Monday 29/4/19

Can you visit all of London’s best attractions in 36 hours?

Rob and had a good crack at it that’s for sure! After a whirlwind afternoon on Sunday we bought tickets for “The original red bus tour” which allows you to hop on and off at many tourist destinations.

There are three main routes – Yellow which is the original, Blue – Royal Route and Orange – Museum Route. We started from our hotel and after we walked a few minutes to Russell Square, got on at the British Museum on the Orange Route. At Leicester square we hopped off to try to get half price West End tickets but the Harry Pinter play – Betrayal that we had hoped to see was not available so we opted to see the Avenger’s movie at the Odeon Luxe instead. Tickets for the evening organised we walked over to Piccadilly Circus to hop on the Yellow line. Rob and I continue to be blown away at the old architecture at every turn, trendy but also with an underbelly.

Minutes from hopping on the bus again we arrive at Trafalgar Square which is very impressive with the National Portrait Gallery.

Then along Downing Street where I wasn’t quick enough to take a pic of the Royal Horse Guards but did get the Death memorial.

Over Westminster Bridge, York Road past the Eye, then Waterloo Bridge, Aldridge Street past the Royal Courts then Fleet Street to St Paul’s, we hopped off to explore and had a glass of wine at a bar opposite St Paul’s, a very nice place to sit back and watch the world go by. I also good deed after watching a guy try to take a selfie with a red phone booth. I waved at him offering to help then dashed outside to take his photo for him. Must have done a good job too, as I was then waylaid by a group of girls as I came back in, asking for the same help. 😄

Back on the bus we travelled across London Bridge and the monument which is the tribute to the Great Fire of London and then on to the Tower of London where we stopped for a tour. quite somber and a lot of people there.

Back on the bus we went past Big Ben which is mostly under wraps for refurbishment – apparently it was starting to lean!!!

We hopped off the yellow tour to cross to the Blue Royal Tour at Buckingham palace but backtracked to visit a pub we had passed called “The Royal Albert”, previously known as the Blue Coat boy (after one of the original schools). Second pic.

Disappointingly these cute pubs all have the same menu!!! This was our third… We decided it must be a chain. The Albert did have the original etched glass and moulded ceilings which made up somewhat though.

Refreshed with food, we walked back to Buckingham palace for a pic and then back on the bus.

Crowds everywhere today after the Marathon and apparently it’s a long weekend for Italy following Easter break…

Back on the bus we decided to hop off in Whitehall as we had reached overload.

We sat in Trafalgar square for a while, soaking up the atmosphere for a while then walked to another pub we had passed that looked like a local – Walkers in Whitehall were we enjoyed a glass of Cotes du Rhone red wine.

We then walked back to Leicester square for dinner at the Blue Moon under the Water and then we were off to our movie which was amazing….

We caught a London taxi home. Big day! About 15km walking.

Sunday 28/4/19

We travelled into London yesterday by bus. Very efficient and quick service and even with all the road closures for the London Marathon we made it into Hyde Park in less than an hour.

We than had to navigate the underground and thank goodness for Rob’s navigation skills as we used the underground to criss cross London for the rest of the day. If it had me navigating the network, we may have gotten lost!

We used the underground to travel to Goodge station and then walked about 300 metres to our hotel. Gower house and dropped our packs.

Our room is small but clean and will do well for a couple of nights.

We headed out again and used the underground to travel to Leicester square. We walked around and tried to get some half price theatre tickets but due to the Marathon there were limited offerings, will try again tomorrow. We then found an old English pub to have the obligatory pint!

Back on the underground we travelled to The Embankment station were we found we had come out at mile 25 for the London Marathon. It was a very festive atmosphere with lots of people about.

We walked over a footbridge and past The London Eye, then over Westminster Bridge with the view of parliament and then past Westminster Abbey and up to James St station.

History at every turn, our pocket tour today certainly does not do London justice but it is a lot of fun to see all these historic places, albeit briefly.

On the tube again to Tower Hill were we ran into the Marathon again and due to this we were able to walk over Tower Bridge via the middle of the road which was closed to traffic for the day. Hoping to return here tomorrow for a tour.

We then walked along the Queen’s walkway past the Shard and up to London Bridge with stunning views of the city all around. Up past the monument we hopped on the tube again at Monument station. 3 line hops later we arrived at Russell St with a pub, The Swan, round the corner! Dinner was a red wine and beef pie and a glass of Shiraz, then a short walk home. All up a fantastic day in London!

Lovely first morning in Stoke Poges. Rob and I went to bed on Friday about 9:30 after a lovely evening with Doreen and David. Doreen made a great chilli and we shared a bottle of Grant Burge Petit bubbles and another GB Miamba Shiraz. Full of good food we sat down to watch a football game between Liverpool and Huddersfield and promptly fell asleep!

We woke around 5am and after chatting for a while, sorting out chargers and gear we showered and dressed and went down for breakfast of tea and egg on toast. No jet lag to speak of, thankfully.

After a very relaxing morning, David and Doreen took us to Windsor.

Driving in England is a unique experience, as the roads are very narrow and there are lots of cars zipping around, so that will take some getting used to.

Windsor is very pretty, we parked behind a friend’s garage and walked down Blexley Street which has a lot of charming terrace houses. We had lunch at the Vansittart pub (sausages and mash for me 😄) and then cut through to Peascod Street where there are lots of shops, checked out the The Queen – a very old train engine that was used to pull the Queens train in days gone by and then we visited Windsor Castle.

Here’s a few pic’s. Look for the Fortescue coat of arms, diagonal white stripe on blue with gold trim.

David & Doreen

Heading into London today…

We flew Etihad on 25/4/19 with a short; less than 1 hour, stopover in Abu Dhabi which meant a total of 23 flying hours. The views from the plane between Abu Dhabi and London over Irag and Iran; I think we’re amazing

We planned to arrive in London and Stokes Poges in the afternoon so that we only had to get through the evening and then sleep to try and manage jet lag. This morning that theory seems to be working but we will see…

Stokes Poges is a beautiful village not far from either Heathrow or Windsor and David and Doreen, friends of Rob’s very kindly picked us up. The only delays were check in with Etihad in Brisbane; 1.5 hours and Border control; 1.0 in London.

After tea and Doreen’s excellent scones, David took us for a lovely walk to see Thomas Gray’s (poet) memorial as they have an Arbor; one of several that were built in the area around Thomas Grays original property, in their front garden.

We walked through side streets, public lanes, fields and then a road to visit the St Giles Church and Thomas Grays resting place.

Rob and I are already blown away by the history and age that you find at every turn and my first impression of England is that the air is the same, the sky is just as blue, people are friendly, it’s cooller and very green and pretty.

Oh and I found bluebell’s blooming… white ones too.

PS. Now sharing via Fb so it’s easier for everyone to see my posts too. 😀