Best and Worst Cities to Live in the World

Economist Intelligence Unit

Which locations around the world provide the best or the worst living conditions?

A report has been published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, EIU Report 2012 (by the Economist). The rating is calculated by a liveability score of 140 cities, reached through category weights. The categories are stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

Most Liveable Cities in the World - Top 10

1. Melbourne - Australia
2. Vienna - Austria
3. Vancouver  - Canada
4. Toronto - Canada
5. Calgary - Canada
6. Adelaide - Australia
7. Sydney - Australia
8. Helsinki - Finland
9. Perth - Australia
10. Auckland - New Zealand

The general conditions required for a location to be awarded a high liveability score continue to be well reflected in Australian and Canadian cities.

Global business centres such as New York, London, Paris and Tokyo have overstretched infrastructure and all suffer from higher levels of crime, congestion and public transport problems than would be deemed "comfortable".

Civil unrest such as the Arab Spring, civil war in Libya, unrest in Greece and London had impacts on the score, with downward revisions to Athens, London, Amman (Muscat), Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), Douala (Cameroon) and Tripoli (Libya).

Worst Cities to Live in the World 

131. Abidjan - Côte d’Ivoire Abidjan
132 Tehran - Iran
133. Douala - Cameroon
134. Tripoli - Libya
135. Karachi - Pakistan
136. Algiers - Algeria
137. Harare - Zimbabwe
138. Lagos - Nigeria
139. Port Moresby - PNG
140. Dhaka - Bangladesh

Conflict is responsible for many of the lowest scores. Africa (North and Sub-Saharan) and Asia account for all the cities with lowest scores, with violence, whether through crime, civil insurgency, terrorism or war, playing a strong role. Dhaka in Bangladesh is the least liveable city, unchanged from last year, 2011. However the survey does not include locations such as Kabul in Afghanistan and Baghdad in Iraq.

Source:
Economist Intelligence Unit

Short flights are never short

You've booked a short break and the flight is only two hours to your destination, but calculating the travel time always results in more time than you originally expected from end to end.

Calculating travel time for a short flight always involves more than just the flight time, you have to factor travel time as well. What you think is a short 2 hour flight, actually takes up to 6 hours to get from a to b. Consider getting to the airport, security and waiting for the departure flight and suddenly a short trip doesn't seem so short at all.

When you add the return journey this easily equals up to 12 hours total travel time for a short haul flight, not including preparation time such as packing.

What you actually get in a 72 hour short break equals just (72-18-12=42 hours) 14 hours per day in your destination.

First Class on British Airways

Spoilt. First Class on British Airways, after years of collecting I finally indulged by using my frequent flyer points to upgrade and experience what its like to travel in upper class. Here I am with champagne in hand, warm nuts, pillow placed behinds my head, 30000 feet on a 747 jet to London from Moscow.

It's just a 3 hour 30 minute flight but at least a chance I can indulge in this captive  time in the air. Its not everyday one gets these sort if pleasures. My seat is reclined, a double aspect window, semi-private seat to stretch in. Big screen with video on demand. Powering my mobile while I write this. Take off your shoes and and stretch.

The dinner service starts with caviar with blinis and Russian Standard Imperial vodka, followed by my choice of seared Scottish king scallop with broad bean puree and crispy porchetta from the menu. The main dish a roasted Herefordshire fillet of beef and braised beef pie with artichoke barigoule (slow roasted and topped with bacon and vegetables) and crispy Iberico ham, a delicous glass of wine, and finally ending with a sweet desert. At this altitude, I'm as near to heaven as can be while alive.

The tiny first class bathroom is clean and sparkling, with full length mirror to make sure you look perfect when you arrive. In first you get dedicated magazines not seen behind the curtain. Even the inflight duty free has more options, and of course, higher price tags too.

A short flight it was, but very comfortable and excellent taste of first class onboard British Airways. Definitely a mile-high experience.

Riding the Moscow Metro

Possibly the grandest interiors of any public transport system in the world! With over 9 million passengers per day it is busier than New York City  and London combined.

Lit with chandeliers from end to end, lined with marble and decorate reliefs, one can't help but be impressed by its grand and opulent interior, a posh transport underground for the masses.

There are no English signs inside so have your itinerary ready beforehand or learn to read Cyrillic, use a Russian-English plan while you moving inside a Metro train (an English only plan are of no help). It's important to know that colours in the underground's signs don't necessarily correspond to the ones on the maps, it's less confusing to refer to the numbers, e.g. line 3 is line 3 whatever color is on the sign.

The Moscow Metro is relatively cheap, a single trip  costs just 26 RUB (as of 2012). Tickets are sold at manned booths within the stations or ticket vending machines. Buy a multi-trip card for 5, 10, 20 or 60 trips (10 at 200 RUB) which is valid for 45 days.

The most interesting stations in terms of decor are Komsomolskaya and Novoslobodskaya on the ring line, Kropotkinskaya on the red line, and Mayakovskaya on the green line. The last one is also one of the deepest; this allowed it to be used as a makeshift assembly hall for a Party meeting marking the anniversary of the Revolution during the Nazi bombardments in the winter of 1941.

I must admit I was intimidated to enter, the number of people moving along quickly, the lack of signs recognizable due to different characters on signs (not English, or Latin alphabet), but somehow I managed, slowly. Inside there is a high presence of security, but in crowded places like this its best to keep an eye on things, but it is the interiors which will most likely distract you from looking where your going.

Russian-English Metro Map

Links:
Moscow Metro
Moscow Metro Russian/English Map

Garden Ring Hotel - Moscow - Russia

An elegant hotel just 2km from Red Square and the Kremlin and only steps away from the Moscow Metro. Great sized rooms, a bed that really delivers a great night sleep, 5 star breakfasts with plenty of options (if you don't see what you like, they make it for you), and superior service.

The Garden Ring Hotel also offers a spa and pool. Finnish and herbal saunas, hammam and shower of experiences, salt aroma-steam and a swimming pool are excellent and a great way to unwind after a long day walking around what really is a large city to explore.

The location is ideal for business travellers and tourists, with an excellent Metro and Underground system, getting around is fast and efficient.

Possibly one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in.

Check Prices and Reviews:
Garden Ring Hotel - Moscow
Garden Ring Hotel - Search hotels and read reviews at Tripadvisor
Garden Ring Hotel - Venere.com

Fastest trains in Russia

Sapsan, the fastest trains in Russia, travelling at up to 250 km/h (155 mph) and a total length of 250 metres (820 ft) for each ten-car train, connecting St Petersburg and Moscow in just over 3.5 hours.

Known as the "Peregrine Falcon" in Russian (Сапсан), the train is part of the Siemens Valero family of trains, and can carry up to 600 passengers.

Sapsan set records for the fastest train in Russia on 7 May 2009, travelling at 290 km/hour (180 mph), but the High-Speed line was built for speeds up to 330 km/h (205 mph).

The ride is smooth, seats comfortable and spacious. Depending on the class of travel, you may be offered a meal and some drinks. I traveled in first (a personal treat), though on observation seats in business and economy are both of equal quality, and there is a snack bar and catering for purchase on-board.

My 6:45am train from Saint Petersburg arrived in  Moscow  on time at 10:40am, I barely noticed we were flying on the ground. For such a short journey, save yourself some rubles and don't travel in first, splurge instead on a nice hotel.

Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood

The most impressive building in Saint Petersburg must be the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, a traditional style Russian church built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, the interior decorated with over 6000sqm of mosaics. The gold-draped onion-domed church, is one of the main attractions of St. Petersburg.

Watch this video for a tour of Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood - Saint Petersburg

Construction began in 1883 and was finished in 1906, under the rule of his son, Nicholas II. The Church resembles the exterior of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, and was designed in medieval Russian style.