cheryl

We will arrive in London December 15th with our 12 and 13 year old boys! Please tell us where to stay(inexpensive) what to see from your personal experience and what NOT to see. <BR>We will have till the 21st and off to MUnich for 7 days leaving from Frankfurt to the USA. <BR>I want the boys to see Bavarian Castles...are there any other things NOt to miss. Seems like there is so much info. I don't know where to turn. Want Europe to be fun for the boys so that they want to return with me of course LOL. <BR>I appreciate your time and help. <BR>Sincerely,cheryl

Diane

Cheryl--just recently there was an thread on advice for taking two boys about your boys'age to London--lots of helpful info on what to see. You might try searching for that. Diane

Lee

Cheryl: For the Munich area, I would suggest not too many churches for the boys and more castles. <BR> <BR>In Munich, take them down to the Marienplatz to see the Glockenspeil. You could jaunt over to the Olympic Village (from the 1972 games) there. They could swim at the indoor pool (something to tell their classmates!). There will be a Christmas market in the stadtmitte, also. <BR> <BR>King Ludwig has castles at Herrenchiemsee, just east of Munich about 1 1/2 hours, but it is on an island at the lake. You can still see Linderhof castle which is very (very!) close to Garmisch, the basillica at Ettal and Oberammergau. At Garmisch, you could take them on the "Zugspitzbahn" cable car to the top of the Zugspitze ("Top of Germany" for an incredible trip. There will be ski crowds, however, so be early! <BR> <BR>Leaving the area along the "Romantic Road" and not far is the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. That will be to their liking, I'm sure. If you are heading to Frankfurt and have time, maybe stop at Rothenburg along autobahn A7 and then autobahn A3 will get you to Frankfurt. It is a beautiful medieval walled town that is essentially intact from it's origins. <BR> <BR>I'd get them prepared before you leave with insight and some history on what you'll be seeing. My wife and I took her parents and her brother to Germany in May and I collected some info from each area that we would be staying and put it in a binder for them to look over prior to the trip. I think that this helped them to know more about what to expect and it helped them to understand it once they arrived. <BR> <BR>I have since put together a photo album for them of our trip (in chronological order) as a keepsake. <BR> <BR>Have a good trip!

wes fowler

Cheryl, <BR>Two must sees in Munich: the Deutsches Museum, which is one of the world's great science and technology museums. There the boys can find a lot of hands on exhibits and see things ranging from an 1885 auto to racing cars from the 30s, a submarine, various aircraft and live performances demonstrating papermaking, glassblowing and tile making. Also worth seeing in Munich is the Assamkirche (the church of St Johannes Nepomuk). Designed and built by the Assam brothers, it is the epitome of Bavarian Baroque architecture. <BR> <BR>In London, Regents Street, a main shopping street, will have department store windows decorated with Christmas themes. Take the boys to the toy department of Harrod's, as well. They may also be interested in either of two military museums in London, the Imperial War Museum which in addition to the usual collection of military hardware also has exhibits on the "home front " during wartime or The National Army Museum in Chelsea which traces the history of the British Army from the 1400s to the prenent. The London Transport Museum and the London Toy and Model Museum should also interest them. <BR> <BR>About this time last year, to another set of parents traveling to London with two children at Christmas time, I recommended the London Guards hotel and received positive comments on its amenities and cost upon their return. You might want to look at its website: <BR>www.demon.co.uk/hotel-uk/guards.html <BR>

Ben Haines

As Diane says, there was a recent correspondence on this, and I kept on disc my own contribution, which discussed boys aged 12 and 14. I hope you won't mind a re-used message, which ends this note. <BR> <BR>To take your questions. With so little time I think you want a room in or beside the West End. Some ideas in order of cost are the Royal Adelphi Hotel on Villiers Street, the Travellers Inn in County Hall, the Strand Palace Hotel on the Strand and the Charing Cross Hotel at Charing Cross Station. All but Travellers Inn have web sites, listed on http://www.londonhotels.ndirect.co.uk/#Charing Cross/Strand/Trafalgar Area <BR> <BR>I'd plump for the Royal Adelphi, with the Embankment Gardens two hundred yards down a mainly pedestrian lane to run about in. In my view (which not all may share) they'd be perfectly safe to go there together alone -- but it has no ball game space. <BR> <BR>In Munich there's a good botanical garden of tropical trees under glass, part of the Botanischer Garten. I agree with all the London ideas from the well informed Wes Fowler. If you phone the Deutsche Museum (they speak English) before you go you can ask whether they have any tour or event going on in English while you're in town, or whether the boys will undrstsand aper making just by seeing it. Or the boys or you could e-mail them now: they have a web site http://www.deutsches-museum.de/e_index.htm, and their address is [email protected]. The trouble is, your two are just the age to want to undrerstand the role of the condenser in a 1930 4-6-2 express steam engine, or the Newtonian principles of construction of a suspension bridge, and as I remember it the labels are in German. Actually, a similar phone call or e-mail to the Science Museum at South Kensington in London (phone 0171 938 8111: web site http://www.nmsi.ac.uk/welcome.html: address [email protected] ) would be a good idea, or their activities for bright boys may be listed in the monthly "Kids Out in London" which you will want to buy in two copies at your arrival airport. A copy each because, in general, and as you know, they'll like things better if they feel that they had a chance to choose them. <BR> <BR>If your two like Christmas carols you could look into that week's issue of "What's On In London", also buyable at the arrival airport -- now you've a magazine each -- under classical music to see every church listed under "St". <BR>You want one with lunchtime mulled wine and mince pies, and carols for choir and people. These events take 50 minutes, and I find them magical (and I'm 62). <BR> <BR>Now here's my earlier note: <BR> <BR>The site http://members.tripod.com/dswhite/samples.html has some useful opening notes and parts of chapters from a book on London for children that is presently in draft. <BR> <BR>If your hotel porter says that you are in City of Westminster (it's a local government area) then you can ask where the nearest cildren's public library is, go there, and find the City of Westminster 100-page free book on activities, parks, play areas, and so on for local children. A bout of seven a side football will put your two in mind to sleep early and well. London children will find Americans glamorous -- they are in films. <BR> <BR>Now some specifics. As to street markets, they're all open in winter. I find Covent Garden expensive. If you've Greenwich in mind for seeing ships and astronomy then a visit on Friday or Saturday could incorporate the large market area there. <BR> <BR>Below the south side of London Bridge main line station is the Old Operating Theatre, reasonably exciting. And from there it's five minutes under the station to H M S Belfast, a whole ship to explore. A good lunch is upstairs at the Market Porter pub in Borough Market. They welcome children. Since pub portions are large you might order for the boys one main dish and two plates - the pub has no objection, and this leaves space for pudding. <BR> <BR>In the British Museum the best rooms for boys the age of yours are not the boring old Greek and Roman rooms, but upstairs the Roman British Room and the next door Anglo Saxon room, with gold hordes and a ship burial. (If you read them the bit about Grendel's mother from a translation of "Beowulf" at breakfast the day you go you'll have them in the mood). Not far away are early twentieth century radio sets. There is a good thing downstairs: the Rosetta stone. A good lunch is north of the museum, in the MacMillan Hall of the University's Senate House. <BR> <BR>Theatre is a good idea too. Better not a big musical. They may find more to enjoy at a play designed for children: London has a couple of these running at any one time, listed in "Kids Out". Cheaper, too. Or you could go to a pantomime in the inner suburbs one afternoon: I am afraid it will not tech them good behaviour. <BR> <BR>If I take all the places that Wes Fowler and I recommend I get a list, from west to east and with tube stations named: <BR>Southern band: Science Museum, South Kensington <BR>Harrods, Knightsbridge <BR>National Army Museum, Chelsea, Sloane Square and a bus: rather a way to go, so perhaps you should sadly miss it <BR>Imperial War Museum, Lambeth North <BR>A City church for mince pies <BR>Old Operating Theatre and HMS Belfast, London Bridge <BR>Greenwich, by train from Charing Cross r London Bridge. In December the boat trip is cold and long. <BR> <BR>Northern band: Toy and Model Museum, Paddington <BR>Regents Street, Oxford Circus <BR>British Museum, Holborn. <BR> <BR>And there I'm stuck, because I don't know the boys. But if you'd like to tell me what caught their attention at school this spring, and what they like to see or read in televison or books (by type please, not by title: I may not recognise a title) I'll gladly see what London offers to match.. And in any case please write if I can help further. Welcome to London. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR>

cheryl

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your help. I am so excited for our family. You have truly given me terrific places to start. What a blessing Thank you,CHeryl

Cathy

Cheryl, <BR> <BR>We did both of these cities in June with our 15 yr old daughter and 11 yr old son. If you have picky eaters you will be happy to hear they have more pizza huts and mcd's in London than here in the states. The kids loved that! <BR>Highlights in London were Tower of London and British Museum. We saw Beauty and the Beast also - get tickets at the 1/2 price booth at Leicster Square on day of show. Best way to take in the city was getting tickets for the double decker tour bus, as you get an education on the various places and get to cover lots of ground that way. The tickets were inexpensive and could be used for 2 days. If you have time, take a side trip to Dover Castle. We all thoroughly enjoyed this place. <BR> <BR>In Munich, the Olympic Village has added an attraction, The Olympic Experience, which lets you participated in various Olympic events (hockey, volleyball, track/field, etc.) We spent a good 4 hours there one day. Don't recommend the Planet Hollywood there, just a tourist trap. <BR> <BR>We also enjoyed the Hofbrau House(upstairs for the dinner show)and took a side trip to Dachau (most interesting to my daughter who is studying about this in school this year) <BR> <BR>Have a great time. There are so many appealing things to do in both of these cities.