London By Linda®

The fallout from the demise of luxe liners Eos and Maxjet continues as American Airlines jilts Stansted in favor of Heathrow beginning on 2 July.  Too bad, considering American was offering 12.000 round-trip bonus miles for full-fare flights through 31 January to London’s alter ego.  All good things, as they say, must come to an end.

It’s May, it’s May, the lusty month of May, as the song from that venerable musical Camelot proclaims.  Lusty?  Perhaps.  Certainly “green”–and how appropriate, especially these days.  Follow the merrymakers sporting treetop headgear or bushes with legs throughout this weekend, ending with Bank Holiday on Monday.  Enjoy the fairs on Monday in London at Old Royal Naval College (traditional highlights include Jack in the Green and the Maypole) and Alexandra Palace.  This weekend, why not take a sojourn outside the Capital and enjoy Morris Dancing at venues in Sussex, Kent, Oxford, Bristol or Somerset.  Time to celebrate winter’s slumber.

Are you ready for your close-up?  London’s newest feature, Movieum, in the shadow of the London Eye, will put you front and center in the cinematic experience.  The museum celebrates British filmmaking, including under its roof the movie sets and props from some of the mega-grossing films and series produced in Great Britain.  The latest entry–Sherlock Holmes.  Excellent!

St. George, famously noted as the dragon slayer, is celebrated today.  Did you know that George was actually a Roman soldier who was tortured for his defense of the persecuted Christians?  In light of his role as defender of the faith, the English made him their patron a 1000 or so years ago and established his feast day on 23 April.  London celebrates the day with a parade at the Cenotaph and a festival at Covent Garden as well as plenty of food stalls at Trafalgar Square.  Working late?  Not to worry, plenty of events have been pushed to the weekend– particularly around the country.  They’ll be plenty of jousting, archery and falconry at medieval-themed celebrations across Warwickshire, Derbyshire and Northumberland.  A movable feast, by George!

It was on this day in 1969 that British Concorde tooks its maiden flight.  Granted, this test flight of the supersonic jet lasted less than 30 minutes, but it was the just the start of a golden era of luxury flight the likes of which may never be seen again.  Now you can visit Concorde at any number of museums housing the fleet of this engineering marvel, including Seattle’s Museum of Flight, Manchester Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport and Imperial War Museum.  Where you won’t see Concorde (or at least the 40% scale model of it) is at the entrance to Heathrow, where prohibitive licensing fees for the model forced its removal to a museum in Surrey.

Beginning today, tickets are on sale for the annual Hampton Court Palace Festival in June.  Get your tickets and enjoy the likes of Rufus Wainwright, Katherine Jenkins, Jools Holland and Van Morrison, to name a few.  Corporate hospitality bookings are available as well.  See www.hamptoncourtfestival.com for ordering information.  Why not sign up for an annual reminder!

No one ever said it would be easy.  Apparently, yesterday’s massive move of British Airways’ operations to the brand spanking new Terminal 5 was not without a hitch–or a glitch.  Flight delays and baggage loss again wreak havoc on unsuspecting travelers using the newest digs at Heathrow–eerily reminiscent of the baggage belt debacle of December 2006.  British Airways reports that it plans to operate about 80% of its flights from Terminal 5 today, including long haul services.  The better news is that the move to Terminal 5 frees up space at Terminal 4 for other market entrants.

It will probably come as no surprise to learn that Prince Charles has earned the distinction of being the longest and oldest waiting heir to the throne.  Closing in on the age of 60 years and with the Queen in full vigor, he will likely pass great-great-grandfather Edward VII’s waiting period.  Edward, son of Queen Victoria, took to the throne at age 59.  At least Charles has his architecture and horticulture to keep him occupied.

The gritty, defiant subculture that epitomizes Camden Town suffered a blow last month as a raging fire took out Canal Market around dusk.  According to all reports, there were no casualties but for the livelihoods of the clothes and jewelry merchants that call the marketplace home.  The Stables and Lock markets were unaffected, but the nearby Hawley Arms pub was severely damaged by fire.  Let’s hope that the traders are gainfully trading very soon.

In a move that’s sure to please London-area travelers, BritRail has expanded its offerings under the London Plus Pass to include vouchers for travel on Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express or Stansted Express (in any combination) plus links to more cities providing day-trip opportunities for travelers, like Stratford and Salisbury.  Adults seeking standard class service will pay $145 for a 2-day flexible ticket; $235 for a 4-day flexible ticket (both within an 8-day period) and $279 for a 7-day flexible ticket (within a 15-day period).