OT: Londinophiles

by IrishGuard, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 12:13 (696 days ago)
edited by Jay, Wednesday, September 27, 2023, 13:05

The Mrs. and I are headed to London after Easter for our 15th Anniversary. We've got a pretty packed itinerary, but I do have a few quick questions for those in the know.

1.) What's a better use of a day: Day trip to Canterbury or Hampton Court Palace/Kew Gardens?

2.) Visit the Tate Modern or a see matinee of The Tempest in the Yard at the Globe Theater?

3.) Is Kensington Palace worth a visit? I've heard mixed things.

4.) I'm pretty meh on the London Eye, but some folks I know gush over it. Thoughts?

Tags:
travel

some more London tips from the travel tag

by Jay @, San Diego, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 07:44 (695 days ago) @ IrishGuard

SAD, sad thread

by MattG, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 12:10 (695 days ago) @ Jay

"It's February 2020, and I'm going to Paris in 6 weeks"

no kidding

by Jay @, San Diego, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 14:25 (695 days ago) @ MattG

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Did you go yet?

by oviedoirish @, Oviedo, Florida, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 12:14 (695 days ago) @ MattG

We were supposed to go to London in May 2020 and haven't gone yet. We're trying for this year.

Oh, I was just quoting the entire thread

by MattG, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 12:46 (695 days ago) @ oviedoirish

Just generally commenting about all of our optimistic selves from the Before Times.

We canceled an Italy trip for March 2020 and ended up doing it in March 2022.

We also made it to London at Christmas 2021 to see my sister's family, but that involved a ton of testing and so on.

We’re finally taking our 2020 trip this June

by Jack @, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 12:34 (695 days ago) @ oviedoirish
edited by Jack, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 12:38

I think I booked it that very week, third week of February 2020. We jumped on a bargain airfare deal to Germany then, primary destination Berlin, long a bucket list destination for me.

We’re paying well over a thousand dollars more this year to take the same trip.

But at least we’re taking it.

This is tangential and possibly outdated

by HullieAndMikes, Yelling at Sam Cane, Dunedin, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 06:30 (695 days ago) @ IrishGuard

But the best thing I did for the few days I was in London twenty years ago was a Jack the Ripper tour. Started near the Tower and ended near the church, but n a neighborhood that largely still looked the same. Not for everyone and likely not for an anniversary trip, but one of the things that really stuck with me from my semester abroad.

Yes, done that. Very fun.

by IrishGuard, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 06:43 (695 days ago) @ HullieAndMikes

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Reply

by JD in Portland @, Portland OR, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 00:07 (696 days ago) @ IrishGuard

Not sure on 1st question.
Kensington Palace - yes.
Tempest v Tate Modern? For sure skip the Eye and do both on different days. You CANNOT skip Tate Modern. Combine a 2 hr stay at TM with either St Paul’s or Burrough Market or preferably both.

Thanks, will do

by IrishGuard, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 07:05 (695 days ago) @ JD in Portland

I'm actually super excited for Tate Britain, since the Pre-Raphaelites/British Modern style is probably my favorite stylistic period.

the Modern has this simple, but mindbending piece

by Jay @, San Diego, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 07:16 (695 days ago) @ IrishGuard

called "An Oak Tree", by Michael Craig-Martin.

It is a glass of water on a shelf, with an accompanying display of explanatory text. The text looks like a typical gallery card, but it is part of the piece and essential to its presentation.

As an old theology hand you will find it fascinating.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Oak_Tree

There are grander and more bombastic works at Tate Modern but this one provoked the most discussion later that night over dinner.

Hard to believe it's 50 years old already.

by PMan @, The Banks of the Spokane River, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 08:25 (695 days ago) @ Jay

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I like it as a theologian, oppose it as a Stuckist

by IrishGuard, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 07:29 (695 days ago) @ Jay

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there was even a play inspired by it

by Jay @, San Diego, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 07:34 (695 days ago) @ IrishGuard

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2007/feb/10/theatre2

If what I've said above sounds dry, don't worry: it's not. Crouch plays a stage hypnotist who has killed a 12-year-old girl in a car accident. At one of his shows, the dead girl's grief-stricken father, Andy, turns up and confronts him. Every night, Andy is played by a different actor who has neither seen the show previously nor read the script.

On the night I saw it, Andy was played by Sophie Okonedo. Watching her, never for a moment do you forget that she is a woman, and Crouch cannily ensures with his stream of stage directions that you never can forget that she is an actor. None the less, as the evening wears on, neither do you doubt that she is a middle-aged man. She looks the same, but she is different. Just as this show will be quite different every night, depending on the actor with whom Crouch is playing, how daring they are, and how much they give of themselves.

This might just be all so much clever game-playing, but An Oak Tree is saved from disappearing up its own philosophical arse by its emotional underpinning. It is like watching your own heart being mugged. You know exactly how it is happening, but you still can't prevent it. On a good night, you will leave the theatre the same, but different.

I’m guessing you’ll prefer Canterbury

by irishoutsider @, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 16:28 (696 days ago) @ IrishGuard

I haven’t been to Hampton Court directly but it’s definitely on its own in that area and kind of sprawling. Canterbury you’re in it for the cathedral and I’ve enjoyed my visit plus they probably have a copy of Magna Carta to boot. Can’t remember if that was a temporary thing or not.

Also Canterbury is more in and around its town center so you get the whole Kentish town thing plus whatever else is interesting in a short walkabout.

Of course Windsor Castle is a thought as it’s easy to get to…at least from my house. Hint hint nudge nudge wink wink

Thanks

by IrishGuard, Thursday, March 16, 2023, 06:59 (695 days ago) @ irishoutsider

We've both been to Windsor, so we won't be heading out that way. But you're welcome to join us Friday night (Apr. 14) for a Ye Olde Pube Crawle. (The Ship and Shovel → The Harp → Seven Star Pub → The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese → The Ye Olde Mitre Pub → Citte of York)

Saturday we're going to Tottenham/Bournemouth.

Also re The Eye

by irishoutsider @, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 16:32 (696 days ago) @ irishoutsider

It’s definitely “worth it” but also consider queues and the like. It’s a great sightseeing thing. The views are amazing and it’s a kind of Eiffel Tower type scenic trip. However the tickets are extortionate and the queues can be way over the effort you’d want to put in. We’d avoided both with our LegoLand passes and that was a one off kind of thing for us.

The whole south bank is tourist trap central so take it all with a grain of salt.

is this the Tempest production?

by Jay @, San Diego, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 12:28 (696 days ago) @ IrishGuard

https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/playing-shakespeare-with-deutsche-bank-the-t...

Looks like a children's theatre offering? Maybe go for the Tate.

Good catch.

by IrishGuard, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 14:33 (696 days ago) @ Jay

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