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Kyoto, Japan

20/3/2023

 
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Summary

Airport Rating *****
Reception of locals ****
Cost: £££££
  • Just over two hours from Tokyo in a bullet train
  • Cultural centre of Japan with over 2,000 temples and shrines
  • Large and unique concentration of Japanese pre-war architecture
  • No problems as a Sikh getting around the city
  • Main Sights: Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Gion District, Yasaka-Jinja, Nishiki Market, Sanjusangendo Temple

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Pisa & Parma, Italy

27/6/2022

 
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Summary

Airport Rating n/a
Reception of locals *****
Cost: ££££ (Pisa) £££ (Parma)
  • Two cities located within a short distance from Florence making them perfect candidates for day trips
  • Pisa is a tourist town focused around the Leaning Tower of Pisa, although there are at least 12 historic churches dotted around the city
  • Parma has a decent sized Sikh community and is famous for its dairy, food and historical architecture
  • No problems in either city as a Sikh, and of the two, Parma is much better to visit
  • Main Sights: Leaning Tower of Pisa, Piazza del Duomo, Parma Cathedral and Baptistery, Piazza Garibaldi

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Florence, Italy

13/6/2022

 
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Summary

Airport Rating *****
Reception of locals *****
Cost: ££££
  • A culturally important city famed for its museums and art galleries.
  • No issues with airport security as a Sikh and its a small airport that is well connected to the city.
  • City is filled with tourists, which means a lot of tourist traps, an expensive city centre and a lot of queues - but so much things to see and do
  • Very walkable city with good public transportation
  • Main Sights: Uffizi Gallery, Accademia Gallery, Piazzale Michelangelo, Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore, Mercato Centrale, Ponte Vecchio, Battistero di San Giovanni

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Rome, Italy

30/5/2022

 
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Summary

Update: I originally posted this in 2018 but I've updated in 2022 following another visit
Airport Rating *****
Reception of locals *****
Cost: ££££
  • No issues with airport security when landing or leaving Rome Fiumicino airport on two different occasions
  • Saw only one other Singh during my 4 days in the city, but locals are welcoming and although not as multicultural as London or New York, it is still an open, cosmopolitan city
  • Capital and largest city in Italy with a history stretching back 3,000 years including being the foundation of the Roman Empire
  • Main Sights: Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Pantheon, Villa Borghese, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, Aventine Hill, Via dei Coronari, Trastevere
Known as the Eternal City, the Capital of the World and the first ever large metropolis, Rome as a city is almost unparalleled in terms of its history and impact on the western world.

I decided to spend a few days discovering the history and story of the city with tips from locals born and raised in the city and found Rome to be one of my favourite cities that I have visited - both as a general traveller, and as a Sikh.

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

23/5/2022

 
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Summary

Update: I originally posted this in 2018, but have updated in 2022 following another visit
Airport Rating *****
Reception of locals *****
Cost: ££££
  • One of the strangest cities in Europe, with an eclectic mix of history, culture, beauty, art and seediness.
  • No issues at all with airport security, and Schiphol Airport has modern scanners so you don't remove liquids or laptops either.
  • Not the cheapest city to visit, but better value than cities such as Zurich.
  • In the spring time, full of UK stag parties clustered around the Red Light District, but locals are fine, although there is a growing nationalist movement.
  • Main Sights: Westerkerk, Anne Frank House, the many museums, two Gurdwaras, canals, Amsterdam Arena, Vondelpark, Red Light District

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Normandy, France

14/3/2022

 
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Summary

Airport Rating n/a
Reception of locals ****
Cost: £££
  • Region named after Viking raiders that conquered the province during the 9th century
  • Largely agricultural with culturally important settlements like Rouen, Mont St. Michel, and Bayeux
  • No troubles travelling around as a Sikh, and while Rouen has a small immigrant population, there are very few Sikhs and no major Gurdwaras
  • Places visited: Rouen, Bayeux, Mont St. Michel

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Brittany, France

28/2/2022

 
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Summary

Update: I originally wrote this article in August 2020 following my first visit to Brittany where I visited many of these cities, towns and villages. I returned in February 2022 visiting both Dinan and Treguier which I have added here.
Airport Rating n/a
Reception of locals ***
Cost: £££
  • Home of the Breton people and one of the six recognised Celtic nations
  • More agricultural and less industrialised than most parts of Western Europe, with a greater cultural homogeneity than larger French cities
  • No troubles travelling around as a Sikh, but don't expect to see any other Sikhs or even broader South Asians
  • Places visited: Ploumanac'h, Perros-Guirec, Guingamp, Rennes, Laval, Lannion, Dinan, Treguier, Bourbriac, Pont-Melvez

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Living in London

15/11/2021

 
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Life in London

After 7 years in London, living in zones 1,2 and 3, north and south of the river, and east and west of Charring Cross, I thought it was about time I summed up my experiences of living in the city. It's obscenely expensive, and an echo chamber for metropolitan elitism that bears little to no resemblance to the rest of the UK. It can be cold, grey and miserable - and it is nothing but a giant monopoly board for the privileged few who buy property to launder their money, and then let it sit empty while rent prices go through the roof for everyone else.

But it is also creative, energetic and lively and with something for everyone. It has architecture that will make your jaw drop, history that will immerse you, and open spaces that'll make you forget you're in one of the world's most powerful cities. You could live here all your life, and by the time you figure it out, the city has changed again. It's a city you can love and hate in equal measure - but there is nothing quite like it anywhere else.

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The Jurassic Coast, UK

6/9/2021

 
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Summary

Airport Rating n/a
Reception of locals ****
Cost: £££££
  • A 96 mile long World Heritage Site that spans 200 million years of history
  • Coastal erosion has uncovered the layered history of the area, and exposed fossils from prehistoric animals and plants
  • Stunning scenery and views over the southern coast of England, with views across the English Channel
  • No issues travelling as a Sikh, but it can be expensive to buy food
  • Main Sights: Exeter Cathedral, Exmouth Beach, Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth, Beer, Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Golden Cap

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The Black Country, UK

21/6/2021

 
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Summary

Airport Rating N/A
Reception of locals *****
Cost: ££££
  • Large area north-west of Birmingham, defined roughly as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and parts of Wolverhampton and Walsall
  • Widely considered as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and named after the thick black smoke and soot that dominated the landscape in the 19th century
  • Large and well established Sikh population particularly in the north and eastern parts of the Black Country
  • Main sights: Black Country Living Museum, Dudley Zoo and Castle, Dudley Canal Trust, Priory Ruins, Wrens Nest Urban Nature Reserve, The Crooked House, Himley Hall and Park, Baggeridge Country Park, Red House Glass Cone Museum

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    British Sikh, born in the Midlands, based in London, travelling the world seeing new cultures.

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Photos used under Creative Commons from Rob.Bertholf, wwward0, jasleen_kaur, tc_manasan, blacklerphotos, miguel_discart_photos, Vallausa, fabrizio-russo, free pictures of money, miguel_discart_photos, thedescrier, falco500, François Lacroix, falco500, frankieleon, Rareclass
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