oops. Didn't see the trip was over.

Bitter: >>oops. Didn't see the trip was over.<<

Her trip from last year is over but the OP is leaving soon for a new/different trip to London and topped the thread for more advice.

Thanks. Now I see that and the 2013 and then 2014. That also may explain the OP's Bath thread, which may make my "advice" here moot.

>>We leave London Saturday morning, the 8th. Will therefore see the buildup to Remembrance Day<<

Remembrance Sunday is observed just about everywhere so you'll be able to see some sort of ceremony in Bath. (Even in airports and such they stop everything for a moment of silence at 11:11)

I find it a huge contrast to the States where Veterans' Day has (mostly) degenerated into an excuse for department store and car dealership sales promotions. If you notice - any photo you've seen recently whether it is a movie star at a premier in Leicester Sq, or the PM or whoever . . . they are wearing a poppy.

Sorry Bitter, I can see that this is confusing. Did not mean to start a new discussion, just thought I will return to this very informative thread. Will start a new one for London 2014 :-)

"the States where Veterans' Day has (mostly) degenerated into an excuse for department store and car dealership sales promotions"

I was truly moved by a Veterans' Day parade I (with many thousands of others) watched in New York some years ago.

True: it doesn't commemorate the war dead (that's what Memorial Day's for). But it's not the surrogate national day it's turned into in Britain. And by being (almost) wholeheartedly about military swagger, it allows a day for the legitimate pride in military virtues many feel - and certainly didn't get turned into the wall-to-wall two weeks of anti-war propaganda that Remembrancetide was becoming in Britain till very recently.

Christmas lights: Oxford St and Regent St are much less impressive these days (though maybe they work for a small child on the top deck of a bus, as they used to when I was). Again, I'd look around Covent Garden and Seven Dials (within walking distance of your hotel): you never know, they might have started putting them up by then. The Trafalgar Square tree isn't due to be switched on till early December.

Yes flanner, there are many Veterans Day parades. And they are often well attended. But unfortunately they are a very small part of the day.

In my local paper there are dozens of tabloid sized 'Veterans Day Sale' inserts - everything from drug stores to car dealerships.

(Same thing happens at Memorial day . . . I want to scream when I see "Memorial Day Sale", or hear "Happy Memorial Day" from clueless TV news readers. It is basically our May Bank Holiday.)

ttt