We left our Inverness B&B early in the hope of making some headway on our to-do list, but we were still in the area at lunch time!
First stop was a military base (Fort George) built in the 18th century - it was vast and the construction of it quite amazing It is still a military base today so we had to behave, but once again the human interest stories had us fascinated. It was interesting seeing the contrast between the design of the ‘modern’ Fort George and the older Norman-style castles.
Next stop was Culloden which was the last of our places related to the Border Clashes. It was a battlefield where over 1500 people, (including McPhersons) were killed in a one hour battle. They had a room set up with filmed reconstructions from both sides screening on all four walls so you had a sense of being in the middle of the battle - made the reality of hand to hand combat very vivid.
Allan is more interested than I am in all this war stuff but I have become caught up in it too (which I wouldn’t have expected!)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday - into the Highlands
[Photos of Stirling Castle and Wallace Memorial added 30 April]
Had a fairly big agenda today, mostly based on the English / Scottish border wars. We went to Stirling Castle, Bannock Burn and the William Wallace Memorial. The first was quite different to any others we’d seen - it was light and airy, and had a fantastic chapel and Grand Hall which would be a fabulous wedding venue! The staff here were much more interesting and interested than those at Edinburgh Castle.
At Bannock Burn we heard all about Robert the Bruce and had a play with some weapons of the time. William Wallace was the hero portrayed in the Braveheart movie.
Had a fairly big agenda today, mostly based on the English / Scottish border wars. We went to Stirling Castle, Bannock Burn and the William Wallace Memorial. The first was quite different to any others we’d seen - it was light and airy, and had a fantastic chapel and Grand Hall which would be a fabulous wedding venue! The staff here were much more interesting and interested than those at Edinburgh Castle.
At Bannock Burn we heard all about Robert the Bruce and had a play with some weapons of the time. William Wallace was the hero portrayed in the Braveheart movie.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Royal Mile
The pedometer sure got a workout today. The cobbles are very uneven, so the calf muscles suffer a little!
Edinburgh has two main streets, the Royal Mile, which has a castle at one end and a palace at the other, and Princes St, which is the shopping street. Guess which one we did first?
We started at Edinburgh Castle, which is the first one that we have found a little disappointing - huge queues and not that much worth seeing.
We followed that with a more interesting (and strenuous) trip through a ‘Close’ which is simply a 6 ft wide sloping street, which is now underground, but which used to be edged by 5 storey tenements. There was a real labyrinth of closes, and the guide was in character. There was also a character (a maid) called Janet Nimmo - her photo bore a marked resemblance to our friend Janet, who was a Nimmo before she married!
The rest of the Mile was full of lots of souvenir shops, lots of tartan, whiskey and heather. Spent an interesting half hour checking out kilts for Ash - learnt all the right bits to measure, using Allan as a model, so that Ash could order online if he wants. Saw lots of kilts that were made in China, but you could certainly tell the difference between those and the real thing, which use 8 yards of tartan.
I was a bit exhausted by then so I left Allan to go down the hill to (and later climb up the hill from) Holyrood Palace - the Queen’s official residence in Scotland. He thought it was one of the better palaces, I think.
I hit the shopping street, but didn’t buy anything (I think I’m having a personality change - I haven’t bought anything of any consequence yet!)
We used buses to get around - the guest house was in a very handy location, and our host a true Scotsman.
Overall, we both loved Edinburgh - I think it is a town that would appeal to young people too, there were certainly plenty of them about.
Edinburgh has two main streets, the Royal Mile, which has a castle at one end and a palace at the other, and Princes St, which is the shopping street. Guess which one we did first?
We started at Edinburgh Castle, which is the first one that we have found a little disappointing - huge queues and not that much worth seeing.
We followed that with a more interesting (and strenuous) trip through a ‘Close’ which is simply a 6 ft wide sloping street, which is now underground, but which used to be edged by 5 storey tenements. There was a real labyrinth of closes, and the guide was in character. There was also a character (a maid) called Janet Nimmo - her photo bore a marked resemblance to our friend Janet, who was a Nimmo before she married!
The rest of the Mile was full of lots of souvenir shops, lots of tartan, whiskey and heather. Spent an interesting half hour checking out kilts for Ash - learnt all the right bits to measure, using Allan as a model, so that Ash could order online if he wants. Saw lots of kilts that were made in China, but you could certainly tell the difference between those and the real thing, which use 8 yards of tartan.
I was a bit exhausted by then so I left Allan to go down the hill to (and later climb up the hill from) Holyrood Palace - the Queen’s official residence in Scotland. He thought it was one of the better palaces, I think.
I hit the shopping street, but didn’t buy anything (I think I’m having a personality change - I haven’t bought anything of any consequence yet!)
We used buses to get around - the guest house was in a very handy location, and our host a true Scotsman.
Overall, we both loved Edinburgh - I think it is a town that would appeal to young people too, there were certainly plenty of them about.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Friday - Scotland at last!
Another full and interesting day. It was really exciting to cross the border this morning, although we did a bit of tiki-touring first. We visited a couple of small towns first, one of which included Ford Castle, which was the inspiration for Allan’s company logo - looked just like the real thing!
We drove on to a place called Flodden field which was the scene of a battle between England and Scotland in 1513, in which 14,000 men died in a day. Apparently, the Scots came roaring down the hill with their pikes, and got stuck in the mud at the bottom, leaving them open to the English attack. There was little to see but a monument and the fields, but it was very moving to stand at the scene where so many people had died at once.
Our next stop was Jedburgh where we used the information centre to help us book two nights accommodation in Edinburgh (we don’t have a Scottish B&B book). They were so helpful, and a passing Scotsman had us in fits with an entertaining story about the superiority of Scots over the English, which is too long to repeat here. I have to say that everywhere we have been since leaving London, people have been exceptionally friendly and helpful.
We visited the ruins of both Jedburgh Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel. We are learning the difference between abbeys, cathedrals, minsters, and about lady chapels, transepts, reredos and sacresies - maybe there’ll be a prize for anyone who can tell us what they all are when we get back! Ruins are intriguing, and most places have either live, or audio guides, which add interest.
Now ensconced in our attic room on the edge of Edinburgh and looking forward to checking out the town tomorrow.
We drove on to a place called Flodden field which was the scene of a battle between England and Scotland in 1513, in which 14,000 men died in a day. Apparently, the Scots came roaring down the hill with their pikes, and got stuck in the mud at the bottom, leaving them open to the English attack. There was little to see but a monument and the fields, but it was very moving to stand at the scene where so many people had died at once.
Our next stop was Jedburgh where we used the information centre to help us book two nights accommodation in Edinburgh (we don’t have a Scottish B&B book). They were so helpful, and a passing Scotsman had us in fits with an entertaining story about the superiority of Scots over the English, which is too long to repeat here. I have to say that everywhere we have been since leaving London, people have been exceptionally friendly and helpful.
We visited the ruins of both Jedburgh Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel. We are learning the difference between abbeys, cathedrals, minsters, and about lady chapels, transepts, reredos and sacresies - maybe there’ll be a prize for anyone who can tell us what they all are when we get back! Ruins are intriguing, and most places have either live, or audio guides, which add interest.
Now ensconced in our attic room on the edge of Edinburgh and looking forward to checking out the town tomorrow.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, I think!
Another day, another 275 steps to climb. I am getting good at them now! This time, we were at York Minster (a very gothic cathedral). A different style of architecture, but equally impressive. There were lots of interesting stories about the construction of this one - things that went wrong, didn’t fit or were not centred correctly. It amazes me that buildings constructed so many years ago, without modern engineering knowledge still stand, they have catastrophic fires, or bombs dropped on them, and they just get put back together again. Also, that churches of such epic proportions still manage to function as ordinary churches.
Had a quick walk through the Shambles before hitting the road.
Today was our longest travel day so far. We didn’t quite make it to Scotland - we’re close to the border at Berwick-on-Tweed, staying at a guesthouse. Came via Durham, a very pretty town with another cathedral for us to look at (’romantic’ style - stunning), but we passed on another tower climb!
Had another unsuccessful attempt at a castle. We were aiming for Alnwick (pronounced ‘Annick’) but it closed before we got there. A lot of these castles are family homes and this one had quite stunning gardens. We were disappointed to miss it.
We are trying to sort out our plans for the last few days of our touring time, because it is a bank holiday weekend so we need to book accommodation. All the destinations we had in mind (Bath, Brighton, Hastings) are likely to be popular with the locals so will get on the phone tomorrow. Might have to compromise on our itinerary a bit.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The day we (nearly) went to Belvoir
Woke to the best breakfast yet. Most of you will know that Allan is a cereal and yoghurt man, but today he had a big bowl of porridge, a huge plate of sausage, bacon, eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms, plus toast! He is starting to enjoy cooked breakfasts.
It was wet and misty unfortunately, but we headed off to the Castle, only to find that it is not open at the moment, so our reason for coming this way was a non event really, but we did have a lovely time at the farm, and we got some valuable tips on where to go in Scotland.
We hit he motorway for York - what a pretty town. We visited the National Rail Museum - Phil, you would have loved it.
Allan walked the Wall that surrounds the town, although managed to miss a couple of access points so ended up walking one and a half times round the city walls.
Our B&B here is a Victorian house with 5 rooms, owned by a South African couple, so of course we had to talk rugby. They sent us to a tea house called Betty’s for dinner. What an experience. It was a Swiss / high tea type venue with light meals. There was live piano music, so we enjoyed the music and the ambience, and of course the food. Should have had a Yorkshire Pudding really!
Heading for Scotland tomorrow.
It was wet and misty unfortunately, but we headed off to the Castle, only to find that it is not open at the moment, so our reason for coming this way was a non event really, but we did have a lovely time at the farm, and we got some valuable tips on where to go in Scotland.
We hit he motorway for York - what a pretty town. We visited the National Rail Museum - Phil, you would have loved it.
Allan walked the Wall that surrounds the town, although managed to miss a couple of access points so ended up walking one and a half times round the city walls.
Our B&B here is a Victorian house with 5 rooms, owned by a South African couple, so of course we had to talk rugby. They sent us to a tea house called Betty’s for dinner. What an experience. It was a Swiss / high tea type venue with light meals. There was live piano music, so we enjoyed the music and the ambience, and of course the food. Should have had a Yorkshire Pudding really!
Heading for Scotland tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Game Over...
Or the day we left the town of Rugby! It took a little longer than we expected. First we had breakfast cooked us by the landlord’s mother in law. She was a sweetie and a real laugh, and seemed really excited to meet a couple of Kiwis. She even hugged me when we left! The landlord, Geoff, was a soccer nut and proudly told us that he was the mascot for the Coventry team - he wears an elephant suit on match days! We had to then go back into town to top up Allan’s phone, then go back to the Inn to return the key we’d forgotten to surrender!
Finally hit the road for Nottingham - a longer journey than we have previously done. Visited the ruins of Nottingham Castle, and the museum, as well as 'Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem' (England’s oldest(?) alehouse). Lots of Robin Hood history, beautiful Nottingham lace, and the story of the evil occupants of the castle who kept overthrowing the incumbents.
One of the places Allan wanted to see was Belvoir (pronounced Bee-ver) Castle, so we headed that way, but arrived too late to see it, so decided to do it the next morning.
We checked in to our accommodation, which was a working farm with 3 rooms for B&B. Everything was chintzy and cottagey, so looked very English. The hostess was a Scottish lady who was just lovely and made us very welcome. She also recommended a local restaurant where we had a great meal, with pre-dinner drinks in front of the open fire. A good day.
Moving On Monday
Headed for yet another castle, this time Warwick. Again, different but interesting. Saw an archery demonstration by an expert - arrows are a more deadly weapon than I thought.
Also saw a demonstration of a trebuchet - a missile launching device that could heave 150 pound rocks - pretty impressive technology from such a long time ago.
Called briefly into Coventry Cathedral and then on to Rugby. Once again we have struggled to find accommodation - not so many to choose from in this part of the world. We’re in a country Inn - actually, in a cottage out the back.
Also saw a demonstration of a trebuchet - a missile launching device that could heave 150 pound rocks - pretty impressive technology from such a long time ago.
Called briefly into Coventry Cathedral and then on to Rugby. Once again we have struggled to find accommodation - not so many to choose from in this part of the world. We’re in a country Inn - actually, in a cottage out the back.
The Cotswolds
Decided to stop another night here and explore the area. Chipping Campden was just gorgeous, picture postcard pretty with very old stone buildings and cobbled streets - and the contrast of loads of cars parked along the street - it felt like it should have been horses and carriages!
On the subject of cars, two comments. I wondered why some cars had white number plates, and some yellow until I realised that they all have white on the front, and yellow on the back!. There is no rule to say which side of the road you can park on, so you will have cars pointing any which way on both sides of the street.
We checked out Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford on Avon, and his wife, Anne Hathaway’s cottage. The latter was made especially interesting by two fascinating guides who brought the history to life and gave us background to lots of sayings we use today. For example, in those times, it was ok for a man to beat his wife, as long as the stick was skinnier than his thumb, hence the expression ‘under the thumb‘!
Saw lots of little country towns with names like Upper and Lower Slaughter and Bourton-on-the-Water, but Chipping Campden was our favourite.
Had dinner in a country pub and then home to bed.
Photo of our car as requested by Ash:
On the subject of cars, two comments. I wondered why some cars had white number plates, and some yellow until I realised that they all have white on the front, and yellow on the back!. There is no rule to say which side of the road you can park on, so you will have cars pointing any which way on both sides of the street.
We checked out Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford on Avon, and his wife, Anne Hathaway’s cottage. The latter was made especially interesting by two fascinating guides who brought the history to life and gave us background to lots of sayings we use today. For example, in those times, it was ok for a man to beat his wife, as long as the stick was skinnier than his thumb, hence the expression ‘under the thumb‘!
Saw lots of little country towns with names like Upper and Lower Slaughter and Bourton-on-the-Water, but Chipping Campden was our favourite.
Had dinner in a country pub and then home to bed.
Photo of our car as requested by Ash:
Checking out
We carefully planned our journey to pick up the rental car from Hertz in Fulham on Friday. It was out of the congestion zone so we knew we had a wee way to go. Surprisingly, since we haven’t bought much, our suitcases were fit to bust! We took the Tube to the closest station, but we under-estimated the distance to the rental car office - a half hour walk, dragging our cases behind us - phew! Picked up a cute little Kia, pretty peppy, and we were off to Windsor Castle.
I know I keep going on about the castles we are seeing, but they are all different and amazing. This was the grandest and interesting because HM was in residence. It was the day of the christening of Edward and Sophie’s baby at the Chapel there so the whole family was there, and I thought we might get a glimpse, but no such luck.
We ambled through the countryside, thankful for the GPS, looking for a B&B. Proved to be more of a mission than we expected, but finally bought a book and chose one in a place called Weston-sub-Edge near Chipping Campden.
It was a farm, built in 1624 - but beautifully restored and very comfortable. The hostess knows NZ well and her family were into rugby so it was a nice connection.
I know I keep going on about the castles we are seeing, but they are all different and amazing. This was the grandest and interesting because HM was in residence. It was the day of the christening of Edward and Sophie’s baby at the Chapel there so the whole family was there, and I thought we might get a glimpse, but no such luck.
We ambled through the countryside, thankful for the GPS, looking for a B&B. Proved to be more of a mission than we expected, but finally bought a book and chose one in a place called Weston-sub-Edge near Chipping Campden.
It was a farm, built in 1624 - but beautifully restored and very comfortable. The hostess knows NZ well and her family were into rugby so it was a nice connection.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Thoughts on london
Sue’s thoughts on London:
Loved the shows, the London Eye and the River Cruise. Enjoyed the more recent history, and the old buildings fascinated me.
Blown away by the range of ethnicities - I’d almost say that genuine Poms were in the minority, especially working in the service areas. Apparently there has been a huge influx of Eastern Europeans. Interestingly, it has sometimes been difficult for us to make ourselves understood, even tho’ we speak English!
Plenty left to do next time we come to London!
And some things I (Allan) didn’t know before coming here:
1 - Pall Mall is pronounced “pal mal” not “paul maul”
2 - It can get quite windy on the walkways and escalators down to the underground
3 - There are no rubbish bins on the underground - security reasons
4 - Even though cars drive on the left side of the road, pedestrians don’t walk on the left side of the footpath - they are all over the place
5 - I always wondered where the owners of terraced housing used to park their horses etc - now I know - in the Mews. I guess that’s why there is now no on-site space for a garage
6 - Why some cars have white number plates and other cars have yellow number plates (see Sue's next installment for the answer)
Loved the shows, the London Eye and the River Cruise. Enjoyed the more recent history, and the old buildings fascinated me.
Blown away by the range of ethnicities - I’d almost say that genuine Poms were in the minority, especially working in the service areas. Apparently there has been a huge influx of Eastern Europeans. Interestingly, it has sometimes been difficult for us to make ourselves understood, even tho’ we speak English!
Plenty left to do next time we come to London!
And some things I (Allan) didn’t know before coming here:
1 - Pall Mall is pronounced “pal mal” not “paul maul”
2 - It can get quite windy on the walkways and escalators down to the underground
3 - There are no rubbish bins on the underground - security reasons
4 - Even though cars drive on the left side of the road, pedestrians don’t walk on the left side of the footpath - they are all over the place
5 - I always wondered where the owners of terraced housing used to park their horses etc - now I know - in the Mews. I guess that’s why there is now no on-site space for a garage
6 - Why some cars have white number plates and other cars have yellow number plates (see Sue's next installment for the answer)
Friday - last day in London
Had lots left on our ’to do’ list so we were out early to Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana lived. The size and ornateness of the rooms together with the great age made it a fascinating insight.
From there we headed off to Buckingham Palace, although only the Queens Gallery was open. It was bitingly cold today, but worth the walk to see the Palace up close.
After that, we split up - the first time Allan has trusted me to navigate the Underground by myself! I went of to Harrods - what an experience! The food hall had a pizzeria where the pizza man sang opera in the most amazing voice while he tossed pizzas - huge crowds stopped to watch. Had a good poke around, had a makeup demo, and bought a bit of product. Although it was a very elegant and expensive, it had a fun atmosphere, and I was glad I went.
Allan went on tours of the Tower Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and had a quick look in the Tate Modern Gallery. Then he zipped back into Oxford St area for a music mega store - he was very restrained and didn’t buy, but said he could have had a field day.
Dinner in the Hotel restaurant and that’s our London Week done.
From there we headed off to Buckingham Palace, although only the Queens Gallery was open. It was bitingly cold today, but worth the walk to see the Palace up close.
After that, we split up - the first time Allan has trusted me to navigate the Underground by myself! I went of to Harrods - what an experience! The food hall had a pizzeria where the pizza man sang opera in the most amazing voice while he tossed pizzas - huge crowds stopped to watch. Had a good poke around, had a makeup demo, and bought a bit of product. Although it was a very elegant and expensive, it had a fun atmosphere, and I was glad I went.
Allan went on tours of the Tower Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and had a quick look in the Tate Modern Gallery. Then he zipped back into Oxford St area for a music mega store - he was very restrained and didn’t buy, but said he could have had a field day.
Dinner in the Hotel restaurant and that’s our London Week done.
The 482 steps
This morning we returned to St Paul’s Cathedral - we climbed the 482 steps (very steep and narrow) to the top for the most amazing views. Most proud of myself! The weather has deteriorated a little, a very cold wind has picked up, but the rain has stayed away thankfully. Then it was off to Waterloo Station for an overland train to Twickenham.
We have now tried most of the transport options - underground, over ground, ferry, light rail and double decker bus. The only thing we haven’t tried is a London cab - they are everywhere.
We got a little lost at Twickenham - the little leggies were struggling!! A little confusing when the sign points to Museum of Twickenham in the opposite direction to Twickenham Museum. It was worth the effort tho’ - the rugby museum was really interesting, and the ground quite spectacular. We went on a guided tour of the stadium and toured the museum - it was pleasing to see NZ well represented there, although it was basically an English Rugby Museum.
Didn’t make it back to the hotel before the show so ate in the theatre district. Phantom was very well done, the sets were so amazing, and the production excellent. Allan especially loved this show, although I’d have to say ‘We Will Rock You’ was my favourite. I could have kept going to shows for weeks - would’ve loved to see Blood Brothers again, and Joseph.
We have now tried most of the transport options - underground, over ground, ferry, light rail and double decker bus. The only thing we haven’t tried is a London cab - they are everywhere.
We got a little lost at Twickenham - the little leggies were struggling!! A little confusing when the sign points to Museum of Twickenham in the opposite direction to Twickenham Museum. It was worth the effort tho’ - the rugby museum was really interesting, and the ground quite spectacular. We went on a guided tour of the stadium and toured the museum - it was pleasing to see NZ well represented there, although it was basically an English Rugby Museum.
Didn’t make it back to the hotel before the show so ate in the theatre district. Phantom was very well done, the sets were so amazing, and the production excellent. Allan especially loved this show, although I’d have to say ‘We Will Rock You’ was my favourite. I could have kept going to shows for weeks - would’ve loved to see Blood Brothers again, and Joseph.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Another 19,000 steps
Another busy day...cloudy and cool, but no rain. Another 19,000 steps on the pedometer as we explored the financial districts and walked both the London and Millennium Bridges. Had a real pub lunch for the first time. The ambience was cool, the pie and mash very English! Had a early tea at a Café that is a bit of a shrine to Princess Diana (opposite Kensington Gardens where she lived). It was another English classic of fish and chips and peas - very well cooked, and nice to be back in the hotel at an early hour.
We are getting a really good feed at the hotel with the included cooked breakfast, lunches have been light, and dinners have been generally at the low budget end as we haven’t really been hungry. Food is very expensive, we’ve given up converting to NZ$. Paid 4 pounds ($10) for a Coke at the theatre!
We are getting a really good feed at the hotel with the included cooked breakfast, lunches have been light, and dinners have been generally at the low budget end as we haven’t really been hungry. Food is very expensive, we’ve given up converting to NZ$. Paid 4 pounds ($10) for a Coke at the theatre!
First fine day!
This morning dawned crystal clear - our first truly fine day, so we took off to the London Eye. It was pretty special, and we took masses of photos and video footage. What a tourist magnet!
After we got off that, we took a ferry up to Greenwich and had a look at the observatory there. Managed to get a photo of me with one foot each side of the Meridian Line. The park there is beautiful - for all its size and huge population, London has lots of beautifully maintained green spaces.
Allan lived in Greenwich as an 8 year old, so we went and found the flat they rented. He had a photo with him of the place back then (1965) and he was able to take a photo from the same perspective 42 years on, so that was special.
Took in our second show tonight - Chicago. It was technically (in the singing and dancing) excellent but seemed to lack the X factor, we thought. Once again, I had trouble staying awake!
I must explain here that we are walking around 12 - 14 kms (according to my pedometer) a day so that is why I am struggling a bit by 8pm at night. I assure you - it isn’t just old age!
We are off to Phantom on Thursday night so will try to do better then!
Took in our second show tonight - Chicago. It was technically (in the singing and dancing) excellent but seemed to lack the X factor, we thought. Once again, I had trouble staying awake!
I must explain here that we are walking around 12 - 14 kms (according to my pedometer) a day so that is why I am struggling a bit by 8pm at night. I assure you - it isn’t just old age!
We are off to Phantom on Thursday night so will try to do better then!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Out and about on Monday
Up early today - a shock to the system, as we had to meet our tour bus at 8.20am. Part of our accommodation package was this half day tour of London. The guide was fantastic and gave us lots of insights which we wouldn’t have otherwise had. Helped us get our bearings above ground (since we’d already sussed the underground!). Spent an hour in St Paul’s Cathedral. It was amazing - (Glenn, we could understand your temptation to photograph, we resisted tho’!) We will head back on our own to spend more time later in the week.
Monday afternoon was a visit to The Tower of London, which Allan loved - he is fascinated by the history of it all. I found it interesting, but a little long.
We had prepared our wish list for London shows - limiting ourselves to 3 only! We managed to get tickets tonight to ‘We will Rock you’ (Queen). It was fantastic and we both loved it, but one of us (!), despite the music being throbbingly loud, had extreme difficulty staying awake!
Monday afternoon was a visit to The Tower of London, which Allan loved - he is fascinated by the history of it all. I found it interesting, but a little long.
We had prepared our wish list for London shows - limiting ourselves to 3 only! We managed to get tickets tonight to ‘We will Rock you’ (Queen). It was fantastic and we both loved it, but one of us (!), despite the music being throbbingly loud, had extreme difficulty staying awake!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Amazing who you come across
Amazing who you come across in London - I ran into this Keira chick who I recognised from somewhere - she was very nice but didn’t say much. Sue chatted to Tom Cruise for a while, but forgot to ask for an autograph.
Our visit to Madam Tussaud’s was interesting, although I thought it was overly commercial, with an opportunity to part with cash around every corner. The wax figures were very good however (some better than others).
Sunday, April 13, 2008
London - Day One
Well, it feels like we've been everywhere today - we've knocked off half a Monopoly board already (Pall Mall, Whitehall, Northumberland Ave, the Strand, Trafalgar Square (amazing!), Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford and Regent Sts. In Regent St, we found Hamleys Toy Store - it was huge with so many different things that aren’t available in NZ, especially remote controlled toys and board games. Staff were demonstrating lots of the toys, and it was difficult to drag my little boy away!
We’ve mastered the Underground, there are two stations only a few minutes walk away.
Last on today’s list was the National Art Gallery - it was packed with people, and very vast. We recognised the names of some of the artists and the age of some of the works was phenomenal.
Struck quite a bit of rain today, but it’s not too cold, so all things considered, it could be worse.
Overall impressions? I am blown away by the number of people we are seeing wherever we go, and by the cultural diversity of the place. Roll on tomorrow!
We’ve mastered the Underground, there are two stations only a few minutes walk away.
Last on today’s list was the National Art Gallery - it was packed with people, and very vast. We recognised the names of some of the artists and the age of some of the works was phenomenal.
Struck quite a bit of rain today, but it’s not too cold, so all things considered, it could be worse.
Overall impressions? I am blown away by the number of people we are seeing wherever we go, and by the cultural diversity of the place. Roll on tomorrow!
The (long) Friday flight
This was a new experience for both of us, and I have to admit that I wasn’t looking forward to it. However, it wasn’t so bad. Had a light supper before settling down to sleep, and we both slept quite well, so we felt quite human when we touched down at Hong Kong, at 6 am local time. We walked the long departure wing, which went on for miles, but was good exercise (although we did use the travelators). Most of the shops were shut so still no shopping! We reboarded 1 ¾ hours later and had our 2nd breakfast of the day. Allan watched a lot of movies, it was great to be able to pick and choose when and what we watched, although I found that I fell asleep every time I started a movie!
My highlight was flying over the Himalayas and seeing mountain peaks piercing the clouds for miles and miles. It was spectacular and awe inspiring. Also quite amazing following the flight on the TV screen and seeing that Moscow was just a bit further to the north. Allan found it strange seeing the sun out of the left (i.e. south) window instead of the right when travelling east.
This leg of the flight certainly felt longer, I think because it was daylight. We had to circle at London for half an hour while the thunderstorms eased. It was a spooky looking out the window and seeing several other planes - in NZ we don’t usually share our airspace! Eventually touched down - Heathrow terminal 4 is not exactly salubrious!
London at last!
Arrived at the hotel around 5 pm. I was really hungry, and couldn’t figure out why, when we had had two breakfasts and lunch on the plane - forgot that we’d had a 26 hour day by the time we’d checked in. Wandered down Notting Hill and had dinner, before coming back. I fell asleep at 7.30 pm (on top of the bed) and slept through to 6.30 am. I obviously climbed in to bed some time in the night, but I have never slept like that before. Allan slept well too, so we’re raring to explore London today.
My highlight was flying over the Himalayas and seeing mountain peaks piercing the clouds for miles and miles. It was spectacular and awe inspiring. Also quite amazing following the flight on the TV screen and seeing that Moscow was just a bit further to the north. Allan found it strange seeing the sun out of the left (i.e. south) window instead of the right when travelling east.
This leg of the flight certainly felt longer, I think because it was daylight. We had to circle at London for half an hour while the thunderstorms eased. It was a spooky looking out the window and seeing several other planes - in NZ we don’t usually share our airspace! Eventually touched down - Heathrow terminal 4 is not exactly salubrious!
London at last!
Arrived at the hotel around 5 pm. I was really hungry, and couldn’t figure out why, when we had had two breakfasts and lunch on the plane - forgot that we’d had a 26 hour day by the time we’d checked in. Wandered down Notting Hill and had dinner, before coming back. I fell asleep at 7.30 pm (on top of the bed) and slept through to 6.30 am. I obviously climbed in to bed some time in the night, but I have never slept like that before. Allan slept well too, so we’re raring to explore London today.
On the way there...
Well, it was 26 degrees in Melbourne for our day there (Thursday). Allan left at 7am for his conference, which he found very worthwhile.
I used my transport card for 11 tram and train rides, so I got my money’s worth. Visited my usual shopping haunts, but didn’t buy a thing - a bit out of character for me, but I will revert to type soon, never fear! Spent a lovely couple of hours at St Kilda watching the world go by. Walked over ‘The Bridge’ (where Ash proposed to Bridget!) and saw a movie, so the day passed very pleasantly, before meeting Allan to head for the airport.
I used my transport card for 11 tram and train rides, so I got my money’s worth. Visited my usual shopping haunts, but didn’t buy a thing - a bit out of character for me, but I will revert to type soon, never fear! Spent a lovely couple of hours at St Kilda watching the world go by. Walked over ‘The Bridge’ (where Ash proposed to Bridget!) and saw a movie, so the day passed very pleasantly, before meeting Allan to head for the airport.
First leg to Melbourne
Well, we made it! The first leg of our journey is complete. Ash and Mikki took us out to the airport, which was lucky - it meant that they could make a return trip quickly when Allan realised that he had left his UK tickets in the car!!
Our Melbourne hotel (which we got cheap on Wotif) is very elegant and huge - we’re well ready for a sleep…
Our Melbourne hotel (which we got cheap on Wotif) is very elegant and huge - we’re well ready for a sleep…
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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