London Off the Beaten Path Tips by shutterlust

Built by the Knights Templar, this is the last surviving round church in London. It is nestled between two Inns of Court (the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple) which is where law students go to live/study before becoming full-fledged barristers.

The very special thing about this church takes place on Sundays 11:15am. The choral mattins, sung by the Temple Church's own all-boy/men choir. 12 men and 18 boys, most AMAZING voices ever.

This is also where I met my friend Sir John and his wife Betty. I love Temple Church and the surrounding Inns of Court and this is my plug to you all: Check out Temple Church. Attend a Sunday Choral Mattins (or a lunchtime concert, held on Wednesdays at 1:15PM) or check out the Temple Gardens during the week around lunchtime. The church is beautiful and their preacher/semon-person/priest (called "master") is one of the best rhetoricians I know. Reverend Robin-Griffith Jones, Reverent and Valiant Master of the Temple, is one of the sweetest, smartest men I know and he's recently released his book on the DaVinci Code, debunking the unfounded 'facts' in the book. (Don't get me wrong, I loved the book, but just go to one of the Master's talks and he will win you over. I promise!)

I love the Temple Church dearly, I've been attending the services for over a year and I go back whenever I can. I just ask that people who are coming to visit the church, respect the fact that students are studying for their bar exam there and that the Church takes great pains to allow tourists to come into the Inner/Middle Temple area. Feel free to take your pictures, but not during services. If you come for the services, remember that the Church is primarily a place of God and not a tourist site. Please dress appropriately to services and if you want to come to the church but not the service, please wait quietly outside.

Otherwise, enjoy your visit to the Temple Church! :-) And I hope you end up loving it as much as I do, regardless of the book.

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Website: www.templechurch.com

St. Etheldreda's, one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in London. As a avid Roman Catholic, I felt it my duty to check out all the Catholic churches in London. So of course, I check out Westminster Cathedral, which is typical and found in almost all guidebooks. However, I just so happened to come upon St. Etheldredas, which is on Ely Place, off of Charterhouse St near Farringdon. For some reason, there was NO ONE in this church, nobody in the office, behind the altar, or even in the halls underneath it. NO ONE. I was absolutely alone and it was the creepiest thing ever. For true spooky atmosphere, go here during the week and just wander around looking at all the very odd statuettes and plaques. When there are people there, I'm sure it's not as bad, but check it out. And when you head into the main hall, take a look into the door heading downstairs to your right. Definitely a lot more spooky than Baker St. or near the Tower by the Thames. Happy hauntings!

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Westminster CATHEDRAL (not Westminster Abbey) is located near the Victoria station. A candy-house looking Roman Catholic church in the middle of a very Protestant country. HOWEVER, if you ask the lady at the desk, she'll guide you to an elevator where you paid about 3 quid (pounds) to ride all the way to the top of the cathedral where you will get an AMAZING view of London! It's a hell of a lot cheaper than the Millennium Eye's 11.50 quid! Check it out!

-it is also a very pretty church!

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Phone: 020-7798-9055
Website: www.westminstercathedral.org.uk
Other Contact: 42 Francis St, London, SW1P 1QW

Obviously, when you come to London, you've got to see Big Ben, Westminster, the Millennium Eye, Houses of Parliament, Harrods and the British Museum. Hopefully, Covent Garden is also on your list.

While in Covent Garden, you must, must, MUST check out the V&A's sister museu, the Theatre Museum (National Museum of the Performing Arts). It's free of charge (all national museums in London are!) and you can watch short film clips about musicals, theatre shows, comedies, dramas, and even children's puppet shows!

The exhibits are amazing if you love theatre, musicals, acting of any sort, costumes,make-up, etc! They have little presentations and activites for children and adults from make-up demonstrations to costuming. They have acting classes and exhibits on everything from the Phantom of the Opera to Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit! (WARNING: there are dummies from Lord of the Rings that may be a BIT frightening for younger children. Heck, I was scared to death and I'm an "adult"...of some sort. lol) But GOOO! It's soo cool and I just stumbled upon it because it was raining!

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Phone: 020-7943-4700
Website: http://theatremuseum.vam.ac.uk/
Other Contact: 1e Tavistock Street, WC2E 7PR

My friend Valerie flew over from NY to visit me in London. We wanted to do something atypical so I decided we should visit Little Venice!

Little Venice is north of Maida Vale, in the NorthWest corner of Central London. Get off at Warwick Avenue and you'll find yourself in a little oasis of canals known as Little Venice!

It's the sweetest and one of the more romantic areas in London. We toured the area with a tourguide from "Original London Walks" who was fantastic!

You can even eat on a boat cafe!

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