Is Scotland A Country?

Posted on April 18, 2019April 20, 2019 by dev

The answer to the question is more complicated than you would think.

Is Scotland a country?

The question of whether Scotland is a country or not may raise some level of confusion because it can fall on either side of the argument. Scotland has its own flag, its own national identity and The Scottish Parliament has the power to make its own laws.

However, it can only make laws on certain areas. These areas are specified in the Scotland Act and are called ‘devolved issues’.

There are eight accepted criteria that form the basis of whether a region is an independent nation or not. A country needs to fulfill all of the criteria to be recognized as an independent State. Scotland meets some of them, but not all of the criterias.

My very first time in Scotland out of many. Here with the Loch Ness Monster

The 8 Criteria

To be an independent country you need to have these 8 criteria accepted!

1: The Territory Must Have Boundaries Recognized Internationally

Scotland has!

Scotland’s territorial extent is based on the Treaty of York of 1237 agreed between the Kingdom of England and Scotland and the subsequent Treaty of Perth of 1266 between Scotland and Norway. However, over time portions of Scotland’s territory were lost. The Isle of Man acquired by the UK and Shetland and Orkney lost to Norway. Scotland’s area is 30,414 square miles.

2: Population

Check too!

In 2017 there’s reported a population of 5,425,400, a rise from the 5,062,011 in 2001.

About 62% of the residents identified as being “Scottish only,” while 18% said they were Scottish and British. 8% of the population identified as “British only” while 4% identified as being of another identity only. Glasgow, with more than 1,2 million inhabitants living in the Greater Glasgow conurbation, ranks as Scotland’s largest city, eventhough Edinburgh is the capital of the nation.

3: An Organized Economy and Economic Activity

Hmmmmmm! This is a tough one!

A country needs to regulate both domestic and foreign trade and disburse the money.

In 2015, Scotland’s economy registered approximately 145 billion British Pounds in GDP. The per capita GDP of Scotland was among the highest in the EU same year. Scotland has an open mixed economy similar to what’s used in western countries, including the UK.

Scotland, however, does not regulate its domestic or foreign trade as the Scottish Parliament is not empowered to do so. Although the Bank of Scotland has the mandate to print money, it only prints the British Pound and does so on behalf of the Central Government.

4: The Power of Social Engineering

Yes! Or?

The Scottish Parliament retains the power to control education as well as social work and training. However, this power does not extend to social security. Scotland’s education system thus differs from that implemented in the rest of the UK.

5: Transportation System

It’s a UK thing!

Although Scotland possesses a transportation system, it is partially controlled by the UK. While Scotland manages rail strategy and funding, the UK, under the Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, operates Scotland’s rail network. Scotland manages ports and harbors and the road network while the UK oversees transport regulation and safety.

6: A Government That Offers Public Services in Addition to Police Power

Yep.. They control home affairs and law in Scotland! But..

The UK Parliament retains the mandate to oversee national security and defense in all parts of the UK. Scotland, through its parliament, has the mandate to control home affairs and law including the courts and the prosecution system.

7: Sovereignty

Nope!

Scotland lacks sovereignty as it is not an independent nation. According to the criteria of sovereignty, no other country should have authority over the particular nation’s territory. The United Kingdom maintains authority over the territory of Scotland

8: International Recognition

This criterion requires that other countries should recognize the sovereignty of the country in question. Scotland does not operate embassies in other nations, and it lacks external recognition.

Holding the Scottish flag in Edinburgh, Scotland

My thoughts – Is Scotland A Country?

Scotland is NOT a member of the United Nations.

But if I had been to every UN country in the World and not Scotland, it would just feel wrong..

If you you ask any British person, they would say, “yes, Scotland is a country”, much as Wales, England and Northern Ireland are. Scotland has an independent parliament, and have their own laws, and you’ll also see them represented by their own sports teams, though they share a military and an economy.

However, they’re also part of a union: the United Kingdom, which only have 1 seat in the UN, all ostensibly ruled by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. It’s been like that since 1706, with the Act of Union, which brought two countries together – two kingdoms of England and Scotland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

Scotland have considered breaking the union on several occasions and becoming a fully-independent nation once more (particularly in the wake of the Brexit), but they elected to remain part of the union, and the alliance between the nations remains pretty strong as it has been for centuries.

Life-size statue of the dog Greyfriars Bobby in Scotland, which Disney made a movie about

Scotland is surely a country within a country.

– Gustav

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3 Days Itinerary Edinburgh, Scotland (First Time Visitors)

Posted on April 18, 2019April 18, 2019 by dev

I’ve just completed a new trip to Scotland, a country I’ve visited several times and been all around, and this is My Ultimate Itinerary for 3 Days In Edinburgh, Scotland, a small city packed with experiences!

Back in Edinburgh, Scotland, again, again

In the footsteps of inventors, artists, and writers, Edinburgh has plenty of things to see and do. I just spent 3 days in Edinburgh and explored much of the city and the Scottish heritage.

3 days in Edinburgh: Day 1 / 3

One of my favourite places to visit in Edinburgh is the upper end of the Royal Mile – known as Castlehill. Here, you’ll find the Castle, several cultural exhibitions, and a couple of incredible places to try local food and don’t forget about the whiskey, which Scotland is world-famous for!

Visit Edinburgh Castle

Every first visit to Edinburgh should begin with a visit to Edinburgh Castle.
Sitting atop Castle Rock, and dominating the city’s skyline, the settlement of the castle dates back to the 2nd century AD. It has played a big role in almost every Scottish battle and is thought to be the most besieged British fortress in history.

Now there’s no longer any British invasion up there, but instead there’s a small tourist invasion. It doesn’t take away any of the beauty of the place and the view from up there is absolutely stunning!

In the castle you’ll also find St. Margaret’s Chapel, which is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh and the Scottish crown jewels are also on display.

Scotch Whisky Experience

Scotch lovers and anyone that is interested in the national drink of Scotland should pay a visit to the Scotch Whisky Experience, a high-tech, interactive galleria of scotch. Tours range from a one-hour introduction to a three-hour experience with dinner.

The Scotch Whisky Experience also includes the Diageo Claive Vidiz Collection, an extensive collection of over 3,380 bottles of whiskey amassed by a Brazilian whiskey collector that was returned to Scotland in 2006.

You can get to taste the whiskey from the tour also.. Be careful in there – Scotch whiskey is surely among the best in the World!

St. Giles Cathedral

St. Giles Cathedral is located on the Royal Mile, just below the castle. Basically it’s positioned right at the heart of the Scottish capital.

St Giles’ was founded in 1124 and it has been a focal point of the Church of Scotland for almost a thousand years. The Cathedral has a warm atmosphere on the inside and is relatively small and compact with interesting features. Beautiful architecture with unique designs!

Walk the Royal Mile

I always walk a lot when I arrive to a new place and it wasn’t exactly planned here, but I I ended up walking the streets of the Royal Mile in the center, which had a cool medieval vibe.

The Royal Mile takes you back to the *medieval* period

The Royal Mile is Edinburgh’s High Street, a bustling series of streets that run downhill from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace. Located at the heart of the Old Town, the Royal Mile is as old as the city itself.

The stretch, which is just about one mile long, is lined with tourist shops, hotels, pubs and more.. You might even find a few Scots playing on bagpipes – not bad!

Admire the sunset from Calton Hill

Calton Hill is undoubtedly one of the best locations for a sunset in Scotland. A great spot to admire the view over Edinburgh, on one of Edinburgh’s main hills, right in the city centre.

Calton Hill is easily accessed. It takes about five minutes to get to the top of the hill from a staircase at Regent Road on the South side, Royal Terrace on the North side, or you can drive up and park – if you’re the lazy type!

3 days in Edinburgh: Day 2 / 3

Hike Arthur’s Seat

Arthur’s Seat is the place where you can get the chance to climb an extinct volcano.

Edinburgh has two volcanic crags. One is Castle Rock, atop which sits Edinburgh Castle, and the other is Arthur’s Seat. Located in the Queen’s Gardens, Arthur’s Seat is a popular hiking and running destination for locals and visitors. There are several hiking routes to the summit.

On top of Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland

Don’t pick the long off-road route like me, unless you like to venture off the beaten path! There’s an easier way up there, but once you’re up, it offers lovely views of the city to one side and the Firth of Forth to the other. Sunrise and sunset are great times to head to the top.

Water of Leith Walk

Leith is located in the north of Edinburgh, and during the shipping heyday was a major port town. It has undergone a major revival since the 1980s and is now home to a vibrant dining and shopping scene.

On the way to the Old Leith Docks, North of Edinburgh

3 days in Edinburgh: Day 3 / 3

If it’s your first time in Scotland, you should take a day trip out of the city on your third day. You can rent a car cheaply and go yourself, or you can go with friends, which will be the cheapest option.

Or you can take a full day tour, offered by Rabbie’s Tours, a local Scottish touring company, that will allow you to see the stunning Scottish countryside, take in a few castles and lochs, and perhaps even taste a little more whiskey. You can pick between some of these tours:

Loch Ness and the Highlands

The beautiful Loch Ness. No Loch Ness Monster at first sight..

This tour winds its way through the Rannoch Moor and Glencoe before arriving at the picturesque (and mysterious) Loch Ness. Guests will learn stories of the Scottish Highlands and have the chance to look out for the Loch Ness Monster on an optional boat tour of the loch.

West Highland Lochs and Castles

This tour explores the Western Highlands, stopping at places like Doune Castle, featured in both Monty Python and Outlander, Kilchurn Castle, set on the banks of Loch Awe, the medieval town of Inverary, and the conservation town of Luss. The route takes guests through the Arrochar Alps and along the shores of stunning Loch Lomond.

Stirling Castle and Loch Lomond

If your’re a Braveheart-fan, this is the Tour!

Mel Gibson, who portrays William Wallace, a late 13th-century Scottish warrior

Visit Stirling Castle, home to several great Scottish battles, and the William Wallace monument. This central region of Linlithgow has important historic significance to the Scots. Leaving Stirling, travel northwest to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and see Scotland in Miniature exhibit at the Trossachs before talking a nature walk along the shores of Loch Lomond.

You can do one of these tours easily yourself or you can go with a tour company like Rabbie’s Tours. It totally depends on which kind of traveler you are!

Stay in Edinburgh?

You can also choose to stay in Edinburgh on the third day as I did this time, as I have been to all the beautiful places mentioned above already and unfortunately for me the weather was pretty bad on my last day here this time, but if it’s your first time in Scotland, you should go to some of these places!
Trust me, it’s great!

If you’re insisting on staying in Edinburgh, you can either visit:

National Museum of Scotland

This place is huge and has something for everyone. The collections of the National Museum of Scotland reveal Scotland’s culture and history up to the present day and has among 12 million objects and specimens in the collection. Pretty awesome and it has a free entrance!

Take a walk

When I asked my Scottish friend about what he thought was the best thing to do in Edinburgh, he said: “Just walk around.”

Edinburgh is such a charming city, small and compact but with so many things to do and see and you just need to walk around. I agree with my Scottish friend, James.. Feel the place, eat the local food, drink the local drinks, get lost, chat to people, soak up the atmosphere!

Edinburgh is an experience you won’t be without and Scottish people are among the friendliest people you’ll find. Such a proud nation and the Scottish accent is just.. I dinnae ken.. Great!

Independence Day, Edinburgh. *Scotland* is a *country*, but not an independent *country, therefore not on the UN list*

Have fun in Edinburgh, Scotland!

Gustav

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England VS Scotland (7 Differences)

Posted on April 16, 2019April 17, 2019 by dev

First of all I really like both England and Scotland, and I mostly see a lot of similarities between them, but having traveled a lot in both of them I couldn’t help but to write down 7 differences I’ve noticed.

1. The Accent

English accent

The London accent is a bit posh, but don’t get me wrong, I’ve realized England as a country has a ton of different accents like the Scouse accent, the Geordie accent and the Yorkshire accent etc! The list goes on..

This is what texting in England could probably look like!

Scottish accent

The Scottish accent is more harsh and is an accent you probably won’t find any other places in the World than Scotland or from Scottish people living abroad!

My friend said: “I can’t understand much Scottish, but it sounds great.” Keep in mind that in Scotland there are the Lowlands accents (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Dundee) and the Highlands (Aberdeen, Inverness,) all very different from each other!

I really enjoy the ‘O’-sound in Scottish, which is pronounced like ‘Or’. Goat becomes gort, know becomes knor and so becomes sor. An example:

“I don’t know, Owen only opens donuts.” becomes: “I dorn’t knor, Orwen ornly orpens dornuts.”

Too good! This is what texting could be like in Scotland..

Pretty filthy, but you get what I mean!

2. The Flags

English flag

The English flag is a white field with a centred red cross

Scottish flag

The Scottish flag is a white X-shaped cross, which represents the cross of the patron saint of Scotland, Saint Andrew on a blue sky.

3. The Landscapes

The landscapes are quite different from each other. Most of England is flat or low-lying especially in southern England and Scotland is in general more mountanious and more dark green.

English landscapes

The land of turquoise waters, Cornwall, England

Scottish landscapes

Both countries have beautiful landscapes with great scenery. Scotland is landscape-wise a bit more impressive for me than England is – although Cornwall, Yorkshire Dales and the Lakes are nice enough. Still, nothing compares to the Highlands and the Isles. Scenery is won by Scotland – hands down!

4. The Weather

In general, both regions have warm summers, mild winters and lots of clouds. The fact that the west of the UK is so close to the Atlantic Ocean means that it has milder winters. Because of the huge mass of water that holds heat better than land and therefore ‘heats’ Wales and Western England during the winter.

But be prepared for clouds, clouds and a short glimpse of the sun, before clouds again..

English Weather

Tower Bridge, London. Weather is usually cloudy in England.. But never really cold

July is the hottest month in London with an average temperature of 19°C (66 °F.)
Coldest month is January at around 5°C (41°F.)

Scottish Weather

Surprise! Cloudy view in Edingburgh over Hibernian FC’s Football Stadium

July is the warmest month in Scotland, with average maximum temperatures ranging from 15°C (59°F) to 17°C (63 °F.)
Coldest month is January at 3°C (37°F)

England feels more mild and warmer in my opinion.
Both countries can have beautiful sunny days too! You just have to wait long enough for them..

5. The Football

English football

The English Premier League (EPL) is often said to be the best football league in the world competition wise and also the most followed!

Scottish Football

Teams in The Scottish Premier League (SPL) can’t compete financially with the English teams. Focus on Rugby instead?

The Premier League in England is a lot better than the Scottish League. More money, more followers, more attention and much more entertaining football!

English football in general is miles ahead of Scotland, whether the Scottish lads agree to it or not! In Scotland you’ll indeed find passionate fans, but in England you’ll find a lot of football fans, who live for their local team. Furthermore Celtic basically win the League every year in Scotland and is the only team who would stand a chance in the Premier League in England.

Getting a one-man tour at Celtic Park, Glasgow. Celtic has *won the Scottish Premiership the last 7 years in a row!*

6. Prices

English property

Rent in England (London especially) is super expensive

If you check out cities on the Cost of Living Index from the UK, London is the most expensive with a price index of 225 and the Top 10 most expensive cities are all English.

Scottish property

Property in Scotland is in general slightly cheaper.. Funny!

Edinburgh has 155 and Glasgow 148 on the Cost of Living Index, which is a lot cheaper than London.
Maybe it’s better to buy a castle or some land in Scotland, and become a Lord, than renting a 1 bedroom flat in London? I still like London though!

7. Similarities

“English and Scots are the same people, with different accents. Why pretend otherwise? Why are unionists so scared to talk about what unites us?” – Chris Deerin

For me it’s been really hard to point out differences, but these I’ve listed above are what I could think of! And they weren’t even that different at all, right?!

The stereotypes are all too often that Scottish people are more pro-EU, pro-welfare and left-wing than the English, but you’ll find these types in England too and the statistics show they’re pretty much the same.

Others would say the English people in general are a more competitive folk, more self-centered. At the end of the day, buy either a pint, and you’ll be alright in both countries!

But still, the whisky selection tends to be better north of the English border naturally 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The National Dress of Scotland is impressive. Should I buy me a kilt? Edinburgh, Scotland

Any differences or similarities between England and Scotland? Feel free to join in!
These are only my thoughts.. But if you’re from England or Scotland and you hate your neighbor country, remember you remind a lot more of them than what you think.

– Gustav

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What Is It Like Attending An Indian Wedding?

Posted on April 14, 2019April 15, 2019 by dev

When my parents got married 8 people attended.. When I attended an Indian wedding in London last weekend +400 people did. Huge difference! Here’s what an Indian Wedding is like!

I still have this specific Indian wedding on my mind…

The address of the venue was Hilton Hotel, London Bankside, which is right in the center of London.

Should I go or not?

I talked to the groom Hemal, whom I traveled a lot of Brazil with, about coming to his wedding last year, but I wasn’t sure if I was able to go, because of my tight travel schedule in order to visit a lot of new countries in 2019. Hemal told me several times: “It’s an experience you won’t die without.” He got me right there, as extraordinary experiences are what I live for, so that was enough said!

Cheap Ryanair flight tickets to London booked immediately after our conversation. Off to London!

The Wedding Day Was Now

5 months later and the Wedding Day was finally here.

I didn’t get much sleep the night before, because I literally had the highest level of excitement: I was about to attend an Indian Wedding, which I heard so much crazy stuff about.

I brought a big Danish gift with necklaces and bracelets for the bride, some Danish specialities and an old travel memory to Hemal from when we travel around Brazil together! I thought it was a great gift, but it showed up ALL other guests brought letters and paper gifts to the wedding (the invitation saying ‘kindly no boxed gifts’), made me look a bit stupid.

Why do I never read the small print? Anyway….

7 Days Wedding

The Indian Wedding had been going on for 6 days and I came on the last day where the official ceremony was for family and friends. Time for the official marriage, before husband and wife were off for honeymoon together as Mr. and Mrs. Pandya!

In the early morning we started getting in our traditional Indian outfits and then waited for the groom to show up. I met a lot of Hemal’s brothers and close family and they were all extremely welcoming and happy for me to join the wedding.

Waiting for the groom, Hilton Hotel, London

The Schedule

The schedule for the Indian Wedding:

Groom’s arrival 9:00 am
Breakfast 9.30 am
Wedding Ceremony 10.00 am
Drinks and reception 5.30 pm
Indian dinner 6.45 pm
Carry on and celebrate until midnight

It looked as a pretty normal wedding for a westener like me at first sight, but I quickly realized this was far from normal.

The groom Hemal bossin’ the streets of London

The groom arrived in a Bentley, standing out of the car rooftop, in the streets of London, with all of the guests following the car in traditional clothing, dancing and clapping along the way, and with one Indian guy playing the drum, the beat of a dhol, which is an Indian drum. I’m not sure what the Londoners were thinking, but it was a lot of fun!

Blocking the streets of Central London, because why not?!

After playing around in the streets for 30 minutes, we came in and had a delicious breakfast and I got to talk a bit with Hemal who told his friends: “Last time I saw this guy was on Copacabana Beach!” Hilarious!

The Ceremony

400 guests were ready for the huge ceremony. Now it was the time..

The priest did the introduction and then Hemal came in with his most important family members after him and went up to the stage. After a while we saw the bride for the first time and she came in with a huge amount of jewelry on and in a beautiful dress. Scenes taking out of a banger Bollywood Movie!

The bride and her family greeted the groom, and the couple then exchanged floral garlands to wear around their necks to symbolize their acceptance of each other.

For the ceremony, the priest, groom, bride and bride’s parents were sitting beneath a mandap, which is a temple porch. The ceremony started off with the kanya daan, in which the bride’s parents give her away. Then the couple joined hands and circles around a small, enclosed fire (the agni) in a ritual called the mangal phera.

At last the couple took the saptapadi, or seven steps, as they vow to support each other and live happily together. Finally, Hemal (the groom) applied a red powder to the center of the bride’s forehead and tied a black beaded necklace around her neck, symbolizing she’s now a married woman. Beautiful!

In The Evening

After a little mid-day break, people came to the reception in the evening and had some drinks and Indian snacks. I had to be extra careful with the snacks, some of them were veeery spicy indeed.

We then went into a new stunning hall and had dinner. Family members gave speeches for the groom and the bride. Hemal held an amazing speech and even gave me a shoutout saying: “We have people flying in from all over the World today and my friend Gus is here, who I last saw in Copacabana Beach.. He just flew in from Iraq!” followed by applause.. Just a very small thing in a truly touching speech!

Hemal about to give the speech of his life

The End Of An Amazing Day

At last we went to the dance floor until midnight with a hired DJ setting fire to the dancefloor with mostly Indian bangers. Out of a sudden Hemal was DJ’ing and took the mic and said: “I f*cking love my wife,” and the dancefloor went absolutely nuts.

I’m so happy I took the decision to attend a proper Indian wedding! I will always remember the memories we created together in Brazil, now it’s a new chapter for you and time to create some beautiful memories with your wife.

And to all of you who’re still reading along, if you have the chance to go to an Indian wedding, don’t think twice. Just go 😉

– Gustav

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7 Reasons Why I Love London

Posted on April 11, 2019April 12, 2019 by dev

Some people say London is an overpriced city. Others say people in London are very rude. I’ve now been to London several times and Here are 7 Reasons Why I Love London!

1: The World Is Here

London is one of the most diverse cities on the planet. More than 35% of the population are born outside the UK and over 300 different languages are spoken.

Attending an Indian Wedding in London. See me?

London has people from around the globe drawn to the city. The diversity has seen London become a place of endless possibilities. See a film at a French cinema? No problem. Brunch at a Nordic bakery? Sure. Grabbing an Indian Lunch? Ok! Dinner at an authentic Mongolian restaurant? Take your pick.

Traditional Fish and Chips has decreased in popularity in London, because of new great options!

It’s not just food where London has benefited from diversity – over the years diversity has helped to drive creativity, making the capital an international leader in a variety of fields.

And for me having traveled to +105 countries I see small parts of so many countries combined in one city, which is really cool to see!

2: Music Is All Around You

London is a city of creativity and London moves to its own, distinct soundtrack. Music is all around you. Ed Sheeran, Adele, Rolling Stones, countless of cool underground rappers and many more!

London has produced artists who have shaped the international music scene for years. The Beatles wrote ‘Yesterday’ in an apartment in the capital and David Bowie was born at Stansfield Road Brixton in London.

Countless musicians are connected to London

You can see an artist every night of the week, whatever preference in music you have! Furthermore the city boasts a number of summer music festivals with the British Summer Time festival at Hyde Park and Wireless at Finsbury Park being two of the biggest..

3: The City Of Mystery

London has been a magnet for creative spirits for centuries. From William Shakespeare to Jimi Hendrix and J.K. Rowling – the great and the good of art have been inspired by London. Endless works of fiction have been set in the streets of London with the likes of Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, and Mary Poppins all calling the city home.

Wall picture at Tower Hamlets, Stepney, London

4: Sports

I love football and the passion the Brits have for football is wild. Everyone has a favourite team they support!

A visit to West Ham’s Stadium, 2010. In total I’ve watched 3 football matches in London, all with great atmosphere!

London is home to some of the biggest clubs in the world and Wembley Stadium hosts national football matches as well as NFL games that sell out the 90,000 seater stadium. BRITS ARE TOTALLY SPORTS MAD!

It’s not just football London excels at.. English events like spending a day watching tennis at Wimbledon or trying to understand the rules of cricket at Lord’s are also possible with big crowds.

5: There is Abundant Public Transport

London is a huge city, but the public transport is on point. The trains and busses work perfectly fine. I can hop on a tube and scuttle around the underground, and the bus stops with easy to read timetables in English and with apps that tell you when the bus will arrive, almost to the second. This is such a luxury!

London Underground. Just get an Oyster Card and you’re ready to go!

6: London Has Everything to Do

London has a million museums (lots of them are free), attractions, parks and historical sites.

To be honest you can’t fail to be excited by London’s amazing attractions. See London from above on the London Eye or go to beautiful parks, like Hyde Park and Richmond Park to chill out! And one thing I LIKE is that you don’t need to travel far to find green space in London, which is missing in many other big cities.

Making London Eye to a spinning wheel, 2019, London

Some of my personal favourite tourist places to visit are Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London Eye and Tower of London, but you’ll have plenty of options. London has pretty much everything to do!

7: London Is Very Safe

London is now an incredibly safe city, ranking 20th in the world of The Economist’s 2017 Safe Cities Index.

London has the 2. largest Surveillance Camera Network in the World, right after Beijing. The estimation of surveilliance cameras are around 420,000 in the city of London, so nearly every place has a surveillance camera watching over you, which is both scary but also give a feeling of safety and security.

Ok, London is not Tokyo (where you can leave your iPhone on the bar, go to a toilet visit and still find it laying there when you get back.) Remember London is a huge international metropolis and as such, not crime free, but for its size, the levels of street crime are very low and it’s a safe and great place to visit and enjoy – and with some friendly police officers to boot!

8: Unfriendly people? Really!?

“Londoners, stop being so rude and unfriendly.”

I’ve only had friendly encounters with people in London. I’m constantly amazed by how friendly people are here. Whether I have asked someone for directions or talked to staff in local shops, bars or restaurants, as well as outside or in central London, whoever. People are usually very polite!

Maybe it’s just me? Or do you also come across friendly, helpful, nice people in London?

That’s all from me. Have fun in this great, yet expensive city!

Gustav

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Is Iraq Safe To Travel?

Posted on April 4, 2019April 4, 2019 by dev

I just came back from Iraqi Kurdistan, staying most of my time in Erbil, a city very close to Mosul, which was Isis Headquarter until few years ago…

On top of Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan at the Citadel

Is it safe to travel to Iraq?

This is the $1,000,000 question that any adventurous traveler wonders at least once in his or her’s life. The answer is: ”it depends”.

For a long time Iraq has had an negative reputation in the media and around the World for its safety issues.

The thread of ISIS

Starting with the Iraq-Iran war in 1980, to the Saddam Hussein Gulf conflict (where Saddam Hussein gassed 5,000 Kurds in Halabja etc.) and then the current civil war now after the USA invasion, where the bloodthirsty Islamic State appeared in the country..

I admit it, it doesn’t sound as the best travel destination! But the reality is different.

I stayed most of my time in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. Erbil is the most modern place in the region, guarded by the legendary Peshmerga. Therefore from a safety point of view, the entire region can be classified as relatively safe.

If you take a look at the maps below, you will see the evolution of the ISIS territory.

As you can see, from 2014 to 2017, ISIS was, basically, bordering Iraqi Kurdistan.

In July 2017, the Iraqi forces took Mosul back, so the region got safer than ever.

Loads of checkpoints

There are loads of checkpoints across all cities and roads, where they will ask for your passport and, occasionally, they will even check the car.

As a Western foreigner, I didn’t have any troubles, but once I was traveling by taxi with an Arab man, and the Peshmergas (Kurdish soldiers) took my driver out for 10 minutes at least. They found him suspicious in their eyes. They basically question everything here, which is a good thing to prevent terrorist attacks.

Doing a travel speech in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq

Is Kurdistan safe? What is it like to travel there?

When I went walking to Erbil’s citadel, I couldn’t believe what my eyes saw: Kids playing football in the streets, nice cafés and terraces and everybody seemed to have a happy, normal life.

Didn’t see any tourists though on my 10 km solo walk around the city, but I was quite shocked when I saw a local Kurdish guy with a beer in his hand. I would personally never drink in the streets in a muslim country, as I respect the country’s rules as a guest, but this little episode showed me that Kurdistan is one of the most liberal and open-minded parts of the Middle East, that follows a similar lifestyle to Lebanon.

The mountains here reminded me a bit of my second home, The Faroe Islands. Stunning nature!

The airport security is extreme

I had never before seen such a degree of airport security. Only Israel comes close!

From the moment I left the city until the moment I boarded the plane, I passed through over 10 different checkpoints. I had to get out at three checkpoints and they checked everything inside the car with police dogs and with all the guys armed.

Cars and buses couldn’t go to the departure or arrival terminal, so I had to walk the last part myself.

With a Kurdish man who fought ISIS close to Mosul two years ago

Should you visit Iraqi Kurdistan?

Even if you go with a friend or you go solo like me, you should! Yes, there’s a risk involved when you’re going to a country like Iraq, but there’s a risk anywhere in the World! And the risk here in Kurdistan is very low.

With a huge touristic potential, impressive landscapes, a deep history, and some of the most hospitable people you’ll ever find, Kurdistan is a must-visit destination. Just go!

– Gustav

gus1thego.com

Travel Pictures Of Gustav

Posted on April 1, 2019August 26, 2019 by dev

Here are some random pictures from all over the world. One from each country/territory. I will add more here and there from new travels and adventures, so check back every now and then. Enjoy!

Albania