nytraveler

You need to realize that many (most?) people don;t go with a vacation planned like the D Day invasion. If something needs to be ticketed in advance - Like the Key Ceremony at the Tower I will do so. Other than that we go with lists of things we want to see/do and places we may want to eat. I would no more thing of making advance reservations for dinner or tea - than I would buying tickets for every thing we do.

You don;t know what the weather will be lke, what you feel like doing on a specific day - or if you will feel like gettingup at 8 am or 10 am after a night at the theater.

Frankly, I thnk this is a much better vacation that something that is totally regimented in advance.

janisj

Just two quick comments:

"<i>Gotta get one of those to die for Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!!</i>"

The cheese sandwich stall left Burrough Market months ago. http://www.kappacasein.com/

Also--several of the most popular stalls moved out this summer.

Westminster Abbey isn't open to visitors on Sundays. There are services of course --but you can't walk through the Abbey.

janisj

Oops -- >>Borough Market<<

indy_dad

The free tour in Bath is well worth your time in my opinion.

http://www.bathguides.org.uk/when-where.html

SB_Travlr

Great advice from everyone above! Whatever you end up doing, you will have some very special memories with your Mum: good times to relive, and probably a few oops moments to laugh about later!

Someone upthread recommended Londontown.com and I've made great use of their site for past visits. And don't discount looking at the posters on the escalators and tunnels as you ride the Tube -- last visit, we learned that way about a candlelight concert at the Albert Hall, had a wonderful time. And if you find yourselves at the National Gallery (always good things to see there) you are a couple of minutes from the terrific and affordable cafe in the crypt of St Martins in the Fields.

A few years back, we went to Evensong at Westminster Abbey: it was a special service when they move choristers up to the next level and recognize all their hard work. Didn't know about it ahead of time, but it was a lovely hour of travel serendipity with sublime music!

You may very well find that doing this trip with your Mum will reset your internal doubts and motivation. Looking for a job is -- well, never fun (until you get an offer). Seems pretty natural to be blue about it all, but often the best remedy is to get out of your situation and focus on something positive. Hope you and Mum have a great time: it's a beautiful time of year to be in my former home city.
Happy trails.

TexasAggie

Hello Jennifer,

I've always been a plan every single minute type of person, but on this past trip which we took with our 7 month old son, I had very, very little planned aside from hotels and a car rental. And... we had the very best trip we have ever had. Period. . We still saw many wonderful sights and museums but without an itinerary, we had a lot more flexibility to follow other whims without feeling guilty about missing something we had "planned on seeing for months and months".

I'm sure you and your Mom are going to have an incredible trip!

nancicita

Hi Jennifer,

I can certainly sympathize. In my experience, the more you travel, the less stressed out you'll be because you know that anything can happen -- even if you planned your entire trip down to the hour.

Have a great trip!

jenblase

Janisj, I think you single-handedly gave me the best piece of advice in this thread so far (about the grilled cheese place). I looked at the vendor map the other day but couldn't remember the name of the place. I did remember its location and didn't see anything that jumped out at me as being the same place, so I did wonder if maybe it wasn't there anymore.

I do love Borough Market anyway so we'll probably still go!

denisea

In Paris, there is a cute little place for souffles (Le Souffle) in the 1st,(not far from Chanel) which won't be far from your hotel. You can book lunch or dinner there by email. Very small and not much English spoken (but you don't need it) and the we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch there.
36 rue Mont Thabor 75001 www.lesouffle.fr

You could consider the Cafe de la Paix at the Hotel Intercontinental (Le Grand)...it's right by the Opera Garnier...there is a very luxe dining room (very belle epoque) or a traditional style cafe. I believe they offer afternoon tea in the hotel, as well. The Opera is gorgeous.

I don't know your budget. But a trusted fellow Fodorite never misses L'Obe at Hotel Crillon (and I hope to go this trip) and Bar Vendome at the Ritz....both hotels are lovely.

I also enjoy all the food shops at Place de la Madeleine. Hediard and Fauchon for everything, Maille for mustard, Laduree for macarons.

Have a great time and glad to hear you are feeling better about your trip.

raincitygirl

jenblase, take some deep breaths and get your suitcase out.You and your mom will have such a great time!
I took my mom to England two years ago and it was a lot of fun.We did the V & A which is always fantastic, had lunch in the outdoor cafe, then strolled up to the park and saw the Diana fountain, wandered around in the sunshine and ended up having a lovely afternoon tea in the Orangerie in Kensington Palace.(we didn't have reservations, it wasn't a problem)

The Fashion museum in Bath was very enjoyable too.

You are going to three places which have lots to see and really lend themselves to just wandering and letting the day unfold.

Enjoy and come back and tell us how it was.

carolyn

If your mother likes to read, do take her to the British Library. It's great.

In Paris, St. Chappelle, with its gorgeous stained glass windows, is quite near Notre Dame. We enjoyed the Cluny and the Jaquemart-Andre Museums; and we had a very good dinner, thanks to a Fodor's recommendation, at Perraudin on rue St. Jacques on the Left Bank.

I agree with the posters above who recommend travel as an agent of change. As a result of two different trips I've been along on, my daughter changed her career path and my niece regained her self-confidence and came home pretty much her old self after her husband of 12 years and father of her three sons decided he didn't want to be married any more. Use your trip as an escape, and enjoy every day you can spend with your mother.

nz101

I agree with everyone else, just relax and everything will fall into place. It is no fun to have everything planned in advance anyway. You have your hotels, flights and that is the main thing. Remember you will have plenty of time on the flight to sit back, and think about the places you want to visit.

Enjoy the precious time you will have with your mother. My mother and I went to England, Scotland and Wales for a month back in 2002, it was the most wonderful time. We had lots of laughs, and also frustrations with each other - everything rolled in to one. It is also most precious to me as she died shortly afterwards and our holiday together was the last time I saw her alive (as we lived in different countries).

Just make the most of it, smile and have fun together. Take things one day at a time. You will have a blast. A job is just a job, you will come home again with memories to last you a lifetime instead.

Don't forget to come back in here and let us know how it went.

thevacationqueen

Jen,

Please relax and enjoy the time with your Mom. It will be wonderful!

I went to London and Paris with my Mom 10 years ago, and it was the most wonderful mother-daughter trip. We didn't plan much ahead, and we had a fabulous time. There are many great suggestions in the above posts--so just jot down a few ideas, and take it one day at a time.

Don't even think about that job thing--it's just work, and will always be there when you get home, but your Mom won't........

You're a great daughter for taking your Mom on this big adventure!

nona1

Hello


Everything will be fine!

I never do an itinerary, book restaurants or anything like that. . Some people love to have every detail planned out - it makes them feel good on holiday and they enjoy the planning. I much prefer to go with the flow. Get yourself some guide books, have a flip through, mark out things you would like to see - and off you go! I like to have a rough idea of the main things I want to see, and then make a decision at the start of each day depending on the weather and my food and how tired/energetic we feel. Planning your day over breakfast is fine.

Don't panic. I think the extreme planners are actually in the minority but dominate the posts in forums like this for very obvious reasons. Both ways of travel are fine. You'll have a ball.

nona1

my food? I meant my mood, lol. I think I'm feeling hungry.

lantana

Reading through this thread made me teary at times. What wonderful people are here on Fodors.

I am taking notes for my London?paris 2012 trip.

Hope jenblase and her mom are having a wonderful time. I'm sure they are!

kpilling

HiJennifer,

I am sure you are already on your trip now and having a fab time. The most important thing here is that there is precious little time in life to enjoy these things and having a mother daughter trip will be one of the most memorable things in your life and something to remember when mom is no longer with you.

Now, in London take the big bus ride hop on hop off lots of fun and you see so much. The buckingham changing of the guards is cool. Covent garden always has fun going on and Pizza express is yummy for pizza and the Victoria Pub is beautiful. Hope you get to read this while out.

Paris - go on the Seine boat cruise at night. Take a trip up the Eiffel Tower and see it at night. Take the Montmarte Paris walks with Peter and see the Rodin Garden.

Remember - money prohlems and jobs etc... are temporary, this trip will last forever and you are only young once.

Karen