Win a (Classy) London Vacation
Westiminster: the Houses of Parliament.
Is it a conflict of interest if I tell you NOT to enter the New Year’s travel sweepstakes at VisitLondon.com? AngloFiles hopes to win, see, so you’ll be bringing down our odds. But then I couldn’t resist sharing. For one thing, unlike tacky “Tour Mme. Tussaud’s and Universal Studios!”-type contests, this one sounds like it would be fun no matter whether you’re a first-timer in London or someone who uses words like “barmy” and “lovely” and reflexively looks right before crossing. For another thing, it starts December 29, and finding a really special way to ring in the new year can be so hard!
Even having seen most of London’s major landmarks myself, I wouldn’t sniff at the three-hour chauffeured drive-by of those plus “celebrity homes, famous film locations, music landmarks” and other cultural high- (and low-) lights.
Horseguard, February 2009.
As for the visit to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, yes, I know snow in London is rare and sparse enough that a serious, New England-style dump can shut the whole city down, but still, ice skating could be fun.
Six nights in a four-star hotel, a day trip to Paris, behind-the-scenes art tours? I’ll take it. If I win it. Or maybe you’ll take it …
Oh, funny little side note: Anyone who’s ever wondered whether Canadians may be smarter than the rest of us North Americans will be intrigued by this tidbit from item #4 on the contest’s terms and conditions page: You are not a winner until your entry has been validated. If you are a Canadian resident, before being declared a winner you must correctly answer, unaided, a mathematical skill-testing question. Wow — “unaided,” no less!
Jacqueline French in public affairs at Visit London was herself mystified by this queer stipulation when I asked her about it, but was kind enough to track down its source for me (even though I phoned her well past six, her time, on Friday night). It was not a prank (or a site-hack), she confirmed, but a nod to Canadian gaming laws. Here’s one account from a (presumably U.S.) family who encountered the same, complete with the math challenge skill test!
Good luck to you if you try it. Be sure to pencil the bubbles completely.
