Hello from London
 

Just a second to send a quick hello to everyone! We're in Islington, north of the city's center. Hotter than blazes yesterday and rainy at night. So far, I had a chicken sandwich at a greasy spoon which tasted more like fish to me. Hehe, at least I found a pub where they sling a good pint! ;) Of course, I spent 25 English pounds at the pub yesterday. GOD, they weren't kidding when they said London was expensive! :eek:

We've got a helluva trip planned. We're here till August 2nd. Hopefully we can link up with some Mercedesshop members who live here in the UK.

I hope you find the good sides of the UK pretty soon, because the country has a lot to offer. London has the world famous sites, but it is a hard city. I used to work in Islington (from 1997 to 1998) and although it is regarded as quite smart I found it hard going.

I know London quite well; if you're looking for recommendations let me know what you like (I mainly know about pubs and bars!). If you are venturing up north, again, let me know. A lot of the guidebooks completely miss the north, yet in my (admittedly biased) view, the north has the best of what the UK can offer.

Howdy Aaron,
Greetings from El Mirage:D :D Try to PM a member by the name of "Bear". He hasn't been around for a while because of work but he might be able to give you some ideas. Have fun.

Aaron,

If you're planning on going to Wimbledon for thr Tennis Championship..............I'd start queueing now ;)

If you buy any food there............THAT will make you re-asses what you consider expensive.......

No kidding - looking right when crossing the street was perhaps the most treacherous part of our trip to England last year! (aside from learning to drive on the right in London traffic :eek: ) Fortunately for pedestrians, in many areas they painted large arrows and signs right on the road in case you forgot :)

We had a fantastic time in London - though as a tourist, I'm sure it's much easier to enjoy than if you lived there. Still, the most charming large city I've been in. If I were rich, I can easily see keeping a flat there ;)

Enjoy your trip - and follow jjrodger's advice - the countryside has so many quaint villages, excellent pubs, historical sites, gorgoeous scenery, etc. I can't wait to go back!


Regards,
- Ryan

For-get llokin rite!Every wonder why mom sayd look both ways when yuu wander cros the street after a pub shlub?

Eric,

Pictures will follow for sure! Of course if it would ever stop raining....;)

LOTS of MBs here. Pretty much all newer ones but cool nevertheless. I am going to try to bring back a 280GE LWB to the USA. I found one for practically nothing and it's not a rust bucket!

More to come...

Saw Buckingham Palace today as well as the Tower of London and will be going to Westminster Abbey tomorrow.

Aaron -

Consider visiting Churchhill's war rooms. If you are interested in WW2, they are fun. Don't know the exact location, but I am sure someone there does!

have fun and of course, mind the gap...

Mike

FOG = San Francisco
 

Aaron, say hello to my 11 yr old niece and my 8 yr old nephew in London. They are visiting also.

Cheers!

The Science Museum in South Kensington is great; the Victoria and Albert Museum also in South Ken is good, too, if you're interested in the decorative arts. I know there are only so many museums you can tolerate, but the Design Museum in Shad Thames is good, albeit small. It is on the south side of the river next to Tower Bridge. The area around the Design Museum is a great example of regeneration in London: until 20 years ago it was all derelict warehousing.

Obviously the British Museum is good. Try to see the Elgin Marbles and the Assyrian Freeze.

My favourite pub in London is the Lamb & Flag in Covent Garden, just off Bedford Street. A real old drinkers' dive of some character is Gordon's wine bar on Villiers Street next to Charing Cross station. It is the last doorway on the left as you head from the Strand towards Embankment tube; you have to go down some grotty stairs. I wouldn't leave London without taking a schooner of white port at Gordons! I'll probably go there tonight as I am appearing in court in London tomorrow morning.

If you're hungry for information the Time Out guides are excellent. There is a shopping guide, a restaurant guide, and a very good pub and bar guide. When you are drinking in a pub, men should drink pints of bitter--usually the hand-pulled stuff (the tap stuff is generally lager). My favourite London ale is Young's Best Bitter (this is available in the Lamb and Flag, I think); a very common London ale is London Pride. You will find Marston's Pedigree around a lot, too. Women tend not to drink bitter; they drink halves (i.e. a half pint) of lager or gins and tonic or wine.

Wow! Quite a day here! Got to check out Westminster Abbey and went back to the Tower of London for about three to four hours (mostly spent standing in line, but worth it nevertheless). Kristen and I are planning on going to Edinburgh next weekend and then up to Ireland the following weekend. Of course I will be taking a tour of the Guinness factory! :D

Saw some crazy old lady on the bus today, about 50 years old with bright pink hair, a bunch of piercings and a nose ring. Her young son was right next to her with a blue mohawk and all decked out in leather and spikes. I guess that was a reminder that England is the birthplace of punk! Hehe, shoulda brought my (now ragged) Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys t-shirts for a laugh!

Well, that sight today explains all I ever wanted to know about Iggy Pop ;)

Love London so far. Magnificent city and I am quite eager to get up to Liverpool.

JJRodger: How long does it take to get to Scotland from London via Brit Rail??

Aaron,

I hope this isn't too late for you.

The bast way to Scotland is to take the GNER train from Kings Cross station to Edinburgh. GNER is the train company. There is a train every half hour. Their trains are midnight blue with a fine red stripe, really cool looking. It takes 4 and 1/2 hours and is very civilised. If you can stretch, go first class and get yourself in the restaurant car, it is well worth it (an Executive Ticket includes two free meals--one in each direction). If not, you can normally get a table in the restaurant on a standard class ticket on the non-peak trains.

But please... get out of the train at Durham or Newcastle for 24 hours. It is a wonderful city, very friendly (seriously, us Geordies are regarded as being almost madly friendly), and it is a party town with a bit of culture and architecture thrown in. If you do nothing else, look out of the window on the right hand side (East) as you go through Durham (15mins before Newcastle): what you'll see is breathtaking.

Aaron, when you get back from Scotland you'll find signposts to the war rooms off Parliament Square at the opposite corner to the Palace of Westminster (that's the correct name for the Houses of Parliament).

Is you read this in time I can recommend the open top bus trips that start from the main railway station in Edinburgh. It's a round trip with continous commentry from a guide and you can buy a ticket that lasts all day so you can get on and off as you please.

If it's stately homes you're interested in then Blenheim Palace near Oxford or Chatsworth in Derbyshire are my favourites.

As you travel around you'll notice that we have many trucks and buses from MB - bet you don't get too many of those back home!

Enjoy your stay.