We're going to England!!!!

[fenchurch]

There is not enough squee in the world to describe how I'm feeling right now!

We finally bought our plane tickets a few hours ago and it's starting to hit. It's real. It's really real! Squeeeeeeee!!!

So people! Friends of mine! I ask you...

What should we do while we're in England? We fly out of Seattle on October 4th and arrive in London on the morning of October 5th... and fly back home on October 18th. Two full weeks to fill!

So far, our very loose plans include exploring the London area for about a week. Our plane tickets came with a free Royal Pass apiece, which gets us in to see the Tower of London, Hampton Court and Kensington Palace. Of course, we're also planning on going to the British Museum (hey, they have the Rosetta Stone! And Giles used to work there! ;-), visiting my namesake (Fenchurch Street Station) and at some point I'll be having my picture taken while sitting on my own in a small cafe in Rickmansworth (there are some things which simply MUST be done).

We've already picked up a copy of the book Where Was Wonderland? A Traveler's Guide to the Settings of Classic Children's Books on babyotto's recommendation and will be trying to visit some of the places mentioned there. At some point, on queenofthorns's recommendation, we're also going to be heading over to Greenwich -- what could be worth more geek coolness points than visiting the Prime Meridian!!!

After that, we'll be renting a car (and yes, I'll probably wimp out and make rackham do all the driving again, like I did in Australia... while I sit in the passenger seat and say "left side!" from time to time) and heading north to Lancashire. Whalley, in particular. Rackham's ancestors came from there, and it still boasts the bulk of the people in the world with our last name. And if you take a look at this page, the second image down is a photo of the choir stalls carved by Rackham's ancestors back in the early 1400's... it's something Rackham's always wanted to see (and I'm just a little psyched about getting to see them, as well).

Then we're thinking of taking the ferry out of Heysham over to see the Isle of Man -- all those photos curiouswombat keeps posting have made us really want to see it in person! Afterward, we'll head back into London for another day or so before flying home.

I know a lot of you have already been to England or live over in that part of the world or want to go and have some fantastic ideas of what would be neat to see! Now the question is, what else should we do while we're there?

Comments

[saifai.livejournal.com]

Yay! *bounce* I hope you have a wonderful time while you're there. Take plenty of pictures. *gr*

[deborahw37.livejournal.com]

Have a fantastic time!

My advice (for what it's worth) Is don't try to do too much... choose some places and some areas you really want to see and take your time and do them justice. I know that England seems very small to you Americans but , having lived here all my life i'm nowhere close to having visited all the places I want to visit or seem all the things I want to see.

[mlgm.livejournal.com]

Do you like art? Because when I visited my favorite museum was the Courtauld Musuem (http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/)

Small but every picture a gem.

[gillo]

Sounds good. I suggest you pick up the car at Heathrow Airport - lots of hire places there (probably a better deal if you book online in advance) Central London driving is not for the faint-hearted at any time, let alone a first experience of driving on the correct side of the road. *g* From Heathrow you can get straight onto the motorway (like a freeway) and can do 40-50+ miles without needing to worry what side of the road you're on. Oh, and Rickmansworth isn't very far from Heathrow either, in the right direction.

Now as it happens Warwickshire is exactly on the route between London and Lancashire. We have a world-class theatre and tourist trap in Stratford on Avon, an impressive though cheesily-presented castle in Warwick and a rather nicer, more ruined castle in Kenilworth.(points to icon) Where a local guide could be made available.....

In London don't miss the British Library which has all sorts of fabulous famous books and manuscripts. The National Gallery is full of amazing and famous art - so are Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the National Portrait Gallery....

[emakarumbo.livejournal.com]

Go to Oxford or Cambridge and just soak up the atmosphere. Personally I prefer Oxford, but they're both beautiful.

Also - Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral. And while you're in London you should go to Greenwich and see the Observatory there, as well as the Cutty Sark...

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Pub:)

[shapinglight]

On the way from London to Lancashire, via Warwickshire, you must stop off in Oxford. If you're a Tolkien buff at all, you could have lunch at the Eagle and Child pub in St Giles and then, if you like art/archaeology etc visit the Ashmolean Museum, which isn't far away.

Car parking can be a bit tricky in the city centre, though.

[gillo]

The Park 'n Ride places to the south and the north of teh city centre are worth considering for anyone who a) doesn't know Oxford and b)isn't used to traffic on our side of the road...

[http://users.livejournal.com/opalescence_/]

Oh gosh, I am sooooooooo jealous! That is so great!!!!

[shapinglight]

That's true. Forgot about them.

Sometimes you can get parking in St Giles, if you're lucky.

[douglascootey.livejournal.com]

How fun. I hope you have a blast.

If I were visiting England I'd try to make it to Stonehenge, visit Sherwood Forest, visit Nottinghill and compare it to the movie (the set they made of the street for the movie was so quaint and appealing), buy lots of licorice toffees, and try to time a visit to one of those famous crop circles so I could get a picture of myself lying in the crop circle via satellite for Google Earth. LOL

~Douglas

Things to do in London

[sunnyd-lite.livejournal.com]

If you're spending a week in London, I suggest just walking through the center of the City and soaking it in. If you want a more organized approach, I highly recommend this company, London Walks (http://london.walks.com)

You just turn up at the start point and they give you history, social, and gossip from the last four hundred years about certain neighbourhoods. They run about two hours and cost 6 pounds. There are evening ones where you hit a number of pubs, a Jack the Ripper walk and a Ghost walk. Yup I really enjoyed them when I was last in London.

[kellyhk.livejournal.com]

Cambridge is an hour north by rail and an absolute MUST to visit. Spent a semester in Cambridge while in college and adored living there. The colleges are magnificent to see (just don't go during exam time in june, as they are closed to the public.) The Fitzwilliam Museum is a very good art museum. Be a tourist and ride a punt (the long boats with the pole.)

And Ely and its cathedral are only ten minutes more by rail from there!

[kcarolj65.livejournal.com]

I went to England in 1996 on a week-long bus tour that went to Cambridge, York, Edinburgh, Grasmere (Lake District), Chester, Wales (just one night), Stratford-upon-Avon and Windsor. Needless to say we didn't spend much time in any one place, but managed to see most of the highlights.

I absolutely adored Edinburgh. I'd had no idea what to expect from it and so was blown away by it. The castle is gorgeous. I also loved York (the Minster is not to be missed, with its amazing stained-glass windows) and the Tudor architecture of Chester. And in London, we hit the touristy spots, St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey and the Tower, all of which were well worth the time.

If I were to go back someday, with more time at my disposal and not bound to a tour schedule, I'd go back to Scotland, and spend more time in London - there's so much to see. I can't imagine that you'll be disappointed in anything you choose to do while you're there!

Have fun! I'm jealous!

[gillo]

True, and there's a multistorey isn't there? But for someone unfamiliar with the area, the Park 'n Ride is probably much easier.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Will e-mail later - this is a flying visit to LJ, we have my Mum in law visiting at the moment.

[aeolianafay.livejournal.com]

AH! My favorite place was Windsor and taking the "tour" thingy (it was more just a walk through... you can get a guide though, I think) of part of the castle. It was sooooo cool. :-D You can get to it by train from London.

London was pretty cool itself. My sister and I went with others from Kamiakin during Spring Break of 2000. We went to England, Ireland, and Wales. :-D We stayed in a terrible hotel in London (our other hotels/inns) were decent)... though it had a good breakfast, we were stuffed into our rooms and our toilet didn't work. Shopping there was fun. :-D Riding the Underground is a must. :-D MIND THE GAP.. though. :-D

Heh.... yeah. My favorite part of shopping. LOL. Even though I didn't buy much.... but yeah. Windsor and Shopping. SHOPPING AT WINDSOR. :-D Yup. that was cool.

Heh. I'll shut up now.

[eliz.livejournal.com]

Wow!!!! I'm dying to go- was planning on going this spring until Boo happened! I've even got the miles to go and extra perks at least till next February for international travel. My best friend growing up (since we were 4) lives in Leeds with her British husband and their cat, Spats.

Oh wow-- what would I do? Besides tons of time with Kimmie-- yes, the cafe would be perfect. Probably anything touristy I could find to do- a spin past Wimbeldon, a trip to Bath for literary reasons, something Dickens-related, pop over to Scotland and Ireland too.

Oh wow!!!!!!!!

[slm76.livejournal.com]

Well, Hampton Court is a must. I'm so glad you're going there. I used to go there regularly as a kid.

I'd suggest York if you have time. Lots of history and culture.

I'd also suggest my old stomping ground of Edinburgh for the same reasons.

[rahirah]

Woot!

(I would be strongly tempted to look up 221B Baker Street, but I think it actually doesn't exist.)

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Oh! Don't worry, we will! And if we have an internet connection and some time (the latter would be the biggest stumbling block), we'll probably try to post a few of them while we're still there.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I know that England seems very small to you Americans but , having lived here all my life i'm nowhere close to having visited all the places I want to visit or seem all the things I want to see.

Thankfully, we've got a few big trips like this under our belts (in particular, the trip to Melbourne and the trip to the Northeastern US), that we've learned our lessons there. Mostly right now we're trying to get as big a list of possible things to do and see as possible... then winnow it down to the few things we absolutely MUST do and see (which we sort of already have, I guess) and plan the trip around those. Then we'll fit in as much of the other things as we feel up to doing. Keep it as flexible as possible!

Right now I'm trying to think how I'm going to survive the next four months, since I'm so hyped up about it.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've added it to the list!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I suggest you pick up the car at Heathrow Airport - lots of hire places there (probably a better deal if you book online in advance) Central London driving is not for the faint-hearted at any time, let alone a first experience of driving on the correct side of the road.

Thanks! We'd been considering hiring a car at Heathrow already, doing it just before we started up north... figuring that it would be easiest to return it there when it was time to fly home. As for driving, Rackham did get quite a bit of experience at it when we were in Australia a few years ago, but he's still not crazy about the idea of driving in Central London, so we're just planning on avoiding it altogether.

Now as it happens Warwickshire is exactly on the route between London and Lancashire. We have a world-class theatre and tourist trap in Stratford on Avon, an impressive though cheesily-presented castle in Warwick and a rather nicer, more ruined castle in Kenilworth.(points to icon) Where a local guide could be made available.....

Oh! That sounds absolutely wonderful!! I'll have to get back to you when we've got our schedule a bit more set... Thank you!!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Greenwich is definitely on the docket... I hadn't thought of visiting Oxford or Cambridge, but either of them would be neat to see (adds to list of possibilities).

Stonehenge would be wonderful, but I really don't know if we'll end having the time. I'll have to look up Salisbury Cathedral (one of the things I'm really looking forward to are all of the old buildings -- I grew up mostly in the western US, where you don't find too many buildings from before the 1800s).

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Hee! We'd definitely planned that as well... just to see how those places in the US that bill themselves "authentic English pubs" stack up to the real thing!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Ah, see... this is where a map would really come in handy! I think it might be time to hit the bookstore and see what I can pick up in the travel section. I'm afraid I've got only the faintest notion of where everything is in relation to everything else.

All of those sound like fantastic suggestions though! I think Oxford has just gone on the list as a Must See.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I never thought this would happen... we've been talking about pretty much since we first got married, though it's only been in the last five years or so that we even had a hope of affording it. And then our plans kept falling through, over and over, for various reasons. It still almost doesn't feel real!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I've *got* to figure out where Stonehenge is in relation to everything else... I've heard that you can't actually go up to the main part of it anymore, but it would still be nifty to see. I hadn't thought of Sherwood forest... and licorice toffees are a must!

Re: Things to do in London

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

babyotto recommended them as well... and we've already started going into training for this trip. We both grew up in the Western US... no one walks anywhere, mostly because everything is so far apart. Neither of us are used to doing much beyond walking around large stores or malls, but with four months to work on it, we should be in good shape for whatever we want to do... and the walking tours are definitely on the Must Do list.

It's funny, too, because I'd never even heard of walking tours until a few years ago, when I started stumbling across references to them in Spike fanfic!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Oooo... that sounds like a Must See, as well. Okay, I can see where this list might *still* get too long... but we're going to cram in as much as we can stand!

Be a tourist and ride a punt (the long boats with the pole.)

I think I remember seeing something about that on, oddly enough, an old episode of Doctor Who, when I was a kid. Hmmm...

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

This is one of the reasons we wanted to go on our own, and not part of a tour... we won't get to see as much, but I think we'll probably enjoy it more than we would if we were trying to race through everything.

I would love to go to Scotland, since that's where a large section of my ancestors came from (the ones that weren't from Ireland and weren't already here when everyone else arrived), but I think it's going to have to wait for a future trip. I keep reminding myself: If we can go once, we can go again, so we don't need to see it all this time. :-)

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I think Bath is going to end up being too far west for this trip... but it's one of the places I actually really wanted to go. Hmph. Even with two weeks, there's just not enough time...

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... depending on time and traffic, York just might be doable.

Unfortunately, I think Edinburgh is going to have to wait for another trip (which we WILL do someday... I have to keep telling myself that, or I'll wind up massively overplanning this visit!)

[emakarumbo.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know what you mean! I'm Australian myself, and this whole concept of buildings that are 200+ years old is just mindboggling.

Oh! While you're in London you should definitely go to St Paul's Cathedral - it's breathtaking. If you're a music fan, or at all religious, try to go to one of their Evensong services - it's about 40 minutes, and they happen pretty much daily, I think at 5pm. It's just the most magical experience.

Salisbury Cathedral is beautiful; it's got the tallest spire in England [123m] and there's a copy of the Magna Carta on display there if you're interested in it. If you end up anywhere in that kind of SW area of England, you should definitely try to pop by. It's about 30 minutes from there to Stonehenge.

[shapinglight]

Well, you should definitely go to one of the two old university towns, Oxford or Cambridge, and it sounds like Oxford will be more convenient as it's north-west of London and you'll be going that way to Lancashire.

[shapinglight]

Sadly, it doesn't.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm jealous!!!!!!!!!! not only do you get to go to England, but you're leaving the day before my birthday too. Take lots of pics and I want to hear about the entire trip when you get back. Holly

[malabud.livejournal.com]

Yay for you! My sister and her husband are at Cambridge right now, but sadly they will be back in the States by the time you go to England. Otherwise I'm sure they'd be glad to put you up for a night and show you 'round. *g*

I second the recommendations for both the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford and the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge. (The only problem with all the British museums, including the British Museum, is that one's feet get tired long before one's eyes and mind can take in all there is to see. All three museums suffer from an overabundance of wonderful items to see.) Another interesting site is Bury St. Edmunds, which is about a half-hour coach ride from Cambridge. The ruins of the Abbey and grounds are particularly gorgeous in the summer, but flowers seem to bloom there year-round.

Hm. What else? Colchester is the oldest Roman settlement in England. A lot of the older buildings there are built out of Roman rubble. Liverpool has some Beatles sites, as well as a maritime museum.

Since you have a car, you may want to just drive and see the sights. I went on a coach tour of mostly eastern England almost two years ago. Half the fun was the beautiful scenery and the country villages we visited.

Anyway, I am sure you will have a wonderful time, after which you must post pictures and tales of your adventures.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

My sister and her husband are at Cambridge right now, but sadly they will be back in the States by the time you go to England. Otherwise I'm sure they'd be glad to put you up for a night and show you 'round.

Ah, well... sounds like our timing is pretty bad for that sort of thing all around! An old girlfriend of rackham's had been living in London for about the last six or seven years with her family, only they moved back to the States about two months ago. They kept inviting us to come visit, but we ended up not getting there in time.

The only problem with all the British museums, including the British Museum, is that one's feet get tired long before one's eyes and mind can take in all there is to see.

We're pretty much anticipating that... and are going to work hard on not letting ourselves get worn out too quickly. We're also "in training" so to speak, trying to get used to doing more walking... we learned our lesson on our trip to NYC!

What else? Colchester is the oldest Roman settlement in England. A lot of the older buildings there are built out of Roman rubble.

Now that's definitely something to keep in mind...

Since you have a car, you may want to just drive and see the sights.

Yeah, that's on the docket as well... and something we're used to doing here in the US too, so we have lots of practice! :-)

Thanks for the suggestions!!