Re: London, England this time

[Vernon Quaintance]

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

[just me]

"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

[Rosalie B.]

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%20page%201%20london%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_Table/Display_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/great-experiences.htm?http://www.greatexperiencedays.co.uk/showProducts.asp?catType=Britishpullman&catCode=APR%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

[Rosalie B.]

x-no-archive:yes (Vernon Quaintance) wrote:

>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).

There are a lot of different names for these cards. You can get a
Visitor's Travelcard in advance, but regular travelcards are available
at every tube station in London. The 7-day cards for Zones 1 and 2
cost the same as the 7-day Visitors Travelcards. The tube stations
take credit cards, and I always charge as much as possible.

If you are going to use a credit card at an ATM machine, be sure you
know your password in numbers, as the machines will not have letters
on them. Also check before you go and see if your credit card will
charge an extra fee in addition to the normal extra fee that is
charged for changing from one currency to another. I charged the ICU
and ER when my husband had a heart attack in the Bahamas on two
different credit cards. One of the cards didn't charge me anything
extra which was what I would expect because while the charge was in
Bahamian money, the Bahamian dollar is on par with the US dollar. The
other card charged me about 4 percent extra on each transaction.
A caution about credit cards. Credit card fraud is very widespread in
London (as in other European cities), and is often accomplished by
clerks or managers in retail establishments taking your credit card
number and information from your receipt, and then attempting
(themselves or through an accomplice) to charge merchandize,
especially easy resale items like CD's. Unlike the States (or in my
area, anyway) many retailers (especially non-chain places) print out
charge card receipts with the entire number, and an employee can get
the necessary information.

~Re tipping:Taxis..............10% (min. 50p)
Hotel porters.....£1 to 2 depending on no. of bags* * *
Restaurants.... check whether service is included* * * * * * * * * * *
(ask if not sure). If included add* 5% only if service outstanding.*
Otherwise 10% normal, 15%*if* outstanding service.
Pubs............no tips. If waiter/waitress brings * * * * * * * * *
food to table, tip £1 (optional but they appreciate it)
Note: Some pubs allow children and some specifically allow children.
Usually you order at the bar and sometimes the food will be delivered
to the table and sometimes you get it.
Concierge.... 5% of ticket price if they get you*good theatre tickets.
For making restaurant reservation £1 to 2, for getting taxi...nothing
(that's their job).
There is no need to tip walking tour guides.
Room service in hotels usually includes a service charge so there is
really no need to tip extra but, if you like the waiter/waitress you
could give them a pound or so.


Your son might want to go to some theatre in London. My grandson
enjoyed the Reduced Shakespeare, and there is also the Lion King and
many other possibilities.

There are also some Harry Potter sites - and there is a toy store
Hamleys. This is a five story toy store that was having some kind of
Harry Potter event. They had transformed their stairwell into scenes
from H.P. and the Chamber of Secrets for a Warner Brothers contest.
(may still be there).

My dd#3 went to Stainsbury's and bought picnic food and mostly ate
lunches in the parks. There is also Harrods of course for shopping.

My dd#1 recommended Pret A Manger for sandwiches and Wagamama
restaurant, but we didn't eat there. We actually ate at McDonalds
once when we were in a hurry. Also most museums have places to eat.

>
>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

grandma Rosalie

[Colleen Porter]

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