2006 London - Fandrick's Vacation

Our 3rd day in London began with a stop at one of 167 Starbuck's
coffeehouses. While we were gone, the value of the dollar reached
a 1-year low against the Pound and the Euro. London is expensive
so we found the best hotel rate in our guidebooks. Actually a bed
and breakfast hotel for only £65. a night, including breakfast of a
cup of coffee, juice, white toast, and Corn Flakes. Mmmmmm! ??

We probably wouldn't stay there again, but it was clean and OK, since we
spent very little time there anyway. And, by the way, plan on super-small
bathrooms. Ours was about the size of one you'd find on a cruise ship or
in a small motor home. Next time, we'll find a place closer to the Theater
District, so we can walk back after a late show.

We met some nice people from Canada and had breakfast
with them on mornings that we did not go to a restaurant.

We bought our 7-day 'Visitor's Travelcards' OnLine before we left the USA.
A great, convenient, inexpensive way to see all of Central London. We could
ride any of the Tube lines and any busses as often as we wanted for a week.

The magnetic strip on the back of the card is read as you pass through automated
entry and exit gates. You feed your ticket into the slot, the ticket disappears and
pops up again, the gate opens, you remove the ticket, and you go through the gate.
You go through the same process to get out, and your Travelcard is returned for
your next trip.

I wrote the above for someone not familiar with this form of public transportation.
It is very similar to the Metro in Washington D.C. and the BART in San Francisco.

The trains are clean and fast, but can get very crowded during rush
hours - as in any Metropolitan area, so plan your trips accordingly..

Since the trains intersect at various stations, they are on different levels so long escalators
often are required to transfer to another line. Some stations have subways/tunnels instead.

Our last Tube stop of the day, back at Victoria Station 4 blocks from our hotel.

This was one of our favorite pocket guides of London.
(With excellent Tube Maps and Street Maps)

We used the Tube Maps to plan our day's activities.
13 Tube lines cross the city and intersect at various
stations where you can change from one train to the
next. Every line is color-coded, and there are ample
maps and signs at every stop. Victoria Line was blue,
Picadilly Line was dark blue, District Line was yellow,
etc. Very easy to get around to all of Central London.

The busses were a great way to see London above ground, also free
with your 'Visitor's Travelcard' (not available in London, so buy it OnLine
before you leave -- allow time for delivery by Post). All of the bus stops are
very well marked and have excellent maps to help you get around. When
you get tired of walking, it's fun to jump on any bus for a long ride to
other parts of London too.

We were in London a couple of weeks before the world's most famous
horticultural show, The Chelsea Flower Show at Chelsea Royal Hospital,
so all of the flowers in many parks were in full bloom and beautiful!

Karen by the Green Park Map. (We had wonderful weather and saw
many people enjoying the sunshine and flowers of several parks.)