Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Lol, a very mixed day again. I love Greenwich, shame you didn't explore the museums, they are fantastic. Wagamama's is good (though not quite as good as they used to be - the portions are smaller and the service does not seem to be as good now they are getting larger, but still not bad). You might want to buy their cook book if you have not already, it is available on line. Hope your run of tech bad luck is over.
Originally Posted By dagobert London - Day 4: Our last full day in London. In the morning we went to Buckingham Palace. We considered to go inside, but we didn't want to wait an hour and so we only checked out the shop. We got a William and Kate Mug for our friend who is a big fan of them. Later we visited Harrods. The food hall is amazing and I liked the Egyptian design of some of the rooms. Then we were on our way to Camden Markets. There we had lunch in a vegetarian restaurant and then we checked out the huge market. It was very crowded and so we relaxed a bit in a Cuban Bar and enjoyed a glass of beer. Since it was so warm we decided to return to the hotel to change our clothes. Later we took the train back to the centre and just walked around the city. Now you can guess where we had dinner. Exactly, at Wagamama at the Tower of London, like yesterday and the day before. Usually we don't eat everyday in the same restaurant, but it was really good, fast and serves a lot of vegetarian dishes. Our travel guide recommended the Blackfriars Pub and so we walked there. Then we walked to the Millenium Bridge and via Tate Modern to the London Eye. Since we were already tired we returned to the hotel and enjoyed a drink in the hotel pub. Photos: <a href="http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/gg80/dagobert1985/London%20-%20Day%204/" target="_blank">http://s245.photobucket.com/al...Day%204/</a>
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Sounds like fun, shame you missed so many of the other excellent dining experiences (even for vegetarians) in London, but I am glad you liked Wagamama.
Originally Posted By dagobert London - Day 5: Today we had to leave, but before we wanted to see the British Museum. We checked out after breakfast and were on our way to the museum. It's really fantastic that nearly all museums in the UK are for free. Over here you have to pay. Sometimes students get in for free in some of the federal museums. First we went to see the Egyptian exhibition and the mummies. The Syrian objects on display were also very interesting. I was also interested in the money exhibition. It got really crowded and I was already angry about some of the other guests. I hate it when people play against the rules. What's so hard to understand that it is prohibited to touch the objects. So we got a cup of coffee in the huge museum hall. By the way the food stands there were operated by the Austrian company DO&CO. They operate the airline catering in Austria and many restaurants and hotels in Vienna and other Austrian cities. Then we checked out the souvenir shop. Later we had luch at Wagamama again and afterwards we headed to the Disney Store where I got a nice Monsters Inc. 1oth Anniversary pin. We bought some snacks at Marks & Spencer and returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage. But before we left we spent our last Pounds for a beer in the hotel pub. Since the subway was very crowded and delays were possible especially on the Piccadilly line to the airport, we decided to take the Northern Line from Waterloo to Paddington and from there the Heathrow Connect train to the airport. Our flight left at 8pm and we arrived in Munich around 11pm local time. Then we had to drive 90 minutes back to Salzburg. Pictures: <a href="http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/gg80/dagobert1985/London%20-%20Day%205/" target="_blank">http://s245.photobucket.com/al...Day%205/</a>
Originally Posted By u k fan It sounds like you had a great time and covered a lot of ground. It's so easy to take it for granted when it's nearby. I have never been inside the Tower of London! My sister saw Wicked! last year and loved it. I'm a huge fan of the Oz stories so I've always fancied it!!!
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Sounds like fun, shame you missed so many of the other excellent dining experiences (even for vegetarians) in London, but I am glad you liked Wagamama.<<< Wagamama was great. I know there are a lot of wonderful restaurants throughout the city, but we were still a bit on budget, because at the end of the day we are still students. Next time we will try more restaurants. My girlfriend's restaurant list was very long for London and so there is still a lot to do.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Sounds good. Shame you didn't do the British Museum earlier in the week to catch more of the place. did you see the Elgin Marbles? The Rosetta Stone? The Lewis Chess Set (the oldest known chess set in the world)? The Crystal Skull? Sutton Hoo Hoard? It is an amazing museum. So, 90 minutes to Salzburg from Munich. So a holiday of Munich, Salzburg and Vienna in the same trip would be doable?
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>It sounds like you had a great time and covered a lot of ground. It's so easy to take it for granted when it's nearby. I have never been inside the Tower of London! My sister saw Wicked! last year and loved it. I'm a huge fan of the Oz stories so I've always fancied it!!!<<< You should go and see Wicked. It was definitely the highlight of our trip and the tickets were worth the 65 Pounds. Until now I have only seen "Wicked" and "Cats" in London and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat" and "Elizabeth" (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_%28musical%29" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E...sical%29</a>) in Vienna. You should also go inside the Tower. There is a fantastic 2FOR1 deal from National Rail.
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Sounds good. Shame you didn't do the British Museum earlier in the week to catch more of the place. did you see the Elgin Marbles? The Rosetta Stone? The Lewis Chess Set (the oldest known chess set in the world)? The Crystal Skull? Sutton Hoo Hoard? It is an amazing museum. So, 90 minutes to Salzburg from Munich. So a holiday of Munich, Salzburg and Vienna in the same trip would be doable?<<< I think I saw the Chess Set, but I have seen the Rosetta Stone. Isn't it incredible that this stone was the only possibility to read the hieroglyphics. No, we didn't see the Crystal Skull. I didn't even know there was one. Is that the one mentioned in the fourth Indy movie? Doing Munich, Salzburg and Vienna in the sama trip should be doable. From Salzburg to Vienna it takes approximately three hours on the highway, but you can stop in Linz, my hometown and it was European Capital of Culture in 2009, since it is on the way. But Linz is not as beautiful than Salzburg and Vienna, since it is an industrial city with a big steel factory, which offers guided tours through it, and chemical plants.
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Lol, a very mixed day again. I love Greenwich, shame you didn't explore the museums, they are fantastic. Wagamama's is good (though not quite as good as they used to be - the portions are smaller and the service does not seem to be as good now they are getting larger, but still not bad). You might want to buy their cook book if you have not already, it is available on line. Hope your run of tech bad luck is over.<<< The service was fine when you take the crowds in account. Even in the afternoon the restaurant was crowded. My girlfriend is already thinking about getting the cook book.
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Sounds like a very mixed day, but overall excellent. The Tower of London does indeed have inhabitants, it is still an active military establishment (my step dad's father was posted here just after WWII). As for the HRC, it is a bit of a tourist con, London did have the 1st Hard rock Cafe, but the current one is a new location. I think the old one is now offices. Glad you enjoyed Wicked. I must confess, I find CATS to have been a very much overrated experience. I have yet to try Wicked, but I think I might need to set that right. Lol. But there are always great shows to catch in London, and they are cheaper than Broadway or Vegas shows.<<< Our days were indeed very mixed, but thanks to the Tube it is so easy and quick to get around London. I haven't been to many HRCs, but the one in London was not as enjoyable as the others. Although it looks nice, it lacks the atmosphere of the others. I mean it was so crowded and loud that it was hard to enjoy the drinks at the bar, which was really small. My favorite HRCs are still the ones in Orlando and Prague followed by Gothenburg and Munich. I have to admit I hardly remember Cats. I know that the stage was in the middle and the auditorium was built around it. I'm sure you and your family would enjoy Wicked.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>I think I saw the Chess Set, but I have seen the Rosetta Stone. Isn't it incredible that this stone was the only possibility to read the hieroglyphics. No, we didn't see the Crystal Skull. I didn't even know there was one. Is that the one mentioned in the fourth Indy movie?<<< It is amazing really, I can spend days and days in there, so much to learn. And there are a number of crystal skulls from South and Central America, one being in the British Museum (along with a jewel encrusted real skull). there are some doubts about some of the authenticity however as the victorians were notorious for creating artefacts, but still fun none the less. The african and native american collections, though small, are very cool too. But it really is the Egyptian, Syrian, Roman and Greek collections that I think are outstanding.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I think the problem with the HRC's is there are now too many, so the collections are sparse (Manchester and Edinburgh Hard Rocks are a waste of time really - and they closed down the Bristol, Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham, and Cardiff branches - my dad had one of his drum heads on display in the Cardiff branch). I agree, the best HRC is Orlando, for the pure spectacle of it all. The vault in London is kind of cool.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Kiz, although it is expensive, I think the Tower of London is pretty worth while - so much history, the crown jewels, Henry VIII's armour, the chopping block (speaking of Henry VIII). Although I love Warwick Castle and Windsor, the Tower is the oldest and soooo much history (even modern history).
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>I think the problem with the HRC's is there are now too many, so the collections are sparse (Manchester and Edinburgh Hard Rocks are a waste of time really - and they closed down the Bristol, Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham, and Cardiff branches - my dad had one of his drum heads on display in the Cardiff branch). I agree, the best HRC is Orlando, for the pure spectacle of it all. The vault in London is kind of cool.<<< Nearly every country has a HRC, but there is none in Austria. I really hope one day a HRC will come to Vienna. An Austrian company obtained the rights from HRC International to build a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at the Hungarian - Austrian boarder. I actually liked the HRC in Edinburgh. For me the one in Copenhagen was not so good. Pittsburgh was also a bit lame, but the one at the Niagara Falls in Canada was fine and Cleveland was also nice.
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>And there are a number of crystal skulls from South and Central America, one being in the British Museum (along with a jewel encrusted real skull). there are some doubts about some of the authenticity however as the victorians were notorious for creating artefacts, but still fun none the less. The african and native american collections, though small, are very cool too. But it really is the Egyptian, Syrian, Roman and Greek collections that I think are outstanding.<<< The British Museum is so huge and now we have a reason to return.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo And I kid you not, the other museums I listed are also world class in a similar fashion.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo And I kid you not, the other museums I listed are also world class in a similar fashion.
Originally Posted By dagobert We also planned to see the Science Museum, because we like that kind of museums, but we just couldn't find some time to do it. It's no fun just to rush through it.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Cool, though I think the natural history and imperial war museums are better than the science museum, but the science museum is good too.
