my steps through life...in Europe

Hey ya'll,

After my initial trip to London, after the surge of anticipation, after seeing some of the greatest sites in the world I had to come back to a slight reality. During this blog I just want to write about the area in which I was actually spending most of my time. I will be coming back to London because I have so much that I want to speak about.
In the south of England there is a ever growing area called Berkshire. The towns are growing, real estate prices are increasing and this area draws a significant amount of people away from London, or if many people are obtaining jobs in London they are choosing to live in this quaint, quiet and peaceful suburb.
I want to talk about the area of Reading & Bracknell. If you are planning on visiting the south of England and you don't want to go all the way to Land's End then you might want to consider a stop over in Reading, England. This moderately sized town offers a lot to its citizens. Great shops, restaurants and night clubs are easy to be found. This town is also home to the newly placed in the Premiership Reading Football Club.
Reading is home to the Oracle shopping center and for those of you who want London shopping without London crowds then you need to be here. The Oracle has a theater, 5 or so major restaurants, 2 department stores and a whole heap of clothing stores. This huge shopping center is the heart of Reading and has access to their pedestrian shopping street and behind into the city center.
If you are looking for nightlife outside of London, don’t worry, Reading has it. The Fez Club is just one of the clubs that you can venture to. They are located on the backside of the Oracle shopping center and offer anything from Hip Hop to Metal. I spent many times at the Fez club and we always had a good time, don't worry about the crowds being to big or too small, it always seemed that the people of Reading would find themselves at this club. Drink prices were not too bad, everything seemed pretty standard, 2 floors, one with house and one with Hip Hop. I know that you'll have a good time at the Fez club.
Reading is a fun town, just remember that if you find yourself wanting to visit some of the historic sites in the south of England then you can easily stay in Reading and use the public transportation to get there. Reading's train station has many services to London, out towards Stonehenge, Oxford, Brighton, Canterbury and the North of England. If you want to visit Stonehenge you can stay in Reading, eat some good food, do a little shopping or maybe go clubbing or see a football game. All of it can be easily obtained in Reading. I really enjoyed this city for what it is.
Now I just want to give a little bit of love towards the city in which I resided. Bracknell England is not the most exciting city in the south, it isn’t the most populated but it does have a nice atmosphere. The city contains a few shopping centers; high street is where you will find most of these shops. Some of the shopping includes Sports World, hardware, grocery and electronic stores. The clothing stores are there but slightly fewer, they have a Top shop, Burton, and a large department store. It is a nice place to visit, they offer a few local pubs, worth noting are the Goose and The Old Manor. They offer the best prices in town and usually acquire large crowds on the weekends.
The golf course in town, located across from my school is also another avenue of entertainment for the individual. They offer a bar, driving range and full golf course, it is called Blue Mountain. If you are ever in the area of Bracknell you can have your fun if you want to but I would recommend that you stay in the Reading area if you need a place to stay outside of the London suburbs.
Just to let all the die-hard readers out there know, I will be returning back to London to talk about some of the other must see sights and my insights on them. After that I would like to give my advices about shopping, eating and partying in London. Thank you all for listening I sincerely hope that you can enjoy your travels and learn from them as much as I have been able. Thank you again.

As I last left I had boarded my BA flight from San Francisco en route for London Heathrow. Now I must say that as the flight started the gradual decent toward the foggy city of London I started to make out a few of the dazzling sights available to me for the next 6 months, with glimpses of the Tower Bridge...Big Ben...Parliament...and the great river Thames. As I slowly entered through that foggy barrier it seemed as though the city jumped up towards the plane, those bright lights, cars meandering around the town, yes I knew that I was there and definitely ready to jump right in.
Before the start of London I just want to say that this will be a collection of about 6-8 different trips to London. As I was living in the south of England, more specifically Berkshire and in the town of Bracknell we had easy access to the transportation systems of England and made frequent trips to the "big" city. The reasons for so many of these little excursions vary from shopping to site seeing to the great night life of the city.
As life in a small urban town on the outskirts of London one person wonders what can we do?? Besides the local pubs, great games of football and local shops, you have to be in the city. As my first trip to the city I had to visit what makes this city so amazing to view from the plane. My first stop was the building of Parliament. Now to get there it’s easy and so is everything in London. If you know what Tube stop is closest, you’re right there. And in case you didn't know, The Tube is London’s underground network of trains and trams that take the individual...or hundreds of individuals all over the city center or outskirts of London to their many neighborhoods.
The Parliament building is located near the Westminster TUBE stop. And when I mean close, just get off the TUBE and BAM its right in your face! Standing high, and towering above you is "Big Ben" now believe it or not, most people assume that "Big Ben" is the tower located on the block of Parliament but the term for "Big Ben" is actually referencing to the huge bell located inside the tower. The name Big Ben is actually believed to be named after Sir Benjamin Hall who was, among other things, a fat politician. Now be aware, you have to watch out when gawking up at the monstrosity in front of you. Many people are going to running the length that the street adjacent to Big Ben and you might feel a little engulfed in a sea of people. Don't worry just jump out of the way and snap those pictures.
Now as I stand before this great structure I really am captured by the majestic structure. What you must do as I did many times was walk the length of Westminster Bridge. The view is glorious, looking out towards the London eye or back towards "Big Ben" you can't help but be captured, and for myself I was here. If you can only spend 1 day in London this has to be your first stop, if you miss it, it's almost like you were never here.
After that punch in the face view of London we jumped back on the train towards the next big stop of this city, the Tower of London. After getting off the tube and follow the signs toward The Tower of London you walk the length of this great castle, with a large lawn in front of the cement walls. If you are a little confused don't be, this is it. The Tower of London is the power front of the city. Here is where the Monarchs ruled, people where imprisoned, and now where the Crown Jewels are located on display for all to see. This is also your chance if you don't want to walk all the way down to what you might think is the "Tower of London". After you purchased the tickets, which unless you can get the student discount are a bit expensive, walk down towards the water and look towards your left. This is the Tower Bridge, built in the late 19th century and allowed for easy access to the Pool of London. The bridge can go up and down allowing the ships to pass by uninterrupted. But don't worry. That won't stop you from going to the top and getting some great views. Back to the Tower of London, this castle on the water houses the famous crown jewels which are a must see. They are spectacular in the light but what isn't so hot about the tour is that pictures are not allowed in the viewing gallery. But just do what most people do, hide the camera low and snap without the flash on. Also on the list of must sees inside the Tower are the famous Black Ravens. These Ravens are always on location because of the myth that if no crows where present the English crown and kingdom would fall. I don't think that it’s totally true and I was told that in 1946 they were not present for a spell and of course...nothing happened. But it adds to the great mystique of the Tower.
Thank you guys for listening, this is just one of the many that will come from yours truly. I sincerely desire for you to learn and hopefully take some of my advice and if you don't, I hope that you will at least enjoy London in your own way. This city is very amazing and will make for a great trip to Europe (be careful when you call England, Europe. I'm not sure they like it). Join me next time when I talk about a few of the great museums of London.

This is it...the beginning. In the following months I, Erik Lawson will recall for you my experiences of the last 11 months. Of those 11 months I spent 5 of them in England and almost 3 months in 12 of Europe’s greatest. Now just because I say "greatest" don't "quote" me on that. I have a true understanding in a couple of things, death, taxes, God and the fact that all the countries of Europe are simply amazing!
On the 18th of this January 2006 I had the most spectacular chance of a lifetime. I was given the chance to come to another country, one with a great history and culture and almost live a new life. As I boarded my British Airways flight from San Fran to jolly ole England I knew that my butterfly's and daydreams were about to become a reality.
Jack n' Stripes, Newcastle Ale, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are just a small tip of what England has to offer it's visitors. I start with London because that is where it starts and ends for the English. London is the Vegas, New York and Los Angeles of the U.K. with the worlds greatest museums (if you can't go to Athens don't worry, 80% of that Ancient city is in the British Museum!!), shopping, theater and nightlife are just a tip of iceberg for this melting pot city.
In the following entries I want to tell my tale…if anyone cares, about my journey through this great country and those European countries that are above. As I start of I will tell the tale of London.
From the snowy cold of January throughout the fog of early spring till the beginning of summer London was “where it’s at”. I appreciate the people that helped me get there, and now here re-writing my experiences for all those that would love to listen. I hope that these writings can help people experience London for themselves and facilitate their own vacation…excuse me excuse…their own travels throughout this beautiful country.