Posts

Finally, rain…

Image
 This is the first day on our 20 day trip that I have actually needed my rain coat! The British Isles did not disappoint! It rained. Today was just a laid back, get ready to go home day. Did some laundry and Russ visited a barber for a shave. What a great experience! Somewhat like a manicure I assume. Afterwards we made our way to South Kensington for lunch at a pub that my brother had recommended. Along the way I noticed a blue identification plaque on a building and saw that it marked a place where Diana Spencer had lived My brother suggested this spot Drayton Arms for lunch. Apparently when he and his wife Kate lived here it was his favorite Beautiful spot, great all day IPA (4.8). We were also advised by a good friend to stop off at the Troubadour cafe to visit the spot Where Bob Dylan and others performed. It just happened to be along the way! This is the stage in the basement where Dylan and others performed in a modest venue. And here, if you can zoom in, you will see the “wall
Post a Comment
Read more

A bit of the 60’s

Image
We had a Withlocals tour scheduled today with Tom who spent 3 hours walking us about the spots where notable folks from the 1960’s either worked, lived or hung out.  We traveled by tube to Green Park where we met up with Tom and from there we walked where the rich people walk. We saw where the early rockers met and played And where John met Yoko Tom regaled us with us knowledge of the British scene, showing us places where Apple Music worked out of and where Jimmie Hendrix lived By the time he finished with us, my head was spinning, which, of course required a class of wine and some sushi. Tempura Avocado anyone? Thank you Tom, it was awesome! Tomorrow is our last day in London and while it has been great, I’m looking forward to home. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!!
Post a Comment
Read more

A cruise in London?

Image
Yes, of course, on the Thames.  We slept in this morning. Best night of un-assisted (pharmacology) sleep I have had on this trip. Took a short walk to the local coffee shop where I picked up a cappuccino for Russ and an americano l. The guy wanted to know if I wanted a “white” one or a “black” one. Got any ideas? A white one has cream. Now I ask you, why would you have an americano only to add cream?….Also indulged in a couple croissants (one was my favorite chocolate the other apricot). There was a croissant called vegan charcoal. Any guesses? Apparently you can make a flour like substance out of plants and when you do it comes out looking like charcoal. Not actually related to the briquettes😌 . Anyways, I didn’t choose that😉 Our next project was to make our way to the River Thames to take a boat tour ride. We had purchased a  Big Bus Tour  ticket back home online and this trip was included in the price.  Yes that is Big Ben behind us So we journeyed down (or up?) the river for abou
2 comments
Read more

Where do I start?

Image
How about at 5:30 am when we gobbled down a bit of breakfast and headed out the door to hit the green line to Victoria station (sound like I know what I’m doing😩) where we managed to find the tour bus for our day trip today. The bus was filled with English speakers and was guided by a little Chinese woman named Regina who spoke more understandable English than the Brits do.  We covered a lot of ground today, literally. The trip was 12 hours long and full of amazing stuff.  We visited Windsor Castle where the late Queen Elizabeth loved to spend weekends and though  we didn’t have enough time and they wouldn’t let you take pictures inside (not sure why). The whole place was rather impressive.  Lookey here, here’s George Gate! What is going on in the top picture? Is that a dragon and slayer I see? Next stop was Bath. It is a city which began as a Roman Bath. Here is the Abbey 😳 The bath and the over flow from the spring: Back on the bus and forward we went to the last stop of the day, S
Post a Comment
Read more

I’m exhausted

Image
 I’m in shell shock after spending the day in London today. There are so many people, so much noise…… We ate breakfast at our digs this morning, Russ scrambled us some eggs with fresh veggies.  Then off to our appointment with Rosa for a tour of the highlights of the British museum. We Ubered it and while we were sitting in a car, I really think the distance could have been covered faster on foot. Our driver had to twist and turn to avoid traffic and road hazard situations.  The museum is huge and would probably be more than I could cover in a lifetime.  Rosa showed us her “high points”: Like the Rosetta Stone: Yes, it is the real thing! Lots of others like the statues of Bacchus and the centaurs stealing the women from the Parthenon. And an awesome head shot of a horse from there😳  The whole 4 hour tour with just Rosa, Russ and I was amazing. My brain is fried. Here is me with one of the Aku Aku statues from Easter Island. Can’t remember who brought it here, but the islanders want it
Post a Comment
Read more

London 😳

Image
Well I missed a day because we were traveling as, if you are my age, you know is extremely taxing. Next time NO carryon. The baggage thing is just so tedious.  So we managed to get to the Dublin airport, good bye’s to our kids and proceed to wait 2 hours for the British Airways counter to open up so we could check this suitcase. While waiting, there was no place to sit but upon that suitcase…..Finally through the bag thing and onto a bit to eat then the airplane. Arrived London and waited forever for our suitcase. We had no problem securing a taxi at a ridiculous price and made our way to our digs in the West Kensington area. The landlord “upgraded” our spot from a studio to a 1 bedroom apartment. This would seem a nice surprise until you understand that the upgraded apartment is on the 2nd floor (you know what that means on the continent). I had been careful to rent the studio because it was on (actually under) the ground and Russ has mobility issues, especially with stairs. Oh well,
Post a Comment
Read more

Our last day😢

Image
Yes, it’s true. We leave tomorrow.  Today began with breakfast and a 2.5 mile solitary walk around this hotel’s beautiful property. I even visited the fairy trail where I saw evidence of a familiar spirit: This morning we set out for Dublin in the bus where we visited a distillery that is located in an old church. We learned about how Pearce Lyon distills its fine Irish Whiskey. Interesting to note, they use recycled bourbon barrels from their sister company in Lexington, KY We also were educated on the burial practices at this really old church. This cemetery houses thousands of bodies. This is possible because the tombs are stacked up in the ground. As the originals decompose, a new layer is added. There is even a Camino de Santiago connection in this refurbished church for not far from here begins the Camino Ingles at the church of St James where I picked up my credential more than a week ago.  From here we boarded our bus and took a driving tour of Dublin. We were dropped off to sp
Post a Comment
Read more