Barb & I decided to visit London in Oct. 2018. As usual I tried to learn the language and English was similar to American. Having owned an English car (1959 Triumph TR3) I knew bonnet=hood, boot=trunk, torch=headlight, etc.). Transportation via the “tube” (subway) was easy. I would suggest putting more than a few trips on an Oyster pass. The pass is used to access the bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground, TfL Rail, Emirates Air Line, River Bus and most National Rail services in London. Each trip is deducted from you balance. Unused balances are easily refunded at the ATM-like machines at many stations.
Even though we traveled in the “off season” the main attractions were crowded with tourists. With a hobby of photography, I was frustrated taking pictures with large crowds of tourists blocking the best shot, tour guides rushing us along and a couple of rainy days. We had only a few days in London so we opted for tours. I would advise taking the tours and allow a couple of days for meandering at will.
If we were able to go back and redo the trip I would begin with London’s Hidden Gems and Secret History Private Guided Tour through Richard Jones Tours. It was the only tour that began at our hotel where the guide met us and tailored the trip to our interests and our pace. We also found out that they offered custom trips to Port Isaac where the series Doc Martin is filmed also available in Cornwall is the location for filming Poldark. For our custom tour Barb opted for a Charles Dickens tour. We dined at the same taverns where Dickens (and a lot of other historical notables) ate dinner. We saw the businesses, public buildings, courts, and streets that inspired A Christmas Carol and Tale of Two Cities. If you want to skip a guide, there is a walking tour app with GPS guidance available. But I highly recommend the private guided tour. I would also suggest a longer stay as there are many attractions to see.
STONEHENGE
Perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago
OXFORD
DICKENS TOUR – OLD LONDON
Leadenhall Market is a covered market in London, located on Gracechurch Street. It is one of the oldest markets in London, dating from the 14th century, and is located in the historic centre of the City of London financial district. The market dates from the 14th century and is said to derive its name from Leather-hall,
In the heart of The City of London lies a secret watering-hole in the arches beneath Leadenhall Market. Topple down the stairs into Old Tom´s bar and you´ll discover it’s full of preserved style and décor from the ages gone by.
The George and Vulture is a pub in London that was built in 1748. There has been an inn on the site, which is off Lombard Street in the historic City of London district, since 1268.[1] It was said to be a meeting place of the notorious Hell-Fire Club and is now a revered City chop house.
It is mentioned at least 20 times[2] in The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, who frequently drank there himself.
Court street where Dickens worked and may have set the background for Scrooge and Bob Cratchit’s characters.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is a Grade II listed public house at 145 Fleet Street, on Wine Office Court, City of London.[1] Rebuilt shortly after the Great Fire of 1666, the pub is known for its literary associations, with its regular patrons having included Charles Dickens, G.K. Chesterton and Mark Twain.
WINDSOR CASTLE
The Queens station and private train.
Tower of London
14th Century state of the art crossbow.
Henry commuted Anne’s sentence from burning to beheading, and rather than have a queen beheaded with the common axe, he brought an expert swordsman from Saint-Omer in France, to perform the execution. This is supposed to mark the spot she lost her head.
The royal rack – not a billiards rack
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Unfortunately we did not go into the palace but did witness the changing of the guard.
london bridge
LONDON EYE
“Bummer” – we had tickets to ride the eye but even in the “off season” the eye was so backed up that the first opening was 2 days later. By that time we were in Amsterdam,
MISC.
We stayed at the Lancaster Gate Hotel. Great location in Bayswater near the Yellow Line tube and Hyde Park.
Cutty Sark is a British clipper ship. Built on the River Clyde in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, coming at the end of a long period of design development, which halted as sailing ships gave way to steam propulsion. “Cutty sark” is 18th-century Scots for “short chemise” or “short undergarment”. Hyphenated, Cutty–sark was a nickname given to the witch Nannie Dee, a fictional character created by Robert Burns in his Tam o’ Shanter, after the garment she wore.
Had to see an English phone booth, but missed the Green Shelter. This diminutive shed in Russell Square is where the keepers of London’s secrets gather – the black-cab drivers whose minds are mapped with every inch of the city. It’s one of 13 cabmen’s shelters remaining in the capital, and only licensed drivers who have passed The Knowledge test – memorizing every street, landmark and route in London – are allowed inside.
