School holidays have a tendency to strike fear into the hearts of parents, who start battling for cheap package holidays to the most popular family-friendly destinations. It doesn’t have to be this way! There are plenty of options for enjoying an equally-exciting staycation in Britain. Here are some fun-filled attractions for channelling your “inner child”, which adults will genuinely enjoy just as much as their kids.

Cadbury World, Birmingham:

Chocolate is not just for children – parents will definitely want to get in on the fun at Cadbury World in Birmingham. While kids may not care too much about the history of the Cadbury brand, adults will gain some fascinating insight into the humble beginnings of the world’s second largest confection company. Enjoy a walk through the scenic gardens and visit the Bourneville Garden Centre, and kids can enjoy the interactive chocolate-themed games. The park also boasts the world’s biggest Cadbury shop, ideal for picking up some tasty souvenirs.

Legoland, Windsor:

Lego is one of the most popular classic toys, and given it’s spanned generations, many parents are likely to be just as excited about Lego as their kids are! The famous building bricks began life in the 1940s, and have continued to be one of the most loved toys in the industry. Legoland is a modern-day tribute to this, and proof that the simple toys are often the best. As well as rides and interactive exhibits one of the most popular features of the fun park is Miniland, which has Lego models of monuments, cities and famous buildings from around the world.

Milton Maize Maze, Cambridge:

This giant maze, formed from crops of maize (or corn) offers a particularly unique day out, where visitors can get lost inside this pathway puzzle. There’s something very Alice in Wonderland about working your way through a maze like this, and adults will enjoy the curious storybook experience as much as their children. Kids will love meeting animals in the Pet Paddock and Farm Trail, plus there is a go kart track and mini golf course for a bit of good old competitive family fun. Of course, everyone has to find their way out of the maze first!

Hamleys Toy Store, London:

There’s always the option of taking a cheap last minute holiday to the capital, where many of the best attractions are free! One London destination everyone will love is Hamley’s Toy Store on Regent’s Street. This seven-storey fun house is one of the biggest toy shops in the world, and it’s not just for kids… while it does have preschool toys and children’s games, the 4^th floor is dedicated to model planes, trains and automobiles. There are plenty of retro and classic board games, interactive displays, and even computer games to browse. And of course, everyone’s inner child will reveal itself when face to face with life-size plush wild animals on the cuddly toy floor!

Legoland image by: Dave Catchpole

Channel Your Inner Child: Parent-Friendly Kids’ Attractions in Britain is a post from: Anglotopia.net

War Room in Churchill War Museum

A couple of months ago, I visited London during the Royal Wedding week (yeah, I know, we didn’t mention it in the least at the time, did we?) Since I got back I have been horribly remiss on writing about everything I did because I moved to a new city and took on two new jobs in the weeks surrounding the trip. But I can’t let the opportunity pass to talk about one of the things that made it so much easier to cram in a million sights in a short few days – The London Pass.

My pass, arrived at my home weeks before I left along with a book full of companion information that was as good as any of the travel books I took with me. It gave me a ton of time to plan, which I also did during the trip to Heathrow and around London with the help of their iPhone app on my iPod (which I used with my Fonmigo whilst going from stop to stop, the subject of another post.)

Of course, any attempt to plan is kinda laughed at by the universe and a lot of the great London Pass sites I had planned to visit ended up being missed. But the beauty of the pass is that nothing is really pre-scheduled and I could go anywhere as long as I went within the date I started using the pass. So instead of my grand plans to go to the Tate museums, I was able to go with the flow and follow up a wonderfully speedy tour of Westminster Abbey (trust me, the pass pays for itself in avoiding that queue) with a visit to the Household Calvary Museum and the Churchill War Museum, which may have been the best historical museum I’ve ever been to (and trust me, I’ve been to all of the Smithsonians in Washington DC.)

View From the Thames River Boat Cruise

The most fun thing that I did on my London Pass was the Thames River Boat Cruise. That was the one thing that had been recommended by pretty much everyone who has ever visited London to me, and I managed to squeeze it into my last day in London, accompanied by a visit to the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower Bridge and a double-decker bus ride across central London. Talk about a way to see EVERYTHING! And yes, going on the Thames and seeing the skyline was pretty much everything I had imagined from years of seeing Richard Curtis romantic comedies. Except thankfully less rainy that day.

The one thing that I recommend is definitely getting more than a couple of days of the pass because, as I said, I ended up missing out on a lot. When I go back eventually, I will definitely be booking more days so I can go to the Globe Theater, Windsor Castle, the Wimbledon Tour Experience, and all of the walking tours that I wimped out on this go around.

Seeing Historic London With the London Pass is a post from: Anglotopia.net

There is no better way to get to know a city other than by foot. Strolling around a certain location gives you the option to see not only the most touristic landmarks, but also to explore living areas and learn how people live there, where they hang out and what are their hidden hotspots. When deciding to sight-see a city by foot, it is wise to go with a guided tour. Even if you think only a map and a good sense of direction will bring you far, it still doesn’t change the fact that you probably won’t be able to find all the special places around, which are most of the time not visibly located.

London is a perfect city to visit if you like walking. There are so many different neighborhoods in London that even if you have the luxury to stay there for a whole month, you still won’t be able to see them all. However, the incredibly simple public transport (only 6.60 pounds for a whole day of traveling) allows you to explore the city by driving from location to location and then taking a lovely walk at each one.

London Walks “is the oldest urban walking company in the world.” For only a small amount of money, you will be able to tour the city by foot, guided by one of their amazingly funny guides. Because they offer so many different tours each day, we handpicked for you the London walks we found the most interesting and fun.

Old Hampstead Village Walk

Old Hampstead is one of the most beautiful areas in London. Famous people like Boy George, Elizabeth Taylor and Emma Thompson used to live there, and it’s no wonder why. Hampstead is an incredibly green area. Strolling around this stunning village, you will surely come across some white swans, huge lakes, secret paths and high hills. The nicest thing about Hampstead is its personal and secluded vibe. The people there know each other — don’t be surprise if you get recognized by someone if you go back there some day.

The Beatles in My Life Walk

For those of you who love the Beatles, this walk will be absolutely perfect. What can be better than to discover all the places where the band used to hang out, to see where Paul lived with his famous actress Jane Asher, and to hear all the untold stories about the Beatles from the very knowledgeable guide tour? The walk takes place at the legendary Abbey Road. From there you will start your journey to learn more about this amazing band.

The Old Chelsea Village Pub Walk

This walk is perfect for people who love to combine traveling with meeting new people. It’s an evening tour, so make sure to bring something warm with you in case it gets colder. The tour takes place in the beautiful and extremely rich Chelsea. You will be guided through the extravagant houses of the billionaires who live there in front of the stunning Thames River. During the tour, there will be a couple of stops in the local bars where you will have enough time to have a cold beer and a handful of salty peanuts. The nice thing about this tour is the fact that during the pubs stop you get the chance to sit with your fellow travelers and get to know them better. Just make sure not to drink too much beer or else you will not be able to follow your guide anymore!

Secret London Walk

This is an amazing walk full of surprises and interesting facts. On this walk, you will be able to learn new things about London that most probably you never heard about before. If you like to experience a bit of a mystery during your tour, you will absolutely love this one! Along your walk you will hear many stories about the old history of London; from strolling around in ancient traces of Roman London to visiting an old prison and observing stunning churches, here you will get the taste of how London used to be back then. The reason this tour is so popular among tourists is because it reveals slowly during the walk many astonishing stories that are unique and strange at the same time.

London Walks

London Walks have so many other interesting tours that it is recommendable to take some time viewing their site and choosing which one to go to. Each tour takes about 2 hours, and the costs depend on where you are going. In case your tour also includes a museum visit or any other location that an entrance fee is requested, you will have to pay for the fee for that as well. In case your tour is only a walking one, the fee runs from 8 to 14 pounds per person. Visit their website in order to learn more about their organization and also to get to know their guides. Some of these guides are rather famous for their sense of humor and people like to follow them on each of their tours.

If you are interested in booking a cheap accommodation in London, make sure to start your search in advance with EasyToBook.com.

Guest post written by: Yuli Linssen Kaminitz, guest blogger from EasyToBook.com.

Guest Post: Top London Walks – Best Walking Tours in London is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Jonathan helpfully reminded me that today is exactly 100 days until the royal wedding. That means it’s about 96 days until the day that I arrive in London for my first-ever excursion to the UK.

Due to a lucky bit of fortune in having a wonderful person offer me lodging while they, as many Londoners apparently plan to do, escape the hoopla entirely. Because of that, I will be spending seven days there. I will be doing coverage of the festivities for Anglotopia and possibly other places, and there’s also one other event I plan to attend, but other than that my itinerary is very free. Partially because it really does seem like every local I know seems to be fleeing the country that week.

So if you were going to London during that week, what would you absolutely HAVE to do whilst you’re there? The floor is completely open for suggestions. There are only a few things to keep in mind.

• It’s got to be cheap. You can only imagine how much the airfare cost. So anything like, “You must go eat at Heston Blumenthal’s new restaurant” is straight out. I would rather go for everyday sorts of things like curries and free concerts at the park. But what’s the best of those kinds of things, in your opinion?
• I plan to only do a limited number of “touristy” things, because I suspect those will be absolutely slammed that week. And frankly I’m trying to avoid being a tourist. I like the thought of trying to do things as much like a native as possible.
• It has to be within reach of an Oyster Card. See the “got to be cheap” part. Although I have been getting some suggestions like a Thames river taxi to Greenwich, so anything along those lines is fine.
• Because of the festivities, I’m afraid that many things that I would love to do as a British TV obsessed person will be limited, such as show tapings. But anything in that direction would be lovely.

I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas, and I promise that those I do end up carrying through on will be documented and posted here. Also, if anyone would be interested in a special Anglotopia reader meetup, speak up! Just please save me from being unmotivated and spending the whole week watching daytime BBC programmes like I would do if left to my own devices. I suspect that would be a waste.

Royal Wedding: Help Me Decide What Is Must-Do That Week is a post from: Anglotopia.net

If you’re planning to be in London over the next couple weeks – don’t plan to taking a flight on the London Eye, it will be closed due to essential yearly maintenance.

According to About London:

Every January, the London Eye needs to close for a few weeks maintenance and this season the annual maintenance period is from 8 January to 21 January 2011 inclusive.

Source.

So, if you’re in London, you can still check the London Eye out on the Southbank, but you won’t be able to take a ride.

That said – if you’re planning a trip to London in the future – I always recommend riding the London Eye at least once, it’s well worth the money and time.

Travel Alert: London Eye Closing for 2 Weeks is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The following is a guest post from Michael, a blogger at CreditCardForum.com – a social media site for all types of credit card reviews, including the best travel rewards credit cards.

I didn’t get the chance to travel internationally much growing up, but when my family did go, I remember we would always get traveler checks beforehand. They were safer than cash and saved us the hassle of converting to the local currency. Fast forward to 2010, many people still take this same approach, but instead of using traveler checks, they just use their credit cards. However, there are a few differences between using credit cards in the United States and using them internationally. If you’re an American, here are five things you need to know about using your credit cards in the UK…

(1) Beware of foreign transaction fees

You almost always are going to be charged a foreign transaction fee when using your cards in the UK (or any other country too, for that matter). This fee varies by issuer, but most banks charge a 3% fee. So if you spent the equivalent of $1,000 USD while in London, there would be an extra charge of $30 (3%) on your credit card statement. When you consider that credit cards are much safer than cash, for many the 3% fee is worth it. But there are ways to pay a lower fee… or none at all! How? Well, Discover cards charge a 2% fee so that’s a bit cheaper (but acceptance will be limited). Then there’s one credit card company that charges no foreign transaction fee at all – Capital One. To be honest, I hate them, but they are the only issuer that doesn’t charge this fee. So if you travel to the UK a lot, you may want to consider a Capital One card solely for that purpose.

(2) Credit card acceptance is different

In the US, the major credit card companies are Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. However if you whip out your Discover card in the UK, the cashier may not know what it is! But that should be changing soon; Discover acquired Diners Club a couple years ago and starting this year, you will be able to use your Discover card at UK merchants that accept Diners Club (but that’s not widely accepted). The acceptance of American Express in the UK has grown quite a bit over the past decade, but it’s far from being universally accepted. Therefore you should definitely plan on bringing a Visa/MasterCard. In fact, bring a couple in case something happens to one.

(3) Notify your credit card company before your trip

If you haven’t left Ohio for five years and the next day you’re in Glasgow making a purchase, don’t be surprised if your transaction is declined. Why? Because it’s not normal for your spending pattern, so your bank will flag it as possible fraud. This can be a real headache if you’re trying to check into a hotel, pay for a taxi, etc. and your card isn’t working. So what you will want to do is call up your credit card company a couple days before traveling to let them know where you’re going. That way they will be expecting these overseas charges and will be much less likely to flag them as fraud.

(4) No “smart chips” can sometimes be a problem

Pretty much everywhere in the world (other than the United States) uses what are known as “smart chips” on their credit cards. These add an extra security measure; a four digit pin is encoded and it must be entered when the card is used (similar to an ATM card here in the states).  The UK is a very tourist-friendly country so most places – like hotels and restaurants – should still be able to process your US credit card (which only has a magnetic strip). However there are some places where you may not be able to use them, particularly anywhere that has self-service payments (automated kiosks). For example, vending machines at regional rail stations, parking meters in parts of London, etc. For now there’s no easy solution for this problem. If an attendant is available they should be able to run your card manually. U.S. banks have tossed around the idea of issuing smart chip credit cards for cardholders that travel internationally, but so far that has not happened yet.

(5) Merchants may set minimum purchase amounts

In the United States, technically a merchant is not allowed to set a minimum purchase amount. For that reason, I use my travel rewards credit card even if I’m buying a candy bar, simply because I love earning my miles! However that won’t fly in the UK – merchants often set minimum transaction amounts if you’re going to pay with a card (like 20 euros, for example). So if you’re accustomed to using your card for tiny transactions, that might not always be possible.

Thanks for reading my post – I hope it prevents some headaches for those travelers using credit cards in the UK for the first time!

Cheers,Michael @ Credit Card Blog

Guest Post: Using Credit Cards In The UK: 5 Things You Need To Know is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Rick Steves recently posted the ideal 1 week London itinerary on his blog – and I can’t find anything to disagree with.

It’s pretty packed but you can see everything in London worth seeing in a carefully scheduled week.

Here’s his take on the perfect 1 week London Itinerary:

Day 1: 9:00 — Tower of London (crown jewels first to beat the crowds, then Beefeater tour, then White Tower); 13:00 — Munch a sandwich on the Thames while cruising from Tower to Westminster Bridge; 15:00 — Tour Westminster Abbey (consider Evensong service at 17:00); 17:00 — Follow the self-guided Westminster Walk. When you’re finished, you could return to the Houses of Parliament and pop in to see the House of Commons in action.

Day 2: 8:30 — Take a double-decker hop-on, hop-off London sightseeing bus tour (from Green Park or Victoria) and hop off for the Changing of the Guard; 11:00 — Buckingham Palace (guards change most days, but worth confirming); 12:00 — Walk through St. James’s Park to enjoy London’s delightful park scene; 13:00 — After lunch, tour Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum; 16:00 — Tour National Gallery. Have a pub dinner before a play, concert, or evening walking tour (for ideas, see the Entertainment chapter).

Day 3: 9:00 — Follow the self-guided City Walk from Trafalgar Square to London Bridge, inserting the full St. Paul’s Tour in the middle; 15:00 — Follow the self-guided Bankside Walk along the South Bank of the Thames, then walk the Jubilee Promenade from the Millennium Bridge to the London Eye. Cap the day with South Bank sights or experiences open in the evening: a ride on the London Eye, a Shakespearean play at Shakespeare’s Globe (19:30 in summer), or the Tate Modern (open Fri and Sat until 22:00).

Day 4: 10:00 — Tour the British Museum; 14:00 — Take the self-guided West End Walk to see Covent Garden, Soho, and the Regent Street shops; 17:30 — Enjoy an afternoon tea (at Fortnum & Mason or at The Wolseley).

Day 5: Spend the morning at an antique market. Spend the rest of your day at your choice of major sights. Depending on your interests, choose from the British Library, Tate Britain, Museum of London, Imperial War Museum, or Kew Gardens (cruise to Kew, return to London by Tube).

Day 6: 10:00 — Cruise from Westminster to Greenwich; 11:00 — Tour salty sights of Greenwich; 14:30 — Ride the DLR train to Pudding Hill Lane to see the Olympics 2012 site; 16:00 — Ride the DLR to the Docklands for a look at London’s emerging “Manhattan”; 18:00 — Tube back to London.

Day 7: 10:00 — Tour the Victoria & Albert Museum; after lunch (or a picnic in the park), stroll through Hyde Park. Spend the afternoon at Harrods or other shopping.

Be sure to check out Rick Steves’ Blog Gone Europe here – he’s in London right now and writing all about it.

Also, check out all the great Rick Steves London and Britain related videos we wrote about a couple months ago.

Great 1 Week London Itinerary from Rick Steves is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Did you know that the peak hour for suicides on London Underground is 11am? Or that Pimlico is the only tube station on the entire network that doesn’t include any of the letters in the word ‘badger’? Or that the best place to see a mouse (should you so wish) is Oxford Circus or Waterloo on the Bakerloo line? We interviewed the fantastic Annie Mole, creator of the London Underground Blog on our site this week and frankly, it was too good not to share.

Speaking of animals (as we very tenuously were) I’ve also created a list of bars in London with cool taxidermy. Certainly, the prospect of supping a pint under the glassy gaze of  a pair of boxing squirrels is not everyone’s cup of tea, but, as I argued on the blog, the presence of a cigar smoking cat or a non-plussed ram, while a little  freaky, actually indicates a bar of merit.  I mean, for a start, it won’t be a budget pub with sticky floors and a large student population, as no one would risk a beautiful rabbit with horns in an establishment where it would be at peril from cider ‘n’ black splashes. It probably won’t be one of those places with prams blocking the doors and shrieking children running through legs either, as the prospect of seeing a storybook hero decapitated and hung on a wall is traumatic, and Fantastic Mr Fox this aint. Places with taxidermy are likely to be a little bit  quirky, a little bit cool, a little bit different, and the people that inhabit them are likely to possess these traits too. Now don’t get me wrong, these are just observations, not rules fixed as hard and fast as this shrugging owl, indeed they probably don’t apply outside London where people who really, y’know hunt and shoot things, but if you’re looking for a somewhere a bit ‘different’ to go, I would suggest these places.

Photo of balloon holding squirrel by bompopsaregood via Flickr used under a Creative Commons License.

From Metrotwin: All Creatures Great and Stuffed – London Underground is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I had to go to the Houses of Parliament for a meeting today.  As you do.

I was early for my meeting, so I did a couple of things that a tourist probably wouldn’t.

Firstly, I went into St. Margaret’s Church.  Never heard of it?  Well, that’s probably because it stands right next door to Westminster Abbey.  So you’ve got the HUGE abbey saying “look at me!!!” and it’s really easy to miss  St. Margaret’s completely (even though it’s not small), but it’s worth going in.  Admission is free, although a donation would be welcome.  St. Margaret’s is commonly known as the “parish church of the House of Commons” and was originally built in the 11th century, so there’s history shouting out from every detail inside.

It was the church in which Samuel Pepys (the famous London diarist) and Winston Churchill married their brides and Beau Brummel was baptised.  But not all the interesting bits are about famous people.  I was most touched by a simple yet beautiful hand-engraved 17th century wooden and brass plaque dedicated by a loving father to his ten-year-old daughter who died, praising her good nature, dedication and piety and hoping she would be an example to others.

It also has beautiful stained glass windows, both old and new, and while I was there a simple prayer was said that made everyone stop for a moment and think of things more important than where to go for lunch, or whether it was still snowing outside.

Having visited St. Margaret’s, I went into the Houses of Parliament and headed for Central Lobby.  You may think that if you’re not a UK citizen, you can’t go in, but during August, September and October you can book a tour.

Central Lobby is a stunning area in a breathtakingly beautiful building, as you can see here.  Pugin certainly let his talent run wild and every detail of every floor, wall, pillar, arch and ceiling is extravagant, stunning and a piece of art in its own right. Incidentally, the people-watching there is first-class too; from famous politicians and celebrities to harassed-looking young clerks and tour guides in knee-breeches, all bustling through with purpose whilst I sat there at leisure.  I’ve rarely enjoyed a ten-minute wait so much anywhere in the world.

Charmingly, it also holds the venue for my second reason for being early.  A post office.

A post office?  Really?  Yes – because I couldn’t resist writing and posting a card to my daughter in a special souvenir envelope, with a drawing of the Houses of Parliament and luxuriously embossed with the portcullis logo in gold.  And I have to say, for the sake of £2.50 plus postage I highly recommend you do so, too.  As souvenirs go, it’s pretty cool and very, very few people realise that you can do this.  The lady at Central Lobby post office stamps it with the special “House of Commons” post mark and then they give you a clear plastic envelope so your lovely message doesn’t get marked whilst going through the postal system, but arrives in pristine condition.  Great fun.  I can’t wait to see my daughter’s face when it arrives and she sees where Mummy went!

So if you’re going to Westminster remember, whilst St. Paul’s Cathedral is a must, don’t forget St. Margaret’s is there too.  And YES you CAN go into the Houses of Parliament even if you’re not a UK citizen (in the summer).  Tickets go on sale this Monday, 1st March, so get online and get booked in for the experience of a lifetime.  And don’t forget your address book…

Inside the Houses of Parliament is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The following is a guest post from Graham Greenglass, a London Taxi Driver and London Tour Guide. Check out his cool London tours here.

London is a small village of eight million people.  You don’t believe me?  Here’s a story to illustrate my point. Firstly, I suppose you should know that I’m a London taxi driver and on any day I can drive my black cab to any and many parts of this urban sprawl of said eight million. There is not a part of London I have not seen or been to.

One chilly morning last week I was driving empty through Kensington High Street, approaching Wholefoods (yes, we have one) when I was hailed by a slim middle aged woman, who turned out to be American.

We drove to her destination – a small Mayfair side street – via Hyde Park, past the Wellington Barracks billet of the Household Cavalry on the right, and to the left the former site of the Great Exhibition of 1851, now just a giant rectangle of grass.  The metered fare came to £11.60 which she topped up to £12.00, paying with a £20 note.

The day drags on, job follows job – sometimes more quickly than at other times – and around mid afternoon I find myself driving empty through Kensington High Street, approaching Wholefoods, when I was hailed by a slim middle aged woman, who turned out to be American.  The same middle aged American woman as before.

We laughed and made light conversation about the coincidence and when I dropped her off, in Chelsea, the metered fare came to £11.60 which she topped up to £12.00, paying with a £20 note.

This tale of connectivety brings me rather neatly to a little game that I’ve invented called â€˜Six Degrees of London Separation’. It’s a simple and quite obvious game which is topped and tailed by two London subjects (the subjects can be anything or anyone connected to London at anytime).

For the first game I have selected two random and seemingly incongruous subjects: Harrods and Johnny Rotten.

Harrods – Henry Harrod, a small time tea merchant from Eastcheap in the City, bought a grocery shop in the village of Knightsbridge in 1849.  The business expanded and grew until the famous terracotta brick department store was built in 1901-05.

Dodi Fayed – Son of present Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed, who bought the store in 1985.

Princess Diana – Died in a car crash with boyfriend Dodi Fayed in Paris in August 1997.

Paul Burrell – Butler and PA to Princess Diana, up to her untimely death.

‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here‘ - Reality TV show on which Paul Burrell was a contestant (Series4).

Johnny Rotten – Londoner Johnny Rotten was lead singer of London punk band the Sex Pistols.  Under real name of John Lydon was lead singer of Public Image Limited and was a contestant on reality TV show ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ (Series 3).

Perhaps for this game to be more fun it should really involve the Anglotopia reader.  Email your two ‘separated’ suggestions to me at: enquiries@londoncabtours.co.uk /Subject: Six Degrees.

London Taxi Drivers Slang (pt1)

London Taxi Drivers have always had their slang.  It tends to be a mixture of the trades’ own originated words and phrases, cockney rhyming slang (but particular to the taxi trade) and borrowed.  Here are three examples:

The Wedding Cake – The Queen Victoria Memorial (QVM) in front of Buckingham Palace.  Basically it’s a tiered, sculpted ‘top of the wedding cake’ white marble spectacular.  Created by Sir Thomas Brock in 1911.

Sherbert (Dab) – Cockney rhyming slang for Cab.  As in most rhyming slang, only the first word is spoken.  The original sherbert dab was a traditional and much loved British sweet.  Typical usage: “I was driving my sherbert around The Wedding Cake, on my way to The Dead Zoo, when the Billy in the back asks me to take him to The Pit instead”.

Droshky – Borrowed directly from the Polish for Cab.  Many Jewish immigrants progeny were/still are cabbies in London.  Read Isaac Beshevis Singer to find many a Warsaw droshky ridden.

Check out the London Taxi Driver and London Tour Guide website.

Guest Post: Graham Greenglass – London Taxi Driver and London Tour Guide is a post from: Anglotopia.net

London is a particularly magical place at Christmas time and I can’t wait to experience it myself for the first time this year. So, I’ve decided to put together a quick guide to Christmas in London for 2009.

London Christmas Lights

Most of the major Shopping Streets in London now have their Christmas lights turned on. The most popular are the Oxford Street Christmas lights which were turned on to great fanfare by Jim Carrey last week.

You can also see Christmas lights on:

• Carnaby Street
• Jermyn Street
• Regent Street
• Bond Street
• Marylebone
• Covent Garden will also be lit up with Christmas lights as well.

London Christmas Ice Skating

There are several romantic venues to take in ice skating in London:

• Natural History Museum
• Somerset House
• Tower of London
• Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park
• Hampton Court Palace
• Canary Wharf
• Alexandra Palace

Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree turn on Date

London’s most prominant Christmas tree is put on display in Trafalgar Square every year. It’s always a gift from Norway and it’s decorated in Norwegian style – it’s a thank you from Norway for the War. This year the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree Lights will be turned on December 3rd 2009 – which I think is rather late and I’m going to miss it. Also, during mid-December, Trafalgar Square has carol singers who spread the festive holiday cheer.

Christmas Church Services

If you happen to be in London during the Holidays be sure to stop by St. Paul’s Cathedral or Westminter Abbey and enjoy a Christmas midnight service. All the churches in London are free and open to worshippers who’d like to experience a true English Christmas.

London Christmas Shopping

London is a shopping mecca and there are plenty of places to do your shopping for the holidays. There’s Oxford Street of course and Covent Garden, but also the Westfield Shoppingtown Mall in Shepard’s Bush. And of course – you must stop in to the Harrod’s Christmas shop! Sadly, chances are you won’t be able to see Santa in the flesh – there are only a couple Santa’s in London and they were pretty much booked solid back in August.

Do you have any top tips for Christmas in London?

London Travel: Quick Guide to Christmas in London 2009 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

To tip or not to tip?  That is the question.

Oh, and how much?  How do I do it ‘gracefully’?  Can it cause offence?

And these questions are just the tip of the iceberg.  So, let me tip you a wink on the subject and then when you’re next in Blighty you won’t tip the applecart.

Okay, don’t worry, I’m finished with the excruciatingly predictable jests now and the rest of the post will be in English.  Ahem.

1.  No-one will be offended if you tip them.  There are a LOT of people in the tourist industry coping on truly awful salaries and I can’t think of anyone who would be offended by you tipping them if done discreetly and in a non-patronising manner.  There are a very select few resorts who say in their literature that “tipping is unnecessary”, but you will be aware of this in advance.  Occasionally you may be served by people who are extremely well paid and do not require a tip, but if you try to tip these chaps, they will politely and gracefully decline (and even so, they will not have been offended by your gratuity).  I was once staying in a very nice London hotel and held a door open for someone…who tipped me!  I simply smiled, thanked them and put it in the nearest charity box.

2. In the UK, we don’t tip anyone if the service was bad (although my husband has been known to tip a penny as a wordless insult for truly awful service).  If the service was really the best you’ve ever had, I tip and then also email head office to tell them they have great staff.  If it was the worst I’ve ever had, I email about that too!  I like to think that’s firm but fair.

3. In cabs; the usual way to tip is to round up the fare.  So if your journey costs £8.40, just give him £10.  If you’re on business and you need a receipt, say “Can we call that a tenner and can I have a receipt please?”.

4.  For food; in restaurants, look at your bill (check).  If no service charge is shown and your service was good, tip 10-15%.  If you are in any doubt as to where the money might go (some owners bank the money if you pay by card) then give your tip in cash directly to your waiter.  If eating in a cafe or pub, it is perfectly acceptable to pay your bill, receive your change and then leave coins on the table by your plate when you leave.  Tips are not usually left in coffee shops unless the service was very good, and most coffee shops have a dish by the till for this.  Tips are not given in fast-food or takeaway places.

5.  In hotels, we generally do not tip the doorman (if he simply opens the door), the staff at reception or the waiting staff at breakfast-time.  I make a point of not tipping porters (bellboys) who insist on carrying my tiny bag to my room when I have already said I am fine carrying my own, but do tip if they have helped me with particularly awkward bags, or if a bellboy has gone back down to the car for me when I have forgotten something.  Tipping concierges can be tricky, as the best ones are sometimes very old-fashioned, wonderful gentlemen who take enormous pride in making your stay productive and enjoyable.  If your concierge has been truly outstanding (and may I say the concierge at the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath is possibly the most wonderful concierge I have ever been pointed in the right direction by), the best advice I can give is to tip them discreetly, perhaps by writing them a notelet expressing your heartfelt thanks for their kind advice and enclosing any amount you feel is appropriate to ‘treat’ themselves with.  Tipping chambermaids is another tricky one.  Personally, I am an unbelievably clean and tidy person; I don’t tip them.  If I made a lot of work for a chambermaid I would certainly tip an appropriate amount for the trouble I have put them to.

6.  In pubs; tipping is not often done at the bar, but if you are ordering complicated drinks or large rounds, then it is customary to say at the end of your order “and have one for yourself”.  Although your server is not allowed to actually drink during working hours, they will take around £2 to £3 as a tip.  That’s just how it’s always been done in pubs!

7.  Hairdressers; yet another tricky one.  Obviously if you’re going to see Nicky Clarke or another celebrity hairdresser type, they may be offended by you proffering a crumpled fiver.  Most hairdressers would be perfectly happy.  Personally I don’t tip my hairdresser (as he owns the business, so I consider him above it), but if the junior who washes my hair gives me a great scalp massage I leave them a pound or two.  Beauty therapy is another badly-paid profession, so tips would be gratefully accepted here.

8.  For other people you may meet, such as tour guides, shoe-shines, street entertainers etc. I would say follow your instinct; how great an impact has this person made on your stay?  If they have simply done their job and no more, personally I wouldn’t tip.  If they have gone over and above the call of duty to make your visit truly memorable and enjoyable, then tip accordingly.

9.  Remember; a heartfelt thank you, dazzling smile and firm handshake on parting is a great tip in itself for someone who is proud of what they do.  A handwritten note, or follow-up email shows thoughtfulness.  A tip is nice, too, but without the smile it can come across as arrogant, patronising, snooty or crass.

10.  Don’t worry about tipping all the time; in Britain we simply don’t.  People who receive tips are flattered by them and for the lowly-paid it is a tremendous help to make ends meet.  But if you don’t tip they won’t put your name on some British hotel blacklist or broadcast the fact on Twitter!  Enjoy your holiday.  Enjoy meeting people.  Enjoy being pampered.  Enjoy Britian.

The Anglotopia Guide to Tipping in Britain and London: Ten Top Brit tipping tips… is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Photo from Flickr by World of Good

Okay, this post is for all of you chaps who have ever fancied being a quintessential English gentleman for the day.

BUT IT IS SECRET.  This stuff is normally only known by true bonafide Brits (like me) and I shouldn’t really be divulging such secrets but… ho hum, I thought Jonathan might like to try being a proper English gentleman during his stay in London in November.

Now obviously a proper gent would stay at his club, but being a visitor, you’ll have to make do with The Savoy, The Grosvenor, Claridge’s or at a pinch, The Waldorf.  Please remember to bring a tie, else you won’t be allowed in the dining room; I saw someone refused entry once and it wasn’t pretty.

So, after a good night’s sleep and a sumptuous breakfast – remember a true old-fashioned gent would partake of porridge (with cream and salt, no sugar!) followed by kippers or kedgeree with a round of toast and marmalade to finish, preferably served with a pot of robust Assam tea – saunter down to Geo. F. Trumper’s at 20, Jermyn Street and have a shave (£30).  Yes, a traditional shave by a traditional barber; cutthroat razor, leather strop – hope you didn’t see Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd…

And if one of the older chaps shaves you, he’ll be able to tell you all about life in bowler-hat London, when gentlemen used to call in for a shave on the way to their club for breakfast and women were never seen over the threshold at a barber’s (that would have been ‘most irregular!’).  You will emerge 40 minutes later having been wrapped in hot towels, lathered, shaved, massaged and moisturised looking and feeling better than you have ever done in your entire life.

By now you will not be walking, you will be floating.  So, float out of the door, turn right to the Daks store (at 101 Jermyn Street) and buy a new outfit, suitable for the new “English gent” you.  After all, if it’s good enough for H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh and H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, it’s good enough for the rest of us.  But remember, those brown corduroy trousers and dapper sports jacket must only be worn in the country, not in London (except on Fridays).  And if you’re a gentleman of a certain age, do buy a cravat.  Sorry, I just have a thing for men in cravats; can’t help it.  But they DO look divine.  Think Cary Grant (and yes, Archibald Leach was a Brit); oh dear, I’ve come over all unnecessary thinking about Cary Grant in a cravat now.  Anyway, where was I?  Oh yes.

Now scoot back around the corner to Piccadilly and go and find the missus.  She will probably have taken advantage of your back being turned and headed for Fortnum and Mason.  So pop along there and once she’s finished swooning over you and kissing your baby-soft skin you can plan what to do next.

Why not go to a lunchtime recital at St. James’ church on Piccadilly?  There are concerts most Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and at £3 you could do with some good-value entertainment as you’ve had an expensive day so far (and that’s not even including what may have been spent at F&M)!

That should work up an appetite, so head back to Piccadilly circus and eat lunch at one of the best kept secrets ever (I can’t believe I’m telling you about this one); The Criterion Restaurant.  There it is, right by the Criterion theatre, with a revolving door.  How did you not notice it before?  What?  It’s closed? NO IT ISN’T!  They just make it look all dark when you peek in, so if you’re a tourist you’ll go away.  Walk in boldly and when you’re seated at your table, beware of neck ache (the ceiling is just…SO gold!).  When you’re there, eating in such sumptuous surroundings you can’t stop the words “British Empire” popping into your head.  The old-fashioned English gent would, of course, choose the mutton chop with mashed potatoes, but the organic salmon with samphire might be the more modern gent’s choice.  From £18 for two courses.  On the other hand, if you did have the kedgeree for breakfast, maybe just grab a quick sarnie (sandwich) from Pret.

After lunch, back down to the other end of Piccadilly again for a stroll in Green Park and, if weather permits, a perusal of The Times whilst nodding off in a deckchair.

On the way back to one’s club/hotel, amble up the Burlington Arcade for a new pair of leather-soled slippers and a Yard-O-Led pen (how could you be a proper gent without these British essentials?), then pop next door to the Royal Academy of Arts and soak up some culture.  Whilst there, you could book a table for dinner (with live Jazz music on Fridays) before sauntering back to your abode.

Good heavens.  That’s a whole day gone and we didn’t even have any time for visiting the markets, Piccadilly or Prince’s arcades, taking afternoon tea the The Ritz or antique shop browsing on Sackville Street!  Maybe we’ll have another Piccadilly post one day for the ladies…

How do I know all this secret stuff?  Well, my club IS on Piccadilly; let me know when you’re visiting, maybe I’ll buzz you in.

From the Heart… of England: Shhhhhhh! TOP SECRET How to become a London Gent is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Pardon this moment of self promotion. I’m currently in a photo contest over at BritFancy and the prize is a walk from London Walks – something I’d love to do on my trip to London in November. It’s a close race and I would appreciate any votes in my favor. My picture is the first one – Gold Hill.

You have until June 28th to Vote. Click here to Vote.

Thanks for your Votes!

Vote for Me! is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Trafalgar Square is one of my favorite London attractions and many people don’t know that there is a empty plinth (stand) for a statue that was never made.

Now, instead of an empty plinth, it’s given over to various art projects to display something that reflects modern London. This summer, living people will have a chance to be the fourth plinth statue.

What?

Let the people behind it describe what they’re up to:

This summer, sculptor Antony Gormley invites you to help create an astonishing living monument. He is asking the people of the UK to occupy the empty Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in London, a space normally reserved for statues of Kings and Generals. They will become an image of themselves, and a representation of the whole of humanity.

Every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break, a different person will make the Plinth their own. If you’re selected, you can use your time on the plinth as you like. One & Other is open to anyone and everyone from any corner of the UK. As long as you’re 16 or over and are living or staying in the UK, you can apply to be part of this unforgettable artistic experiment.

You can play your part in making this idea a reality – either by volunteering yourself, by telling others about it, or by experiencing it online or in the square itself.

If you’re going to be in London this summer, into the fall, then apply to be a part of this awesome project.

Find out more here.

Want to be a living statue in Trafalgar Square? is a post from: Anglotopia.net

British Airways announced this incredible deal on Twitter today that I HAD to share with you guys. Not only are airfares at record lows right now, but if you book by Thursday, April 23rd they’ll also include a Free London Pass which gets you free access to many top London Attractions.

Some airfares are as low at $156 each way (not including taxes). Travel is from April 28th to September 2, 2009. My trip is in November, so I won’t be taking advantage of this deal (I’m also waiting for November airfares to go down a bit).

The London Pass gets you access to:

• The Tower of London
• London Tower Bridge
• St. Paul’s Cathedral
• Windsor Castle and over 55 more attractions.

Anyone who’s been to England recently has gotten sticker shock at how much it costs to get into some of the biggest tourist sites. So, getting this pass for free with airfare is a great deal.

See the complete details of the deal here.

They also have some cracking deals on hotels and this would also go well with the Travelodge Deal I wrote about yesterday.

To keep up with the latest happenings on British Airways, be sure to follow them on Twitter!

Anglophile Alert: Incredible Deal for London Flights From British Airways with Free Pass is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Richard Cudlip is a London Black Cab Driver who keeps an awesome blog called The Cabbies Capital. He’s also active on Twitter. He’s put together a great post for Anglotopia on Things You Must Do in London that aren’t necessarily in the Tourist books.

Being a London obsessive, I couldn’t really have a better job.  I get to drive around my great city 50-60 hours a week, getting a chance to meet some of it’s “interesting” characters and seeing bits of the city that others normally miss.  It’s with this in mind that I wanted to share with you the things I think you MUST do in London.  Not the obvious ones like visit the Houses of Parliament, London Eye or British Museum. 

These are the things & places that I often visit myself and implore any visitor to London not to miss.  If you don’t do them all, I’ll be jolly annoyed and will get the Beefeaters to lock you in the Tower.  Or make you listen to Boyzone CD’s for a week.  Remember, us cabbies have friends everywhere, I will know if you don’t……..

The Hunterian Museum

Hunterian Museum, Lincolns Inn Fields. Not for the faint hearted, this is a collection of human & animal specimens collected over the past 400 years.  Originally the collection of John Hunter, it was purchased by the government in 1799 & donated to The Royal College of Surgeons, in whose building the museum is housed.  Probably best visited before you have lunch, this museum has many amazing exhibits, my favourite being the skeleton of the “Irish Giant”, Charles Byrne.  Oh, and Winston Churchill’s dentures.

Wardrobe Place

Wardrobe Place, just around the corner from St Paul’s Cathedral this small cul-de-sac is named after the house that stood nearby and became the King’s Wardrobe during the reign of James III.  Not much to look at now, but this small street is part of a maze of roads that give you a clue as to how the City was laid out before the Great Fire of London.  You can read more about the area surrounding St Paul’s here.

Trinity Church Square

Trinity Church Square. Not too far down Borough High Street, that you couldn’t walk here after taking in the delights of Borough Market, this square must be one of the most intact of it’s kind in London.  Built in the early 19th century, it is now a quiet haven away from the hustle & bustle of Borough High Street.  The original church is now Henry Wood Hall, a rehearsal space for orchestras.  It doesn’t advertise itself much and certainly doesn’t have it’s own website or anything, but thanks to Google Street View, you can have a good nose around anyway.

Sir John Soanes Museum

Sir John Soanes Museum. You can do this & the Hunterian together in the same morning before popping off to The Lamb (see below) for lunch & other suitable refreshments.  Just over the other side of Lincolns Inn Fields, this is a quite remarkable museum.  John Soane is one of those amazing British philanthropists that made their money in the late 18th to early 19th century.  The son of a bricklayer, Soane became a hugely influential figure and Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy in 1806.  As these sort of people did, he started collecting stuff in his house and didn’t stop until it was pretty much full up.  Not too impressed with his sons & heirs, he decided that he would leave his house & it’s  contents for “students & amateurs” to enjoy.  Luckily for us professionals & non-students alike, the museum is free to enter although you do occasionally have to queue as they only let quite limited numbers in at a time,  Don’t visit on a Sunday or Monday either, it’s closed.  But do visit, it’s fab.

Walk from Maida Vale to Islington

Walk from Maida Vale to Islington, alongside the Regent’s Canal.  It’s not a short walk, but it really is worthwhile.  You can take in the narrow boats around Maida Vale, walk through Regents Park (and London Zoo), stop in Camden for shopping & refreshment, then gird your loins for the final push to Islington, where more shopping awaits, if you make it there before closing time.  If needs be, you can always bail out early and walk down to St Pancras to take in it’s magnificence and get the tube home.  On the way you pass many interesting places including the London Canal Museum.  If your not up too walking to far, you can also get a boat from Maida Vale.

The Lamb Pub

The Lamb Pub, Lamb’s Conduit Street. In one of my favourite streets is my favourite London pub.  Owned by Young’s Brewery, which until very recently still brewed it’s beer just down the road from me in Wandsworth, this is a great pub that has hardly changed since it was built in the early 18th century.  In recent times it has upgraded it’s food menu, which is no bad thing, but it still serves the marvellous Young’s Special and if you really want to go mad try a couple of Ram & Specials, the sort of drink that seems like a great idea at the time but can take weeks to recover from.  You can read a longer review, and see some photos over at the cabbies capital.

Mudlarking in the Thames

Mudlarking. A word of warning up front here, the Thames is a tidal river and if you are going to venture onto the foreshore, make sure you know when the tide is coming in.  And, technically speaking, you need a permit to mudlark – the Port of London Authority are in charge of these sorts of things.  Or, like me, you can try and get on a Museum of London organised trip where a nice man organises everything for you and is extremely knowledgeable to boot.  He’ll tell you all about clay pipes, 16th & 17th century plates and even roof tiles from the Great Fire of London.  I was lucky enough to find a clay pipe (ten a penny on the foreshore), a nice bit of 17th century plate and my prize possession a (unratified) piece of roof tile blackened on one side from the Great Fire.  Brilliant.

And finally, and not at all off the beaten track or ignored by tourist guides.  You can’t ignore them, go vist;

St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tate Modern

St Paul’s Cathedral & Tate Modern.  Just across the river from each other they represent the extremes of old & new London, and historical, religious and cultural London.  St Paul’s is my favourite building in the city and I can heartily recommend climbing to the top of the dome, not just for the view but equally for the glimpse it gives you of the insides of this monumental building.  And the Tate Modern represents the best of London reinventing itself, the old Bankside power station now brilliantly housing the best modern art you can find.  Both can be covered in a day, linked by the ever so slightly wobbly Millennium Bridge, there are plenty of places to eat & drink around the Tate.

So please visit as many of these places as you can.  Take your time when you can, enjoy the views around the river, be cultural, be religious, be anything you like, London doesn’t care.  Drink too many Ram & Specials, stagger across the wobbly bridge but I’d rather you weren’t sick in my cab.  Tourists are great, but not ones that barf.

London Attractions You MUST See From a London Cabbie is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I recently discovered an awesome new site for people planning a trip to London (or if you already live there). It’s called Spoonfed and it’s a London events guide. They bill it as the “the smart, definitive guide to things to do in London.”

What makes this site different from other London events sites is that it harnesses the power of social media as part of the website. People can find events bases on their preferences, write their own reviews and communicate with the site on several social media websites.

As someone who works in Social Media, I’m VERY impressed. The site is filled with events going on in London, especially events that you may not have heard of from anywhere else.

This site is must visit if you’re planning a trip to London. You’ll be able to see what’s on while you’re there and plan your trip accordingly. It gives you all the details you’ll need to attend an event such as the relevant dates, where it’s at, cost, google maps as well as other events that are related by subject.

By far the killer feature is the ability to keep a wishlist of all the events you want to attend. Perfect for London trip planning. Once you register for an account, they’ll customize a search based on you’re preferences. You see things your interested in, in the neighborhoods you’re interested in.

I’m very impressed with the site and the work they are doing. It’s the kind of Web 2.0 start-up I’d love to be involved with.

Check out Spoonfed here

Read the Spoonfed Blog

Follow them on Twitter

Awesome London Events Travel Resource – Spoonfed is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I’m a proud iPhone owner and love keeping Anglophile stuff at my fingertips on my phone. I’ve been testing out apps for some time now and I think it’s a good time talk about my 10 best iPhone apps for Anglophiles.

Top 10 Best iPhone Apps for Anglophiles

NetNewsWire

This isn’t an Anglophile apps per se, but it’s a good one to have in your arsenal. NetNewWire is a feedreader that will let you keep up to date on all your favorite Anglophile Blogs (like this one) or news feeds (like from the BBC).

Cost: Free
Download:

Currency

Currency is a simple App, it gives you the current exchange rates. Perfect if you want to see how the dollar is faring against the pound at any time of the day.

Cost: Free
Download:
Currency – Jeffrey Grossman

Google Earth

Google Earth lets you browse satellite maps for anywhere in the world, including Britain. It’s great to zoom in on my favorite English Village (Shaftesbury, Dorset) and click all the embedded images and Wikipedia articles about the place. It’s a very powerful little app and works surprisingly well, even on Edge connections.

Cost: Free
Download:

Tube Status

Curious about how the Jubilee line is doing or the Northern line, this simple little app gives you the current official Tube Status from London Underground.

Cost: Free
Download:

All Subway

No Anglophile should walk around without a Map of the London Underground in their pocket. There are more full featured apps than this, but this is the cheapest one that will just give you the map. It also has the added bonus of having maps for many of the transit systems of major cities all over the world.

Cost: $0.99
Download:

Frommer’s London

This is the perfect tour guide to London. Now you don’t have to carry around a guidebook and look like a tourist. It’s filled with tourist information, includes maps and reviews as well as sights and sounds of London. The app was wisely designed to be self contained, so it doesn’t need cell phone access to work.

Cost: $4.99
Download:

Telegraph

The Telegraph newsreader is a sharp app from the Telegraph Newspaper and features the latest news articles from the great newspaper. It’s also feature rich with pictures and videos. It loads quickly and provides great writing. An excellent resource to have in your pocket. My only gripe is that there is no way to e-mail articles out of the app.

Cost: Free
Download:

ITN News

Keep up with the latest news from the ITV news network. They have text stories as well as quick loading videos that give you the latest headlines. It’s a pretty sharp application as well.

Cost: Free
Download:

Pangea VR

Pangea VR is a app that lets you browse 360 degree panoramas from all over the world. It’s a great app that lets you explore lots of places in Britain, right from the palm of your hand.

Cost: Free
Download: PangeaVR

Backgrounds

Not an Anglophile app either, but filled with gorgeous pictures of Britain that you can use as your iPhone’s wallpaper.

Cost: Free
Download:

What’s your favorite Anglophile iPhone app?

Top 10 Best iPhone Apps for Anglophiles is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The Monument is one of those second tier tourist attractions in London. I’ve never actually been there, but I definitely will make a visit to it on my next trip. It’s recently been renovated and reopened, all of a sudden turning it into an interesting tourist attraction.

The Monument, located the City of London, was build to commemorate the Great Fire of London in the late 1600′s. It’s served as a solemn reminder of that great tragedy that changed the face of London forever. One thing that many people aren’t aware of is that you actually climb to the top of the monument and there is a spectacular viewing platform that provides amazing views of the city.

According to the Wikipedia article:

The Monument to the Great Fire of London, more commonly known as The Monument, is a 202 ft (61.57 metre) tall stone Roman doric column in the City of London, near to the northern end of London Bridge. It is located at the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill, 202 ft (61.57 metres) from where the Great Fire of London started in 1666. Another monument, the Golden Boy of Pye Corner marks the point near Smithfield where the fire stopped. Monument tube station is named after The Monument.

The Monument consists of a large fluted Doric column built of Portland stone topped with a gilded urn of fire, and was designed by Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke. The west side of the base of the Monument displays an emblematical sculpture, by Caius Gabriel Cibber, in alto and bas relief, of the destruction of the City; with King Charles II, and his brother, James, the Duke of York (later James II) surrounded by Liberty, Architecture, and Science, giving directions for its restoration. Its 202 foot (61.57 metre) height marks the monument’s distance to the site of Thomas Farynor, the king’s baker’s shop in Pudding Lane, where the fire began. At the time of construction (between 1671 and 1677) it was the tallest freestanding stone column in the world.

The Monument was getting pretty shabby, so it was closed down in 2007 for a £4.5 million refurbishment and it happened to re-open today. Everything has been cleaned, access improved and everything restored to it’s former glory with typical British exactitude.

They’ve also developed a new website that features live webcam views from the top of the tower. Check out the new website here.

If you’re in London and want to see the Monument, it’s open daily and costs £3 for adults to go to the top.

Monument to the Great Fire of London Reopens is a post from: Anglotopia.net

One of the must see attractions when you go to London is the Tower of London. It’s something you really only need to see once, yet it’s a fantastic experience, especially if you go on a tour with one of the iconic Beefeaters.

But if you’re looking for a different way to experience the Tower of London, there’s a little known ceremony that the public can witness that not many people are allowed to. It’s called the Ceremony of the Keys.

Basically, you get to watch the guards lock up the Tower of London for the night. And being British, the guards to it with an expected amount of pomp and circumstance.

Recently IanVisits wrote a blog post about the ceremony and said this:

The Ceremony starts shortly before 10pm, where the Chief Yeoman Warder goes to the main gate and formally locks it. As he then returns down the road inside the grounds of the Castle, a sentry soldier standing guard stops him approaching with the cry of “Who Comes Here?” (no, not who goes there, as the Yeoman is coming here – not going there!)

“The Keys!” he replies. “Who’s Keys?” challenges the soldier. “Queen Elizabeth’s Keys!” comes the reply and the soldier shouts “Pass – Queen Elizabeth’s Keys!” and steps back.

The Yeoman then turns the corner and heads up a flight of steps which lead up to the main grounds of the Castle and joins a group of Yeoman there. At the top of the Stairs, under the command of their Officer, the Tower guard present arms and the Chief Warder raises his hat, proclaiming “God Save the Queen”, and everyone responds with “Amen”.

You can read all the details of the ceremony on his blog and get details on how you can witness this really neat event.

IanVisits – Watching the Ceremony of the Keys

See a Different Side of the Tower of London is a post from: Anglotopia.net

One of the biggest controversies in London in the past few years was the decision by the former Mayor, Ken Livingston to take the classic Routemaster Bus out of service and replace it with the hated bendy buses, despite promises to do otherwise.

Well, last year Ken was pushed out and a new mayor, Boris Johnson was elected on a campaign based on bringing back the beloved London icon. As soon as he took office, he launched a competition where anyone would have a chance to design the new Routemaster.

Well a couple weeks ago, the winners of the contests were announced. And some pretty heavy hitting names were chosen as the overall winners.

Two winners were chosen, actually.

The first was the acclaimed British Architects Foster and Partners who designed this futuristic looking bus:

The other bus was designed by Capoco Design, UK and this is their mockup:

So what’s next? When will we see the buses on the streets of London? It will take a few years, obviously. It’s now up to British manufacturers to build working prototypes and then a contract will be awarded for one of the buses. They hope that will happen by the end of the year and project the new bus to be on the streets by 2011, just in time for the 2012 games.

I’m partial to the Foster design myself. It’s futuristic looking, yet harkens back to the nostalgia of the Routemaster.

And if you never got a chance to ride on one of the old Routemasters, you still can in central London. London Transport runs a special heritage route where they still use the Routemaster. You can find information on this website.

See all the winning Routemaster Designs on the Mayor of London’s Website.

Read about the Iconic Routemaster on Wikipedia

The Routemaster Reborn: The Return of a London Classic is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The Londonist tipped me off to this awesome video. For a project called URBAN EARTH – a man named Daniel Raven-Ellison walked across all of London, taking a picture every 8 steps. It took two days and he turned it into a pretty cool short film.

You can see it below. Check out URBAN EARTH here.

Man Walks Across London and Takes Picture Every 8 Steps is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Heard about this from the Leaky Cauldron:

Warner Bros have now opened a new contest to win a trip to London and tour the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The Hogwarts Holiday contest, open to residents of the US to people 13 years and older, runs now until December 31, with the winner announced on January 7, 2009. The winner will receive a trip to London, England for five days and will include a visit to the set of Deathly Hallows “tentatively scheduled to take place sometime between Spring to Winter of 2009.”

I already entered! It would be an awesome prize! Especially to be able to visit the set of Harry Potter. You can enter the Warner Brothers Harry Potter London Trip Contest Here.

Anglophile Alert: Free Harry Potter London Trip Contest is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I was excited to hear today that the UK government has cut the VAT – Value Added Tax by 2.5%.

What does this mean for Anglophiles?

A cheaper trip to the UK. To those that don’t know, VAT is basically the sales tax in Britain and the rest of Europe. It’s not exactly a sales tax though, as VAT is built into the prices of goods and services, unlike in the US where sales tax is added to purchases at the point of sale.

What does a VAT cut mean for travelers?

It means a cheaper vacation to London. Currently VAT in the UK is 17.5%, a pretty big chunk of change, especially when you get a $500+ hotel bill. Well, now thanks to the efforts of the UK government to stimulate the economy, the chancellor, Allistair Darling, has cut the VAT from 17.5% to 15%. This means that there is automatically a 2.5% discount on pretty much everything.

With the lowering exchange rates, increased competitiveness on translatlantic airfares and the desperation of business to keep customers during this economic downturn, now is definately the time to book a trip to London and the rest of the UK. With a cut in VAT, expect taxes and fee on transatlantic flights to go down, along with hotel rates. Also, if you like to order products from the UK, expect those prices to go down as well.

I cannot wait for my trip in March, it’s getting cheaper day by day.

A Visit from the Tax Cut Man – VAT Cut Today is a post from: Anglotopia.net