    Janson I am so jealous of you.

    I too want to visit every part of the UK individually.
    Haha, it was mainly because vacationing abroad was too expensive for my parents! My dad likes to take a lot of holidays, but what with six children didn't exactly have the resources to pay for plane tickets or hotels. So he chose the sensible option of loading us all up in the car 2 or 3 times a year, driving us out to a rented cottage/farm, and exploring the surrounding countryside.

    And my grandparents would make a gift of National Trust/English Heritage family season tickets, so we've seen plenty of the tourist attractions, too!

  • JoeUserJoeUser Forum Santa Registered User regular
    A friend of mine was denied entrance to the UK because he was unemployed and didn't have any hotel reservations past the first night. He did have money though!

  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    Oh yeah, when visiting any country you should really have a itinerary, return flight and some proof of ties to your home country, just to be on the safe side.

    The US is particularly rough - they'll pretty much throw you in jail without so much of a say-so.

  • gazamcgazamc Registered User regular
    Dont go to England. Go to Scotland. Specifically Edinburgh. Stay for a few days. Maybe 3 days (small city that is beautiful and quirky) take a trip (train or bus) to somewhere like Inverness (lovely viilage, also within spitting distance of Loch ness) maybe stay there for a night, perhaps 2. Then back to edinburgh for the last couple of days.

    Thats what I would do. Heck I would do that now.

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