The Beatles went through a big phase of mysticism and trancendentalism (is that a word)..anyway the…read moreinterest seemed genuine and not just a publicity stunt. In 1972 the London Hare Krishna temple, which was then at Bury Place near the British Museum, was getting much too small for the growing interest. George Harrison, feeling sympathetic towards the devotees, decided to ask a British devotee, Dhananjaya das, to choose a large property not too far from London. Several properties were investigated, but finally they settled on Piggot's Manor in Aldenham, near Watford, which has now been renamed as the famous Bhaktivedanta Manor. Prabhupada regarded George as his son and the relationship was very close. George lived here for a while and when Bhaktivedanta Manor was donated, Shrila Prabhupada said of George, Because he has given shelter to Krishna by providing this temple, Krishna will surely provide shelter for him.

The manor is a huge estate that was donated by George Harrison of The Beatles in the 1970s. During…read moreJanmashtami (the birth of Krishna) over 60,000 people attend each of the two day celebrations. It is a very peaceful place set in the Hertfordshire countryside. When I was a kid and would come here they would have boat rides on the lake but with current health and safety considerations this is no longer possible. I like the gift shop and the Radha Rani bakery, tastes here are unique because all the milk used comes from their own herd of Jersey cows. A product have found nowhere else is Ahimsa cruelty free milk, I asked what the difference is and they explained even organic cows are slaughtered once the milk yield diminishes whereas these cows see out their days in fields they own in Kent.

Opened in1412, is the Clock Tower, the only medieval clock tower in the UK started its life as a…read moresignaling tower using an array of mirrors. It.was turned into a clock 1700 Open Saturdays, Sundays and I believe BH Mondays the clock is looked after and run by a group of volunteers. Only about 70ft high the sprialling stair case is very narrow!! I squeezed my way to the top just fine. But WATCH YOUR HEAD stepping out at the top! From the top you can see numerous sights but none greater than the Cathedral itself. There is a nice map feature at the top which allows you to put names to the many sights that you can see from the top. BIG TIP! nearly at the top of the stairs is the bell room, do not be anywhere near there 15-30-45 minutes past or ON THE HOUR! You will be deafly sorry. Its only £1 for adults and well worth the visit. Your kids may get to ring the 32lb Market Bell which was made in 1729. Not for the disabled.

The clock tower was a really interesting place to visit and the very low entrance charge made it…read moreexcellent value. You need to climb a spiral staircase that is very narrow indeed with limited headroom. There are refuges with exhibitions and ancient things to see including the lovely bellfry. The exhibitions are very interesting and the view from the top is panoramic, including the catedral. This is a must-see attraction if you are vidieing St. Albans when it is open, and you can manage the stairs. Do allow enough time for a leisured visit though. It is not possible for two people to pass on the staircase and you may have to wait for other people, who may be slow, to ascend or descend before you can move up or down to the next level.

Entry to this space in the middle of Verulamium park is free, yet protected on all sides by walls…read moreand a ceiling. The hypocaust is actually just a part of a suite of rooms from a large town house in 200AD. But this is the only part of that house that has been excavated so far. The mosaic floor is well preserved and certain small sections have been left open to see the heating system below the tiles. This system could be considered a pre cursor to modern central heating. There are remains of Roman walls scattered across the park, so do enjoy the day stretching your legs. If you want to see something more substantial then a trip to the Roman theatre and the museum will be worth it. But do remember that it will be a long walk on park grounds and the shortest routes are across the grass. If you have wheelchairs or buggies, it will take you much longer.

What makes or breaks a guided tour of a popular attraction like London is the tour guide. On our…read moredouble-decker tour of London, Joe the tour guide was wonderful - funny, engaging, knowledgeable and entertaining. That made the entire experience! I would also like to give a shout-out to Radu (the driver) - yes, he was an excellent driver, but he was also the perfect foil for Joe's boisterous and entertaining persona, and he really cared about the customers - he was polite, professional and very thoughtful, for example lingering a bit longer at a particular attraction to let a member of the tour get their pictures just right. I was very pleased with Goldent Tours as well - ease of booking, prices and plethora of choices. All in all - I would use them again and highly recommend them.

We booked despite the bad reviews because it was the only way to get Harry Potter tickets during…read moreour quickly planned trip. We read the reviews and understood we were going to need some patience. The problem with many reviews were the meeting instructions (via TripAdvisor) so we went to the Baker Street location a day early to scout it out. We could not find signage for Golden Tours. We did see a Harry Potter bus dropping off a group and assumed (wrongly) that the spot was also the meeting spot. Actually they do have a location (store front) near the Baker street stop. It is not on Baler Street. If you come out of the tube and turn away from the wax museum, you will find their store from down the next block. That is the meeting spot point for tours! Very important thing to know and find -- because you have to meet there to get your tickets beforehand. We missed our bus time despite arriving 45 minutes early. The staff was less than kind about this part of the trip and made no apologies for the lack of directions. They gave us headphones but there was no movie on our bus. We had set our expectations low for our son, due to the reviews so we didn't mind -- but there were some disappointed families near us. The bus was clean enough but no WiFi and the phone charges didn't work on most seats. The driver for this portion of our trip was great and very helpful given that he had to help us find someone on site to get our Entry tickets. Despite the set backs, we finally had tickets in hand and enjoyed the studio tour from here on out on our own. The trip back was easy enough but this bus driver was less friendly and at one point was screaming at another driver along a busy street in London. We actually found it comical and thought it added to the busy city feel, but I could see how many guests would find this very unsettling. All in all, it is OK if this is the way you can get entry tickets to something on your must see list, but if you have options - I'd try another company.