London and Paris for spring break.

[kerbie18]

It's official.

Myself and my 12 year old youngest daughter are flying to London, spending roughly 3 days, traveling to Paris, spending a few days, and flying home in the span of 9 days.

I obviously can't take weapons. I will need to be very careful. I simply want to show Europe to my kid before it's too late.

We fly on March 29th

Edited February 22, 2019 by kerbie18

[KWalrad]

Sounds like a great time and a perfect learning opportunity. Don't fear the lack of weapons. Just keep your head on a swivel as usual and have a good time. Enjoy yourselves!

[ARP]

NYC. It's a toilet, really. Come summer time, it smells like a giant uncleaned urinal. The cab drivers pee in a container and then pour it out onto the asphalt where it soaks in like a sponge. And then it rains and then the sun comes out and turns everything steamy, and the funk rises.

[Duluth]

1 hour ago, kerbie18 said:

It's official.

Myself and my 12 year old youngest daughter are flying to London, spending roughly 3 days, traveling to Paris, spending a few days, and flying home in the span of 9 days.

I obviously can't take weapons. I will need to be very careful. I simply want to show Europe to my kid before it's too late.

We fly on March 29th

My 18 year old daughter will be going to Paris, London and Barcelona at the beginning of April.

Travel is great for kids. 

[PATCHMAN]

You'll have a great time.  A few years ago my daughter attended LSE and was there for a full year.  My wife and MIL visited her during break and the three of them also went to Paris.    One of the more memorable 8 day staycation I had!  

 

As for costs, our rule of thumb has always been that the numeric prices are the same as in the U.S.  So if a (for example) meal costs $5 in the U.S., it costs 5 pounds in England and 5 Euros in Europe.  Of course, there is the exchange rate to consider.  When my daughter was in London, it was about $1.6 to 1 pound (and about the same rate for Euros).  I haven't been following the currency exchange rates but I think now-a-days it's about 1 to 1.    

 

Anyway, enjoy!  

Edited February 22, 2019 by PATCHMAN

[MAG40 Student]

So many wonderful things to do . . .

High tea at Fortnum & Mason.

Westminster Hall/Parliament.

Churchill War Rooms

Westminster Abbey.  Check the Abbey's website and schedule your visit to end in time for Evensong at 5:00 p.m.  Mrs. MAG40 and I ended up sitting in the quire directly behind the choir.  It was exquisite.

The tube.

A play in the West End.

A train ride to tour Hampton Court, followed by lunch at The Muted Swan.

Victoria & Albert Museum.

Walk across London Bridge.

Ferry ride on the River Thames.

Kensington Palace is nice, but not stunning.  The Tower of London takes more time than probably worth for a 12-year-old. 

Most tickets can be purchased on-line in advance.

 

Safe travels and enjoy!

[limeylad]

March 29th?  Might turn into a very interesting trip!  Good Luck.

[norton]

Guy that cuts my hair took a trip to the UK.  His wife has family there.  He said one of her old aunts had nothing good to say about the U.S.

I asked him if he knew the old joke.

So, do you speak German?

No?

You're welcome. 

 

Joke would work in Paris too. 

Edited February 24, 2019 by norton

[UHLAWPUP]

Try to make the Bank of England museum.  Awhile back, they had a display where you could put your hand in a plexiglass box and try to pick up a standard gold bar.

[kerbie18]

On 2/22/2019 at 5:32 PM, limeylad said:

March 29th?  Might turn into a very interesting trip!  Good Luck.

You gonna leave me hanging? Explain...

[kerbie18]

15 minutes ago, Presguy said:

That's the date Brexit is due to go into effect. 

Exactly how Brexit will be implemented is still a little hard to say - they're still heavily debating that politically.

I think it's likely you'll see some demonstrations, at the very least. 

It will also be the first day of whatever new border control methods they implement - it may or may not affect how you clear immigration into France. At the very least, the lines will probably be longer as they figure out the new system.

If you're not super familiar, here's a decent, even-handed video: 

 

Fuuuuuuuck. Am I safe to travel?

[tadbart]

Never been, so I have nothing real to offer as far as suggestions on places to see. However, you need a nice hickory cane, yesno?

[kerbie18]

I wouldn't say no to a hickory cane. It might be the only weapon I get to take.

Edited February 24, 2019 by kerbie18

[Historian]

9 hours ago, norton said:

 

Joke would work in Paris too. 

I've been to France close to twenty times, granted I speak French, I've never run into someone who was rude about my being an American. Maybe I got lucky.

Particularly in the countryside I've had great experiences.  Especially, Normandy.

I really enjoy France and in particular Nice and Paris.

Both suffer the problems of big futures.

I just assume find a 12th century village with a population of 300 over any major city.

 

Edited February 24, 2019 by Historian

[UHLAWPUP]

2 hours ago, Historian said:

I've been to France close to twenty times, granted I speak French, I've never run into someone who was rude about my being an American. Maybe I got lucky.

Particularly in the countryside I've had great experiences.  Especially, Normandy.

I really enjoy France and in particular Nice and Paris.

Both suffer the problems of big futures.

I just assume find a 12th century village with a population of 300 over any major city.

 

I speak almost no French, but I’ve found that if you learn a few words of greeting, almost everyone will appreciate your effort and speak to you in English.  The French people were very warm and welcoming on both of my visits, country or town.

[kerbie18]

20 minutes ago, UHLAWPUP said:

I speak almost no French, but I’ve found that if you learn a few words of greeting, almost everyone will appreciate your effort and speak to you in English.  The French people were very warm and welcoming on both of my visits, country or town.

That's going to be me. I speak piss poor French, but myself and my daughter will attempt the language to be polite.

[kerbie18]

4 hours ago, Presguy said:

I'd think you'd be just fine. It shouldn't affect the Paris part of the trip, aside from a possible delay going through immigration.

While I can't say it with local knowledge and authority, I really doubt there will be anything to fear in Britain. There's a lot of hard-line discourse and argument about it in government and on the news, but I don't belive it's the kind of thing there's protests or civil unrest over.

My plan is to take the Chunnel. It's a train, under the ocean, between two nations in dispute, what could possibly go wrong...

[kerbie18]

I have perhaps gone too far when I'm told to get a life perfectly in two languages.

[HollowHead]

We go to Paris every few years.  Act like a guest and not a customer, and you will absolutely love the place.  HH

[C_Hallbert]

British Subjects voted to withdraw from the European Union, but Leftist Political Figures and proponents of Marxism have been working tirelessly to negate the will of the majority of British Subjects.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Historian]

11 hours ago, UHLAWPUP said:

I speak almost no French, but I’ve found that if you learn a few words of greeting, almost everyone will appreciate your effort and speak to you in English.  The French people were very warm and welcoming on both of my visits, country or town.

Like anyone else: They just want to be appreciated, i guess.

[RenoF250]

14 hours ago, C_Hallbert said:

British Subjects voted to withdraw from the European Union, but Leftist Political Figures and proponents of Marxism have been working tirelessly to negate the will of the majority of British Subjects.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well they had to be wrong, they are too stupid to know what they want.  How could they not see the benefit of being part of a larger bureaucracy which will take from them and give little to nothing back?

[Airmotive]

Is it too late to reconsider Paris and go to Amsterdam instead?

Wifey and I were in Paris last week with an overnight layover. Paris was always filthy, but now it’s a filthy war zone. Every significant structure is behind barricades. Thousands of police. Yellow Vest Protests unpredictably target random infrastructure. You never know when a metro line, road, bus or even an entire airport will be shut down. It also seems Parisians have now taken to deficating in the streets and sidewalks (but that probably has more to do with the large population of African migrants that have descended upon Paris in recent years. Human feces was not a problem when I was in Paris five years ago, but now it’s everywhere.)

[kerbie18]

On 2/26/2019 at 7:48 AM, Airmotive said:

Is it too late to reconsider Paris and go to Amsterdam instead?

Wifey and I were in Paris last week with an overnight layover. Paris was always filthy, but now it’s a filthy war zone. Every significant structure is behind barricades. Thousands of police. Yellow Vest Protests unpredictably target random infrastructure. You never know when a metro line, road, bus or even an entire airport will be shut down. It also seems Parisians have now taken to deficating in the streets and sidewalks (but that probably has more to do with the large population of African migrants that have descended upon Paris in recent years. Human feces was not a problem when I was in Paris five years ago, but now it’s everywhere.)

Plane tickets are bought, done deal. We'll stick to nicer hotels and tour buses. I think randomly wondering around town aimlessly will too risky.

[kerbie18]

3 hours ago, Presguy said:

Hope your vacation is off to a good start!

If you have a minute, mind sharing if the Brexit situation has affected you guys at all?

It didn't affect any of the planning, and I did a lot of checking around to see what trouble was expected. We are on layover right now, we should be in London in another 9 hours. I'll post again in a few days.