England: Planning Dad’s Visit

Submitted by Lindsay Lerner on the 2017 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

With fall break quickly approaching, I have found myself writing a lot of lists to prepare for my Father’s arrival. I am very eager to show my Dad around London!  As I am sure that future London study abroad students may wonder what to do when their parents come to visit, I wrote this as a suggestion list.

  1. Go to the museums: Imperial War Museum, The Tate, The Tate Modern, The Museum of London, British Museum, The Science Museum, Victoria and Albert… There are so many Museums.
    1. Note to self: Dad doesn’t like Modern Art.
    2. Note to self: Take Dad to the London Film Museum to see the James Bond car exhibit.
  2. Restaurants and Markets:
    1. Any Gordon Ramsey restaurant (Gordon is the man) — Make a reservation way in advanced
    2. Duck and Waffle — Make a reservation way in advanced
    3. Poppies (Fish and Chips are a must!)
    4. China Town (As a New Yorker I can tell you our China town is superior, but the London version is as authentic as it gets.)
    5. Note to self: Take Dad for Indian food in the Camden Market
  3. London Eye:
    1. Note to self: Tell Dad it’s a giant Ferris wheel, try to ignore his protesting about not liking heights, remind him that the view is worth it!
  4. Warne Bros- Studio Tour London The Making of Harry Potter
    1. “You’re a Wizard, Harry”- J.K Rowling
    2. Ok, let’s be honest, I don’t think my Dad is a big Harry Potter fan but I AM!
    3. To anyone who is a Harry Potter Fan: Tickets are hard to get, I booked them three months ago. If you are planning on going, book in advance. I looked last week and the tickets were sold out till 2018.
  5. Wander around the city:
    1. Go see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace at 11:00 am and take it from there. Sure, this might not seem like much of a plan, but the greatest discoverys I have made in London have been because I got off at the wrong tube stop or got lost
    2. Exploring= one of the best parts of city life
  6. Europe
    1. London – Paris (2 hrs 15 min by train)
    2. London –Barcelona (Not the best idea with the current political issues)
    3. London – Venice or Rome (2hrs 30 min flight)
    4. London – Dublin (about an 1 hr flight)
    5. London – Berlin (1 hour 50 min flight)
    6. London – Prague (1 hour 55 min flight)
    7. London –  Brussels (2 hrs 30 min by train)
    8. London – Scotland (5 hour by train)