Have scheduled a trip to England in October with son's in-laws and was wondering if anyone could give me any pointers since I have never visited Europe before... our itinerary is fairly relaxed...hope to spend a few days in London and take in a play or two...explore the southern half of England...my family migrated in 1640 from a little place called Alkham near Dover and hubbies ironically migrated just a short scoot away at a place called Hadlow... we are looking forward to seeing these places... also hope to visit Torquay and that area...hubbies grandmother was originally from there...from there back to London and catch the high speed train to Paris for a few days (taking in the Moulon Rouge); then on to Brussells (for the great chocolates and beer) and if time permits on to Amsterdam....a must for me is a visit to Vimy Ridge in France...my dad has pics of Lille where he was stationed in WWII RCAF, so understand Vimy is not that far away from Lille, my dad fought in the Battle of Britian (unfortunately the Battle of Britian Museum in Hawkridge is closed in Oct) and D-day in Normandy and also served in Germany...had pics of the liberation of the Bergen-Belgium concentration camp in Hanover; served in Holland, Luxembourg etc. so this will be an emotional trip for me as he is now deceased....am looking forward to my adventure to Europe


Bonnie

I would suggest getting a copy of the National Trust Properties, I bought one from Barnes and Nobles a few weeks ago. All of the properties are of some "Historical Importance" and are scattered throughout the UK. When I was living there, this would be our family "bible" of places to visit when we were on vacation.
I hope that the weather is kind.

Hi Bonnie

Great to see that you are coming over to visit the UK in October. Sounds like you have a great itinery planned already. Lille and Paris are the main two stops on the train from Waterloo in London. The other is Brussels, but these are different trains. When you go to Brussels I would recommend a trip to Bruges, if you have time. It is about an hour away on the train. It is a lovely city and I fell in love with it when I went for a few days a couple of years ago. I think that there is more to see there than in Brussels. Here is a link to a Bruges website: http://www.visit-bruges.com

Back in the UK there are all the touristy things to do in London, like the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral, etc, etc.

When you are down near Dover, you might want to go across to Canterbury. The place where Chaucer's pilgrims were heading to. The city and cathedral are very nice.

Other places that many Americans visit are Oxford to see the various old university colleges, Stratford-on-Avon - for Shakespeare, Bath for the roman baths and pump room. If you have time it is worth visiting Scotland, particularly Edinburgh. If you like scenary and walking then the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales are great places to visit.

As already mentioned the National Trust do a book of all the places that they own. Sizergh Castle which I went to on Monday belongs to them. There are some great historic places there.

I hope that that gives you a bit more flavour. Any more questions, just ask, and if you would like to set up a meeting, I am sure there will be some of us who would love to meet you.

Happy holiday planning.

Thanks folks for your suggestions ,,, they have been most helpful

Bonnie

http://www.iwm.org.uk/

Bonnie try this if you are interested in the Battle of Britain.
theres a lot to see at this museum.