Just Back From London, including Eye and Tate--any questions?
 

London is really "hot" right now, and feeling full of itself. The newly refurbished Wallace Gallery has one of the best European painting collections anywhere. The new Gilbert Collection of Decorative Art is exquisite--a do not miss, at Somerset House. The Tate Modern is exciting and filled with visitors. The Eye, well, I found it ho-hum (you can get much the same view from the top of the Tate Modern). Queues take an hour if you don't have tickets ahead, but most of the people seemed to like it. We stayed at the London Bridge Hotel near the Tate for 2 nights--good 4 star, excellent restaurant. That south side of the river is really getting spruced up, with the Globe Theatre, Vineopolis--the history of winemaking, the eye and the Tate. Grittier but better values. Also stayed at a small hotel called 10 Manchester Place. Very nice, near the Wallace Collection. Any questions?

Any suggestions for a romantic London evening? Loving couple with high stress jobs want fun/romance on vacation. Thanks

Did you enjoy the Tower of London? How is the Beefeater tour? Any suggestions?

How long are the line -ups for the eye and is it worth it?What is the cost?

Didn't go to all the classics as I have done them before, so can't hels with Beefeater and such. Focuses on the new. The line for the eye was about an hour, mid-morning; the cost was about $15/pp. <BR>As for romantic, I'd go to one of the great old hotels for dinner. Or to a place like Rules, which is expensive but only could be in Britain. Serves game, etc and veddy, veddy British. I lived in Hampstead for a year and that village, 20 minutes northwest of the city is quite romantic. Visit the poet Keat's house there and eat in an old pub where he did. Walk on the nearby Heath and see the skyline of London on a clear day. It's a step into the past.