noe847

I have been trying to get a report together for my spring break UK trip with older my daughter. Much of it is written, so I'm just going to bite the bullet and begin posting. I've experienced major issues with my photos, however, so I won't be able to post links to each day's photos, as I usually do. With any luck I'll be able to add a photo link at some point at end of this report.

noe847

<b>Intro</b>

For her spring break my 21 year old daughter Ali wanted to visit friends who are studying abroad spring semester in London, Oxford and Cardiff. I proposed to her that we travel together: when she was with her friends I’d be happy to be on my own, but the other times we could be tourists together.

This was my third visit to London and Ali’s second. We had never been to the there together, however. And neither of us had been to Oxford or to Cardiff.

We decided on this plan back in September. As luck would have it, Delta was offering introductory fares on its new JFK Gatwick route. We got great airfare, with Ali flying from Syracuse [$368 round trip incl taxes] and me from Atlanta [$548 round trip incl taxes], meeting in JFK.

Ali’s spring break was 10 days. We used all of the available time, and after taking out travel time we had 8 full days on the ground:

3 nights in London (Holiday Inn Mayfair) including a day trip to Oxford

3 nights in Cardiff (Park Plaza Hotel) - 2 full days

2 more nights in London (Thistle Royal Horseguards Hotel)

This trip report is based on my travel journal, so it will be a day-by-day account. At the end of the report I will try to give some general thoughts/recommendations. At some point I hope to add a link to photos.

noe847

<b>Planning &amp; Preparation</b>

I didn’t have as much time to plan this trip as I would have liked, because of some personal issues at home and because I was also planning a trip to Berlin with my other daughter for a few weeks later in March.

I had enough time to reserve hotels, train tickets to Cardiff, and theatre tickets for London. I also bought tickets for the Gatwick Express using discount codes that were then available (but aren’t now), and printing up 2-for-1 vouchers for attractions that we were likely to visit.

Some things I wanted to do in London that I hadn’t gotten to on my previous visits (parts of the British Museum, National Portrait Gallery, the slides at Tate Modern, various restaurants) but I also was excited to show my daughter some of my favorites (National Gallery, Borough Market, Tower of London, other restaurants). There were things that we had both done that we could skip this time (the London Eye, Tate Britain, British Library). And of course, no trip would be complete without visiting some of our favorite UK/Eurpoean shops. What’s a mother/daughter trip without shopping?

We have two UK pay as you go cell phones that we have used for our past 5 visits. These came in very handy when we were apart. We also used them to call friends and to make reservations. I am able to keep the phone numbers on these phones as long as I use them at least once per 6 months (periodically I pull them out of the travel closet and use one to call the other, or send a text message).

We brought two Oyster cards left over from previous visits, and we loaded them with cash on a pay-as-you-go basis, since we would spend several days in the middle of the week in Cardiff.

I called my favorite map company, Red Maps, to order a second copy of their London map, so we would each have one. The company puts out an amazing product; I swear by this map, which I’ve used for 3 visits now. It is a small company – you call (212 255-4645) and they send your map with an invoice, which you pay by check. I’ve also seen their maps at our local Barnes &amp; Noble.

I cannot say enough good things about this map: it is durable, extremely legible, covers almost everywhere we went, shows all major sights and sites, and has the tube routes clearly overlaid on the streets. Going from walking on the streets to hopping on the tube is a seamless process with the Red Map. Color coded dots indicate the exact locations of tube. The best part is that each of the transit lines can be traced easily to its end or where it leaves the map, and there is a label of what that line is called. We have had a few other London maps, but this is head and shoulders above the rest. We have an AtoZ pocket map for the occasions when we venture off the edge of the Red Map’s coverage (which didn’t happen on this trip)

julia_t

More soon please!

I am born and bred in England, and just LOVE reading about people's experiences and good times here (even if I don't always leave a comment). Too often I read about places that I haven't been to, and I add them on to my ever-growing list of places to visit here at home - when I've got time, after I've been to all those places abroad that I have to visit first!

Looking forward to the rest.

FLSue

I loved reading about your trip and its preparations. I am meeting my son for 6 days (he's coming from Sierra Leone) in London. Neither of us has been there. We are leaving in 2 weeks, and I know nothing. I have two hotel reservations and must pick one. They are Jurys Kensington and Marriott Hotel Maida Vale in central London. Which one shall I pick? Any thoughts?

noe847

Thanks for the encouragement. I know what you mean julia_t - my favorite trip reports are about places I've loved visiting myself. Except that I don't really read the US board, and that's where I'm from...

FLSue, I'm afraid I'm not familiar with either property, but the more central the better, imo.

here's our travel day:

<b>Friday, March 9, 2007</b>

Our first flights were close to on time, and we found each other without a hitch (what did we ever do without cell phones?) I built in a LOT of layover time into our itinerary, so we killed time at JFK.

The London flight was great – just over 6 hours. We did lots of talking, some planning, and watched <i>Pan’s Labyrinth</i> on Ali’s laptop. Since it was a Friday in Lent, no meat for us; for dinner we chose pasta rather than chicken. The meal was not the best.

We were both exhausted. I had been up late several nights with packing, and several pressing things, and Ali had slept very little the whole week because of midterm exams. We each got about 2-3 hours of sleep on the plane, waking in time for the breakfast croissant. The plane touched down at LGW just around 7:00am.

noe847

<b>Saturday, March 10, 2007, arrival day in London</b>

The line at passport control was very long, but moved surprisingly quickly – after 30 minutes we were through immigration and found our bags already circling the luggage carousel. We had one small suitcase each and a daypack/shoulder bag. We rode the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station, then rode the tube 1 stop to Green Park. It was a simple matter to wheel our bags the ½ block to the Holiday Inn Mayfair. Our room was not ready, so we dropped our bags and we were ready to take on London!

<u>breakfast at the Wolseley</u> [&pound;18.28 for 2]
This restaurant is just a block or two away from our hotel. The place was hopping but they were able to find us a table. It was fun showing Ali my favorite breakfast spot. We loved the little tea strainer that came with my pot of tea. At the next table was an America woman about my age who was traveling solo - visiting London for a series of 4 Nine Inch Nails concerts. She’s quite a fan (her children had introduced her to the band’s music); she’d been to Lisbon the month before for 3 NIN concerts. http://www.thewolseley.com/

<u>shopping</u>
Shopping was a good activity for the jet lagged arrival day. We walked up <u>Old Bond Street</u>, and <u>New Bond Street</u>, window shopping at all the exclusive shops. I had an errand at <i>Longchamps</i>, where they refunded my money for a bag I’d bought a year before (but hardly ever used) – it had developed a defect.

We reached Oxford Street and hit a succession of the high street shops. First, <i>Zara</i>, then <i>Next</i>. I steeled myself for the mad-house of <i>Top Shop</i>. We didn’t find it as zoo-ey today as we have previously, and we stayed a long time.

Then it was time for <i>Liberty</i>, and Ali loved it also. We explored all the different floors, spending the most time in leather goods, fabric and house wares. We each bought a few trinkets.

<u>Holiday Inn Mayfair</u> [3 nights with tax &pound;528]

By this time it was 2:00 and we worked our way back to the hotel on Regent St. At the hotel I had requested a refurbished room, and I don’t know if ours was – it did look a tiny bit worn – but it was fine. I just love the location of this hotel. It could hardly be closer to a tube station, and is just off of Piccadilly. Mayfair is such a lovely neighborhood.

We took Ali’s laptop to the Starbucks (directly across the street) and signed up for 1 month of T-mobile wi-fi service. It was expensive but not as much as the hotel internet access. This Starbucks doesn’t have super long hours, though, so we had to plan for our computer use. First thing in the morning worked pretty well.

We checked our email, and Ali talked with some of her friends online and made some initial plans for the week.

We had a fair amount of energy, and we could have kept going through dinner and an early bedtime. But Ali was planning to connect with friends later in the evening, so we went up to the hotel for an hour or two nap. Waking up was pretty painful, but we made ourselves get out of bed.

<u>Strada</u> [&pound;35.72 for 2]
We walked here from the hotel for pizza, salad, and wine. When we passed the sculpture of Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sitting on a bench, of course we had to stop for photos with Ali on the bench between them.

<u>evening</u>
Ali had plans to meet her university friends at a pub at 9:00pm. I made sure she knew how to get back to the hotel from the Green Park station, and gave her the London map. I stopped at the Marks &amp; Spencer food hall (just above the tube station) and bought some breakfast items for tomorrow. Back in our room, I rigged refrigeration for the yogurt and orange juice by putting the food bag in the cool space between the double layers of windows.

I spent the evening getting organized for our day trip to Oxford and waited up for Ali (but gave up and went to sleep at 1:30.) She finally appeared sometime after 3:00am, having gone to a house party at Elephant &amp; Castle (neighborhood). The tube stops running at midnight, so coming home she took a bus to Trafalgar Square and navigated a walking route back to the hotel with the trusty Red Map.

flanneruk

FLSue:

I don't usually offer advice on British hotels, since I practically never stay in any.

But if anyone's pretending that the Marriott &quot;Maida Vale&quot; is in central London (or even in Maida Vale), they're dirty liars and I'd think twice before taking their word Christmas is on Dec 25 this year.

It's in Kilburn: splendid place (traditionally the home of those Irish immigrants with just enough feck to get past Liverpool but not enough to get much further), but hardly on the doorstep of Buck House. In fact, I'd really want to check houses even need doors that far out.

The Jury's place is a couple of hundred yards from the South Ken museums. Unless Kilburn's significantly greater likelihood of seeing the Aurora Borealis appeals, or there's a real price argument, it really is a no brainer.

Anna1013

Noe,

Love your report so far! Please post again soon!!

noe847

<b>Sunday, March 11, day trip to Oxford</b>

Today was our day trip to Oxford. Old friends of ours have a daughter, DF, who has been a lifelong friend of Ali’s (the two girls are a week apart in age). They attend different universities, and DF was studying for the semester at Oxford.

It was actually break time at Oxford, and DF was about to travel for 5 weeks. Her parents (DFF and DFM) were visiting her for the same week we were in the UK, and the three of them were heading to Paris on Monday after spending the weekend in Oxford. The only day that we could see them was today.

The alarm rang after an all too short night of sleep. I had hoped to go to the 9:00am Latin service at (fairly distant) St. Etheldreda’s, but opted instead for the 9:30am service at the Farm Street Church, walking distance from our hotel and not too far from Marble Arch, where we would be catching the bus to Oxford.

<u>Farm Street Church</u>
http://www.farmstreet.org.uk/
The weather was pleasant and we enjoyed our walk up through Berkeley Square to Farm Street. The church is beautiful and the service lovely. The parishioners are a pretty tony lot, but we didn’t feel too terribly out of place. (We were both in knee length coats with nice scarves (but extremely sensible shoes for me).

Throughout our time in London, we found this length coat was common, and we felt quite appropriate. I was actually surprised by how many people were wearing their winter clothes even though the weather got quite mild over the course of the week. Although we certainly saw people dressed in all sorts of ways, we found most people dressed stylishly and not all that casually.

<u>Travel to Oxford</u>
After Mass we walked through <i>Grosvenor Square</i> (didn’t see the 9/11 monument there, but the square is beautiful) on our way to <i>Hyde Park</i>. There is a block long bus stop right along the park at Speaker’s Corner, just south of the Marble Arch. The hop-on-hop-off buses were doing a booming business, with buses continually arriving and departing.

Ali made a beeline for the hot dog cart, then we located our bus shelter and took a seat. Although the buses are supposed to come more frequently, we ended up waiting about 45 minutes for one to appear.

Two competing companies serve the Oxford-London route. We were hoping for an Oxford Espress bus, but ended up not seeing it until it was driving away. I began to fret about this, but Ali gave me a stern lecture about enjoying the moment. So I tried to appreciate the beautiful day on the edge of Hyde Park, and luckily an Oxford Tube bus arrived very quickly. [&pound;12 for 2]
http://www.oxfordtube.com
http://www.oxfordbus.co.uk

The bus took forever getting out of London, making 3 or 4 additional stops. The 1 hour 45 minutes ride was longer than I expected, especially for a Sunday morning. We ate pastries, fruit and yogurt. Then the little girl in the seat behind us began to throw up, which killed my appetite. We would have moved, but there were no available seats. Ali slept, and I reviewed my research about Oxford. The little girl in the seat behind cried, whined, and was sick.

<b>Oxford</b>

When we arrived in Oxford, DF (Ali’s age) came to meet us at the bus station. Her aunt, uncle and 3 cousins were in London on their spring break and were also visiting DF today.

Her parents, DFF and DFM (my longtime friends), were supposed to have landed early the previous morning (Saturday) at Gatwick, but their plane from Atlanta had to turn back partway across the Atlantic and divert to Boston because one of the toilets wouldn’t work. (Apparently there is a minimum number of operational toilets required to fly.) After much travail they finally arrived at Oxford at 5:00 Sunday morning. They were sleeping at their hotel room and would meet up with us later.

With DF as our excellent guide, we began our exploration of Oxford. First we stopped at a sandwich shop (on St. Aldates, I think) where we purchased quiche and panini. We ate these picnic-style, sitting on a wonderful patch of green grass and leaning on the outside wall of Christ Church College, facing <i>Christ Church Meadow</i> and the <i>River Cherwell</i>.

There were tons of people out enjoying this beautiful sunny Sunday. DFF joined us as we walked around Oxford. Because DF is a student, she was able to gain admission to some otherwise closed colleges.

<u>Christ Church College</u> [&pound;6.40 for 2]
A bit of history of the place: In 1524 Cardinal Wolsey suppressed the Monastery of St. Fridewide and used the money to found a college on the same site. Five years later, when Wolsey fell from power, the college became the possession of King Henry VIII, who named it Christ Church College. He established a new diocese, Oxford, and its cathedral incorporated 2/3 of the former 12th century monastery church. It is the smallest cathedral in England, apparently (not including one or two very modern ones.)

The church is very pretty, with some lovely old stained glass and some cool tombs. Ali and I spent some time (and money) at the Christ Church College gift shop/museum (an exhibition of centuries-old chalices, communion patens and the like).

We went to the <i>Great Hall</i> which gained fame as the Hogwarts dining hall in the Harry Potter films. The old gent in the bowler hat at the foot of the stairs was much more interested in telling us of the room’s Alice in Wonderland connections (Lewis Carroll was one of the many illustrious alumni of Christ Church College) than the Harry Potter stories.

In real life the room really does function as a dining hall, and the food smells somehow distracted me from imagining it as Hogwarts. Although the room is beautiful, DF told us that she thought there are other old rooms at Oxford that are much more striking.

Unfortunately, the <i>Christ Church Picture Gallery</i> was closed because it was Sunday.

<u>Oriel College</u>
This college is the oldest royal foundation (by Edward II) in Oxford. Sir Walter Raleigh was an undergraduate at Oriel College. We walked through and enjoyed the cool architecture, especially the statues of two kings in the First Quad: Edward II, and either Charles I or James II.

<u>Lincoln College</u>
This college is reputed to have the best-preserved medieval buildings of any college in Oxford. It was closed today for a private function, but we got a quick peek at the quad.

<u>University Church of St. Mary the Virgin</u>
We went in this lovely old church, but didn’t climb the tower. DF said she had found it a bit claustrophobic (and it would have been hard with the group of 9 that we had at that point). I bought a postcard of the view.

<u>The Bodleian library</u>
Closed to visitors because it was a Sunday.

<u>The Radcliffe Camera</u>
This striking round building today serves as the main reading room for the Bodleian library. DF said that she studied there frequently. It is not open to visitors, but the outside is definitely worth seeing.

Other interesting buildings we walked past:
<u>St. Mary Magdalen church
Sheldonian Theatre
“Bridge of Sighs,” Hertford College</u>

This is a long entry, so I'll continue it in a separate entry.

noe847

After a couple hours of poking around, it was tea-time. We tried the <u>Macdonald Randolph Hotel</u>, where our friends were staying. Turned out that tea was a popular idea and they were not able to accommodate a group of 10 without reservations, even at separate tables. Poor DF was trying to figure out how to handle such a big group! Finally she suggested <u>George &amp; Danvers</u>, a bagel/ice cream shop, which she thought would be big enough. At this point her mother, BFM, joined the group.

<u>Ashmolean Museum</u>
In lieu of refreshments, I took a quick spin round this museum, which has nice collections of just about everything. Skipping the Egyptian, I saw sculpture, painting, and decorative objects; taking pictures to my heart’s content (except some of the paintings, where photography was forbidden).

The Ashmolean is under construction (a new building will house many of the collections), so most of the antiquities, coins, and Eastern art are in storage, with just the highlights on display in the “Treasures” exhibit. I especially liked the 20th century art that was in a highly air conditioned room. There was a special exhibit of German Drawings which was quite nice, if small.

<u>Worcester College</u>
I met back up with the group at DF’s college, which has a beautiful cloister and quad, flanked on the south side by a row of <i>13th century ‘cottages.’</i> These are the oldest buildings at Oxford University, remnants of the original Gloucester College, a Benedictine foundation from 1238 that closed with the dissolution of the monasteries. The college was re-established in the 18th century, and an ambitious building program meant that the cottages were supposed to have been demolished, but because of a lack of funds the planned construction never happened.

We then went through a passageway to another part of the college, entering a square with a beautiful garden. Worcester’s original position on the fringes of Oxford gave it more room to spread out, resulting in its extensive gardens and playing fields. DF’s room was in a newish - and fairly ugly - building. (It did, however, have each student’s name hand painted on a black wooden sign outside the entry door – it looked so ancient.) We climbed up 4 flights of stairs to reach her room – a loft room with lots of light – living area down, bedroom up.

<u>Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral</u>
All 10 of us hung around DF’s room and talked. By the time we walked DF’s relatives to the bus station we really had to hustle to get across Oxford to the church. We slipped into the Cathedral just before 6:00. The hour-long Evensong is held in a side chapel. It was pretty crowded so we could not all stay together. DFM and I sat in the last 2 seats that had an unobstructed view of the choir and readers.

noe847

The renowned <i>Christ Church men and boys’ choir</i> sounded ethereal; one of the soloists was a cute preadolescent boy with thick glasses and ears that stuck out. The scripture passages were read with refreshingly clear diction (even the reader with an American accent). The beauty of the service moved DFM to tears; this was pretty much the only part of Oxford that she got to see, thanks to the mishap with the plane (they were leaving for Paris early the next morning.)

<u>Eagle and Child pub</u>
On the way to dinner we stopped for a pint at this favorite meeting spot of Tolkein and C.S. Lewis (they called it the Bird and Baby). The pub was a narrow warren of tiny connecting rooms.

<u>dinner: Loch Fyne</u> [&pound;139 for 5 with wine]
We had 8:00 reservations at this upscale restaurant, mostly seafood. Ali and I split a smoked salmon terrine for an appetizer. For our main course, I got bream and she ordered a steak. The food was fantastic. For dessert Ali and I split a bread and butter pudding - the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth!

The evening was marred by the fact that DFM became ill. In fact, she spent the majority of the time in the rest room. As a result, dinner lasted longer than we all expected. (Poor DFM continued to be ill and her entire 5 days in Paris were taken up with hospital visits, doctors, and medical tests which determined that she had ischemic colitis.)

<u>Evening/Night</u>
DF had been counting on her mother’s organizational talents to help her get ready for her 5 week between term break. She had to vacate her room, and also pack for an extended touring trip through Europe. But with her mother’s health crisis, this was looking bleak. I volunteered that Ali and I would help them pack. Luckily, with a few good organizational minds and 5 pairs of hands, the packing went fairly quickly.

It was time for us to go: we were at a good stopping point and Ali was fading. DFF read the schedule and told us the bus back to London would leave at 12:25am. We didn’t want to miss it, so walked to the bus station at around 12:15, only to find that the bus had left at 12:10 and the next one wasn’t for another hour!

This was not happy news. Ali was upset – that I’d volunteered us to help pack, that we hadn’t read the schedule ourselves, that she had to wait nearly an hour for the next bus, etc. She explained to me that she was so exhausted that she was feeling physically ill.

We were the first to board, and got to sit in the front of the top deck, where we could spread out. Ali slept a bit on the long ride back to Marble Arch. We walked through Mayfair in the dead of night, reaching the hotel around 3:00am. I received strict orders not to awaken Ali the next morning. She absolutely needed some sleep. I did too, for that matter. I put the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door, and closed the drapes against the impending morning light.

janisj

Just starting to read this - have really been looking forward to your report (and didn't even nag Like CRAZY for HI .

Anyway I just got as far a FLSue's question -- so I'll post some info for her and then press on reading your report -- FLSue: Maida Vale is not at all central. It is NW of Lords Cricket Ground and and about a mile west of Regent Park. Not convenient to seeing anything. Jury's Kensington is in a <b>MUCH</b> better location in Queen's Gate

janisj

oh - just saw flanneruk's comment re FLSue's hotels - same basic opinion . .

noe - am really enjoying the report!

FLSue

janisj, flanneruk, noe847--Thank you for you replies to my question. Since I have bought two airline tickets today, one from Sierra Leone and one from here in Florida, and lined up hotels, etc. just today, I am afraid I don't quite know what I'm doing. Two weeks to plan a trip--my head is spinning.
Anyway, for now I will heed your advice and stick with the Kensington hotel. Thank you!
I am enjoying the whole report on your trip, noe847. I'm so happy to have found this sight!

FLSue

OOPS. I mean site!

janisj

Oh - I am really enjoying this - having lived outside Oxford I can visualize each place you mentioned. Too bad about your friends illness - The stress of the flight probably made things even worse.

noe847

thanks, janisj! Nagging does get results - I don't think I would have started posting if not for Crazy's begging. I really have too much going on right now, but I also really want to get this done. It's been hanging over my head since March.

Anyway, I'm going to pause for a bit to see if I can organize at least the Oxford pictures, since info on Oxford is less represented here.

FLSue, I planned our first trip to London with not much more time than you have. You're certainly in a great place to get a lot of help. For starters, here's a link to the &quot;London Superthread&quot; which has tons of London info - it's a bit old, but still very helpful:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34548473

noe847

OK, here's a link to many of our Oxford pictures:
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8DZsmzZuzbO4

LCBoniti

Enjoying this very much and looking forward to more.