Deciding whether to go on the cruise or not was a tough decision. Now that we are going, there seems to be even more decisions in the planning of what to do while we are on and off the ship. The trip starts in London. London baby! (That's for you Friends fans out there) I have been to London once, but I was around 13 years old. I am now 31 (Ouch), so I'm thinking it will be a little bit different of an experience. Lisa has not been to London, so it will be all new to her. Our group is about a 50/50 split of those that have been to London and those that have not. Since we are not sure if and when we will be back, we would like to see and experience as much of London as possible (this will be a common theme of the trip). My family and I are not the type of people that vacation leisurely so we will be very active.
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| Tower of London |
We land in London Thursday morning around 7:30am and would like to be ready to explore around 11:00. Our first stop is the Tower of London. I remember going here the last time I was in London, and it was really cool. We will get to see where Anne Boleyn was beheaded, the torture devices, as well as the Crown Jewels. Lisa is looking forward to seeing the Crown Jewels. I just like saying "Crown Jewels". Anyway, we are planning on taking a tour with a Beefeater, which is cool that they keep the historical feel of the landmark. After the tower, we are going to take a boat tour of the Thames river. We'll see the London Eye, the Globe Theater, Scotland Yard and other London icons along the river. After the boat tour, we'll journey back to the hotel to check-in and clean up a little. We are planning on going to Harrod's to check out one of the most famous department stores in the world. I'm looking forward to seeing their "food court". I put quotes over it because it isn't like going to Oak Park mall and getting a baked potato. It is more like going to Whole Foods, but with more exotic foods. And honestly, I like food. After going to Harrod's, we are going to find a pub for dinner and beverages. That will probably be it. Wow, that is a full day right after getting off an overnight plane. I hope I can sleep on the flight over.
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| Buckingham Palace |
The second day in London will start at Westminster Abbey ("You're Westminster crabby.") We'll see where royal wedding, coronations and funerals have been occurring since the 11th century. Outside of the Abbey we will see Big Ben, the Parliament, and other icons. After the Abbey we will head to Buckingham Palace to attempt to see the Changing of the Guard. Lisa is hoping to see the Queen, Prince William and Kate and especially their new baby, Prince George. Don't worry, I have tried to tell her that we probably won't see them. After Buckingham Palace we'll head to the British Museum. My friend Justin who is going with us had the best sales pitch to see the British Museum. He told us that this is where the British keep artifacts and relics from all of the countries around the world that they have ruled or conquered. That sold me. Looking back, I have been there before and I remember seeing the Egyptian exhibit and the mummy. It is a very interesting and historic museum. After the museum we are heading toward Piccadilly Circus. On the way, we are going to stop at Liberty of London. One of the souvenirs Lisa wants to get in London is fabric. Apparently Liberty of London has world famous fabric that quilters adore. After that is dinner......
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| Westminster Abbey |
I can't believe it either, but other than Harrod's and the pub I haven't mentioned food very much. We were looking for somewhere to eat fit for foodies. I found several options that were famous and/or highly respected chefs, but they were very expensive or not close to our hotel. My dad was looking as well and looked through Anthony Bourdain's list of his favorite restaurants in the world. Yes, the same list that includes Oklahoma Joe's. He listed a restaurant in London called St. John bar and restaurant. They are known for head to tail cuisine. They are known for their bone marrow. This option really interested us so we have a group of 11 eating with us that Friday night.
As you can tell, this is going to be a whirlwind experience in London. We are going to try and see a lot, but even if we only see most of it, it is going to be a great 2 days in London. The next day we head to Harwich to board the cruise ship.
We found a package called the London Pass, similar to the City Pass in the U.S. It allows entrance to several of the London attractions as well as a transportation option that includes Underground (subway) passes and the Thames cruise. I'm interested to see how it works. It is a pretty good price for everything that is included.
Well, those are our plans for London. I will have two more pre-trip posts that include Paris planning and then cruise and other planning. More to come. Stay tuned......
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| Next to plan.....Paris |
