RS Best of London and Duxford Flying Legends air show - wow!
 

I did not know if I would do a trip report or not, but I know writing a report will help me re-live a wonderful experience. For some reason I did not keep a journal on this trip. I took my Moleskine cahier notebook and barely ever touched it, but I do have a stack of papers/flyers/souvenir items, and now some time, so before all is lost .. I write.

Last fall and winter I researched for my April vacation trip to the UK, trip report here http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...jaw-edilhr.cfm

Early in the new year I noticed that Rick Steves had a Best of London 7-day tour with a discount for one of the date options. I had funds to cover the trip, yes, but it was outside my travel budget, so it would not be a particularly good financial decision. Then I noticed the trip ended on the same day as the first day of the Flying Legends air show at the Imperial War Museum - Duxford: a weekend extravaganza of piston-engined, WW1 & 2 aircraft. In went my deposit!

Now that I am home, I can tell you that for anyone who is the type that looks up when hearing an airplane or likes to watch airport activity (take offs/landings) and you are near London for the second weekend of July .. GO to Duxford! It was an aviator buff's dream, but more about that later.

I wonder if I have been a little hesitant to write a report, or keep the journal on the trip, because of guilty feelings for spending money on Two trips in one year, like I should not have enjoyed them so much. It was definitely more Grasshopper thinking than Ant (i.e., of Aesop's fable fame) to spend a lot on travel. Having that thought makes me laugh, now, and start to want to write .. I saw a Grasshopper this trip, an Amazing Grasshopper, but, again, more about that later.

OK. Now you started, you have to finish. I have always wondered about Rick's tours. They look good, but pricy!

<b>Airfare and packing</b>

After sending in the deposit I called to ask about the hotel. I do not remember if it was known for sure then, or would be listed with my first package from the Rick Steves office. I think I did wait for the letter and it was the Lime Tree Hotel (www.limetreehotel.co.uk) in the Victoria Station area, so I looked for flights to get me from Boston to Gatwick, for the easy train access from the airport to the city. I chose to try Aer Lingus this trip. Certainly many reviews on the Web of, shall we say, less than satisfied fliers; however, I am more of a try it myself and then believe person (or you can just say I have a contrary streak :-D

A week after I purchased the ticket (online, through the airline's Web site) they announced a sale. ARGH!! When one does not travel frequently, learning how to economically purchase flights has a Slow learning curve. I definitely did not expect much or any response, but I sent a polite request for a credit of the difference to Aer Lingus customer service, and I got it! Knock me silly, I sure did not expect anything. So I may have to fly Aer Lingus one more time. Only time will tell if I have a chance (finances- and free time-wise) before the credit expires.

I was very nervous for packing on Aer Lingus. The luggage size is ridiculous (personal opinion!) for the allowed 13 pounds. Quite a few postings I saw on travel boards said the 13 pounds had to cover both my purse and bag. Until I went on the trip, the Aer Lingus Web site said only one bag allowed. It Did Not mentioned any allowed purse or jacket. After I returned home I have seen those items listed (please do not say I was just missing it, because I checked repeatedly, all the months leading up to the trip), but not before the flight, so I really worried about losing my duffel to checked luggage.

I had to take my Rick Steves London guide book (according to the company's literature, and it did make sense for looking stuff up while on the trip), a Dell Mini 9 (to stay in contact with my online classes), cell phone, camera .. electronics and paper add WEIGHT!

I packed just a couple of days' clothing (2 prs lightweight pants, a few shirts, undies, socks, pj's) in a North Face Flyweight duffel, using an Absolute Shoulder Strap from Tom Bihn. My day pack was a Medium Cafe Bag (www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/200/TB0202), also from Tom Bihn, and my rain jacket was from LL Bean (hmm, quite a bit of free advertising, eh? but I did like my purchases).

A note about the socks: white running socks from Wigwam (I think). I saw a suggestion one time that anklets are less weight to carry, dry faster, and these ones are very cushion-y .. all tip-top suggestions that proved themselves on the trip. My shoes were New Balance 811 Country Walkers. I bring along a couple pairs of Dr. Scholl's air pillow insoles and change them everyday, just extra padding for the <b>pounding</b> one's feet take on a city tour.

The socks and shoes worked fine. I see a lot of recommendations for an extra pair of shoes, but this is now my second trip without a spare pair and I am not missing lugging what has been unnecessary. As busy as I was with the tour, there was time to shop if I needed to buy a new pair of shoes while on the trip.

To save weight I did not pack deodorant or shampoo or sunscreen. I bought them at Boots once in London. I also did not take a travel umbrella, bought one in Windsor :-)

Hi CarolA,

Yes, I definitely will write a note or two about the RS tour, as a tour experience. I certainly have thought the same, "nice, but the price, hmm."

I am interested to hear more of RS. Keep it coming!

<b>July 4: Day 0</b>
Family drove me to the bus station to take the express bus to Logan. Having the duffel under 13 pounds was nice, it fit in the small above seat storage area, along with my Cafe bag and jacket. Most people have huge bags, a few have reasonable ones (in a light packer's estimation, lol), and those go underneath the bus.

It takes an hour to get to the bus station, two hours to Logan, three hours is supposed to be the beginning of check-in time for international flights, and I always go on a bus that allows for time delay on the road, so I was in plenty of time for check-in.

After getting the e-mail notes about one bag/13 lbs/such & such a size, I was shocked to see a sizer at the check-in counter calling for 18x14x9 and 10 kg/22 lb (much smaller and yet heavier bag than all my notes). Mentioning this to some other travelers my memory has been called suspicious (I could not have really seen such a thing), yet I DID - I DID see (no, not a "puddy-tat") the sign/sizer. I have a picture to prove it. And it was definitely at the Aer Lingus counter, I was not confusing some other airline's sign/sizer.

I would gladly have purchased a bag to meet the size specification, and put everything in it to meet the weight. As it was (cough) I had the Cafe bag (with computer), jacket (pockets full of electronics and guide book), and the duffel. Only the duffel was weighed. I just remember it was under the limit.

I did not ask about the difference between the sizer and the Web site. Perhaps I should have. Anyone been on Aer Lingus and leaving Boston recently??


The flight was fine. The food not memorable, but okay. I did not really get any sleep at all. We left early evening from Boston and by "my time" the landing in Dublin was still a time I possibly could have stayed up late. I think skip dinner and try harder to sleep would be a good strategy for any future flight to Dublin on Aer Lingus.

Hi irishface,

Glad you're along for the "trip" :-)

<b>Sunday, July 5: Day 1: Arrive in London</b>

I thought the flight with Aer Lingus was fine. It was an Airbus, so 2-4-2 seating. I much preferred that to the 3-3 of a narrowbody that I flew with Northwest back in April.

The weird thing was as we approached Dublin how much the flight attendants had to push cigarettes and booze. I realize Aer Lingus must make some money, and probably needs to make more money, but it lacks something, or takes away something. Perhaps it is just my imagination, but I think I would wonder, am I a flight attendant, or a shill?

Arrival at Dublin, I followed the signs, through immigration/passport control, past the baggage claim area (heh, heh, just me and my carry-on), through security, find the signs with gate numbers, trek to the gate, and wait .. and try to not fall asleep while waiting, for sure.

We had to walk outside and climb stairs by the plane to board. I was walking out and the attendant stopped me and pushed me back a bit. THEN I realized a truck was passing by, and I thanked her. "Just my job," she replied. Well, it is definitely a needed job to help sleep deprived fliers who are concentrating on boarding the plane and not mindful of passing dangers!

The flight was shortish, an hour/hour and a half? More "buy this, buy that." I snoozed, not exactly fully asleep (would have liked it, could not get there).

Once off the plane, I walked a lot more, following the signs for Non-EU passengers. I think I just ended up where everyone else from the flight did, but because I had to walk longer, around some extra corners, they were all gone through by the time I arrived. It was just a quick look at my paperwork and I kept following signs, now thinking about trains.

I passed a counter selling tickets, so I stopped to buy one for the regular train (only 10 minutes longer than the Express, about 6 pounds less in cost).

Even not knowing where I was, I had no trouble leaving Victoria and walking to the hotel. It is so NICE when travel is that simple :-) Granted, I did use Google Maps a bunch, so I had practiced the route in my mind quite a few times before arriving.

I checked in at the Lime Tree, left my duffel and jacket there, and with a very nice map from the hotel, left until I could come back to go up to my room. It was not even mid-morning at this time. I know because as I was walking around the area I still had to walk around a bit more before I went in to the 10:30 a.m. service at St Michael's Chester Square.

It was very nice to be greeted warmly by several people, regulars knowing I was not. The hardest part was staying awake; I did a bit of head weaving, then snapping up and opening the eyes. Very rude to the guest clergyman, a bishop from South America, I know, lol, but I made it to the end of the service.

After church I walked more. I ended up in the shops over Victoria Station. I bought some supplies at Boots, had a sandwich from the Subway in the upstairs food court, and found an ATM for cash.

When I went back to the hotel I was able to go to my room to unpack and freshen up before meeting the rest of the tour group. We had a thorough ice breaker session: Tom, our guide, spoke about what we would be doing over the next few days; everyone had a chance to give an introduction.

I think I was the only person on her first RS trip. Quite a few people were on 2nd or 3rd trips, a few had hit 4th or 5th, and the Best of London tour was #10 for one person! Most of the group were couples, a few families (2-4 members), and then a few single ladies, like myself.

The intro. session took a couple of hours, then we had time to freshen up before heading out to eat. We ate at Grumbles on Churchton St. Tom pointed out the shops area at Victoria as we passed by it (I had been there already).

Dinner was excellent. I remember I chose the tomato/mozzarella salad, but I don't remember the main part. Dessert was a toffee ice cream treat, yum! I did not hear anyone complain about any dinner choices. The tour covered the cost of dinner. Each person was responsible for purchased beer/wine. I stuck to water at each meal, so I cannot tell you about soft drinks at the restaurants or if the tour covered them, possibly, but I just do not know for sure.

I walked back to the hotel with Karen and Sal from CA.

End of Day 1.

<b>Day 1 Addendum</b>

Well, as noted above, writing a trip report helps one re-live the trip! So if you thought that was a tame ("lame") tour beginning, read on ...

I have all my trip goodies spread out, now, and with nudgings from my memory that I could not place until after hitting the submit button, here are more details from Day 1:

After the introductions session and meeting out front (actually, a few of us met in the garden first and then remembering it was out front, showed up a minute or two late .. lots of ribbing from Tom for that :-)

Tom had us all pick a buddy. I do not know if we deliberately did this or if Tom helped encourage it, but couples and roommates did not choose one another; we picked other people. It certainly made sense. Tom could lose 2 people if roommates were in charge of one another, "cross-pollinating" the buddies made for more thorough checking of the whole group at each buddy check (at regular intervals and definitely at Tube stops).

With buddies picked we walked to the Victoria Tube stop, in two stops we were at Westminster and walking out of the underground in front of the Clock Tower at the Palace of Westminster, a.k.a. Big Ben. Tom led us through the "What is this?" and so we learned which part is really Big Ben (the biggest bell). We walked up Parliament St toward the Horse Guards, Tom telling us history and stories all along, also answering questions. We took a #11 bus back to the Victoria Coach Station stop (the one nearest the hotel), THEN walked to Grumbles, passing the Victoria shops on the way.

The tour included a 7-day, zones 1 and 2 travelcard. This little trip was an introduction to the Tube and buses, so we would have practice for any free time travel.

Hope you are more impressed with Day 1, now ;-)

Sounds good.

One question. I know in the past Rick has 'matched' up singles for "roommates" (which kind of scares me) So did you get your own room or get a roommate?

<b>Monday, 6 July: Day 2: Westminster Abbey and the Tower</b>

The Lime Tree Hotel has hot and cold breakfast items, served quickly and all very tasty. I enjoyed staying at the Lime Tree and would quickly do so again.

I think this morning we took the bus to Victoria Tube, thus practice on the location of bus stops by the hotel, coming and going. Again we took the Tube to Westminster, but exited going toward the river for a boat cruise to get to the Tower of London. That is something that can really trip up newbie to London .. the multiple exits, all directions, from one Tube stop.

We just made the 10:00 sailing; Big Ben started chiming as we took our seats on the upper deck. It was a great day, some clouds, also bright sunshine between.

The boat company gave a bit of commentary along the way, stressing how it was voluntary on the part of the crew, just like the voluntary acceptance of tips in a bucket when we got off. I figured it was voluntary and tried to not feel too guilty as I said a "Thank you" and just debarked.

Tom got our tickets and we headed to the group entrance to the Tower. He started to tell background and stories but it came to be known that Prince William was at the Tower for a photo-op session and no one would follow him until after we had an oggle time looking for the prince. A couple of ladies on the tour were lucky enough to get a handshake! The 20-something was quite giddy the rest of the day!

Tom did not have too much more to tell us, when we finally grouped together again :-) He showed us where we could join a Beefeater tour and where to exit and a reminder of our meeting time.

I had seen the Crown Jewels when visiting in '07 with my son's tour from school, so I visited the White Tower and Medieval Palace this trip. The Tower has a special exhibit of Henry VIII's armor (including the not so subtle "See what a great big codpiece I need!" set). On the way out I watched a hand-powered catapult demonstration. Very interesting.

For lunch I had a sandwich and vanilla-filled macaroon cookie from the Paul stand, the total just under nine pounds, and both delish!!

The group met and left about 1:30 p.m. We took the Tube back to Westminster Abbey for a tour session. Two Blue Guides met us (Tom is also a Blue Guide), split the group in 2 and took us around for a couple of hours. After the tour time, some people stayed for Evensong and went from there to the restaurant following directions from Tom, others returned to the hotel until time to walk to Seafresh restaurant on Wilton Road for a fish and chips dinner. The fish was very good, but I admit, I was pouting a bit because it was served with peas, unmushed. I wanted mushy peas :-(

I walked back to the hotel with a group. We stopped in the Sainsbury's on the way. I saw some Gu puddings but they came in multi-packs and our room did not have a fridge for storing extras. I would have liked to try the Gu again. I really liked it on my trip home on Virgin Atlantic in April. Next trip, I guess!

Hi CarolA,

I had a roommate. I did not spring for the single supplement. A few were available, I think, this tour.

If the tour mix had come down to a single male and single female, I would have had a single room, according to my understanding of the tour paperwork.

It is quite stressed, on the RS web site, and in the paperwork from the office, we agree to <b>happily</b> carry luggage, walk around for multiple miles, and stand for tours in museums. The bolding for 'happily' is mine but I do think it means anyone agreeing to those types of stipulations is helping to self-select a group with similar positive attitudes.

I talked with Tom, our guide, about the kinds of people who take RS tours. He has guided other companies tours and prefers RS because of the positive attitude RS people bring.

He remarked how our group had to be told to sit down at the beginning of the introduction session. I don't know if he was making us feel good that we had a "special" group or if it was really so, though with so many repeat RS travelers in the group I can believe that they really did know that this was get to know one another time and just jumped right into it without waiting for anything from Tom.

My roommate and I did not bond or anything, but we had an fairly easy time rooming together. The second morning she just asked if I needed to set my alarm so early. I promptly set it later and then just turned off it each morning when I woke up the "regular" time :-)

I stayed at the Lime Tree when I went to London after my first RS Paris and the Heart of France tour. I remember that it was very convenient to Victoria Station and I also walked to it from Harrod's.

I just completed my 6th RS tour (Spain and Portugal) and when I have traveled on my own without my husband, on one tour I had a room to myself because I was the only single female, but mostly I have had a room-mate. Everyone has been very nice and some I have kept in contact and even I have traveled to visit.

Can't wait to hear more about London and the Air Show.

Looking forward to more.

<b>Tuesday, 7 July: Day 3: Whitehall area, National Gallery, and more Royalty</b>

This morning we headed out after breakfast by walking to Buckingham Palace. I discovered on the way that Nancy (on her RS tour #10) was planning a day trip to Cambridge on Saturday. I was headed to Cambridge on Saturday, too, to go to the Duxford air show, so we agreed to share a cab to Kings Cross and travel together on the train.

We visited the front of the Palace, walked down toward St. James's Palace, watched the changing of the guard headed up to the Palace but did not follow them back.

Before leaving the B. Palace area Tom spied some police motorcycles and cars and suspected some royalty would be going by. Yep, Charles and Camilla. We figured they were headed to Hyde Park where Charles was to dedicate the memorial for the bombing victims of the 2005 attacks.

We walked through St. James's Park to visit the Churchill Museum/Cabinet War Rooms. We toured the Museum/War Rooms on our own and found lunch on our own, too. After I finished touring the museum/rooms and picked up a key chain souvenir for my son, I walked back through a bit of the Park. From Inn the Park (the restaurant) I had a BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato) sandwich, summer fruit tart, water, and apple for £9.50. The sandwich was very good, the fruit tart absolute yum!

Biting into the sandwich was a welcome surprise. "Bacon" makes me think of the thin stuff we have, and it was great to bite into something more substantial, what I associate with the term Canadian bacon.

The weather was sprinkling as we joined up. Tom said it had poured, but fortunately that was while we were down in the War Rooms.

We walked up to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. Tom showed us some specific paintings with great histories. I don't remember the stories now, but Tom knew the ones that he could take something current that we would likely know and tie it to the painting with history we didn't know, an artistic, "And now you know the rest of the story" a la Paul Harvey. Even if you did not expect to be much interested, Tom could weave a great story and keep you interested/entertained.

A "wow" moment for me .. seeing the Whistlejacket portrait, expertly placed to show through the doors to its room. You could not miss a life-sized gorgeous horse!

Tom let the group go about 4 p.m. I stayed back with Nancy to view a special exhibit, but it turned out to not start until the next day. We walked around the Impressionists rooms, visited the gift shop and tried to leave as the Gallery was closing, but nobody was leaving the building until forced out. The weather had turned nasty, it was POURING outside, with great cracks of lightning. We waited a bit on the porch and then dodged rain, heading down to the bus stop Tom had pointed out where we could get the #11.

Until we passed the front of the Horse Guards again, I did not really get my mental, visual map linking the front and back of where we visited on Sunday's quick walk and then Tuesday's.

The rain had about stopped by the time the bus crawled by the Victoria Station area. We were surprised at the sea of people outside. It took a long time for the bus to get by. We learned later that parts of the Tube had flooded because of all the rain.

For supper, Nancy and I had a grilled cheese sandwich, drink, and shared some crisps at the little eatery across from the hotel. I spent about £7. I discovered Fentiman's makes a ginger beer. Yeah! It was one of the better ones I have tried. FYI, for anyone not knowing .. ginger beer is like ginger ale, only with a lot more ginger flavor (a Lot more). I have found most people either like it or do not.

timsmom: yes, I found everyone to be very friendly. The group shared e-mail addresses and a few snail mail ones, too. I will take another in the future, I am sure, just a matter of where/when and saving up for it :-)

MademoiselleFifi: thanks for following!

Cheers.

Great report! I was interested in the roommate situation too. Thanks for answering Carol A's question.

<b>Wednesday, 8 July: Day 4: St. Paul's Cathedral and the City</b>

Wow, the week is already at the middle!

We took the bus to St. Paul's Cathedral. Tom was just full of stories, even before entering the Cathedral! Queen Victoria, Nelson, great stories to learn history. Inside, he pointed out a statue to Cornwallis, the fellow we thank for giving up at Yorktown, but that was not the fellow Tom learned about in his history class, so it was a good story and conversation about the two perspectives to history.

After touring the main floor and part of the Crypt we had choices of walking around on our own or going up the 400+ stairs. Many of the group went up; I stayed behind. Yes, the physical prerequisite for the tour was to handle such a climb, but I knew I would never make it. The tour was more getting in shape for me than using my physical fitness ;-)

I was very glad that I did not attempt it when I heard the stairs do not have a handrail the entire way. My ankles are very much "bum" and I need rails for stairs, especially going down. I spent the time looking around the Crypt and Nave in more detail. In the gift shop I bought a large postcard with the unforgettable image of St. Paul's dome visible through the smoke after it escaped the bombing attacks of 29 December 1940.

We walked from St. Paul's through the streets, more stories from Tom, until arriving at The Counting House for a pub lunch. Very good food and filling.

Walking to our lunch I actually used some of my "just in case" stuff, lol. One of the teen girls traveling with their grandparents wore flip-flops and the part between the toes broke, losing the bit that keeps it anchored through. I brought out my pen with a bit of duct tape wrapped on it, first, and the grandmom wished for a safety pin, so I did a "Voilà" and brought out a large one. The girl worked the safety pin through the plastic as a type of new anchor and with a bit of duct tape over the pin so it did not catch on things she was able to keep walking until they returned to the hotel!

We had free time after lunch. I went with Kim and Margie to find the Victoria and Albert Museum. We spent time in the jewelry displays and I walked around the Islamic rooms.

We took the Tube back to Sloan Square and walked back to the hotel from there. The Lime Tree is about halfway between Sloan Square and Victoria. It is a quieter walk from Sloan.

I still was not particularly hungry after that huge lunch, so I purchased a banana and another ginger beer at the eatery across from the hotel.

Hi irishface,

Signing up for a RS tour you get a guide book/map, moneybelt, and ear plugs. Bring along the ear plugs and a positive attitude and there's a good chance of enjoying the tour, I think :-)

Hi scotlib, I'm enjoying this as well. Sorry that I had thought you were a man until now (probably because of your username).

<b>Thursday, 9 July: Day 5: Historic Windsor Castle</b>

This was our earliest start for the week, I think 8:45 a.m. The others were more leisurely, 9:30-ish. We walked to the Victoria shops and walked through them to go down the escalator to the trains area. A police dog was at the bottom of the escalator, greeting/sniffing everyone. Made a bit of impression on us Yanks, unfamiliar with this security level.

We took the train to Clapham Junction, using the travel cards to go through the barriers at Victoria. Tom gave us our tickets for Clapham Junction to Windsor and back.

We walked up the hill to the castle from the rail station. Tom told a few stories, pointed the way to some possible lunch places, and took us into the groups' entrance. The security was thorough, similar to an airport's, with x-ray for bags and metal detectors.

Everyone got an audio guide and after a few directions once inside we were let loose. The line was short so many of us did the Dolls House and then State Rooms. I went through the rooms fairly quickly. You know, grand, old buildings/castles start to look very similar, sigh. I took my time upon reaching St. George's Hall, remembering it as one of the rooms that burned (many more than just this one burned, of course) and the room I have seen on PBS specials for the very looong table. The little area just past there was where the fire started, back in '92.

It really was amazing that you cannot tell these rooms are less than 20 years old, not hundreds years old. Tom said it was because the restoration used old techniques, like when the castle was first built.

When I finished my touring I walked down the hill and across the river to Eton. The "not viewing today" sign was out by the Chapel so I wandered back to the Thames. I found lunch in a deli featuring organic foods. I had a bacon quiche (excellent! and again the "real" bacon), a sweet cranberry nut bar, a drink (not quite to my taste buds, but I drank most .. oh, something elderberry, a sparkling elderberry flower drink??) and a pint of plump blackberries that I kept to share with the group. One young man said he had never had a blackberry, so a good experience for him.

I ate my quiche, nut bar, and drink sitting on a park bench on the pedestrian bridge over the Thames connecting Windsor and Eton. Great location for a picnic, eh?

I walked back up the hill and visited the shops on the street across from the Castle entrance, finally meeting my group on the benches, shared the berries, and walked back down to the rail station, to go "home."

For supper I went down the street from the hotel to a fish/chip shop. The fish was good, perhaps only slightly less tasty than at the Seafresh. I could get mushy peas, but they were too salty, sigh. I ate my dinner in the garden at the hotel, did not want to smell up the room!

When I was finishing Nancy saw me and asked if I would like to go back to the St. Martin in the Fields for a baroque concert. I did and enjoyed it very much.

Windsor is where I bought a travel umbrella, paid £4, which I liked better than the £10-£14 prices I had seen earlier in the week at various shops. My rain jacket worked for most of the week, but wearing glasses, sigh, I decided I wanted an umbrella in case of showers at the air show! It's hard to peer around rain drops on glasses, lol.

I've done four RS tours (although I doubt I'll do more - I really do think they are getting overpriced, and I'm more into independent travel). My last tour (Sicily - click on my name for TR) I was the only single, and although I had a room to myself I would have preferred to have someone to share with. Although everyone was friendly, I felt a little isolated on a tour full of couples and groups, and singles always seem to get the worst rooms (including one absolutely awful room at the last hotel).

Hi yk: thanks for coming along on the trip report :-)

thursdaysd, I think you have it nailed.

Yes, everyone was friendly, but they were many families and couples. Joining time with another single could happen but someone comfortable with traveling alone is not necessarily thinking of joining up either. I felt both a part of a group and apart.

I have done two short independent trips to the UK and I think all future ones there will now be independent, but for a place I do want a tour (I want to try Turkey some day, but not alone), I like RS, and I would probably really look for the dates that have a discount price.

<b>Friday, 10 July: Day 6: The British Museum and Library</b>

The week sure flew by. Today is our last morning for touring together!

We took the Tube from Victoria to Kings Cross and visited a certain platform before heading to the British Library :-D Platform 9 3/4 does not exist, of course, and it is even more funny that the sign and cart bit are in a different location because of building work, but it does not stop the people ahead of us or quite a few on the tour from taking a turn "pushing" the handle!

We headed over to the Library and enjoyed some time in the treasures room. Do not just silence your phones and cameras, they have to be Off! A copy of the adultery Bible had me chuckling. The printers forgot the "not" between "thou shalt" and "commit adultery." For that they were hit with a big fine and loss of printing license.

We rode a "bendy" bus to the British Museum. Tom gave us an escorted session around a few of the Egyptian exhibits, the Rosetta Stone, and the Elgin Marbles. He made a point, also, of showing us an exhibit of items from the present day Mosul, tying history with current day.

We were loose by noontime for free time the rest of the day, until dinner together at the Ebury Wine Bar, right next to the hotel. I had a drink and bit to eat at the Museum's cafe. I might look for a pizza place next time. It was okay, but for about £8, I had better meals earlier in the week.

I went and found the Holborn Tube stop and rode to Regent's Park. I walked some of the Outer Circle trying to imagine/fantasize which house could have been home to the Dearly family (101 Dalmatian's fame). I did see some that faced the Park, so they made better candidates than the ones that had front doors the other way. I think, now, that I would have had to walk across the Park to the Primrose Hill area for where the Twilight Barking took place in the story.

I finally headed back to the hotel to rest and start packing. Dinner was great. I am fairly sure that the wine was included with the meal, it was certainly poured a lot. I stuck to water, but that is just my preference.

I'm curious about the single person on RS tours. So, if you're a single female and there isn't another single female to match up with you, you get a room to yourself without paying extra, right? But, do you get a double room or a single room?

And what happens if there are 3 single females on a tour? It seems unfair that 2 of them have to room with one another, while the 3rd gets a room to herself?

Ebury Wine Bar! Yes, when I'm in London that's where I meet my niece for wine before dinner. BTW, I wanted to put in a plug for Pret a Manger rather than Subway for sandwiches in London. I can't visit without eating at least one of their crayfish and rocket. (Reminds me there are some in New York - I'll have to check for my next trip.)

yk - if there is an odd number of singles the single room rotates. In fact, if there are more than two singles, you rotate room mates as well. I've shared on a Smithsonian tour, and on RS and Intrepid tours, and I've only had one bad room mate.

Whether the room for the "single" is a single or a double varies with the hotel, but in my experience, if it has a single you get the single.

Yes, thursdaysd has a definite suggestion I should follow, look for a Pret a Manger next time and not just wander into a Subway :-)

My room this time was actually a triple, so we used the third bed as an extra place to put stuff. Being a city tour we never moved from the hotel, so it was the same room/roommate from day 1 to 7.

<b>Saturday, 11 July: Day 7: Tour Over After Breakfast</b>

Breakfast was a bit later on Saturday, 8 instead of 7. Nancy and I ate and took a taxi to King's Cross.

The previous day, Friday morning, we took the Tube from Victoria to King's Cross, but construction had the Victoria Line closed for the weekend. I mentioned to the driver how different it was to be above ground instead of underground and he promptly started pointing out sights along the way. He sure zipped us right to the rail station! I think the cost was about £16.

Now, Tom had mentioned that we should have the hotel call a taxi to be available at departure time, that it would be cheaper. The desk clerk said her boss has told her to just grab a taxi from the street, that it would be cheaper. Who was right? Anyone have a tip for the future?

The line for tickets went fairly quickly (we did not try the machines). I got a ticket for returning the next day; Nancy had a return for Saturday. We waited a few minutes and boarded once the sign said what track to go to. It was a pleasant ride, less than an hour for the Express trip.

We split at the exit of the rail station. I was headed to the bus stop on the left side to get a shuttle to the air show and Nancy was headed for a taxi line on the right side and the TIC to try for a tour around Cambridge.

Though she could not go on the Victoria Line, it was nice that the tour included a 7-day card and Nancy could use the Tube once back in London. We used the taxi instead of the Tube because of the later start to breakfast and thought the taxi would be faster.


Tour, final thoughts

Yes, I would take another RS tour. You can add up the equivalent in prices of included meals, hotel, transportation, museums, etc., but you cannot add up a price on a great tour director. Tom was just priceless. A+ all the way. He had the information and stories to share, and people skills for keeping us all happy on the tour.

A breakfast conversation one day had a fellow comparing Tom with a previous RS guide. He appreciated the previous guide, but ... He couldn't bring himself to say the "but," but you could hear it unspoken, so still an A-/A for the previous guide, but all the ++ to Tom.

I liked receiving a guidebook/map before the tour. The itinerary was good for knowing when free time would occur to plan my own activities. A hotel that had great public transportation options was wonderful, so easy to get around.

Ah, a note about the hotel that has come back to me. I found the weather pleasant. The 2nd week of July was much nicer than what I read about the 1st week in London. The hotel does not have A/C, so the window was open all week (no screen) and a desktop fan gave my roommate and me a nice breeze while in the room.

Next posts about Duxford and then going home .. home, happy to get home, but sorry to leave UK.

scotlib - I rarely take taxis (I travel solo) but I believe that if the hotel calls one for you the meter starts when the driver gets the call.

Thanks for the posting. Can't wait to hear about the airshow.

I think one of the things Rick's tours do have over some of the "cheaper" ones is size of the group is smaller and hotels are more central. Some of those "too good to be true" price tours stick you in the boonies!

thursdaysd, thanks for the info!

CarolA, yes, a "cheaper" tour can put you in the boonies and also ask you to pay extra for the already included items in a RS tour, so your price could be going up anyway! Actually, I think one of RS's books mentions using a cheaper tour as a means to getting yourself around and then planning on your own time to do things cheaper (i.e., not paying the tour company extra for the extra). I think some tours don't always put you in the boonies, sometimes it's only 1/2 way out :-)

I am glad I tried it. I would use a tour to meet a means to an end for myself, but anyplace my mental comfort zone covers, I will just go by myself, independently (on my own time, do my own thing).

The trips I have taken to Edinburgh, most people do not believe I went independently, lol. They still think I went by myself but it was as a solo person with a tour. Nope, really and truly by myself.

"size of the group is smaller and hotels are more central" - the hotel part is true. It's also true that the groups are smaller than those with outfits like Globus or Trafalgar, but they're bigger than they used to be. Personally, I don't think 28 really counts as small. (When I travel with (cheaper) Intrepid the max is 12.)

thursdaysd, I have been looking at Intrepid, too, for a tour. I know it is different from a RS tour, but you have enjoyed the ones you have done? Thanks.

<b>Duxford air show</b>

Okay, where to start .. well, I will note that if you are near Duxford for this Sunday you can go to Spitfire Day :-) http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.24060

My brother bought several of a series of military biographies when he was in high school and I borrowed them. Two really stuck with me:
* Paul Brickhill's <i>Reach for the Sky</i> about Douglas Bader
* <i>Fly for Your Life: The Story of RR Stanford Tuck, DSO, DFC</i> by Larry Forrester

Tuck and Bader were both British WW2 aces. Bader flew with two prosthetic legs. He lost both--one above, the other below, the knee--in a plane crash. Still, he convinced the RAF to let him fly when the War started. They also both spent time at Duxford and when I learned from rogeruktm's trip reports that Duxford is accessible by public transportation it went on my April itinerary. Then I noticed the dates for the air show, featuring WW2 aircraft, and the dates for the RS tour, 2+2 = air show plans!


Saturday night:
As you can imagine, rooms around Duxford were in short supply for the 2nd weekend in July. Thanks to a post on Fodors I learned about http://www.universityrooms.co.uk/ I booked about the first of May and it had just a couple of rooms left for the Saturday night in Cambridge. I chose a double en-suite at St. Catherine's College for £85, including the VAT. There was one single available for a bit less but the description called it a modern dorm and I wanted something more interesting. I ended up in a fairly modern room, but it was a great location. That was actually the hardest part: knowing for sure where the rooms were while booking and then finding St. C's once I arrived in Cambridge.


Gold Pass:
I asked about buying tickets for the air show while I was at Duxford in April and advised to do it online. I should have done it once home when the exchange rate was under $1.50, but the $1.60 range was still so much nicer than the $2.00 rates of last year. I could have just purchased regular tickets, but I talked myself into the Gold Pass. Just like the advertising read, don't you want to make it a really special day :-)

I ordered the passes in time for receiving them at home and bringing them along with me. Clipped on when I arrived I was able to enter and avoid the long line for people getting tickets. I assume anyone with pre-purchased tickets could do the same and I would recommend it; the line was long to get tickets.

The Gold Pass gave entry to a special tent with lovely loos, tables and chairs to relax, a place to order some drinks and refreshments in the tent, a special seating area outside, too, also a complimentary copy of the program book. Another benefit: direct access to the flight line. You could attend the air show for a lot less money, but the pass did make the visit a treat!


Flying Legends air show as an experience:
Two days of "wow!" The museum opens at 8, flight line is open 9-noon, then 2-5 is almost non-stop flying.

The program book had a great article about the design of the air show. It is a detailed, choreographed dance in the air. The first planes take off, entertain you, a bit before they are done more airplanes take off, so as first set lands, you are rubber necking to watch the next! Now, repeat for almost 3 hours. The designers want to avoid a more typical air show of watch a bit of time, wait, watch something, wait, repeat.

About the time I started to notice I was going a bit numb from the noise they sent up some of the WW1 aircraft, so a change of pacing is worked into the choreography, too.

I took short bits of video with my point-n-shoot. I will post that to YouTube soon. I think you can find other videos there to enjoy. I also paid for a copy of the official video. It is supposed to arrive by Thanksgiving. I made sure to order the version that works on this side of the pond, the not-PAL kind.

If you enjoy the rumble of horsepower in the sky, it is just a great experience. I was in one of the hangers on Sunday morning, looking around. Unlike April the big doors were open, but cording outlined the path one was supposed to follow through the hanger space. Suddenly you could hear the sound of something more modern, it had a jet sound, so possible a small private something or other. Two young men jumped the cording to race to the hanger door and try to see what was taking off :-) My spirit was with them, wondering too, but the body did not race out, lol.

<b>Grasshopper</b>

I almost forgot! The grasshopper. Once I finally found St. Catherine's (I had walked almost far enough, turned back thinking I had missed it, only to discover after finding someone to ask that I had not gone quite far enough) I checked in and then walked around Cambridge. Enjoyed watching the punters on the Cam and Cambridge has lots of decorative iron work if you enjoy seeing that. Not far from St. Catherine's I turned the corner to see this .. thing .. set in a glassed space .. a huge black creature above a gold disc, moving legs, flashing eyes, and flashing blue lights .. I finally realized it to be a clock.

Reading up on it on the Web I’ve learned that it has been on view only since 2008, so that’s why it hasn’t made the guidebooks, yet, because it surely will. It cost at least a million pounds (1.8 million pounds according to one source, so at least 2 to 3 million dollars). The disc part is over 4 feet across and made of 24 carat gold on stainless steel.

In the 18th century a John Harrison invented the “grasshopper” mechanism that turns pendulum motion into the round motion of a clock, so this is actually an inside-out clock, the grasshopper IS the grasshopper mechanism. It is a bit freaky to watch work (the legs move, the mouth opens/closes, the eyes sometimes flash), but certainly a show-stopper!

A couple of quick links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7625815.stm
http://www.visitcambridge.org/whatto...ils.php?id=244

Sounds like the air show was really worthwhile. BTW, if you liked the Brickhill about Douglas Bader, have you read his "Dam Busters"? (I read both a long, long time ago....)

About Intrepid - I've done four trips in Asia with them and one in Morocco. They have great itineraries and prices, but their leaders are just that, not guides. Plus accommodation tends to the basic (especially on the Basix level, you might want to go for Comfort.) Besides the itineraries, I like it that they generally use local transport. I've done TRs for all the trips except the Basix level to Lombok - Morocco is here (http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...-medley.cfm?91 ) and the others are on my website (www.wilhelmswords.com - Asia2001 and Asia2002)

I'm not into planes, but your experience in Duxford sounded really awesome. I'm glad you were able to coordinate your RS tour with the air show.

I wish the airshow had been on when I went with my Dad to Duxford. He was stationed at Molesworth, an American airbase nearby, during WWII. When we were at Duxford, we went into the American Hangar and I got to see the kind of plane he flew and his position in the bomber. It brought tears to my eyes and made me wonder how any of those young men made it out alive.