janisj, isn't your London trip coming up this week?

yep - I leave home Tues p.m. and SFO on Wed noon-ish.

Got lots to do between now and Tues - My Dad passed away over the holidays and ever since I've been staying most nights at my Mom's so life is definitely a muddle. Haven't even thought about what to pack -- but being the "pack light guru" it won't be a problem

Oh, janisj, I can really empathize. My dad also died over the holidays - January 2, actually. I don't leave for London until early March, but follow it with a trip to Berlin later in the month.

I hope that your trip can be a nice little interlude of peace in the muddle that is life...

So sorry to hear about your fathers, janisj and noe. I can only imagine what a huge passage in one's life this must be. A trip seems to be the best antidote (if there is one) for moving on. I wish you all the best. I'd also like to thank everyone who responded- your input has really helped. Since we'll only be there for three days, I'm not trying to cram everything in at once- I know we'll be back. Actually, two of us have already visited London before but it was a while ago and we didn't see any of the castles. The Tower seems to fit that bill, so our only other "must sees" now are: a London Walks tour of Westminster Abbey; a few things at the British Library Room of Treasures; a few things at the British Museum (don't laugh- I've been there before so I'll tell everyone to put blinders on or we might spend all three days there); and Picadilly Circus at night. So you see, we might be able to fit in Hampton Court as well (even if it's a palace, it sounds interesting). We're focusing on history this trip, so we'll skip the art museums. Is the Museum of London worth going to? Anything else we should consider?

sej- I could go back to Hampton Court and The Tower every trip for the rest of my life and enjoy it every time. Windsor was nice but you can't tour all of the castle and I wasn't impressed with a doll house. St.George's Chapel was the highlight for me. Warwick I totally disliked. FlannerUK had a line that I thought summed it up and I'm paraphrasing here but it went something like "the Disneyland of all casltes". I can't agree more. Some things should be left to the imagination.

sej, The Museum of London is certainly worth seeing,especially if you are focusing on history. It's just a few blocks from St.Paul's.

janisj, sorry to hear aout your father. Do have a wonderful trip. Wish I was headig that way myself.

Thanks noe and sej.

sej: If this is a "history-centric" trip - then do consider the Museum of London if you have the time. It exhibits all the many layers of London's history from prehistoric times up through the present. I think it is really fascinating.

thanks, sej. Luckily I had just traveled with my dad this fall to Romania to visit his father's village and his relatives, as well as touring the country. We had a fabulous trip, and I made him a 200 page book for Christmas of photos and my journal from the trip - so while his death was unexpected, I have much to be thankful for.

Anyway, on to history. I gather that you are most interested in the old(er) history? There is a book, called <i>The Amateur Historian's Guide to Medieval and Tudor London</i> that contains a wealth of information for seeing London sites relating to those periods.

Here's a link to the Amazon page: http://tinyurl.com/yuqfwx
I used the book to visit Westminster, St. Margaret's, St. Etheldreda's, St. Bart the Great, The Banqueting House, and Southwark Cathedral, among other sites. The authors are very enthusiastic about the Museum of London. I did not go, but my husband did. He wasn't bowled over by it (he thought there were too many artefacts and not enough info). To be fair, I think he was mostly looking for the history of London during WWII.

The Imperial War Museum is supposed to be amazing, and covers WWI to the present. My husband has been several times, and just loves the place. We all visited the Cabinet War Rooms (and the Churchill Museum there) and found it very well done. We actually ran out of time there.

I must be alone in that I prefer Windsor Castle. From the first moment I saw the Castle looming over the town from the train, it solidify my vision of what a castle should look like. Plus I came on a day when the royal apartments were open, and I admired the furniture and the gorgeous paintings on the ceilings. Plus the staff was very friendly when I wanted my picture taken w/one of the guards overlooking Eton College. As he had to bend down to get in the frame w/me, he quiped-&quot;Since we getting this close, I suppose I should introduce myself

I also like the fact that one can explore the town, or take a tour of Eton College.

Museum of London is one of my favorites,along with the National Portrait Gallery. I highly recommend going if you have time.

The fact that The Museum of London has ancient artifacts has me sold- I've loved archaeology since I was a kid. And since I haven't bought a guide yet, I'll look into the book you mention noe. Wish we could make it to Avebury, but that seems too far away as well. Windsor will have to wait but maybe we'll make it to the Portrait Gallery.

I like it better with Warwick, AND Windsor, AND Hampton Court.