Welcoming in winter in .NET

Creator QR Code ISO/IEC18004 in .NET Welcoming in winter

The English love being cozy, and English winters provide the perfect time for coziness Although most overseas visitors to London arrive in July and August, the highest number of visitors from within the United Kingdom come to London between January and March What do they know that you should know Consider the points that make winter wonderful: The season has a cozy feeling Country inns welcome guests with crackling fires in ancient stone fireplaces Game appears on restaurant menus A sprinkling of snow gives a sparkling new charm to parks, cathedrals, gardens, and old towns London and the rest of England become a bargain in winter Businesses consider the country s off season to run November 1 to December 12 and December 25 to March 14 Winter off-season rates for airfares and hotels can sometimes be astonishingly low airline package deals don t get any cheaper (see 6) At these times, hotel prices in London and throughout England can drop by as much as 20 percent Although the winter winds may blow, nothing in London stops in fact, everything gets busier The arts theater, opera, concerts, and gallery shows stay in full swing London and many other cities and towns throughout England develop a lovely buzz during the Christmas season: The stores decorate; lights glow; carolers sing; entertainers perform special holiday pantomimes; and in London, the giant Norwegian spruce

goes up in Trafalgar Square On Christmas Day, the boys choir of King s College Chapel in Cambridge performs the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a traditional Christmas service with music that broadcasts throughout the world Naturally, winter has its downside: Although the yuletide holidays are always jolly, they also add up to another peak London tourist season from mid-December to Christmas You know what that means: bigger crowds and higher prices The entire country virtually shuts down on December 25 and 26 and January 1 Stores, museums, and other attractions close, and public transportation is severely curtailed On December 26 (Boxing Day, so called because in Victorian times, service workers, such as postmen, received gift boxes on this day), you can have a hard time finding any open restaurants Wintertime England may be gray and wet for weeks on end; in midwinter, the skies get dark by about 3:30 pm The English usually keep their thermostats set rather low (about 10 F lower than most Americans) Rather than turn up the heat, the English don their woollies (long underwear) You should do the same or prepare for a chronic case of goose pimples

England hums with festivals and special events of all kinds, some harking back to centuries past If London is going to take up all or part of your trip, write or call VisitBritain, the country s official tourist agency (see the Appendix at the back of this book for the address and phone number), and request a copy of its monthly London Planner, which lists major events, including theater and the performing arts Do this at least a month before your departure date The VisitBritain Web site (www visitbritaincom) is another good resource for checking Englandwide events and dates before you go For recorded information on weekly London events while in London, call VisitBritain s 24-hour London Line at % 0870/1-LONDON; calls cost 60p ($125) per minute You can t call the London line from outside the United Kingdom To find out what s going on while you re traveling throughout the rest of England, stop in at the tourist information centers (I list street addresses, phone numbers, and Web addresses of these centers throughout this guide and in the Appendix) You may just happen upon some unique local event