Travel Diaries

Each week in this segment I’ll be writing an A to Z of things to do and see in London. Ranging from some of the capitals most interesting museum to music venues and markets!

Jewel Tower, Westminster, London -

Where is it:

The Jewel tower sits close to the Houses of Parliment, so it’s something you could see whilst visiting some other attractions. Closest tube station is Westminster. Victoria and Charing Cross stations are also very close by.

What can you do there:

The Jewel tower is one of the two remaining pieces of  building that used to be the Palace of Westminster. When it was built it was used to house King Edward III’s treasured jewellery. The tower was also used to hold important documents for the nearby House of Lords. The building now has a small exhibition inside it that tells of the past and present uses for this small but important buliding. As I said above, this attraction is probably best done whilst seeing other things nearby, these could include The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the Thames and Westminster Abbey.

How much does it cost and opening times:

The tower opens on different times each day. To check for your day click the link in the website section.

Adult£3.20
Child£1.90
Concession£2.90

Disabled Access:

There is no information on the website that mentions access for disabled people. However there is a phone number that could be called: 0870 333 1181

Website: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/jewel-tower/

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/jewel-tower/visitor-information

Kew Gardens, Richmond, South west London -

Where is it:

The closest tube station is Kew Gardens (District Line), you can also take a train from Waterloo to Kew Bridge.

What can you do there:

Kew Gardens is just what it says on the package. It a garden, but don’t be fooled. This garden houses huge greenhouses with humid climates, perfect for the tropical plants. There’s also a Treetop Walkway that sits 18 metres up in the air. Kids will love walking through the trees!

The gardens are huge so there are numerous places to walk around including the Japanese Landscape, Climbers and Creepers play area for children and Sackler crossing.

How much does it cost and opening times:

The gardens open at 9:30

Adults: £13.90

Concessions: £11.90

Children: Free

Disabled Access: There is almost full access to the whole park however, one of the two tree walkways has no access as they are having trouble with the lift.

Website: http://www.kew.org/

London Dungeons, London Bridge, London -

Where is it:

The London Dungeons are nestled practically within the same building as London Bridge tube and train station making it the closest!

(You can often see the live actors taking smoke breaks or grabbing some lunch in the station so keep your eyes peeled)

What can you do there:

The London Dungeons (owned by Merlin entertainment) is an attraction that aims to teach you about the gruesome history of London whilst scaring the life out of you! They used live actors and there are some rides within the building so for those who are a bit squeamish then this one is probably not for you!

How much does it cost and opening times:

Ticket Prices:

Adult: £24

Child: £18.60

Disabled Access: The dungeons are accessible to disabled visitors however there are some restrictions for certain rides. Also each tour is only able to take two wheelchair users, there are tours every seven minutes.

Website: http://www.the-dungeons.co.uk

Technorati Tags: Attractions, Jewel Tower, Kew Gardens, London, London Dungeons

Today the Travel and Tourism class took a trip into Central London to visit The Times: Destinations Show. We got there for about 10:30 in the freezing cold and couldn’t wait to get in and have a look around. At first glance the show seemed to be quite small and there wasn’t too many people milling around. It didn’t take too long for the event to fill up with people and the exhibition centre is actually a lot bigger than it looked at first glance. The stalls were brimming full of cool bits and bobs to pick up and take home and there were some great interviews and performances taking place on the main stage including:

• Tropical Inc Ltd – They brought in a wide range of exotic animals including Skunks, Snapping Turtles, Scorpions, Parrots and everyone favourite Peanut the Meerkat!
• Sir Trevor McDonald – Had a wonderful interview on the main exhibition stage, he took questions from the crowd including questions on the objectivity of the news, the saddest story that he had to cover and insights into his coverage of some of the worlds biggest stories.
• The Argentinian salsa dancers – After Sir Trevor McDonald the crowd were entertained with a dance from an Argentinian couple doing the salsa!

It wasn’t all fun and games however, we had a task to complete. The travel and tourism level threes are holding an event on the 29th May. The event (aptly named) Olympic Rewind will take the audience back in time to the first country that hosted the games (Greece 776 BC for the Ancient Olympics and  1896 for the first modern Olympics) and then travel through 6 other countries that hosted the Olympics before finally coming back round to the UK for 2012. During our time at the destination show we looked for inspiration that we could use for some ideas of the decorations at our event and we also looked at how the event was put together and picked up some leaflets/posters and information that we can use during our own event.

What did we learn from the Destinations Show?

Obviously our event will not be quite as big as either the World Travel Market or the Destinations Show but there is a lot that needs to be done to make sure that any event, big or small runs without a hitch.

• The main thing we learned during our time at the show was that we need to make sure we are focused on making our audience happy and giving the best customer service possible. The destinations show had a number of helpers stationed around the building to point people in the right direction. Also the stall holders were very customer focused as they wanted to sell their products, there were a lot of free bits which instantly drew people to their stalls, these included free bread samples, seed samples and a lot of demonstrations including Asian cooking . What are we going to do to catch our audience’s eye?
•  There needs to be space for people to move around. There was a lot of empty space at the show allowing people to take a breather away from the crowds. How will we set the hall out to make sure that there is space for everyone?
• There was clear sign posting about the safety procedures in the exhibition building, we will need to create posters leading to the exits for our event. Also we need to make sure that the entire team is briefed on what to do in an emergency.

The latest on our event -

So, as I said before we have come up with a theme, date and location for our event. We have also chosen to take this opportunity to raise money for Children First Lewisham charity which is situated in Catford, Lewisham. They work to help children with physical, mental and educational issues, any money that is donated to them will be spent on the charities current four objectives:

1.  To promote the relationship between parents and services at Kaleidoscope and to enhance parent and child experience in using services.
2. To benefit children and their families who have additional needs by supportive actions not otherwise funded by the statutory sector.
3. To support the professionals based at Kaleidoscope in their work.
4. To develop closer links with the Lewisham voluntary sector.

Final Thoughts -

I’d just like to say a huge thank you to those who were at the stalls on the 3rd, I had a great time talking to a few different people and it’s really inspired me to keep up with my writing!

Technorati Tags: Destinations Show, Earls Court, London

Each week in this segment I’ll be writing an A to Z of things to do and see in London. Ranging from some of the capitals most interesting museum to music venues and markets!

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Southbank, London -

Where is it:

The globe theatre is seated on the south bank of the Thames. It is easily reached by foot from one of the many tube and train stations that surround it. From my point of view I’d say the best walk would be from London Bridge tube or train station, it’s about a 15min walk but you get to walk down the riverside. Other tube stations you can get to the globe from are Southwark (Jubilee line), Mansion House (District and Circle line) and St. Pauls (Central line). It’s probably best to travel by public transport as there is fairly limited parking in the area.

What can you do there:

The globe theatre was reconstructed near it’s original sight (the original building was burnt down by a fire in 1613). However the new building is made to resemble exactly what the original building looked like. The globe theatre is used to perform both open air and indoor productions of  Shakespeare’s work. The building is also used as an educational tools for schools across the UK and also for university students studying the performance arts. I think it’s well worth a trip to the Globe as it gives you a real sense of what life would have been like at the time, aside from that the building itself is beautiful!

How much does it cost and opening times: 

Theatre season begins on the 7th of June 2012 - You can buy tickets on-line from the 13th February.

These are the prices for the exhibition and globe theatre tour. During performances there is a different tour that they will take you on and the tickets for that are a little less expensive.

The exhibition prices are going up after the 31st of March:

Opening times: Monday to Saturday – 10am until 5pm, Sunday – 10am until 4pm

Disabled Access: There is access to all areas in the building by lifts. They also have  a contact number for any questions: 020 7902 1409

Website: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/

Harrods, Knightsbridge, London -

Where is it: Harrods store is in central London, close to Knightsbridge tube station (on the Piccadilly line)

What can you do there: I guess this one is a little odd, after all it’s a shop. However, I feel that because its so huge and it’s about 17mins by public transport from Oxford Street it deserved a look in. Harrods is a store that sells almost everything. I’m not suggesting you roll on down there with your latest weekly shopping list because you’ll leave with no money left in your bank account! But when I go I spend maybe 2 or 3 hours having a walk around all the levels. My favourite places include the food hall on the bottom floor (all the sweets look so yummy) and the toy department where they show off the latest and greatest toys!

For those who don’t like to browse then this one is probably not for you.

How much does it cost and opening times:

Well as it’s a shop you don’t need to pay to get in, so no worries there.

Monday to Saturday 10am – 8pm, Sunday 11.30am – 6pm

Disabled Access: There is step-free access to the shop and it also has lifts to allow access.

Website: http://www.harrods.com/

Imperial War Museum, Lambeth, London -

Where is it: The closest tube stations are Lambeth North (Bakerloo Line), Waterloo (Bakerloo, Northern, Jubilee Line), Southwark (Jubilee Line) and Elephant & Castle (Bakerloo, Northern Line)

What can you do there:

The Imperial War museum holds collections of items from conflicts that the UK and the Commonwealth countries have been in. I think this trip is a  great one for children, the subject matter within the museum isn’t particularly light but its great as a teaching tool plus they exhibit some tanks and planes that are sure too keep little ones interested!

How much does it cost and opening times:

The museum is free to visit, you may need to pay for any special exhibitions that you visit.

Monday to Sunday – 10am to 6pm

Disabled Access: The IWM is wheelchair friendly, they also accept guide dogs and other assistance dogs.

Website: http://www.iwm.org.uk/

Technorati Tags: Globe Theatre, Harrods, IWM, London