Cosmos European Jewels, Day 3 (6-18-2009): London sightseeing 第三天 (2009年6月18日)：游览伦敦

The Cosmos European Jewels 2009 tours starts with London for two days, but you are on your own for any sightseeing in the city of London. Any "excursions" offered are charged extra. We paid additional ￡117 GBP (=$188) each to join the morning, afternoon, and evening excursions. Also, during the 12 days of the hotel, only 4 dinners were included. The problem? most of the hotels were either in the suburb, or far away from other dining facilities. The hotels we were put in of course have restaurants, but you had to pay extra for your dinner. So, if you thought you found their listed price look like a budget travel package, you will have to think again.

During all 12 days of the travel, we each person paid a total of ￡117 GBP and €175 EUR (the equivalent of $431 USD) for such "optional excursions". The excursions we skipped amounted to another $512 USD per person. They were (all pricing per person, as listed on Cosmos website, as of 7-8-2009):

for London: Tower of London and Crown Jewels (GBP ￡27); Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews (GBP ￡42);
for Switzerland: Swiss Folklore Evening( EUR €45) ;
for Venice Italy: By Night And Caffe Florian ( EUR €42);
for Florence Italy: Tuscan Flavours (EUR €50), Uffizi Gallery (EUR €30);
for Paris: Cabaret Show (EUR €65), Farewell Dinner & Montmartre (EUR €57)

Indeed, not every excursion is, as Cosmos claims, optional. When in Italy, the tour director told us that we were the only couple who did not purchase their "excursion to Pisa the leaning tower". We would have to take a train by ourselves and find our own way back to our hotel if we did not go with the others. So, on this Pisa excursion, we were obliged to go. To sum up, the "excursions" would have added about $1000 per person to the listed packaging price. Do your math.

All pictures posted here were taken by us. Those from Google, brochure, and the web were duly noted. Most of my posted photos are still missing captions because I do not have time for them yet.

Day 2 (6-17-2009): Arriving in London, visited Big Ben and Parliament Buildings
Day 3 (6-18-2009): city sightseeing, Windsor Castle, & Cruise on the River Thames
Day 4 (6-19-2009): Taking coach to cross the English Channel, then to Amsterdam
Day 5 (6-20-2009): sightseeing in Amsterdam, and canals cruising
Day 6 (6-21-2009): Cruise on the Rhine, and a stop at Rothenburg
Day 7 (6-22-2009): Passing Austria from Munich, then a stop at Cortina
Day 8 (6-23-2009): Visiting Venetian glassblowers, then Tuscan (Venice-Florence area), and a Gondola boat-ride
Day 9 (6-24-2009): Visiting Florence and Pisa the leaning tower
Day 10 (6-25-2009): entering Switzerland and visited Lugano
Day 11 (6-26-2009): a Swiss town Lucerne and a cruise on Lake Lucerne ；group picture before heading for Paris
Day 12 (6-27-2009): Visiting Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Palace of Versailles.

Note: Day 1 was flying from PDX (Portland, Oregon) to JFK (Kennedy Airport in New York), then to LHR (London), while Day 13 was flying home from Paris.

我们这次参加的旅游团，经办公司名叫Cosmos, 总部设在美国，团员则来自世界各地。一辆到45座的大客车坐了42人，分别来自美国、英国、澳大利亚、马来西亚和新加坡。来自马来西亚和新加坡的跟我们一样，都可以说华语，有十人。“13天7个国家”的参团费标价是$1865，打折后约为每人$1600。另外来回机票每张约$750(从波特兰到伦敦，然后从巴黎返回波特兰)。参团费包括旅社(12天)，交通(从伦敦到巴黎)，12顿早餐和4顿晚餐，和在各地的旅游安排。但是，许多活动都得额外收费。这些活动如果都参加，每人得多付约$1000美元。

我们花了约$188，参加了在伦敦的全日的活动。上午游览伦敦市区，下午去英国女王的温莎城堡，晚上坐船游泰姆士河。见本页下面的照片。所有的录影用的是佳能的微型摄影机 TX1 。其他照片用的是佳能的 40D (配18-200mm 变焦镜头)。

所有放在这里的照片，凡是网页摘取的都另有声明，其他的都是我们自己拍的。但许多照片没有加注释，因为我尚没有时间查证资料。

第二天(2009年6月17日)：抵达伦敦，参观大本钟和国会大厦
第三天(2009年6月18日)：上午看伦敦城，下午看温莎城堡，晚上泛游泰姆士河
第四天(2009年6月19日):坐四十五位座大巴离开伦敦，搭渡轮过英吉利海峡到达法国对岸，换大巴北上荷兰首都阿姆斯特丹
第五天(2009年6月20日):坐车游览阿姆斯特丹市区，换船逛运河
第六天(2009年6月21日):到达德国，泛舟莱茵河，然后去 Rothenburg (罗滕堡)
第七天(2009年6月22日):离开德国慕尼黑，经奥地利到达意大利 Cortina (科尔蒂纳丹佩佐，1956年冬季奥林匹克运动会城市)
第八天(2009年6月23日):在意大利住两夜，游览意大利文艺复兴的发源地 Tuscan (托斯卡纳) 并去水城威尼斯搭乘 Gondola (貢多拉) 双头尖小船
第九天(2009年6月24日):去 Florence (佛罗伦萨) 及比萨斜塔
第十天(2009年6月25日):游览 Lugano,夜宿瑞士
第十一天(2009年6月26日):游览瑞士 Lucerne (卢塞恩) 城和卢塞恩湖，去巴黎前拍集体照
第十二天(2009年6月27日):观光巴黎，看 Eiffel (埃菲尔) 铁塔, 参观巴黎圣母院和凡尔赛宫

注：第一天系从美国飞英国；第十三天从法国飞回美国。

guard procession to Buckingham Palace 卫队在往白金汉宫的路上
Guard procession on route to Buckingham Palace		禁衛軍在往白金汉宫的路上

Buckingham Palace Below from Wikipedia: Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch.[1] Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality, and a major tourist attraction. It has been a rallying point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis.		白金汉宫下印自维基百科：白金汉宫是一座位于伦敦的英王寝宫。宫殿坐落在西敏市，是国家庆典和王室欢迎礼举行场地之一，也是一处重要的旅游景点。历史上每逢英国欢庆或是危机时刻，这儿也是不列颠人民一处重要的集会场所。现在的白金漢宮對外開放參觀，每天清晨都会進行著名的禁衛軍交接典禮，成为英国王室文化的一大景观。

Downing Street and Royal Guardsman on Horseback		唐宁街和骑兵马背上的骑兵每小时换一次勤。当勤时不能说话，不能移动。以下摘自维基百科：唐宁街位于伦敦市中心的白厅，在骑兵卫队阅兵场和圣詹姆士公园的一角，距离西敏宫只有数分钟的路程。

Trafalgar Square Below from Wikipedia: Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base.		特拉法加广场下摘自维基百科：Trafalgar Square）英国英格兰大伦敦西敏市的著名广场。广场最突出的标志是南端的纳尔逊纪念柱，高53米。此碑纪念着拿破仑战争中的海军上将，英国民族英雄霍雷肖·纳尔逊。柱顶是将军的铜像。柱底四周是四只巨型铜狮。柱基四周是记念拿破仑战争各次战役的浮雕


St. Paul's Cathedral 圣保罗大教堂
St. Paul's Cathedral Below from Wikipedia: St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. The cathedral sits on the highest point of the City of London, which originated as a Roman trading post situated on the River Thames. The cathedral is one of London's most visited sights.		圣保罗大教堂下摘自维基百科：圣保罗座堂（英语：St Paul's Cathedral；另译为圣保罗大教堂），是英国圣公会伦敦教区的主教座堂，坐落于英国伦敦市，巴洛克风格建筑的代表，以其壮观的圆形屋顶而闻名。现存建筑建于17世纪。


Windsor Castle 温莎城堡
At Windsor Castle Below from Wikepedia: Windsor Castle, in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, is the oldest in continuous occupation.[1] The castle's floor area is approximately 484,000 square feet (44,965 square metres).[2] Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends of the year at the castle, using it for both state and private entertaining. Her other two residences, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, are the Royal Family's private homes.		温莎城堡下摘自维基百科：溫莎城堡位於英國英格蘭東南部區域伯克郡溫莎-梅登黑德皇家自治市鎮溫莎，是世界上有人居住的城堡中最大的一個。與倫敦的白金漢宮、愛丁堡的荷里路德宮（Holyrood Palace）一樣，溫莎城堡也是英國君主主要的行政官邸。現任的英國女王伊麗莎白二世每年有相當多的時間在溫莎城堡度過，在這裡進行國家或是私人的娛樂活動。她的另外兩棟宅邸則是皇室的私人住宅，分別是桑德林漢姆別墅（Sandringham House）及巴爾莫勒爾堡（Balmoral Castle）


"change of guards" at Windsor Castle		温莎城堡，看哨兵换岗


Li-qing posting with armed police		与温莎城堡的武装警察合影
diagram of Windsor Castle from official brochure		游客手册上面的温莎城堡示意图
This modern City Hall is neither located in nor does it serve a city, but houses a luxury hotel, amusement arcade and aquarium, among others.		市政廳 (大倫敦) 下据“维基百科”：雖然大樓名為市政廳，但並不是城市的行政中心，而是含有豪華酒店、娛樂商場和水族館等等。
The London Eye The London Eye can carry 800 passengers per revolution. Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, meaning a capsule travels at a stately 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour - twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting; allowing passengers to step on and off without the wheel having to stop Below from Wkipedia: The London Eye (also known as the Millennium Wheel), at a height of 135 metres (443 ft),[1] is the biggest Ferris wheel in Europe, and has become the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over three million people in one year		伦敦眼伦敦眼每转一圈可载客800人。旋转的速度跟乌龟爬行差不多，因此游客可以随时上下，不必等它停转。下据“维基百科”：英国航空伦敦眼（The British Airways London Eye），或又称为千禧之轮（Millennium Wheel）是世界上首座、也曾经是世界最大的观景摩天轮，仅次于南昌之星与新加坡观景轮。它于1999年年底开幕，总高度135米（443英尺），竖立于伦敦泰晤士河南畔的兰贝斯区，面向坐拥国会大楼与大笨钟的西敏市。


an evening cruise on the River Thames 晚上泛游泰姆士河
London Tower Bridge Below from Wikipedia: Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its nameName[?]. It has become an iconic symbol of London.		倫敦塔橋下据“维基百科”: 敦塔橋（Tower Bridge）是位於英国伦敦一座橫跨泰晤士河鐵桥，因位於伦敦塔附近而得名。倫敦塔橋有時被误称为伦敦桥（London Bridge），其實真正的伦敦桥是另一座完全不同的橋樑，位於倫敦塔橋的上游。

an evening cruise on the River Thames By nine o'clock that evening, our cruise stopped under the Big Ben, waiting for it to strike the hour. To me, that was the most defining moment of this European trip. The mellow chiming of the clock brought back all the memories from my college days when, as an English student, I would tune in to BBC and would have heard the clock numerous times. In those days, BBC not only was my means of learning English, but spread news to enlighten, and the knowledge that the world was watching.		晚上泛游泰姆士河近晚上九点时，我们的游轮已经停靠在大本钟下方的水面。大钟开始报点，一击，一击，共九击,然后是宏伟悠长的余响。钟声近距离地在泰姆士河上晃荡，却远距离地把记忆带来。从读大学起，作为英语专业的学生，我可以理直气壮收听BBC的英语广播。在那封闭的岁月，BBC不仅是我学习英语的工具，更给我带来启迪和希望。今晚，来到多年的良伴益友身边，心中感概万千。