Thanks so much to everyone who wrote with travel tips about visiting
London and surrounding area. They have been wonderful! Obviously many of
you have fond memories of your trips, and I am very grateful for your
time and sharing. I will be posting three long messages in order to
share what I have compiled. Thanks again...these should serve as a nice
reference for anyone planning to go in the near or even distant future!
Here goes the first batch:
*********************
Especially Windsor, Bath (I've yet to get to Canterbury); also
Stonhenge, Glastonbury, Greenwich observatory (can straddle the 0°
longitude mark thus being in both hemispheres at the same time, watch
the ball drop at noon GMT.
Continue on down the Thames to the Thames Barrier -- a great engineering
feat, and an interesting display and explanation. Also the British Naval
museum is near the Greenwich Observatory.
There are a lot of small museums -- the horological museum near the
Guildhall, the BT museum (near St. Paul's), the British Post Office
museum with lots of very rare stamps, the London Transport museum near
Covent Garden, and ...and ... and....!! Of course, as a former science
teacher as well as a librarian, I always tour the Science Museum and the
Natural History museum (both free entry now) -- they're near the South
Kensington tube stop.
**********************************************
Bath is gorgeous and an absolute must. You can stroll around or take a
bus tour, depending upon your preference. I liked walking it myself.
I went to Cambridge as well and both the city and the University are
great. It's a quaint town, though packed with bicycles/cyclists, so
beware. They don't slow down.
All I remember from Canterbury is going through the few huts they had
set up like the tales. All I remember (this was over 10 years ago) was
that the exhibit smelled like a wet dog, I think they had some steam
thing rigged up. It didn't make an overwhelming impression, so if you're
pressed for time, I'd skip it.
You cannot skip Bath!! All the people I know who have gone to England
and visited Bath, loved it. It's beautiful and historic.
Have a great trip. I'm jealous.
I don't know if you went to that LadyHawke site,
http://www.well.com/user/ladyhawk/London2002.html
but after seeing that site, I had to add....
The Victoria and Albert Museum is indeed a great museum and you should
try to fit it into your schedule. It's quite extensive and covers a
great deal. Reading about that museum reminded me of another museum
that might be of especial interest to younger kids: The Museum of
Childhood. They have lots of old toys and tons of doll houses.
Oh, and now that I think about it, another great museum is the Imperial
War Museum. This would be a great museum if you have lots of boys in
your group, though girls may enjoy it too. There are lots of war planes
hanging in the main foyer. There's a demonstration of what it was like
during bombing on the homefront, and tons and tons of uniforms. When I
went they had an excellent, excellent, excellent exhibit on the
Holocaust. I think I spent a full 2.5 hours just in that portion of the
museum!
We went to London just after Christmas and enjoyed our day trip to
Bath. Actually, it was Stonehenge and Bath. I was amazed at how
extensive the baths there were. Also, the town was charming.
We took tours of the different cathedrals, Tower of London, etc. I
think it helped greatly. I loved the tubes for getting around!
Have a great trip. I am sure your weather will be better than ours. It
rained every day we were there but was somewhat mild.
For libraries, don't forget the reading room at the British Museum. I
wish I could have spent more time there!
A train trip to York would be grand....do a little web search on the
town. You can easily walk all around the town and it has it
all....Roman ruins, Viking ruins, a castle, cathedral, etc.
It is terrific. There are high speed train that go there.
As far as libraries, I would like you to know about a great
library.....in Norwich.
In 1994 their city library (with some resources from the middle ages)
burned. They got a millennium UK grant to build "The Forum" which is a
dream library and civic center. Also housed in this library (they have
their own room), is the 2nd Air Division Library. It is an incredible
archive of life for the American Army-Air Force stationed in the 17 air
bases (flying B24 Liberators) around Norwich during WWII. It is also
the largest library of American studies in the UK. At the end of the
war, it was decided that rather than a stone monument for their fallen
comrades, the Americans would establish this American library in
Norwich. It has grown into a profound tribute to those fallen and
those who continue to work toward the maintenance of this facility.
They have a Fulbright scholar that is serving as the librarian for the
Memorial Library.
I think they have about 8,000 volumes, oral histories, bomb group
histories, etc. There is a very active group of Brits that support and
appreciate the vets and their library. I can give you more information
if you are interested.
If you go to Cambridge, you must include a trip out to Maddingly (about
5 miles out of Cambridge) to the American Cemetery. It is
breath-takingly beautiful and awe inspiring.
I envy your trip!
Bath is wonderful and has the neat costume museum besides all the Roman
and Regency era places, also, Warwick Castle, Cabinet War Rooms (World
War II) in London, York is truly worth the little extra travel, see
Hampton Court for Tudor era relics, and please let me come with you. My
husband and I are Renaissance reenactors, focusing on the reign of
Elizabeth I and would kill to go back to England. Have a wonderful trip!
--
***************************
"Try curiosity!" Dorothy Parker
***************************
Dr. Mary Ann Bell
Assistant Professor
School of Library Science
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX
mbell@main.com
lis_mah@shsu.edu
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