The Quirky London Tour

Streetlamps fuelled by sewage, men chopping off their penises in public... London often defies logic in the most surprising way. Come with us as we tell you some of the most bizarre stories from London past and present, although we can’t always tell you the reasons for the randomness...
-Quirky London Tours

There are a seemingly endless array of London tours. I liked the bus tours that let you hop on and hop off, but they are not as personal as a private quirky walking tour of London. Highlights of this quirky London Tour include:The London ballroom turned into a Venetian canal, Britain's only street where cars drive on the right, The twistiest bridge in London, The corpses of left luggage, and Britain's smallest police station.

We did see London's smallest Police Station while there, it's over in a corner of Trafalgar Square and is really not much to look at. They must have had pretty small Bobbies back in the good old days.

How much: Places cost £20 and £16 for concessions, and come with a money-back guarantee.

Where: The Quirky London tour meets at Covent Garden station by Marks and Spencer), and finish around two hours later in Trafalgar Square.

Among the many odd and quirky things to do in London you'll find such items as The Camden Catacombs and The Hanging Gardens of Paddington. There is a great list of the unusual side of London at Top Quirky Sights in London. They also have Monty Python Tours of London and The London Rockstar Death Trail. You gotta love tours with names like that. Being a great fan of the BritCom I would likely take The TV Comedy Location Tour as well-most of them are a bit quirky, aren't they? Or at least, a bit silly.

Of course, to the average Tourist all of London can seem a bit quirky. Where else do you see things like a McDonald's that seats 250 people or double decker buses or an ice bar? The great thing about the quirky side of London is that these may be sights you haven't seen before, or that your friends haven't seen before. Everyone does the Changing of the Guard, but how many people do The Ubiquitous Undead Walk?

Traveling To London? Check How to Save Money on London Sightseeing

London Duck Tours

General Motors Corporation built more than 21,000 amphibious DUKWs (pronounced ducks) during World War II. An original six-wheel-drive DUKW ran on water at 6.4 mph and tooled across land at 55mph.The craft hauled troops and supplies ashore during the D-Day landings in France.

I missed this one when I was in London, so I don't have any firsthand experience of a Duck Tour in London. But I have ridden Ducks elsewhere, namely Hot Springs, Arkansas. These are tall, rough riding, windy vehicles. It's traditional for the drivers of these amphibious tour buses to crack stale jokes, often in a delivery that is well worn and deadpan. They are still pretty funny, but may not be to everyone's taste.

The London Duck Amphibious Vehicle Tour starts from Chicheley Street located behind the London Eye. The tour then passes by London hotspots Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and the Houses of Parliament before being launched into the River Thames. Some other places that you can admire while on a Duck Tour include the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the Lambeth Palace. Sounds like fun to me.

My own experience with Duck Tours has been exciting and a good way to see things from a different prescriptive. You really need to see London from the Thames to get a good feel of the city. So taking a London Duck tour sounds like a good way to see to bits of London that you might not see otherwise.

London Duck Tours have created an exciting adventure for visitors to London taking in the sights by road and river. The tour lasts approximately 75 minutes. 45 on the road and 30 on the river However passengers are advised to arrive 15 minutes prior to departure as they can make no allowances for missed departures as tickets are non transferable and non refundable.

Adult £20
Children £14
Concession £16
Family £58

Westminster Abby London

Poets were buried or memorialized around Chaucer in what became known as Poets' Corner. These include; William Blake, Robert Burns, Lord Byron, T. S. Eliot, Thomas Gray, Gerard Manley Hopkins, John Keats, John Milton, Nicholas Rowe, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Thomas Shadwell, William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth.-Wikipedia

As a photographer I was a bit disappointed with many sites in London. The rules for Westminster Abby are much like the rules for other Royal or Historic Sites in London-Photography and filming (pictures and/or sound) of any kind is not allowed in any part of the Abbey at any time. Which makes it kind of hard to get those cool shots of the statue of Shakespeare in the Poets Corner. You can buy postcards with pictures of just about anything you would want. But that is never exactly the same as taking your own image, even if it is the same as a million others who have come before you.

Westminster Abby is more than a spot to take photo-its a totally amazing place with too many wonders to take in. The tagline says From 1065 to Today and that's a pretty long time. You used to be able to make brass rubbings here as well, but a thousand years of people making carbon copes has taken its toil on the brass plates. The Abby is still a working church and so there are Services here if you would like to attend one.

Westminster Abby is a London must see. The building is amazing and awe inspiring. Westminster Abbey is usually open to visitors from Monday to Saturday throughout the year. On Sundays and religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas, the Abbey is open for worship only. There are several types of tours available-Audio Tours, Guided Tours, and Verger-led Tours. Allow several hours & include seeing St. Margaret's Church & Jewel Tower. If you love architecture as I do, then make sure you don't miss a visit to the Abbey.

London Halloween

Between 2001 and 2006, consumer spending in the UK for Halloween rose tenfold from £12 m to £120 m, according to Bryan Roberts from industry analysts Planet Retail, making Halloween the third most profitable holiday for supermarkets-Wikipedia

Halloween is one of those holidays that I always loved. Just the idea of getting all kinds of candy and getting to dress up-well, who could ask for more? Why, being in London for Halloween, of course, would be a bit better.

There are a lot of Halloween Events going on in London. Here's a short list of the ones that sound interesting to me-

Halloween Hide'n'Freak at the London Zoo-Halloween Hide'n' Freak 25 Oct-2 Nov Learn all about animal disguise and camouflage, meet creepy seven foot high beetles and bugs, join the interactive Halloween storytelling in the giant tipi and see the Halloween themed Animals in Action shows.

Halloween at The London Eye-London's noble guardian - the eminent Wizard Belvedere - is normally on hand to watch over and protect the city, but has had one too many drinks. So the Wizard could use your help-book a London Eye Secret Spell Flight and cast your magic spell on top of the London Eye.

Halloween at London Dungeon- On October 31st, faces won’t get any uglier than during the London Dungeon's world record breaking attempt to paint the most faces in an hour. From 12 noon to 1 o’clock, the public are invited to take part and receive a disgusting Dungeon make over before they head into the darkness of the Dungeon tour.

Halloween Ghost Walk-what better way to spend the odd Halloween than walking around the old courtyards and silent graveyards of London’s oldest and spookiest quarter? I've always like walking tours and having that personal touch of a guide to point out all the cool and creepy stuff.

For a list of other Halloween in London activities check out LondonTown and View.

London River Cruises

The best thing about London is that its on the way to Amsterdam.-My Brother Don

I write about a few travel related topics, and I have these plans of seeing more of the world one of these days. More of London in particular. So I get the occasional travel catalog. Oddly these travel brochures are seldom just tours of Britain or London-they are more often Grand Tours that trek the whole of Europe. With just the occasional stop over in London before you head off to Budapest or Cairo.

I don't know why I get most of the travel catalogs that I get. I am not like Hyacinth Bucket-pronounced Bouquet-and request every catalog on record for the QEII or African Safaris. Though if I win the lotto it would be fun to request a few. As it is I have signed up for a couple of contests here and there, and I think that is how my name has found its way onto these mailing lists.

My most recent catalog is for Viking River Cruises in Europe, Russia, and China. A fairly broad area to be taking river cruises to my way of thinking. Most of these river cruises are in the four to six thousand dollar range and seem to last about 10 to 16 days. If Viking River Cruises wants to give me and the wife a nice Cruise somewhere I'd be happy to write a few blog posts about it. Otherwise it will just be fun to look at the pictures.

Of course, my London thoughts tend to wander to Cruises on the Thames in London. My own London Cruising experience was a three and half hour ride down to Hampton Court, which was about three hours longer than we expected it to be. That was one way. It was an interesting experience though. We also took a short trip from one side of the Thames to the other at one point and got a bit of commentary on the London buildings lining the river.

The more serious London River Cruises offer diners and bars and lots of windows for seeing all of the wonders of London floating by. Below are some of the London River Cruise Companies that Google and Rough Guide like. Though to be honest, Google just likes the names.

Canal and River Cruises-London canal and river boat trip cruise, Private narrow boat charter for your exclusive use. The views provide a whole new perspective on the magnificient City of London

Crown River Cruises-Crown River Cruises offers luxurious cruises supplying meals and entertainment and also provides circular cruises for sightseeing.

City Cruises-City Cruises operates sightseeing cruises and evening dinner & dance cruises on London's River Thames all year round.

Viking River Cruises-Just hang out in London until the Grand Adventure of a long river cruise begins. The kind of stuff that dreams are made of.

Bateaux London-Offering fine food, breathtaking river views, live entertainment and professional service, a Thames lunch or dinner cruise provides the perfect indulgence.

Thames River Services-A visit to London is incomplete without a cruise along the Thames, either as an introduction to the many sights and scenes to be enjoyed during your stay or as a treasured memory of your visit. All year round, our boat service leaves regularly from Westminster Pier.

London River Cruises-London River Cruises can pick your guests up from any of the piers in or around the London area and take you to your destination while enjoying a drink crusing along the River Thames

London Highgate Cemetary

Highgate Cemetery is considered by many to be the finest of London's 'Magnificent Seven' Cemeteries for its Victorian funerary architecture and landscaping. Two buildings are listed Grade I, two Grade II* and over sixty Grade II.

I have always had a weakness of cemeteries. My mother used to drag me to graveyards and we stopped by some of the more famous Civil War battlefields/graveyards when I was a kid. My favorite of these was Vicksburg-but that is another story.

There are a lot of famous people buried in the varied and sundry Cathedrals around London-Shakespeare's tomb in Westminster Abby. London is full of history and it makes sense that her graveyards would be full of famous and important people.

Highgate Cemetery is London's most famous graveyard and well worth a visit. Split into two halves the sadly neglected Highgate Cemetery West is only available by tour, so that you miss out on the fun of wandering around aimlessly amid the stones. Highgate East has not such restriction and you can wander to your heart's contentment.

The whole post-Gothic Victorian necropolis of Highgate Cemetery is under siege by nature with plants and animals running rampant about the place. For a fan of Infrared Photography such as myself, this is the best of new. Graveyards with overgrown plants and tilted monuments make for great images.

Opened in 1838, the 37 acres appears more extensive. There are over 168,000 names buried in more than 52,00 graves, of which at least 850 are notable. Highgate Cemetery is unrelenting in surprises at every turn. There is the resting lion, Nero, in honour of George Wombell, proprietor of England's largest traveling menagerie in the early 19th century. He was one of the first to reap the rewards of displaying exotic animals to people who would otherwise never see them.

The London Dudgeon

"You have been found guilty of desertion and doing a Reginald Perrin into the Sea." I was told by the Judge, who was wearing a large powder wig and flowing red robes. The Wife and I laughed at this, as we were both familar with the British comedy The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, in which he strips naked and runs into the ocean as the open credits roll. None of the other Americas in a our group of about fifteen got the joke. The rest of the group was found guilty of cowardice in the face of the enemy. We were all being sent to the London Dungeon.

A short walk from Tower Bridge, in one of the many lovely warehouse districts of London, is an unassuming building that houses the wax museum/house of horrors that is The London Dungeon. It has been a few years since last I was there, judging by the website they have added a lot more action to the place, it was mainly a wax museum when we were there. But it was a fun wax museum, was a lot of people in period costumes wandering about. The museum had two main parts, a self-guiding walk through London During the Plague and then a guided tour where your are Judged and Sentenced and sent to the Guillotine.

During the self guided part of the London Dungeon the rooms were dim and partly lit by candle light. Real candle light, supplied by very large candles with four or five inch open flames. These tapers were just sitting around and burning merrily away-the kind of thing you would never see in an American museum of any kind. But it seemed perfectly normal here.

New since we where there is an exhibit featuring the demon barber of Fleet Street, Sweeney Todd, Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom!, and Traitor! Boat Ride to Hell! They are fond of exclamation points at the London Dungeon. It will take about an hour and half to see all there is to see in The London Dungeon. Prices for London Dungeon : Adult: £19.95 / Child: £13.95 / Student: £14.95 / Disabled Adult: £17.95 / Disabled Child: £9.95 /OAP (60+ yrs): £14.95

Just remember when you are in front of the Judge to call him, Your Honor. He'll still sentence you to be hanged, but he will be nicer about it.

The Tower of London

The Tower of London is a castle, a huge fortress in the middle of the modern city of London. Political prisoners were frequently held in the Tower of London (though their confinement was often reasonably comfortable). The infamous Traitors' Gate could take them directly from the river Thames into the Tower. It is hard to image this cold, stone citadel being comfortable for anyone. But it is a very impressive place to visit.

The Tower of London is often on the Top Ten list for London sightseeing and it is well worth the better part of a day it takes to see everything there is to see. No London tour would be complete without stopping at the Tower and seeing the Royal Jewels and the Royal Ravens.

At the moment the Tower of London tickets for adults cost 15 pounds, which equals about 30 US dollars. Children cost 9 pounds, about 18 dollars. It that seems to be pretty close to what I paid the last time I was a London traveler. There is a long chain maze outside The Tower, just like the ones you find in amusement parks for the popular rides. But my London trip was in a chilly April and there were no ques at all. You can see London without seeing the Tower of London.

There are a lot of swords and cannons and armour in the Tower of London. One of the more impressive sights is the huge suit of armour worn by Henry The VII. Henry's armour shows that Henry was a big man, and had a very large codpiece.

There were a lot of Beefeaters acting as guides and standing about looking serious. There were plenty of more modern guards as well, especially around the Royal Jewels. There is a conveyor belt in front of the Royal Jewels so that, on busy days, mobs don't crowd the cases and cause a traffic jam. These people movers were on the day we were there, though there was no crowd to speak of. So we just stepped on the moving sidewalk and looked at the Crown Jewels at our leisure. These diamonds, rubies, silver and gold are amazingly beautiful and huge beyond belief. But the other London tourists didn't seem that impressed, they just rode the conveyor belt by and walked out the end of the room. True the Jewels are near the end of the Tower of London tour, but for crying out loud, these are The Royal Jewels! Take a minute or two if you can and give them a good look.

As a photographer I found the Tower of London both amazing and frustrating. You can take photos of the outsides of the buildings all you want, turrets and cannons and stone walls I have photos of galore. But you were not allowed to take photos inside, as The Tower of London is part of the Queens property, or something like that. There were people that took photos anyway and the guards asked them nicely not to do so again. But if you want photos, there are a ton of books for sale with photos of everything in the Tower of London, from the Ravens to the White Tower to the Royal Jewels. Of course, the Royal Raven are outside, so you can take photos of them. There was a cat on top of one of the birdhouses when we where there. That was pretty funny.

Once we were done with The Tower, we walked toward Tower Bridge, which is a very lovely Victorian structure. Just outside the Tower was a KFC that seated two hundred. We went next door instead and I ordered a Root Beer to go with my sandwich. They handed me a tall frosty glass of beer. No, I wanted a Root Beer. Don't ask me why I thought anyone in London would know what a root beer was. The man with a thick Persian accent said, Root Beer? I never heard of a Root Beer. I settled for a Coke, though I did find a Dr Pepper in a convenience store later. From the window of the restaurant you could see the Thames and the walls of the Tower of London.

Who could ask for anything more? Hmm, there is now a Krispy Kreme just a couple of miles from The Tower of London. There's something not quiet right about that. Oh, well, London is always changing.