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Sixteen Texans in England and Ireland in June

Sixteen Texans in England and Ireland in June

Old Jul 3rd, 2017, 03:05 PM
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Sixteen Texans in England and Ireland in June

Sixteen Texans in England and Ireland in June

By the Numbers: 16 Texans—12 Days—75+ Miles Walked—4 Cities—4 Days Record Heat—3 (or 4) Plays—2 Countries—1 Train Evacuation

In the spring of 2016, I began to plan a trip to London as a leader for a group—students (and probably parents) and some faculty—for the summer of 2017. I teach literature and history at a small private school in South Texas. I’d been to London six times: 2005 with daughter R as a parent on an EFTours trip, 2008 with husband M, 2010 with M and R, 2011 and 2013 with EFTours as teacher/group leader, and 2015 with R (who now also taught at the same school as I) for a week before our students arrived with EFTours for a couple days in London before headed to the continent. I like EFTours, but for our 2017 trip, my principal ST, R (daughter/fellow-teacher) and I decided we’d travel on our own, tailoring our trip to us and not having to combine with other schools as we would with a company like EF, as our number of travelers is always going to be fairly small.
I won’t go into all the minute details of the trip planning (I have an even greater appreciation for those who do so professionally!), but I will highlight the main things and will answer any specific questions anyone might have.

So I will start with some General Information; if you just want to read the TR, skip down to “Travel Day” which I’ll post soon.

(And the preview button still isn’t working for me, so I’m not positive how my attempt at formatting a couple things will go, so I’ll divide my General Information posts up into a couple before posting the travel info.)
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Old Jul 3rd, 2017, 03:11 PM
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General information:

People going:
I asked for firm commitments by mid-summer 2016. There would be 15. My principal ST, my daughter/fellow teacher, and I would be chaperones. Three moms and their student-daughters would go (AandM, KandM, LandL). Two college-aged alumni (MandK) signed up. And there were also 4 other students, 2 male and 2 female (H and G). However, in February 2017, we had to make adjustments. ST was offered a position in another state and would be busy with the transition with his replacement in June, so our headmaster PH replaced him, plus his sophomore-aged son was added, to make the group16.

Flights: This was the first step, once I had numbers in August 2016. As we investigated dates and prices, M discovered that it would be a few hundred dollars less to fly to Dublin on American Airlines, then get a British Airways flight to London, and return the same way—BA to Dublin, AA to Texas. I also went through all the hoops and hassles of getting AA to give us a group fare quote for 12 (not 15, as one mom and daughter (LandL) and R would not be flying with us). The problem with the group fare is that you don’t get to pick your itinerary, so instead of home to Dallas to Dublin, it would be home to DFW to Charlotte to Dublin and return Dublin to Chicago to DFW to home. But the savings was a few hundred more per ticket. So this is what we decided to do—AA with Group Fare round trip Texas-Dublin-Texas and separate BA round trip tickets Dublin-London-Dublin.

The AA connections were a little tight (like 90 minutes in ORD, which got reduced to 75 with later schedule changes—75 minutes for passport/customs/recheck/etc.!? I fretted about this for a year—more about this later), but we allowed plenty of time for our change from BA to AA in Dublin and decided we’d spend one night in Dublin on the way back.

(When the numbers and names changed for our group, we had to make adjustments. AA Group Fare allows some name changes free of charge, and they also gave a discounted rate to the added person, which made his ticket some more than the rest of ours but still less than full fare. BA charged some to change one name and of course for additional ticket, but we were able to secure seats for both.) R decided to extend her time in Dublin, so she would not fly with us on the AA flights, but would fly direct to London, then she also secured a separate BA London-Dublin-London ticket.

Accommodations: Wow, I don’t know how many hours and emails I spent working on this, trying out different scenarios, with apartments being my first choice, although I’d never rented apartments before. Several recommended agencies or apartments wouldn’t work with me 10 months in advance. My priorities were safety, decent proximity to the Tube, within Zones 1 or 2, and our budget. In the end I found Ivy Lettings which offered 4 apartments in Chelsea which would accommodate our 15 (and then the 16, with a bit of switching who was in which flat). Chelsea would be a great neighborhood, and all 4 flats were within less than a mile from a Tube station (some less than half a mile). Ivy Lettings was excellent to work with and the apartments great. I highly recommend Ivy Lettings. More about apartments later.

I used Expedia to look for a hotel for one night in Dublin. We needed to be somewhat near the airport with a shuttle for early morning and not too far from the city center so we could bus or taxi into it for our afternoon there. I ended up with a Travelodge which was extremely economical. More about that later.

Arrival and departure transportation: Our apartments were 10-20 minute walk from Earl’s Court, so we’d all Tube in from Heathrow, even though arriving on 3 different flights.

Transport in London: After many hours and number crunching, here’s what I decided to do: I pre-ordered 14 Visitor Oyster cards with $15 loaded on them for us to use on arrival, our last full day in London, and departure. (I had 2 leftover Oyster cards I gave to LandL which they topped up a bit when they landed at LHR.) I also pre-ordered 7-day paper travel cards. These would serve for our 7 full days in London. Doing things this way cost a little bit of postage that I wouldn’t have paid if we did it all in person, and the Visitor Oyster cards don’t refund the £5 deposit. But, I also didn’t have to spend time and energy doing that on arrival. We arrived with transport passes in hand and didn’t have to do anything about them our whole time. The convenience for me with a group was worth the bit extra. It was a good decision for us, but it’s not what I would do with just a family. (I later collected all the Oyster cards so I have them to top up if I ever take another group to London in the future. Theoretically.)

Train Transport: I wanted us to go outside of London on 2-3 day trips, so I bought 3-Consecutive-Day BritRail South West Passes. I crunched the numbers; the Passes weren’t really very much more than tickets ordered ahead, I think. In any case, I’ve used RailPasses before and know that their flexibility is worth a LOT.

Theatre: I knew we’d try to see a Globe production and at least one other play. Romeo and Juliet would be on while we were there, so we got 15 matinee tickets (and added one ticket later). Before we finalized choosing the other play, we found out Harry Potter: The Cursed Child tickets would go on sale in a few days, so we decided to try for that. It would cost twice as much as we’d kinda penciled in, but it was worth a try. This was a once in a lifetime event, and our group had several HP fans. Surveying the travelers, we found that 11 were interested. So on the morning the sale started, ST and I logged in, he on 2 computers, and we found we were WAAAYY down the queue. I had to give up and go to work. ST persevered, and after about at least 4 hours, he was able to secure 11 tickets for Parts One and Two. So that ended up being pretty much a whole day’s plan. For the other 4 (and then 5) people, we got Les Mis tickets for a matinee at the same time as Part One.

Before we left, R and I discovered that Andrew Scott would be performing in Hamlet while we were there; we found that 3 others were interested and got 5 tickets.

Other pre-booked things: I crunched more numbers and sent more emails to see which sites offered group rates worth pursuing. I ended up making reservations (timed ones) at Westminster Abbey and Churchill War Rooms. I also ordered the Stonehenge Tour tickets ahead, taking my receipt to the bus driver. An email promised me a discount which never worked, but ordering tickets ahead meant I didn’t have to have cash or take time on the bus buying all the tickets the day of the trip. I also discovered that London Walks would do one of their Days Out trips to Bath on the weekend I was planning to take my group to Bath. So I contacted them and we made arrangements; I didn’t pre-pay, but they knew my group was coming and met us at the station. I’ll comment on these decisions in the TR.

Pre-Trip Situation: The London Bridge attack was a week before we were to leave. The chaperones/leaders discussed what to do and agreed whole-heartedly to continue with plans, but we offered any traveler the option to not go (but no refunds). No one cancelled.
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Old Jul 3rd, 2017, 04:02 PM
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Hi Texasbookworm,

Great start to the trip report. Looking forward to more details.
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Old Jul 3rd, 2017, 05:15 PM
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Oh -- this will be a really interesting report. The most I've taken was a group of 13 all adults so I'm sure you faced issues I didn't.

Man (!)-- were you lucky to get 11 tix to HP - and both parts no less. Hope the kids know majorly special that was.
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Old Jul 3rd, 2017, 05:55 PM
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janisj--Yes, there were...issues! Some of which I won't bring up here, even with anonymity assumed! Ha! And, yep, the kids were properly impressed with their HP experience. Not sure how much they got the "once-in-a-lifetime" thing, as their lifetimes are pretty short so far, but all the ones who went found it to be an unforgettable time.

OK, on with the report:

Travel Day—Sunday

We left south Texas on time about 10:30, arrived at DFW on time to find that our flight would be delayed 30-45 minutes, which would cut our time in Charlotte from 90 to 45 minutes. But at DFW an agent assured me we should be ok and they’d probably even hold the plane for 13 people. Sure enough, our flight to Charlotte arrived about 45 minutes late, but our gate wasn’t far (I hate Charlotte’s airport—it’s way spread out with no tram/transport), and we got to our gate right as the plane began to board. So on we went—and I to Business Class. M had requested to use 4 of his system-wide upgrades for me and for R; she ended up in Business on her return trip. Nice. I slept some and watched Fantastic Beasts.

Arrival Day—Monday

We arrived at Dublin on time about 6:30 AM and got through passport in 10 minutes and got our bags in 15. So at 7:30, it was too early to check our bags in at the BA counter. So we found a lounge/eating area in the other Terminal and had our long layover. We got Euros; most ate big breakfasts; some napped. About 10:15 we headed to the BA counter, then through security which took quite some time and then to our gate for another wait for our flight, which arrived at LHR on time about 2:30. After getting our bags, we seemed to be herded toward an exit without having anything checked—no passport control, nobody to take our customs card the BA folks insisted we fill out. I was a bit confused, and so I asked a couple people if we’d missed something, although I didn’t think people could be allowed to leave “accidentally” with the security LHR has in place. (M had told me a story of a colleague who had failed to get his passport stamped once even though he went through the passport control, and it caused him problems later.) Needless worry, but I’m still fuzzy on what’s actually necessary when flying between Dublin and London.

Meanwhile, R had arrived with no flight problems at all and no big waits at LHR. But when she got to the flat to meet the Ivy Lettings agent, she was told the Visa credit card (which they’d already used twice for the 2 payments) hadn’t worked for the 4 security deposits. She contacted M/her dad, and he gave her a different card number which worked just fine. Then he called the Visa bank which said they’d not gotten a “hit” or a try on the card at all, so the problem was with Ivy Lettings’ system. This was almost the only glitch in all my dealings with that agency. No issues with CC’s rest of the week. She secured the keys to all 4 flats, met up with LandL and took them to their flat, and then waited a couple hours for the rest of us.

We Tubed in with no problem to Earl’s Court, where our Dr. Who fans got a picture with the “Tardis.” Then we met R at St. Luke’s Earl’s Court Church which is near the flat where MandK, R and I would stay. She walked the other 3 groups to flats, with 3-5 people in each of the 4; we were all within 3-8 minutes of each other, and the longest walk from flat to Earl’s Court was less than a mile, shortest about half a mile. We used the church as our meeting point each morning on the way to the Tube. We had an hour or so to settle into our flats.

The apartments were all great. Mine had bit of issue with a light out in the stairs from living room to bedrooms, and one flat had a bit of noise at night, but the consensus was that they were great: it was wonderful to have kitchen and laundry facilities, they were spacious enough with comfy beds, and everyone felt safe and loved the Chelsea area. Good choices. (There was later an issue with--heat—but that was totally unexpected and abnormal!)

For dinner we met at Pizza Express then went to Sainsbury’s, both on Fulham Road, and got groceries for our breakfasts--and saw a shoplifter/store employee altercation. One of our guys alerted a store employee that a guy had taken something, and the employee went to the guy and decked him! They took it outside, then the guy ran back in and knocked stuff off, then he went out and was yelling. The employee said the thief was there every day taking stuff. It was the only uncomfortable/unsafe moment I had all the time we were in England. As I said, Chelsea was a quiet and safe-feeling neighborhood. Then we returned to our flats to finish settling in and dropped in bed even before fully dark.

Day 1—Tuesday—Kings Cross (Platform 9 ¾), British Library, British Museum, Buckingham Palace and St. James Park, and for some a Hyde Park Walk

We agreed to meet in the mornings at St. Luke’s and walk on to Earl’s Court Tube Station. Almost everyone was there by the appointed 8:45 time on this pleasant morning. I wanted them to see Kings Cross Station, which I think is an amazing display of how to meld the old and the new, plus there’s Platform 9¾! But that photo op is now not as accessible as it was the last time I was there; it had a huge queue of tourists (must have been at least 2 tour-bus loads) waiting to have their photo taken by a pro, taking a few minutes each to dress up with props and pose, so the kids went into the Harry Potter shop there but didn’t wait for pictures except what we could take with the Platform in the background, outside the long snaking queue.

Next we visited the British Library for about an hour. A bit of a stroll then took us to the very crowded British Museum. I pointed out first the Rosetta Stone and then let everyone scatter for about 3 hours for lunch and looking. I have nothing new to add about these two amazing sites; the British Museum should be in the top 2-3 things a person sees in London, and the British Library is a real treat for anyone interested in literature, books, history, etc.

About 4 we Tubed to Hyde Park Corner and then had an early dinner at Hard Rock Café. Because we were there before 5, we didn’t have to wait at all, and the kids loved the novelty of dining in the original HRC, and the food was good. An after dinner walk took us first into the HRC shop for a bit, then past Buckingham Palace where something was going on—lots of cars, some people in fancy dress, extra patrols.

Next we went along Constitution Hill to the Wellington Memorial; supposedly we missed seeing the Queen and Kate going by behind us! The boys, LandL and G, and MandK Tubed home; the rest of us had a great walk in Hyde Park to the edge of the Serpentine, finding along the way an incredible tree whose branches arched to make a cave/house. The 3 girls climbed to its top! Then we also Tubed back and fell in bed pretty quickly.
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Old Jul 3rd, 2017, 10:00 PM
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I think you are incredibly brave to take on this task, somewhere your karma is bright.

Still I don't like the idea of the term "Tube in"... ;-)
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 03:13 AM
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Thanks, bilboburgler--I do love travel, I do love my students (in theory--often don't love some of their behaviors), and I do love teaching/sharing my travel experiences. Wouldn't have done it without daughter R's help, really.

About "Tube in"--ha! Taking some linguistic shortcuts this TR probably.

Day 2—Wednesday—Covent Garden and the theatre—Les Mis or Harry Potter

On a bit greyer but still nice day, we Tubed to Piccadilly Circus. For the only time this trip, we got accidentally separated while getting on the crowded Tube, but MandK, the older girls, caught up. There was some concern about the effects of the tragic apartment building fire (one mom was being sent multiple texts from hubby back home, claiming it must be some sort of attack, so she was extra tense), but nothing seemed different or hindered, security/transport/activities-wise. Some moms expressed concern about Tubing home in the late evening; I agreed we’d get cabs if we felt the situation warranted it, but in the end, all was quite normal in all the areas we were in. Any trip to any place necessitates more attention and vigilance to surroundings and situations than these people were used to (especially the students), and any trip to a big city like London takes even more, and a trip to London at this particular time needed even more hyper-vigilance. But we carried on with our plans.

We walked toward Covent Garden. Five of us would go to a Les Mis matinee at 2:30; the rest of us had tickets to both parts of Harry Potter: The Cursed Child, at 2 and at 7. I wanted to locate both theatres and see if we could get tickets yet. We got to Queen’s Theatre for Les Misa bit before 10 so waited for office to open; I’m glad we did. Because of some changes in who was going on the trip, who bought the tickets, and who was going to which play, some of which I’d known about and some I hadn’t until lately, there might be some issues at the ticket counters despite phone calls. ST had contacted the theatres so that PH or I could pick up tickets. But, since PH and L had swapped tickets, but PH had not alerted theatres, the theatre had PH’s names on all the Les Mis tickets; they would only give tickets to PH at 2 pm, when he’d be sitting in HP, and only the ticket buyer—originally ST--could change the name (again). So I called ST a bit later and he got the tickets to be released to a mom. (However, PH hadn’t changed his one ticket to L’s name, so they wouldn’t give her a ticket later and she had to buy one, but she got a good seat). (If you are confused, I get it; I was confused during all this, too!) Then on to the Palace Theatre, the HP theatre, where they did give me tickets once I’d proven I had the email from ST—BUT the agent said I couldn’t even bring my camera into the theater at all. Period. No place to store it. I knew about no photos, of course; never guessed with all the cameras on phones they have to let in that they’d not let in a DSLR. Oh, well.

So I escorted them to Covent Garden, R told them where to meet her at noon, and I hustled to flat and back---in about 90 minutes. I can’t remember what I did for lunch!

Meanwhile, they’d all eaten and shopped. We got in line before 1 and got inside about 1:15 maybe. I’d investigated reservations at places near there and actually had reservations, but then that restaurant switched the menu offered, now had prices about 25% more than shown at first, and would add a pretty steep group charge, so I cancelled and said we’d just figure something out on-site, something that was close and looked fast. There were 2 pubs right there. I went in one and asked them about a reservation for 6; they hesitated but did it. I suggested PH might try a similar tact; he went in the other one and secured a table for 5.

Our seats were scattered, many sitting alone; all had decent to good seats except for 2 of the 3 with me. My seat was horrible; sitting back normally in the seat, I couldn’t see the stage at all. Leaning on the padded railing and craning my head right, I could see 2/3 of it. M (student, not my hubby) next to me could see all the stage from the leaning position; H had to look right but could see ok. M, who is not a big HP fan, kindly offered to switch seats for the second play. It was real work to watch. But amazing! I’d read the script and knew that the story was …rather contrived and preposterous but in keeping with much of the flavor and character of the books. So it was fine. And the acting was fine to very good. But the set—the effects—the costuming and such—wow! Was truly stage magic!

We had quite successful meals in our two pubs—fish and chips for a bunch of us. Then back for second play. Wow. Keeping the secrets, so I won’t say much. It was quite a unique experience. Home late on still crowded Tube.
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 03:43 AM
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Ok, you lost me at one of your students reporting a food thief and apparently getting group approval.
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 06:36 AM
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amarante, think one of his group saw a person stealing and told the clerk, lost you at group approval. People are stealing baby formula here, not to feed a starving child but to use to cut drugs with. Stealing food is wrong.

Texasbw, you are a champ for doing this. A trip they will always remember. Ivy lettings, bookmarking for next gf's trip.
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 07:02 AM
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We teach that there are absolute truths, one of which is that stealing is wrong.

Please don't use my Trip Report as a place for wrangling. Or for making up stories based on someone else's speculations.

Macross--thanks for your encouragement. Hope Ivy Lettings is helpful to you guys when needed.

Day 3—Thursday—Westminster area, Churchill War Rooms, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, Westminster Abbey, and the Eye

We took the Tube to Westminster before 9 and looked around a bit at Parliament, Big Ben, and Parliament Square. The plan was for me to be in line at Churchill War Rooms before 9:15 to get group tickets I’d reserved, but we found that no one would be at the till until 9:30, they said; but it was actually about 9:40 when they finally opened.

Meanwhile, we wandered in shade of St. James for bit. I picked up our group tickets and in we went for about 90 minutes. R and I had a first visit here in 2015 and knew we would enjoy a return. This is an amazing museum; I wouldn’t put it on the top of the list for first-time visitors to London unless he/she is a real history fan, but it is great and the group enjoyed it.

We re-grouped and walked up to Trafalgar Square before noon, where I gave them til 1ish to grab lunch and go into National Gallery. R, H, and I got MandS stuff and sat on steps with a few others for lunch, then we spent about 45 or so minutes, hoping we’d have time to return on Friday. It’s a marvel; H who loves art kept recognizing pictures and her joy was palpable. Makes my efforts worth it.

About 1 we took a group photo at one of the lions and walked down Whitehall to Westminster Abbey. (I took my only tumble of the week on the pavement near the Horse Guards—small elbow scrape, some embarrassment, but no camera damage!) At the Abbey, I had a bit of confusion about where to get group tickets (around some corners—just ask for directions from the folks in red robes) but finally did and we went in. However, I do not recommend group tickets here. You can’t use or pay for the audio guide, and then they made us pretty much stay together in one group-ish thing. If I ever do this again, I’ll budget for full-price entry. My people were amazed and awe-struck anyway, but they’d have gotten more out of it if they’d had audio guide. I think it’s in the fine print somewhere when ordering, and once I’d purchased, it does say that clearly, but ‘twas too late to change my mind. (Well, true, I’d just reserved tickets and not been charged, but I keep my commitments.)

Then we walked across the Westminster Bridge and along the Southbank to Giraffe and had a most pleasant dinner. We had ordered Eye tickets for 6:15, I think, so we headed to the Eye and 14 of us circled round, enjoying the views on this fine evening. Afterwards we walked across the Jubilee Bridge for more views of the Thames and took the Tube from Embankment.
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 07:02 AM
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Must be firecracker day everywhere.
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 08:38 AM
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Day 4—Friday—The Tower of London and then options—Tea or pub grub and Charles Dickens Museum or the Imperial War Museum and the National Gallery (and Hamlet for 5)

We (14) took the Tube to Tower Hill by about 9 without L, who needed to rest, or R, who didn’t want a 4th trip to the Tower. I got in the group ticket line, but it said a group was15+, so I went to regular ticket line, but agent there said let me get you discount, so she sent me back to group line and we saved a little. We were in before 10; I directed them to the Jewels and then some went back for Beefeater Tour. Again, I have nothing new to add about this great place; it should definitely be at the top of “must-see” sites.

We were splitting up today. The 3 moms/daughters and MandK headed to Fortnum and Mason for a high tea, which they thoroughly enjoyed. P took the guys and G; they planned to tour Chelsea Football stadium, but when he called to check, it turned out they had a special event, so no tours. They ended up at a pub in Covent Garden where he wanted to eat and then went to Charles Dickens Museum and some other shopping and ended up back at the National Gallery.

At the Tower, H and I got lunch after noon and ate in the shade outside the gift shop, then took the Tube to meet R at the Imperial War Museum. We spent an hour or so there (R had been there an hour or so already), mostly in the fantastic WWI exhibit which is fairly new.

Then we got ice creams from a truck outside and made our way back to the Trafalgar Square and had over an hour in the National Gallery. We 3 got dinner at the Crypt at St. Martin’s in the Fields; AandM met up with us at the lion, then we walked a short way to Harold Pinter Theatre for Hamlet. What a treat! Andrew Scott was the draw, but there were several other faces/names I recognized. Wonderful cast. Interesting staging. Great seats and marvelous production. Traveled home in the Friday crowd late.

(I discovered I had lost one of my debit cards sometime, not having used it since Tuesday. Urgh. Got hold of M who handled the bank call; they put a hold on my card only and no harm done; I may have pulled it out of my under-clothing-security bag when I got some cash out at the National Gallery. Angry with myself, but the chance of such things happening is why we always travel with more than one debit cards, so no ill effects except for my emotions!)

It had begun to be hot; of course our flats weren’t air conditioned, as that was never a consideration in my planning. So we’d arrive home to rather hot flats which didn’t really cool off til after midnight. Our flat had 2 fans we used in the bedrooms to stir the air a bit, and we didn’t hesitate to leave windows open at night. But our nights were fairly uncomfy temperature-wise for several nights. Not anything that could have been predicted or prevented. It did add to fatigue, I’m sure.
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 10:09 AM
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Day 5—Saturday—Day Trip by train with London Walks to Bath—and a Train…Adventure

Hot day. It’d warmed up Friday, and now the temps were going to be mid to high 80s with sun, wherever we were. Not expected. Not soooo hot for soooo many days in row. But weather is weather.

We got to Paddington Station about 8:30 so I could get all our Rail Passes validated; didn’t take too long. We met London Walks guide Richard at 8:45 (and about 8 other folks), and he led us to the train for Bath. Nice ride.

In Bath Richard gave a wonderful tour. First we had 90 minute or so walk/talk from the station to the city; then we had an hour or so to eat. I think we all ate in the Crystal Palace pub which was fine. Most of us then rejoined Richard (a few opted to shop on their own) for another 90 minute or so walk, seeing the Georgian crescents and such.

Then we all regrouped for entrance into the Roman Baths where we had about 90 minutes, I think. Some got done in 30; some could have used more time, but it was good all in all. The Baths alone are worth a visit to Bath.

I’d been on a few London Walks in London; this was the first day trip I’d joined them on. They are wonderful; I highly recommend looking at their extensive list of walks to see if one fits your time and interests.

Then we walked back to the station and caught the train to arrive in London before 7; we’d get late dinner then. But…maybe about half-way (it turned out to be near Didcot), suddenly we began to smell something burning, and then there was some smoke, and then we jumped up to see that the carriage in front of us was even smokier; by the time people in our carriage were all standing up and beginning to do something, the train was slowing; someone had pulled the alarm. It stopped. There was definitely smoke. No evidence of fire. Guys in my carriage, with some difficulty, got one door open and began directing people to jump off (the drop was maybe 4 feet?) I did. More did. No flames. The door in the carriage in front of us wouldn’t open at first, and a girl started to try to climb out the door’s window, which would’ve been potentially risky, but they did open it. The back door in our carriage had steps down. Both carriages exited steadily—I wouldn’t say all that quickly. Still no flames and then smoke dissipated.

Long story short—we weren’t given a wealth of info or updates; but there were train folks and firemen and incident folks there fairly quickly. About an hour or so? later, we re-boarded—maybe an AC problem? Maybe brakes? Maybe nothing? Communications panels were “fried,” so not working so not much PA info. We would go slowly. Began creeping. Didn’t go far til there was a bit more smell. Stopped. Sat there a long time. Our carriage did have AC. More examination. Decided it was an over-heating axle, and we’d go slowly, like 5 mph, again. Did so. But then we sped up a little, then a lot, but not to full speed. Anyway, we pulled into Paddington 4 hours late, but safe and hardly any injuries (couple scrapes and I blew soot out my nose for a day!).

Not the not-too-late-night I planned!
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 02:55 PM
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load of codswallop! Welcome to Fodors BTW.

Ignore the lectures texasbookworm . . .
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 03:19 PM
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Thanks, janisj; so much I could say, but won't stoop.

To continue with what I wanted to focus on, here're the reports of our next two days:

Day 6—Sunday—Day Trip by train—Salisbury and Stonehenge

My plan was to take a pretty early train to Salisbury and catch a 10 am Stonehenge Tour bus from the station (M and I had done this in 2008) and visit the Cathedral, open til 4, after the Stones, but after the train incident, I decided to get a later start and switch plans around. So we(minus 3 who opted to rest) got a 10 am train from Waterloo, getting seats in a train that filled up to standing room only after a bit. There were supposed to be 6 carriages but there were only 3.

From the station, we walked to the Cathedral by 12:15, when it had just re-opened after Sunday morning services. We had a couple hours to eat food we’d packed and have a nice visit (or some spent time in café). Lovely place. Spectacular cathedral with the added bonus of the best-preserved Magna Carta. HOT day.

Then we walked into town to get picked up by a Stonehenge Tour bus, which arrived promptly and off we went.
Well, it was hot. It was crowded. The sun beat down without relief of cloud or any shade or awning or tree. The new system of transport from parking lot via a shuttle and then a walk to the actual Stones may be a good crowd control idea, but on this un-anticipated hot day, it meant a lot of standing around in the blazing sun, riding in a hot bus (with almost everyone still standing), and then walking around under the unrelenting rays. I love Stonehenge, but this was a miserable day. I know it felt 100 in the direct sun. So we didn’t spend long, walking around those unfathomable, amazing, awe-striking stones, then we stood in the sun some more waiting for a shuttle back to the visitor center for a little while. (Yes, you could walk from center to stones, but that wasn’t very enticing this day, either.) The exhibits there are great, although I was too fried to take in much—except the cool air in the only air-conditioned space I felt all day. Then we walked across the lot to where the bus would come and rode it back to the city. As it was Sunday about 5, not much was open around the square, but we all found something and ate on the shaded benches.

A short walk took us back to the station where we boarded an …already packed train. I think maybe 1 or 2 of our group of 13 found seats in the carriages; I and 5 or 6 others were stuck in the area at the doors; there was a jump seat I ended up perched on for the almost 2 hour ride with no AC and almost no breeze. We arrived rather frazzled and tired and unhappy with British trains, all in all. In all my admittedly not-extensive train travels in England, Wales, and Germany, I’d never had any problems worse than a delay or two (and two cancellations that didn’t impact too badly); these two evenings—with smoke-caused-delay and over-crowded-heat—were the two worst ever. It was too bad my kids on their first experience had such poor ones back-to-back.

Day 7—Day Trip by Train—Oxford

Last day trip via train. Another hot one but not quite so bad. We got to Marylebone station for our Oxford train. I suggested folks carry lunch to eat with them on the train, as we’d not be having time to shop for lunch but would eat early dinner before leaving Oxford. Most did so.

At Oxford we walked from the station to The Eagle and The Child for a quick look for my Lewis and Tolkien fans (most of the group!). I asked them about the possibility of room for us to eat about 4:45; he was doubtful unless we wanted to book, but our day was too iffy to want to do that.

We sat off for a walk past some of the biggies—Sheldonian Theatre, Radcliffe Camera, University Church, Bodleian Library—on our way to the only real destination for the day, Magdalen College. We had about 90 minutes in this beautiful college to enjoy the grounds, read the leaflets, stroll Addison’s Walk, and get a snack.

We went back to University Church where some climbed the spire for that awesome view on this clear and sunny day while some rested below. Then we split up for a while, to go shopping or grab dinner or both. R, H, and I went to Blackwell’s where a sale beckoned. R checked Amazon prices and we spent less on 6 books at the “2for3 prices” than we would have on Amazon. Got a tote, too! Then we walked around a little, and I chose ASK, which I’d never tried before, and we had enjoyable choices with cold fluids, A/C, and pleasant staff.

We re-grouped and trooped back to the station for a most enjoyable, cool, uncrowded ride home. Glad their last taste of train travel was a pleasant one!

From Marylebone, we walked to 221B Baker Street just for some pics for Holmes fans (most of the group!), then we took the Tube home but not all together.
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 05:09 PM
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Enjoying the read- brave person !
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Old Jul 4th, 2017, 10:01 PM
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As a student at Magdalen I used to use Addison's walk as a hangover cure , normally once round would fix it, but sometime twice was needed.
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Old Jul 5th, 2017, 01:46 AM
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northie--thanks; when people take the time to read a post, that's great; when they take the time to comment, even if not expecting a reply or answer, that's great feedback to the poster.

bilboburgler--Ha! I would think that time on Addison's walk would be a good cure for lots of ailments.

Day 8—St. Paul’s (or Chelsea Stadium) and Romeo and Juliet at the Globe

All the ladies except for L and G headed to St. Paul’s Cathedral, getting there about 10. Meanwhile, the guys and G, since they’d not been able to tour the Chelsea Stadium Friday, elected to go the stadium. At St. Paul’s I got group rate tickets for the 10 of us, and we thoroughly enjoyed this marvel. Only H had the energy to climb to the Dome (R and I had done that in 2010 and loved it—but not this trip). She was gobsmacked and glad she went. About 11 we went into the Crypt for a quick bite (although there was much less selection than I remembered; I think we were too early for full assortment?). I paid, then ran outside to meet up with C, the young lady who had been our EFTours guide in 2011 and 2013 and with whom I’ve kept in touch. She’s now working in a law firm, not too far away; she had about 30 minutes, and we loved catching up a little.

The ladies met me outside about noon and we walked across the Millennium Bridge (still my favorite views) and into the Tate, where I just sat. R and H looked around for about 45 minutes, the rest stayed a while, then went out along the river. Then we went on to the Globe Theatre and had a brief but fun shopping trek in the giftshop there. I got the tickets about 1; L Ubered and arrived before 1:15; then the other 5 arrived, and we all headed in. Got our cushions. Found our seats. We all had pretty good ones, with none in the direct sun all the time and not too many posts in the way! One student traded with me, so he sat near several in our group in a pretty good seat, and I sat alone in his really great one.

Romeo and Juliet—was a hoot, actually. Dressed up in a modern way but with that lovely language intact. It’s not my favorite play, but it is one that works really well to teach in the 9th grade, so it was great to see yet another take on it. Not my favorite interpretation, but really, really clever and original. I thought the actor playing Romeo was terrific; his acting/speaking would suit in any traditional or modern version of this play. I will have to watch for his name in the future.

We got Wagamama afterwards, then went home in 3 groups, to pack up and clean up. L took her flatmates via Uber. P took guys to the Apple store. The rest of us took the Tube home, where it was the hottest night yet in the flat. But we got all our chores done and stood or lay in front of the fans and on the little balcony for some breath of air. Early day tomorrow.
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Old Jul 5th, 2017, 05:52 AM
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I must congratulate texasbookworm on her planning skills. Lots of details taken into account. A very successful group trip, at least so far. And everybody seemed to get along well, no big personality conflicts.
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Old Jul 5th, 2017, 06:30 AM
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Mimar--Thanks. The details about food/meals were the hardest for me to handle, but nobody starved, mostly nobody complained, we had a variety, and we stayed within the budget we had for meals that were paid for by the trip costs (travelers had to pay for lunches and most dinners "out-of-pocket" but breakfast and a few dinners were covered). Everyone has preferences for food/dining/time to eat, etc.; it was hard to know what to choose or suggest that would please most.

There were a few mostly minor conflicts, but I'm choosing not to focus on them, either here in this trip report or in my mind! I mean, with such a disparate group (some moms- and-daughters, some teenage boys, some people who'd never been to Europe, some shoppers, some on a very strict budget, etc.)and with not everyone used to my style of travel (e.g., "on-time" actually means early; eating is for sustenance, not leisurely relaxation every meal; there will be lots of walking; this is travel/quest/adventure, not an amusing vacation, etc.) of course there were a few issues, but we made it. We were all still speaking when we got back. To each other. Ha. Some already told me they want to go again--with me. So...
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