London to Rome via Crystal....

[antipop]

Matt, Heston Blumethal is great and I still need to try Fat Duck but I do want to try Gordon Ramsey's restaurant. Maybe it will be cheaper if they knocked out a star

I forgot to mention, one of the best restaurant I've ever experience is Hélène Darroze @ the Connaught. French cuisine from the South, all French produce. It has the best bread I've ever had ! I looked everywhere in Paris to find something remotely approaching and it's impossible. The service is just outstanding.

And the bar of the Connaught is one of the best in London, too bad it's always overcrowded.

[trek737]

Originally Posted by magoo

For a sense of London's past combined with some great food, Borough Market in Southwalk is well worth a visit, and The Market Porter pub there is a fine example of the breed! Much less touristy than Covent Garden.



From there, it's a pleasant stroll along the South Bank towards The London Eye, which is un-missable. If you cross the river at Charing Cross (there's foot bridges either side of the train lines), you'll find an old favourite bar of mine, Gordon's Wine Bar. Housed in an old wine cellar with low vaulted ceilings and selling only Wine, Sherry & Port, this is a lovely spot to have a bite (The Ploughman's is always good here) & people watch.





Heston Blumenthal seems to have taken Ramsey's crown restaurant wise, Ramsey recently lost 2 of his stars, too busy saving Amy's Bakery to cook back home maybe Michel Roux's Le Gavroche is always well recommended & the man himself is still found in his own kitchens. Serious carnivores rave about St. John Bread and Wine in Spitalfields (there's another in Smithfield too).

Oh, and if you intend using the tube, get yourself an Oyster card in advance and avoid the now horrendous queues at ticket offices!

Have a great trip

Magoo,

Once a again great ideas from first hand experience that I never would of gotten from my guide book. Will definitely be looking into your suggestions for our trip.

Thanks so much... And good to see the photos as well!

Cheers,

[trek737]

Originally Posted by antipop

Matt, Heston Blumethal is great and I still need to try Fat Duck but I do want to try Gordon Ramsey's restaurant. Maybe it will be cheaper if they knocked out a star

I forgot to mention, one of the best restaurant I've ever experience is Hélène Darroze @ the Connaught. French cuisine from the South, all French produce. It has the best bread I've ever had ! I looked everywhere in Paris to find something remotely approaching and it's impossible. The service is just outstanding.

And the bar of the Connaught is one of the best in London, too bad it's always overcrowded.

Georges,

Thanks... We leave this Sunday and we are excited to say the least. I have copied all of the suggestions here on this thread and will hopefully get to try out a few.

I have a private photo tour set up for this Tuesday the 15th to shoot London and night. Hopefully we have good weather.

Cheers,

[ChrisAZ]

I lived in London for 4 years growing up and have been back many times - as a matter of fact I'm going back for an epic pub crawl with friends the summer of 2015. As a photographer, leave the big lenses and big cameras at home and bring a smaller mirrorless with fast primes and wide angles, or a short fast zoom. I used a 12-40 (24-80 35 mm equivalent) f2.8 pro zoom on my Olympus micro four thirds camera (OMD-EM5, now replaced by the EM1) last fall in Paris and it was all I needed (I had a few faster primes with me as well but didn't need them). Your shoulders and back will thank you.

While there are many fine restaurants in London, since you will be gorging on the cruise ship and then in Rome (and there is no better place to gorge than Italy), I think I would focus on local haunts (gastro pubs & Indian food) and historical sites since this is your first trip. Sure, you'll be doing touristy things, but why the heck not? Harrods' food courts, Westminster Abbey, St. Pauls, The British Museum, The National Gallery, The Tower, etc., etc. I get to avoid them because I've seen them so many times, but if you haven't you should see them. There is simply too much to do and see in London in 4 days. Make sure you take in a show in the West End as well. Perhaps a concert at Royal Albert Hall.

I've been to Italy 8 or so times, and Rome is almost always included in the visit. Eat street food, gelato and porchetta paninis, avoid tourist restaurants (like around the Spanish Steps), walk, dine and drink around Trastevere, and by all means inundate yourself with history and art. The Vatican Museum is a must and I'd recommend a tour of the crypts underneath (you need to book before your trip on line because it's very popular). I'd really recommend hiring a good private guide (or guides) in Rome, it will make the history come alive. They ain't cheap, but having a historian guide you through the Forum or an art historian guide you through the Vatican Museum is quite fantastic and a much better experience than doing it by yourself or with a large group. Plus you get to skip the lines and go places you would not find or could not find on your own (like archaelogical digs under the city center). Have a great trip.

[trek737]

Our trip to Europe was incredible. Four days in London was not enough time to see all of the sites on our list. So instead of rushing through it we will be planning a return trip soon.

Some of the attractions that we saw were: Tower of London, War Museum, Hampton Court, Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge and others. I would have to say that the Tower of London and Hampton Court were two of my favorites. I am reading a book on King Henry the XIII by Alison Weir... good stuff as I love history.

We had a little hick up on the last night of London, the day before the start of our cruise. Stacie was coming out of the restaurant and twisted her ankle. Lucky for us, a visit to the ER the following morning and the X-ray showed just a sprain, nothing broken. As we were being released from ER I asked the Dr. so how much do I owe? He said nothing and we were on our way. I was not expecting that. We were provided with great medical care and the Dr. had the best bed side manner that we had ever seen. Thanks to all of the tax payers of England...

So after three days on the ship with her in a wheel chair, the swelling in her ankle for the most part disappeared, and she was able to ditch the w/chair. But for the rest of the cruise she was only able to wear her comfortable shoes. The high heels, some of which were just bought for the cruise, will have to wait until another time... We were very fortunate.



Here are a few shots of my photo shoot of London at Night:


Tower Bridge:



London Eye / County Hall:



Southwark Bridge w/ St Paul's Cathedral:



Southwark Bridge w/ City Skyline:... (last two)







Palace of Westminster, Elizabeth Tower / Big Ben (bell), and The Westminster Bridge:



Millennium Bridge w/ St. Paul's Cathedral:



London Bridge:



London Eye:



Millennium Bridge: (low view)


More to come...

[trek737]

Additional shots of London at Day:



Buckingham Palace:



Brompton Road: (Close to Harrods)



Tower Bridge:




Hampton Court: (Among others, King Henry the XIII's castle...)



Hampton Court: (Back yard view...by royal gardens)



Hampton Court: (For those of you who thought you had a gun collection)



Tower of London: (White Tower next four photos)



Tower of London:



Tower of London:



Tower of London, King Henry the XIII armor!:



Tower of London / The Shard Building:



Tower of London, Beefeater and Tower Bridge:



Tower of London:

[trek737]

St. Emilion, the historical hilltop village, named after the monk who founded a hermitage in the area, was our first stop on the cruise. It is a small medieval wine village 22 miles northeast of Bordeaux France. It is also a World Hertiage site with ruins, Romanesque churches, golden stone structures, catacombs, and wine cellars. This beautiful city has beneath it a hidden under ground church, which I was not allowed to take photos of, that was pretty incredible.
Here is a link to the underground church with photos on a Utube video: [ame]http://youtu.be/wlDZI6YTCPk[/ame]


Panoramic view of the city:



Palais Cardinal: (Ruins of what is left of the Cardinal's Palace)



Cloister of the Cordeliers: (Unesco Heritage Site)



Monolithic Church: (With under ground church just beneath this building.)



Monolithic Church with Bell Tower on Top:



Bell Tower:



Cadene Arch: (Designed to monitor people)



Steep Cobble Stone Streets:



Outdoor Seating by the Monolithic Church:



One of the many wine shops:



Bell Tower / The Tower:

[trek737]

Bordeaux France, was our second stop on the cruise. The tour guide said that Paris was the big Bordeaux and not the other way around, which gave us all a little chuckle...

Bordeaux is the ninth largest city in France. Located on the Garonne River it is a spectacular site with beautiful architecture including the St. Pierre church, The Column of the Girondins, Porte Caihau, Place de la Bourse and many other historical sites..



Here are few shots from our visit:

La Place de La Bourse: (Miroir d' Eau de Bordeaux / The Reflection)






Pont de Pierre: (Bridge over Garonne River)



Local Cafe:



Grand Theatre:



Grand Theatre: (Left Side)



Grand Hotel of Bordeaux:



Public Transportation:



Tower by St. Andre's Cathedral:



Tower by St. Andre's Catherdal:



St. Andre's Catherdal:



Monument of Girondins:



Lucky Moment: (Catching a ballet dancer in action)



Two Wine Chateaus: (Along our ride back shot while on the bus.)

[trek737]

Lisbon, our third stop on this cruise, is the capital and the largest city in Portugal. Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the oldest city in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by hundreds of years.
It has two Unesco World Heritage Sites: The Belem Tower and The Jeronimos Monastery.



Here are a few of the photos from our visit:

Jeronimos Monastery: (Unesco World Heritage Site)




Jeronimos Monastery with fountain:



Belem Tower: (Unesco World Heritage Site)



Praca Do Comercio: (Commerce Square commonly known as Terreiro do Paco)



Public Transportation:



Rossio Square: (or Pedro IV Square built in middle ages / Praca Dom Pedro)



Santa Engracia: (Church with white dome began construction in 1682 and finished in 1966)



Ponte 25 De Abril Bridge - 1966; and Cristo Rei Statue - 1959)



Elevador De Santa usta: (or commonly known as Carmo Lift built 1902)





Gibraltar, is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. It has an area of 2.3 square miles and a northern border with the Province of Cádiz in Andalusia, Spain.



Gibraltar: (As seen from our ship...)



From a top the mountain:



The local inhabitants on top of the hill:



Library Street:

[trek737]

Monte Carlo,The principality of Monaco is a tiny city-state on the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by France, although the Italian Riviera lies a few kilometres farther east.
This is the second smallest independent state in the world (after the Vatican) and is almost entirely urban.

The history of Monaco is a fascinating tale and to top it off with the love story of actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer III of Monaco just adds icing to the cake.

Grace Kelly & Prince Rainer III of Monaco :: This Is Glamorous



Monte Carlo at night:



A view of the city from the royal palace:



A view from off the back of our ship:



Casino of Monte Carlo:



Plenty of exotic cars in front of the Casino:



Hotel de Paris:



Grand Prix:



A Local native...


A Great way to see Monte Carlo: ( 22 euros and you can get on and off all day and see the entire city...)




An even better way to see the city!