UK
Travel Notes UK
London
"London! -- that great place! -- nobody -- not even Mr. Bumble -- could ever find him there! He had often heard the old men in the workhouse, too, say that no lad of spirit need want in London; and that there were ways of living in that vast city, which those who had been bred up in country parts had no idea of." -- from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, 1838.
To make a holiday in London England, it is important to realize that you won't have enough time to see it all.
Travel to the UK via London is easy. Over 90 airlines fly into Heathrow, which is west of London and can be accessed by The Tube. An alternative is Gatwick Airport, which is south of London and north of Brighton. It also serves about 90 airlines.
If you get to London and have only a day, you are in trouble. Our suggestion is to pick one of these so that you can impress your friends.
The Tower of London is a former castle and home and prison to kings and their offspring. A royal murder mystery is recounted there by the Beefeaters about who killed the the young princes and heirs of Edward IV. The prison has had famous 'guests' including Anne Boleyn, Walter Raleigh, Rudolf Hess and Thomas More. Look for Henry the VIII's famous armour with codpiece. The ravens are legendary because, apparently, if they desert the Tower, London will fall in war. Of course the sensible precaution of clipping their wings helped.
St Paul's Cathedral is famous for weddings (e.g. Charles and Diana - 1981.) The cathedral is on multiple church sites dating back to about 600 AD. The architect Sir Christopher Wren built St. Paul's during the period from 1675 to 1708. The St. Paul's Cathedral Foundation is raising money for restorations to celebrate the 300th anniversary in 2008.
The British Museum is huge; full of antiquities collected and/or stolen by the British over many centuries. Three totally cool things to look for in the museum are:
1. Lindow man, a preserved corpse from a Cheshire bog, dead 2000 years. Not only dead, but murdered. He had been struck three times on two parts of his head and had been strangled.2. The Rosetta Stone, which helped figure out Hieroglyphics as it had Egyptian and Greek saying the same thing.
3. The Clock Room has a fascinating collection of time pieces and you'd swear Dr. Who was going to pop out from behind one and say hello.
Hyde Park has a long history in London, and is good to find a spot to escape the hubbub of London. Speaker's Corner is a great place to go listen and keep your mouth shut; it is great place to learn the art of heckling.
London Zoo is in Regents Park and is the original home to the Canadian black bear Winnie, that inspired A. A. Milne. Today it is home to everything from lions to otters to penguins to Komodo dragons.
Enjoy your London vacation!