Following the Equator

Friday Fun Fact: 2009 anniversaries

Happy New Year!

The year 2009 includes several major anniversaries, including the 10th anniversary of the euro, the 250th anniversary of Kew Gardens in London and the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII taking the throne as King of England.

Most notably, though, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Germany is planning events throughout the year, but the main celebration will be the "Festival of Freedom" at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on November 7-9, culminating with a multimedia re-creation of the wall crashing down.

For other major events around the world this year, check out this roundup from the Times Online.

Photo: gavinandrewstewart via Flickr

Transatlantic Time Travel: 1994

This edition of Transatlantic Time Travel doesn't refer to a news article, because it wasn't in the news. In April 1994, I went abroad for the first time.

I was 18, a senior in high school, and one of seven students from Fitchburg High School to go on an educational tour to Spain. Our group leader was our Spanish teacher, Miss Breau. (Full disclosure: That tour was with a competitor. Since then, I've been thrilled to work with EF Educational Tours.)

So, here are the impressions of an 18-year-old being abroad for the first time, as remembered by that 18-year-old who is now 32:

Looking at London from above

There are some absolutely amazing photos of London—at night, from above, no less—on The Big Picture, the phenomenal photo blog of The Boston Globe and Boston.com.

The photos come from London aeriel photographer Jason Hawkes, who shoots the city from a helicopter. In particular, check out his aerial shots of the financial district (photo No. 1), Big Ben (No. 2), the London Eye (No. 11), the River Thames (No. 15) and Piccadilly Circus (No. 18). Simply stunning stuff!

Literary London

Where are the best literary destinations in the world? You'll find them in Great Britain, at least according to one list.

World Hum tipped us off to a list of the world's best literary destinations, according to editors at the travel website TripAdvisor.

London—home to Dickens, Chaucer and Keats—edged out Shakespeare's Stratford for the top spot. Edinburgh, Scotland—home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and J.K. Rowling—placed third.

Three U.S. cities made the list: New York, Concord (Massachusetts) and San Francisco.

Friday Fun Fact: Future Olympics

When the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics concludes Sunday, the world's attention will turn from Beijing to London four years hence.

London will host the 2012 Summer Olympics, becoming the first city to host the Games three times (also 1948 and 1908). The 2012 London Olympics will run from July 27 through August 12, 2012.

The site of the 2016 Summer Olympics will be chosen October 2, 2009. The four finalists are Chicago, United States; Madrid, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Tokyo, Japan.

Meanwhile, the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver, Canada, and the 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia.

Maple Leaf Monopoly

Montreal is the new Boardwalk.

Monopoly finally revealed the winning cities in its new World Edition this week, and the Canadian city earned the global game's most prestigious position, as we predicted in February.

In fact, Canada monopolizes the new Monopoly board. In addition to Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto also earned spots. The other dominant country is China, which placed Beijing and Shanghai, plus Hong Kong, on the board. Only one U.S. city (New York) made the game.

More than 5.6 million votes were cast to select the 22 cities in the new edition, which goes on sale next week in 50 countries.

Wimbledon warmup

Wimbledon—the world's most prestigious, tradition-laden tennis tournament—serves up a fortnight of net action starting Monday.

Wimbledon is as well-known for its all-white dress code as its grass surface. Budget Travel earlier this year wrote "A Witty Guide to Wimbledon Etiquette" and also posted a primer on attending the grand dame of the Grand Slams. But you better plan ahead. Tickets for this year's tournament are sold out—unless you're willing to "queue" overnight for 1,500 show-court tickets that go on sale every morning.

And, if you do go, don't forget the strawberries and cream.

For more Wimbledon information, check out the official site and this devoted fans' site.

Photo: yvettemn via Flickr

Friday Fun Fact: London's nickname

Paris is The City of Light. Rome is The Eternal City. But what is London's nickname?

The Big Smoke. The Old Smoke. Or simply The Smoke.

It's not nearly as romantic as Paris' nickname nor as timeless as Rome's, but London's little-known nickname comes from the city's famed fog and the Great Smog of 1952, otherwise known as The Big Smoke.

Photo: Larsz via Flickr

Real Whopper: A £95 hamburger

Fast-food restaurants are never the best place to enjoy the local fare while traveling. The news yesterday proves they're also not the most economical.

Burger King's Gloucester Road branch in West London is now serving the world's most expensive hamburger, according to Guinness World Records.

"The Burger," as it's simply called, costs £95 ($186 US). The proceeds will go to the Help A London Child charity.

According to the London Telegraph, "the bling burger" features the world's most succulent Japanese beef complemented with white truffles, onion tempura prepared in Cristal champagne and Italy's finest Pata Negra prosciutto.

Check out more details in the Telegraph's video above, which also includes passers-by near the Gloucester Road Underground station tasting the costly creation.

U.K. begins offering foreign currency ATMs

Looking for euros in London? Here's a new, easier way to get them.

Britain's Post Office is testing 13 ATMs that dispense euros and U.S. dollars. The trial is aimed at cutting down long lines at the Post Office, and if the test is successful, foreign currency ATMs could be introduced across the United Kingdom.

This is particularly useful for student travelers who are visiting London (where the pound is the currency of choice) before traveling to other parts of Europe (where the euro rules).

The Times Online also reports, "Some airports already have euro/dollar exchange machines and Marks & Spencer introduced foreign currency ATMs at 21 stores in January, while HSBC is bringing them in at railway stations and shopping malls."

While exchange rates might be higher at airport machines, the Post Office ATM rates are the same as at the counters—without the wait.

Photo: William Spaetzel via Flickr