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Mr. & Mrs. Moates's Suggestions:
Take this time before the
trip to focus your excitement on learning about the history of
London and
what attractions you want to see/do on your two (2) free
days and how much you may want to budget to bring!
London Top
Attractions to Visit!
Stations have been Included to Help
you Begin Navigating your Personal Itinerary.
Please review the tube maps available Just Above!
· British
Museum and Library – nearest underground station is Tottenham Court Road
Founded in 1753 is the oldest museum in the world, and has a rich collection of
artifacts - sights not to miss are the Elgin Marbles, Lindow Man, Egyptian
Mummies and the Lindisfarne Gospels.
·
Changing of the Guard – Buckingham Palace – nearest
underground station is St James Park or Victoria
DON'T MISS THIS! This
ceremony takes place at Buckingham Palace daily at 11.30am between April and July and on alternate days between August and
March
· Madame
Tussaud’s – nearest underground station is Baker Street
Famous wax modeling exhibition open from
10.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am – 5.30pm Saturday. Main sections
are the "Garden Party" where visitors mingle with lifelike models of
celebrities, the "Super Stars" section which is devoted to celebrities of the
entertainment world and the "Grand Hall" containing a collection of Royalty and
famous Statesmen.
· National
Gallery – nearest underground station is Charing Cross
Open Monday to Saturday from 10.00am to 6.00pm and Sunday 12.00pm
to 6.00pm. Most of the gallery’s collection is housed on one floor which is
divided into four wings hanging in chronological order. There are also special
exhibitions taking place throughout the year.
· Houses of
Parliament – nearest underground station is Westminster
Commons Visitors’ Galleries open from 2.30pm to
10pm Monday to Thursday.
The House of Lords Visitors’ Galleries open at 2.30pm onwards from Monday to
Thursday.
· St.
Paul's Cathedral – nearest underground station is St. Pauls, or Mansion House
Sights not to miss are the West Front and
Towers, the Inner and Outer Dome and the famous Whispering Gallery
· Tower of
London – nearest underground station is Tower Hill
Check for available times. Sights not to miss are
The White Tower, the Jewel House (housing the Crown Jewels), the Chapel of St.
John, and Traitor’s Gate.
· Victoria
& Albert Museum – nearest underground station is South Kensington
Open from 12.00pm to 5.50pm on Monday and at 10.00am to 5.50pm
Tuesday to Sunday. Famous for containing the world’s richest collections of fine
and applied arts, it also houses collections of sculpture, watercolors, jewelery
and musical instruments. Sights not
to miss are The Medieval Treasury, the Nehru Gallery of Indian Art, the Dress
Collection, Morris and Gamble Room, and the Twentieth Century Gallery.
·
Westminster Abbey – nearest underground station is St James Park or Westminster
Nave and Cloisters are open from 8.00am to 6.00pm daily – Royal
Chapels, Poet’s Corner and Statesmen’s Aisle times vary. Famous as the resting
place for Britain’s Monarchs and the setting for coronations and other great
pageants, including the wedding and funeral for Princess Diana.
· The
British Museum - check the web site
for opening/closing information and the exhibit schedule
The British Museum was featured in The
Mummy Returns!
·
Day Trips from London
Stonehenge, Cambridge, and Stratford Upon Avon-- check these out in
the London Travel Guide
· Want to
go on a walking tour in London? Check out your
options now!
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 he
English are on the whole a fairly private and mannerly
bunch. Obviously, the cities are generally not quite as polite as
more rural areas. Formal and business occasions are a different
matter, however, with a whole host of social niceties to keep your
eye on. Nevertheless, it is useful to know what’s acceptable and
what’s not on a day to day basis.
MAKE SURE YOU…………
Queue! Whether you’re at a bus stop, ATM or anywhere
where there are people waiting, get in line and wait your turn.
Unlike their neighbors on the Continent, the English get
particularly hot under the collar if they spy ‘queue jumpers’, so
it’s best to avoid it at all costs.
Shake hands with someone on first meeting them.
Say “please” and “thank you” as much
as possible.
Say “excuse me” if you knock into someone, or would
like them to get out of your way. It’s quite common to hear
English people saying “excuse me” even if it is the fault of the
other person!
Make sure you’re punctual. Timekeeping is much more
important here than over the English Channel, unless you are going
to a social function when it’s often deemed polite to be 15/20
minutes late. Often, you are excluded from entering a
concert hall if you are late.
Cover your mouth with your hand when coughing or
yawning.
Try a small amount of each dish at a supper, even if you
don’t like it.
TRY NOT TO ………..
Place your knife into your mouth on any occasion.
Speak with food in your mouth.
Eat food on trains or buses.
Ask questions to do with money.
Ask personal questions such as “how old are you?”
The English are essentially very private and not too keen on their
private affairs being discussed.
Use mobile phones in theatres, cinemas, in most
restaurants and bars or during cricket matches. Many trains also
have ‘mobile free’ carriages so beware of these.
Discuss politics or religion. Firstly, most Brits
have very strong opinions and you could well end up having a
flaming row. Secondly, you will rarely hear an Englishman divulge
how he has voted – these matters are considered extremely
personal.
Talk on the tube. Londoners tend to remain bizarrely
quiet on Tube journeys.
Wear a hat indoors.
Board a Tube train until everybody leaving the train has
done so; this practice can particularly irritate tired commuters!
Wait until everyone has exited before entering!
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What to Wear
he
climate in London is generally fairly temperate throughout the year
with frequent cloud and rain but also spells of settled, fine
weather. The rainfall is less than most people expect though, at
only about 22 inches per annum, and there is seldom any fog and
virtually never any snow!!
Temperatures range from 12 to 25ºC in the summer, down to 2 to 12ºC
in the winter. We would recommend that you bring sensible clothing,
but also be prepared for rain. Umbrellas can be
useful!
On the whole, London is particularly casual. Despite
the fact that people generally tend to wear darker colors than they
do in the States, during the day the basic rule of thumb is to
wear what you feel comfortable in. One may feel underdressed
when shopping around Knightsbridge or Brompton Cross. Knightsbridge
is a particularly smart area but it is also a magnet for tourists
and continental schoolchildren keen to bring a Harrods trinket home
for ‘mama.’ You won’t be out of place in jeans therefore, but you
might feel more comfortable in slightly smarter gear. Incidentally,
jeans have recently been voted as the most ‘out of date’ item in the
British wardrobe. They are certainly fairly scarce now amongst trend
setters and followers. Pashminas and sunglasses casually perched on
the head seem to be particularly chic amongst the ladies who lunch
in Chelsea. Black is always a mainstay. Guys often go for the chinos
and open neck shirt look, with jumpers and blazers or jackets in the
winter.
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Restaurant Offers
Print These Food Coupons and
Bring Them With You!
Rock Garden
2 Courses £8.95 and 3 Courses £10.95
Porters Restaurant
£10 Menu Offer. 2 Course Lunch and Post-Theater Dinner £10
Also, see
Virtual London.com's
Featured Restaurants Listed Below.
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Money Matters
In England, the currency used are Pounds and Pence,
just like we use Dollars and Cents.
- The Bills (or notes, as they call them) are in the following
denominations: £50, £20, £10, and £5.
- The coins are in denominations of: 2 pounds, 1 pound, 50
pence, 20 pence, 10 pence, 2 pence, and 1 pence.
When out shopping, you may find the following quick conversion
chart helpful when looking at prices:
|
British Pounds |
US Dollars |
|
£0.50 |
$0.75 |
|
£0.70 |
$1.00 |
|
£1.00 |
$1.50 |
|
£5.00 |
$7.50 |
|
£10.00 |
$15.00 |
|
£50.00 |
$75.00 |
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Calling Home!
Calling home can be VERY
expensive, so it is suggested that families treat "no news as
good news." BUT, if you MUST call home, there
are several ways to do it. Remember, the time difference is 5
hours! Check out the tips below.
TIPS:
-
The best time to call is the evening, because
the rate is cheaper and it will be daytime in Blue Ridge!
-
You can buy a phone card from your hotel or
alocal shop in denominations of 20, 50, 100, or 200 units
(priced £2.00, £5.00, £10.00, £20.00) which can be used in
the pay phones in the hotel
-
To call home, dial 001 + area code + number
(You will see the units count down to 0 so you will know what
you have spent.)
-
You can use a US charge-card. All you need to do
is to go to a pay phone and dial one of the free phone numbers
listed below. This will connect you to an operation who will
direct your call.
AT&T 0800 890 011
World Phone (MCI) 0800 890 222
Sprint 0800 890 877
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 See
Scenes
Along the Parade Route!
It's Awesome!
Mr. and Mrs. Moates just returned from previewing
and meeting about the London 2002 trip. They took some time to walk
the parade route and took pictures.
Take Mrs. Moates's
virtual tour now!!
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The parade assembles in the area of the Central
Methodist Hall.
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Mr. Moates poses with two
London policemen (by request!) in front of the Central Methodist
Hall.
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Big
Ben and Westminster Abbey! The parade begins on New Year's Day
when Big Ben strikes 12:00 noon!
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#10 Downing Street. The Parade passes the
home of Tony Blair. Onlookers are trying to glimpse the Prime
Minister's family.
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Mrs. Moates gingerly pets the
horse of the Royal Horse Guard. The guards do not communicate with
the public while on duty, but the horses are beautiful!
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A guard
emerges on foot to open the gate for exiting vehicles.
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There are many pubs
along the parade route (the small building with the flowers).
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This archway leads to Buckingham
Palace, home of Queen Elizabeth.
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The Latin
inscription at the top of the archway framing Buckingham Palace.
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Mr. Moates at the famous
Trafalgar Square.
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A telephone
booth along the route.
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Street
scene along the route.
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Piccadilly
Circus, a noted shopping area of London.
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Mr. Moates poses at Piccadilly Circus in front of a double-decker
bus. In the rear is a "black taxi." The drivers of these
taxis must be schooled in London geography for three years!
- The parade passes in front of the Meridien
Hotel.
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Fortnum
and Mason is London's oldest store. The parade ends close to
here on the street leading to Barkeley Square.
Other Scenes
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Buckingham
Palace (home of the Royal Family). We saw three ornate horse-drawn
carriages leave the palace for an unknown destination.
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Buckingham
Palace. Ladies wear their hats to the garden parties hosted by the
Queen.
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Mr. Moates in front of a Paddington
Bear Shop. He's the one on the right!
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Thistle
City Barbican is where our band will stay in London. We know one
other band from Missouri is staying there, too!
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The famous Harrod's
Department Store. Pictured is the doorman hailing a cab for a
customer. Harrod's enforces a dress code for shoppers (no jeans with
holes, etc.)!
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The
London Eye-- the world's largest Ferris wheel never stops even to
load and unload people! It offers a breathtaking panoramic view of
London.
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Big
Ben and Westminster Abbey can be seen across the Thames River from
aboard the London Eye.
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The famous London
Zoo houses many exotic animals. This tiger, however, is
unimpressed with the Moates's presence!
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Mrs. Moates and the backside of a lion at the London
Zoo. There is a very thick glass between them or she wouldn't be
smiling.
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London's West End is full of theaters. "Her
Majesty's Theater" is presenting Phantom of the Opera.
The band will see Buddy at the Strand Theater.
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For two years, the 2002 London New Year's Day Parade Committee
has been discussing offering the band 1 of the 16 invitations given
nationwide to bands from the USA to participate in this very prestigious
event. The London parade is a government sponsored, by invitation only,
event organized by Youth Music of the World that draws the finest
groups from around the globe. It is the largest parade in the world
with over 9,000 participants from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.
The parade is delay telecast world wide and has a street audience of over one
million along the parade route. This is a wonderful opportunity
and honor for our band--A REAL CHANCE OF A LIFETIME!
The Fannin County Band Booster Club is in support of this event and the
Fannin County Board of Education has given their approval for our
participation.
Dates and Information to Remember
PENALTIES:
1) $150.00 deposit is non-refundable
2) No deposit payments or fundraising credit is transferable to any other
participant.
3) Fundraising credit will not be issued in the form of cash and is
completely non-refundable.
CANCELLATION PENALTIES:
1) After May 1, 2001 - $300.00,
2) After August 1, 2001 - $600.00
3) After November 1, 2001 - 100% OF TRIP COST.
OTHER PENALTIES:
A $25.00 service charge per quarter will be assessed to all
participants that do not comply with the payment schedule. Any participant
more than one payment delinquent within the quarter will be assessed a finance
charge. Assessments will be made on:
1) MARCH 5, 2001
2) JULY 5, 2001
3) NOVEMBER 5, 2001 |
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