h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm off to London tomorrow for a few days, with my two daughters. We've to be at the airport at about 6:30, and should get to our hotel by about 10:00.

Plans for Wednesday include Camden Market and "The Comedy of Errors" at the Roundhouse Theatre. On Thursday we'll see the Sherlock Holmes Museum and go to Mamma Mia. On Friday, daughter El is heading off to Venice, and daughter Iz and I will probably go shopping in Oxford Street or thereabouts. No plans for Saturday yet. Home Saturday evening.

I hope you all have a great time

Bon voyage!

If you've free around lunchtime in the Holborn/Chancery Lane area on Friday and fancy a swift meet-up, let me know

Oh, beware of a bus strike on Friday - the Tube will be busy.

Have a great trip!

Is El going directly to Venice from London? Has she got her cello with her?

Yes, and no. She's going to be singing in Venice, not playing.

Have a wonderful time, Gnomon

I hope you don't have any transport problems on Friday as Icy said, Gnomon & family!

London to Venice ... Orient Express?

>Singing in Venice<

With the appropriate hat and punting pole?

So - how were your shows?

Yes, how were they? I've seen Mamma Mia a few years ago, and I really enjoyed it.

The Orient Express, after gradually being reduced over the years to a EuroNight train running just between Vienna and Strasbourg, made its final run in December 2009.

http://www.seat61.com/OrientExpress.htm

TRiG.

London to Venice is still easily doable by train, though. I believe there's a night train from Paris. I was on it, a couple of years ago. (But I was on the Orient Express on that holiday too, and that's gone since, so I'd best check.)

http://www.seat61.com/Italy.htm#London%20to%20Bologna,%20Florence,%20Rome,%20Naples

Yep. London - Paris - Venice is still easily doable.

Incidentally, there's a new train on from North Wales, so Dublin to London is faster than it used to be.

TRiG.

Some friends have just done London to Venice on what was sold as The Orient Express. Porters, private quarters, fine dining, the lot.

The site cited above points out repeatedly that the current service known as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is not the original Orient Express. New company, different (old) rolling stock, changed circumstances.

Back from London now. The shows were good:

The Royal Shakespeare Company doing The Comedy of Errors in the Roundhouse - this was just fantastic. It took a while for us to get into the Shakespearian English, particularly when one of the main characters at the start had a strong Scottish accent, but we soon figured out what was going on: two identical guys, separated at birth, with identical names, and also served by two identical servants, also separated at birth and with identical names. Every possible combination of man and servant was played with people mistaking them for each other - great gas.

Mamma Mia was great - a small theatre with a simple stage - just two walls which could be wheeled around to make the inside of the Greek hotel, the outside - down by the port, the church and so on. A great show with great music.

We also went to see the SHerlock Holmes Museum (so so) and the Sir John Soane Museum (amazing) and looked at a lot of shops and squirrels.

sounds like you packed a lot in and have some great memories