What's in this page:
* Transportation information - Gatwick Airport and public transportation
* Accommodation - the Martel Guest House
* Outings
Why London?
My boyfriend, Asi, has lived
for one year in London as a child and visited this wonderful city several
times as an adult. He gave me the "London Bug" with his stories about the
city, its places and people and the atmosphere, so inevitably we marked
London as the first destination on our joint traveling map.
In this site you can find your own copy of the London Tube map as well as tourist information about London http://www.tourist.co.uk/tubemap.html
Our tour in London started on September 25th, 1998, when we landed at Gatwick Airport. Although the airport is very big and has two terminals (North & South), it is quite easy to get around and to travel from the airport to the city.
You can check out this user-friendly site of Gatwick Airport: http://www.airwise.com/airports/europe/LGW/LGW_01.html
We chose to take a train from Gatwick to Victoria Station in London. Victoria Station is a central junction for transportation to and from London. You can purchase there a periodic travel pass (you must have a passport-size-picture) - we purchased a weekly pass, since we have planned to stay in London for 8 days (it is recommended to travel light if you plan to be only in London, otherwise you could be running around the station with your luggage, and that's very uncomfortable and tiring).
We chose to be staying at the Martel Guest House at Golders Green, a quiet neighborhood. We found the place through the net, we took a chance and we not disappointed. The guest house is close to the Golders Green train station (the northern line), and the owner and host, Phill Martel, is very hospitable and kind - if you have any questions regarding directions, transportation arrangements or even about the weather, Phill will be at your assistance, always with a smile. The guest house address:
London is famous for its cultural
abundance, so a show, play or musical are a must. Movies are also abundance,
however they are rather expensive, so you have to check the price each
theater charges before making plans. We went to 3 shows: "Closer", "The
History of America Abridged" and "Rent", and we enjoyed the first two (the
third was a musical with a bad sound work).
If you are a football (European)
fan, you have many games to go to, you should try seeing a game at Wembley
Stadium - it's an unforgettable experience.
The best magazine with current
information on London living and outing is "Time Out". We suggest buying
a copy as you arrive in London. The web version is
here:
http://www.timeout.com/london/
Most recommended in London is the great selection of restaurants, and we would like to recommend a few:
Wagamama - the famous
noodle restaurant, which serves great noodles in all forms, sizes and colors.
For budget travelers, this is a place with delicious food that doesn't
clean you out.
You can find a review and
a picture of the place, and reserve a table in this Entetainmet site:
http://www.entertainnet.co.uk/restaurants/wagamama/index.htm
There is another AA site with
a review on the restaurant:
http://www.theaa.co.uk/region9/82332.html
Melati - a thai-malezian
food restaurant with some exquisite tastes of the Far-East. If you are
the brave type, try anything on the menu (that's what we did). The restaurant
address: 21 Great Windmill St.
There is a review on the restaurant
on the net at Fodor's Restaurant Index:
http://www.fodors.com/ri.cgi
Unfortunately, I haven't found
any site or review of this place, so if you come across the name "Chuen
Cheng Ku",
please send the email address
to Irit, thanks!!
