artnbarb
1000+ Posts
Before our Gate1 tour began, we arrived in London a few days early. Because the group hotel (Canopy by Hilton) was rather pricey, we choose the less expensive Travelodge, which was just 2 blocks from the Canopy. When it was time to change hotels we simply walked up the street. We'd stayed in this area (in between the Tower Hill and Aldgate tube stations) a few years ago, and found it to be very convenient.
For our first full day in London I wanted to take a walking tour which would get us out and keep us moving. Additionally, I also wanted a food tour, but most of the the food markets are closed on Monday. Luckily, the Old Spitalfields Market was not only open on Monday, but also located fairly close to our hotel. We used Eating Europe for the tour, and were very pleased with the guide, the neighborhood, and most importantly, the food. It was a fun way to learn about the area and sample several different foods. We sampled a bacon butty, fish and chips, curry, bagels with beef and an apple crumble. I think I might be forgetting one food, but it was all delicious.
Aftr the tour ended we walked to Horizon 22 to take in the views. We'd previously been to both The Shard and the Sky Garden (In the Walkie-Talkie bldg), and because Horizon 22 is free, we wanted to get this additional view of both of them, and of course, London itself. The views didn't disappoint, and although we weren't there for sunset as we'd been when we visited the Shard, it was definitely worth a visit.
The following day we decided to visit the National Gallery, mainly because we'd never been there. Art's not much of a museum person, and we'd been to the V & A several times, and the British Museum seemed too overwhelming (we'd been there before, too, but there's always more to see!). We accidentally found the back entrance to the museum, which helped us avoid the crush at the main entrance. After wandering for a few hours we headed back to the tube station, and stopped for a disapppointing lunch at an Italian restaurant. I should know better, but......
Our tour officially began the next day, with a bus tour of the city. We enjoyed seeing the city from the bus, as opposed to on foot, and made several stops along the way. Amazingly, we'd never been to The Royal Albert Hall, or seen the Albert Memorial across the street. There's always something new, even after all these years. When the bus stopped for a walk around Westminster Abbey, we left the group and walked to the Churchill War Rooms. I'd never had any interest, but several people had recommended it, and we both agreed that it was very interesting and very well done. We hadn't bought tickets in advance, but only had to wait in line about 20 minutes.
The next day we decided to skip the group tour of The Tower and St Paul's, having visited both sites several times. Instead, thinking that this might be my last trip to England, I wanted to take a daytrip to the Cotswolds, to see a bit of the countryside in addition to the city. We chose GO Tours because of the itinerary and the small buses. Our guide Chris was friendly and very entertaining. The fields of rapeseed were in full bloom and the trees and flowers were just starting to bud out. We stopped in Bibury, Burford, Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold. The pace was good, especially for Art, because we'd stop in a village, wander around, then get back on the bus to the next village.
I'll have to come back to add photos, because they're still on my phone and not on this laptop!
For our first full day in London I wanted to take a walking tour which would get us out and keep us moving. Additionally, I also wanted a food tour, but most of the the food markets are closed on Monday. Luckily, the Old Spitalfields Market was not only open on Monday, but also located fairly close to our hotel. We used Eating Europe for the tour, and were very pleased with the guide, the neighborhood, and most importantly, the food. It was a fun way to learn about the area and sample several different foods. We sampled a bacon butty, fish and chips, curry, bagels with beef and an apple crumble. I think I might be forgetting one food, but it was all delicious.
Aftr the tour ended we walked to Horizon 22 to take in the views. We'd previously been to both The Shard and the Sky Garden (In the Walkie-Talkie bldg), and because Horizon 22 is free, we wanted to get this additional view of both of them, and of course, London itself. The views didn't disappoint, and although we weren't there for sunset as we'd been when we visited the Shard, it was definitely worth a visit.
The following day we decided to visit the National Gallery, mainly because we'd never been there. Art's not much of a museum person, and we'd been to the V & A several times, and the British Museum seemed too overwhelming (we'd been there before, too, but there's always more to see!). We accidentally found the back entrance to the museum, which helped us avoid the crush at the main entrance. After wandering for a few hours we headed back to the tube station, and stopped for a disapppointing lunch at an Italian restaurant. I should know better, but......
Our tour officially began the next day, with a bus tour of the city. We enjoyed seeing the city from the bus, as opposed to on foot, and made several stops along the way. Amazingly, we'd never been to The Royal Albert Hall, or seen the Albert Memorial across the street. There's always something new, even after all these years. When the bus stopped for a walk around Westminster Abbey, we left the group and walked to the Churchill War Rooms. I'd never had any interest, but several people had recommended it, and we both agreed that it was very interesting and very well done. We hadn't bought tickets in advance, but only had to wait in line about 20 minutes.
The next day we decided to skip the group tour of The Tower and St Paul's, having visited both sites several times. Instead, thinking that this might be my last trip to England, I wanted to take a daytrip to the Cotswolds, to see a bit of the countryside in addition to the city. We chose GO Tours because of the itinerary and the small buses. Our guide Chris was friendly and very entertaining. The fields of rapeseed were in full bloom and the trees and flowers were just starting to bud out. We stopped in Bibury, Burford, Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold. The pace was good, especially for Art, because we'd stop in a village, wander around, then get back on the bus to the next village.
I'll have to come back to add photos, because they're still on my phone and not on this laptop!
