Beyond Big Ben

Location: London

Introduction:

We took advantage of a four-day weekend in February and a great flight deal to return to London. The weather was cold with some drizzle, yet manageable with highs in the 40’s and lows in the 30’s. The exchange rate was favorable at $1.24 for £1.00. We were able to use our phones to make all of our purchases which simplified life. The time zone was five hours ahead of home. Having been here before, we skipped the more popular tourist attractions. We paced ourselves with one or two key activities planned each day and it served us well.

Sights Visited:

The centerpiece of our visit was the Warner Brothers Studio tour of The Making of Harry Potter and we found it captivating. The majority of the filming for the eight Harry Potter movies took place here and they preserved many of the sets, props and costumes. It’s a must-see for Harry Potter fans of all ages.

We made an encore visit to the Natural History Museum and our daughter thoroughly enjoyed it. She was especially fascinated with the Darwin Collection. This is a great place to spend hours exploring with children.

The Science Museum is engaging, especially for adults but its light on hands-on exhibits for children. That’s where the Wonder Lab takes over. You should book a reservation in advance to ensure entry. Our daughter was immersed with hands-on activities and had a blast.

We attended Oliver at the Gielgud theatre in London’s West End. We were mesmerized by the performances of the talented cast. This was a revival and its hard to imagine that the original cast could have been any better. Three thumbs up – Bravo!!!

Harrod’s Department Store is world famous. So, we decided to take a look. Its impressive indeed and equally expensive. The toy section included a vintage safari children’s bed with a price tag of £36,000 ($45,000).

Accommodation:

We booked two adjoining rooms at 100 Queen’s Gate Hotel using Hilton’s website. The rooms were well appointed and the location was ideal. We could walk to the museums and underground stations. We also had a large variety of restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops to choose from. The WiFi was good. We just wished the heat worked a little better.

Food and Drink:

We took advantage of the diversity of ethnic foods available enjoying Indian, Vietnamese, Middle-Eastern and Italian. We also sampled some more traditional fish and chips. What we loved the most were the multiple bakeries down the street from the hotel supplying us with fresh croissants and delicious baked goods every day.

Transportation System:

We flew Norse Atlantic non-stop from Orlando to London’s Gatwick airport and back. Transfer to and from the airport was via a combination of the Gatwick Express train and the Underground. We relied on the underground tubes, trains, buses and walking for this trip. We could just tap in and tap out using a credit or debit card for the underground. However, we used a kiosk each time we needed train tickets, but at least we could purchase round-trip tickets saving some time.

Shout Out:

We found the airfare using Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights). We’ve subscribed to their service for a few years now and they notify us of airfare deals from our preferred airports. When we saw deal with round trip airfare to London for under $350, we seized the opportunity. If you like to travel and save money on airfare, check out Going’s service.

For Your Amusement:

The British have a way with words. Instead of “Exit”, the sign reads…

Highlights:

We can’t say enough good things about Oliver and the Making of Harry Potter tour. We booked both activities months in advance and we’re so glad that we did.