just returned from 13 days in england and germany---great deal in august on B/A for $85 each way from boston-london plus taxes....spent time with friends SE of london and then a few days in the potteries picking through the outlets in stoke....that continues to be the source of huge savings on china and table items...

attended the new weber show: the woman in white....no memorable music....very disappointing from that angle...the setting however was brilliant...no scenery...all was done with projections....the moving stage at the palace allowed them to do fantastic things....i think it will be gone in 6 months however....

took ryan air for the first time from london (stansted---what a fantastic modern facility that is with fantastic parking) to frankfurt (hahn airport)....also a nice little airport currently under some reconstruction....ryan is fantastic and so cheap....if you follow their guidelines (strict) they work like clock-work....i was very impressed and can't wait to use them again....price 5.99 pounds ($11.) each way plus taxes....taxes were of course more than the fare...don't know how they do it...they sell lottery tickets on the plane, train tickets from stansted, food, duty free...

booked both cars (england and germany) through Gemut in oregon...fantastic savings..

stayed at our usual place in kattenes on the mosel....very low key, but good food and fantastic wine under their own label...brought home two cases...
the main purpose of this side trip was to re-visit the local christmas markets...we did cochem (very small-but a fantastic town turned out beautifully for xmas), trier---huge and festive/packed, koblenz, rudesheim (on the rhine---the best market in that area--we had rated it #1 last year when we visited 24+ markets), bernkastel-kues (also a fine market), mainz...

all in all a nice break and put us in a total christmas mood...

bob

sorry i messed up title with generic words...

sounds like a great trip

Hi bob,

Nice trip.

Have you got a link for Gemut?

Thanks, my sister wants to go next December. Loved your Christmas market
info.

Ira. It is www.gemut.com. But may I suggest you call them with the number listed on the site.
I rented from them for Austria in June. They were very nice to deal with and the car was a good price.

www.gemut.com is very good. Rented a car thru them (EuropCar) in Italy for 10 days for $348 last Sept. That is cheap in Italy.

often rentals from gemut also come with a free upgrade in car size...i found you can rarely beat their prices and their customer service is fabulous....you deal with the principles....

ttt

Hi Bob this is Jeffrey fropm over in the asia forum! Now my wife and I are going to work in south africa for a bit in late march and we have a 2 day layover in london!! You helped me out so much with the marriott in bkk, i was wondering what other advice you could give me for our 2 days in london? I just now found out about the trip and neither I nor my wife have a clue about england. All i know is we fly into chadwick at 9am, and leave thru heathrow at 9m the next day. We will only have that 1 night to stay in a hotel. what do you think we could cram into those 2 days? Thanks again for all your help!!!! Jeffrey

Jeffrey, there's no Chadwick airport in London.

But I quite like the idea I must admit. It might keep us all on our toes if the names changed from time to time. Anmy suggestions for Heathrow?

Thanks, sher.

sorry bout that, it was 2am when i posted and i couldnt sleep! i think it gatwick???? is that right?

Yes, Gatwick is correct. I'd suggest reposting your question on a new thread. They are many people here knowledgeable about London. If you want a hotel reco, provide a budget. One of the best deals in London for hotels is bidding on Priceline. If you're not familiar with how it works, read the FAQ on betterbidding.com or biddingfortravel.com

Taking a hop on/off bus tour will give you a great overview of the city. You can just stay on and do the entire circuit once. There's quick train service to/from both airports. (gatwick express and heathrow express). It would also help to know if you have any special interests/things you must see in London.

you've given me thoughts of going back for a visit. It's been a long time.