My daughter and I drove up to London to meet my parents at the ginormous Heathrow Airport! We parted at extended stay parking and took the train into London to the hostel that I had booked for us. Prices in London are high and the exchange rate is NOT in our favor, so we opted for StaySafe Hostel http://www.safestay.co.uk/en/ and were able to get a 4 person room for a great price. Less than half of the "cheap hotels." The room had 2 sets of bunk beds and a bathroom/shower in the room. There were boxes under the beds that we could lock our stuff up in when we left. It worked great. The train was about 2 blocks from the hostel and was less than 10 minutes from the heart of the London attractions.
We took in all the big sights, Big Ben, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace. Some we just stayed on the hop-on-hop-off bus for and some we took tours of. My step-dad requested a Jack The Ripper tour , so we hit one of those as well. Our guide was wonderful and the tour was good. It was in the evening, but we were back at the hostel before dark, so all was well. On the way home from London, we took in Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Our first choice was Stonehenge, but it was the summer solstice and the place would have been crazy the traffic heading away from the Eurotunnel would have been a nightmare. Both the parents were ok wit the decision, and we really enjoyed the trip out to Hever Castle. It is well maintained and was a nice way to spend the afternoon before w hopped the tunnel to come back.
Less than 48 hours after we got to Belgium with the parents, we were on a plane to Italy. My step-dad wanted to see Rome, see some family roots and all. We stayed in an apartment, that was not so convenient, but reasonably priced for the height of tourist season. We each had our own beds with a few bunks to spare and 2 yes 2 showers/toilets, plus a full kitchen. With my husband's great nav. skills we were able to maneuver around Rome and back to the apartment with little problems.
My husband, son and I have spent a small amount of time in Rome in 2011, but didn't get to see all the sights that we wanted too. With the whole family, we took our time and saw almost everything via the hop-on-hop-off bus. The highlight for my step-dad and husband was the in-depth tour of the ancient city/Forum/Palatine Hill sponsored by the USO. http://rome.uso.it/ It was suppose to be a 5 hour tour, but it was much longer than that. The guide was fantastic, very knowledgeable and funny in his own way. Mom and I were brain-fried, but my son was so good the whole day. He was able to run and climb and find rocks for Uncle Tom, so he had a great time.
Let's see, after we got home from Rome, we drove down to Paris. Well, we drove to Chantilly and hopped the train into Paris. I'm fine with driving in the big cities, but why bother when the train ticket will cost the same as parking?
We were too late for tickets to go up in the Eiffel Tower, but the parents were fine with that decision. Again, we did the hop-on-hop-off tour bus. Seriously, it is the best thing, worth the money. They take you to all the big tourist spots, and some of the small ones and you don't have to drive or worry about a language barrier. My mom was able to see Notre Dame Cathedral, and I, finally, got to see inside. We also saw Moulin Rouge, which has escaped me the other times we've been there. Mom also saw the big glass pyramid outside the Louvre, she was impressed with not only the pyramid, but the immense size of the Louvre. We didn't have time in the day trip to see the museum, I guess they'll have to come back.
I'm so happy that I was able to see London, Paris and Rome with my parents and daughter. We had a great time showing them some of the places we love and have been lucky enough to experience.
(if anyone has specific questions about places on our trip, let me know and I'll find the info for you)
No comments:
Post a Comment