After my mother’s death in 2002, I decided that I had to travel somewhere new for my first Christmas without either parent (my dad had passed three years earlier). For the past 25 years I’d gone to their home in Fort Myers, Florida for the Holidays, but decided it just wouldn’t be the same there without them. So where to go?

I opted to spend Christmas week in London, and then take the plush Eurostar train through the “Chunnel” to Paris for New Year’s Eve. Paris was an old favorite of mine, but I’d not experienced it in the holiday season, nor previously ridden the Eurostar. And, London was a first time destination.



Actually, as it turned out, London doesn’t make the easiest place for a traveler to spend Christmas Week. Almost every major attraction is closed for at least half of the week – with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day closings throughout the city. Boxing Day is a British holiday for the day after Christmas – when workers used to receive their Holiday Boxes from their employers. So, with half my week now wide open, I was forced to do substantial research to find interesting things to fill my days. But I love travel research, and am pleased by the alternatives I discovered.

I had decided that I really didn’t want to be completely alone, so I brought my cousin, Leslie, with me. I stayed in a luxurious Georgian townhouse hotel in South Kensington – the Gallery Hotel, a very comfortable 4-star accommodation. I found Leslie a nice room at their sister hotel, The Gainsborough, right across the street.



We attended a Christmas Eve concert at Royal Albert Hall, and I sprung for box seats by the stage. I’d previously discovered some friends were also in London, and we threw a party in my large room, after the concert. Earlier that day, Leslie and I bought wine and edibles in Harrod’s fabulous food halls. With most of the museums closed for Christmas Eve, we took advantage of the day and spent much more time shopping in London’s famous stores before they also closed mid-afternoon.

Then on Christmas Day, we attended Christmas morning services at Westminster Abbey. I wanted to be certain to have good seats, so we arrived an hour early – discovering, amazingly, that we were the first in line. Consequently we got our choice of seating, and I sat in the very seats I’ve seen the Royal Family occupying in telecasts from the Abbey! Then Leslie and I went on a special extended Holiday Luncheon cruise on the Thames. This was really fun, and we went as far out as beyond Greenwich to the Thames River Barrier – an amazing structure for flood control.

The only attraction open on Boxing Day was Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum – which turned out to be great fun. It’s nice that visitors are allowed to “interact” with many of the figures in a party setting, for photos. There’s one here of me, with Whoopi Goldberg and Patrick Stewart. After that, we went across the street to a pub, and then on to St. Paul’s which was open.



I loved the Eurostar ride to Paris, only 3 hours away now from London. Paris is great fun at the Holidays, with many buildings wrapped like gifts. Since it was cold and rainy, I decided to explore all the covered passageway arcades scattered throughout the city, and really enjoyed these non-touristy spaces. New Year’s Eve, I found a special dinner at a favorite bistro, and it wasn’t outlandishly overpriced. Again, mostly locals for this fun time. I stayed at the 3-star Hotel Duquesne Eiffel, and had reserved a room with an Eiffel Tower view. Then on New Year’s Day, some friends also in town, invited me to join them at luxurious Le Jules Verne restaurant on the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower.

What a grand ending to a very special holiday trip!