London with Kids - part 4
by Geri Wagner
Day Three Itinerary and options
Trafalgar Square
Buckingham Palace
Changing the Guards
Horse Riding Stables
St. James Park
St. Martin-in-the-Fields
Make a Brass Rubbing
Skyline Balloons
China Town
You'll want to get going early today as you're set to
watch either the Change of the Guard at Buckingham Palace or the Horse
Guards Parade around nearby St. James Park. I say either, because
the Change of the Guard does not take place every day. Some months,
it occurs on odd days, some months on other days.
If it's not a day for the Change of the Guard, you can
still watch the Horse Guards Parade, which is held daily. You might
want to call Buckingham Palace Visitor's Office (tel: 0171 839 1377)
to inquire ahead of time.
At Leicester Square, stop and watch the giant cuckoo
clock at the Swiss Centre. Hopefully, it will be chiming the 9 o'clock
(a.m.) hour. Then you can walk down toward Trafalgar Square, taking
Whitcomb Street toward the Thames.
As you pass the statue of Charlie Chaplin in Leicester
Square, have everyone try doing a little Charlie Chaplin walk as you
go (unless you are travelling with teenagers who will die from embarrassment
if you do something like that when they are around.) With teens about,
just give Charlie a teensy wave that hardly anyone would notice except
Charlie himself, and keep going.
Trafalgar Square
It is said that Trafalgar Square is the exact center
of London. It's a great place to people watch and let children run
about, chasing pigeons while you think (not too deeply, however, since
you must watch the children) about Lord Nelson, whose corpulum graces
the square.
If you happen to be at Trafalgar Square on New Year's
Eve, you're apt to get wet, as people like to throw one another and
perhaps even themselves, into the two pools which flank Nelson's column.
We avoided Trafalgar Square on New Year's Eve with our children.
Nelson's Column which is the centrepiece of Trafalgar
Square was built to honour Lord Nelson for his victory in Spain in
1805. The column on which Lord Nelson stands is 185 feet high and
Lord Nelson himself is a massive 18ft high although you wouldn't know
it when you look at him from the ground.
The four massive Bronze panels which decorating the
base of the column are cast from the guns of French guns captured
during the Napoleonic wars. A fir tree that is set up in the square
each Christmas is an Annual gift from Norway to say thank you to the
British for their help during World War II.
Trafalgar Square is probably most famous for its pigeons.
Tourists are discouraged from feeding the pigeons although this does
not seem to stop them. After all, what would Trafalgar Square be without
pigeons? Some people's earliest memories as a child are of feeding
the pigeons in Trafalgar Square.
Across the road is the National Gallery (Tel: (020)
7747 2885), which has excellent (free) trails for kids to follow,
looking at paintings along the way. They open at 10 a.m. and admission
is free.
Nearby is The Mall (leading to Buckingham Palace) and
St James's Park, which, with its huge range of waterfowl, is a great
place to bird watch (and feed.) But you need to go to Buckingham Palace
first, if you want to see the Change of the Guard.
That occurs around 11:30 a.m., but you won't be able
to see anything if you saunter over there at 11:20. Know what I mean?
Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews
Not far from Buckingham Palace are the Royal Mews. No
cats here that we can mention. Just horses. Unless you've arrived
well before 11 a.m., you've missed the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham
Palace, which takes place daily at 11:27 a.m.
From a kid's perspective (I'll never grow up, never
grow up) there's basically nothing to do around Buck Palace otherwise
except to stare through the gates at a big grey building.
Changing the Guard
The Queen's guard and a musical band leave Wellington
Barracks and march to the Palace. If it's a wet day, the event may
not take place. You need to arrive early so as to get a place to see.
If it's an off day for whatever reason, you can still see the Horse
Guards Parade, daily through Saturday at 11 a.m., and at 10 a.m. on
Sunday.
In this parade, the Queen's Life Guard leaves Hyde Park
Barracks and travels via Hyde Park Corner and Constitution Hill to
The Mall. The Guard consists of three officers and 40 men but is reduced
when the Queen is away. The musicians do not play in wet weather.
The ceremony lasts approximately 25 minutes.
The Changing takes place daily during the summer (May,
June, July) and on alternate days in winter (August to April).
The Palace is the official residence of the Queen and
has been since Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837. Should
you see the Royal Standard flying (that's a flag) you will know that
Her Royal Highness is 'at home'.
Buckingham Palace stands in about 40 acres of garden.
The interior houses the Throne Room, Music Room, State Dining Room,
many beautifully decorated apartments, and a gallery of paintings
and other works of art. The royal apartments are to be found in the
north wing of the Palace. The State Rooms at the Palace are open to
visitors during each August and September (Open 8 August-5 October)
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tickets are available each day from the Ticket Office
in Green Park. Pre-booking for individuals or groups. Telephone 0171
839 1377 to book ahead.
You can also view HM The Queen's carriage horses, carriages
and harnesses, including the Coronation Coach, built in 1762. Open
on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday all year, from 12-4:30 p.m. Admission:
Adults--£4.20, Children--£2.00, Family Ticket--£10.00. Tel: 011 44
171 839 1377.
Horse Riding Stables
If there's an equestrian in your midst, you may want
to contact Westway Stables 20 Stable Way, W10 (020 8964 2140) for
a bit of an afternoon ride. To get there from St. James Park tube
stop, take the District Line to Paddington Station, then look for
the Hammersmith and City Line, which you'll take to the Latimer Road/Ladbroke
Grove tube stop. Open 10am-6pm daily.
Riding lessons for all levels take place throughout
the year, and during the holidays the centre runs an 'own a pony'
week where children can look after and care for a pony all week and
ride twice a day (£150 per week). There's also a day option for £35.
Birthday parties are also catered for.
Feed the Birds in St. James Park
This is a great place to relax a bit and let the kids
feed the birds. If you hold your hands out with a bit of seed or bread
on them, birds will land on you (gently). There's sure to be an old
hand at this about who can demonstrate.
Head back toward Trafalgar Square and stop at St. Martin
in the Fields for lunch, maybe some noon time musical entertainment
and to create a brass rubbing.
St. Martin in the Fields
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Trafalgar Square, London,
WC2N 4JJ, is located on the East side of Trafalgar Square, where this
wonderful monument to Nelson is erected. Originally surrounded by
fields, the church now overlooks one of the busiest squares in London.
Enjoy a snack in the Café in the Crypt (a great setting
for tonight's ghost story back at the hotel!) This self-service cafe-restaurant
is open from 10am until 8pm Mondays to Saturdays and from noon until
8pm on Sundays.You can enjoy a hot drink, a glass of wine, a full
meal or a snack.
St Martin-in-the-Fields has welcomed talented musicians
to perform in Lunchtime Concerts for over 50 years - from highly acclaimed
young soloists, to choirs from all over the world; from promising
new ensembles, to established professionals.
These concerts, which take place every Monday, Tuesday
and Friday at 1.05pm, and are free of charge. A special series of
Lunchtime Concerts in 2000 celebrates the life and works of JS Bach,
who died 250 years.
A parallel series on the last Friday of each month gives
the opportunity to hear some of his greatest choral and instrumental
music, including the Easter Oratorio, motets, unaccompanied 'cello
suites, extracts from The Well-Tempered Clavier and the Goldberg Variations.
The final concert in this series will be on Friday 22 December 2000.
For information about exact concerts and dates, call 020 - 7930 0089.
Make a Brass Rubbing
Follow up with a visit to the Brass Rubbing Centre
located in the Crypt, St Martin-in-the-Fields Church (Telephone: (020)
7930 9306). Here's a unique opportunity for all the family to make
pictures, with a simple technique, of Britain's royalty, medieval
and Tudor characters and unusual Celtic designs. The crypt workshop
supplies specialist materials, a choice of 90 plaques and friendly
instruction. Costs of making a brass rubbing range from £2.50 to £15.00.
Skyline Balloon
From St. James Park tube stop, take the District Line
to the Tower Hill or London Bridge stop for a fun balloon ride at
the Skyline Balloon. A family ticket (2 adults, 2 kids) will run you
about $47.00. Hey. Did I ever say London was cheap? When I was there,
the exchange rate was about two for one, in Britain's favour.
A stroll along the Thames is always nice as you wander
back to the tube stop and up to Leicester Square.
China Town
If you're looking for more to see and great places to
get some dinner, try walking through London's China Town, just behind
(or so it seems) Leicester Square. You can have a grand time just
looking in windows, ,people watching, and gnoshing on treats. You
may even get lucky and spot a game of Chinese Chess going on. I defy
you to figure the game out. My husband videotaped an entire game so
he could bring it back home to the states and study it. A few years
later, we taped about twelve episodes of "My So Called Life" over
it..
See also
Orientation to London with Kids here
Day One Itinerary here
Day Two Itinerary here
Day Four Itinerary here
Day Five Itinerary here
article by Geri Wagner
geri@starshiptravel.com
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