Sign in with Facebook
The last time I was in London was 1950 and I was 12 years old. In 2002. I wanted to revisit some of the places I'd seen then, and see some of the ones I'd missed.
My goals were to:
- An over all orientation tour on the Big Bus
-The British Museum
-The Gilbert and Sullivan at the Savoy
- London Eye
-Evensong at St. Pauls
-To do a brass rubbing
-To see pictures of London and Salisbury by Constable and Turner
-Shop at Harrods
-Have afternoon tea with clotted cream
We had 4 days (Thursday to Sunday), counting the day of arrival when I expected to be somewhat jet lagged.
I managed to get to see the following things:
- I rode all three routes of The Big Red Bus route including the boat trip on the Thames. I also used that sightseeing bus to get from Victoria Station to our hotel near the British Museum during the underground strike which was the day we arrived.
- We spent a half day in the British Museum seeing the Roman Britain exhibits, the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles.
- We saw "The Mikado" at the Savoy
- We rode the London Eye
- We went to St. Martin in the Fields, and I did a brass rubbing as a gift for one of my daughters.
- Went to the National Gallery and saw the target paintings, plus a good many others including a huge horse painted by Stubbs.
- We had tea at Liberty's of London (would not have been my top choice and there wasn't any clotted cream. We had the clotted cream later.)
We also saw an exhibit of portraits of children's authors at the National Portrait Gallery.
We did not get to shop at Harrods or see anything except the outside of St. Pauls.
With hindsight, I would have traded the London Eye for Harrods and St. Pauls. Because of the crowds, we had to wait 3 hours to get on and that was way more time than it was worth.
On my latest trip to London (2007), I was with my 13 year old grandson. We were coming from a week in Ireland. We had 3.5 days (arriving Friday, Saturday, Sunday,and Monday). We left Tuesday morning.
My goals this time were:
Use the hop-on-hop-off bus to get an overview of London. (but the Original Bus was far inferior to the Big Bus that my husband and I did in 2002)
Attend a variety of live performances (saw a rock musical, a play and Shakespeare)
See the Tower of London (yes) and such other places as I though he might enjoy. I would have liked to take him to do some brass rubbings, and to an exhibit of musical instruments at the Victoria and Albert. (next time)
He wanted to see the London Eye (but we didn't have time to ride on it) and Buckingham Palace (a disappointment)
His aunt recommended Madame Tussauds and Tower Bridge. (did both but Tower Bridge was much better than the waxworks)
In addition in finally got to see Harrods (although not to shop), and ride in a cab.
- Pros:Theatre, Museums
- Cons:Expensive.
- In a nutshell:Something for everyone
Reviews (77)
Too Clogged for a Wheelchair
Things to Do
(30)
We got our tickets for Madame Tussaud's (and also the Tower of London) from the Original Bus company. I bought them... more travel advice
Radisson Edwardian Vanderbuilt Hotel
Restaurants
(6)
We came in from our trip and didn't feel like going out again so we ate at the hotel. The food was good, but quite... more travel advice
Hotel Breakfast
Restaurants
(6)
Breakfast was included in our room rate. I thought it quite good, but my grandson was anxious for more 'normal' food by... more travel advice
Regents Park
Restaurants
(6)
The Garden Café will seat 300, 150 inside and 150 out, beside the rose gardens and Open Air Theatre of Regent's Park. An... more travel advice
Travelogues (6)
grandmaR's Related Pages
-
Greenwich
-
Buckingham Palace
-
Heathrow
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Cheltenham
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Gloucester
-
Bourton on the Water
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Stoke Poges
-
Stonehenge
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Avebury
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Salisbury
-
Old Sarum
-
Ironbridge
-
Bath
-
Stratford-upon-Avon
-
Greater London
-
Bedfordshire
-
Worcester
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Droitwich
-
Tibberton
-
Trevor
London Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "My Current Home"
- "Maybe it's Because I'm A Londoner...."
- "Gor Blimey guv'ner...you'r having a larf......"
- "London, the capital of England"
- "London, Misty Albion"
- "When a man tires of London, he is tired of life"
- "Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner ..."
- See All...
Explore the World
Badges & Stats in London
- 77 Reviews
- 297 Photos
- 209 Forum posts
- 22 Comments
- 29,652PageViews
- See All Stats
- See All Badges (150)
Have you been to London?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in London
- Replied to AllieK's Travel London Forum Forum Question "Airport transfers"
- updated a London Travelogue "London with my grandson in 2007"
- Uploaded a Photo to "London with my grandson in 2007"
- Uploaded a Video to London
- Wrote a Review Too Clogged for a Wheelchair about Madame Tussauds and Planetarium in London Things to Do
- Commented on fishandchips's London Page
- Posted in Travel London Forum "Statues in a niche under a pediment"
Photos in London
See All Photos (297)
Videos in London
Top 10 Pages
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
United States of America
Intro, 166 reviews, 714 photos, 3 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Key West
Intro, 154 reviews, 544 photos, 8 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
New Orleans
Intro, 177 reviews, 401 photos, 5 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Baltimore
Intro, 74 reviews, 311 photos, 9 travelogues
-
London
Intro, 77 reviews, 301 photos, 6 travelogues
-
Venice
Intro, 59 reviews, 297 photos, 5 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Bermuda
Intro, 50 reviews, 280 photos, 8 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Marathon
Intro, 92 reviews, 235 photos, 6 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Miami
Intro, 55 reviews, 248 photos, 7 travelogues
-
Copenhagen
Intro, 41 reviews, 247 photos, 5 travelogues
Friends
See All Friends (51)
Cruise
Disabilities
National/State ParkLatest London hotel reviews
- London Guards Hotel
- 217 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 14, 2012 - Millennium Hotel Mayfair London
- 515 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2012 - Park Lodge Hotel
- 43 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 7, 2012 - Covent Garden Hotel
- 289 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2012 - Queens Park Hotel
- 317 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 16, 2012 - Goring Hotel
- 211 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2012 - The Darlington Hyde Park
- 694 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 24, 2012 - Premier Lodge Southwark
- 246 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2012 - K West Hotel & Spa
- 619 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2012 - Marriott Lon County Hall
- 555 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2012 - Royal Cambridge Hotel
- 59 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 18, 2012 - 41 Hotel
- 738 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2012 - Hyde Park Court Hotel
- 77 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Feb 27, 2012 - Park Inn Thurrock London
- 78 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 13, 2012 - Montana Hotel
- 200 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2012
Comments (22)
http://www.ridgemounthotel.co.uk/ This is the website for the Hotel, i have just got back from a visit here :)
Hi, Rosalie, I love your pics and narrative of your London trip. I need to learn the bus system next time. Your paintings are fab. Will check out London hotel next time and appreciate your tips.
Excellent 5 star tips and great pics - Well Done - from Mike and Shelley in that forgotten, very historic, suburb of London called "Barking Town".
Thanks for visiting. Yes, prefer to walk myself - the traffic is a real killer for those bus tours - Mum did like the included Thames cruise though!!
Bring back memories of London. Great stuff. Enjoyed going by boat to Kew Gardens. Cheers, SL
Gingered = to have someone knock on your door. Knocked up = Made pregnant Lemonade = fizzy lemon drink Soda = carbonated water Squash = fruit flavouring we add to water Fanny = rude terminology Fannypack = Bumbag Hope that helps grandmaR. :)
Rosalie Thanks for steering me in the right direction. These pages are great and very informative. It must have been fun to compare then(1950) and now . Thanks Joyce
Great pages. Can't believe some people rated them less than 5 stars. Did you know the bells from St. Martin in the Fields are now in Perth, Australia?
You've put in a lot of work and thought. Good pages. Thanks.
Good tip, grandma, as a London resident II am only too aware of this kind of thing. fergy
1 - 10 of 22
View 12 More