What to see in Britain

[Trisha Masen]

--- Tyler wrote:
> My partner and I are going to Britain in June,
> and I'm
> looking for sugestions on what to see.

Lynn:
Here are some suggestions from my visits to
London:

1.  Tower of London.  I scheduled half a day the
first time and ended up going back for another
half day.  You can bring a picnic lunch in with
you.  Definitely take the tour with a Beefeater
for the extra stories.  I now suggest to everyone
that they go early, take a lunch and that way
they have enough time and if they don't end up
spending as much time as I eventually did, they
can use that time to see other things in the
area, such as my 7th suggestion.

2.  National Gallery.  I would probably rate this
as my second favorite museum, the Louvre being
the first.  Again, I just didn't schedule enough
time for it even though I thought 4 hours would
be enough.  And, of course, it's right at
Trafalga Square.

3.  Harrod's, particularly the Food Court. 

4.  Picadilly Circus.  What a great place to
wander around.  Lots of little shops to explore
as you walk through the theater district.

5. Westminister Abbey.  They used to allow
cameras on Wednesday nights.  If you want to take
pictures, it's something to check out.  

6.  Double-decker bus tour which allows you to
get on and off.  I liked this for all those
things I wanted to see but didn't necessarily
want to spend a lot of time checking out.  It can
also give you an idea of what you might want to
go back to and spend more time doing.  Also, if
you get a good tour operator, you find out some
interesting facts you don't read in travel
guides.

7.  London Dungeon.  I found it facinating but
then, I'm a bit strange. 

8.  The Theater.  Definitely see a play while
you're there. 

I wasn't impressed with Buckinham Palace and
never bothered to go see a changing of the guard.
 However, it is a nice walk from Victoria Station
to there and then over to the House of Parliment
which is impressive.

===========
Me (Trisha):
I've been twice now and, Anglophile that I am, I have loved it.  I agree wholeheartedly on visiting the Tower of London.  When I went the first time, I had only a day of sightseeing available and chose a tour company (like Lynn mentioned in recommendation #6) where I could get on and off the bus.  Rode it to the Tower and wished I could have stayed all day.

Hubby and I did go to Harrod's but I wasn't as impressed as I suppose I should have been.  I guess it wasn't thrilling enough (or different enough) for my jaded East Coast eyes.

Piccadilly Circus is just a madhouse.  I liked it :)  Walk up Regent Street.  There is a store called Fortnum & Mason that has a wonderful food area (well, they have delicious creams that I must buy).  Almost across the street is one of the world's biggest toy stores, Hamley's.  During my second visit, this is where we had to take our 3-year-old daughter.

London Dungeon *was* quite interesting.  Gruesomely fascinating, actually :)

I have pictures and info about both trips on my website, if you'd like to take a look:
March 2001:
http://www.trishamasen.net/vacation/2001/london.htm
Nov/Dec 2002:
http://www.trishamasen.net/vacation/2002/london.htm

If you're going outside London, the White Cliffs of Dover are only about a two hour drive away.  I would have loved to tour Dover Castle, but we arrived too late in the day.  They have a whole bunch of stuff about how the Castle was used during WWII.

Hope that helps!
~Trisha Masen~



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]