London Paris June 8 Trip Report - A Kid's Point of View

[MummyAW100]

We went on a little tour around Britain before we joined the group, and saw Warwick Castle, Alton Towers, and Stonehenge. Now, on to the tour!


DAY 1-CHEERS

We waited for a long time to meet up with the group back at Gatwick. Finally, 11:30ish or so, our car arrived. It was a pleasant little drive around London, with the driver talking to us. We pulled up to the Renaissance Chancery Court, and went inside. The lobby was absolutely amazing (though not as amazing as an Orlando theme park resort), and we were kindly greeted by one of our guides, Eddie. We then went up to our nice room, and rested. Then came the first memorable moment on our ABD part of the trip. We were going to go to Madame Tussaud's when some of our group went to the British Museum on day 3, and thought we wouldn't get to go to the Museum. Well, we had enough time, so we walked our way to the Museum. It was wonderful! I loved all the mummies and the statues, and it was pretty cool seeing the Rosetta Stone. There was even a head from the famous Easter Island. At last, after 1 or 2 hours of great fun, we left to go back to the hotel. After resting up, we ventured to the welcome ceremony. Dinner that night was getting to know our tour group. That was where we met our other guide, Roni. At the end of dinner, we got a little surprise, but I won't tell you about it -- so I won't spoil it for you!

DAY 2-JOLLY HOLIDAY

We woke up and ate breakfast and left soon after, where we met another guide, Mike. He drove us around London, and told us some neat facts. That was followed by getting off the bus and going to Westminster Abbey. The architecture was incredible. Since this was the date of Charles Dickens' death, there was a wreath on his tomb. The best part, though, was seeing the chair and the room where kings and queens were crowned. After leaving, we didn't see the changing of the guard, but something really special -- the trooping of the colors. It was the weekend before Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday, and they were practicing and celebrating Prince Phillip's birthday. We even saw Prince Phillip! The food at High Tea Luncheon wasn't that great, but oh well. From there, it was back to the hotel, and waiting to see the play. That night, we got on a 1 story bus, and ate dinner next to the theatre. One of the actors even came in to say hi! We proceeded on to the Mary Poppins play, which was a delightful surprise. Great actors and sets! Afterwards, it was time to walk on the backstage area, where we got another surprise.

I will stop from here, and continue later.

NOTE from MummyAW's mom: I thought it might be helpful to hear from my son, and he was eager to write a trip report! Hope you enjoy!
JulieWent

 

[ronny1]

Great trip report...tell your son thank you and I am anxiously waiting for his next installment. He's doing a great job!

 

[MJGirl]

Great trip report so far ... Can't wait to hear more ... We leave for this tour in 12 days! Your report is helping to make my wait easier. Thank you for not spoiling the surprise about the goodies. I can't wait to see what we get Please keep the report coming!

MJGirl

PS: Can you ask your mom a question for me? Can you ask if she remembers or even knows your guide Mike's last name? A friend of mine was recently in London and took a tour, and had a Mike for a guide and she wants to know his last name. I know chances are slim that it is the same Mike, but you never know!

 

[JulieWent]

MJGirl,

I'm sure it's the same Mike as they use the same experts over and over, but my husband and I can't remember his last name. I don't think he ever gave it to us. (I really think he was one of our best tour guides. He spent the most time with my son -- who is 11, almost 12, and full of questions about the history behind things. The ABD tour guides were so busy with ALL the kids -- 14 of them -- that they didn't have time for the questions about what was what and how things got to be. Mike really took the time with him.)

Julie

 

[MummyAW100]

Well, time to continue.

DAY 3-A DAY FOR KNIGHTS

We woke up and had some breakfast, and departed for Tower of London, but stopped on the way to look at St. Paul's Cathedral and Shakespeare's old performing place. We got to the Tower, where we saw Traitor's Gate. It really isn't foreboding, but rather pretty. Lots of crows here. After the tour, they let us have some free time. We went up to the Bloody Tower to see the room where Prince Edward and Richard were held "for their protection" and killed. You can vote for 3 causes of death: Richard III, Henry VII, or the princes attempted to escape. In another area, you can see the crowns of which were put on the heads of kings and queens in Westminster Abbey (day 2). After eating lunch, we headed off to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum by ourselves. Then, we went to the London Eye. The carriage we were in was very hot. I don't know if that's typical, or if the air was just broken, but it made our trip on the Eye uncomfortable. We had a very nice dinner, and prepared to go to Paris, City of Lights.

 

[wdwsos]

I'm totally enjoying this -- great writing! Looking forward to the rest!

 

[MummyAW100]

A little note: Before the guides let us have free time, they gave us another surprise.


DAY 4-A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Most of the group didn't go to the Lincoln's Inn Fields, so we slept in. We ate breakfast, got on the bus, and then said farewell to Mike as we departed for Paris on the Eurostar. It was a pretty long ride, but we got there. We met up with our new guide, (Eddie and Roni were still there) Corinne. Like Mike, she was a local to the city she was a guide for. We got on the bus and started driving around Paris. Our first stop was a plaza in front of the Eiffel Tower. Then we stopped in a field to play batonk (don't know the spelling), and finally, the Hilton. That night, mom, I, and another family went to Arc de Triomphe. We didn't go up, since we hadn't brought any Euros on our walk, but looked at the architecture. We headed back after that. You get yet another surprise sometime during the day.

 

[disneytraveler]

Great report so far!

 

[HallGirl]

A little note: Before the guides let us have free time, they gave us another surprise.


DAY 4-A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Most of the group didn't go to the Lincoln's Inn Fields, so we slept in. We ate breakfast, got on the bus, and then said farewell to Mike as we departed for Paris on the Eurostar. It was a pretty long ride, but we got there. We met up with our new guide, (Eddie and Roni were still there) Corinne. Like Mike, she was a local to the city she was a guide for. We got on the bus and started driving around Paris. Our first stop was a plaza in front of the Eiffel Tower. Then we stopped in a field to play batonk (don't know the spelling), and finally, the Hilton. That night, mom, I, and another family went to Arc de Triomphe. We didn't go up, since we hadn't brought any Euros on our walk, but looked at the architecture. We headed back after that. You get yet another surprise sometime during the day.

Did anyone actually play patonk (lol, I'm not sure of the spelling either!)? When I went, no one played.

Anyway, I'm enjoying your report so far! I wanted to hear what the kids in the group thought of everything, so it's great to hear your perspective. Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Then, we went to the miserable London Eye (don't waste your time)

I live in London and take family members to the London Eye quite frequently. 'Miserable' is an unfair description. I always enjoy my visits, so do family members I take, so do many of the people who hang out on the UK sub-forum and so do the visitors who make 'The Eye' one of London's most (the most?) popular tourist attractions.

It is true that if you go on a 'miserable' day when the weather is overcast and it is raining, you can't see too far, but when the weather is bright & sunny you can see for miles and pick out many of the London sights.

Everyone's tastes are different but "don't waste your time" is misleading advice.

Andrew

 

[ppiew]

We went on the London Eye on our last years ABD trip and really liked it! I thought I wouldn't because I don't like heights, but it was great! It was rainy the day we were there, but we still could see a lot of London. Great view of Parliament! The cars are large but move slowly so you can see everything. The 'maps' they gave you were very helpful and descriptive. In no way did I consider it a 'waste', but everyone has their own taste. If you have the time and want a great overview of the city, I personally would recommend it.

 

[JulieWent]

MummyAW's mom steps in -- we were in a "bubble" in which the air was definitely not working. The temperature was probably close to the upper 90's in our "space." So, as DS said, it was definitely a miserable 30 minutes for us. We recommended to other members of our group to wait until the sun went down or to go early in the morning. (We didn't know if all the carriages had similar air problems or if we just "lucked" into one.)

The view WAS beautiful! And if the temperature had been bearable, it would have been a graceful, lovely way to enjoy part of our last day in London.

HallGirl -- We ALL played petonk. I think only about five of us sat out. Gosh, I can't even imagine that they would have let us NOT play! But seriously, we had so many kids, and the kids were VERY enthusiastic about it.

 

[MummyAW100]

My favorite thing in London was the British Museum. (Do this during your free time after exploring the Tower of London.) The Tower of London was real cool, since you can look at the glass table inside and think, "Wow, a long time ago, 7 people were beheaded in that spot." (I REALLY like history.) Westminster Abbey was fascinating since you get to see the very seat where Kings and Queens were crowned. (The crowns are in Tower of London.) The acting and sets in the Mary Poppins show are better than any play I have ever seen. After all, it is West End. A word of caution, however. Don't wear long sleeved shirts and long pants to this play! It was HOT in there! Overall, London was awesome. Fabulous hotel, very friendly citizens, and cool landmarks.

 

[MJGirl]

Just wanted to say a quick Hello from London. You were right about the Mary Poppins theatre. It was really hot, but the show was great! I'm enjoying the tour as well. We have Mike as our local London guide, and our ABD guides are Andrew and Francesc. Take care. Tomorrow we are off to Paris.

 

[MummyAW100]

DAY 5-CITY OF HEIGHTS

We headed out for Notre Dame. Yes, the climb to the top is looooooong, but the view is worth it. Make sure you go into the Bell Tower to see the hunchback! After going in the church part, we got on a boat and floated to the crown jewel of Paris- the Eiffel Tower. Words cannot describe the top. After that, the group split up, and we went to the Champs Elysee. My dad had es cargots, and the sight of it made me nauseous. I had a nice dinner nonetheless.