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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Aug 31, 2015 0:14:07 GMT
I just booked my flight there for the week of 11/7. I'm visiting my nephew. He just moved from Richmond to somewhere north. I told him I'd go wherever he takes me. I'm going to take your suggestions too in case he has to work a lot. I've never been but my oldest dd went last summer. I definitely will skip Paris this time. I'm so excited to go. He always brings me Cath Kidston stuff when he visits me so I definitely want to go to her shop. Its been awhile since I lived there, but there was a fabulous Cath Kidston Shop on the King's Road in London. It is absolutely my favorite place to shop, a fabulous mix of high street (chain) shops and one off shops, also a nice mix of I could never afford that, and affordable shops, also a great chocolate shop loads of restaurants and bars for when you need a break. I would get off the tube at Sloane Square take a bus all the way to down to where the shops ended and then shop my way back up. Enjoy!!! |
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Post by scrapsuzy on Aug 31, 2015 13:04:33 GMT
My sil did 10 days in London, with only 1 day trip out to Windsor, and there is still so much I want to see in London, not to mention the rest of the country! I highly recommend doing at least one tour with London Walks. I've done 3 of them (one of them twice, when my dh & I went for a whirlwind 3 day visit) and I think I could easily do one every day/night and enjoy it, and still find time to do everything else on my list. I keep threatening to move to London for a month or three. I would love to just BE there, leisurely explore, and just BE. Just last night two of my co-workers and I were talking about it, how we could get a flat and share it, and how well we would travel together. Oh, and if you want to go to Madame Tussaud's, do it! Nothing says you can't be an art and history and museum traveler and not still have fun doing some of the kitchy stuff.  |
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Post by mrst on Aug 31, 2015 14:50:16 GMT
John Lewis on Oxford St. has a brilliant yarn section!
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Post by Bridget in MD on Aug 31, 2015 14:55:39 GMT
we are going to London over Thanksgiving! I'm closely watching this thread! =)
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Post by heather on Aug 31, 2015 15:06:27 GMT
I'm so glad this thread was bumped back up. I still haven't decided on anything for sure. Lol. But I'm happy to see more suggestions.
The airfares seem to be going down pretty significantly so I need to decide soon.
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Post by heather on Aug 31, 2015 15:07:15 GMT
John Lewis on Oxford St. has a brilliant yarn section! Awesome! Adding to my list. |
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hannahruth
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,616 
Location: Adelaide, Australia
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Post by hannahruth on Aug 31, 2015 15:31:23 GMT
I am reading this on the eve on our trip to the UK - we fly from Australia in about 8 hours.
Yes I am excited, nervous and a little scared at the same time. I think it is the volume of people living there that worries me but we will be there for three and a half weeks so I guess I will get a little used to it.
I am am really looking forward to seeing some of the sights especially museums and palaces as well as some of the shopping. I too will be looking for Cath Kidson wares.
My advice which has been given to me is not to over do things and don't expect to see everything on the list. Just enjoy what you do get to see. Happy travelling.
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Post by mrst on Aug 31, 2015 16:11:29 GMT
I love Cath Kidson stuff but I 've found the quality very poor.
My last bag was from their shop in Heathrow airport and faded very fast.
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Post by nicole2112 on Aug 31, 2015 20:51:53 GMT
I'm planning a London trip for my daughters college graduation so I'm bookmarking this thread for sure. Great ideas!
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teddyw
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,850
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Post by teddyw on Sept 1, 2015 21:58:04 GMT
So in Mexico you can buy things like prescription strength Retin-a over the counter. Can you do that in the UK?
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Post by RiverIsis on Sept 1, 2015 22:25:22 GMT
The main things I want to see and do are the typical tourist things: 2-3 days for museums Bus Tour Westminster Abbey Tower of London Tower Bridge St Paul's Cathedral Changing of the Guards Buckingham Palace Trafalgar Square Piccadilly Circus Regent St/Oxford St shopping (Harrods, Selfridges) Thames River Cruise Dr Who Store Yarn store...always have to buy souvenir yarn I'm disappointed that the Coronation St tour is no longer. Lol! Though I haven't liked the show the last several months and haven't been watching like I used to. Stupid Callum storyline. Also disappointed that the Gherkin isn't open to the public. And I kinda want to go to Bristol just for the Cary Grant statue. I'm flying from Cincinnati to Detroit to London, so I am worried about Detroit weather due to flight delays, etc. But I'm not worried about weather in London. I almost always travel off season to places to avoid crowds and I much prefer cold weather to hot. Plus I'm going to go shopping for a kick ass rain coat. Lol. I've never had a rain coat. Plus Christmas season in London?!? Yes please. Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I'm jotting everything down. I'm glad you have Oxford/Regent streets on your list - LOVE their Christmas decorations. We used to go up every year to just walk from Speaker's corner Hyde park down Regent's street to Piccadilly Circus and look in the shop windows and at the illuminations. Harrods is Brompton road in Knightsbridge. |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 23:39:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2015 22:47:37 GMT
So in Mexico you can buy things like prescription strength Retin-a over the counter. Can you do that in the UK? No, Retin-a and Retinova is prescription only. You can buy a much weaker strength called Retinol over the counter but it's nowhere near comparable to Retin-a. |
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JustTricia
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,829
Location: Indianapolis
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Post by JustTricia on Sept 1, 2015 23:00:15 GMT
Seeing as how you want to go to a Doctor Who store, I can't believe you want to go to London in December! But you said early December, so I guess you'll be safe from alien invasions. ;-)
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Post by scrapsuzy on Sept 2, 2015 6:23:11 GMT
Seeing as how you want to go to a Doctor Who store, I can't believe you want to go to London in December! But you said early December, so I guess you'll be safe from alien invasions. ;-) My thoughts exactly! I even said to my dh, that there is no way I would be in London near Christmas Day. Except maybe a chance at meeting The Doctor? |
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uksue
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,500
Location: London
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Post by uksue on Sept 2, 2015 9:33:55 GMT
As a Londoner ( well I live 12 miles away, but am spending all day every day there at the moment having outpatient treatment in hospital  ) have to say- I am pretty sure that the weather in December in London is almost tropical compared to many parts of the states at that time of year! I can't remember the last proper fall of snow we got ETA my absolute favourite shop is Liberty. I have no interest in Harrods whatsoever, but Liberty is a little different. If I was well I wish I could could come and meet you guys! |
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Post by camanddanismom on Sept 2, 2015 10:04:49 GMT
Check out the site visitacity.com. I am finding it very useful in planning a trip to France & Italy next year.
It's been a long time since I was last in London, but we did a day trip to Stonehenge very easily. I echo others that staying in the flat and treating yourself to a special night in a hotel would be a great idea! I also wouldn't go to London and not go to the theatre. You can often get cheap tickets last minute and going by yourself makes it really easy to get a good seat!
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teddyw
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,850
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Post by teddyw on Sept 2, 2015 11:04:00 GMT
As a Londoner ( well I live 12 miles away, but am spending all day every day there at the moment having outpatient treatment in hospital ) have to say- I am pretty sure that the weather in December in London is almost tropical compared to many parts of the states at that time of year! I can't remember the last proper fall of snow we got ETA my absolute favourite shop is Liberty. I have no interest in Harrods whatsoever, but Liberty is a little different. If I was well I wish I could could come and meet you guys! I hope you feel well soon. I love Liberty too. |
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joelise
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,649
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Post by joelise on Sept 2, 2015 11:37:37 GMT
As a Londoner ( well I live 12 miles away, but am spending all day every day there at the moment having outpatient treatment in hospital ) have to say- I am pretty sure that the weather in December in London is almost tropical compared to many parts of the states at that time of year! I can't remember the last proper fall of snow we got ETA my absolute favourite shop is Liberty. I have no interest in Harrods whatsoever, but Liberty is a little different. If I was well I wish I could could come and meet you guys! I second this. Liberty is an absolute must. Sue, did you see the TV programme about it? I'd love to work there. |
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Post by heather on Sept 2, 2015 13:56:52 GMT
I should be out of London before whatever Christmas calamity occurs. But the Doctor and his trusty spoon will save the day regardless so I'm not overly concerned.
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Post by heather on Sept 2, 2015 14:12:37 GMT
I did like your guys suggestion to go cheaper on accommodations and then take the saved money and put it towards dinner or cocktails at various sites so that I have a different view each night.
I did book a no frills room, Premier Inn, near the London Tower. But my room can be cancelled with no penalty which is good because I'm still wavering in hotel vs rental.
Rental pros: washer/dryer (10 day stay, I'll need it), small kitchenette to save on food costs/convenience, cheaper, more room, staying in a real neighborhood versus touristy area
Rental cons: Easier to get scammed, not as close to the tourist sites, never been to London so unsure of neighborhoods. While I'm not worried about traveling alone, the fact is I am a woman traveling alone. . And the time of year I'm going it gets dark early. So I am a little apprehensive that I'm going to have a long walk in the dark and not know where the heck I am. Lol.
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Post by ceepea on Sept 2, 2015 15:26:28 GMT
I am so jealous!! I love England and dream about living there. I would definitely visit the Tower of London again jut to see Anne Boleyn's memorial stone. I have read that she was buried in a communal grave with other execution victims and that mass grave was dug up in the late 1800's. So she could be buried under that floor anywhere. I would love the ask the Beefeater about that.. Since watching The Tudors on Netflix there are many places that I would love to see.
We took a bus tour to see Stonehenge and, in my opinion, it was a waste of time. We didn't get anywhere close to it. I would have rather spent the day shopping.
I went in the summer and there was an amazing outdoor flea market in Cambridge. I could have packed up 4 more suitcases just with items bought from there.
Have fun and don't forget to update us when you get back.
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Post by RiverIsis on Sept 2, 2015 19:25:02 GMT
Yeah, I wasn't impressed with Stonehenge and I went back when you could actually get close to it. If I were going to take a long day trip it would be to Oxford (I'm completely biased), or Bath,
I could easily spend 10 days in London. My favorite museum that is off the beaten path a bit is the Imperial War Museum. I always wanted to go through the Holocaust exhibit but we had children with us (no one under 11 admitted) so didn't. Of course walking the South bank is fun too.
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Post by Bridget in MD on Sept 5, 2015 15:05:01 GMT
Are the poppies still in place at the Tower? or have they been removed?
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wellway
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,769
Jun 25, 2014 20:50:09 GMT
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Post by wellway on Sept 5, 2015 15:14:21 GMT
Are the poppies still in place at the Tower? or have they been removed? No, the poppies are gone. They were removed last Nov and sent to the people who had bought them. They sold for £25 each and the money raised was spilt between about six charities. ETA - knew I spotted something about the poppies this morning - the poppies that made up the wave are now on display in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-34142625 |
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Belle
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,309
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Post by Belle on Sept 5, 2015 15:36:14 GMT
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Post by ammywilson09 on Oct 12, 2015 4:36:41 GMT
The main things I want to see and do are the typical tourist things: 2-3 days for museums Bus Tour Westminster Abbey Tower of London Tower Bridge St Paul's Cathedral Changing of the Guards Buckingham Palace Trafalgar Square Piccadilly Circus Regent St/Oxford St shopping (Harrods, Selfridges) Thames River Cruise Dr Who Store Yarn store...always have to buy souvenir yarn I'm disappointed that the Coronation St tour is no longer. Lol! Though I haven't liked the show the last several months and haven't been watching like I used to. Stupid Callum storyline. Also disappointed that the Gherkin isn't open to the public. And I kinda want to go to Bristol just for the Cary Grant statue. I'm flying from Cincinnati to Detroit to London, so I am worried about Detroit weather due to flight delays, etc. But I'm not worried about weather in London. I almost always travel off season to places to avoid crowds and I much prefer cold weather to hot. Plus I'm going to go shopping for a kick ass rain coat. Lol. I've never had a rain coat. Plus Christmas season in London?!? Yes please. Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I'm jotting everything down. I think you are so excited ..do crazy things.. have fun dear.. |
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) have to say- I am pretty sure that the weather in December in London is almost tropical compared to many parts of the states at that time of year! I can't remember the last proper fall of snow we got 
