So!

[telophase]

In two weeks, we shall be in London! Woo! I know I said something earlier about not meeting anyone for lunch or whatever, but myrialux says he's OK with that as long as whoever we meet is OK with him sitting in a corner not saying anything. So if you're in London from the 7th to the 10th* and want to get together for a lunch or dinner, let me know! We might not be able to work the times out, but hey.

Also: anything you think we should definitely see/do/buy in London, Tenby, Cardiff, or Brighton? We will be geeky dorks in Cardiff and go find the Ianto Jones shrine, provided it's still there, and probably be shameless tourists and do the Doctor Who Experience. We're only one night in Tenby, as we've hired a guide for the day who will pick us up there and go around bits of western Wales, including Carmarthen where I spent a semester, before depositing us in Cardiff.

Anyway, woo! (need to check a few more things off the list, including getting flu shots before going...)


* We're there from the 6th to the 11th, but on the 6th will be staggering around like drunks as we attempt to stay awake long enough to go to bed at the proper time for the UK, and thus not good company, and we're heading out to Wales on the 11th.

Comments

[rydra_wong]

Where in London are you going to be?

[telophase]

Anywhere we need to be! :D We're in a hotel not too far from Marble Arch*, but have nothing specific planned on any day or time except for visiting the Dennis Severs House on Sunday.



* I splurged on the accommodations this trip, because I like to go for three weeks, but myrialux only gets two weeks off, so I compromised by merely spending three weeks' worth.

[rydra_wong]

Anywhere we need to be! :D

But knowing where you're starting from means I can tell you what's easily accessible on foot or by Tube. *g*

Starting with the more obvious things:

You've got Kensington Gardens; walking along until you reach the fountains and then strolling beside the Serpentine is very pleasant on a sunnyish day.

On the Tube, the Central Line to Tottenham Court Road takes you to the British Museum, which is obvious but still worth a look.

However, walking north a bit from there (ten minutes or so, IIRC) will get you to the Petrie Museum, which is not obvious at all and makes a marvellous contrast to the BM.

Alternatively, heading one stop further along on the Central Line gets you to Holborn. One one side of Lincoln's Inn Fields is The Sir John Soane Museum (which is very weird indeed; on my last visit, it gave me a migraine because the spatial arrangements literally hurt my head); just across the square is the Hunterian Museum (note: requires a high tolerance for human body parts in jars).

*pauses to cook supper, will continue in next comment*

[rydra_wong]

If you fancied a bit more of a walk, you could head across the park looking at the Anish Kapoor outdoor sculpture exhibition, end up at the Serpentine's outdoor summer pavilion of REDNESS OMFG THAT THING IS RED for tea, then visit the Albert Memorial.

I feel all visitors to London need to see the Albert Memorial, because of its sheer mindblowing gilded ornamental hideousness. Also for the terrifying surrounding statue clusters representing The Victorian Worldview.

If you have further energy after that, a short walk down Exhibition Road takes you to the little cluster of museums -- the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, all of which are fun. The V&A cafe is extremely good.

[rydra_wong]

Apart from that, there's the "walk along the South Bank of the Thames" thing -- get the Tube to Embankment, then you can cross the river and walk along past an amazing series of interesting places (National Theatre, Tate Modern, the reconstructed Globe) with innumerable nice places for food and/or coffee along the way, before hopping back on the Tube at London Bridge.

Or walk a few minutes further and look at the Tower of London across the river, then head back to the Tube; the Tower is always jammed full of tourists and schoolchildren, and thus best viewed from the outside.

That makes a very pleasant afternoon (or you could do it in the opposite direction and end up at the National for a play, it occurs to me).

[telophase]

Wow, that is truly a Pavilion of Redness. O.o

Thank you for all your suggestions! :D I'm making a list of everything in Google Docs, mostly so we can consult each day as part of deciding what we'd like to do that day.

[rydra_wong]

It's the fact that the pavilion is transparent and entirely lit by natural light that does it; it means that everything inside is lit only with RED.

I would actually be cautious about eating food inside it; after a few minutes the RED can start to become overwhelming.

Somewhat in the manner of a Poe story.

[green_knight]

I don't know whether I'll be able to make London during that time - but I'm hoping you'll have an absolutely fabulous time.

As for 'what do I want to see' I can reccommend going on Flickr, typing in your location, and seeing what appeals to you. If you're in Wales, you need to do Castles. Cardiff Castle is a Victorian reconstruction, and worth as an item in its own right, but the real thing gives you a good sense of history.

Shame you're not planning to visit Oxford!

[telophase]

I definitely want to do Cardiff Castle - it was closed on the day I had time free in Cardiff, lo these many years ago.

Re: Oxford, maybe next trip! I got to spend a day there a few years back, and want to go again.

[green_knight]

You can always go on the Tube! (That is, the Oxford Tube, a bus that runs every 20-30h, with free Wifi, conveniently from Marble Arch, for £16 for a daytrip. (I love it because you just turn up and take the next one, whatever time of day or night. Other buses are available.)

The thing abou Cardiff Castle is that it's a fantastically weird site... but it's it's got more in common with Neuschwanstein than with medieval fortresses. Still worth seeing.

[vom-marlowe.livejournal.com]

I absolutely adored Lord Leighton's house. It's been recently restored, includes lots of amazing art, and is an architectural gem with one of the most beautiful ceilings I have seen in my entire life.

[cawingcrow.livejournal.com]

Camden market for sure (wish I could go back there): http://www.camdenlock.net/

[chisotahn]

Ooh, have fun! The only things I can recommend in London are things you'd probably think of anyway (museums and things) - and I think I mentioned London Walks walking tours to you already back when you were first talking about the trip. :)

Though I will tell you not to buy a hot dog in Harrods' food court. >.>; Or anywhere in Europe, really.

Things to See

[chomiji]

The Victoria and Albert museum (V&A). Lovely decorative arts.

The Museum of London. Nuts-and-bolts history of the city and what it was like to live there.

Take a river tour boat to the Tower of London.

edited for formatting

[fmanalyst.livejournal.com]

The exhibition of the princesses at Kensington Palace is really cool in an art installation sort of way.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks! *adds to list*

[fmanalyst.livejournal.com]

How long will you be in Cardiff? I was there for several days, and I enjoyed walking around the city centre and the shopping area around St. David's shopping center.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I think we're there for four or five nights (can't remember which offhand). The first day we're got the guide again, to show us stuff beyond the edges that we wouldn't be able to get to easily by train, but the rest of the time is as yet unplanned.

I've been there twice, during college, but didn't get much time to wander on my own either time so I'm looking forward to that.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I second both the London walks (all of them are cool; I particularly liked the Jack the Ripper one I went on) and the princesses at Kensington Palace.

The Tower of London is really cool (and you get to see the Crown Jewels!), but it's very long. It'll take up probably at least 3-4 hours, so I'd skip it if you're not particularly interested in it.

London's Natural History museum is REALLY cool and free, and you should definitely see the British Museum if you like archaeology- all sorts of Egyptian and Mesopotamian and Anglo-Saxon and so forth stuff. Also free!

You should try to go see a play in the Globe if you like Shakespeare; they only do plays during the summer, so I'm not sure if they'll still be running in October, but if it's not too late, go! :)

If you like Indian food at all, you should definitely have a meal on Brick Lane. Best food in London! And pretty much all the restaurants there are good; I didn't have a bad meal on Brick Lane. Speaking of food, there's also a neat open-air market at St Katherine's Docks (http://www.skdocks.co.uk/st.katharine-docks-good-food-market) in Central London every Friday- amazing sandwiches and fresh cheese and fudge and sausages and all sorts of good stuff.

In Wales, you should check out Bug Underground tour (http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit/tour/), where they take you 300 feet underground in an old coal mine.

If you want to meet up in Cardiff, I will be there then! I could show you the Ianto Jones memorial, but it's really easy to find on your own.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (and the Meaningless Slogan T-shirt stall looks exactly like something Toby would like!)

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Hee, thanks! XD

Re: Things to See

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

We've got the 13th-15th free in Cardiff (have the guide for a second day on the 12th as well, to show us stuff outside Cardiff that we normally wouldn't be able to get to via train, and heading to Brighton on the 16th), so would love to meet up at some point!

Er, screwed up my dates there. XD We get to Tenby on MOnday the 11th. Tuesday the 12th the guide takes us from Tenby to Cardiff, and we've booked him on Wednesday the 13th as well. We've got Thursday and Friday the 14-15th free, then on Saturday the 16th go to Brighton.

*phew* I'm getting so mixed up every time I have to write the dates down...

[weirdquark]

The British Library has some cool book displays and also That Really Cool Art Thing, which I remember being at the bottom of some stairs.

There are also stores that sell many Doctor Who objects including Daleks full of bubble bath. Which are very dangerous and you have to check them because they have more than three ounces of liquid in.