Day 2 in Bath saw me catching up with sister #1 and a recovered B.I.L #1 at the Abbey. I was an unofficial tour guide for the day, so first stop was the Roman baths. Last time I went here it was a stinking hot day, school holidays in ths UK and absolutely crowded with people. This time it was a whole lot more pleasant. The Roman baths are a great place to visit, well worth it jyst to see the steaming green pool of water, which yoy can't bathe inbut there is a newer thermal bath which is open to the public but very expensive.
Next on the tour was a ride on the hlp on hop off bus around Bath, taking in all the sightd. Not sure how many timex I have done this now, maybe 5 or 6 but it is such a relaxing way to see the city.
We went to the famous Sally Lunn's bun shop and had a delicious bun. They look like hamburger buns , a little bit sweeter though. I had jam and clotted cream, and a glass of traditional lemonade. The shop is the oldest building in Bath.
Then we did part two of the bus tour, this time the bus goes up into the hills and skirts the city, with sweeping views down over Bath.
We looked through the Abbey and admired the gorgeous architecture and stained glass windows. No recitals today, but they were preparing for some service.
We went on a River Avon cruise which was peaceful and lovely, very tranquil on the river. Avon is the Celtic name for river, so ths Romans thought Avon was thd actual river's name, so it translates as River River.
We parted ways with a dinner time meeting at 7pm at an Italian restaurant. Ths food was lovely, I had an enormous pizza but sadly couldn't eat it all.
The following morning, it was time to leave the dodgy Redcar with its lack of shower hot water, cracked bath tub and a toilet that didn't always flush. Charming!!
I caught a taxi to the station to meet up with sister and BIL to catch our trainback to London.
Once back in London, within 10 minutes, I had severe hay fever like reactions, I am assuming from the pollution. It lasted up until, well, now, as I took a double dose of medication at night and all medication for travel this morning.
We went to see a show called 'Let it Be' which was more liks a tribute show to the Beatles, at the Garrick Theatre. I have to say I was a little disappointed- ths music was great, especially if you are a Beatles fan, and the stage set and costumes added to the atmosphere. I was thinking it would be abit like The Jersey Boys with a storyline acted out, but it wasn't. Still, it was good to see a show, even if I couldn't breathe properly with the smoke coming from the smoke machine.
The hotel, the Shaftsbury, had given me the smallest room I have ever seen. I had to put the suitcase in thebathroom, and then move it out if I wanted to get in. It was ridiculous, they should onlg charge a minimal rate if this is what they give guests.
Once packed, we caught the Heathrow express and arecurrently waiting for our flight later this afternoon. I can't wait to be back in my own hpuse, with my own bed and shower, oh, and with the 2Ms.
Thursday, 28 May 2015
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Bath
I got up early this morning and it was very quiet, I guess being a Bank holiday, everyone was sleeping in. I went for a walk to see what times things were opening and then had a hot chocolate at a cafe for breakfast, not my usual fare, but it did the trick. I decided to kill some time by going on the big bus tour around Bath, which I have done a few times before but it is always fun to do. The ticket lasts for two days so you can do it as many times as you wish. After this, I walked up to The Royal Crescent, the Circus and then to the Assembly rooms, all made famous in Jane Austen's novels, most notably Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. I then walked back to the Jane Austen centre for another look, and just spent the rest if the day walking aroubd and window shopping. I went into the beautiful Bath Abbey and looked around, no music recitals today but still lovely.
I wrote out some postcards, then posted then after have some lunch. Sister #1 sent me a message to say that they had arrived in Bath but her husband was unwell and sleeping. She was having a coffee in a cafe next to their accommodation, so I walked up to join her.
We shared some of our adventures then made plans for dinner, meeting at 6.30pm by the Abbey.
We had a meal at a French restaurant, which was nice. I then walked her back and I returned to dodgy dwellings.
I am currently in the lounge, or what passes for a lounge, but a bunch of bloody noisy Spanish people have decided to start a conversation and now one of them is playing the piano, very poorly, so I am heading up to my room for some peace. No wifi upstairs.
Saturday, 23 May 2015
Car #2 and I head to Port Isaac
Many, many phone calls this morning to Enterprise Exeter, the tyre place and emails to my travel agent...finally Exeter answered their phone and despite me telling the same story to multiple people at the same company, had to retell it yet again!!!! The girl said she would ring Truro Enterprise to see if they had a car. She didn't ring back within 15 minutes so I called them back. She said she had tried to call me at thd hotel....in Exeter. WTF?? I said, nooooo, I am in Truro, remember?? Anyway, she said they didn't have a car. ok - in that case, I said, I want a full refund, all my expenses covered ( cancellation of my accommodation in Lifton, petrol money, accommodation in Exeter, train and taxi costs. She said, oh, it won't come to that, I am sure we can do something. Again, she said she'd ring back, she didn"t, but the area manager for Truro called and said, yes, we have a car and I will drop it around to you at the hotel by 1pm.
So I sat around in the bar waiting and yes, he did arrive, and he was very apologetic. He said he couldn't understand why Exeter didn't call him the moment the car was out of action, as then I would have had access to wheels the moment the other car went in.
Anyway, I now have a little Ford, low mileage and NO squealing. When I asked about the mechanic waiting to hear about the car up on a hoist and payment, he said Exeter needs to follow this through. That poor bloke, he wss trying to be helpful and he gets nothing in return.
So, car problems fixed...and a 1pm start meant that I had to alter my plans. Today was therefore a castle free day but I could spend more time in one of the places I have been so looking forward to visiting.
First stop - petrol station but I am going to request reimbursement as the car has a full tank. Will need to think about driving around to burn it off to low.
Then with the GPS set, my first stop was Padstow. It was busy and crowded soI decidec to go further around the coast and parked at a beach. Now, it wasfoggy and a bitcool, the beach was stony and people were in shorts. Crazy!!! I took a photo then off to my next destination.
I LOVE the TV show 'Doc Martin'and have always wanted to visit Port Isaac, where it is filmed. Today was the day!! I parked in the parking bay on thd outskirts of the village, coz you can't drive in, obviously, on those narrow roads, and walked in.It was AMAZING!! And to make things even more incredible, I met the actorIan McNeice, who plays Bert Large. He was lovely, collecting money for charity andI got a photo with him. It was funny as most people didn't even recognise him or maybe didn't know who he was. We had a bit of a chat and then I went off to look at theschool, the chemist and the place where the exteriors were shot of Doc's house.
I had abite to eat at a place called the Chapel, took photos and just walked up and down and around. The fog started to roll in over the harbour, it was so beautiful. I didn't want to leave.
The roads were crowded but most going the opposite direction. It was always going to be busy because of the long weekend here.
Dinners arrived, so photos later!
So I sat around in the bar waiting and yes, he did arrive, and he was very apologetic. He said he couldn't understand why Exeter didn't call him the moment the car was out of action, as then I would have had access to wheels the moment the other car went in.
Anyway, I now have a little Ford, low mileage and NO squealing. When I asked about the mechanic waiting to hear about the car up on a hoist and payment, he said Exeter needs to follow this through. That poor bloke, he wss trying to be helpful and he gets nothing in return.
So, car problems fixed...and a 1pm start meant that I had to alter my plans. Today was therefore a castle free day but I could spend more time in one of the places I have been so looking forward to visiting.
First stop - petrol station but I am going to request reimbursement as the car has a full tank. Will need to think about driving around to burn it off to low.
Then with the GPS set, my first stop was Padstow. It was busy and crowded soI decidec to go further around the coast and parked at a beach. Now, it wasfoggy and a bitcool, the beach was stony and people were in shorts. Crazy!!! I took a photo then off to my next destination.
I LOVE the TV show 'Doc Martin'and have always wanted to visit Port Isaac, where it is filmed. Today was the day!! I parked in the parking bay on thd outskirts of the village, coz you can't drive in, obviously, on those narrow roads, and walked in.It was AMAZING!! And to make things even more incredible, I met the actorIan McNeice, who plays Bert Large. He was lovely, collecting money for charity andI got a photo with him. It was funny as most people didn't even recognise him or maybe didn't know who he was. We had a bit of a chat and then I went off to look at theschool, the chemist and the place where the exteriors were shot of Doc's house.
I had abite to eat at a place called the Chapel, took photos and just walked up and down and around. The fog started to roll in over the harbour, it was so beautiful. I didn't want to leave.
The roads were crowded but most going the opposite direction. It was always going to be busy because of the long weekend here.
Dinners arrived, so photos later!
Thursday, 21 May 2015
Torquay to Dartmouth to Truro
This morning The Car and I left gorgeous Torquay, and again the car continued to make squealing noises - getting worse each day, obviously something going on with the brakes. Anyway, I decided to make an impromptu visit to Dartmouth, and wow, what a good choice!! What a lovely place! I put the car on the ferry and it took only 5 minutes or so, place the waiting time, with cars all lined up down the narrow road. I stopped to have a quick walk around and kicked myself - should have booked a night here and one less in Exeter, but live and learn, huh?
I found my way to Dartmouth Castle, up a very narrow road. It had wonderful views over the harbour and looking back into Dartmouth. Back into the noisy car for the trip to Lostwithiel, and its castle, Restormel. It is set up high on a hill, overlooking the village and the fields below. It was really tranquil.
The next part of the journey was a bit boring, back onto a bigger road for the hour trip to Truro. By this stage, the noise from the wheels was hideous and I was praying that I would get into Truro in one piece.
The hotel I am staying at is a bit posh! I didn't know it was going to be quite so big and poshy, with a lot of Hooray Henries and Henriettas quaffing cocktails and on their mobiles discussing upcoming skiing holidays, business wheeling and dealing, loud voices...anyway, it will be an experience. My room is up flights of stairs, at the back of the hotel. The room is large and comfortable so I shouldn't complain.
I rang the hire car people in Exeter to complain about the noisy car and they said to ring the AA, which is not Alcoholics Anonymous, but like our RAA. So I did and within 30 minutes the bloke arrived. He was wonderful - checked the car over, then took the car for a long drive. He pointed out all the sights and gave ideas about catching the train to see some of the sights I was planning to drive to. He decided that the brakes needed replacing, so he called the hire car people and they gave the go ahead for new brakes as if I had an accident, they would be liable.
Sadly the car will be out of action until tomorrow afternoon. :( I am not happy about this as that's one day of rental, so I will request a refund. In the meantime, it looks like train and ferry to see the things I was going to drive to tomorrow.
Truro is a bigger, busier place but it does have a great cathedral so will add thst to my list of things to do.
I found my way to Dartmouth Castle, up a very narrow road. It had wonderful views over the harbour and looking back into Dartmouth. Back into the noisy car for the trip to Lostwithiel, and its castle, Restormel. It is set up high on a hill, overlooking the village and the fields below. It was really tranquil.
The next part of the journey was a bit boring, back onto a bigger road for the hour trip to Truro. By this stage, the noise from the wheels was hideous and I was praying that I would get into Truro in one piece.
The hotel I am staying at is a bit posh! I didn't know it was going to be quite so big and poshy, with a lot of Hooray Henries and Henriettas quaffing cocktails and on their mobiles discussing upcoming skiing holidays, business wheeling and dealing, loud voices...anyway, it will be an experience. My room is up flights of stairs, at the back of the hotel. The room is large and comfortable so I shouldn't complain.
I rang the hire car people in Exeter to complain about the noisy car and they said to ring the AA, which is not Alcoholics Anonymous, but like our RAA. So I did and within 30 minutes the bloke arrived. He was wonderful - checked the car over, then took the car for a long drive. He pointed out all the sights and gave ideas about catching the train to see some of the sights I was planning to drive to. He decided that the brakes needed replacing, so he called the hire car people and they gave the go ahead for new brakes as if I had an accident, they would be liable.
Sadly the car will be out of action until tomorrow afternoon. :( I am not happy about this as that's one day of rental, so I will request a refund. In the meantime, it looks like train and ferry to see the things I was going to drive to tomorrow.
Truro is a bigger, busier place but it does have a great cathedral so will add thst to my list of things to do.
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Exeter to Torquay
Early start to the day to try to avoid some traffic. Took a while to set up the GPS and thank goodness it fired up properly. It was still busy even at that early hour and the traffic was really bad out of Exeter but worse coming back in. I found a petrol station and filled up so hoping it gets me down to Truro. I said many prayers to the gods of GPS as without it, thete would be no way of finding my way around.
My first stop was to Buckland Abbey, which is a working abbey producing all sorts of goods and produce. The church was pretty impressive, as were the gardens and grounds in general. At the front of the church, in a separate section, was an amazing stained glass window made by the monks. Unfortunately no photographs were allowed so I had to buy a postcard from the abbey shop.
Well, set the GPS for my next stop - Berry Pomeroy Castle, home to the Pomeroys in the 1500s and the Seymours in the 1600s. It is supposedly the most haunted castle in Britain. When I arrived, I was the only person there, apart from the man at the ticket office outside the main gate. The audio guide was great and I spent an hour there. I didn't see any spooks, even down in the dungeon. The only photo I took down there didn't turn out, sadly. The man at the ticket office said a few months ago, some stone masons were doing some work when they saw a black dog run through the courtyard and into one of the buildings. They didn't see it come back out so went to investigate but couldn't find it - and there was nowhere for it to go! They were a bit freaked out by this. The ghost that is seen is of a woman who was locked in the dungeon and left there to die.
Anyway, whatever you believe, the castle was definitely a bit creepy when you're there by yourself! As I was leaving a few other people arrived so I timed it well.
The GPS took me down some very narrow roads, once I had to reverse to let a 4WD pass. Hope I don't have to do this too often as it is a bit hairy! The other fun bit was waiting for a flock of sheep to get herded past, rounded up by two border collies. They came over to say hello and for a pat, before racing back to work.
Torquay was the next stop so I located the guesthouse but I was too early for check in so I drove down to the city and parked in a pay zone. I went for a walk along the boardwalk around the harbour. I walked to Agatha Christie's favourite place and where she set some of her stories. Torquay is very popular with the older population and apparently is very crowded in summer.
I went to the Torre Abbey which was interesting, had a lot of things excavated from the old abbey and pieces collected over the years. The garden had an Agatha Christie potent plant garden, a couple of hot houses, pet cemetery, and the remains of the old abbey. It was good and I wanted to spend a bit more time there but my pay parking was almost out and I needed to check in at the guesthouse.
Staying at the Cloudlands Guesthouse which is lovely. My room looks out over the garden and the room has a small patio.
I walked back into the city to find somewhere to eat and eventually found an Argentinian restaurant that was recommended by the owners of the guesthouse. I settled on nachoes and a very strong cider. I then went for another walk around the city, had an ice cream and watched the boats sail in and out of the harbour. There were lots of sailors in town so they were all out in their uniforms, impressing all the giggling girls.
Tomorrow the Car and I will attempt to visit a couple more castles and negotiate the busy roads and all the nutty drivers who speed and don't indicate and tail gate. We are heading down to Truro so this is the longest stretch of driving.
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Day 2 - Exeter
Day 2 in Exeter started off with a 7.30am sleep in - woohoo. I had breakfast at the hotel which was average, nothing like the breakfasts in the B&Bs and guesthouses. I then wandered off to the post office with a rather large bag of hiking gear, sans shoes, which are still coated in mud and goodness knows what else! It cost a lot of money to post a big box to Oz. Not sure if it will arrive back before I do. Either way, I am hoping that my suitcase will be a little lighter when I have to lug it up stairs and on the tube!
Mission accomplished and my purse quite a lot lighter, I made my way back to Exeter Cathedral and had a look around this magnificent building. A tour was on at 11am which was really interesting as we got to hear about the history of the cathedral and about the architecture and also the medieval knights and bishops buried there since the early 1200s. Just an amazing building, especially the vaulted ceiling. Amazing how these ceilings don't collapse.
After this, and dodging the rain again, I went exploring the city centre. Loads of shops and a good selection too. It seems Exeter is known for its shopping, as there are many uni students to keep the shops in business! I resisted the urge to buy anything after my coat and jumper purchase previously.
Lunch was a Cornish pasty but it wasn't very nice so threw most of it away - I think the one I had in Tenby was 100 times nicer. More dodging the rain and investigating the city until I made my way back to the Art Gallery and Museum which was excellent! It had a great collection of various bits and pieces, including an African elephant, a giraffe, buffalo and polar bear.I am not a supporter of animals being killed and put on display in museums but these ones had been in residence for a long time, part of some collection. Many items from Roman history as well as the history of Exeter and its surrounding areas. I spent a couple of hours in there.
Raining when I got out so went back to thd hotel to dry off.When the rain stopped, I went for another walk, this time through the large park in the city centre, it was lovely. It finished on the other side of the city.
More rain - so I spent some time planning my driving for tomorrow, where I need to go, how long it will take and what things I'd like to see. I hope the GPS plays nicely, otherwise I will be eternally lost! :)
Hope the car and I get along nicely!
Monday, 18 May 2015
Paddington to Exeter, Devon
Left a grey, foggy and wet London behind this morning to catch the 11.06am train to Exeter. Sister #1 and B.I.L #1 were catching a later train to the Cotswolds to start their final 8 day walk. So we said our goodbyes and off I went. The trip was ok although the last hour dragged as the last carriage lost power and traction so the driver had to drive quite slowly.
I got off at Exeter St Davids and then caught a taxi to my hotel, The Rougemont. It is built on the site of a prison and the flagpole out the front is the site of where they used to hang prisoners. Lovely!!
Once I had checked in and checked out the room (small but comfortable) I lrganised for another taxi to take me the 7 km or so to pick up the hire car. The taxi driver had no idea where it was so I gave him my Google directions that I had printed out in Australia! He eventually found it and then I had to fill out all the forms, etc. It is a nice car, a Aurion. Lucky I bought my GPS as I wouldn't have been able to find my way back. I am hoping it gets me safely from A to B!!
Once I made it safely back, and worked out whichwas the indicator and the windscreen wipers :) I found a park ( will will cost me £8 per night) and then went for a walk to the city centre. I found the Cathedral which is awesome! Tomorrow I will go on a tour and check it out! I also plan to locate the post office as I want to post home my hiking stuff to lighten up my extra heavy suitcase!!
I had a meal at the hotel which was nice but tomorrow I will check out a local pub or eating place.
Had a bit of a downpour but it's cleared up again.
I got off at Exeter St Davids and then caught a taxi to my hotel, The Rougemont. It is built on the site of a prison and the flagpole out the front is the site of where they used to hang prisoners. Lovely!!
Once I had checked in and checked out the room (small but comfortable) I lrganised for another taxi to take me the 7 km or so to pick up the hire car. The taxi driver had no idea where it was so I gave him my Google directions that I had printed out in Australia! He eventually found it and then I had to fill out all the forms, etc. It is a nice car, a Aurion. Lucky I bought my GPS as I wouldn't have been able to find my way back. I am hoping it gets me safely from A to B!!
Once I made it safely back, and worked out whichwas the indicator and the windscreen wipers :) I found a park ( will will cost me £8 per night) and then went for a walk to the city centre. I found the Cathedral which is awesome! Tomorrow I will go on a tour and check it out! I also plan to locate the post office as I want to post home my hiking stuff to lighten up my extra heavy suitcase!!
I had a meal at the hotel which was nice but tomorrow I will check out a local pub or eating place.
Had a bit of a downpour but it's cleared up again.
Sunday, 17 May 2015
Lords Cricket Ground; Madame Tussaud's; Kensington Palace; and tea with the Bandicks
A super busy day today, in lovely sunshine for the first part of the day before some dreary clouds rolled in during the afternoon. Sister #1 had booked us tickets to go on a tour of Lords, so we took the tube part of the way then walked the last little bit as the tube we needed to take us closer was closed. We came across some lovely buildings and were saying that this must be a nice part of town to live in....then we walked past a bin, for knives!! I will attach a picture but it was a bin to place your knife - if you were carrying one. We should have one at Colonnades :) It would be full within a week.
The tour of Lords started at 11am so we had a look around the museum which had some interesting bibs 'n' bobs, including the "original" little urn for the ashes, which is really a perfume bottle! There is a very interesting story attached to this and no, it has nothing to do with burning bails!
The tour went for an hour and a half and we got shown around the Pavilion, members section, the players changerooms (home side and visitors), then out into the stands and up into the media centre. The grounds team were busy preparing the ground for the upcoming New Zealand vs England test. In our group, we had a big contingent of Aussies, a few Brits and some Indians. No Kiwis, though. I am not a cricket fan (too many summers of having dad hogging the TV to watch cricket, when mum and I wanted to watch other things!) but I do recommend a tour as it was very interesting and not many people can say they've been to Lords!
After this finished, we decided to go to Madame Tussauds so we walked there as the weather was nice. I know that the first time I came to London with sisters #1 & 4, #4 wanted to visit, maybe we should have done so. I was looking forward to going but I think it was one of the worst places I have visited. Yes, I knew it was going to be busy, especially on a Sunday, with nice weather, and the crowds were huge, but I think this place needs to re- think its policies on crowd control, safety and management. It was VERY crowded inside and hot and stuffy. We had to shuffle along in lines with people pushing in, taking lots of photos when they didn't wait until it was their turn and it became very claustrophobic. The staff were not very pleasant either. For a major attraction, I would rank this last. The only bit that was good was the black cab ride through the history of London which involved sitting in a little black cab, like on a roller coaster and being "driven" around London. It was a clever way to present a history of London. We opted out from the new Star Wars exhibit as it was so crowded and nothing was happening, nobody was moving, so we left.
Rating out of 5 stars - 1. :(
Feeling frazzled, we stopped to have a bite to eat and a drink, before making our way to Queensgate tube to meet Laura and Christian, who had arrived in London that afternoon, for their 7 week honeymoon. We decided to have some tea at a cafe and enjoyed a long chat. It was lovely to see them and hear about their plans, which sound amazing, as they travel around some parts of Europe.
We said our farewells and headed back to the apartment. I have organised my suitcase again and stuffed as much as I can in my backpack so my suitcase isn't so heavy, but it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of difference!
Tomorrow it's back to Paddington and saying farewell to the walkers as they embark on their Cotswolds adventures and I head over to Devon.
Saturday, 16 May 2015
Westminster Abbey, Children's Toy Museum; Natural History Museum and Borough Markets
The morning looked overcast and dreary so I thought - take my rain jacket just in case. Of course, this ensured that the day was dry and sunny. The first stop was Westminster Abbey. We arrived well before opening time and still there was a huge queue to get in but this time we waited. Once inside, we could walk around this magnificent building using an audio guide to help with information. It really is an amazing place - I could go back many more times, twice isn't enough. To think that many kings and queens are buried there, plus those with connections to royalty, poets, writers and famous people, all at rest there...although a lot of them are buried underfoot and it doesn't feel right to be trampling on them!
After Westminster Abbey, we took the tube to Bethnal Green to visit the Victoria and Albert Children's Toy Museum. It was set up so that children in the poorer suburbs could actually see what toys were! How sad! Today ir had toys from history and things we had as kids, like rocking horse, games and a furby!! The dolls houses were spectacular - very elaborate and detailed.
It was an interesting place to visit, although initially the attraction was to see the Alice in Wonderland exhibition, but this proved a bit disappointing, more a few displays of Alice clothing from Japan and some books, etc.
We then went to the Natural History Museum, another great place, with its dinosaurs, blue whale, polar bear and a 1000 other creatures. Didn't see David Attenborough anywhere though! I wanted to see the creepy crawlie section with its spiders and bugs but sadly couldn"t see any horrifying spiders, just one image. There was a preserved tarantula in a jar which was icky.
Next stop was a walk in the sunshine with everyone else along fashionable Knightsbridge. We window shopped but that's it. No purchases at Harrods this time :)
Back on the tube to Borough Markets. It was very busy today with Saturday shoppers. We made some purchases and then walked back to the apartment. It was a good day although a bit tiring - I think the sunshine did it!
Tomorrow the plan is to do a tour of Lords, which sister #1 is really looking forward to, being an Adelaide Cricket Grounds official tour guide ( god help me if I haven't got the name of the ground right!!)
News also that our nephew and his wife are on their way to London for their honeymoon, and we are arranging a catch up somewhere before we depart on our respective ways around the UK.
NB. I have just been reminded to include the following: a bird, of unknown breed, shat on B.I.L#1 as he was out walking, causing some damage to his shirt. Now I wasn't going to include this in the blog but I read somewhere that it is good luck to be shat upon by a bird. Or was it wee'd upon by a grandchild?? I can never remember...anyway, there you have it.
After Westminster Abbey, we took the tube to Bethnal Green to visit the Victoria and Albert Children's Toy Museum. It was set up so that children in the poorer suburbs could actually see what toys were! How sad! Today ir had toys from history and things we had as kids, like rocking horse, games and a furby!! The dolls houses were spectacular - very elaborate and detailed.
It was an interesting place to visit, although initially the attraction was to see the Alice in Wonderland exhibition, but this proved a bit disappointing, more a few displays of Alice clothing from Japan and some books, etc.
We then went to the Natural History Museum, another great place, with its dinosaurs, blue whale, polar bear and a 1000 other creatures. Didn't see David Attenborough anywhere though! I wanted to see the creepy crawlie section with its spiders and bugs but sadly couldn"t see any horrifying spiders, just one image. There was a preserved tarantula in a jar which was icky.
Next stop was a walk in the sunshine with everyone else along fashionable Knightsbridge. We window shopped but that's it. No purchases at Harrods this time :)
Back on the tube to Borough Markets. It was very busy today with Saturday shoppers. We made some purchases and then walked back to the apartment. It was a good day although a bit tiring - I think the sunshine did it!
Tomorrow the plan is to do a tour of Lords, which sister #1 is really looking forward to, being an Adelaide Cricket Grounds official tour guide ( god help me if I haven't got the name of the ground right!!)
News also that our nephew and his wife are on their way to London for their honeymoon, and we are arranging a catch up somewhere before we depart on our respective ways around the UK.
NB. I have just been reminded to include the following: a bird, of unknown breed, shat on B.I.L#1 as he was out walking, causing some damage to his shirt. Now I wasn't going to include this in the blog but I read somewhere that it is good luck to be shat upon by a bird. Or was it wee'd upon by a grandchild?? I can never remember...anyway, there you have it.
Friday, 15 May 2015
London, wet and windy, Hampton Court Palace, Borough Markets
Ok, what's been happening over the past couple of days since we've been back in London.
Yesterday was a very wet, windy bleak day although the morning looked ok. Of course I didn't wear my waterproof jacket. Mistake! Our first stop was Westminster Abbey but sadly it was closed to the publicdue to some ordination, and wasn't going to be opened until later in the day. The rain started to pick up and I was getting a smidge damp. We walked along South Bank with the few other poor sods who thought the weather wouldbe ok, although most people had the sense to wear jackets or had an umbrella.
Our first stop was The Tate, a very bleak looking gallery outside but colourful and bizarre inside. I have been to The Tatw before on my prior trip and didn't find it particularly interesting last time. Modern art, surrealism, cubism, weird sculptures, pictures a reception would do....to me, this is not art. Give me a Turner or a Gainsborough or a van Gogh even, now that is art for me! Anyway, it provided the opportunity to dry off a little and enjoy a hot drink before braving the wet conditions again.
Next stop - one of my favourite places in London, The Globe. We went on a tour and were lucky enough to sit in on a rehearsal for As You Like It. I liked it :) Then a look in the shop to pick up a few things (got a shirt for you Briggsy - white and black) and I succumbed and bought a poncho to keep the rain, or some of it anyway, off. It was very unattractive which didn't add to my charms, but anyway...when the wind caught hold of it, I almost took off like Dorothy in Oz. We stopped for lunch, and another chance to dry off.
Next stop, The Tower. Last time I was here, it was stinking hot, school holidays and a million tourists! Wet weather kept the numbers down so we managed to get a good look at most things, including the Crown jewels. A bit of a queue but not as bad as before.
After thw Tower, and drenched, we decided to head back to the apartment.
Today (Friday) we tried again to go to Westminster but the queue was long nd sister #1 didn't want to wait, so we decided to head to Hampton Court Palace. I had shared what I kneq from the website with the others the night before but didn't write it down, which is what I did when travelling by myself. The others said they weren't paying any attention when I was speaking, so, yeah ........ eventually decided Waterloo station was ths place to go, it was and got directly on the train which took us to Hampton Court.
It was brilliant and well worth spending the whole day. Cardinal Wolsey started building this extravagent palace before Henry VIII moved in in preparation for his wedding to Anne Boyleyn but she got her head lopped off so didn't get to enjoy it! Other kings and queens lived at different times at Hampton Court, adding bits and pieces on as they went. The rooms were magnificent, with murals and paintings everywhere. And it was MASSIVE!!
At one point when Henry was in residence, the kitchens were preparing 1500 meals per day to feed everyone! Insane!
The gardens and groynds were extensive and magnificent. I would love to have a small garden like a few of the ones we saw!
One can only take so much opulence :) so back on the train to London.
We went to the Borough Markets, a bit like t he Central Markets, and had a look through at the stalls selling things like cheeses, bread, different types of meat, fish, hot food, sweets, chocolate...we had some pasta as a late lunch, early tea before heading back to the apartment.
As I hadn't slept well the night before and my knee pain was back, I had an afternoon nap.Not looking promising for when I see the surgeon :(
Tomorrow I think we are aiming for an early start to beat the queues at Westminster Abbey and see what the rest of the day brings. Hopefully the weather will stay nice.
Yesterday was a very wet, windy bleak day although the morning looked ok. Of course I didn't wear my waterproof jacket. Mistake! Our first stop was Westminster Abbey but sadly it was closed to the publicdue to some ordination, and wasn't going to be opened until later in the day. The rain started to pick up and I was getting a smidge damp. We walked along South Bank with the few other poor sods who thought the weather wouldbe ok, although most people had the sense to wear jackets or had an umbrella.
Our first stop was The Tate, a very bleak looking gallery outside but colourful and bizarre inside. I have been to The Tatw before on my prior trip and didn't find it particularly interesting last time. Modern art, surrealism, cubism, weird sculptures, pictures a reception would do....to me, this is not art. Give me a Turner or a Gainsborough or a van Gogh even, now that is art for me! Anyway, it provided the opportunity to dry off a little and enjoy a hot drink before braving the wet conditions again.
Next stop - one of my favourite places in London, The Globe. We went on a tour and were lucky enough to sit in on a rehearsal for As You Like It. I liked it :) Then a look in the shop to pick up a few things (got a shirt for you Briggsy - white and black) and I succumbed and bought a poncho to keep the rain, or some of it anyway, off. It was very unattractive which didn't add to my charms, but anyway...when the wind caught hold of it, I almost took off like Dorothy in Oz. We stopped for lunch, and another chance to dry off.
Next stop, The Tower. Last time I was here, it was stinking hot, school holidays and a million tourists! Wet weather kept the numbers down so we managed to get a good look at most things, including the Crown jewels. A bit of a queue but not as bad as before.
After thw Tower, and drenched, we decided to head back to the apartment.
Today (Friday) we tried again to go to Westminster but the queue was long nd sister #1 didn't want to wait, so we decided to head to Hampton Court Palace. I had shared what I kneq from the website with the others the night before but didn't write it down, which is what I did when travelling by myself. The others said they weren't paying any attention when I was speaking, so, yeah ........ eventually decided Waterloo station was ths place to go, it was and got directly on the train which took us to Hampton Court.
It was brilliant and well worth spending the whole day. Cardinal Wolsey started building this extravagent palace before Henry VIII moved in in preparation for his wedding to Anne Boyleyn but she got her head lopped off so didn't get to enjoy it! Other kings and queens lived at different times at Hampton Court, adding bits and pieces on as they went. The rooms were magnificent, with murals and paintings everywhere. And it was MASSIVE!!
At one point when Henry was in residence, the kitchens were preparing 1500 meals per day to feed everyone! Insane!
The gardens and groynds were extensive and magnificent. I would love to have a small garden like a few of the ones we saw!
One can only take so much opulence :) so back on the train to London.
We went to the Borough Markets, a bit like t he Central Markets, and had a look through at the stalls selling things like cheeses, bread, different types of meat, fish, hot food, sweets, chocolate...we had some pasta as a late lunch, early tea before heading back to the apartment.
As I hadn't slept well the night before and my knee pain was back, I had an afternoon nap.Not looking promising for when I see the surgeon :(
Tomorrow I think we are aiming for an early start to beat the queues at Westminster Abbey and see what the rest of the day brings. Hopefully the weather will stay nice.
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