A Bird's Eye View of London and Paris March 2012 TR NEW! The END 1/12 p35

[Disney Mommy 3]

hurry up!! LOL...I leave in 20 days,...what do I need to know for the new part? I don't even know how much of it will be open for our trip,...we are during the part where you have to get the upgraded AP or whatever,...that whole thing has me confused,...I just want them to tell me if I can go in or NOT!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

hurry up!! LOL...I leave in 20 days,...what do I need to know for the new part? I don't even know how much of it will be open for our trip,...we are during the part where you have to get the upgraded AP or whatever,...that whole thing has me confused,...I just want them to tell me if I can go in or NOT!!

I sure didn't expect to be allowed in anything. But I'd been hearing about soft openings. So we go on the night of MNSSHP in the park around 5 and it's almost all open! There was no AP preview yet or any of that, it was just open. People were just looking and the CMs were saying - come on in! They had some signs at the entrance area saying something about a "dress rehearsal".

Not to spoil anything with details (and I won't get my TR going anytime soon), so here's what you should check out -

Just go over there (turn right by the carousel) and check out Enchanted Tales with Belle - it's the BEST!, Gaston's Tavern was open and serving snacks and drinks, We were allowed to look inside Be Our Guest's main room, and the Under the Sea ride was open and Ariel was meeting guests in her grotto. That was all the new stuff that is available now (you can see the work on the mine train). I sure hope you get to do it all - it's just fabulous!!!

 

[jenseib]

Wow!!! I am so excited. Rumor is that Be Our Guest will be open for lunch every day starting the 28th. I sure hope I can catch something while there (and not the flu ....don't want to jinx myself.)

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Wow!!! I am so excited. Rumor is that Be Our Guest will be open for lunch every day starting the 28th. I sure hope I can catch something while there (and not the flu ....don't want to jinx myself.)

That menu looks yummy!! When we were in Paris and had a Croque Monsieur I fell in love with them!! I want to go get one at BOG! I hope you get to eat there. NO GERMS!!!
.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Ok, I was able to get all caught up! What an amazing trip, I can't wait to hear about the rest of it!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Thank ya honey!!! I am pumped!! Hopefully we will get to see something!! I can't imagine being that close time-wise and we don't see anything!! That would be a bummer....

 

[scottny]

Stonehenge is so amazing to see.

Pretty town. Never made it there.

your at WDW. We were and it was BUSY. Way too busy for October.

Can't wait to hear about it. Some of our days crossed.

 

[eandesmom]

Ooh! I want to hear all about Celebration Town tavern.

Your DH had one of the best lines from my trip. I don't want to spoil it but it still cracks me up when I think about it!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Thank ya honey!!! I am pumped!! Hopefully we will get to see something!! I can't imagine being that close time-wise and we don't see anything!! That would be a bummer....

I hope you get to see at least something!!

Stonehenge is so amazing to see.

Pretty town. Never made it there.

your at WDW. We were and it was BUSY. Way too busy for October.

Can't wait to hear about it. Some of our days crossed.

Thanks! We really enjoyed that day. Yes our trip is done - I thought it was busy too. The predictors were way off in my opinion! I hope you had a good trip too! I'm hoping to finish this one soon so I can get started on a TR!

Ooh! I want to hear all about Celebration Town tavern.

Your DH had one of the best lines from my trip. I don't want to spoil it but it still cracks me up when I think about it!

I will definitely tell you about Celebration Town Tavern!
Now you have me curious? He does say some odd/funny/strange things.

Ok, I was able to get all caught up! What an amazing trip, I can't wait to hear about the rest of it!

I'm glad you got caught up - it probably helped that I didn't update for a couple weeks! But I'm going to get back to it soon, so stick around!

I am planning to work on updating this weekend to put more of London up, so I hope you'll stay with me. I really love London and I have lots to share. Then if I can keep up the pace, maybe I can start my October trip TR before Christmas!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

The pictures of Salisbury Cathedral are amazing, and I am in love with the town of Salisbury -- it is my idea of the perfect English village!

 

[MeMom]

The weather is great sunny and 85!! We spent from 10-3 at AK and then swam. Dinner at Ohana then touring the monorail resorts. Sitting at the top of the world lounge now. Trying to decide if we should stay here for an hour and Walt to watch Hallowishes or go to poly beach. Not sure if we could still find a good spot. Hmmmm I'd stay here and snack if I wasn't so full from Ohana

Oh, how I miss the sunny and 85 weather! It is pretty here with the multi-colored leaves, but it is windy, and the cold is on its way. I already dread it.

Do I go to Poly beach or hang out at Top of the World? What a life, huh?

Looking forward to the trip report.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

OKAY - Back to the London part of the TR! Sorry it's been so long - the days just seem to disappear lately!

Sunday March 11

Today was a day with no official plan – we slept in a bit. Our hosts’ boys had soccer games in the morning, but we weren’t ready to go anywhere, so we stayed back and reorganized our packing etc. It was turning into a beautiful day, so we just went for a walk around the neighborhood, the kids jumped on the trampoline, and we walked into town. Visited a candy store /ice cream shop. The candy was all made there and they did the coolest things – like chocolate shoes!!!

A hotel near their house

I thought this sign was amusing.

Spent a little time at the park to enjoy such a nice warm (60 F) day and headed back to the house.

Some friends came by with boxes of Legos for Jacob – they were moving and couldn’t take it all with them. Jacob and the girls dug through them, played and sorted. Jake gave the girls all the “pink and girly” stuff and they had a couple bags of Legos to bring home! Not your typical souvenir.

We didn’t do any other touring today – just had a nice time visiting our hosts and having dinner.

Tomorrow – some BIG sightseeing in London!




Monday March 12

We figured out that if we waited until the “commute” time passed, we could take a train right from Gerrards Cross a lot cheaper. So we waited until around 9 and took the train into the city and then the Tube to the Tower of London. Okay – I have to tell you – this is the COOLEST place! It’s HUGE and there is so much to see! We had 2 for 1 coupons and it was worth so much more! We took the Beefeater Tour and learned a lot about the history of the Tower. It’s really quite impressive! I took SO many pictures – I will try to limit myself. HA! We spent about 3 hours there, on the tour, seeing the Crown Jewels (of which we could NOT take pictures – trust me, they’re gorgeous!), and exploring some of the buildings and exhibits.

View from outside before you get tickets

The tower bridge
(this is about the same spot that The Today Show broadcasted from before the Olympics started)

Let's go inside...

I think this is called Traitor's Gate

Our Beefeater tour guide

Want to in the Bloody Tower? Me neither!

The Raven (there's a story about them and how something bad would happen if they left the Tower, so they clipped the wings so they can't fly away. They are not at all scared of all the people)

The little bit of circular glass you see on the left of the picture is a fountain memorial on the spot where they used to behead people! Nice, huh? I think I have a better picture somewhere.

Where is the guard? His station is unattended!

We next went to see the crown jewels. Sorry you don't get to see them! No pictures were allowed!

Sarah in "time out"

Okay maybe this looks odd. There were "statues" of animals all around the property. Back when the Tower was "active", they had received gifts of animals from royalty from all over the world. They had a big old menagerie there! So now they have the figures of the animals that had once been there. I'm sure they told the story better on the Beefeater's tour, but that's my condensed version!


cont. in next post.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Tower of London cont.

Yup, there's an elephant!

I liked the colored doors! There are still living quarters that are being used at the Tower. I forget who, but some of the staff/guards live there with their families.

Inside one of the buildings was a display of historical information, armor, weapons, etc.

I really enjoyed the Tower tour and would suggest that anyone gong to London plan for some time there.

After we left the Tower (3 hours later!) we needed food so
we stopped and grabbed a bite to eat – hot dogs and fish & chips (not as good as at the pub!). The girls needed ice cream.

We saw this on a sidewalk near St. Paul's Cathedral. I can't remember now what it is, but I thought it was so pretty!

Our next stop was St. Paul’s Cathedral – we earned a tough lesson here. Pay attention to the hours places are open! The cathedral closed at 4:30 that day, and it was already after 3 when we got there. So we saw the main part and did the audio guide tour. We climbed the 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery. That goes around the top (think inside the dome) and is open in the middle. If you stand or sit on one side and whisper into the wall, a person on the other side can hear you. It really works! By the time we came down the 257 steps, we were disappointed to learn that the place was closing to tours and we couldn’t shop! They were preparing for Evensong at 5 so we could not go to the gift shop or the crypt. L Oh well. It really was one of the most beautiful cathedrals I’ve ever seen (I seem to say that about all of them on this trip!).

Isn't it beautiful?

Apparently we weren't allowed to take pictures inside - since I don't have any!!! Suffice it to say this was my favorite cathedral/church of all the ones we saw. I thought it was the most beautiful, both in terms of architecture and art. For some reason I thought I had pictures of some of the memorials and such inside, but maybe I'm thinking of another one. I'll double check.
After we were booted out of St. Paul's, we walked across the street to where the Millenium Bridge is.
We saw a funny street perfomer, fancy trash cans, and a cool bridge with great views up and down the Thames.

Obligatory double decker bus picture:

I found this picture in with the St. Paul's ones. I believe it is a criminal justice building. Since I work in the court system, I had to have a shot of it. Looks nothing like my courthouse!

I think that's it for that day in London! I think we just headed back on the train to our friends' house after that. We might have grabbed something to eat too. I remember Jenny saying I should take her son's cell phone with us next time so we can let them know when we'd be back etc. I felt bad - hoping they hadn't been waiting on us or worried about us.

 

[eandesmom]

Oh the Tower, I would LOVE to take the kids there someday. Sigh. Never enough time or money for all that's on our list, is there?

I didn't remember that about the animals, those were some pretty interesting statues/sculptures whatever they were!

Bummer on the cathedral closing early, that is so frustrating, I've had similar things happen. Sounds like a great couple of days, nice mix of relaxing and hanging with your hosts and playing tourist.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

I have seen the specials on TV about the Beefeaters and I think they are so cool!!! Can't wait to go there someday!!!!

 

[MEK]

Is it my imagination or is this person missing their face?

What a wonderful tour of London. The buildings are absolutely amazing. What a gorgeous place with so much history. And Yeah for another sunny day!

And YEAH for edible chocolate shoes!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

What a great tour of London!!

So much history and so much to see right there! Love the chocolate shoes! Looks like it was a nice sunny day for you too!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Caught up again! It was great meeting you a few weeks ago!

I was still back in DLP and it was wonderful seeing it all! I hope to see it myself in 2014 and hope I retain bits of info from your report!

The Tower of London looks amazing!! Wow.

(and those chocolate heels were adorable! )

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Oh the Tower, I would LOVE to take the kids there someday. Sigh. Never enough time or money for all that's on our list, is there?

I didn't remember that about the animals, those were some pretty interesting statues/sculptures whatever they were!

Bummer on the cathedral closing early, that is so frustrating, I've had similar things happen. Sounds like a great couple of days, nice mix of relaxing and hanging with your hosts and playing tourist.

So true - I have a list a mile long of places I want to go! We've had such a fun trip - and there's still more!

I have seen the specials on TV about the Beefeaters and I think they are so cool!!! Can't wait to go there someday!!!!

You HAVE to go Shawna! It is so fascinating!

Is it my imagination or is this person missing their face?

What a wonderful tour of London. The buildings are absolutely amazing. What a gorgeous place with so much history. And Yeah for another sunny day!

And YEAH for edible chocolate shoes!

Yup, he's missing his face. Paige was enthralled by him! Some people stopped for pictures with him too.
London is one of my favorite cities (that I've been to so far!)
We did get a nice stretch of sunny days!

I was so tempted to buy those chocolate shoes - They would not have made it home however!

What a great tour of London!!

So much history and so much to see right there! Love the chocolate shoes! Looks like it was a nice sunny day for you too!!

It is an awesome city! I was so happy to see the sun!

Caught up again! It was great meeting you a few weeks ago!

I was still back in DLP and it was wonderful seeing it all! I hope to see it myself in 2014 and hope I retain bits of info from your report!

The Tower of London looks amazing!! Wow.

(and those chocolate heels were adorable! )

Glad you got caught up - I leave a lot of time for that don't I?
I was happy to meet you too! I hope you get to go to DLP - it was a lot of fun!
The Tower was definitely a highlight of London for me.

**************************************
Okay friends - I've got a favor to ask of you. Many of you know from last March that I have a friend with a brain tumor. She had two surgeries in March and is about to undergo yet another one tomorrow. The tumor has grown and they are planning a more aggressive approach to surgery followed by radiation. If you are of a mind to pray, I would ask on her behalf to pray for her and her family and her medical team tomorrow. I know it works because you've all helped out before.
Thanks so much!!

On a lighter note - my boss (the judge) was in a contested election and WON yesterday!! Thank the Lord! It wasn't close, but it's always nerve-wracking. It means I get to keep my job (I could NOT have worked for her opponent!).

 

[Mndisneygirl]

So I went back and read my journal and figured out that last bit of our day. We couldn't find the tube station near where we were, so we started walking. We walked about a gazillion miles back to Leicester Square where we wanted to check on 1/2 price tickets for shows. We thought we might take the girls to see Wicked. They know the story a bit and the music (I have the soundtrack) and we thought they'd like it. Turns out they didn't have any 1/2 price tickets for Wicked's Wednesday afternoon show yet, so we declined to buy and said we'll wait and check back on Wednesday a.m.
We walked out to Picadilly Cirucs and found a McDonalds for the kids to eat at and saw a really big M&M's store across the street. Busy place that Picadilly Circus!! I thought I'd had some pictures, but I guess not.
In any event, we made it to the train and back to Gerrard's Cross before 8 p.m. My feet were pretty sore that night!

Up next - Can we get into London early enough to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace? Also on the itinerary - Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and maybe the Churchill War Rooms!