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London Revisited

I was last in London in 2002 for the Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee celebration of her 50 years reign. This time I was on my way to Cyprus to study and write about their emerging wine industry. I had a choice of stop-over and choose London because a former student has lived and worked there for the past two years (financial field), and we were anxious to catch up with each other’s lives. He had a flat in the elegant Royal Crescent neighborhood and offered me a place to stay. A few months before I had made several contacts at the European Travel Conference held in New York, more than sufficient for a full itinerary for my 2 ½ day London stay.

London entertains 25 million visitors annually and many use the 12 underground lines. The New York City transit system could learn a lot from London with excellent signage and maps and employees who seem to be everywhere and are very helpful. Also, the announcements are clear and easy to understand and every station shows the waiting time until the next train arrives.

Warning! The American dollar is like Monopoly money. It takes more than two US dollars to equal a British Pound which is great for the British coming to America but watch out going the other way. Forget the $150 taxi ride from Heathrow to central London and opt for the Heathrow Express ($57 round trip). In 15 minutes you are at Paddington Station and a $25 taxi ride to my lodging (no more complaints about New York taxi rates). Their taxis are large (remember the old checker taxis) and comfortable. I could have taken the underground (subway) but carrying large suitcases up and down the stairs and escalators was not for me. Very few stations seem to have elevators or are handicap accessible. They are thinking of raising the $2 NYC subway and bus fare? Buy a single rate London ticket, at peak time, (before 9:30AM weekdays) and expect to pay $12 one way. I purchased an all day ticket (there were no two day tickets) for about $14 (peak) and then $11 (off peak for the second day). I made 5 to 6 trips each of my two days. You do the math.

For this trip I skipped everything I had done the last time I was in London which included: The Tower of London, London Eye, Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Vinopolis, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park Corner, Hampton Court Palace, Kew Palace and Kensington Palace. A ten minute walk and I was at the Holland Park tube station on the Central Line, and in 30 minutes I was sipping tea at the elegant Five Star Savoy Hotel. A Fairmont Hotel property located along the Strand, their Savoy Grill is one of London’s finest. The stately hotel is undergoing a $176 million renovation. It was showing its age. A quick 5 minute walk through Green Park and a different underground line and I arrived at St. Paul’s Cathedral for a private behind the scenes tour of this 300 year old cathedral (the original was destroyed in the 1666 London fire). I opted not to climb the 515 steps to the “whispering catwalk” but did manage to get up the 91 steps to the off-limit (and under renovation) rooms holding Sir Christopher Wrens original model and drawings of St. Paul’s.

It was lunch at Amba Restaurant in the 5 Star MayFair Hotel. Built in 1927 it has just reopened after a $140 million refurbishment. The area is an up market retail and residential neighborhood. My luncheon hosts were the Food & Beverage director of the 12 hotel group Radisson Edwardian and the groups Executive Chef. The MayFair bar is a hot scene with 15 bartenders serving more than 40 mixed cocktails. I had planned to visit the Langham Hotel, circa 1865, and it’s brand new bar Artesian, but I ran out of time.

My last stop of the day was the Winston Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Room, opened in 2005. Since the museum is surrounded by government buildings security prevents them from having a coat check. The museum is very 2007 with flashing lights, touch screens and maps dealing with Sir Winston from childhood to death (90 years).

The next morning it was breakfast at Claridge’s. Talk about elegant and class, I felt I needed a tuxedo to feel at home. By the way, their afternoon tea is world famous. I was there to talk about the Chain Gang, a bicycle touring group that uses Tuscany and Bordeaux wine regions as two of its routes; peddling and tasting; sounds like fun. Instead of cold, damp, rainy weather it was sunny and warm, so off I went to spend the rest of the day on the Catamaran Cruise Boat. Almost every major London attraction could be viewed from this Thames River Cruise including: Tower Bridge, London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, St. Paul’s, The Tower of London etc. I choose the circular cruise ($20) and got off at the last stop, Greenwich. One could get off at several locations and hop back on the next boat, or any subsequent one.

Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and I visited the National Maritime Museum, the largest maritime museum in the world, and the Royal Observatory where Greenwich Mean Time originates. Since it was a Saturday all the outdoor markets were open.

My long day had one more London classic coming. The great people at Keith Prowse (book in advance for shows, attractions, sightseeing and avoid lines) in New York came through with a gift of two sixth row center seats for 39 Steps. Originally produced as a 1935 Alfred Hitchcock spy movie starring Robert Donat it is now an uproarious four person comedy with three of the performers playing 139 roles. The theatre is in the middle of Piccadilly Circus and the area was jammed (think Times Square).

Now you have the full story of my 2 ½ days in London. Early the next morning it was a reverse trip to Paddington Station and the Heathrow Express to the airport and Part two of my adventure- Cyprus.

Information Central- www.visitlondon.com

www.londonpass.com

www.visitbritain.com

www.heathrowexpress.com

www.fairmont.com/savoy

www.stpauls.co.uk

www.radissonedwardian.com

www.iwm.org.uk

www.claridges.co.uk

www.catamarancruisers.co.uk

www.nmm.ac.uk

www.keithprowse.com

www.chaingang.co.uk

With all the things there are to see and do in the world it should come as no surprise that there are some real travel adventures to be had. One thing to consider when taking an overseas excursion is where to stay. Timeshares are a great option that allows you to lodge comfortable and affordably. With resorts begining to offer more timeshare programs world wide, there are more owners looking to sell their timeshare properties. So get your passports reaady, get your plane tickets, and start enjoying everything the world has to offer.

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