How are you today?

[alx5962]

Do you know if a lot of shops/museums/... are closed on Early May in London ?
As I plan to go to London on the 1st of May, but it 's a bank holiday so I'm not sure if that's the best time to come if everything is closed...

[sound world]

Many places will be closed, but then places people might go on a holiday (Museums etc) might well be open. Best to find out from individual websites, perhaps, Alex.

[alx5962]

Many places will be closed, but then places people might go on a holiday (Museums etc) might well be open. Best to find out from individual websites, perhaps, Alex.

thank you !
my fave place (the natural history museum) is open so that's good news

[blue]

The weekend before that is the Royal Wedding, Alex, so I expect London will be super-busy. The UK is getting an extra Bank Holiday to celebrate the event, so I'd guess lots of people will be taking advantage of the long weekend to travel to London. I'm sure most places will want to be open because of the extra business opportunity.

[alx5962]

Hotel (near Paddington station) and Shuttle booked !
2 more friends added to the trip, so it'll be more fun

[RobB]

Hotel (near Paddington station) and Shuttle booked !

Bit of a detour isn't it Alex?.....going into space and all !

Glad you've found friends to share the trip with......much more fun than being on your jack jones.

[alx5962]

Hotel (near Paddington station) and Shuttle booked !

Bit of a detour isn't it Alex?.....going into space and all !

Glad you've found friends to share the trip with......much more fun than being on your jack jones.

I see big when I plan a trip

Usually I prefer to travel alone in London because people want to see very touristic and boring places in London and not the things I want to see or do (like a full day in museums or spend hours in music and instrument stores).

[RobB]

well, you and your friends aren't joined at the hips so you can still all do your own thing(s) and meet up later.

It doesn't seem possible that in about three weeks time it will have been a year since we all met up in London. That year has gone so quick.

[alx5962]

well, you and your friends aren't joined at the hips so you can still all do your own thing(s) and meet up later.

It doesn't seem possible that in about three weeks time it will have been a year since we all met up in London. That year has gone so quick.

Almost all my friends don't speak english at all, that's why it's not really possible to leave them alone; that's sad but most French don't speak or understand basic english...

About our Desire Avenue meeting, I wish there'll be another one in a not so distant future as we had a great time there ! I'm not great as planning those things so I hope someone will care to organize it (in London, or in Paris ?).

[RobB]

Well, i'd be up for another London one but maybe it would be fairer to hold one on mainland europe next time, so that some of you guys don't have so far to travel?

I'm not sure how we planned last years meet-up now....we somehow came to settle on a date but i don't know how.

[alx5962]

Well, i'd be up for another London one but maybe it would be fairer to hold one on mainland europe next time, so that some of you guys don't have so far to travel?

I'm not sure how we planned last years meet-up now....we somehow came to settle on a date but i don't know how.

Maybe we could also plan it in another town like Brussels or Lille as it very easy to go there by train from everywhere in Europe.

[RobB]

Maybe we could also plan it in another town like Brussels or Lille as it very easy to go there by train from everywhere in Europe.

I think those destinations would require a passport which is something i havn't got.

Mind you, i should be ok with Brussels.....Vero owns it and she'll let me in.

[alx5962]

Maybe we could also plan it in another town like Brussels or Lille as it very easy to go there by train from everywhere in Europe.

I think those destinations would require a passport which is something i havn't got.

Mind you, i should be ok with Brussels.....Vero owns it and she'll let me in.

passport ? in Europe, an identity card is only needed usually.

[blue]

We don't have ID cards in the UK, Alex. There's a great deal of opposition to them from the British public and civil liberties organisations.

I don't have a current passport either, and the liklihood of me ever being able to afford to go abroad now means it's not worthwhile renewing it. I wish the UK would bring back the old 'visitor's passport' for Europe, which was a temporary document and much cheaper than a standard passport. Ironic, isn't it, that now when it's supposed to be much easier to travel within Europe, no borders and all that, we no longer have the visitor's passport.

[alx5962]

We don't have ID cards in the UK, Alex. There's a great deal of opposition to them from the British public and civil liberties organisations.

there was ID cards in the past if I remember well ?
In France they are free, unlike passport which costs a lot ! I guess it's the same in UK, so it's not very affordable to travel.

Thanks to my identity card, I was able to travel to Iceland last year so I guess my liberty was not really damaged