Tag Archives: Tower of London

Philadelphia Flower Show – Brilliant!

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Brilliant!

The largest indoor flower show in the nation, the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is going to be “Brilliant!” in its 184th year.

The Crown Jewels – White Diamonds

Capturing the majestic beauty and creative inspiration of Great Britain, displays at this year’s Flower Show will pay tribute to centuries of inspiring, influential design sense of London.

Visitors will be greeted by the scent of thousands of English roses at the Royal palace gates, which open to the show’s grand centerpiece: a sculptural, digitally enhanced rendition of Big Ben, complete with an hourly light and sound show.The main exhibits will focus on Britain’s heritage and culture including Royal events, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, foggy London streetscapes and a floral presentation of the Crown Jewels.

It’s produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and is supported by a host of generous sponsors. Too many to list, they include: Subaru, the Premier Sponsor; the Official Sponsor, Bank of America; and dozens of others that include EP Henry, Einstein Health Network, Visit Hershey and Harrisburg, A. C. Moore, Apple Vacations, Acme, and Giant.

 

Sponsor: Apple Vacations

At the end of the day, this year’s Flower Show promises to be quite lovely, or, as the Brits would say, “Simply Brilliant!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out pictures and video I took this weekend of the Philadelphia Flower Show!

 

Apple Vacations
Sponsor: Apple Vacations
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The Mad Hatter
The Crown Jewels – White Diamonds
The Crown Jewels
The Crown Jewels
Big Ben
Mary Poppins
The Beatles
Sunflower Wall
You Are Brilliant

Lights, Camera, Action – London

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London did an amazing job hosting The Olympics.  The world – wide spotlight on London will surely create an increase in tourism and rightfully so.  There are so many places to visit and things to see in London. It’s often good to focus your vacation on what is important to you before you go and plan accordingly. I wrote a previous blog on seeing the Rock – N – Roll Highlights of London.This one is for the “drama” loving traveler.

If you love the beauty, drama, mystery and romance of the theater and motion pictures, then London and the English countryside is a perfect place to take an Apple Vacation to immerse yourself in the story.

Photo Credit: Buckingham Palace from Brad Panik

Personally, “Notting Hill”, “Love Actually”, “The Holiday”, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Bridget Jones” are some of my favorite movies ever.  England looks so amazing, I want to pack and go their immediately after watching any one of them.  I am also secretly hoping Hugh Grant or Jude Law greet meet me at the airport upon arrival.

Even if you don’t like the romantic comedies or “chick flicks” as much as I do, London still has plenty of notable places for movie lovers to visit.  Many Hitchcock thrillers, The X Files, James Bond, Patriot Games, Italian Job and Lara Croft were all major films that have locations in London to visit. The list is endless. There are bus tours, private taxi tours and even walking tours designed to visit many of the landmarks in these films.  If you like Hitchcock, the walking tour is highly recommended.

Currently, the biggest movie attraction in London is the new Warner Brothers Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. It provides a unique opportunity to explore the magic of the Harry Potter films – presently the most successful film series of all time.  It is a walking tour that takes you behind-the-scenes and shows you a variety of models, sets, costumes and props used in the making of the Harry Potter films. Don’t let the name fool you, Warner Brothers Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter is actually located 20 miles North-West of London and keep in mind you must book in advance. They do not accept walk ups!

Photo Credit: Changing of the guard from Brad Panik

In addition to movies, London offers some of the world’s best theater.  The London West End theaters rival Broadway.  Don’t miss experiencing the magic of a show in London. Same as in New York, deals are to be found at shows if you are flexible. TKTS is the theater ticket booth offering half price and discount theater tickets in Leicester Square. You can pick up a bargain for many of London’s top West End shows for musicals, comedies, dramas and dance. Tickets can only be bought in person at the booth, but it is a great deal if you are flexible on which show you want to see.

Right now, in London, you can see a classic like Les Miserables through the fall or the British favorites We Will Rock You (brought to you by the remaining members of Queen) and Billy Elliott.  Matilda the Musical is getting rave reviews and opens at London’s West End this October. I have seen many shows on my visits to London, and it is one of my favorite things to do. It seems appropriate; after all, it is the land of Shakespeare, right?

Apple Vacations has a new Europe brochure, featuring London on the cover, so make sure you stop at your local travel agent and ask for one so you can start planning your theatrical vacation to London.

London Calling Visiting London Rock-N-Roll Style

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When visiting London on an Apple Vacation, you of course should still visit great historical landmarks, including Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliament, the London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Tower Bridge.  The majesty and history is unparalleled.  But depending on what interests you the most, there are a world of unique tours and landmarks to add to your visit as well.

Everyone who knows me knows I LOVE music. I love, love, love a live concert, music and musical landmarks even on vacation. Every time I have been to London I have attended a concert or added musical highlights to my sightseeing.  There is so much rock history in London, it would be impossible to see everything, but here are some highlights I suggest.   You’ll truly stand in amazement when you are in a location where famous lyrics were written or written about, bands were formed, historical concerts were played and unfortunately where many famous musicians’ journeys came to an end.  

If you are heading to London this summer, there is an amazing concert to kick of The Olympics that I would LOVE to be at! The show will be at London’s famous Hyde Park and will feature headline acts from all four nations of the UK, with Duran Duran representing England, Snow Patrol appearing for Northern Ireland, Stereophonics for Wales and Paolo Nutini will play for Scotland. The concert will be on July 27 to coincide with The Olympics opening ceremony.  On one of my trips to London (many moons ago),  I saw Duran Duran play the very first concert at the London Arena.  The energy of a band playing in front of their home country, was something I’ll never forget.

If you will not be in London in July then check out the schedule for the O2 Arena when planning your trip. O2 hosts many concerts and shows and in itself a musical landmark to visit.

One of the most famous musical highlights in Londonis the famous Abby Road Studios. Originally a Georgian townhouse built in the 1830s, Abby Road Studios is the most famous recording studio in the world.  It is most notably associated with the Beatles, who recorded many albums and singles there between 1962 and 1970. The Beatles 1969 album Abbey Road was named after the street where the studio is located, as the studio was only renamed Abby Road Studios in 1970.  The cover photo for that album is

London - Abbey Road, taken by Eileen Herncane

recreated on a daily basis by fans from all over the world.  It is still an active recording studio, and as a matter of fact the official song for the Queens Diamond Jubilee was recorded in Studio One.

Rock and Roll sightseeing in London you can also find where Bob Geldof conceived Band Aid and Live Aid, where and how the Sex Pistols formed, the Clash’s neighborhood, the late homes of Bob Marley and Freddie Mercury and where Jimi Hendrix recorded. For Rolling Stones fans you can stop at the legendary Edith Grove apartment   - where it all began. You can also eat at Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers restaurant where you can see incredible original Stones nostalgia throughout the restaurant.  It took me longer to walk through the restaurant looking at all the memorabilia than it did to eat.  

London - Sticky Fingers, taken by Eileen Herncane

If music is not “your thing”, stay tuned for future blogs on other exciting sightseeing ideas to enhance your Apple Vacation to London.

London – Why now is the time to go!

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There has never been a more exciting time to travel to London. If you watched the news this weekend, you were sure to hear about Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee which is a celebration of epic proportions currently going on all across Britain. From horseracing, to concerts, to fireworks, to a flotilla down the River Thames, numerous festivities are planned to celebrate The Queen’s 60 years on the throne.

 In addition to the excitement of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, London is preparing to host the 2012 Olympic summer Games. Opening ceremonies are just over a month away and the anticipation is building. Final touches are being put on new stadiums, public spaces and shopping centers on the city’s eastern edge. Even if you don’t have tickets to a game, there are still many new Olympic themed

numerous festivities are planned to celebrate The Queen’s 60 years on the throne.

places to visit. Just being in the city, you will feel like you are part of the excitement. You don’t need to visit exactly during The Olympics or Diamond Jubilee celebration, to be part of the fun. London will be festive all summer long. And it’s no secret that the best weather in London, is typically in the summer – although you’d be remiss to forget an umbrella. 

Of course when visiting London, you should still visit great historical landmarks, including Big Ben, Parliament, the London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Tower Bridge.

 

Stay tuned for my next blog on some of my personal favorite places to visit and things to do in London. And here is a photo of my cousin who visited London recently and snapped a photo of the The Olympic countdown for us!

 

London

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London Eye

With the Summer Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee right around the corner, this year is the best time to visit London.  Even though you may not be able to attend these events, it doesn’t mean that you cannot take advantage of all that London has to offer. 

To welcome the world to London, they are celebrating the London 2012 Festival.  The festival will run all year round, alongside the Olympic and Paralympic Games.  For example, from July to November, the British Museum will host the Shakespeare: Staging the World exhibit.  In the exhibit, you will discover what London was like in Shakespeare’s Day.  Also, if you enjoy Shakespeare, they are performing all 37 of his plays in six weeks from April thru June, in languages from all over the world at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. 

Westminster Abbey

One of the more popular things to do in London is the London Eye on the South Bend.  You will enjoy seeing many famous landmarks such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Trafalgar Square.  To find these famous landmarks, you have access to a touch- screen guide that will enhance your flight.  After a ride of approximately 30 minutes, you can visit the numerous restaurants and pubs in the area and watch the street performers. 

If you would like to enjoy all that London has to offer, I recommend looking on applevacations.com and see what Apple Vacations offers.  Including hotels, we also offer sightseeing tours, such as tickets to the London Eye, and transfers to all our European destinations that we offer.  Along with the London Eye, we offer the London Sightseeing Pass.  The pass, which includes transportation, provides you admission to over 50 top attractions, including the Tower of London.  You are able to purchase the pass for 1 or more days, depending on how long you decide to stay.  Also, we offer escorted tours to Italy and Greece and also an Eastern Mediterranean Cruise.