Feed Blog Eurocollege London

Weekend/Day trips outside London

blog@eurocollege.org.uk (Alexandra Uhr) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:31:35 CEST

I love London to bits and I wholeheartedly second the famous statement made by the author Samuel Johnson �if you are tired of London, you are tired of life.� Nevertheless, sometimes a weekend getaway can be a nice change of scenery. You do not always have to leave London by plane. There are a lot of lovely places around London which are worthwhile a day or weekend trip.

Punting on the Cam in Cambride, visiting Stonehenge, the Roman bath in Bath or Windsor Castle, enjoying an unhealthy fish and chips on Brighton beach, a chocolate chilly fudge in Norwich or tea and scones somewhere around New Forest are both good fun and culturally educating experiences.

If you wish to experience nature (apart from Hyde Park) you do not have to travel far. Epping Forest can be reached by Underground for example.

http://www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk/londondaytrips.html

The Museum of London

blog@eurocollege.org.uk (Sonja Lindemann) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:32:30 CEST

The Museum of London has been refurbished!

Five of the nine galleries were opened only a few weeks ago in May. Comprising three period galleries, Expanding City, People�s City, and World City, the story of London has been updated from the mid-seventeenth century onwards.

On this occasion, the ECBM staff set forth to get to know about the development of the capital from the Great Fire in 1666 to the diverse and buzzing hub it is today.

Very entertaining and highly recommendable!

For information about the exhibition please visit http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/

Broad Street Station � Changing needs in a changing city

blog@eurocollege.org.uk (Graham Harman-Baker) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:46:36 CEST

Broad Street Station, once seen adjacent to the west side of Liverpool Street Station, was opened in 1865, and such was the volume of traffic that it became London�s third busiest station.

It was originally destined to take goods from the nearby docks to the Midlands, but soon it was realized that passenger traffic would be more lucrative. In fact at the beginning of the 20^th century trains arrived or departed Broad Street at a rate of more than one per minute during the rush hour, and in 1902 over 27 million passengers used the station.

However Broad Street went in to a period of gradual decline, as passengers favoured an improving network of tubes, trams and buses. Soon this once grand station began to resemble a ghost station. I can recall the peace and quiet as a young boy, and the feeling that nothing much was happening in this vast dark echoing structure. The trains used a bridge over the road where I lived, a couple of kilometers further north, so I knew they still ran, but oh! how quiet and empty Broad Street felt; more like a museum than a London rail terminus.

Finally in November 1986 the station closed, and the site rebuilt as the vibrant Broadgate Centre. I wonder how many people realize it was ever there?

Long before Broad Street had closed, the next two stations on the line � Shoreditch and Haggerston � had already closed and fallen in to disrepair, although their platforms were still discernible, and a bar under the bridge opposite Shoreditch Church still retained some internal station features. The next stop was Dalston Junction, which also closed when Broad Street station closed, local inhabitants being re-directed to the nearby Dalston Kingsland Station.

Yet how life turns around! Opening in 2010 we have the new London Overground, serving newly built Dalston Junction, Haggerston and Shoreditch (High Street) stations. The position of the stations may not be exactly the same, but the line runs on the old Broad Street branch route from Dalston Junction, before having to turn away from the barrier of new office blocks just before Great Eastern Street, from where it makes its way towards the Docklands area using a former London Underground route. The line connects with an existing and well-used ground level line running to the south of London, allowing access from the residents on that side of the capital. Essentially therefore three existing routes have been connected to create this new London Overground service.

Shoreditch and Haggerston � poor and deeply unfashionable areas when I lived there in the 60s and 70s are now greatly improved, and the professional classes have moved in to many parts. The docklands area, fallen on hard times and much disused in the 1980s, is now reborn. Sadly in this new production in the �theatre� of London�s transport, there can be no part for Broad Street Station. However it may be gone, but it leaves its legacy: the new and successful service we have today.

So the next time you see the smart trains crossing over Shoreditch High Street, spare a thought for the station that helped to make it all possible: Broad Street.

Permits, Insurances, and Banks

blog@eurocollege.org.uk (ECBM-Team) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:02:30 CEST

Depending on somebody�s nationality, one might need a visa, residence permit and/or work permit.

European Economic Area Citizens do not need entry clearance to enter the UK. The European Economic Area (EEA) includes all EU countries plus Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. Swiss nationals also fall under this category. Websites, e.g. www.justlanded.com, give detailed advice on how to manage all the bureaucracy and which laws need to be taken into consideration. Generally it can be said that citizens from the European Union do not have many difficulties to be allowed to stay in London.

To become a British citizen one needs to fulfill certain conditions:

Having been a permanent resident in the UK for at least one year
Having legally lived in the UK for a minimum of 5 complete years (with no more than 450 days spent abroad, and no more than 90 days on the year leading up to the application)
Intend to continue living in the UK
Have adequate knowledge of English, Gaelic or Welsh
Be of �good character� (i.e. have no criminal record)

It is also possible to apply for naturalization if one is over 18 and married to a British citizen, as long as one is allowed to live in the UK as a permanent resident, and has lived in the UK legally for at least three years (with no more than a total of 270 days spent abroad, and no more than 90 days on the year leading up to the application).

As it is necessary to own an account in order to receive salary and pay bills, it might be better to open an account at a British bank (e.g. HSBC, Barclays, Halifax, Abbey, Lloyds TSB) as they have branches all over Britain and � in return to foreign banks - do not require additional charge for international transactions.

Not to forget to close bank accounts in Germany or in other countries unless one thinks that they will still be used. In addition, it is important to inform the tax authorities that one is going to leave.

Going to London

blog@eurocollege.org.uk (ECBM-Team) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:07:12 CEST

When going to London/ECBM �and maybe considering staying there for a longer period of time or even for good � there are a lot of things that need to be managed. Aspects such as accommodation and finding a place to work or study must be adjusted as well as matters of insurance, residence permits, opening a British account, and labour permit.

Accommodation

It depends on how long someone is going to stay in London when looking for an appropriate accommodation. Many people offer rooms on internet platforms but if it is just for a weekend it is also attractive to book a room in a hotel as they are often situated in the centre of London and provide a better service as well as half board, full board or at least breakfast. On websites like www.visitlondon.com there are also current special offers to book.

On websites such as www.loot.com or www.gumtree.com it is possible to choose between a range of different offers for accommodation. Personal preferences concerning price, amount of rooms/beds, distance to the centre, pets, furniture and home entertainment, and a proper car can be selected there to find the most suitable place to live in London. The longer the stay is, the better it is to consider accommodation in such a rented room or flat as hotels are quiet expensive, especially when they are situated in traffic zone 1.

When considering relocating to London for a longer period of time, e.g. for a year or for good, it is smart to think about renting a proper flat. Many of them are already furnished. In boroughs such as Mayfair and Belgravia one has to pay some of the highest rents of the whole world but London in general is not a cheap place to live and to pay rent. Standard rental contracts are designed to protect the lodger�s interests as well as those of the landlord. As it is usually the landlord who provides the contract, it is important that lodgers, especially when they do not speak English as their mother tongue, completely understand its implications.