Our travel style is to stay outside of tourist zones and seek to co-mingle with locals. We rely upon RS forums to help guide our journeys and often are richly rewarded for the received input.
For two weeks we stayed in Brentford with an overnight trip, via train, to York. Our overarching experience is the kindness received by so many people during our stay (FYI: we travel often and to a variety of destinations). My writing skills will diminish the ability to clearly convey the gentleness and relaxed manner of which folks treated us.
Random thoughts
We saved hours of waiting time by pre-purchasing tickets to avoid the long Queues found at many sites.
We asked attendants if there were private evening events for which a stand by list might be available. At the Tower of London we were rewarded with an after hours admission to an event where a party of eight failed to arrive. The result was being on the grounds with no other tourists, our group was comprised of 24 people, and we obtained a completely different perspective to the site.
We ate at several on site cafes and enjoyed the food, relaxing amidst the crowds and engaged with the servers. At Westminster Abby our server counseled us to enjoy a dessert and then lead us to a side entrance to participate in Evensong. Engaging people in conversation was enlightening and lead to unanticipated experiences. Note: we did not allude to wanting to gain entry, it was a happen chance comment by the server which lead to the opportunity.
We planned only two events daily and allowed the flow of London to shape our journey. There are too many examples to mention of how listening/watching people lead to finding hidden gems which built our own crown jewel of a journey.
Be it finding bandages for blisters, repairing broken glasses, having a lad follow us off a Tube stop to insure we would make a train connection and dozens of like kind experiences; our journey was shaped by the kindness of Londoners.
So my final comment is Slow Down You Move Too Fast, You Have Got To Give People The Opportunity To Make The Moment Last!
Posted by
franktown, colorado
2252 posts
Amen, Marbleskies. What a lovely post and one with which I wholeheartedly agree. Thank you.
Posted by
New York, NY
3992 posts
This was wonderful. Thank you for sharing. I especially love your "random thoughts" like this one:
We asked attendants if there were private evening events for which a
stand by list might be available. At the Tower of London we were
rewarded with an after hours admission to an event where a party of
eight failed to arrive. The result was being on the grounds with no
other tourists, our group was comprised of 24 people, and we obtained
a completely different perspective to the site.
If you don't ask, you don't get!
Posted by
New England
593 posts
Beautiful, beautiful! Thanks for posting.
I'm so glad you got to tour the Tower of London at night. Such a special experience, very atmospheric. I'm going to try your tip of asking about standby lists on my next visit.
Last month, during the Basque Country of Spain and France tour, I did a solo side trip from San Sebastian to Loyola by public intercity bus and and with my limited Spanish. Both the bus driver and a local passenger were so helpful in making sure I found my way there and that I knew where the bus stop was for the return trip to San Sebastian. In response to my thanks, the passenger said something like, "if we don't help each other, what kind of world would it be?"
Indeed.
Posted by
Land of La
8637 posts
I try to get to London every year.
Colleagues and friends often inquire why I don't go elsewhere.
Marbleskies conveys one of the main reasons I continue to return!
BTW did anyone with an Instagram account see the Paul McCartney video that he posted this morning....him walking across Abbey Road. FABulous!
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6485 posts
Your eloquent account is consistent with experiences we've had in London and elsewhere in the UK. We've met some of the nicest, kindest people on our trips there. Often other Europeans are as friendly and helpful, but it's harder to communicate and be at ease with a language barrier. Vive l'Angleterre!
Posted by
Almost Heaven
2942 posts
I like the Simon and Garfunkel reference.
Yeah pretty cool to see the Cute One making the trek back to Abbey Road.
Posted by
franktown, colorado
2252 posts
Yes, Claudia! A friend who is a die hard Beatles fan sent the link to me this afternoon.
Posted by
Orange Park, Fl
985 posts
What a wonderful and heart warming report. We've been treated very kindly everywhere we've traveled in Europe but I've got a couple hundred pounds burning a hole in my pocket so I daresay Great Britain will be part of our next trip. Thanks for the feel good/happy for you moment.
Posted by
WA State
3961 posts
Thank you for this lovely posting. These are memories that will last a lifetime. You made my day!
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3744 posts
Agree, Marbleskies. So glad you happened onto some great experiences. We like to walk around London exploring neighborhoods that a lot of tourists bypass. We may see one "must see" (LOL) sight per day, then explore for ourselves.
Just curious. What was the function going on at the Tower of London? Sounds wonderful.
Thanks for the advice to slow down......great advice.
The paradox is that the more you are in a rush to sightsee, the less you actually enjoy what you see.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13904 posts
Love your post!
I had some great experiences this year when my brother and I went out birding early in the AM in Canterbury. People were walking their dogs, everyone was nodding and saying hello so of course we did as well as stopping to get some dog-loving too (if OK with owners). As soon as they heard our accents so many stopped to talk/give advice...we could hardly carry on with our morning plan, hahaha!!
Posted by
OP
FL USA
1520 posts
https://www.hrp.org.uk/#gs.0Juay=4
The Organization called Historic Royal Palaces was holding a new member reception that evening.
Posted by
Australia
111 posts
What a lovely post. I’m returning to London from Australia in a month. I have many happy memories there. Once, in London in Winter ... I was the only person on a hop on hop off bus. When the guide found out where I was heading, he got the driver to do a detour to take me to my exact location rather than see me walking in the cold. In St Paul’s, the only person on a guided tour..., the lovely guide and I were deep in conversation about the history of St Paul... I asked if he’d ever seen the model of St Paul that Christopher Wren has made. He nodded, peekec over his shoulder and snuck me away to see it. How lucky I was!!
Posted by
1 posts
Thank you Rick for allowing me to join your conversation. I wanted very much to give you a piece of advice to pass along to travelers using the London Underground. My experience with the Covent Garden Underground Station was particularly important. During my trip in April 2011, my family and I got off the train at this station to visit the London Transport Museum. We never noticed the sign warning that there were 193 steps on the staircase from the platform to the street. I suffered intense paid and exhaustion after making the climb. I had a reaction for the rest of the day making us miss the Transport Museum and the V and A Museum later on. My advice to everybody, and I hope you put this advice in future London books, is to please use the elevator(lift) from the platform to the street. Unless you are trying out for the old American Gladiator show or the current American Ninja( or maybe you are a triathlete), don't take the stairs. You will ruin you day. Thank you again.
Posted by
Almost Heaven
2942 posts
Is "Rick" Rick Steves?!