Beaches, mountain cabins, fishing trips, cruises or yet another lovely week spent with Auntie Myrtle and her poodles in Pasadena.

Holiday time, or vacation time, is nearing, and if oodles of poodles aren’t your idea of a wonderful time, there is another place that is a wee bit different — merry ole London.

Traveling along with Rose Barber, Mike Adams and Delcie Adams, I flew to London in January 2005 and liked it so much that we returned at Christmas — and we’re planning another trip for March 2007.

London is a center for a wonderful cultural experience, to be sure. Because a goodly portion of American culture is descended from England, to see the land those ancestral explorers left behind is fascinating.

There are thousands of years of ghost stories, beheadings, monarchies, architecture and art. Or one may find his heart’s desire in several superb shopping centers, including the world-famous Harrod’s and Portobello Market, proclaimed to be the world’s largest outdoor market.

In the two trips we made, we picked up wonderful English expressions, such as “queue,” “loo,” “Tube map,” “Mind the gap!”

“Mind your step!” “Mind your head!” are pedestrian warnings, along with “Mind the gap!” which is heard at the Tube station, meaning “Don’t fall in the hole between the station floor and the subway train.”

What? Never heard of a Tube station? Follow me, then. Let’s tour London!

Sights

The list is endless, but there are several must-sees in London. The good part is that most (not all) are absolutely free.

The British Museum (home of the Rosetta Stone), the National Gallery, the V&A (Victoria and Albert) Museum, the Natural History Museum, St. Paul’s Cathedral, all free.

The Tower of London is a definite, but will cost each adult £14.50 (pronounced “14 pounds, 50 pence” or simply “50 P,” which today equals $25.38 in United States dollars). Located in the center of early London, with its origins dating back to William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the Tower is home to a stunning array of Crown jewel diamonds. One of these diamonds is Cullinan I — a 530-carat diamond said to be the largest cut diamond in the world. Coronation crowns in the collection date back more than 400 years.

Another sight that costs but is well worth the quid (a pound sterling) is the London Eye. The “flight” takes about 30 minutes inside a climate-controlled glass capsule rotating on a 600-foot high Ferris wheel type frame.

From these capsules, photographers have a field day shooting across most of London.

If theatre is your interest, there are venues from which to take in your favorite play. Ticket prices can range from £13 to £50.

Unless you’re dying to see a movie, I’d recommend you wait until you return home simply due to price. In Leicester Square, the admission was £11, about 20 smackeroos here. Of course, after a small bag of popcorn and a bottle cap full of soft drink here, you’ve spent about the same thing.

But it was “Harry Potter,” we were in England, and I was on vacation. So I splurged. Just off Picadilly Circus, Leicester Square’s movie theatres are very clean, and an usher to leads you to your seat.

Food

“Bangers and Mash” and “A Toad in the Hole” can only be described as excellent dishes with perhaps colorful names.

Although there’s an abundance of Burger Kings and Pizza Huts, it’s British fare we sought. I would have to rate it overall as “excellent.”

Three must-try meals are the fish and chips, steak-and-ale pie, and the full English breakfast.

If you enjoy a fried fish in the slightest, you’ll love the miniature Moby Dick they place on your plate when you order a simple “fish and chips.”

For steak-and-ale pie, think chicken pot pie. Minus the chicken. Inside are beef tips swimming in a brown gravy. “Mind your lips” as the pie is served extremely hot.

The Princess of Wales, the King’s Arms and the Cambridge pubs are excellent for lunch and dinner.

A “full English breakfast” consists of toast, scrambled eggs, baked beans, fried tomato slices, fried mushrooms, hash browns, sausage and a slab of “bacon” (which is what we call “ham”) so big you could serve it for Sunday’s dinner.

When you order coffee, you’ll be asked “coffee or white coffee?” Order “white” coffee if you want cream.

And a spot o’ tea is a must in England!

Getting About

The four main means of travel in London are cab, bus, walking and the Tube, known as a subway here. You can find cars for let (rent), of course, if you’re an adventurous laddie or lass.

For Tube travel, find a map in any station, and combine it with a regular street map. Locate the sight you want to see, then locate the closest station on your Tube map.

If you can ever sort out the bus routes (I admit, this part isn’t easy), the double-deckers are definitely a nice way to travel through London.

For all public transportation, buses and the Tube, you’ll need a “Travelcard,” which is purchased in any Tube station.

I recommend you have a nice English breakfast, wait on London to get to work and purchase your Travelcard after 9:30 a.m. At that time, they’re £4.70, which is £1.70 (about $3) cheaper.

A Travelcard is good until 4:30 a.m the next morning. Zones 1 and 2 cover the most popular sights.

If you’re walking, keep in mind that traffic moves on the other side of the road. London authorities have most kindly stenciled signs on the street at intersections which read “Look left” and “Look right.” I’ll be the first to admit, these signs come in very handy to avoid becoming a hood ornament for a zipping Morris Minor taxi cab. Saved one American laddie I know more than once!

Tips

We stayed at the Thistle Victoria hotel, which has rooms on par with a Holiday Inn, boasts a grand piano and chandelier in the lobby and has an excellent staff. It’s the location of the Thistle Victoria — directly over Victoria Station, the equivalent of Grand Cental Station — that makes it perfect. You can take the Tube to anywhere from here. Walk out of the Thistle lobby, and you’re instantly in the middle of several floors of shopping, food courts, W.H. Smith news shops, chemists (pharmacies) and grocery stores.

The Thistle Victoria is also located about 500 yards from Buckingham Palace.

A subject easily forgotten but necessary subject is where they keep the “loo,” or restrooms. Find them before you enter an attraction. In a big city, they can be hard to locate.

For the best exchange rates, shop around. There are several exchangers around Victoria Station.

Off-season rates

We booked through an online agency striking a deal for hotel and round-trip airfare out of Columbia at about $800 per person, which is an off-season (October to March) rate. So hurry up, if you’re planning for this year.

Hear tales of ghosts walking the grounds at the White Tower, listen as Big Ben tolls the hour over Westminster and the Houses of Parliament, browse the antiques at Portobello market.

And where else can you hear that wonderful British accent?

It’s London, England. Maybe I’ll see you there!

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