London Trip Report: 6 days in this wonderful city are not enough!
Mar 16th, 2006, 10:55 AM
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noe:
Wonderful report.
But if you ever get to do anything like it again, one small suggestion.
If you really want to get the closest it's possible to "how it might have been in medieval times", don't go to Mass at the Oratory (Italian order, posh people, modern church - at any rate by our standards)
Go to the 11 am at St Ethelreda's. Even more Latin than at the Oratory. Unaccompanied plainchant throughout - none of this newfangled Bach and Charpentier the Oratorians insist on jazzing things up with. Sermons your mother would recognise from her childhood. All in a church whose only major change since 1300 has been the statues of the martyrs executed in its immediate vicinty to replace those vandalised in the 16th century.
Wonderful place.
Wonderful report.
But if you ever get to do anything like it again, one small suggestion.
If you really want to get the closest it's possible to "how it might have been in medieval times", don't go to Mass at the Oratory (Italian order, posh people, modern church - at any rate by our standards)
Go to the 11 am at St Ethelreda's. Even more Latin than at the Oratory. Unaccompanied plainchant throughout - none of this newfangled Bach and Charpentier the Oratorians insist on jazzing things up with. Sermons your mother would recognise from her childhood. All in a church whose only major change since 1300 has been the statues of the martyrs executed in its immediate vicinty to replace those vandalised in the 16th century.
Wonderful place.
Mar 16th, 2006, 10:58 AM
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Thanks for the backstory about the safety curtains, MissPrizm. I assumed they were related to fire codes somehow. It wasn't the actual curtain that we found amusing, but the foot-high letters actually saying "safety curtain" (probably also a fire code requirement). Our sense of humor can be a little odd...
I read your trip report, fun4all4, when I was doing my research. It sounded like you guys had a great time. hs26, I know that your family will enjoy London also.
I would never have remembered the meal prices without the online credit card transaction record, Lori, but I figured it might be useful. I don't recall everything we ordered, though, at each place.
GreenDragon, thanks for the compliment. Taking pictures is just about my favorite part of a trip. I think that the physical act of framing the picture helps my brain to actually process what I'm seeing into a memory (if that makes ANY sense). I only shot about 350 pictures on this trip, but I think it was because of the rain and the fact that many of the attractions did not permit photography. I have a couple thousand from my Christmas trip.
I read your trip report, fun4all4, when I was doing my research. It sounded like you guys had a great time. hs26, I know that your family will enjoy London also.
I would never have remembered the meal prices without the online credit card transaction record, Lori, but I figured it might be useful. I don't recall everything we ordered, though, at each place.
GreenDragon, thanks for the compliment. Taking pictures is just about my favorite part of a trip. I think that the physical act of framing the picture helps my brain to actually process what I'm seeing into a memory (if that makes ANY sense). I only shot about 350 pictures on this trip, but I think it was because of the rain and the fact that many of the attractions did not permit photography. I have a couple thousand from my Christmas trip.
Mar 16th, 2006, 12:25 PM
#23
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Oh, CotswoldScouser, I wanted to attend Mass at St. Etheldreda's very much. Two factors prevented it:
- I could not find the Mass times. I checked masstimes.org and the diocesan web site. Both listed the church but not the times of services. About a week before our trip I emailed St. Etheldreda's to inquire about Sunday and daily Mass times, and did not receive a response. I didn't even think about posting the question here (seemed too specific).
- My husband has always attended the Oratory when he travels to London on business (he stays at the Rembrandt across the street) and was looking forward to returning there. My parents had recommended the Farm St. church (again, another "new" church), which was just a short walk from our hotel in Mayfair, but my husband had his heart set on the Oratory. I'm really the one in the family who's enthralled by the medieval, so this was one area of compromise.
Based on your description of the Mass at Etheldreda's, it is going to the top of my list for the next trip to London (possibly this summer). I've heard that it is the oldest church in Great Britain that is currently Catholic.
- I could not find the Mass times. I checked masstimes.org and the diocesan web site. Both listed the church but not the times of services. About a week before our trip I emailed St. Etheldreda's to inquire about Sunday and daily Mass times, and did not receive a response. I didn't even think about posting the question here (seemed too specific).
- My husband has always attended the Oratory when he travels to London on business (he stays at the Rembrandt across the street) and was looking forward to returning there. My parents had recommended the Farm St. church (again, another "new" church), which was just a short walk from our hotel in Mayfair, but my husband had his heart set on the Oratory. I'm really the one in the family who's enthralled by the medieval, so this was one area of compromise.
Based on your description of the Mass at Etheldreda's, it is going to the top of my list for the next trip to London (possibly this summer). I've heard that it is the oldest church in Great Britain that is currently Catholic.
Mar 16th, 2006, 01:36 PM
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Day 5 (Thursday, March 9)
SHOPS, ART! AND SONG
Breakfast at the Wolseley. It was crowded on a weekday morning with lots of businessfolk doing deals over coffee. We ordered enough food for an army. Since our table was of the tiny round variety (hadn’t made reservations), we quickly ran out of room for all of the dishes. The bread baskets ended up on the nearby seats. Our waiter boxed up our leftover pastry and breads and we were off.
My husband went to a stone carving (his hobby) shop in Bloomsbury (?) then to the Museum of London (not his favorite – too many artifacts for him) and the Imperial War Museum (he loves the Spitfire there).
My daughter and I went to Covent Garden walked around enjoying the streets. A teacher at my daughter’s school is from London, and he outlined a little walk for us. At one point we walked down a lane from Garrick St. passing the historic Lamb and Flag pub, then took a tiny alley to Floral St. (gotta love those alleys). A bit of shopping on Floral and Neal St.(we were trying to restrain ourselves, because the official shopping day was Friday). We stopped at the Neal’s Yard Dairy on Shorts Gardens http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/, which is full of wonderful cheeses. They were so helpful and gave us lots of tastes, and we bought several varieties. Some of their cheese is carried at our local Whole Foods here in the US.
Our next stop was Liberty, which was quite the experience. Lots of beautiful and very expensive things, and the faux-Tudor shop itself is pretty. After sighing over some designer dresses, we went to the floor that has fabric - the famous Liberty prints! We chose some that we liked. They had lots of bolts at half price, which was nice. We also bought some blank books with Liberty print covers.
We went back to the hotel to drop off our packages and eat a lovely lunch of Neal’s Yard cheese and leftover Wolseley pastries. Yum! Then it was time for mom’s favorite: the National Gallery. My daughter read her book in the gallery with the Turners, and I zoomed around looking at the Really Old Paintings, mostly in the Sainsbury wing. It was absolute heaven, but far too little time (have we heard this somewhere before?). The gift shop has a very clever “ART!” range of products with tabloid style depictions of their art with various gossipy headlines. (http://tinyurl.com/ew5mf )
Dinner was next door at the Portrait restaurant at the top of the National Portrait Gallery. Luckily our path to the restaurant took us past some great art – we saw some Holbein Tudor-era paintings. We met my husband there for our 5:30 reservations. The restaurant has good views over the rooftops of London, and was very pretty at sunset. We had a nice table by the window. The best views were at the corner tables, but you cannot reserve a specific table. The restaurant was full.
My daughter and I ordered from the pre-theatre menu which had two choices for each course (she got three courses, I got two) and my husband ordered from the regular menu (salad, salmon, chips). The food was excellent: rocket salad with parmesan and balsamic, tagliatelle with peas and broadbeans. White chocolate cheesecake for my daughter’s dessert. http://www.npg.org.uk/live/portrest.asp has menus and prices. With wine and beer, the meal came to £85 (£13.95 for two course pre-theatre, £16.95 for three course).
After dinner it was a short walk to the Queen’s theatre for Les Mis (as with the play Monday, I bought these tickets before the trip, using the charts at http://www.theatremonkey.com/ for seat selection). We enjoyed the show from start to finish – beautiful voices, great staging on the very cool revolving stage, and of course ice cream and the “safety curtain” at the interval. We never actually bought the ice cream on our theatre evenings, but really loved seeing it.
SHOPS, ART! AND SONG
Breakfast at the Wolseley. It was crowded on a weekday morning with lots of businessfolk doing deals over coffee. We ordered enough food for an army. Since our table was of the tiny round variety (hadn’t made reservations), we quickly ran out of room for all of the dishes. The bread baskets ended up on the nearby seats. Our waiter boxed up our leftover pastry and breads and we were off.
My husband went to a stone carving (his hobby) shop in Bloomsbury (?) then to the Museum of London (not his favorite – too many artifacts for him) and the Imperial War Museum (he loves the Spitfire there).
My daughter and I went to Covent Garden walked around enjoying the streets. A teacher at my daughter’s school is from London, and he outlined a little walk for us. At one point we walked down a lane from Garrick St. passing the historic Lamb and Flag pub, then took a tiny alley to Floral St. (gotta love those alleys). A bit of shopping on Floral and Neal St.(we were trying to restrain ourselves, because the official shopping day was Friday). We stopped at the Neal’s Yard Dairy on Shorts Gardens http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/, which is full of wonderful cheeses. They were so helpful and gave us lots of tastes, and we bought several varieties. Some of their cheese is carried at our local Whole Foods here in the US.
Our next stop was Liberty, which was quite the experience. Lots of beautiful and very expensive things, and the faux-Tudor shop itself is pretty. After sighing over some designer dresses, we went to the floor that has fabric - the famous Liberty prints! We chose some that we liked. They had lots of bolts at half price, which was nice. We also bought some blank books with Liberty print covers.
We went back to the hotel to drop off our packages and eat a lovely lunch of Neal’s Yard cheese and leftover Wolseley pastries. Yum! Then it was time for mom’s favorite: the National Gallery. My daughter read her book in the gallery with the Turners, and I zoomed around looking at the Really Old Paintings, mostly in the Sainsbury wing. It was absolute heaven, but far too little time (have we heard this somewhere before?). The gift shop has a very clever “ART!” range of products with tabloid style depictions of their art with various gossipy headlines. (http://tinyurl.com/ew5mf )
Dinner was next door at the Portrait restaurant at the top of the National Portrait Gallery. Luckily our path to the restaurant took us past some great art – we saw some Holbein Tudor-era paintings. We met my husband there for our 5:30 reservations. The restaurant has good views over the rooftops of London, and was very pretty at sunset. We had a nice table by the window. The best views were at the corner tables, but you cannot reserve a specific table. The restaurant was full.
My daughter and I ordered from the pre-theatre menu which had two choices for each course (she got three courses, I got two) and my husband ordered from the regular menu (salad, salmon, chips). The food was excellent: rocket salad with parmesan and balsamic, tagliatelle with peas and broadbeans. White chocolate cheesecake for my daughter’s dessert. http://www.npg.org.uk/live/portrest.asp has menus and prices. With wine and beer, the meal came to £85 (£13.95 for two course pre-theatre, £16.95 for three course).
After dinner it was a short walk to the Queen’s theatre for Les Mis (as with the play Monday, I bought these tickets before the trip, using the charts at http://www.theatremonkey.com/ for seat selection). We enjoyed the show from start to finish – beautiful voices, great staging on the very cool revolving stage, and of course ice cream and the “safety curtain” at the interval. We never actually bought the ice cream on our theatre evenings, but really loved seeing it.
Mar 16th, 2006, 01:49 PM
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Day 6 (Friday, March 10)
TO MARKET, TO MARKET
Because of our flight schedule, we couldn’t experience a market in full weekend swing. We chose Portobello because we knew it has stalls up on Fridays and we only had a few hours to spare (sigh), as we had plans to meet our friends from home for shopping at 1:00pm. We went straight to the Westway flyover (very close to the Ladbroke Grove tube station) because my daughter was most interested in seeing the clothing. It was COLD and windy (but not as wet, thank goodness).
My daughter had a great time looking at the different clothing stalls. Trying things on was a challenge, as she had to take off most of her layers and put the clothes on over her jeans and turtleneck – brrr! She found a fabulous late1950’s dress that fit like it was made for her (luckily it also fit beautifully once she got it home where she could try it on without the jeans and turtleneck). We found some fun jewelry and she got a vintage British punk vinyl record. We looked at some of the permanent shops in the area then took the tube back to the hotel and met up with our friends to shop.
We have shopped in Glasgow and Europe quite a bit (I do have two daughters!) and have several favorite chain stores. We saw that most of them were on Oxford St., so that was our destination for the afternoon. The highest priority was Top Shop. We have always loved that store – the one in Glasgow is large but manageable. Well, the London shop was a shock! 4 huge floors, packed with merchandise, even more packed with people. And the loudest music ever. The ground floor was nothing but accessories. We can usually shop with the best of them, but this was overwhelming. We persevered, however, and found some great things for the girls. Not as much as the family behind me in the tax free form line, who had 8, count them, 8, shopping bags full.
H&M, which is usually crazy in all the cities where we have been, was downright peaceful in comparison. More “success.” Before we knew it, our time was up, and we hadn’t been to half the places we’d planned (this was probably a blessing in disguise).
We met up with the other members of our families in Covent Garden at Orso. We had some dietary restrictions (no meat in Lent) and pickiness, and Italian fit the bill. So we had pizza yet again (sigh. The other non-meat dishes on the menu didn’t sound that tempting). While it was the most expensive pizza of the week, it was not the best. We had a big round table for the 8 of us, and it was great for conversation, as the restaurant wasn’t very full.
After dinner, the big group split up into smaller: some to a pub, others to a blues show at a club, and the rest to go pack. Fun was had by all (what can I say, I enjoy packing).
Our plane departed from Gatwick at 1:00pm on Saturday, so we had a leisurely morning and a very uneventful flight home (and that’s a very good thing given some of the mishaps I’ve had in transit).
TO MARKET, TO MARKET
Because of our flight schedule, we couldn’t experience a market in full weekend swing. We chose Portobello because we knew it has stalls up on Fridays and we only had a few hours to spare (sigh), as we had plans to meet our friends from home for shopping at 1:00pm. We went straight to the Westway flyover (very close to the Ladbroke Grove tube station) because my daughter was most interested in seeing the clothing. It was COLD and windy (but not as wet, thank goodness).
My daughter had a great time looking at the different clothing stalls. Trying things on was a challenge, as she had to take off most of her layers and put the clothes on over her jeans and turtleneck – brrr! She found a fabulous late1950’s dress that fit like it was made for her (luckily it also fit beautifully once she got it home where she could try it on without the jeans and turtleneck). We found some fun jewelry and she got a vintage British punk vinyl record. We looked at some of the permanent shops in the area then took the tube back to the hotel and met up with our friends to shop.
We have shopped in Glasgow and Europe quite a bit (I do have two daughters!) and have several favorite chain stores. We saw that most of them were on Oxford St., so that was our destination for the afternoon. The highest priority was Top Shop. We have always loved that store – the one in Glasgow is large but manageable. Well, the London shop was a shock! 4 huge floors, packed with merchandise, even more packed with people. And the loudest music ever. The ground floor was nothing but accessories. We can usually shop with the best of them, but this was overwhelming. We persevered, however, and found some great things for the girls. Not as much as the family behind me in the tax free form line, who had 8, count them, 8, shopping bags full.
H&M, which is usually crazy in all the cities where we have been, was downright peaceful in comparison. More “success.” Before we knew it, our time was up, and we hadn’t been to half the places we’d planned (this was probably a blessing in disguise).
We met up with the other members of our families in Covent Garden at Orso. We had some dietary restrictions (no meat in Lent) and pickiness, and Italian fit the bill. So we had pizza yet again (sigh. The other non-meat dishes on the menu didn’t sound that tempting). While it was the most expensive pizza of the week, it was not the best. We had a big round table for the 8 of us, and it was great for conversation, as the restaurant wasn’t very full.
After dinner, the big group split up into smaller: some to a pub, others to a blues show at a club, and the rest to go pack. Fun was had by all (what can I say, I enjoy packing).
Our plane departed from Gatwick at 1:00pm on Saturday, so we had a leisurely morning and a very uneventful flight home (and that’s a very good thing given some of the mishaps I’ve had in transit).
Mar 16th, 2006, 01:51 PM
#26
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FINAL THOUGHTS (FINALLY!)
We had a wonderful time in London. I am ready to move there (well, there are a few logistical problems!), or at the very least, return really soon. I was surprised at the depth of my identification with this city (I grew up outside New York City but I just connected with London).
The weather wasn’t a problem at all. We knew it would be cold in early March, and we started with the assumption we’d have rain every day. Therefore first day and a half of sunshine was a bonus, and we made the most of the good weather.
We had a fabulous list of restaurants, and barely scratched the surface. I would have loved more Indian and less pizza. More lunches in restaurants. At least one afternoon tea. Time was a big factor, and the 3 plays squeezed our evenings (but were well worth it!) In general, we trading doing/seeing for memorable eating, which was right for us.
Also hard to pass up: Harrods, Fortnum and Mason. The British Museum, Tate Britain (Tate Modern for me), and MANY other museums and galleries. The Globe. The parks. The churches. The weekend markets. Day trips to Cambridge, Oxford, Hampton Court, Hampstead Heath, Windsor Castle, Bath, Stonehenge/Salisbury.
Would do different: I’d avoid Oxford St. and shop instead at Kensington High Street, Covent Garden or Kings Road.
We did a variety of things, and saw most of our “must sees.” My husband was thrilled with the planning and the activities. My daughter also had a super time. I left with some amazing memories and just a bit of frustration. 6 days wasn’t enough! London is such a big city, with so much to offer, that I found it hard to pare it down, and I needed more time at most of the places we went. Balancing everyone’s interests meant flexibility, compromise and splitting up, but in the end I’m pretty happy with how we juggled it all. I missed my older daughter terribly, but am glad to have shared time on this trip with my younger daughter in her last year at home.
We had a wonderful time in London. I am ready to move there (well, there are a few logistical problems!), or at the very least, return really soon. I was surprised at the depth of my identification with this city (I grew up outside New York City but I just connected with London).
The weather wasn’t a problem at all. We knew it would be cold in early March, and we started with the assumption we’d have rain every day. Therefore first day and a half of sunshine was a bonus, and we made the most of the good weather.
We had a fabulous list of restaurants, and barely scratched the surface. I would have loved more Indian and less pizza. More lunches in restaurants. At least one afternoon tea. Time was a big factor, and the 3 plays squeezed our evenings (but were well worth it!) In general, we trading doing/seeing for memorable eating, which was right for us.
Also hard to pass up: Harrods, Fortnum and Mason. The British Museum, Tate Britain (Tate Modern for me), and MANY other museums and galleries. The Globe. The parks. The churches. The weekend markets. Day trips to Cambridge, Oxford, Hampton Court, Hampstead Heath, Windsor Castle, Bath, Stonehenge/Salisbury.
Would do different: I’d avoid Oxford St. and shop instead at Kensington High Street, Covent Garden or Kings Road.
We did a variety of things, and saw most of our “must sees.” My husband was thrilled with the planning and the activities. My daughter also had a super time. I left with some amazing memories and just a bit of frustration. 6 days wasn’t enough! London is such a big city, with so much to offer, that I found it hard to pare it down, and I needed more time at most of the places we went. Balancing everyone’s interests meant flexibility, compromise and splitting up, but in the end I’m pretty happy with how we juggled it all. I missed my older daughter terribly, but am glad to have shared time on this trip with my younger daughter in her last year at home.
Mar 16th, 2006, 02:01 PM
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noe, thank you so much for a great report. I am leaving for London in 10 days and this is so helpful as I have little time for planning! Your pix are lovely. I will print this out and think you in London!
Mar 16th, 2006, 07:26 PM
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gomiki, London has so much to offer for any type of interest, I know you will have a great time.
The London superthread has lots of information:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34548473
The London superthread has lots of information:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34548473
Mar 16th, 2006, 11:07 PM
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Thank you for posting such an entertaining trip report. I love reading about other people's experiences in my home city!
Glad you had such a great time and hope you get another chance to visit again soon!
Glad you had such a great time and hope you get another chance to visit again soon!
Mar 17th, 2006, 12:46 AM
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Noe - what a great trip report! - you write with such enthusiasm and the little details beyond the norm made it such a pleasure to read and helpful for others.
So agree with you about Oxford Street - it is not relaxing or enjoyable shopping and the loud thumping music in most of the clothes stores can be quite disorientating.
Hope you manage to get to London in the summer and enjoy some of the great outdoor activities the city has to offer like having a picnic in the parks, going boating on the Serpentine, a day trip to Greenwich etc etc. June or September are usually great months to see the best of London.
Holy Trinity Brompton is a fine church too albeit completely different in style to the Oratory with a strong young evangelical feel to the place
So agree with you about Oxford Street - it is not relaxing or enjoyable shopping and the loud thumping music in most of the clothes stores can be quite disorientating.
Hope you manage to get to London in the summer and enjoy some of the great outdoor activities the city has to offer like having a picnic in the parks, going boating on the Serpentine, a day trip to Greenwich etc etc. June or September are usually great months to see the best of London.
Holy Trinity Brompton is a fine church too albeit completely different in style to the Oratory with a strong young evangelical feel to the place
Mar 17th, 2006, 11:25 AM
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" Dinner was at Strada, a pizza/Italian place that was open on Sunday. Two pizzas, one pasta, and I think we all had salad. The food was excellent, and the individual pizzas were quite large. Cost for three with wine, beer, coffee and tea was £58."
My! I forgot how expensive London is.
Keith
(revising down the number of days for my next visit)
My! I forgot how expensive London is.
Keith
(revising down the number of days for my next visit)
Mar 17th, 2006, 11:37 AM
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What a great report, and I enjoyed your pictures, too. London is my favorite city. I'm not sure 6 years would be enough!
I bought my niece a top in Top Shop. It's the wildest shop I've ever been in.
I bought my niece a top in Top Shop. It's the wildest shop I've ever been in.
Mar 17th, 2006, 11:57 AM
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Hi ...
Great report.
As someone who lives in England & went to New York, I was amazed that there was no-one selling refreshments at the interval, when we saw Phantom. So used to it in England, assumed it would be the same in New York.
Mark
Great report.
As someone who lives in England & went to New York, I was amazed that there was no-one selling refreshments at the interval, when we saw Phantom. So used to it in England, assumed it would be the same in New York.
Mark
Mar 18th, 2006, 04:28 AM
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Noe847...Truly enjoyed your trip report. I will be doing a short stop in London with my mom on our way to Paris in September and am looking forward to our first visit after enjoying your adventures.
Mar 18th, 2006, 07:55 AM
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quiUK and londonengland, I am angling for a week in London/England at the end of our 12 day trip to Glasgow in August.
isplumm, we often do have (overpriced) refreshments at intermission at theaters here in the US, but not in the actual seats. And I don't think I've ever seen ice cream here.
Thanks, janisj for your feedback on my itinerary before the fact. What we ended up doing bore a good deal of resemblance to the plan, just trimmed a bit (sigh).
Keith, would it help if I said that we may have had dessert that evening? And the service/gratuity was in that total as well. There are lots of reasonable options for eating in London, but also plenty of ways to spend big money on food.
Have fun, Dejais, and post a trip report!
isplumm, we often do have (overpriced) refreshments at intermission at theaters here in the US, but not in the actual seats. And I don't think I've ever seen ice cream here.
Thanks, janisj for your feedback on my itinerary before the fact. What we ended up doing bore a good deal of resemblance to the plan, just trimmed a bit (sigh).
Keith, would it help if I said that we may have had dessert that evening? And the service/gratuity was in that total as well. There are lots of reasonable options for eating in London, but also plenty of ways to spend big money on food.
Have fun, Dejais, and post a trip report!
