Pierre Vivant’s sculpture, Traffic Light Tree in the Docklands, London by

Travel and Timing

London being a big city is highly busy and crowded and can also be a little costly to get around. Getting a taxi then is not a smart move if you want to keep prices down and avoid a lot of stress (though of course you might like the idea of travelling in a London black cab), which means you need to take the tube.

And this is why I highly recommend going on your London night out earlier than you might do a night out at home. Head into central London for 5 or even 4, and you can this way start drinking early and get a good seat before the bankers and other business men and women start to arrive.

This has several other advantages too – firstly it means you will be there for the happy hor drinks and this way you can save huge amounts of money that you would otherwise spend on even a single drink so you can ensure you’re in good spirits early on. Then you will head to the club for around 9.30 or 10 – missing the expensive entry prices that tend to come into effect around 11, and you’ll be able to head back around 12.30am/1am after a good night of dancing and still get the tube home to where you’re staying very cheaply and with no hassle.

London evening panorama, UK by Alexander Kachkaev

Where to Go

The best place to go for your full London experience is Covent Garden. Covent Garden is a fantastically scenic area that’s within walking distance of some of the other central areas too like Leicester Square. It has plenty of great places to eat, but also a lot of brilliant clubs and bars. A few exciting and different places to visit are Adventure Bar – a bar/club set underground where the staff set fire to things and get half undressed creating a very crazy atmosphere, Roadhouse  – a club with lots of great rock music and cheese, and Foundation Bar – where you can drink cocktails out of teapots and test tubes and enjoy a dance floor with its own live Saxophonist. Alternatively if you want to try something a bit different you might want to sign up for the Medieval  Banquet where you can watch a brilliant show while drinking out of chalices and eating with your hands.

Of course there are plenty of other great areas to visit in London too, such as Camden which has a brilliantly artistic and alternative vibe, or Kingston for a huge Oceana with multiple floors and different themed rooms. If you just want some quiet drinks meanwhile with some atmosphere, then the O2 can offer a lot of brilliant cocktail bars, while you can also get a lot of nice drinks at the Westfield Center in Shepherd’s Bush.

Jeff is an avid blogger. He has keen interest in writing about travelling. He is part of the team www.lanzarotevillas.ie, which is a volcanic island having spectacular scenery and stark beauty.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Sebastian Bergmann

The church was built on the site, where according to legend, was St. Peter sentenced to death, 400 years before. At that time, the Emperor Nero, persecuted all Christians. The people started to build a church originally only as a place where they could store “Vincoli” – the chains that St. Peter was bound with in Jerusalem.

But much more attractive relics in the church is a monumental statue of Moses situated at the end of the right side of the aisle. Michelangelo was supposed to create a total of 42 sculptures for the tomb of Pope Claire II., but finally only one statue was completed. The pope gave Michelangelo also another work in the Sistine Chapel, so he didn’t have much time to complete his tomb. After his death, no one had an interest in wasting money for the celebration, so Michelangelo decided to create at least the first sculpture as a powerful and soulful figure of Moses. And this is how one of Michelangelo’s greatest masterpieces grew up.

View San Pietro in Vincoli – home of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses Rome, Italy in a larger map

Basilica San Pietro in Vincoli is located in the centre of Rome, just few steps from Colosseum. Walk up the hill towards the park and you are there. However this church is not in every city guide, you certainly should not miss this great piece of art. If you will be stressed from all those crowds, this is the best place you can relax.

View San Pietro in Vincoli – home of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses Rome, Italy in a larger map

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Torre de Hercules was already built by the Romans in the 2nd century. As already mentioned, it is still working, which makes it a unique monument. Torre de Hercules is 68 meters high; there are 234 stairs leading to the top. The lighting ensures a group of 4 lights that flash every 20 seconds and is visible up to a distance of 39 km. Torre de Hercules and this entire site is otherwise surrounded by a series of legends.

Around the tower Torre de Hercules there is the Statue Park, an open-air museum. There are more than 15 sculptures by major artists of the 20th Century, such as Francisco Leiro or Pablo Serrano. For local residents the most important sculpture is Breogan, which is the mythological father of the population of Galicia.

Thanks to its historical significance, Torre de Hercules is registered since 2009 in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.

Not far from tower you can also visit A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, the Roman walls of Lugo city, Aquarium Finisterrae.

View Torre de Hércules – the oldest active lighthouse in the world Spain in a larger map

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