Tag Archives: london

Europe for Less

If your bucket list includes a trip to Europe, now is the time to make your dream a reality.  A number of reputable European hotels are offering deep discounts just in time for the busy summer travel season.  According to popular travel aggregate sites, such as Expedia and Hotwire, several five-star properties are slashing prices to entice visitors to spend part of the summer across the Pond.  Lodgings in some European cities are going for less than $100 per night. Among the most amazing deals are properties in Berlin, a city that has added more than 3,000 new hotel rooms … Continue reading →

Who Do You Think You Are? Live

If you love the genealogy – themed television show, “Who Do You Think You Are?”, you might be interested in knowing that there is a live conference in February, in London, called “Who Do You Think You Are? Live”. The event is sponsored by the Society of Genealogists, Ancestry.co.uk, and other vendors. It is a three day event, beginning on Friday, February 22, 2013. If you happen to be in London that weekend, you may want to check out some of the conference’s many workshops, exhibits, performances, and attractions. For example, people from The National Archives will be presenting information … Continue reading →

Chef Gordon Ramsay

If you have ever seen the reality show “Hell’s Kitchen,” you may be wondering “Just who is this Gordon Ramsay guy and what gives him the right to yell at these young chefs?” Well, let’s take a look at how Gordon Ramsay got where he is. After a potential soccer career was derailed by injuries, Ramsay turned to another interest – cooking. He studied Hotel Management at a local college then worked as a commis chef at the Wroxton House Hotel in the late ‘80s. He moved to London, then after working at Harveys for almost three years, decided to … Continue reading →

Winona Ryder Hospitalized and Julianne Hough Says Goodbye

Actress Winona Ryder was hospitalized briefly yesterday. She was on a flight from Los Angeles to London when she suddenly fell ill, causing the airplane to make a special landing. Before the flight landed at Heathrow Airport, the British Airways pilot radioed the air traffic control tower to notify them that a female passenger on board was in need of medical attention. A statement from British Airways said “Our cabin crew looked after [Ryder] as much as they could onboard and our passenger services staff also accompanied her to the hospital. We wish her well.” (This image is licensed under … Continue reading →

Touring a Legendary Botanic Garden

What weighs 448 tons; climbs 60 feet in the air and stretches 220 yards above what is considered one of the most beautiful places on earth? Kew Gardens’ calls it their new XStrata Treetop Walkway. The newest addition to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, in west London, is a soaring steel walkway that allows visitors to experience the magnificence of nature above the tree line. The massive circular structure stretches through the heart of the 18th century landscaped garden and for the first time ever it gives nature lovers the opportunity to see a side of the forest that … Continue reading →

Music Musings

The Bee Gees are returning to the stage… though it’s not the concert stage. The award-winning singing group is taking its act to Broadway and London’s West End. On Saturday Robin Gibb announced that a theatre musical based on the disco trio’s greatest hits, including “Stayin’ Alive” and “Jive Talkin’” is currently in the works. According to Gibb, the project should open to the public in the next 12-16 months. In the meantime, another popular singer is making her debut on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Carrie Underwood joined the cast of the long-running country music show Saturday … Continue reading →

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Good morning and welcome to my personal travel journal as we prepare to leave for London. The great thing about family vacation is the opportunity it affords you to spend time with your family, in this case my mother and my daughter. Our vacation to England fulfills three basic family needs: Quality family time for three generations Reconnection with family roots Chance to share new experiences together and to pass on the past to a new generation Planning Ahead The important thing about a trip like this is to plan ahead as much as is possible. Traveling overseas requires pre-planning. … Continue reading →

Busy Airport Gets Major Boost

The good news: London Heathrow Airport just opened a new $8.6 billion state-of-the-art terminal with some of the most luxurious accommodations in the world. The bad news: Unless you are a higher-fare premium customer you won’t get the opportunity to indulge in the terminal’s ultra-luxe amenities. Still, airport officials say the addition of the new Terminal 5 will greatly improve the travel experience for millions of travelers who fly British Airways. (The new facility was designed specifically for the 30 million or so passengers who fly with the carrier.) For example, frequent flyers will now be pampered in the terminal’s … Continue reading →

A Taste of Paradise Where You’d Least Expect It

If you have the money to travel to London then you probably don’t have to dig deep to afford a drink of water. Unless that water is harvested in Hawaii and you’re staying at the historic five-star Claridge’s of London hotel. The upscale property is now offering a taste of paradise to its most discriminating clientele (British royals and European nobility often frequent the hotel). Claridge’s execs say they just added MaHaLo Hawaii Deep Sea Water to their water menu, which features 30 of the world’s finest waters. According to hotel managers, MaHaLo Hawaii Deep Sea Water is harvested 3,000 … Continue reading →

Travel Tidbits: Unique Holiday Destinations and Good News for Directionally Challenged Travelers

Christmas is exactly one week away and by now most families have their holiday travel plans set in stone. I’ve covered dozens of destinations worth traveling to this season in the past month, and thanks to some well-heeled readers I have a few more to add to the list. Thank you to Angela who reminded me that reindeer parks make for great family outings this time of year. If you live near Redmond, Oregon consider yourself lucky. Operation Santa Clause at The Reindeer Ranch near Redmond bills itself as the home of the country’s largest herd of domesticated reindeer. If … Continue reading →