London

Of course, it's a challenge to write something about London that hasn't already been written in dozens of travel guides. So here are a few arbitrary highlights:

BICYCLE

Riding into London by bike is really not great. Kilometers along busy roads, through industrial areas, and past shopping centers. It's not fun, and there's nothing interesting to see.

But once you're in the city area, it's a different story: a network of bike paths with their own traffic lights (even though typical London cyclists have a pronounced red/green weakness), often separated from car traffic on their own lane or by curbstones. On many routes, cars had to give up a lane in favor of a bike highway. If you have a bike route planner that knows this (OpenStreetMap is your friend), you can get around really well!

And you can see what a bike-friendly city can look like if you take it seriously!

You see a lot of folding bikes because you can take them for free on the subway. Often with an E: Woo!

The last thing about "bicycles" is the Thames Cultural Cycle Path, which I followed https://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/getting-around-london/london-maps-and-guides/thames-cycle-path-map

Pros:

- free

- many interesting corners, views, and impressions that are not on the standard tourist route

- no special fitness required

- harmless in terms of traffic

Cons:

- description of the route not really optimal

- felt like half of the 50 waypoints are docks or (former) warehouses. At some point, the differences fade away..

Overall, however, a recommendation!

TUBE

Of course, I also took the tube in London. Somehow, the whole city is crisscrossed by a multi-layered tunnel network. The deeper you go, the warmer it gets. I was struck by the analogy to an anthill and wondered what you would find at the very bottom? The robot servant in a bar wasn't helpful either... (Does anyone else remember "Battlestar Galactica" besides me?)

CAMDEN

I haven't seen as many tattoo and piercing studios anywhere else as in Camden. And there's everything in terms of clothes: Punk, Rave, Goth, Vintage,...

You can find it all in 3 versions: Normal street shops (with brightly painted houses), former market halls, and now: a container city...

The crowds flock through as a result, and somehow I had the feeling that it's like at a carnival: everyone looks at what they could be if they dare to dress up like that (except in Cologne, the hurdles are lower seasonally).

And I liked the vintage and upcycling thing until I looked at the prices: original price plus a hefty premium!

HARRY POTTER

Well, Harry Potter is already over 25 years old now (i.e., Lady Di could have still read the first book). There's now a fan shop at the barrier to Platform 9 3/4. With a huge queue that winds its way through the station and continues outside.

But there's actually no wall between the real Platforms 9 and 10! And the film station (the exterior shots) is St. Pancras, not King's Cross.