I LOVE EDINBURGH!!!!! This is one of my most favorite places I have ever been in my whole life! The feel of the city is just nice...people are so friendly and helpful, not a hurried pace, just going where you need to go, good food, GREAT shopping! I hope to come back here another time and take time to explore the whole country of Scotland.
We started the day at Edinburgh Castle, way atop a volcanic explosion that happened a LONG time ago. The castle looms over the city and is quite an awesome and awe inspiring sight. We entered the gates and wound around and around to get to the top (didn't want to do the stairs!) Beautiful views over the city and beyond...would have been able to see my Forth Rail Bridge had it not been so foggy...(I will find a way to get to that bridge!) Loved every minute at the castle...the soldier memorial was especially touching, the views absolutely breathtaking. St. Margaret's Chapel was such a cute place....heard one of the tour guides telling a story of a proposal that happened there and an "American chap" who wanted to get pictures with the couple...that chap was Tom Hanks, who was on holiday here at the time and saw what happened and wanted to congratulate the couple! back to today... we wandered through everything, me with my mouth open in a gasp and Cat thinking I was a nut! loved it!
Everything else was downhill...only because the castle is at the top and the Royal Mile is downhill all the way! Went through the area known as the Lawnmarket and shopped...and shopped....and shopped..until we dropped! The tartan plaids were BEAUTIFUL!!!!! pure eye candy for me, but I love plaid! Even saw a machine making the plaid (technology!) and of course bought my fair share of the stuff. This strip was really something with every store having plaids and kilts and beautiful woolens....yum! The streets in this area reminded me of London and Brussels and Newcastle....really tight and close and narrow and chock full of OLD buildings! There were many small gaps between buildings marked something "Close" or "Court" which led to areas between and behind the street buildings. The area of our hotel is called "New Town", still 200-300 years old but newer than where we were today with wider streets.
Partly down the Mile we noticed signs about "no parking today" and lots of women in their finest and men in kilts (their finest here), and Cat jokingly said "oh the Queen is in town" (after all she did find Prince Charles!). Of course I asked someone what was going on and Cat was right! The Queen was in town for a Garden Party and these folks were on the way to Holyrood Palace, the Queen's Scotland residence, to party in the garden. We arrived at the Palace about the same time as Her Majesty, actually she rode right by us but we didn't realize it in time to get the cameras out. drat! The queue (line to get in) wrapped all around everywhere and we were surely NOT dressed to fit in. oh well.... We had hoped to get a good look at the palace but that was out of the question today, with police officers all over the place and all of the fancy people.
Time to go back and drop off all the stuff we bought that was weighing me down..I think we need another suitcase. Since we had been walking downhill all day we now had to go up...and we did...up and up and up... for a while. We were out of the real tourist area, but with the trusty map we made it! Power nap...dinner next door again...and here I am!
observations....
Scotland has the BEST toffee...ie, caramel. It reminds me of some that I had as a child and still remember the taste...YUMMERS!
The people here are so nice! I really love this place and hope to return one day with more time. There's just a comfortable feeling here that I love!
We are in the area known as Midlothian! There is no village of Midlothian here (as I thought from the map) but we are in the middle of the Lothians. That is pretty cool to me!
We will not be going to Crichton Castle...it is a bus ride to the middle of nowhere (a quote from the guy at the hotel) then a 2 and a half mile walk out to ruins...nothing else there...and a 2 and a half mile walk back to the bus. We are probably walking that much but we are with people and where we can find on a map...oh well.... Can't get the bus thing right for Rosslyn either...best laid plans... we are still doing new things I've always dreamed of!
Tomorrow looks to be busy....don' t know if I will blog but will fill in later if not.
HAVING A BLAST!!!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
what a view!
day 12--June 29, 2009
We are in Edinburgh, Scotland!
Hopped aboard a train this morning for the ride up here. Along the way the train suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere...and we sat...They came on the speaker and said they would get back to us on the reason, then we crept for a while and stopped again. The announcement came that we were checking the tracks between signals and would be on our way. Cat and I said we were the guinea pigs for finding things on the track...Guess it was all ok! We crossed into Scotland, went through an area that almost seemed like going through a mountain pass, and poof!--there was the North Sea right outside the window! It was awesome! I was jumping like a kid and Cat was telling me to calm down, I had seen water before! The cliffs and large hills/small mountain-like land dropped right off into the sea. It was beautiful!
We arrived, did the usual taxi ride to the hotel, and the room wasn't ready. I was assured that it was worth the wait, that we had been upgraded (no idea why) and would have one of the best rooms with a panoramic view of the city. Went walking while we waited, checked out menus (food choices are looking pretty good! 2 Starbuck's in 2 blocks and Hard Rock right across the street so we can fall back on those if need be), bought an apricot scone for a snack (YUM!!!!), found the castle right around the corner (turned to look and there is was), came back to the hotel and sat....and sat.....again reassured it was worth the wait. Finally in the room, we agreed that it WAS worth the wait! On the top/7th floor looking out over everything to (not in the direct on of the castle) out into what lies beyond. We can also see the seagulls on the rooftops close by! Couldn't figure out how to get the lights on and Cat solved that one....you have to put the room key in a slot to make the power in the room come on. Nice trick (and good engineering there!)...you don't leave the lights on when you leave and you remember to take the key!
Went back out to do some shopping and a fog rolled in....it was really strange...everything we had been seeing started disappearing into the fog. And it got cold! The wind was blowing, I was freezing, but my toes in my sandals weren't cold 'cuz the wind wasn't hitting them...it was strange...still we bought some stuff to bring home and shortbread and toffee to eat now! Shopped along Princes street with the castle right on top of us...The wools and plaids are beautiful! Planning to go back to some shops to buy more! (hope the suitcases hold out...)
Had a wonderful dinner at AllBarOne on the corner, Hanover and George Streets. They were out of brownies, which Cat has been craving, so we did dessert at Hard Rock Cafe across the street....couldn't see the hotel for the fog but we found our way back.
First impressions...
The friendliest people we have come in contact with on the whole trip are right here.
This is probably the nicest hotel I have ever in my life stayed in. I do hope to come back and bring Harvey....I think he would like it here!
The pace here is way slower than in London where people on the street would rather knock you down than move aside or say "excuse me". These folks stroll and talk...like real people!
I think I like it here!
Computer access is £9 an hour...that's 18$! So we will blog what we can and fill in when we are home! The US is looking pretty cheap these days!
We are in Edinburgh, Scotland!
Hopped aboard a train this morning for the ride up here. Along the way the train suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere...and we sat...They came on the speaker and said they would get back to us on the reason, then we crept for a while and stopped again. The announcement came that we were checking the tracks between signals and would be on our way. Cat and I said we were the guinea pigs for finding things on the track...Guess it was all ok! We crossed into Scotland, went through an area that almost seemed like going through a mountain pass, and poof!--there was the North Sea right outside the window! It was awesome! I was jumping like a kid and Cat was telling me to calm down, I had seen water before! The cliffs and large hills/small mountain-like land dropped right off into the sea. It was beautiful!
We arrived, did the usual taxi ride to the hotel, and the room wasn't ready. I was assured that it was worth the wait, that we had been upgraded (no idea why) and would have one of the best rooms with a panoramic view of the city. Went walking while we waited, checked out menus (food choices are looking pretty good! 2 Starbuck's in 2 blocks and Hard Rock right across the street so we can fall back on those if need be), bought an apricot scone for a snack (YUM!!!!), found the castle right around the corner (turned to look and there is was), came back to the hotel and sat....and sat.....again reassured it was worth the wait. Finally in the room, we agreed that it WAS worth the wait! On the top/7th floor looking out over everything to (not in the direct on of the castle) out into what lies beyond. We can also see the seagulls on the rooftops close by! Couldn't figure out how to get the lights on and Cat solved that one....you have to put the room key in a slot to make the power in the room come on. Nice trick (and good engineering there!)...you don't leave the lights on when you leave and you remember to take the key!
Went back out to do some shopping and a fog rolled in....it was really strange...everything we had been seeing started disappearing into the fog. And it got cold! The wind was blowing, I was freezing, but my toes in my sandals weren't cold 'cuz the wind wasn't hitting them...it was strange...still we bought some stuff to bring home and shortbread and toffee to eat now! Shopped along Princes street with the castle right on top of us...The wools and plaids are beautiful! Planning to go back to some shops to buy more! (hope the suitcases hold out...)
Had a wonderful dinner at AllBarOne on the corner, Hanover and George Streets. They were out of brownies, which Cat has been craving, so we did dessert at Hard Rock Cafe across the street....couldn't see the hotel for the fog but we found our way back.
First impressions...
The friendliest people we have come in contact with on the whole trip are right here.
This is probably the nicest hotel I have ever in my life stayed in. I do hope to come back and bring Harvey....I think he would like it here!
The pace here is way slower than in London where people on the street would rather knock you down than move aside or say "excuse me". These folks stroll and talk...like real people!
I think I like it here!
Computer access is £9 an hour...that's 18$! So we will blog what we can and fill in when we are home! The US is looking pretty cheap these days!
to marker, to market...
day 11---June 28, 2009
ahh...the breakfast here! there must be 14 kinds of fresh fruit and several dried fruits and pastries and eggs and ...yum!
There's a market on the Quay (waterfront right down form the hotel) on Sundays so away we went. There was some junk but there was also some pretty neat stuff, too! Beautiful photos taken by the folks selling them, jewelry, wind chimes being made right there..came upon a really funny man form Blythe who makes all kinds of leather things. He heard our accents and struck up a conversation about US politics and stuff. He was quite amusing! We were asked by everyone we purchased from if we were there "on holiday"... a funny concept 'cuz this town is not on the regular tourist line (just for the nifty-bridge nuts like me!) Spent time and money on the waterfront....pretty fun! Cloudy and overcast...perfect outdoor shopping weather.
Walked across the swing bridge...bridge has been on that site for hundreds of years and this one was pretty old itself. Wish I could have seen it operate but supposedly it rarely has to "swing" anymore...drat. Made Cat walk across the Millennium Bridge again...LOVE IT still! Watched it open and close again too..and this time a boat actually passed under it. The other bridges were rail or rail/road combos and you had to get on them somewhere up the hill in the city, so I could only admire them. Did have to walk under Poo Bridge again...really awful! You had to be there to appreciate the nastiness of underneath this bridge....nothing like it....absolute and total YUCK!
We walked up Killer Hill to go to a store for bottled water and drinks. (The hotel, like the one in London, has no vending machines, no ice buckets, so you have to go hunting. Yes there's a restaurant and bar, but for a bottle or can of soda or water you had to go shopping.) A lot of places were closed as it was Sunday, and it was a far smaller crowd than yesterday. Did find a grocery/hardware/garden store/restaurant combo...interesting! Of course when you go up the hill you have to go down....at least we had the route figured out.
The sun finally came out and it ended up a nice warm day!
Went back to Lloyd's for dinner (where we ate Friday and where we saw the excitement Saturday). It was way more dull and quiet than the last 2 evenings! Had wonderful chocolate brownie-fudgey stuff at the hotel later...all the walking makes one hungry~!
This town really isn't a tourist destination. The Millennium Bridge is pretty amazing and how it was brought down the river and put in place is wild. They are tyring to revitalize the waterfront and parts are nifty, other parts not so much. Did not hear any other American English though we were told there was another family in town from the states for a wedding! Glad I came since I love bridges!
Realized that Hanover Street is a block over and we are overlooking Hanover Gardens! good name!
Off to Edinburgh tomorrow!
ahh...the breakfast here! there must be 14 kinds of fresh fruit and several dried fruits and pastries and eggs and ...yum!
There's a market on the Quay (waterfront right down form the hotel) on Sundays so away we went. There was some junk but there was also some pretty neat stuff, too! Beautiful photos taken by the folks selling them, jewelry, wind chimes being made right there..came upon a really funny man form Blythe who makes all kinds of leather things. He heard our accents and struck up a conversation about US politics and stuff. He was quite amusing! We were asked by everyone we purchased from if we were there "on holiday"... a funny concept 'cuz this town is not on the regular tourist line (just for the nifty-bridge nuts like me!) Spent time and money on the waterfront....pretty fun! Cloudy and overcast...perfect outdoor shopping weather.
Walked across the swing bridge...bridge has been on that site for hundreds of years and this one was pretty old itself. Wish I could have seen it operate but supposedly it rarely has to "swing" anymore...drat. Made Cat walk across the Millennium Bridge again...LOVE IT still! Watched it open and close again too..and this time a boat actually passed under it.
We walked up Killer Hill to go to a store for bottled water and drinks. (The hotel, like the one in London, has no vending machines, no ice buckets, so you have to go hunting. Yes there's a restaurant and bar, but for a bottle or can of soda or water you had to go shopping.) A lot of places were closed as it was Sunday, and it was a far smaller crowd than yesterday. Did find a grocery/hardware/garden store/restaurant combo...interesting! Of course when you go up the hill you have to go down....at least we had the route figured out.
The sun finally came out and it ended up a nice warm day!
Went back to Lloyd's for dinner (where we ate Friday and where we saw the excitement Saturday). It was way more dull and quiet than the last 2 evenings! Had wonderful chocolate brownie-fudgey stuff at the hotel later...all the walking makes one hungry~!
This town really isn't a tourist destination. The Millennium Bridge is pretty amazing and how it was brought down the river and put in place is wild. They are tyring to revitalize the waterfront and parts are nifty, other parts not so much. Did not hear any other American English though we were told there was another family in town from the states for a wedding! Glad I came since I love bridges!
Realized that Hanover Street is a block over and we are overlooking Hanover Gardens! good name!
Off to Edinburgh tomorrow!
pubs, pizza, people and poo
day 10---June 27, 2009
Wonderful full English breakfast...these folks eat a lot!
Went down to the Gateshead Millennium Footbridge and saw it open and close! It is the only rotating bridge of its type in the WORLD and I got to see it rotate and open! Felt like a kid in a candy store! Loved it! Once it was back in position we walked across it....Cat did not enjoy the way you could feel it bounce as you walked. There are 2 "lanes" for walking and once on the more inside lane the bouncing wasn't noticeable. Of course once we walked across we had to walk back over it to get where we needed to be...oh darn! (not!) Took pics of the bridge, on the bridge, the view from the bridge....you know the deal by now...
We are staying on the waterfront which is way below the level of the city, so we hiked up the VERY STEEP hills to get tot he town center. On the way we kinda didn't go the way we were planning and ended up at the castle that gave the city its name...the New Castle....the Castle Keep and the Black Gate which date to just after 1000. Old stuff! Finally found our way to the city center and Grey's Monument, the dude for which Earl Grey tea is named! The old buildings here reminded me more of Brussels...really old and covered with soot. Of course Newcastle was the coal capital for a long time so that explains the black on the buildings. (Heard anyone say something is "like taking coals to Newcastle? This is the Newcastle they refer to!) It can not be cleaned off the stone so the buildings look black and dirty. Lots of people in the city center but he market areas were not thrilling, so we decided to hop a bus to Europe's largest shopping mall just across the river in Gateshead. A kind gentleman saw us looking at the map and asked if we needed help and he was able to tell us exactly the bus to catch! (way more friendly than in London!)
The Metro Center, largest mall in Europe....Like a mall at Christmas full of people! Of course we saw McDonald's, Burger King, and Pizza Hut, all in the giant size! One had a sign that said it had 300 seats! and the line waiting for Pizza Hut was LONG...crazy folks! The Mall was divided into color coded areas, so you don't get totally lost I guess. We kinda' went in a circle but I knew where we were. Not too many shops we really wanted to go into, pretty much just regular stores, then we came upon the Swarovsky store...we went in and drooled. I bought some things, Cat debated on a ring that we later returned to buy. Beautiful things there!
Finally found the bus back into town, rode by the ruins of the original town walls dating to about 1200. Later realized that more of these ruins were right across from the hotel out our window.
Hiked down the hill back to the hotel....it was a straight shot down the hill. Boy were we lost on the way up in the morning! This is a small town!
Later headed up the street (not the hill) to an Italian place we liked the looks of and on the way police cars came from all sides with lights flashing and sirens blaring...they stopped at the place we where we had dinner last night! Looked like someone was in handcuffs as we went by....so much excitement! There were big deal horse races in town and lots of people partying, so I guess someone got a bit out of hand. The Italian place was booked with reservations due to race folks in town so we went to Unos Tratorria in the basement next door which was also full of people in race attire and goofy hats (the ladies...just like last weened in London). Shared a delish pizza.
As we walked today we had to go under several of the bridges that cross the Tyne...one in particular we have named the Poo Bridge. It is covered underneath with seagulls and their nests...the smell is horrific, a nasty nasty stench, and you have to dodge the falling poo as you walk in the area, gulls squawking all the way. Cat already had a thing about birds, does not like them flying near her at all, and that just about did her in. Really was pretty gross...
Observations...
People here looked like regular people, not the high-fashion folks in mis-matched fashionista clothing we saw in London, and they smile more and are more helpful and friendly.
You know how in US hotels you have to have a key to get in any of the doors? Not here...things are wide open and folks walking along the riverfront just wander in....a little freaky....I like locked doors...
Wonderful full English breakfast...these folks eat a lot!
Went down to the Gateshead Millennium Footbridge and saw it open and close! It is the only rotating bridge of its type in the WORLD and I got to see it rotate and open! Felt like a kid in a candy store! Loved it! Once it was back in position we walked across it....Cat did not enjoy the way you could feel it bounce as you walked. There are 2 "lanes" for walking and once on the more inside lane the bouncing wasn't noticeable. Of course once we walked across we had to walk back over it to get where we needed to be...oh darn! (not!) Took pics of the bridge, on the bridge, the view from the bridge....you know the deal by now...
We are staying on the waterfront which is way below the level of the city, so we hiked up the VERY STEEP hills to get tot he town center. On the way we kinda didn't go the way we were planning and ended up at the castle that gave the city its name...the New Castle....the Castle Keep and the Black Gate which date to just after 1000. Old stuff! Finally found our way to the city center and Grey's Monument, the dude for which Earl Grey tea is named! The old buildings here reminded me more of Brussels...really old and covered with soot. Of course Newcastle was the coal capital for a long time so that explains the black on the buildings. (Heard anyone say something is "like taking coals to Newcastle? This is the Newcastle they refer to!) It can not be cleaned off the stone so the buildings look black and dirty. Lots of people in the city center but he market areas were not thrilling, so we decided to hop a bus to Europe's largest shopping mall just across the river in Gateshead. A kind gentleman saw us looking at the map and asked if we needed help and he was able to tell us exactly the bus to catch! (way more friendly than in London!)
The Metro Center, largest mall in Europe....Like a mall at Christmas full of people! Of course we saw McDonald's, Burger King, and Pizza Hut, all in the giant size! One had a sign that said it had 300 seats! and the line waiting for Pizza Hut was LONG...crazy folks! The Mall was divided into color coded areas, so you don't get totally lost I guess. We kinda' went in a circle but I knew where we were. Not too many shops we really wanted to go into, pretty much just regular stores, then we came upon the Swarovsky store...we went in and drooled. I bought some things, Cat debated on a ring that we later returned to buy. Beautiful things there!
Finally found the bus back into town, rode by the ruins of the original town walls dating to about 1200. Later realized that more of these ruins were right across from the hotel out our window.
Hiked down the hill back to the hotel....it was a straight shot down the hill. Boy were we lost on the way up in the morning! This is a small town!
Later headed up the street (not the hill) to an Italian place we liked the looks of and on the way police cars came from all sides with lights flashing and sirens blaring...they stopped at the place we where we had dinner last night! Looked like someone was in handcuffs as we went by....so much excitement! There were big deal horse races in town and lots of people partying, so I guess someone got a bit out of hand. The Italian place was booked with reservations due to race folks in town so we went to Unos Tratorria in the basement next door which was also full of people in race attire and goofy hats (the ladies...just like last weened in London). Shared a delish pizza.
As we walked today we had to go under several of the bridges that cross the Tyne...one in particular we have named the Poo Bridge. It is covered underneath with seagulls and their nests...the smell is horrific, a nasty nasty stench, and you have to dodge the falling poo as you walk in the area, gulls squawking all the way. Cat already had a thing about birds, does not like them flying near her at all, and that just about did her in. Really was pretty gross...
Observations...
People here looked like regular people, not the high-fashion folks in mis-matched fashionista clothing we saw in London, and they smile more and are more helpful and friendly.
You know how in US hotels you have to have a key to get in any of the doors? Not here...things are wide open and folks walking along the riverfront just wander in....a little freaky....I like locked doors...
Newcastle!
day 9--June 26, 2009
Hopped aboard the train to Newcastle...choo choo! It got foggy..and more foggy..and more foggy! (or would that be foggier???) But we got there safely.
Nice looking hotel, right on the River Tyne and right in the area of 6 or 7 bridges of all styles crossing, including the one we rode over into town. Walked down the river to Lloyd's for dinner...what a hopping place! When we returned to the room we realized that the ac was not working but almost seemed to be heating. So off we were again, asking to change rooms and told repeatedly that there were no more rooms, everything was booked, no more rooms for 2, on and on, but they could offer us a fan. I declined that offer and somehow she found 2 rooms available...moving time again!
Had an easy night playing cards at a table in the main reception area of the hotel by the river...misty and foggy and couldn't see across the river ( it wasn't far). We were at the bottom of a BIG hill and didn't want to go exploring when we couldn't see where were going! Could see the Gateshead Millennium Footbridge through the fog...it's real close but nasty misty yuck and fog, so we saved that for tomorrow...
After a wonderful and BUSY week in London an easy night was a nice break.
Sunset was around 9:30 in London....even later here but not sure when "cuz of the fog....
Hopped aboard the train to Newcastle...choo choo! It got foggy..and more foggy..and more foggy! (or would that be foggier???) But we got there safely.
Nice looking hotel, right on the River Tyne and right in the area of 6 or 7 bridges of all styles crossing, including the one we rode over into town. Walked down the river to Lloyd's for dinner...what a hopping place! When we returned to the room we realized that the ac was not working but almost seemed to be heating. So off we were again, asking to change rooms and told repeatedly that there were no more rooms, everything was booked, no more rooms for 2, on and on, but they could offer us a fan. I declined that offer and somehow she found 2 rooms available...moving time again!
Had an easy night playing cards at a table in the main reception area of the hotel by the river...misty and foggy and couldn't see across the river ( it wasn't far). We were at the bottom of a BIG hill and didn't want to go exploring when we couldn't see where were going! Could see the Gateshead Millennium Footbridge through the fog...it's real close but nasty misty yuck and fog, so we saved that for tomorrow...
After a wonderful and BUSY week in London an easy night was a nice break.
Sunset was around 9:30 in London....even later here but not sure when "cuz of the fog....
Thursday, June 25, 2009
recording studio and folding bridge
This is our last full day in London...time had flown by! This time last week we were out over the Atlantic on the way here and this time next week we will be packing up our too much stuff to fly back across the pond. Hard to believe! I know there are things we didn't get to, but that makes me want to come back again. I'll have to start saving my pounds, I mean pennies!
I am surprised at how multi-cultural London is. I expected Brits and only Brits on this little island, but it is a melting pot like the US.
Kensington Palace tour today...Walked through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to get there....love that walk! Not at all what I expected but quite lovely, fun, and interesting. We mostly saw rooms, empty rooms with large ugly paintings on the walls and ornately painted ceilings. The ceilings had to be 30 feet high! Massive walls and doors. There were displays on what it took to be fully royally dressed in the 1700-1800s and all men should be glad they don't go through that today! Layers of clothing and you had to have a valet (pronounced va-let) to help you dress. Have you ever seen the paintings with the men holding what seems to be a hat under the arm when they are all dressed-up? Those aren't hats at all but just something to look like a hat that men simply carried under that arm! A man was never to cover his head in the presence of royalty.... tradition! A few rooms were staged as Victoria and as William and Mary had them with original furnishings. It hit me in the middle of it that I was standing where once had lived the William and Mary for whom my college was named! There was a display on Debutantes of England, a tradition of presenting young ladies to the King/Queen which stopped in the 1950s. And there was a wonderful milti-room display of Diana's dresses with photos and clips of here and the gowns right there. Her gowns were absolutely beautiful! (snapping the camera..) I loved touring the palace and wish I could have seen more! If only Buckingham had been open, but not so until August I think.
Went to the Orangery for tea, but actually I had lemonade and delish shortbread with caramel and chocolate on it! Cat said it was too sweet...no way! Just perfect! We called that lunch today.... The Orangery was built in the era of Victoria (I think) because she wanted orange trees and the trees were gown inside of the orangery. It is a lovely brick building with VERY nigh ceilings and BIG windows. Nice clean atmosphere for a rest and a sip of tea...Cat gave me a sip of hers! With a view of Kensington we could talk about what we had just seen...really relaxing.
We hopped a bus out to Abbey Road where the Beatles are pictured walking across on the cover of their Abbey Road album...we just had to walk across and of course had to do so several times so we could get pictures doing it! There is a live web-cam there so we called Harvey and told him to watch...haven't heard yet whether or not he saw us. That was a hoot! We saw Abbey Road Studios where the Beatles recorded, and of course there was a Beatles junkshop at the tube station there.
Tried to catch the bus back but the bus never came , so we hopped on the tube (for the last time) and got off at what we thought was a close walking-distance station to Paddington, but within a few blocks realized that we were in a not so good part of town (for only the second time on the trip so I think we are doing good!) with homeless people sleeping on the corners. We hailed a taxi for the ride to Paddington, had dinner (early for once since we had only eaten sweets today) at a place that had real American-type chicken strips....yum!
My friend Ginger gave me info on a bridge that unrolls to go across a small piece of water in the Paddington Basin, so we went hunting and Cat's good hunches led us right to it. The bummer is that supposedly you can make it roll up and unroll, but that was not longer possible. It was unrolled with no way to change that. However it was a really neat area with folks docked in their little boaty things and people walking all around and bridges all over the place...loved it!
Walking back we stopped at a grocery store where the guy asked if we were from the states. When we said yes he told us "I like your accent". We don't have the accents...everyone else here does! We had a good laugh on that one...
I am listening to Wimbledon as I write....would have liked to have gone there to tour since I did play tennis as a child and I still enjoy the tourney, but it was closed to the public since the matches started this week...oh well..with our luck we wouldn't have been able to find the right bus there!
This has been a wonderful week full of things I have never done and seen and things I never thought I would see or do! I have loved it all and can't wait to print the pictures (I have taken 600 so far and Cat has taken a lot too!) and relive it all over and over! Tomorrow we board a train to Newcastle Upon Tyne to see the Gateshead Millennium Footbridge...I can not wait! We'll be there until Monday sometime. Don't know if we will have access to computers like here---we have 3 in the lobby of the hotel and Cat and I have monopolized each evening. If we have access we will continue to blog, and if not we will try to resume when we get to Edinburgh on Monday.....
time to repack up all the stuff that we should have left at home....
until next time!
I am surprised at how multi-cultural London is. I expected Brits and only Brits on this little island, but it is a melting pot like the US.
Kensington Palace tour today...Walked through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to get there....love that walk! Not at all what I expected but quite lovely, fun, and interesting. We mostly saw rooms, empty rooms with large ugly paintings on the walls and ornately painted ceilings. The ceilings had to be 30 feet high! Massive walls and doors. There were displays on what it took to be fully royally dressed in the 1700-1800s and all men should be glad they don't go through that today! Layers of clothing and you had to have a valet (pronounced va-let) to help you dress. Have you ever seen the paintings with the men holding what seems to be a hat under the arm when they are all dressed-up? Those aren't hats at all but just something to look like a hat that men simply carried under that arm! A man was never to cover his head in the presence of royalty.... tradition! A few rooms were staged as Victoria and as William and Mary had them with original furnishings. It hit me in the middle of it that I was standing where once had lived the William and Mary for whom my college was named! There was a display on Debutantes of England, a tradition of presenting young ladies to the King/Queen which stopped in the 1950s. And there was a wonderful milti-room display of Diana's dresses with photos and clips of here and the gowns right there. Her gowns were absolutely beautiful! (snapping the camera..) I loved touring the palace and wish I could have seen more! If only Buckingham had been open, but not so until August I think.
Went to the Orangery for tea, but actually I had lemonade and delish shortbread with caramel and chocolate on it! Cat said it was too sweet...no way! Just perfect! We called that lunch today.... The Orangery was built in the era of Victoria (I think) because she wanted orange trees and the trees were gown inside of the orangery. It is a lovely brick building with VERY nigh ceilings and BIG windows. Nice clean atmosphere for a rest and a sip of tea...Cat gave me a sip of hers! With a view of Kensington we could talk about what we had just seen...really relaxing.
We hopped a bus out to Abbey Road where the Beatles are pictured walking across on the cover of their Abbey Road album...we just had to walk across and of course had to do so several times so we could get pictures doing it! There is a live web-cam there so we called Harvey and told him to watch...haven't heard yet whether or not he saw us. That was a hoot! We saw Abbey Road Studios where the Beatles recorded, and of course there was a Beatles junkshop at the tube station there.
Tried to catch the bus back but the bus never came , so we hopped on the tube (for the last time) and got off at what we thought was a close walking-distance station to Paddington, but within a few blocks realized that we were in a not so good part of town (for only the second time on the trip so I think we are doing good!) with homeless people sleeping on the corners. We hailed a taxi for the ride to Paddington, had dinner (early for once since we had only eaten sweets today) at a place that had real American-type chicken strips....yum!
My friend Ginger gave me info on a bridge that unrolls to go across a small piece of water in the Paddington Basin, so we went hunting and Cat's good hunches led us right to it. The bummer is that supposedly you can make it roll up and unroll, but that was not longer possible. It was unrolled with no way to change that. However it was a really neat area with folks docked in their little boaty things and people walking all around and bridges all over the place...loved it!
Walking back we stopped at a grocery store where the guy asked if we were from the states. When we said yes he told us "I like your accent". We don't have the accents...everyone else here does! We had a good laugh on that one...
I am listening to Wimbledon as I write....would have liked to have gone there to tour since I did play tennis as a child and I still enjoy the tourney, but it was closed to the public since the matches started this week...oh well..with our luck we wouldn't have been able to find the right bus there!
This has been a wonderful week full of things I have never done and seen and things I never thought I would see or do! I have loved it all and can't wait to print the pictures (I have taken 600 so far and Cat has taken a lot too!) and relive it all over and over! Tomorrow we board a train to Newcastle Upon Tyne to see the Gateshead Millennium Footbridge...I can not wait! We'll be there until Monday sometime. Don't know if we will have access to computers like here---we have 3 in the lobby of the hotel and Cat and I have monopolized each evening. If we have access we will continue to blog, and if not we will try to resume when we get to Edinburgh on Monday.....
time to repack up all the stuff that we should have left at home....
until next time!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
ABBA and dueling hemispheres
question: What is the difference between London locals and tourists?
answer: Locals run across the street in front of traffic when the crossing flashy sign says WAIT, and tourists fear for their lives and actually WAIT.
The traffic here is nuts! We were crossing today in the rush hour people traffic and could only get to the waiting area in the middle of the road when a bus whipped around the corner and I know came about 2 inches from my body! No one even notices things like that there. If you are in a crosswalk and the traffic gets the the green light you had better run! They honk horns at everything and nothing, I think they just like the sound or something. I have truly never seen so many vehicles and people in any one place at one time. At rush hour, which seems to always be when we are heading somewhere, the crowds move down the street in waves. Ever done the Monument 10K and seen the jam-packed street moving almost in unison? It's like that on the sidewalks. I read today that London is Europe's largest (population-wise) city. I honestly didn't know that!
Star sighting---We were going down the stairs to the tube today and I am positive that Sean
"P-Diddy" Combs walked right up by us with a bodyguard dude telling him "we have to go to the corner and turn left". I know it was him... wonder who else we will find! Going looking for the Beatles on Abbey Road tomorrow....
Cat tried to kill me by walking me to death today.... We walked to Buckingham Palace and arrived with the horses for the changing of the guard. Hung out by the fence and saw the band and guards march in. Pretty cool! There were LOTS of folks there and we were pretty squished to the fence, but we got some good pics of it all. Quite a production with guards pacing back and forth from fenceline to fenceline for the whole 40 minutes. They came right up to the fence, stopped, drew swords and turned and walked to the other side, back and forth, over and over and over. The really funny thing is that the band played Abba songs--Mama Mia, Ferdinando, and others. Cat and I were singing along! Cat said they also played the Chip's Ahoy commercial song, and they did on that the JMU gals dance to! It wasn't the music I would've expected the Queen's band to play!
We then continued our walk to the Mellinnium Pier, where we rode the London Eye the other day, and caught the Thames Clipper to Greenwich, home of the Prime Meridian. Took about 20-30 minutes and was way not as crowded as the tube would have been. (We were not in a tube-mood today.) We got to "cruise" the Thames, I got to ride under all the bridges that we have been walking over...the engineer in me loved that! Snapped lots of pictures of bridge underbellies!
Greenwich---Lunch at the King's Arms tavern...it was 3:00 and we were hungry again! Then off the the National Observatory and the Prime Meridian! We had to hike a mean hill, but it was worth it. Pretty cool standing in two hemispheres at one time, then standing in one hemisphere while Cat was in the other. We were next to each other but on opposite sides of the world. We had fun with that! They had all kinds of telescopes and time stuff there. Did you know the Prime Meridian has been in several different places? kind of strange! And it dawned on me that the temp gauge and clock that are by Harvey's chair are set by the stuff in the very place where we were!
We attempted to go Westminster Abbey after the return trip. According to all the literature we have it's opened until 6 on Wednesdays, but when we got there it was closed, last tour at 3:30 today. Bummer... Not sure we will be able to get there tomorrow...will have to see.
Of course at this point it was rush hour. Not in a tube mood and having taken 90 minutes to get back via bus at the same time yesterday Cat convinced me we should walk back to the hotel. I will do anything to please my daughter! I actually had on very comfortable shoes today, but I had about walked through the bottom of them...we made it...only 80 minutes today! At least we are getting our exercise! In addition to being pooped when we got back we realized how sunburned we were...noses glowing like Rudolph. Who would have know in London we would get so much sun! No complaints though...has been great weather, is supposed to rain Friday and we head to Newcastle Friday!
Guess where we had dinner tonight! Yep...Bizzarro! It's good and safe food...there's a lot of really weird stuff to eat around here and Cat and I are way picky. I am looking forward to a Ukrop's salad bar visit when we get home!
It's almost 1 a.m. and we need to sleep so we can hit the trail running tomorrow...I am thinking the tube looks good!
having FUN!!!!
answer: Locals run across the street in front of traffic when the crossing flashy sign says WAIT, and tourists fear for their lives and actually WAIT.
The traffic here is nuts! We were crossing today in the rush hour people traffic and could only get to the waiting area in the middle of the road when a bus whipped around the corner and I know came about 2 inches from my body! No one even notices things like that there. If you are in a crosswalk and the traffic gets the the green light you had better run! They honk horns at everything and nothing, I think they just like the sound or something. I have truly never seen so many vehicles and people in any one place at one time. At rush hour, which seems to always be when we are heading somewhere, the crowds move down the street in waves. Ever done the Monument 10K and seen the jam-packed street moving almost in unison? It's like that on the sidewalks. I read today that London is Europe's largest (population-wise) city. I honestly didn't know that!
Star sighting---We were going down the stairs to the tube today and I am positive that Sean
"P-Diddy" Combs walked right up by us with a bodyguard dude telling him "we have to go to the corner and turn left". I know it was him... wonder who else we will find! Going looking for the Beatles on Abbey Road tomorrow....
Cat tried to kill me by walking me to death today.... We walked to Buckingham Palace and arrived with the horses for the changing of the guard. Hung out by the fence and saw the band and guards march in. Pretty cool! There were LOTS of folks there and we were pretty squished to the fence, but we got some good pics of it all. Quite a production with guards pacing back and forth from fenceline to fenceline for the whole 40 minutes. They came right up to the fence, stopped, drew swords and turned and walked to the other side, back and forth, over and over and over. The really funny thing is that the band played Abba songs--Mama Mia, Ferdinando, and others. Cat and I were singing along! Cat said they also played the Chip's Ahoy commercial song, and they did on that the JMU gals dance to! It wasn't the music I would've expected the Queen's band to play!
We then continued our walk to the Mellinnium Pier, where we rode the London Eye the other day, and caught the Thames Clipper to Greenwich, home of the Prime Meridian. Took about 20-30 minutes and was way not as crowded as the tube would have been. (We were not in a tube-mood today.) We got to "cruise" the Thames, I got to ride under all the bridges that we have been walking over...the engineer in me loved that! Snapped lots of pictures of bridge underbellies!
Greenwich---Lunch at the King's Arms tavern...it was 3:00 and we were hungry again! Then off the the National Observatory and the Prime Meridian! We had to hike a mean hill, but it was worth it. Pretty cool standing in two hemispheres at one time, then standing in one hemisphere while Cat was in the other. We were next to each other but on opposite sides of the world. We had fun with that! They had all kinds of telescopes and time stuff there. Did you know the Prime Meridian has been in several different places? kind of strange! And it dawned on me that the temp gauge and clock that are by Harvey's chair are set by the stuff in the very place where we were!
We attempted to go Westminster Abbey after the return trip. According to all the literature we have it's opened until 6 on Wednesdays, but when we got there it was closed, last tour at 3:30 today. Bummer... Not sure we will be able to get there tomorrow...will have to see.
Of course at this point it was rush hour. Not in a tube mood and having taken 90 minutes to get back via bus at the same time yesterday Cat convinced me we should walk back to the hotel. I will do anything to please my daughter! I actually had on very comfortable shoes today, but I had about walked through the bottom of them...we made it...only 80 minutes today! At least we are getting our exercise! In addition to being pooped when we got back we realized how sunburned we were...noses glowing like Rudolph. Who would have know in London we would get so much sun! No complaints though...has been great weather, is supposed to rain Friday and we head to Newcastle Friday!
Guess where we had dinner tonight! Yep...Bizzarro! It's good and safe food...there's a lot of really weird stuff to eat around here and Cat and I are way picky. I am looking forward to a Ukrop's salad bar visit when we get home!
It's almost 1 a.m. and we need to sleep so we can hit the trail running tomorrow...I am thinking the tube looks good!
having FUN!!!!
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