www.jazsa.com

Is it possible? Yes. This guide gives you the low-down on how to see all the major landmarks and places of interest of Western Europe’s largest cosmopolitan city in only 48 hours.

10:30

It is possible to get acquainted with London relatively quickly. Arm yourself with an A-Z map book, the pocket version is perfectly adequate, a travel card, a good pair of walking shoes and London is yours to discover.

Start from somewhere central such as St James’s Park station and you can get around some of the major city sights as they are within easy walking distance of each other. You are already in the heart of Westminster. Straight ahead lies St James’s Park, the lake in the centre casts a viewpoint left up towards Buckingham Palace and right towards Whitehall.

11:00

Every morning at 11am the Queen’s regiments perform the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Wellington Barracks. They begin by warming up the band and marching the troops around the parade ground before heading over to the palace. They are joined by the Horse Guard coming up the Mall from St James’s Palace.

The centre piece in front of Buckingham Palace is the Victoria Memorial. To see if the current Queen is at home look to the roof. From the flag pole you will see either the Royal Standard, a white flag with the 4 crests of the Kingdom, which means she is at home. Or you will see the Union flag, the blue one marked with the red cross of St George (England), the red cross of St Patrick (Ireland) and the white cross of St Andrew (Scotland).

Green Park lies to the right of the palace. So named as the story tells that Charles I’s wife, on seeing her husband picking flowers for his mistress, stage actress Nell Gwyn, she ordered all the flowers beds to be ripped up. If Charles was not going to give her flowers he certainly wasn’t going to give them to anyone else.

Head down the Mall to the gates of St James’s Palace, just next door to Clarence House. Prince Charles resides in the Palace when he is in London, whereas the nation’s late favourite great grandmother, the Queen Mother, used to reside in Clarence House.

11:30

Westminster Abbey was begun by Edward the Confessor in 1055AD.Edward, obviously having something to confess, began constructing the Abbey but died before it’s completion. William the Conqueror continued the project in 1066 and had himself crowned inside. Every monarch has since been crowned in the Abbey.

The abbey was spared the hammer by Henry VIII because of this fact. Angered by the Pope’s refusal to grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, Henry broke with the Catholic church and imposed an impossible annual

Share This

When you have kids, traveling by car can become a difficult part of your holiday. The most often heard “Are we there yet mum?” can drive you mad when asked for the five hundredth time in as many seconds.

The reason they keep asking is because they don’t really have a fully developed sense of time. They might be genuinely afraid you are going to keep them in that car bored and tugging at their little sister forever. It might help to explain to them how long the whole trip will take by dividing the trip into sections. Add in that you are 20 minutes away from stopping at that place with the ducks and donkeys. Little milestones will make the journey and the concept of how far they need to go still - easier to digest.

The time in which you choose to drive can be carefully chosen to optimize sleeping time in the car. You can try leaving before sunrise and you will manage several hours of quiet driving time before they wake up and want entertainment. Some folks travel at night because everybody is sleeping. Not only do you get a peice of mind but you also save on the food budget. Plan the trip not to coincide with any major traffic surrounding holiday season at least to minimize time spent in the car. Take your food breaks during work traffic. People go to lunch around noon and get off of work between 4-5 pm. Plan to take your lunch and dinner breaks around this time since spending time in large amounts of traffic will obviously take longer to get to your destination.

There are some things you can do to make the ride a bit smoother and more fun for everyone. It’s important to plan ahead when deciding to take a long car journey with your kids. Make sure the car is comfortably packed; keep the backseat clear so they have more space. Here are 5 surefire ways to keep your long car ride fun for kids:

1. Pack a goodie bag for each child filled with simple cheap toys that you think can keep them amused. Depending on their ages there some creative and inexpensive items that will keep them quiet and happy. Browse through the cheaper isle of the toy store.

2. Another good buy, speaking of inexpensive items, is a deck of cards (if you do not already own any). This is a great investment not only for the car ride but for the destination as well.

3. There are all kinds of listening materials available. You could buy some, borrow some from your local library or look around on the internet. Radio-productions and taped books can be a wonderful way to pass the time together in the car and enjoy a book together as a family.

4. The classic car journey activity is singing. And for a good reason too. Try to choose a CD that everyone will enjoy.

5. Coloring books, puzzles, crosswords and sticker books can be included in another goodie bag along with crayons to create hours of fun and more importantly quiet.

There are also all kinds of electronic portable gaming devices which are a fun way to pass the time. If you have a DVD player in your car you can stock up on a new DVD to keep them entertained and quiet. Remember the journey is part of the holiday so make it fun. Stop along the way and appreciate the sights. Use the opportunity to explore new places. Regular breaks will make the long trip easier on everyone. Pack a picnic and let your kids release their pent up energy.

The most important thing is to keep your activities varied. Alternate 30 minutes of card playing with some singing and then some coloring in. With some planning and creativeness you can make you car ride enjoyable for the whole family - and that’s what vacations are about after all!

Christine Bettridge has loved writing since childhood. She has written Plays, poetry and many articles. Her latest e-book End Time Secrets recently released by Cypress Street Publishing has caused an order craze in the religious world. It can be ordered and downloaded right now through the publishers website at End Time Secrets and she also is the editor of the article directory, Above All Content Visit her blog at: The Bible Sound Blog

Share This