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London, England this time
Banty wrote:
At my 10 year old son's insistence, and my being able to fund it, we're going to London, England the latter part of this month for about a week. Hotel is arranged. I wanted to tap the experience here as to any advice for a lady with her son. He already has a fair amount of the itinerary set up in his mind - he's a historical buff, with a particular interest in WWII. We plan a side trip to Portsmouth - hopefully it can be fit in as a day trip, to take in the harbor and the ship museums there. (What's the best way to go, BTW.) Otherwise, we don't plan any jaunts to the countryside - this is a city vacation. What would be good tips to make this a nice, smoothly going visit? I've never been there. My last European trip was to France in 1986. Thanks! Banty Hi there Banty, As a Londoner born and bred I may be able to assist here. Portsmouth can certainly be done as a day trip by train from Waterloo station. Arrange an early start that day and aim to catch one of the express trains to minimise travel time. Once you are in London either visit the station for full details or phone the National Rail Travel information line - your hotel will have the number. The best way to get around London is with a Travelcard. These can be bought for 1 Day or for a week at a time (the 1 week ones require you to have a photocard which is free but needs one passport size photo). With an interest in WWII your son will most definitely want to visit HMS Belfast - on the south side of the Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge. (There is an entry charge.) The Imperial War Museum (Free admission) in Lambeth has very good displays of military vehicles as well as an experience of what trench warfare was like in WWI and how people lived through WWII. For more general history, London cannot be beaten as we have Roman, Mediaeval, Victorian, Ultra-modern and everything in between here. If you'd like some additional advice then write directly to me off-list with your actual dates and I'll see what I can find out about any special exhibitions or other activities. Regards, Vernon |
#2
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London, England this time
"Banty" wrote in message
... At my 10 year old son's insistence, and my being able to fund it, we're going to London, England the latter part of this month for about a week. Hotel is arranged. I wanted to tap the experience here as to any advice for a lady with her son. He already has a fair amount of the itinerary set up in his mind - he's a historical buff, with a particular interest in WWII. We plan a side trip to Portsmouth - hopefully it can be fit in as a day trip, to take in the harbor and the ship museums there. (What's the best way to go, BTW.) Otherwise, we don't plan any jaunts to the countryside - this is a city vacation. What would be good tips to make this a nice, smoothly going visit? I've never been there. My last European trip was to France in 1986. Your trip sounds like a great idea. I can't give you advice but there are several folks from Gt. Britain on alt.mothers who might be able to, if you post your question there as well. -Aula --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.507 / Virus Database: 304 - Release Date: 8/4/03 |
#3
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London, England this time
x-no-archive:yes Banty wrote:
At my 10 year old son's insistence, and my being able to fund it, we're going to London, England the latter part of this month for about a week. Hotel is arranged. I wanted to tap the experience here as to any advice for a lady with her son. He already has a fair amount of the itinerary set up in his mind - he's a historical buff, with a particular interest in WWII. The Imperial War Museum - I'm sure he has already thought of that. My daughter who had lots of visitors in the three years that she lived there always advised her guests to take a Big Bus tour which is 24 hours and you can get on and off as desired. It includes a trip on the Thames. http://www.bigbus.co.uk/ http://www.kidstravel.co.uk/new%20pa...%20museums.htm is a site that has sites that kids will enjoy - including Imperial War Museum Lambeth Rd SE1 Tel 020 7416 5000 Lambeth North http://www.iwm.org.uk Museum of the 2 World Wars with lots to see including tanks, planes and subs. some interactive rides, also ‘trenches and Blitz Experiences’ Open 10.00-18.00 Admission:Free HMS Belfast Morgan's Lane Tooley Street London SE1 2JH : London Bridge or Tower Hill Tel: 020 7940 6300 http://www.hmsbelfast.org.uk Last big gun armoured Battleship of World War 2, , a great chance to see what life on a warship was like, with 9 decks to explore, you can see the cabins and galley, see the shell rooms and boiler room,and try out anti-aircraft guns. Open : Summer 10.00 am - 6.00 pm Winter 10.00 am - 5.00 pm National Army Museum, Chelsea Royal Hospital Rd, Chelsea SW3 Tel 020 7730 0717 Sloane Square http://www.failte.com/nam/ The story of the British Soldier, discover how they lived and fought from Agincourt to modern day. Admission: Free Royal Air Force Museum Grahame Park Way, London NW9 Tel 020 720591 www.rafmuseum.org.uk Colindale More planes than you can possibly imagine, and if you can imagine a lot then this is the place to go. Large museum with World War 1 fighters through to Tornadoes and Harriers and a flight simulator. Also ‘Battle of Britain’ hall with animated displays New for summer 2000 is a light and sound Battle of Britain experience Admission: Free My grandchildren loved the London Transport Museum Covent Garden Piazza Tel 020 7565 7299 Covent Garden http://wwwltmuseum.co.uk Small museum with old buses, trams trains and taxis. Hands on experience and working models. Face painting etc. Combine with visit to Covent Garden market with its street entertainers Admission: Adults £5.95 Children Free And the kids site also recommends. Kew Bridge Steam Museum Brentford, Middx Tel 020 8568 4757 www.kbsm.org Once a huge pumping station, this small museum houses water pumping engines and assorted steam engines, often has special events, with working engines. Admission: Weekdays Adult £3.50 Child £1,00 Family £8.00 Weekends Adult £4.50 Child £2.00 Family £11.50 We plan a side trip to Portsmouth - hopefully it can be fit in as a day trip, to take in the harbor and the ship museums there. (What's the best way to go, BTW.) Otherwise, we don't plan any jaunts to the countryside - this is a city vacation. http://www.touruk.co.uk/hamp/ham_port.htm is a website on Portsmouth. It looks to be more than a day trip. DH has been there but I have not. But this link http://my.core.com/~jcnash/tours_31.html#day4 says that they did both Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight in one day. The train journey apparently takes about 3 hours http://www.thetrainline.com/Time_Tab..._Timetable.asp says trains leave LONDON WATERLOO PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR 07:22 08:49 LONDON WATERLOO PORTSMOUTH & SOUTHSEA 07:43 09:06 LONDON WATERLOO PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR 08:08 09:41 LONDON WATERLOO PORTSMOUTH & SOUTHSEA 08:23 10:03 LONDON WATERLOO PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR 08:38 10:10 and return PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR LONDON WATERLOO 14:17 15:56 PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR LONDON WATERLOO 14:47 16:24 PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR LONDON WATERLOO 15:17 16:55 PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR LONDON WATERLOO 16:17 17:59 http://www.greatexperiencedays.co.uk...ode=AP R%2003 is a more upscale steam train trip to Portsmouth What would be good tips to make this a nice, smoothly going visit? I've never been there. My last European trip was to France in 1986. Figure out how you are going to deal with jet lag. Some people try to keep moving in order to adjust as soon as possible. We took the Big Bus and sat on top. But dh had to take a nap first as he couldn't sleep on the plane. I have a blow up neck pillow and so I could sleep. DD#3 said her kids did sleep. Then we went to bed relatively early. I would get a tube and bus pass for the duration. If you get zone 1 and 2, you can go out to Greenwich to see the Maritime Museum. Don't try to do too much in one day. Only spend half a day in any museum. Otherwise you will get museum overload. The most egregious thing I found was that what they call lemonade isn't lemonade at all - it's Sprite. http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/4a9c6/4b7ec/ http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/4a9c6/22aaee/ have my trip pictures etc. grandma Rosalie |
#4
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London, England this time
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#5
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London, England this time
Banty wrote in message ...
At my 10 year old son's insistence, and my being able to fund it, we're going to London, England the latter part of this month for about a week. Hotel is arranged. I wanted to tap the experience here as to any advice for a lady with her son. He already has a fair amount of the itinerary set up in his mind - he's a historical buff, with a particular interest in WWII. We plan a side trip to Portsmouth - hopefully it can be fit in as a day trip, to take in the harbor and the ship museums there. (What's the best way to go, BTW.) Otherwise, we don't plan any jaunts to the countryside - this is a city vacation. What would be good tips to make this a nice, smoothly going visit? I've never been there. My last European trip was to France in 1986. My itinerary was entirely different when my older girls and I went to London last year. They didn't want to see anything newer than the 1700s and were into the arts There is a "London Pass" that you can buy online which includes many of the key attractions. We chose not to do that, because we didn't have time for most things on the list, but if it fits your itinerary it is a great deal. Don't assume that the tube is always the fastest way to get around. The stations are deeper than many of the US/Canadian systems we have used, which means more steps and more time to get down and up. For some trips, the bus is easier, and a bus pass is much cheaper than a tube pass. And of course you will have to ride the double-decker bus at least once. There are both train and express bus connections to Portsmouth; which one you choose will depend on the particular timetable, and where your hotel is in relation to the respective stations. I should have liked to have taken a boat ride to Greenwich, to see the observatory. That's where the John Harrison clocks are, and if your son knows about the longitude prize, that is really special. My girls weren't interested. I really found the "Let's Go" city guide helpful. Without it, I would have missed out on some neat experiences, like luncheon at the "Cafe in the Crypt" which is underneath a church and has french-influenced food. One of the things I learned from the guide (and used to stretch our days) was that many of the museums have one night of evening hours. The Victoria and Albert was open until 10 p.m. on Wednesday when we were there, for example. This was really wonderful, because of course our U.S. Smithsonian museums close promptly at 5 or 6 p.m. We went to church while we were there, and that was a great way to meet some "real" people and get a glimpse into how the English people of our class live. I also enjoyed shopping in local drug stores and non-touristy places, which was where I found the chocolate frogs that I brought home for the little girls. Although I normally don't turn the television on when we are traveling, in this case it really was fascinating--even to watch the commercials. When we were there, John Thaw had just died, and they were doing a retrospective. Have a great trip! Colleen Kay Porter |
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