The Templin�s spent 3 days and the Pruitt�s spent 6 days, each flying to get there. The budget airline experiences were similar. Easyjet flys out of Lyon and RyanAir flys out of St. Etienne. We booked our flights on-line without any problems.
You just need the confirmation number and your passports to check-in. Check out the fares closely. Though they can appear very inexpensive, there are some additional taxes and charges that can only be seen as you further select your flights. The baggage allowance is less than the larger airlines. Each passenger is allowed one carry-on weighing no more than 5kg and check-in luggage no more than 20 kg. Even though we had one bag that was over 20 kg, it appeared they weighed all our pieces together to be sure we were cumulatively under the allowance. We flew to Stansted Airport and took the train into London. In London, both families chose the Travel Inns. The one at County Hall is more centrally located in the Westminster area but both were decent hotels, especially for families.
(Templin)
We mostly traveled by the Underground but we did hop on the Big Bus Co. double decker bus to tour the city. These buses had live tour guides that were very entertaining. They were very helpful providing open hours and other information. We saw many of the famous sights, Tower of London, Westminster abbey and the London Eye. Since we were visiting in the off-season many of the tourist sights were only open from 9:30-4:30. Be sure to check out the hours in advance.
There are two very large and very interesting museums: the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum- both of them free all the time. The kids loved the dinosaur exhibit and all the hands-on activities. We also saw the Lion King theater production. We bought our tickets on-line with ticket master. It was wonderful and kids also enjoyed that.
(Pruitt)
We bought the London Pass which gave us free entrance to some of the sites and some discounts at some restaurants and stores. Also with the London Pass we enjoyed a free boat ride along the Thames. It gave us a different view of London. We purchased the passes at the Liverpool Street Station Visitors Office. We got a very nice book that tells what the pass includes. I think that if you are going to stay for a week or more it would be a good deal. We didn't have to purchase one for Andrew and he got in free to most of the sites.
With the London Pass and a Zone 6 subway pass we got to ride the train free to Windsor. We just bought a zone 1 - 6 tube ticket that day, took the tube to Paddington Station, got off and hopped on the Thames Train to Windsor. As long as we showed both the London Pass and the tube ticket we got to ride free. Trains travel to and from Windsor about every 20 minutes or so. We really enjoyed Windsor Castle and highly recommend it. We visited the private chapel, toured the State Rooms and walked thru some of the grounds. The round building in the middle houses all the Royal secret documents. The security people there were very nice at answering questions and giving us information. You can visit our web site (page1& 2) to see some photos of Windsor Castle. I also have written some information about Windsor Castle there. http://hometown.aol.com/apruitt14/index.html The train station at Windsor has several restaurants and shops. There is also quite a bit of shopping right next to the train station. You can easily plan to spend a day there. We went to Wimbledon in the morning and Windsor in the afternoon. I could have used some more shopping time.
When we went to Wimbledon we took the tube to the Southfields station and walked about a mile to the grounds. The museum is very nice and we enjoyed it. It takes you thru the history of tennis. On certain days there is a tour of the grounds and behind the scenes. Unfortunately, during the winter months it is only on Sunday and we missed it.
We were told that the French trains run on time, but not to count on the Eurostar being on time. We found that to be the case. The TGV from Grenoble was on-time to the minute. The Eurostar was over a half hour late in both directions, in each case because of some slowdown somewhere on the tracks. It is a fast train, peaking at 186 mph in France, but slows down at other times, and seems to have special problems occasionally. This is something to remember on the return trip. I would not suggest making a close connection on the return because of this.
There seemed to be many currency exchanges in London, but I don't know how they survive when you can walk up to almost any money machine and pull out Pounds Sterling from your own bank account.
We used the subway, bus, and taxi system in London, and did not rent a car. You can get almost anywhere easily with some form of public transportation. We were there for 6 nights, and had more than enough to see without leaving the city. We stayed just north of Hyde Park. There seem to be a million small operation hotel rooms in London. Our area was fine, I'm sure there are others that are also fine. Getting a hotel somewhat near a subway station can be handy. We still have "Mind the Gap" swimming in our heads (a unique announcement that plays in the London subways so people don't fall between the train and the platform).
The first day we were there, we piled on one of the tourist buses that run around town, so that we could get our bearings and decide what we wanted to see. It was a mixed bag. You only got fleeting glimpses of the sites from the buses. You could get off at any time and get back on later, but if you did too much of that, you would use up the day before you ran the whole trip. The best part of it was that the price included a river cruise up the Thames. That was nice, as you had time to see a lot of the attractions without rushing, with a good view from the river.
Over the course of the week, I accompanied my wife and daughters as they shopped on Regent and Oxford streets. London is well equipped with stores, pubs, and theaters, with first run plays and musicals. We visited The Tower of London (go early in the day, as the lines can get very long), Tower Bridge, the Science Museum, saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace (not that big a deal), walked by Big Ben and the British Parliament, saw the "Life Guards" on horses at a palace near Downing Street (you cannot get too close to #10 for security reasons), spent a little while in the art museum, spent quite a while in Selfridge's and Harrod's department stores (Harrods is pretty impressive), and took a side trip by light rail train (part of the subway system) to the Royal Observatory at Greenich, "home" of the prime meridian (which is not a steak). We could have gone on the "London Eye" which is the huge ferris wheel downtown, but the lines were very long for that.
Overall, it was a very fun and relaxing trip, but be a little prepared for sticker shock - prices in London are steep!
BY TERRI QUINN