We’re going to dang London!
I’ll be the first to admit it, I take a lot of pride in my trip-planning skillz. I’m the point person in our family for all of our travels, which I totally love. My favorite part is when I get on the computer and start researching like a son of a gun– and by ‘research,’ I mean ‘spend an inordinate amount of time looking at a bunch of pictures of places to stay and then get totally sidetracked and start going off on all kinds of tangents and end up looking up restaurants in whatever city we’re going to, which leads to looking up recipes of food I saw, which leads to pictures of kitchens and home decorating sites, which leads to spending an hour looking at the inside of other people’s houses until I look up and it’s like 10:30 at night and I’m all “What the h*ll???” and then A) it’s time to take a bath and B) read my devotional book because A) I’m hygienic like that and B) I’m trying not to say “What the h*ll???” so much.’
OK, what was I talking about?
Oh yeah. We’re going to dang LONDON!
However, since I”m missing some crucial components like, oh, I don’t know, exact dates I haven’t been able to do that trip planning voodoo that I do so well. It’s looking like we’ll be leaving July 13, but I’m still waiting for all of the info before I book flights and accommodations. So my style is cramped, but all the final details ought to be lining up soon and until then I’ve looked at so many photos of so many places to stay that my eyes are crossing. We decided to rent a flat instead of stay in a hotel, because with four of us we would need two rooms and I’d rather go ahead and get a place with a kitchen and a washing machine. But there is still a lot to be decided– What part of the city do we want to be in? How close to the trains do we need to be? Do we want to try to go to Paris for a day trip? LOVELY things to work out, but they do indeed need to get worked out. Russ and I have been to London several times over the years, but never with children, so this will be a totally new experience! Russ always says that I walk his legs off when we travel, and now I’ll have a chorus of three voices telling me they’re exhausted instead of just one, so I’ve got that to look forward to.
By the way, have any of you ever noticed how many sentences I end with prepositions? I do it all the time, all over the place! “…. do we want to be in?” “…. do we need to be?” “…. look forward to.” See?! It’s too bad that computers don’t come with preposition-check instead of just spell-check. (Note to self: invent preposition-check software, make a frillion dollars and then instead of worrying about where to stay, just BUY London. Awesome plan, self!)
Anyway this is the part where I invite you, my dear readers, to weigh in with any advice, travel stories, London tips, whatever. Any input about traveling with teens will especially be appreciated (although they are both pretty seasoned and really good little travelers, but still…) I am truly excited, part of me doesn’t really believe we’re actually doing this! I keep half-expecting Russ to say, “Oops, just kidding!” Of course then I’d have to punch him in the face.
And now, to get us all in the mood…
(Now picture me on the top deck hanging out of the window yelling at all the innocent passersby, “I’M IN DANG LONDON, YA’LL!!!”)
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I really have no exciting travel stories, etc to add, but I am so excited for you! My husband loved London when he went!! I look forward to great stories and pictures!!
That sounds absolutely WONDERFUL……..except……..what are we gonna do on this blog without YOU? Are you taking your laptop? Will your American laptop work in Europe? Were you looking inside other people’s houses on “Rate My Space” from HGTV?? I have spent way too time on there!
And what’s so wrong with prepositions at the end of a sentence? I think the rule against it is just plain silly! I do it all the time as my own little private protest against this ridiculous grammar “no-no” thrust upon us by our well-meaning but stodgy English teachers. When you get to be sixty years old, you can pretty much pick and choose which rules you want to discard, and I chose that one. Wild and crazy of me, huh? That’s where I’m AT. (Sorry GraceLynn, I don’t mean ALL teachers are stodgy! Just mine.)
As for travel advice, I’ve never been to London, but I can tell you this: don’t walk under that London bridge, especially if there are school children holding hands and singing around it!
You have those tangents, too?? We just bought our first house. Talk about tan-GENT!
Sounds like fun! My son went to London for 18 days when he was in college – earned 12 credits for it! He LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! He’s a runner so he would go out running each morning. He’d say “I can’t believe I’m in (dang) London running past Buckingham Palace!” One day he went running by (through) Green Park (everything is green there – no flowers or colors; he said it was cool); another day, they (the guys in the red suits and big, furry hats) were practicing for the Trouping of the Colors (something about the Queen’s birthday?). He said it was kind of surreal and totally neat.
He said they ate most of their meals in pubs because 1) the food was good; 2) it was cheap; and 3) that’s where all the Americans hang out (he was a student then, so of course they had to find others like them). One time when he was having a meal there, he and another student were talking – basic stuff, where are you from, brothers/sister?, etc. – and he was talking about his brother who went to school in Chicago. Another guy sitting behind him (not with their group) tapped him on the shoulder and said “I went to that school. What’s your brother’s name?” He knew him! Small world in dang London pubs!
Anyway, their professor walked their legs off, too. To this day, he talks about that trip (maybe ’cause he had to pay for it himself) and how much fun it was. Of course, with five days left to go in London, he ran out of money. MOM, could you…
So, I think your girls will do well and have a great time. Pack light, take lots of pictures for us!
We’re doing the “upper plains” tour – Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, etc.! Have never done that so we’re looking forward to it. I’m ready to go!!!
I do think we in America have it all wrong, though. We need to be like the Europeans and have mandatory month-long holidays! I’m all for it! Happy trails…!
BrownEyedGirl– I will taking LOADS of pictures! Ridiculous amount of pictures!
Linda– If I can’t blog, I won’t go! (Should be no problem, most of the flats I’m looking at even have wi-fi, God bless ‘em.) And thanks for that London Bridge tip. Good to know.
taralynn– YAY for first houses! Do you know about this site? http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/
MostlySunny– Thanks for the reminder about pubs, Russ and I did eat lunch a few times there, wonder if kids can come in…? I think so, but not sure. Your trip sounds great, Russ is dying to take us all out west.
I’ve got to hurry from here and post your blog address for some ladies in England to come here and read your request for information. But now, sweet pea, they are Russ Taff fans and, so, they are going to want to know if he has any singing engagements in their neck of the woods. But, shine, their neck of the woods can mean almost any part of Europe…because they just get on the train and they are there. Much like your day trip to Paris….I hope. (the girls would love that)
Looks like Plan A has won out over Plan B…at least for this year. I am extremely happy for you (she says through tears) But the one thing that I really want you to work on before heading to proper England is that business about ending your sentence with a preposition. I mean, what is the world coming to?
Well! Speaking as someone who was brought up and worked in dang London for many years, and who hasn’t been back there for quite a while, I am GREEN with envy!
I am fascinated by the comments and will follow your travels with great interest. Remember though dang London is hugely expensive! You must do a show while your there. We used to go to the theatre all the time and more recently (after I’d stopped being a towny and had embraced the more bucolic lifelstyle) I was taken to see Mamma Mia for a birthday present and LOVED it ! Meals out are great too. Terrific atmosphere! Am not sure that you’ll see a famous red bus though, as I believe the’ve been replaced with horrible single decker bendy things. If you want to meet a true Londoner, you might have to take a trip to the “Shires”, as they’ve all move out lol.
I suffer from prepositionitis too and also split my infinitives all over the place, but have managed somehow to live a fairly normal life with the affliction!
PS I also lived in Paris for a year or so
OH how stink’in cool is that? You are going to Dang London! You go girl. I can’t wait to hear all about it and see all the pictures. I LOVE the big clock…isn’t it called “Big Ben”? Anyways, I love that. I am hushing up now because I am not making sense. Have a good time.
Whew! Ok, is it just me, or does anyone else out there hold their breath until that crazy patience-inducing password goes thru? By the time I get that crazy thang in, I have forgotten what I was gonna say in the first place!!
Oh, and Tori, forget getting rich off the software – just get rich off submitting all those word originals! I’m starting a “Tori Taff Dictionary”!
Am already excited and looking forward to pictures! I’m sure Russ it, too, RIGHT?
Gotta get back out in the weather – it is just too perfect here today! Sorry, guys, but I KNOW that Eastern NC is the best place in the world to live! No wonder He made the sky Caolina Blue!
And, one more thing – glad the topic changed from all that closet-cleaning stuff! I have been seriously trying to ignore mine for a long time! They were calling louder and louder after last week, but now I can be distracted by the upcoming trip!
Just thought, when I said “do a show”, I meant “go see a show”, I didn’t mean for Russ, you and the girls to dress up pretty and entertain the tourists in the queue to see Buck House, although I am dang sure they would appreciate it!!
Wow! London in July … that’s awesome! I have never been there, but it’s on my list of places to visit before I die.
Looking forward to seeing your pictures and reading about your travels.
Oh, and if you see the Queen, say ‘Hi’ for me, would you? (I’m from Canada….)
Oh! I forgot to mention that we have a Big Ben in Pittsburgh, too, only it’s a “he” and he’s a football player!
Hi Tori,
Dear Barbara (Momma) Lloyd passed on this address to us. We are so wanting you all to visit the UK. I even have offered to share my seat in Glasgow if you can make it. Hmmm will be a bit of a squeeze if you all come.
I lived in London until 12 years ago and now live in a small seaside town in North Norfolk. We visit London every couple of months as I have 3 sons that live in the London area. I would love to give you a few hints or answer any questions you have.
The first things that come to mind, buy a travel ticket for the day or a week if you want to use public transport. But also take a street map because you can spend 2 hours getting from one place to another on the tube, only to find that it was only around the corner. (How often have I done that! ! !)
If you ‘do’ the London Eye, you will see how close everything is, but pick a nice bright day so you can see for miles, talking of nice bright sunny days, yes we do have them, but make sure you miss Wimbledon Fortnight becuse you can guarantee you will need your umbrella.
The theatre is a must. We have been to see The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre. (3 times) It is magical and brilliant for youngsters.
After the show make sure to have a rickshaw ride from the theatre.
Covent Garden is a lovely place to visit during the day, lots of street entertainers market stalls.
You will also need to do all the usual touristy things because you cant go back without being able to say, ‘Yes we did see the changing of the guard, tea with the Queen, and strolled along the Embankment at night to see the ‘real’ Big Ben (not the footballer from Pittsburgh)’
Youve gotta eat Fish and Chips, from the paper.
And ride a red London Bus.
London will be a little cheaper now as the £/$ is more to your benefit.
Well thats a start,
Now for all that information and any more you would like, can we please have a concert here, especially if this Swine Flu is going to prevent us travelling to Gatlinburg in 3 weeks
Hi Tori
I just signed up, came here led by Momma Lloyds post on Gaither. I will be honest and say that I saw baby bloomers and thought, oh not for me, that ship has sailed. But came here anyway. Haha, I read your 50 points and related to it. How scary is that. I have read some posts of yours via websearches, haven’t a clue how I landed on them now tho. I loved London by the way, and will be back to play catch up shortly. I am new to blogging, and only do so on Gaither, but I love reading and think you and I on here are going to do mighty fine. From my view anyway lol. Ha, an honest post and humour to boot. My kind of town, babybloomr is……….Vanessa
Hey Tori, I’m glad to share prepositionitis with all of you!
I can’t add more than Heather has said above. You must do the London eye and see it all at one time. My teenage years weren’t that long ago (in my mind anyway) and I’m sure the girls would love covent garden. Don’t drag them round too many museums and art galleries or those moans of aching legs may just become too much to bear. Definitely go to see a show. I’m sure you won’t, but make sure you don’t forget to do some serious shopping too!
Most of the pubs will happily let the girls in as long as you are having a meal, and you should find some proper English people and some proper English food in them.
If you want a bit of literary culture you could also consider a day trip out of the city to Shakespeare’s Stratford upon Avon which is not too far from Warwick Castle (and near to where I live too)!!!
Hey, Tori! Jo Anna here! After taking 5 kids, ages 18-9 to spend a week in London and a week in Paris last summer I know you can do it with two kids! Madi and Charlotte are at great ages to soak everything in! We too rented a flat instead of staying at a hotel for obvious reasons. We stayed off the Knightbridge stop of the tube which was awesomely close to Harrods!!! You will walk a lot, of course. We walked to Hard Rock, Hyde Park which was close, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and the Aquarium. Pretty much anywhere else we went, we took the tube. We ate at pubs a few times with the kids. We loved the London Zoo and driving out to see Stonehenge!
Paris is a 3 hour train ride which we did and loved!! Oh, and my kids loved seeing all of the Harry Potter things around the city. I never read the books or saw any of the movies so I didn’t get it but Aedan was sure on top of it and spotted tons of things!!
I know you and Russ would have a blast showing the girls around!!
Hi Tori,
I went to England/London a couple of years ago and I love England – London is your typical BIG city, safe and unsafe areas. I even traveled the trains by myself in London but I was surprised to see people openly drink beer on the trains (be prepared for that).
First off….the flight (don’t know about you and the family, but I HATE flying) it was long and boring (bring a book or an iPod) especially to keep the kids occupied. On our way back a couple of years ago, it was the same day the terrorist tried something with a water bomb in England – we were flying out that same day. We couldn’t take on the plane; our purses, water, extra bags etc. they gave us a list of do’s and don’t and we had to put everything into our luggage to be checked. I was soooo scared and didn’t want to fly back that day, but now that I think about it, it probably was the SAFEST flight I will ever be on (preposition). Security was beefed-up to the max.
Places I would suggest are a must see;
1) Bucky (aka – Buckingham palace — Liz and I are close, she lets me call it Bucky)
I did the tour inside and the long line was well worth the wait. I don’t think I left
any wall “un-touched”. I loved the moulding work, the archetecture etc. it left me
with my mouth open. I also went when it was “Liz’s” 80th and they have 80 of her
gowns on display (she is petite). I wanted to touch them as well, but we were NOT
allowed arrrrggghhh….the entry hall was AMAZING, the throne room unbelieveable,
one draw back… NO snaps allowed inside, however, at the end of the tour there is a
tourist sourvenir shop (these are the classiest souvenirs I ever saw. Fancy tea towels
“LORD and LADY”, crowns, post card of the interior etc. something for everyone. I
spent a fortune in there. After that we walked the gardens and there it was
ICE CREAM stand, Hagen das in small Buckingham containers – yum !!!
2. Kensington Palace – Princes Diana’s home – loved this, beautiful picture of her – also
check out the gardens
3. Big Ben – I think I took 1,00,000,000,000,000 snaps of this place – souvenirs
across the street (cheap) Stick around and listen for when Big Ben s strike on
the hour – very London.
4. Tower of London – I think the kids will love this place – so much to explore
5. Tower Bridge – picturesque (spans the Thames)
6. London Eye – this is the large ferris wheel – you get to see all of London, I’m sure
Madi and Charlotte will love this. Major photo opt
7. Another bridge – Westminster Bridge – can get good snaps of the Houses of
Parliament
8. Westminster Abbey – love the history in this place as well as the stunning archetecture
9. St. Paul’s Cathedral – the dome is amazing and another major photo opt – a lot of
crypts (interesting and such great history)
10. Jump on buses and take an taxi (the old traditional cabs)
I would also suggest having a HIGH TEA at any of the hotels (feel so British) – I don’t even like tea but I ordered it with the small sandwiches and pretended to drink the tea. Harrods a must (Christmas section all year round – I think it was on the top floor). The chocolate and food in Harrods is so wonderful (you better bump up on your Zumba). Trafalgar square and Knightsbridge – great shopping. You may even want to check out a play – we saw “Mamma Mia” I couldn’t get it out of my head “wow so many of the actors have foreign accents” – dah I was in London I forgot and I’m the one with the accent (Canadian) – silly me.
I would NOT suggest to drive right in London – lots of traffic, the train system there is superior. I would also suggest to take the 3 hour train ride to Paris – you are traveling under the Thames (I tried not to think about that too much) and at the end of the train ride is……….ah……….PARIS – must take the kids to see the Eiffel Tower (if you are only planning on a one day journey).
I’m sure you and the family will have a wonderful time, take a lot of snaps (thank God we don’t use film anymore).
I forget that living with history (am a bit of an historical relic myself) you tend to take it for granted that you have all this old stuff around you! Anyway great advice from those seasoned travellers above.
If you are going out of London then Windsor and the castle is a must see. And if you go west (down past Stonehenge way) then a cream tea (scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream and a good ol’ English cuppa) is de rigueur but would necessitate many long hours in the company of Madame Kimono to get you back to your fighting weight!
Taking the Eurostar to Paris mean you travel under the English channel, but is worth it for the speed. Once there make sure you go to Montmartre to see all the artists and where the Sacre Coeur looms up on the hill above. Great stuff!
Oh my goodness…I want to go to dang London and France! You girls are good! You could get jobs with travel agencies, for goodness sake.
Momma Lloyd … come ANY time, I’ll show you around
Shucks, yall have even got me all excited and wishing I could go to dang London! And, being from a rural area, and recently delivered out of severe bondage, (even to my own house!), I feel very accomplished to just go to the local Piggly Wiggly! WOW!
And, I thought I was the only one that enjoyed the baby bunnies and chicks in my yard! (they sure as heck didn’t inspire me to clean any closets, though! Can’t see anything but a powerful Holy Ghost boot-n-tha-butt to do that much inspiring!)
Feel that I have a long ways still to go to return to normal life after listening to all of you!
You guys are FIRING ME UP!!!
Thank you so much for all of the input– I am taking it all in and making notes. Like I said before, Russ and I have been to London, but it was before we had the girls, and it is definitely going to be a different experience this time– I can’t wait!
Russ is going to be performing in the Faroe Islands during the weekend of the 24th, I think twice. He may or may not be doing something in or around London the weekend before that–how’s that for a definite answer?!– nothing has been worked out for sure, yet. If any of you across-the-pond have any ideas for anything, I know he would be up for it and open to see what we could work out. Let me know and I can put you in contact with Angie, our booking person (who is a sweetheart!)
I think the hardest thing is going to be figuring out what all we want to visit while we are there without over-scheduling or wearing us out. Some of my favorite times as a traveler have been when we’ve just wandered around exploring the city, and I want to make sure we have some down time for that. But with so much to see and not all that much time to do it, it’s hard to not try to cram everything in!
Well if Russel gets a gig in London, I would see what I could about flying over to check it out! It’s going on twenty years since I’ve been there!! Oh and FWIW, the weekend before the 24th would be ideal for me!! I have my own massively wonderful gig planned for the 24th over here = ) And Tori, you just HAD to mention your gifted husband and walking in the same context. May have even been the same sentence! You do realize, don’t you, that that is about just as tempting as putting up the pic of the donut happy policeman’s bottom!?! But, I’m about to do a little Bible reading in a moment, so I’ll leave the poor man’s shoe collection of the flesh out of it this time. For now. Maybe.
Ok I’m feeling really good now that I know I am not the only one that attempts to plan a trip and ends up shopping for…say….a new outfit to wear that day that I’m going to be in a certain town. LOL I usually manage to get the hotel reservations done sometime in the 9 hours I spend on the computer. And I thought I was a loner on that….
I’ve never been overseas so I’m afraid I can’t help ya, Tori. I’ve traveled through most of the USA and parts of Canada but that’s it. I do hope that you all have an awesome time and take lots of pics. And you’re right….go to Paris for a day trip. Get some of these experienced travelers to help you out.
Wouldn’t it be awesome to hear Susan Boyle sing while you’re in England??? Does winning multiple Grammys in America give you any clout when acquiring tickets to “Britain’s Got Talent”??? That would be so cool! They should ask Russ to be one of those professionals that give the contestants some coaching before they go on——-like Jamie Fox did tonight on American Idol!!!
Hi Tori! Well very kewl! So you all are going to “bloody” London are ya? That is awesome. I use to have penpals in East Sussex (Brighton)… I have no clue where that is, but we were big Neil Diamond fans together and we wrote each other for years… (before computers and e-mail) Then one day they (Caroline & Nigel) came to a ND concert in Pittsburgh and we met each other for the first time and spent time together at the show and after. I loved to hear Nigel talk. That was fun. We continued writing for a while longer and then they moved and than I moved and we lost touch.
I think you need to take me with you so I can find my friends… LOL!
That will be a wonderful experience for the girls. You two are such great parents. Look forward to you sharing pics of your adventure.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see a REAL English garden??? And English lavender??? And heather?? I don’t know if your girls would enjoy that or not.
Neil Diamond!?! This is too weird. Did you know, Robyn of the Rockin-ness, that a popular Finnish rock artist covered Solitary Man, possibly before Johnny’s was released, and it was a relatively big hit here in the countries he has a strong following in?? Neil himself has stated if really liked what the guy did with the song! Did you also know that I’m am the first person to ever perform many Neil Diamond songs live in Finland?? Let’s take this back a few years, say around 11. I was able to get a Monkees tribute evening together at the leading rock venue in Helsinki. That may not sound like much, but it took 5 years to get it together. I was actually told when I first had the idea that it would never work in Finland. Especially Helsinki. Well, it was hard in many ways, but it did work. After it happened I bumped into another American who actually was a huge Monkees fan and he regretted not being a part of it. He also introduced me to Love To Love. The Monkees demo version. Well, to make a long story shorter, started playing it with my band. Found the original Neil Diamond chords on the net. Spent years trying to find a copy of Neil’s version of the song. It’s never been released on CD and is not available on the net. Meanwhile a friend from Canada keeps bugging me to put together a Neil Diamond tribute evening. By now my band has put together a hybred of the song with some changed lyrics to grow it up a bit. I also feel bad for my friend who for years has been wanting to hear Neil done live. Also, a few are interested in me doing Monkees songs again. I get an opportunity to do a few songs live with one of the most respected guitarist in Finland. I decide to do all four recorded Monkees songs written by Neil! Many people are happy. Finally, I find the 2 original albums with Love To Love on them on ebay! A friend in the states bids on them for me. He drops out of one auction. The bids on it are skyrocketing!! He holds true to the other auction which is a double album collection of his earlist hits. Apparently not as valuable. After 9 years I finally get to hear, and have a copy of Neil’s originally recorded version of the Love To Love!! It’s good, but a few “too much Neil at that time” parts. I listen to the CD copy of it a friend did for me almost on a daily bases, realize I’ve heard the album growing up a lot at a friend’s house. Rediscover many of the songs. My band can’t make a gig we had about a year ago. Get a bunch of musicians together to fill in for the gig. Since I’m the only original member, I decide to make my friend from Canada even happier by putting together a WHOLE Neil Diamond cover set of some of his earlist songs. We only have to practices, everyone not feeling good about going on stage that night with songs we’re all not familiar with, and have not practiced properly. In spite of this, all went MUCH better than expected and the evening, I’m told by many, was definately a success! 2 of the fill in members that night have now also become official members of band. And one of our more popular songs is still the hybred we do of Love To Love. I’m afraid your mentioning Neil was an even bigger “Saying it!” temptation than Tori bringing up Russ and walking = / Peace!!
Hi Tori,
If you get the chance you should come over to Northern Ireland and see our famous Giants Causeway it is a fantastic sight. Would love to Russ in concert here.
Linda, grab Betty, we’ll go along and carry the Taff’s luggage…keep their clothes pressed….and light their cigarettes. Who cares if they don’t smoke…we’ll pretend. And to translate for them….gracious, you never know when someone might try to speak to them who is from a neighboring country and, well, we could save them by doing the sign language for them. It’s that blessing thing again, ya know….and we are surely three wanna bes.
OK, gonna jump tracks again, please check out on You Tube, “amazing ‘stand by me’ mash up”. It may also still be on the MSN homepage.
Jonny, just wanted to say that was an amazing video. I especially loved Grandpa Elliott.
I have to agree.
Hi. I’ve read your blog for a while, but have never commented. I find you to be VERY funny and this post inspired me to quit lurking and to comment. If you have time for a bit of a side trip outside of London, I recommend Hampton Court Palace, one of Henry VIII’s favorite spots. I recently commented it on my blog and posted a few pictures from my 2004 visit. http://cindysclipboard.blogspot.com/ I enjoy your blog so much, I also left you an award on my blog. Thanks for making my days brighter!
I was stationed near danged London when I was in the women’s army (Not during the war I’m nowhere near that old!!!) and I loved it then, but I sure know one thing it’s a dang sight bigger and no doubt better than it was then I hope you’ll have a dang good time in ouyr capital City. I wouldn’t advise borrowing one of those bearskins though, they’ll make your head itch and mess your hair up too, which is far worse. You carry on blogging I luv it!!!