Last revised: October 24, 2014                                                                                      
Tower of London
LONDON Photos: #1A. | #2. | #2A. | #3. | #3A. | #3B. | #4. | #4A. | #5. | #5A. | #5B. | #6. | #6A. | #7. | #Last | #TIPS |  -- THEATRE
 PARIS Albums   --   Travel Tips/Secrets   

"The World's INTERNATIONAL City"

 We arrived in London via British Airways new B-777 from Atlanta, GA on
 04 May 2006. We were scheduled to fly out of Orlando, FL, but the flight was
 running 2 1/2 hours late, so a BA agent offered us an earlier flight to Atlanta
 on Air Trans, and an upgrade to World Class Plus (wider seats and more leg
 room), plus $200. each (on an ATM card). Our 'Jet Lag' was minimal due to
 advanced planning and adjusting our sleeping and eating schedules. However,
 because we crossed 5 time zones, we needed to stay awake after our 9 hr. flight.


  Movie choices TO London included: "Casanova", "Walk the Line", "Good Night, and Good Luck"
FROM London included: "King Kong", "Brokeback Mountain", "Rumor Has It", "The Matador"

  London's Gatwick Airport 

 Arriving at London's Gatwick Airport - N. Terminal, we rode a tram to the S. Terminal where we boarded a train,
"The Gatwick Express" (We bought advance tickets on the Internet, and didn't have to wait in line - queues).

30 Minutes Later we arrived at Central London's Victoria Station and walked 4 blocks to our hotel.

   LONDON, Europe's largest city, sassy, noisy and brash, is an eccentric, overgrown village, obsessed with
celebrity, fame and fortune. Everyone should experience London's buildings, art and street culture and true  
International flavor. It's fun just listening to those distinctive English voices. The phenomenal theater scene is
the best in the world. Theater is so much a part of London that some people say it is synonymous with the
performing arts. From a global perspective, London (and not New York City) is THE theater capital.

  London's Victoria Station 

Victoria Station is like a huge Shopping mall, with many stores, shops, restaurants etc.
(Great 'People-Watching', many languages spoken, a true International Center). We were
here many times as it is also a stop for the 'Tube' or 'Underground' (Don't call it a
Subway) -- Subways were defined as tunnels where you walk between Tube lines. This
was the Victoria line, and we caught other lines to navigate around London.

Leaving Florida at 5:00 PM on Wednesday May 3, we arrived in London at 7:00 AM on Thursday May 4.
To adjust our bodies after crossing 5 times zones we forced ourselves on to London time, and walked a
few miles around London the first day, and crashed about 9:00 PM.

Extremely shy Karen wasted no time getting to know London's Finest!

  The Streets of London! 

One of London's hundreds of sidewalk flower shops.

And of course, we stopped at every one!

...brings back memories when Karen worked in San Francisco!

Our weather was perfect for a day of walking and learning about the exciting largest city in
Europe. We loved the double-decker busses and people driving on the wrong side of the road.

Still walking and enjoying the new views of a true International City!

 "But... What street are we on now?"

We finally found the street names... Signs on the corners
of buildings, not separate posts like the USA.

We quickly learned how important the street "LOOK" signs were for traffic safety!

More walking and adjusting to the time change. We love exploring new places!

Every corner was a new adventure!

The Underground/Tube entrances were always well-marked.

 Planning for this special vacation was a big part of the excitement, fun and anticipation of a new
experience. We did a lot of research on the Internet, local libraries, talking with friends who
had been to London and Paris before and read these three excellent Travel Guide Books:

We found great tips and suggestions in each book but used the
compact DK Guide, (excellent maps) with us as we toured London.

Pre-Trip Challenges:

1. A week before departure, Karen's Mother has mild heart attack in Ohio.
2. Four days before departure, neighbor, Ginny, who was going to watch our
    cat calls from a hospital, she fell and hurt her knee and back.
3. Another neighbor, Suzanne, agrees to take care of our cat 'Pierre'.
4. At 1:00 AM the day before we leave Karen experiences chest pains, 3:00
    AM, we're in the hospital Emergency Room, where she is admitted
    for tests and observation.
5. Karen is released from Hospital -- flight leaves in 24 hours..
6. Flight from Orlando is late, re-routed through Atlanta (see above).



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Last revised: October 24, 2014

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