Liberty Department Store

Written by: Fiona Hilliard

If Holly Golightly ever found herself in the midst of the mean reds while travelling through London, she’d surely find solace in the hallowed hallways of Liberty and Harrods. Who needs breakfast at Tiffany’s, when you can devour floor upon floor of weird and wonderful shopping experiences at two of London’s most exclusive luxury department stores?

Sitting snugly on the corner of Regent Street, Liberty has been providing customers with cute self-styled prints and quality designer goods from its charming mock Tudor façade since 1875. Liberty wouldn’t be British if it wasn’t just a little bit eccentric. So, how’s this for quirky — the store’s unusual timber exterior was constructed in 1924 and comes courtesy of reclaimed wood from two ships, HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan.

Before you even set foot in the shop, you’ll notice the remarkable window displays — heck, you might even want to photograph them. There’s good reason too. Liberty employs a team of specially trained window dressers to ensure that the windows look more like surreal art installations than run-of-the-mill dummies in frocks. They’re certainly a talking point, as are the freshly cut flowers that greet you at the entrance. And not a sheet of cellophane wrap in sight!

Once you enter the store you’ll find the ground floor split into various rooms, giving you the feeling that you’re visiting the lobby of a cosy stately home rather than a sprawling department store. Liberty’s founder Arthur Lasenby Liberty deliberately planned the building to look this way, saying at the time of its construction that he wanted customers to feel as if they were walking around their own home. The fireplaces definitely add to the effect. Anyone who has visited will agree that the laid-back ambience is a good bit different to the heaving crowds of  Topshop, Oxford Circus…

And so to Harrods. Of course you can get between the two using the Tube stops at Oxford Circus and Knightsbridge, but it is altogether much cleaner and calmer if you travel there with London car hire. By renting a car you’ll be free to shop at your leisure and you won’t have to worry about dragging shopping bags up and down staircases.

Harrods, Knightsbridge is a department store that needs little introduction.  It is brash, decadent and over the top, but in the most wonderful way.

The department store, as we know it today grew from very humble beginnings. Charles Henry Harrod established the business in the rough and ready East End area of London in 1834 as a grocery wholesale shop. With profits on the up, he was able to move to swish Knightsbridge in 1849. The building that houses the store today wasn’t completed until 1905 but over the next few decades, the company made steady progress snapping up property throughout London until it was itself bought over by the House of Fraser in 1959. Harrods remained under their management until 1985 when Egyptian shipping tycoons, the Fayed brothers splashed out £615 million on the store and set about blinging it up in their own inimitable style.

Indeed, since taking over the store, the Fayed’s have been busy putting their own distinctive stamp on the building, perhaps most noticeably through lavish Egyptian décor. Marble floors and walls give the impression that you’re wandering through a jewel encrusted Egyptian temple, while a specially employed opera singer belting out elegant arias assures you that this is a shopping experience like no other.

Two memorials commemorate the tragic deaths of Diana Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed, Mohamed Al Fayed’s son. The first includes photographs of the couple above a pyramid shaped display case that contains a wine glass smudged with lipstick (said to be Diana’s from a Paris restaurant) and what appears to be an engagement ring, thought to have been purchased the day before they died. A second monument was constructed in 2005 close to the Egyptian escalator at door three. It is named “Innocent Victims” and is a bronze representation of the pair dancing on a beach. The jury is still out on whether the monuments are poignant or tacky.  Perhaps a little of both.

On a lighter note, anyone on the market for a new pet will find Chihuahua pups, rabbits and hamsters for sale upstairs in the pet department. Don’t forget to tog out your new canine companion in the latest designer gear from the nearby pet accessories department. See, Harrods has thought of everything — nothing is too excessive, eccentric or expensive.

Next time you’re in London, why not make the extra effort and go see what all the fuss is about for yourself? You’ll be glad you did. Check out TWENGA now for the best deals in hotels in London.

Fiona Hilliard usually writes about London car hire for award winning site ArgusCarHire.com.

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2. Shopping While Traveling: When Much is Too Much
3. Discount Shopping in New York City

Beirut at night © Johnny Maroun

Emma Torry of iloho weblog shares CN Traveller’s “must-visit” destinations for 2010, one of them Lebanon’s capital Beirut.

In sunset on Treasure Island, Justin Wrights reveals one of the reasons he moved to Florida.

Kiwi Collection JetSetter lets us in on some of their best luxury beach and coastal resorts where you enjoy a delicious Sea Breeze.

Anja Mutic suggests three weekend brunch spots in New York over at the fabulous Oyster Locals blog.

On Europe a la Carte, Neha Puntambekar talks about why she loves a day at Portobello Market in London.

Vera Marie Badertscher, founder of A Traveler’s Library, reviews Thad Carhart’s Piano Shop of the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in Paris Atelier.

And Celeste Sunderland at The Lobby from SPG recommends films to see,  including the much longed-for The Runaways, in Rockers and Beats in Sundance 2010.

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The post My Cities / 2007 by Taylor Davidson inspired me to make a list of places where I have lived so far. A few nights in a hotel don’t count, only a consecutive stay of at least one month.

Halmstad, Sweden

Frösakull, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Borensberg, Sweden

Mayville, MI, USA

Montbonnot-Saint-Martin, France

Seefeld, Zurich, Switzerland

Notting Hill, London, England

Värnhem, Malmö, Sweden

Vasastaden, Linköping, Sweden

Landala, Gothenburg, Sweden

Guldheden, Gothenburg, Sweden

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Where in the world have you lived?

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3. Night in Guldheden

Wouldn’t you like to own one of these? I sure do!

For more information about one of the smartest personal modes of transport, visit Brompton Bicycle.

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Every day, people book cheap flights to London. About 30, 000 Swedes are currently living in the British Capital. As mentioned in my previous post Finding a Job in London, I stayed at a hostel in Earl’s Court during my first two days. After that I checked into a two-star hotel in the same area, then St Christopher’s Inn near London Bridge, then a three-star hotel in South Kensington, and lastly Smart Hyde Park Inn in Bayswater. I didn’t know that much about London at the time and wanted to move around in the beginning so I could get a feel for the different neighborhoods.

Where to find a place to live?

I recommend Flats & Houses for Rent on Gumtree, where you can filter your search depending on property type, number of bedrooms, private or agency, and whether you want to live north or south of the river. There’s also a section for House Swap and Flats & Houses to Share.

Other sites worth a visit: Flat Share London, FindaProperty, Loot.com, Homes & Property, Net-Lettings.co.uk, HotProperty, and London flats/houses on Craigslist.

If you’re not concerned about the cost and prefer to live in luxury, there are several luxury serviced apartments available such as Cheval Group and One Thirty Queens Gate.

Since I wanted to get to know other Swedes and preferred to share a flat rather than living on my own, I mostly looked for rooms through the ‘for rent’ section on londonsvenskar.com, a website aimed to Swedish people living and working in London.

Where you live vs. whom you’re living with

The two girls who lived in the first flat I looked at near Edgware Road were super friendly. When I came over they offered me soda and home-baked brownies. We talked for almost an hour. They were great. I wish I could say the same about the flat. I felt the same thing when looking at two other flats by Edgware Road.

Sometimes, where you live matters more than whom you’re living with.

Somewhere else than Edgware Road

During my fourth visit to a flat near Edgware Road, the guy who wanted to rent out his room as soon as possible excused himself about the mess once I stepped inside. I wouldn’t have lived there even if I had gotten paid for it. Three rooms; two of them with two beds, one with four beds. One guy was sleeping on the sofa in the living room. Twenty to thirty pairs of shoes in the hallway. One stained wall-to-wall carpet. No furniture in the living room except for a sofa and a table. One small TV. In the kitchen, several rows of dirty dishes. Discolored walls. Stuffy air. Not a pleasant smell. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the flat had had roaches, rats and bed bugs as well.

How people could voluntarily live like that, in an unclean and overcrowded flat, I found it very difficult to understand. This probably wasn’t the standard of all flats near Edgware Road, but I had gotten enough and set my sights on another area.

The importance of replying to ads early

The fifth flat I looked at had a terrific location only a minute from Lancaster Gate, minimalist interior, a great view over London, and affordable rent. If I had replied to the ad earlier I might have gotten the room. The five Swedish girls living there told me that about thirty people had already showed their interest.

Lesson learned: if you see an ad you find interesting, call or email at once before it gets taken by someone else. Don’t wait.

Bayswater and Notting Hill

A friend said that Bayswater was a great living area. Central. Fairly cheap. Close to Hyde Park. I went to look at a ground floor flat along Queensborough Terrace, only meters to the park. The three Swedes living there had me laughing within seconds, the place was rather small yet cosy, the location nothing to complain about and the rent only £325 a month. But because the room consisted of a bunk bed and no wardrobes whatsoever I couldn’t help but wonder where I would keep all my clothes and shoes.

The seventh ad I answered led me to Notting Hill. Once I stepped into the main hallway, saw the ornamented mirror by the stairs and felt the smell of newly painted walls, I knew I would live there. I had made up my mind before even having seen the place or met my future roommate.

As soon as I got inside I fell in love with the surprisingly high ceilings and the French balcony. Not spacious  in any way, though. But cosy. Two beds, a TV on top of a bench, a small wood table near the kitchenette, two chairs and two wardrobes. Luckily I was the first one there and didn’t hesitate for a second.

I loved my new home on Linden Gardens, a quiet terraced house street only a few minutes from Notting Hill Gate, and couldn’t have hoped for a better or more centrally located place at that price.

Don’t make demands

My roommate had plans to rent a single room in another neighborhood before I moved in and when she found a place, I wanted to find a new great roommate.

The first girl who came had her mp3 player on while she was talking to us. She talked nonstop.

“I work nine to five and when I come home I want peace and quiet so I can sit in front of the TV and eat chips and candy and RELAX. I do NOT want to be disturbed.”

How could she think she had even the slightest chance when she made such demands straight away? And who wants to live with someone whose only interests are eating junk food and watching TV? Needless to say, don’t make any demands before you’ve moved in. In fact, there’s no need to make any demands at all. Sharing a place with others is all about giving and taking.

Talk about yourself and ask questions

The second girl, a Brit in her mid twenties, arrived in training clothes and running shoes. A complete opposite to the first one. She told us she usually ran home from work to get some exercise. We small talked for a bit and agreed to get in touch later on. In the end, we chose another girl but those who talked about themselves so we could get to know them a bit stood a much better chance.

Once I had decided to return to Sweden, mostly because I longed for the sea, I helped my roommate to find a replacement. An Italian girl who stopped by one afternoon sat down on my bed the first thing she did and stared into the wall for almost five minutes. At least, that’s what it felt like. After one minute of her sitting there I asked where she lived.

“Near Liverpool Street.”

Another quiet minute.

“So, what do you think?”

She mumbled something incomprehensible in return.

Another quiet minute or two.

She directed her attention to us. “I take it.”

In the end, we picked a girl who sounded genuinely interested in getting to know us and shared a story or two about herself and her current life. Of course, you don’t need to talk about yourself or ask any questions. But more likely than not you’re not the only one interested in a certain place and you’ve got a greater chance if you make a good impression.

Options

Everyone has different preferences. What’s heaven to someone can be hell to someone else. If I could afford it I would buy a house or an apartment in London. I would live there part of the year and rent out the place the rest of the time. Staying long-term in a hotel or live in a serviced apartment also sounds incredibly appealing. But expensive. When it comes to living on my own versus sharing a place with others I’m about 60/40.

I’m not yet sure how long I want to stay once I travel to London, whenever that may be. It depends. But regardless of whether I live there a couple of weeks or a few months, or longer, I have a list I wrote recently of my preferences regarding flats.

Musts:

• Central, in zone 1 or 2
• Wi-Fi access
• Near a park
• Near a tube station and/or bus station
• Not too big, not too small

Preferably:

• All bills included in the rent
• Near a Fresh & Wild or Planet Organic, my favourite food stores
• Large bed
• Minimalist interior
• No wall-to-wall carpet

Bonus:

• Great neighbours
• Balcony or access to roof top terrace and/or garden
• Newly refurbished
• 24-hour concierge service/security and free access to on-site gym with sauna and swimming pool

–

One last thing, if you’re looking for great advice on living and working in London, do check out Moving to London Video Travel Guide.

Possibly related posts:

1. Finding a Job in London
2. Something For Every Taste, Budget and Personality in London
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Tavola, Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill

In November 2005 I made my second trip to London. A few weeks earlier I had gotten an internship at the Independent, but rejected it because I wanted to find a job at once instead. Don’t ask me why.

Apart from a one-way flight from Stockholm Skavsta Airport to London Stanstead and two nights at a hostel in Earl’s Court I didn’t know where I would live and work, or how long I would stay. My preliminary plan was to find a job and an apartment as soon as possible. Since I had spent my first London stay earlier the same year in a luxurious hotel room at MyHotel Bloomsbury I thought it would only do me good to stay in a hostel this time. At least for a couple of days.

After two to three weeks of job hunting, I learnt some things that are applicable no matter if you’re looking for a job in London or any other city.

Decide what you don’t want

First, decide what you under no circumstances want to work with. In my case, that included a job as a gogo dancer, stripper, escort etc. I have nothing against people in these lines of work; it’s just not for me. The same goes for McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants since they represent the complete opposite of what I believe in. Last thing, call centers. I’m not a big phone person and wouldn’t want to spend several hours a day talking on the phone. Except for that and all the jobs I didn’t have an adequate education for, I had no restrictions.

What do you want to work with?

To me, the answer to this question is (and always have been) “something fun”. I have never taken a job I didn’t enjoy in some way and I’ve never paid any attention to whether a job has ’status’ or not. I won’t deny that I like a high salary, but I’d rather have a job I love and earn less than do something I hate and earn more. As I see it, if my heart isn’t in it, if something is not meaningful, there’s no point in doing it.

Before traveling to London I knew I wanted to work at a café, restaurant or bar, mostly because it seemed fun and I had never done it before. (This was before I started freelancing.) So that was what I set out to do.

How long can you live without an income?

How fast do you need to find a new job in order to get by? Depending on your current financial situation, this can be anything from one day to several months. I set my sights on getting a job within three weeks.

Course of action

You can register at online job sites and take care of all applications via Internet. Many people who’ve just arrived in London use recruitment agencies. Keep in mind they will take a percentage of your future salary though. Since I wasn’t looking for any office jobs and often prefer to do things on my own, I printed out lots of copies of my CV and headed out to find potential employers.

Whenever walking past a place I found interesting, I went inside, introduced myself, asked to speak to the manager, if possible, and handed over my CV if they were in need of new staff.

Have the right attitude

What attitude you have makes a huge difference. An abundance mind-set goes a long way. Having a scarcity approach does not. Imagine that the city is full of employers who are looking to hire someone just like you.  Once you meet a potential employer, being open, friendly and outgoing are some of the things that matter most.

While I’d never lie about my qualifications, I usually say that I’m a quick learner whenever I don’t have any previous experience from a specific job. Hopefully this shows that I’m positive, motivated and enjoy learning new things. If I get the job, I obviously need to live up to that in order to keep it.

Quantity beats quality

When it comes to seeking jobs, quantity is way better than quality. Apply for as many jobs as possible rather than putting all your efforts into one choice. No matter how much you’d love that job. Better to have other options to fall back on.

I wanted a job at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club really bad, but never heard back from them. My interview at Sweaty Betty in Soho didn’t result in anything either. After working an afternoon at a lunch restaurant near Paddington Station the owner said I didn’t live up to her standards. Apparently I was doing the dishes too slowly. And I applied for a job as a receptionist at a hostel in Bayswater, but wasn’t even called for an interview. Probably had something to do with my lack of experience in the receptionist area. Anyhow, be proactive and get your CV out to as many employers as you can.

How long are you going to stay?

In the midst of my job hunting, I was called for an interview at Godiva where I had stopped by to leave my CV and speak with the owner a couple days earlier. As a true chocolate lover, what could be better than working with and around  chocolate all day? But since a six-month contract was obligatory for all new employees, I turned down the offer (after seriously considering it) because I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to stay in London for as long as half a year.

I later learned from a friend that regardless of how long you’re planning to live in London, say to employers that you’re planning to stay forever. But I don’t think she meant jobs involving contracts though.

Should you take the first job you’re offered?

During one of my first days in the city, I met up with another Swede at her work place in Mayfair. The preceding day I had replied to her room to let ad and while I was checking out her room, she told me her boss needed a new bartender.

I looked around the place. Dim-lighted environment, a long bar table, suit-clad men smoking cigars while conversing quietly.

After a “hello”, a handshake, and a glance at my CV, my friend’s boss, a woman in her early thirties, asked about my previous experience.

“I’ve never worked in a bar before. But I’m a quick learner.”

“Ok. You’ll get the job. You’ll learn.”

“Really? That was fast.” I didn’t mean to say that out aloud.

“Don’t you want it?”

Did I? Shall I take the first job I’m offered? This job is ok. But I must be able to get something better.

So I continued looking.

If you get a great job at once, by all means, take it. Just don’t take an average job out of fear that you’ll never find another one when you deep down know you’re worth something better. I liken it to relationships. I would never get into a relationship with someone who’s just ok. It has to be the right one. And, in a way, the same goes for jobs.

Dress properly

First impressions matter. Don’t show up dressed in an old pair of jeans, worn-out sneakers and an unwashed t-shirt. Being overdressed is almost as bad. One day I was called for an interview at a cosy, modest café near Paddington Station. I put on my most expensive pants, a black trenchcoat, pretty high heels, and light make-up, and did my hair in an up-do. I don’t know what I was thinking. Clearly, I wasn’t thinking. Once I met the manager, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, she eyed me up and down, frowned, and left me standing there with a “we’ll be in touch”. I never heard from her again.

Does the work atmosphere matter?

To me, the atmosphere matters a lot. The feeling I get when I walk inside, the energy in the place — whether it’s positive or negative. After a week or so in London I went to a restaurant on Notting Hill Gate. The owner took my CV and told me to come back the same afternoon for an hour to see if I had what it took for the job. In the end, I didn’t take it because the look of the place was so depressing. Too dark and gloomy.  Spending hour after hour in a dull restaurant like that did not seem especially appealing.

Does location matter?

Some people want walking distance to their jobs while others don’t mind commuting. I wanted to find a job as near my flat as possible, preferably less than 15 minutes on the tube. I got a job at this health food store (they’re all over London, don’t remember the name at the moment) but since it was located pretty far from where I lived I decided to go for something else.

Just because you love a place doesn’t mean you should work there

I applied for a job at both Planet Organic and Fresh & Wild. And I considered applying for a job at H&M as well. And Body Shop. But then I realized, just because I love a place doesn’t mean I should work there. Loving a place and loving it so much that you want to work there are two entirely different things.

Personal hygiene at work

Before I came to the conclusion that working at Starbucks is not for me, I applied for a job there and was asked to come and ‘audition’ for a couple of hours one afternoon, helping out on the floor, taking orders, doing the dishes etc. I actually enjoyed it, apart from one aspect concerning a fellow co-worker. He smelled. A lot. Of course, sweating is natural and everyone can smell occasionally after having exercised or if the weather is really, really hot. And that’s ok. But not all the time. Or that much. Maintaining a good personal hygiene at work is extremely important. Even the staff room stank of sweat. And I was supposed to hang my coat in there. Not pleasant.

Make use of your contacts

If you have family, relatives or friends in the city you’ve moving to, check with them to see whether they know someone or something. If you don’t know anyone, keep your eyes and ears open and don’t hesitate to strike up conversations with strangers at cafés, stores or markets. You’ve got nothing to lose.

While deciding on what veggie lunch sandwich to buy at Luscious Organic on Kensington High Street one day, I heard something very familiar. Swedish. I eavesdropped on the two forty-something women for a while and learnt that their favorite London restaurant needed new staff. I turned around and introduced myself, said that I had overheard their conversation. They couldn’t have been friendlier. They even drew me a map (because neither of us had one at the time) and pointed out the exact location of the restaurant. I went there with my CV the same day and spoke to the owner who offered me a two-week try-out period.

How to know which job to choose when you have several options

In the end, I had three jobs I could see myself in. Waitress/barista at a café near Carnaby Street in Soho. Sales assistant at Quiksilver. And waitress at a restaurant in South Kensington. I opted for the latter.

At first I had no idea what to choose since I wanted all the jobs. But after listing pros and cons for each job, I saw everything clearer and making a decision no longer appeared difficult.

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1. Finding Somewhere to Live in London
2. Why London?
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I recently got in touch with Adrianna (currently in Dubai) and May (based in London) to learn more about their, in their own words, “part travelogue, part video-cast, part excuse to hang out with interesting people/travel even more.”

First of all, can you tell us a bit about Fortylove?

Fortylove.tv is a mobile travel show from across Europe and the Middle East. Two friends from Singapore/Malaysia live in two very exciting world cities on different continents – London and Dubai. Two very different worlds, but both have an abundance of secrets and stories to tell. It’s good old traditional wanderlust… on steroids, fuelled by web2.0. It’s our excuse to travel more, meet new people and do strange things, so that we can produce: forty short episodes shot, pieced together and edited by us. Two a week, every week for twenty weeks. View it on the website, on youtube, in your newsreader, iTunes, or on your iPod. We love travel shows; we think we should be able to take them everywhere. And we think everybody can make their own.

How did you get the idea? Were you inspired by anything in particular?

We’ve always been avid travellers, and we have the tendency to leap off into the unknown… sometimes quite literally. But we’re uninspired by the regular tourist trail, and the uninspiring guidebooks that tell you to go to the Eiffel Tower while you’re in Paris or to check out the Burj while you’re in Dubai. These sights are great, fine, but there’s more to a city. We thought to ourselves: if we only had only three minutes to show someone a city we knew, what would we tell someone to do/see/eat, and what are the offbeat things we love that we want them to know about?

That’s where it all came from.

As to how this all started: around September last year we knew that we were going to move to London and Dubai, on short term assignments for about six to nine months.

By that time we’d already started shooting rough videos of stuff that intrigued us on our travels, and amassed a lot of cool footage of stuff like May in a backlane in downtown Amsterdam, and Adri among the hordes at the million-strong Rath Yatra festival in India. We just stitched up some of this footage together, for a hoot, and sent them to our friends. They seemed to like it. So when we were up one night at 2 am talking about our travel plans for the year ahead, something clicked. We knew we were having a great opportunity to live in such exciting places, and that we were going to have to use London and Dubai as a base to the regions around us; that even the cities we were going to live in were cities that are very widely known and tourist-friendly, but not everybody got to see the ‘real’ London or Dubai that we knew. In the sense that they attract plenty of business and casual tourists, but beyond the Big Ben and beyond the Burj… in the gritty alleys of Shoreditch or Satwa, laid the stuff we loved: the true heart of the city. We wanted to dive deep into these parts.

We also knew we had to do something about this while we were on the road, and it just came naturally: we love the internet, social media, travelling, writing, talking our heads off. Something clicked, and we jumped out of bed, grabbed a pen and paper and did wireframe sketches of what our site would look like, and what you see on http://fortylove.tv today is pretty much that

So far you’ve been filming malls in Dubai, tube stations in London, a camel souk in Al Ain, martini making outside the Buckingham Palace, and the preparation for the Rickshaw Challenge in Chennai. What’s next?

Traditional beer-making and the secrets of Belgian abbey beer, if the monks will let May in. The underground world of Syrian lingerie if Adri can just crack the code. The 600-700 year old skyscrapers of the “Manhattan of the Ancient World” – 15 storey tall buildings in Shibam Hadramout, build hundreds of years ago to protect themselves from Bedouin invasions, and people still live in them. A Sudanese beat poet’s stunning poetry in English and a little Arabic, on themes of exile, loss and displacement, that’s surprisingly relevant to her own ‘exile’, as well as to the thousands of migrant workers in gleaming Dubai. There’s a lot more and we’re looking forward to sharing everything we see. For now, May needs her passport back from the UK Home Office and Adri needs to get out of Yemen alive (because that might otherwise be quite a dent in our ‘forty episodes’ concept if we had to stop at, say, sixteen, due to one of us dying).

How are you shooting the videos?

Equipment: We use a small Sanyo Xacti each, a low-end consumer camera. It’s about capturing the moment as it happens – the noise, the crowds, the imperfection, the spirit of it all, and we found that the smaller your camera, the more we’ve been able to immerse ourselves in the heart of the moment… people aren’t intimidated by it, and usually don’t even know what we’re doing.

Procedure: We came up with a list of cities we knew we were probably going to go to within the period, and actively started seeking out cool things about them by talking to people who lived there, reading, and making friends with people who knew these cities inside out. We usually just ’stumble’ upon the story ideas, then reach out to the people who can help us with it. Usually just show up and shoot with our little cameras, then go home and edit them into short episodes that tell you the story in 5 minutes or less (sometimes a little more).

I must compliment you for the irresistibly cool look of the site. Who’s behind the web design?

A brilliant Pittsburgh-based designer, Nathan Swartz (clicknathan.com). Adri had spoken to him a year before, on another travel-related podcast project that she eventually shelved. We always thought he would ‘get’ the spirit of Fortylove.tv from the start, becaues he designed our site while he was on the road – literally. He was living in a campervan with his family across the United States, and so there were some similarities. Nathan designed the site from scratch, implemented it in Wordpress, and did a great job.

After 20 weeks are over, what will happen to fortylove? Any chances you will post more videos from various trips around the world?

From the start we’d always imagined that fortylove would live beyond London and Dubai. If we get the right kind of support we would love to do this in two different cities again. Say, Bombay and Buenos Aires next year. Shanghai and Rome. Whatever. It doesn’t even have to be us; if we find two people crazy enough to do this we’d love for them to pick it up for another Fortylove.tv run. We do understand the logistics and the costs involved — so securing travel and tech sponsors in the future would be ideal.

We may also feature cool travel videos that others might make. Or continue posting videos there sporadically, as we’re never going to stop travelling. We’ll see! We’re also launching a bunch of other cool travel-related web projects after this. We’re off to India in July to race an autorickshaw 2000km across the country. That’s going to be another mobile travel project of its own — watch out for that

Last, if you could travel anywhere in the world and shoot new videos, where would you go?

May: a big city in North America; it’s the only continent I haven’t been to. I’d start with New York, or San Francisco, New Orleans maybe. Or on the other side of the Pacific – Japan. Tokyo.

Adri: Bhutan. Not sure about the internet connection though.

Editor’s Note: Below you can watch the episodes from week 2 and 3.  Make sure to head over to Fortylove.tv to check out the other videos, and join the fortylove.tv crew on Twitter and Facebook.

Week 2: Mind the Ghost

London: Mind Your Ghost from fortylovetv on Vimeo.

Hey Adri,

Living in this city has taught me a few practical things. Bring an umbrella wherever you go. Buy beer in eights for a better deal. Don’t freak out when you hear strange noises at night. Continue reading.

Week 3: Know your Camel

Know Your Camel from fortylovetv on Vimeo.

Dear May,

When I first moved here they told me if I ever knocked down a camel while driving, I could expect to pay more blood money than if I killed a human being.

That’s how seriously they take their camels around these parts. Continue reading.

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Enjoying the rain.

To begin with, London is not defined by its weather. Yes, the city is known for cloudy, grey skies and rain, but that has no correlation to why people keep returning year after year. If constant rain annoys the majority of Londoners for three weeks in a row, so what? If the sky clears up just to turn gloomy an hour later, so what? If I wanted sunshine all the time, I’d go to Honolulu or Vegas. Not England. Don’t get me wrong. I love sunny and warm weather, but I also love London’s limitless options. London is London thanks to its great variety of things to see, do and experience. Distinct neighborhoods. Cultures. Markets. Parks. Shopping. Fashion. Design. Architecture. Cafés. Restaurants. Hotels. Museums. Art galleries. London Theatre Breaks. Musicals. Bars. Clubs. Nightlife. Music. Movies. Dance. Festivals. Events. Creativity. Inspiration.

Raining Gold

Besides, when millions of children are starving around this world, how can I complain about something so insignificant to my survival as the weather? It doesn’t make sense — unless we’re talking about some catastrophic weather conditions but that’s not even relevant, and hopefully never will be. If I’d wake up to sunshine and a clear sky in London, that’s simply the icing on the cake. And if clouds once again darken the sky, no problem.I won’t deny that I find rain cozy, especially at night. (There’s something romantic about walking under an umbrella and hear the raindrops fall.) I also won’t deny that if I spend too long time in cities, I long for the sea. In the same way as I would long for cities if I’d stay too long at a beach destination. And when it comes to cities, London is one of my favorites for very good reasons.

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Brand names from the US are popular worldwide, but there is a certain American quality that isn’t marketable yet.

The world is flat, says Thomas Friedman. Clearly, he hasn’t trudged up and down the streets of Europe, balancing shopping bags and a coffee cup in high-heeled pumps. But while I don’t agree with him on a literal level, figuratively he couldn’t be more right. Having been in and out of five different countries in the past two weeks, I got a chance to see firsthand this flat, even, comfortable terrain Friedman is talking about.

Starbucks' familiar sign offers solace to tired travelers at London's Heathrow Airport.

Dazed and confused by premature dawn after my ten-hour flight from Philadelphia to London’s Heathrow Airport – foggy English mornings are bad enough when they come with forewarning – I walked into a Starbucks kiosk in pursuit of much-needed coffee and that friendly green circle. The all-too-familiar sign is just another corporate trick, designed to gnaw at a human being’s comfort in the face of familiarity, drawing him into its serene interiors with as much the iced java chip frappuccino as the customary green and white cup.

An unambiguously British greeting (that decidedly tells apart the Heathrow joint from one of many on Market Street) and four dollars later, I sat down to admire terminal five, the airport’s latest and most impressive annex. Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, and other household American names peddle their wares across duty-free shops, enticing the weary traveler who is still somewhat suspended in time and space. It’s one thing to drink coffee from a friendly cup, but a whole different one to be accosted with impressive labels that mean the same everywhere: corporate hegemony playing havoc with your wallet.

A Dunkin Donuts café in Berlin.

Be it Berlin’s Ku’damm street, Copenhagen’s famed Stroget district, or Chennai’s Mount Road, retail chains and fast food giants are ingeniously similar worldwide, down to the color of their napkins and “buy one, get one free” offers. While some stores take excessive care to change nothing, others masquerade under pseudonyms carefully crafted to fit the crest and seal. Still others acquire new and better looks – it would be safe to say that no Dunkin Donuts in America comes with the Berlin joint’s custom umbrellas and matching set of chairs.

The only things the overseas counterparts seem to lack are American excesses. Your silverware comes wrapped in single ply tissue, and paper towels are rarely strewn across tables. Even the unabashed McDonald’s refuses to keep endless supplies of ketchup and cream on its counters (and you wonder why Americans are obese). Nonetheless, the meat of it all is uncannily familiar.

It’s hardly surprising then, that my shopping sprees through Europe rang drearily similar to an expensive Saturday back in the States, except for the occasional pause to snap a quick picture of a quaint comic shop, a couple hours spent poring over maps at an antique Copenhagen bookstore, and grappling with rapid-fire euro-dollar conversions and improperly-sized Danish kroners alike.

Then there was the frequent need to explain what I meant by “cream” for my coffee (European espressos are far too skinny for plain milk) and being momentarily stumped by a Danish barista’s smug “to go?” after I spent an eternity explaining to him that I’d like to carry my beverage with me. But Berlin’s rich history and Denmark’s beautiful waterways and archaic buildings more than made up for the little travails.

A Copenhagen bookstore: Obama is not just the "it" candidate in the US.

The similarities don’t end with fashion and food. Barack Obama stares out of book covers in English and translated editions on store windows worldwide. Sarah Palin jokes elicit ripples of laughter in any audience. Weather breaks the ice during awkward social moments the world over, especially without the Yankees to fall back on. American sitcoms provide as much an excuse for laughs in Copenhagen as they do in New York City.

I would have been pretty oblivious in my world without borders, seamlessly moving from country to country had I just observed the sights and sounds, extricating the human element from them. Brand names and even buildings are often similar in cities everywhere, but what really distinguishes a place are its people.

With the exception of the man who growled at me from the passport checkpoint during my Danish exit, most people I met in Copenhagen were helpful and friendly, speaking in pristine English when requested, and interpreting my crumpled and dog-eared map without complaint. What I missed, however, was the easy affability I’d come to know and love in my seven years in the States. So it wasn’t surprising that the three people who engaged me in conversation for conversation’s sake during the entire two weeks hailed from Maryland and Texas and New Jersey.

Pizza Hut in Chennai, India

The Germans, however, make the Danes look exuberant with their tendency to stare down anyone who looks different, hand German menu cards to customers who are clearly foreign, and in making little attempt to speak beyond what is expressly necessary. My entry into India’s Chennai airport riddled more holes in my world-is-flat theory. A push, a shove, and a curt nod later I had no doubt that I had indeed landed in my homeland of billion-plus angry inhabitants.

I enjoyed my trip immensely, observing different people, their languages and cultures, and reconnecting with my own country. But at the end of my two -week sojourn, it was refreshing to land in Philadelphia, walk into a Starbucks café, and be greeted with the familiar “What can I get started for you?”

Eight-hour workdays, a whole load of coursework, and my nose back on the grindstone for the rest of the year, I thought. “A grande cappuccino, please,” was all I said. The rest is often left unsaid in a country where adrenaline is always running high, time is of the essence, and yet politeness and sociability never seem to take a backseat to the task at hand.

“Hope you had a pleasant trip,” said the man at the checkout counter.

“A terrific one,” I said. “But am I glad to be back!”

Karthika Muthukumaraswamy is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She writes about politics, media, Internet technology, science, tennis, travel and social issues. Her website is: karthikaswamy.com

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TEXT: Skyscanner.net

In the survey of 250 people run by leading flight search engine Skyscanner in the run up to Valentine’s Day, New York topped the poll with almost 25% of the vote.

Rob Innes, head of marketing for Skyscanner commented on the unexpected result:

“We tend to think of Paris, Rome and Venice as top romantic destinations, but the excitement and buzz of New York makes it a great city for couples and Hollywood’s given us plenty of memorable romantic moments set in New York from the top of the Empire State Building to skating in Central Park so it’s a worthy winner of our poll.”

Most romantic cities as voted by Skyscanner users:

1.    New York 24%
2.    Venice 17%
3.    Paris 14%
4.    Prague 14%
5.    Rome 11%
6.    Helsinki 8%
7.    Edinburgh 5%
8.    Amsterdam 4%
9.    London 3%

Skyscanner’s Guide to Romance in:

New York – impress your partner with a stroll in Central Park before gliding around the ice rink at Rockefeller Centre and then heading to the roof-top bar in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. End the night by booking a romantic hotel room overlooking a spectacular view of the city skyline.

Venice – you don’t have to get an expensive gondola to find this city romantic; simply wandering through the narrow streets or walking down to the floodlit St Mark’s Square at midnight should be enough to set hearts ablaze.

Paris – visit the Luxembourg Gardens adjacent to the romantic Luxembourg Castle, then head to one of the bridges that cross the Seine River before wandering along the Champs Elysees to get coffees for two in one of the sidewalk cafes.

Prague – take a walk along the River Vltava towards Charles Bridge where you can marvel at the illuminated Prague Castle, before ogling the magnificent views of Prague Castle, The National Theatre and St Nicolas Cathedral.

Rome – take in the espresso-induced energy of the streets where Vespas zip past, before taking sanctuary from the hustle and bustle with a visit to the Borghese Gardens. Then steal a kiss at the Trevi Fountain, one of Rome’s most popular spots for lovers.

Helsinki – a city full of surprises, it has the café culture feel of Rome or Paris, the Neo-Classical architecture of St Petersburg, and the great Nordic gastronomy that favours fresh, local produce – ideal for those whose hearts are found through their stomachs.

Edinburgh – take a wander up round Arthur’s Seat for a bird’s eye view of the city, stroll along the Water of Leith in Stockbridge, then stop off in one of the cosy basement pubs that are characteristic of the city.

Amsterdam – take a romantic boat tour along one of its 165 canals to get a better look at some of its 1281 beautiful bridges and the tall thin houses that line the waterways. Then dine in a candle-lit pannekoekenhuis (pancake house), before relaxing at one of the cities chilled jazz bars.

London – a ride on the London Eye to see the city from the air is an ideal starting point for a romantic day, then head to the Tate Britain to see some of the world’s finest paintings before taking to the waters at Hyde Park where you can row a boat for two on the Serpentine.

About Skyscanner: Skyscanner is the most powerful and flexible flight search engine in Europe, providing instant online comparison on flight prices for over 670,000 routes on over 600 airlines. Users can browse without having to enter specific dates or even destinations.

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1. The Photo Blog of Justin Wright features his photos from around the world.

2. Buenos Aires Daily

3. Jakarta Daily Photo

4. London Daily Photo

© Ben Earwicker

5. Images of Mexico City

6. New York Daily Photo

7. Paris Daily Photo

8. San Francisco Daily Photography

9. Shanghai Daily Photo

10. Venice Daily Photo

I’m just curious, what photo blogs do you follow?

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London (harder, better, faster, stronger) from David Hubert on Vimeo.

London Christmas Lights from Alex Gollner on Vimeo.

London and time from Alex Gollner on Vimeo.

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Notting Hill Colors © Felix Carretto

Carnaby Street © Felix Carretto

Colors © Marcin Chirowski

Bookmarket in Soho © Herman Hooyschuur

St James Park © Agata Urbaniak

Sunset in London © Ben Cardy

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New York City

Favorite Destination Experience

When I read question one, top three favorite destination experiences, I first didn’t know what to reply. How is it possible to choose three favorites among hundreds of travel experiences? Each travel experience is special in its own way.

The Swedish ski resort Åre will forever hold a place in my heart, I have loads of good memories from Stockholm (where I lived for two years), thinking of Gothenburg’s amusement park Liseberg always brings a smile to my face, as does Greece, Vienna, Argentiere, Chamonix, Dienten, Grenoble, Lyon, Montbonnot-Saint-Martin, Lanzarote, Montreux, Zurich, and New York.

At last I went for my first trip to London in 2005, because I instantly felt at home in the city, as if I had lived there before. When I walked through Notting Hill I knew I had to live in London. A couple of months later I moved from Sweden to spend November through March in the UK.

Next, I choose Paris for the reason that I fell in love with the city at once. The same happened in New York. During those first two weeks — when we discovered Manhattan, rode the subway out to Coney Island and Queens’ Rockaway Beach, attended a gospel service in Harlem, jogged through Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, went clubbing in Webster Hall, got an incredibly relaxing massage at a Thai place in the Village, drank delicious fruit smoothies from Jamba Juice, shopped clothes in the Meatpacking District and saw Aida on Broadway – I knew I would live in New York some time in the future, even if only for a month or two.

Although New York also felt like home right away I picked Ohio’s famous Cedar Point as my third favorite destination experience. I have always loved amusement parks, particularly rollercoasters — the faster and higher, the better.

Top Accommodations

Guido’s second question, top three accommodations I’ve stayed, was a bit easier. I will never forget the first time I stepped into the Corfu Suite at Blakes in London, our one week stay at the family owned two-star hotel Della, situated among olive trees outside the center of Parga, Greece, or the view from the second highest floor at Milford Plaza in New York.

Memorable Food Experiences

Despite having numerous memories to choose from, I knew my top three food experiences. Above all I remember a three-course dinner at The Conservatory, London, a super tasty breakfast of spinach and goat’s cheese omelette in Bistro 190 at The Gore, and the spicy Indian food at Zurich’s Hiltl, Europe’s oldest vegetarian restaurant.

But these food experiences weren’t far behind: my first taste of the Austrian specialty kaisserschmarrn, a hot bowl of minestrone soup in a cozy mountain restaurant after a long day skiing, a Greek salad from a Skiathos tavern overlooking the sea, the vegetarian lasagna I ordered at a neighborhood restaurant in Parga, far from the tourist traps along the harbor, fresh waffles with jam and whipped cream in Trysil, Norway, my grandmother’s outstanding crepes, the vegetarian lunch buffet at Hermans in Stockholm, pizza slices at Joe’s Pizza in New York, Italian food at one of the restaurants along Grenoble’s Quai Mounier, gipfelis and gourmet dark chocolate truffles in Switzerland, veggie food at tibits in Zurich, sushi in Malmo, homemade organic Italian ice cream from Dolce Sicilia, and wooked bokchoi with tofu at Sol & Ris in Linkoping.

Worst Destination, Accommodation, Food Experiences

Guido also asked about my worst destination, accommodation and food experiences. I must say, even though we saw nothing of the landscape during the train ride through Austria (Innsbruck-Salzburg-Vienna) I did enjoy the trip. The thick fog didn’t clear, but when you have good travel companions where you are is not always that important.

And although I lost both my new USB memory and a good night’s sleep because a guy snored loud all night in the 12-bed dorm room at a hostel in Bayswater, London, at least I had a place to stay (I said quietly to myself as I wondered why I hadn’t booked a single room).

When things don’t turn out in the optimal way, one can always laugh about them afterwards. That’s exactly what we did after a quick dinner at a restaurant in a shopping mall in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria. Despite being a party of eleven, our orders were finished in about ten minutes. I bet they just heated our frozen pre-packed, pre-prepared, over priced meals in the microwave oven. In retrospect I wonder how come we even chose that place since they had no guests except for us.

No matter how disastrous an experience ends up, one can often find something good from it. Injuring my arm the second day of our five-day surfing class on Lanzarote and being stuck on the beach while everyone surfed wasn’t boring. Of course I wanted to surf as opposed to only participate in the theoretical lessons, but relaxing in the sun, hanging out on the beach and taking new photos, cheered me up in no time.

A similar incident occurred on a skiing holiday in Trysil, Norway. When trying to learn snowboarding, I accidentally fell forward and sprained my wrist (probably because I had most of my attention on the cute guy by the ski lift rather than on my snowboard). When I returned from the hospital I asked myself how I would be able to stay away from the piste for the rest of the week. Thanks to our comfortable armchair on the terrace, hot chocolate, some great magazines, sunny weather, and interesting conversations with newfound friends, the days went by quicker than ever. The next time I had a go at snowboarding I made sure I wasn’t distracted by anything.

That was four of Guido’s questions. If you’d like to read the interview, head over to http://www.happyhotelier.com/2008/10/07/10-questions-8-for-erica-johanson-of-blissful-travel/

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Lamps in the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

Submit your most inspiring and unique pictures of London, Paris, Barcelona and Istanbul. The four winners can see their pictures on the cover of Lonely Planet’s new ‘Encounter’ guides to each city, plus they will receive a free Intrepid Travel trip to India, Russia, Morocco or Kenya.

When the guides go on sale next year, the winning pictures and Lonely Planet and Pikeo’s favorite shots will be showcased at a gallery exhibition in London.

To enter the competition, visit http://lonelyplanet.pikeo.com and follow the instructions.

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