travel broadens the mind

[leedy]

So I got a cab home from town yesterday because B and I went out for a large tasty meal and I was feeling full and lazyvery pregnant, and hence got to hear a travel ad on FM104 for a package holiday to Istanbul. The ad narrator talked about the excellent value, lovely hotel, price including flights and everything, really, you should come to Istanbul on this special deal, and that you could see all the sights, including...

(would he mention the Hagia Sophia, magnificent example of Byzantine architecture?)

(would he mention the Ottoman palaces and mosques?)

(would he mention the fashionable new bars and hotels?)

...Europe's largest shopping centre. Well, that'd have me on a plane to any destination, I'm sure.

Though maybe not certain parts of Peru.

Comments

[hkim.livejournal.com]

There needs to be some sort of international standard for this. There are two separate shopping centres in Rome which both claim to be Europe's largest.

[leedy.livejournal.com]

Decided by gladiatorial combat?

I am now eagerly awaiting the radio ads for "Rome: Actually Home Of Europe's Largest Shopping Centre".

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

http://uk.westfield.com/london/centre-information

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

and uh, "The current largest shopping centre in Europe is the MetroCentre near Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK." from Wikipedia.

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

Marseille was recently sold to me on the promise that "it's what Birmingham would be like if it was a mediterranean sea port" so I'm probably not wise to make any further comment.

[kristamm.livejournal.com]

Wait, that worked?

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

Shut up! You've never been (have you?). It is much-maligned but where else would you find a custard factory, a Tolkien Trail and Aston Villa FC? And you're never more than 5ft away from a good curry.

http://www.birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk/

[leedy.livejournal.com]

AND I bet people aren't killed for their fat there.

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

Shut up! All of you! Nobody's killing me for my fat!

I'm thinking of Cassis next year, once Mr Hoor has stopped this ridiculous Francophobic buzz he's on right now.

[leedy.livejournal.com]

Also oddly, I have in fact been in Birmingham, an ex-boyfriend briefly worked for Bass. I can highly recommend the many excellent curry emporia.

I was less keen on the city centre's innumerable underpasses/overpasses/pedestrian hamster mazes, which nearly reduced me to tears at one point trying to get to a shop that I could SEE, it's over THERE, AAAAAARRRGHHHH...

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

They're exciting! You never know where you'll end up. It adds an adventure angle to shopping trips. Brilliant!

[kristamm.livejournal.com]

I have been, but just for a day once. We didn't really get the best feel for the place, though we did find the city museum to be surprisingly excellent. If I'd known about the Tolkien Trail, well, that would have changed everything.

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

See! People just don't know!

I forgot to mention the chocolate factory too...