Florence Is Being Destroyed By Tourists
Not my words, but those of Ottaviano de Medici, a direct descendant of the Medicis, who created Italy’s jewel. He is quoted in this article from the Sydney Morning Herald. Here’s the first paragraph.
A descendant of Florence’s famous Medici family said on Tuesday that mass tourism was a “threat” to his native city and called for it to be put on a UNESCO list of endangered areas.
I must admit, I get a bit fed up with tourists, especially in London. It’s one of the reasons, I’m a member of many of the arts institutions in London, as it means I can bypass queues and crowds, and get invited to special events like this one at the British Museum.
So if I go to Florence or Venice, I always go in the winter, as the threat of cold and wet weather keeps most tourists away. It was one of the great charms of my visit to Genoa recently, that the city was almost empty.
Tourists may be a curse, but they do bring in money and create employment. We need to find a balance as to how we charge them for their disruption.
Welcome To Milan
The tourist office in the station was shut.
In the end, I took the Underground to the Duomo and then found that my hotel was by the station, so I had to come back.
I know there was a lot of building work going on, but surely some maps and posters around the station would have helped. Surely, Milan only has to look two stations down the line to Genoa.
I did fill in the survey, but there was no place for comments.
Would I Go Back To Genoa?
Genoa was a total surprise and the icing on the cake, was the old city, with its Aladdin’s Cave for coeliacs.
I will definitely go back. It would be a very good starting point for a trip round Italy.
One of the great advantages is the lack of tourists. But sadly, they will discover it!
Wandering Around Palermo
I spent most of the afternoon and some time before I left in wandering around Palermo.
I like the buildings of the capital of Sicily, even if some parts are a bit run down. I wouldn’t stay in the Hotel patria, judging by the look of the outside.
Walking Around Windsor
It’s been a long time, since I’d been to Windsor.
The weather was lovely and it made for a very pleasant day, walking amongst memories of the times I had spent in the town with C and other friends like a guy from Liverpool University, who lived in the town.
If you decide to go, it might be better to choose a rainy day and certainly a train journey might be less stressful. The only problem with the train I took from Waterloo, was the lack of toilets, which was compounded by long queues to access the station toilets at Windsor and Eton Riverside station.
Do We Have Too Many Site-Seeing Buses In London?
On Friday, I needed to get from Piccadily Circus to the Aldwych, which is a simple one bus journey on a 6, 13 or 23. But the whole area was in chaos because of large numbers of site-seeing buses. This one was even parked so that it blocked the Haymarket.
Do We Have Too Many Site-Seeing Buses In London?
Hopefully, when more New Buses for London are delivered and take over routes in the centre, the economics of taking of the annoying tourist-ripping-off site-seeing buses will take a well-deserved nose-dive.
I’m also getting rather fed up in some places in London by the annoying ticket touts for these buses, who I keep telling to Foxtrot Oscar.
Cambridge Tries Its Hardest To Discourage Visitors
I changed trains in Cambridge yesterday and as it was a convenient time for a meal, I took the opportunity to go into the centre to have a late lunch in Carluccio’s.
Every time I go to the city, these days, it would appear that the bus stop layout is different and further from the main entrance to the station. And there’s no simple information, which has a map of the various stops and go to bus stop X for the city centre.
The first stop you come to, tells you all about the Cambridge Busway, but I know that the bus-way at the station goes to Addenbrooke’s and not the city centre.
After waiting at the wrong stop for a couple of minutes, only to see a couple of buses I could have taken, go past. So I waited ten minutes, when if there had been proper information, I’d have waited one.
When a bus did arrive, it was the usual scrum at the single door used for all entrance and exit. Visitors from London, who use the capital’s buses must really fume at the slowness. It’s even worse for people like me with a Freedom Pass, as you must take it out of your London folder to put it flat on the reader on the bus. Surely, we could have a touch and enter system based on Oyster technology all over the country now, as it’s been working in London for several years.
I knew where I was going, but I didn’t know exactly where the stop I needed was. I guessed wrong, as Cambridge buses don’t display the stop names or announce them as all sensible buses do. It must be a nightmare if you’re blind!
Coming back it was a repeat of the process; guess the stop, ask the driver, fight your way through the scrum and then walk farther than you used, to get to the train station.
It really is rather Kafkaesque and how much does it cost the city in lost visitors?
I suppose the only beneficiaries are the taxi-drivers, as those probably get a lot more business.
From Poplar To Canary Wharf
I walked from Poplar Station to Canary Wharf, taking pictures of the Docklands Light Railway and the building of the Crossrail station at Canary Wharf.
It’s going to be an architectural masterpiece when it’s finished. Or I certainly hope so!
One of the great things about using the Docklands Light Railway is that on a hot day like yesterday, it is a great way to explore the Eastern parts of London. Most of the stations have lifts and give good views of what is going on. The area is steeped in history and some great architecture from the old to the very modern.
The ticketing system is effectively, hop-on and hop-off, so you just use your Oyster once or buy a paper ticket and you’re away.
Someone needs to write a proper tourist guide to the Docklands Light Railway.
Wandering Around Copenhagen
I didn’t sleep well, as the hotel was just so hot and the windows didn’t open easily.
About eight, in the morning, I’d had enough, so I checked out and went to the station, where the ticket office was at least open and I was able to buy my ticket to Hamburg on the 15:44 train. But I did have to queue up for perhaps thirty minutes, as there were no machines.
I then decided to put my case in a left luggage locker. Not a problem for me, as my case, only weighs a few kilos, but access to the lockers in the basement of the station was down two staircases and very difficult with a heavy case. There was a lift, but it was very small and slow. When I thought about using it later, someone was in it with a bicycle.
So I said goodbye to the station and started to look for some breakfast. But nothing seemed to open until eleven. In Stockholm, things started to happen earlier. but eleven is just too late for tourists. I got the impression, that I wasn’t the only visitor aimlessly wandering looking for something to do.
In the centre of Copenhagen, I never saw a map on the street, something that I rely on for directions. I did have a guide book, but with my gammy left hand, walking and reading a map is not on.
I did find the Danish Design Centre, which according to my guide book had some good exhibits on Danish design. But the exhibits have now been closed.
Currently We Have No Exhibitions
So I just had an excellent coffee and left.
As I walked, nothing was open, but at least there were a few seats, where I could sit by myself in the sun.
A Seat In The Sun
I’d come to Denmark partly to get ideas for my house, so in the end I walked to the Danish Design Museum, which although it opened at eleven, was open by the time I got there. I’d actually wasted a lot of time, talking to other tourists, who were standing around just looking aimless. It was also raining by now, which made my map useless, so I was glad to be in some shelter.
A Pretty Well Organised Tourist City
On arriving in the centre of Geneva, I needed to find my way to the hotel, I’d booked at a very good rate.
The tourist office was a short walk towards the river and I got one of the best free maps, I’ve ever got from such a place. I’ve even be charged for an awful map in some places.
I actually walked to my hotel in the Old City, which wasn’t that far. One of the reasons for walking was that I knew hotels were supposed to give you a free travel ticket, for whilst you were in the city.
It was a bit cold, but a pleasant walk and I crossed one of the many bridges of the Rhone.
The Rhone At Geneva
Admittedly, I had to climb up to the hotel, but despite my problems, I managed it well. I took this picture from the top on the Saturday morning.
The Climb To The Hotel
This shows the advantage of travelling light, as I always do.
Note however the maps and signposts grouped together. Geneva is a well-mapped city and others could do worse, than follow Geneva’s example.
Incidentally the first thing I got from reception in the hotel along with the room key, was a Geneva Transport Card, valid from Friday until Sunday. You even get them if you are camping, rather than in a five star hotel as I was!
Here’s what the Visit Geneva web site says.
When you stay in a hotel, a youth hostel or at a campsite, you receive free of charge a Geneva Transport Card. Taking the tram, the bus and the train on Geneva territory will not cost you a penny. You even can cross the lake with the yellow taxi-boats for free.
This personal and non-transferable card is offered to you at arrival. During your stay in Geneva, you can use the entire Geneva transport network (UNIRESO: bus and tram (TPG), train (CFF) and taxi-boats (Mouettes Genevoises).
If you arrive at Geneva International Airport, you can get a 80-minute ticket free of charge for a ride to the place of your accommodation. The ticket machine is in the luggage retrieval hall.
The map I have, also points out the location of some of the large free museums in the city.
The Anonymous Widower 