In two weeks, we are crossing the pond! Need some advice

[fuzzywuzzy]

My time is short in London, and therefore, I want to make the best of it. For all who have been there, what advice would you give me on what is a must see, and what I can skip?

If your weather is nice in London, and it probably will be this time of year, the parks are where its at. I've been to London countless times for work and have hit nearly all of the museums and touristy things...but my favorite days have been picnics and people watching in the parks. St James Park is pretty serene and pretty, full of some unique water birds (even pelicans!). There's a man who has trained the local (non-evil) squirrels. He always sits on the same bench on the right of the water (with Buckingham Palace at your back), and he's fun to watch as you wander around. St James Park is very nearby a lot of the big historical sites as well as the London Eye; you can easily fill a day here.

Hyde Park is really glorious on a sunny day. Lay on the grass with your feet in the water at the Diana memorial and watch the planes on approach to Heathrow. Rent a little boat and paddle around the pond.

Of the tourist spots, Westminster Abbey and Tower of London are my top two recs, especially if you dig on really old stuff. Harrod's is fun...having high tea is something uniquely British, but I think it's better in the fall or winter. If you're into plants and whatnot, the Royal Botanic Gardens (a short tube ride from town) are pretty fantastic.

Food and drink....there's a reason people often bash British cuisine. It's not just a joke! But having said that, traditional pub fare can be really fantastic. (As for pubs, there are a ton of really old ones just about everywhere - get off the beaten path and you'll find the best ones tucked away in little alleys and side streets. If it looks new, look elsewhere.) And you really can't beat the local 'chippers'. Fish and chips wrapped in paper and dripping with oil and vinegar and you walk down the street...yum! Otherwise, stick to ethnic foods. Indian, Thai, Middle Eastern. If you like spice, there are some truly exceptional curry houses.

As for Paris....get outside the museums and wander the neighborhoods as much as you can. Have a crepe on the street, a late breakfast of croissants and strong coffee in a teeny cafe. Eat some really stinky cheese and smuggle home more wine than you are legally allowed. Get kissed on the banks of the Seine. The Eiffel Tower, cool as it is, is best seen lit up at night from below. The view from the top is nice, but not worth waiting in line for if it is busy.

mmff,

Thanks for all this great information!

I can't wait to have ethnic food in London...Indian is my fave! I will definitely go to the parks in London. I just can't wait to people watch, everywhere we go. We are going to try to catch a play in the West End...Wicked is there...and we haven't seen it as of yet.

Paris...I will be drinking alot of strong coffee... So that I may take in all the sites we have planned to see.
I will definitely wander the neighborhoods all around Paris.

fuzzy

[marrymeflyfree]

We are going to try to catch a play in the West End...Wicked is there...and we haven't seen it as of yet.

If you can't get tickets to Wicked, I have to suggest another one. 'Eurobeat - almost Eurovision (Sarajevo)'
http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/cgi-bin/ ... re=Novello

It's a farce on the Eurovision song contest. Very campy and fun, even if you're not familiar with Eurovision. I know one of the actors in it, and saw it performed at the Edinburgh Fringe last year before it was picked up for the West End.

[Here's Fanny!]

London has a lot of walking tours. I personally think a trip would not be complete without the Jack the Ripper walk. But make sure you do the one with Donald Rumbelow as the guide!

Fanny,

Did you read Patricia Cornwell's book, "Portrait of a Killer"?

fuzzy

I was very excited when that came out, but I wasn't really familiar with Cornwell other than the scandal with that woman whose name I can't remember. But I knew she did forensic stuff, so I was looking forward to perhaps a new approach.

It was very disappointing. The Sickert/Royal Theories were discarded by most Ripperologists (yes, it's a real word!) years ago. By the end of the book, her evidence had been put together so tortuously I thought I was reading an updated Maybrick Diary.

I don't think she's wrapped too tight, anyway. She claimed in an interview that she had come into the case with no prejudice and total ignorance. That she was barely aware of the name "Jack the Ripper" and knew nothing about the case, the murders or his victims. I find it unlikely that the average layman would be that ignorant of the world's first modern serial killer and certainly a crime writer would have read up on major crime cases if not out of interest, but for material's sake. It seems like she just picked up a copy of Knight's The Final Solution and took it from there.

I guess a simple 'yes, I read it' would have sufficed, huh? Ha!

Anyway, if you really do have at least a passing interest, you should do the Rumbelow Ripper Walk. I think he's still doing it, anyway. Donald Rumbelow is the world's premier Ripperologist! To me, it would be like being on the Rock of Love 3 bus.

[Bob Juch]

London has a lot of walking tours. I personally think a trip would not be complete without the Jack the Ripper walk. But make sure you do the one with Donald Rumbelow as the guide!

Fanny,

Did you read Patricia Cornwell's book, "Portrait of a Killer"?

fuzzy

I was very excited when that came out, but I wasn't really familiar with Cornwell other than the scandal with that woman whose name I can't remember. But I knew she did forensic stuff, so I was looking forward to perhaps a new approach.

It was very disappointing. The Sickert/Royal Theories were discarded by most Ripperologists (yes, it's a real word!) years ago. By the end of the book, her evidence had been put together so tortuously I thought I was reading an updated Maybrick Diary.

I don't think she's wrapped too tight, anyway. She claimed in an interview that she had come into the case with no prejudice and total ignorance. That she was barely aware of the name "Jack the Ripper" and knew nothing about the case, the murders or his victims. I find it unlikely that the average layman would be that ignorant of the world's first modern serial killer and certainly a crime writer would have read up on major crime cases if not out of interest, but for material's sake. It seems like she just picked up a copy of Knight's The Final Solution and took it from there.

I guess a simple 'yes, I read it' would have sufficed, huh? Ha!

Anyway, if you really do have at least a passing interest, you should do the Rumbelow Ripper Walk. I think he's still doing it, anyway. Donald Rumbelow is the world's premier Ripperologist! To me, it would be like being on the Rock of Love 3 bus.

I buy her solution 100%!

[christie1111]

London has a lot of walking tours. I personally think a trip would not be complete without the Jack the Ripper walk. But make sure you do the one with Donald Rumbelow as the guide!

Fanny,

Did you read Patricia Cornwell's book, "Portrait of a Killer"?

fuzzy

I did and as much as I like her fiction, I thought her writing in this book dissappointing. She put forth her opinion in the beginning and considered the other possibilities almost not at all. I did not expect her fiction int the book, but I thought she should have presented her facts in a more persuasive manner.

I can't say her conclusion was wrong, I just don't think she presented her case in a manner in which I was convinced.

JMHO

[Here's Fanny!]

Fanny,

Did you read Patricia Cornwell's book, "Portrait of a Killer"?

fuzzy

I was very excited when that came out, but I wasn't really familiar with Cornwell other than the scandal with that woman whose name I can't remember. But I knew she did forensic stuff, so I was looking forward to perhaps a new approach.

It was very disappointing. The Sickert/Royal Theories were discarded by most Ripperologists (yes, it's a real word!) years ago. By the end of the book, her evidence had been put together so tortuously I thought I was reading an updated Maybrick Diary.

I don't think she's wrapped too tight, anyway. She claimed in an interview that she had come into the case with no prejudice and total ignorance. That she was barely aware of the name "Jack the Ripper" and knew nothing about the case, the murders or his victims. I find it unlikely that the average layman would be that ignorant of the world's first modern serial killer and certainly a crime writer would have read up on major crime cases if not out of interest, but for material's sake. It seems like she just picked up a copy of Knight's The Final Solution and took it from there.

I guess a simple 'yes, I read it' would have sufficed, huh? Ha!

Anyway, if you really do have at least a passing interest, you should do the Rumbelow Ripper Walk. I think he's still doing it, anyway. Donald Rumbelow is the world's premier Ripperologist! To me, it would be like being on the Rock of Love 3 bus.

I buy her solution 100%!

Did you keep your receipt?