London with a Senior Citizen

It all started with dreaming about a Europe tour when I got married four years back. My mother-in-law kept telling me she wanted to go abroad and I have always loved to travel, so we started saving up for a trip. This year in January, I realized, that saving up for a Europe trip would take too long a time, and why not take one destination at a time? So one Sunday evening, I looked at my husband and asked him, “Why don’t I take Ma to London this summer?” He said “Yes” instantly and that set the ball rolling. I booked the flight tickets online and started getting ready to travel in June. We planned a 10-day trip to London and surroundings.

People travel with their parents or their spouses, I opted to go to London with my MIL. My husband had other priorities but he supported us every step of the way. Two of my other friends, Madhurima and Devlina were invaluable with their advice, guidance, and tips. It is from them I understood about where to stay, how to travel in London, and what to do.

Getting a tourist visa was easier than I had expected and the months soon flew by, and we were ready to board our flight to London. But to all would-be travelers, my advice is to read up on London as much as possible, which is what I did during the months before.

Here is our ten-day sightseeing itinerary:

Day 1: Hyde Park and Kensington Palace

We were staying quite near Paddington station, and we walked to Hyde Park the first morning and explored Kensington Palace. It is a quaint little palace, looking more like a large house than a palace. I have always admired Princess Diana immensely and seeing her dresses on exhibit was quite an experience.

Day 2: Tower of London, Thames River Cruise, and The Shard

The next day, we set out after breakfast to visit the Tower of London. It is a huge place, and took us about 2-3 hours to explore. There are so many towers and so much to see. There is also a long queue to the Crown Jewels but it is worth the wait to see the royal treasures. If you are travelling with a senior citizen, be mindful of the long walks and the steep steps going up and down to each tower. My MIL was game for everything. I just took care that she sat down to rest at regular intervals.

We had a quick lunch at a small café outside, and since I wanted my MIL to take it a little easy for the next hour or so, we went on the Thames River Cruise. It is a fun hop-on hop-off trip, and the commentator points out all the major sights on the way. We saw the London Eye, London Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, HMS Belfast, and much more.

 

Next we decided to go to The Shard and take in a panoramic view of London. It is fun to travel in an elevator to the 69^th floor and see everything from there. That was it for the day, and it was back to the hotel in the tube for us.

Day 3: St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Trafalgar Square

I was a bit more confident about using the tube by this time, and we got on the tube and travelled from Paddington station to St. James Park. It is a lovely walk from there to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard. It was very crowded, but we managed to find a spot and watch it. Our next destination was Westminster Abbey which is a long walk from Buckingham Palace but doable and if you have a determined travel partner like I did, and the weather is with you, like it was with us, then you are all set! The queue at Westminster Abbey was unbelievable, and we waited in line for 2.5 hours before we could get in. Inside, the church is beautiful and it humbles you to see so many years of history preserved so wonderfully.

Walking around gave us a healthy appetite and we enjoyed a nice afternoon tea at The Cellarium Café which is inside the Abbey itself. We geared up for the walk to Trafalgar Square and though it was a long one again, the lovely weather helped us along our way. Watching the pigeons in Trafalgar Square gave us a few peaceful moments, and we were ready to go back to our hotel.

Day 4: Windsor Castle

Till now we had only used the tube to go from one place to another. But to go to Windsor Castle we would need to take not one but two trains. We were lucky to be staying near Paddington Station, because that is where we need to take a train first to Slough and then to Windsor and Eton Central. Once there, it is a short walk to the castle, but a long queue to get inside. St George’s Chapel inside is another place of beauty and you feel like you have gone back in time. 

What I loved most though, was Queen Mary’s doll house which is a beautiful artefact to see. The small restaurants outside serve typical British fare and are nice places to have lunch and enjoy the sun. Then it was back to London by train.

Day 5: Warwick Castle, Stratford on Avon, Cotswolds, and Oxford

Before leaving, I had booked two conducted tours with Evan and Evans online, of which this was the first. The tour starts quite early in the morning, at 8:30 AM from Victoria Coach Station and they spent about an hour in each place, except for Cotswolds which we drove through. The tour guide, Patricia was a friendly and nice guide, helping me obtain a wheelchair at Warwick Castle for my MIL. However, I feel that trying to see each of these places in an hour is quite rushed, especially if you are a senior citizen and want to move at your own pace. We managed to see the wax figurines inside the Great Hall of Warwick Castle, and Shakespeare’s quaint little house in Stratford. 

Oxford was a walking tour of the beautiful old colleges and buildings, and it was a bit difficult for my MIL to keep pace with the rest. We managed to make it make it back to the bus on time, for the journey back.

Day 6: Rest Day

Again, when you are travelling with a senior citizen, remember to take care not to do too much or overdo it. So a rest day always comes in handy and makes you enjoy the rest of your trip more. After the hectic trip the day before, we took it easy the next day, and just went out for a nice lunch at a small Malaysian restaurant near our hotel with my aunt who came from Wolverhampton to meet us.

Day 7: Bath and Stonehenge

I was a little apprehensive that my MIL would again find it difficult to be part of a conducted tour, but since it was only two places, this time it was easier. Bath is beautiful, and I am still dreaming about it. The Roman Baths are a thing to behold, and the place is so scenic, that you don’t want to leave it at all. It is perfect for all camera enthusiasts. There is so much to see and take in – the Baths, the beautiful houses, the hills and the greenery, and the town center. We got about two hours there and did not have to rush about. 

The next destination was Stonehenge; which people had told me was not that great a place to see. However, I still loved the strange arrangement of those huge stones and hearing about all the theories as to how and why they came to be there... After that it was time for the journey back. This time we had David as our tour guide and Elisa as our driver. David was kind enough to give us a seat right up in front so we could enjoy the view all the way to and back. Elisa was also very friendly and a great driver to have. I would recommend Evan and Evans to anyone who is visiting London.

Day 8: Baker Street, Madame Tussaud, and Oxford Street

I could not leave London without visitin Baker Street, having read so much of Sherlock Holmes. Seeing his statue the moment I got off the tube and onto Baker Street, was a revelation for me. Madame Tussauds is always a destination for tourists and we did it as well. The wax figurines are impeccable and seeing so many celebrities immortalized in wax is fun. They have made it quite the experience with a short train ride, and other walk throughs and you can easily spend 1-2 hours here.

We grabbed a quick lunch at McDonalds, before doing a little shopping on Oxford Street for the folks back home. There are many shops that sell pretty souvenirs which make nice gifts for friends and family. And of course, if you are a serious shopper, you can go into all the large stores, though most of them are quite expensive.

Day 9: Lunch at a Friend’s

This was our last day in London, before we would fly back the next day, and we spent it at my friend Madhurima’s place. School friends are always special, and Madhurima and I have been friends for many years now. She cooked a lovely meal for us and we spent the afternoon catching up with each other. I ate too much and enjoyed her beautiful house very much.

Day 10: Flying Back

And it was over and time to go back home.  We packed everything and stuffed it into our suitcases and caught the flight from Heathrow back to Kolkata via Dubai. We enjoyed London and its surroundings immensely and I would love to go back someday. London is a special place and really worth visiting.

Some Tips:

•           Definitely buy a Visitor Oyster Pass if you plan to use public transport. It halves your fares and saves you a lot of money.
•           Buy the London Pass for sightseeing. It covers all the major attractions and will save you time from long ticket queues.
•           Always carry a bottle of water with you when you start out for the day and maybe some cookies and cake as well.
•           Have a simple sandwich lunch at whatever place you are visiting, so that you have more time for sightseeing
•           When booking a hotel, try to get a studio room with a kitchenette or if your budget affords it, then an entire apartment. That way you can cook breakfast in your room, or have a simple dinner, without spending too much money on outside food.
•           If you have a senior citizen accompanying you, skip the conducted tours and plan trips yourself, so that you can space it out and not have to rush through anything.

I loved every minute of our trip and I am already dreaming about the next one. Until then….