Ireland here we come!!-- Thursday June 6, 2013

Today's the start of our independent travel! 

We got up bright and early and Jane brought us thru rush hour traffic to Heathrow airport. (Thanks again, Jane!).  Our flight is into Shannon Airport in the West part of Ireland.  We are heading to the town of Doolin today.

Our first order of business was to find the car I reserved.  Ed stopped at the Avis counter to pick up the keys while I went to cash in some dollars for Euros.  When I met back up with him I was in for a shock!  Although the CAR was paid in full (11 days for only $180--which I thought was too good to be true!), the bill was actually about $800 for the 11 days!  Insurance had not been added in until we arrived.  Everyone we have ever spoken to insists that you really want to get full insurance coverage
since driving is treacherous in Ireland--at least for Americans!  So we bit the bullet.  It's only money!

I have been in charge of making the lodging reservations for this trip so we'll see how I do!  Our first stop is going to be at Daly's House in Doolin, Ireland.  It's in the West of Ireland that will give us a chance to see the Cliffs of Moher. 




We stopped first in town to grab some lunch at Gus O'Connor's Pub.  The pub is on Fischer Street right at the bottom of the hill from our B & B and was established in 1832.  After lunch we walked around the pier where the boats leave for trips to the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher. Then we made our way to the B & B.  Good choice! 



We were met by our Host Paul who showed us our room and then invited us out to the garden to have some Irish Coffee and ginger snap cookies!  My kind of place!  Paul and Susan Daly have owned and run this B & B since 1984.  Paul was born in Dublin and Susan was born right here in Doolin.  In fact she is an O'Connor of the Pub fame! 

Our room is nicely appointed, bright and has a WONDERFUL view of their gardens! The bed is really comfortable and the bedding itself is really plush.  The room comes with a full breakfast and recommendations of all to do in the area.

So far, I'm doing good!

Our Last Day in London -- Wednesday June 5, 2013

(As a disclaimer before I start today, you notice that I don't write every day.  We're too busy!  I'm not sure I can hold up with all this activity! Be sure to sign up for e-mail notification so you don't have to waste timing checking the site needlessly!)

Our first week has flown by! We are down to our last day in London.

We decided upon two attractions for today:  Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral.

Since Westminster Abbey was closed for the last two days to the public due to the Jubilee Celebration for Queen Elizabeth, we knew it was going to be crowded.  We arrived to find the ticket line snaking around on both ends--whether you were purchasing by cash or credit.  But the line moved surprisingly fast.

When you go in they give you headphones and an audio tour which I really like.  It gives you a lot of information you can digest at your own pace.  It's really a beautiful building and hard to imagine how old it is.  We spent a few hours here going in and out of all the little nooks and crannies with throngs of people!  I have to say, though, that the crowds really took away the enjoyment for me.  I felt jostled around and part of a herd.

Coming to England I had some naive notions.  As you know, I'm a Genealogy nut! Since Ed has ancestry that I have confirmed who lived in London, I had hoped to 'walk the streets' where they lived.  I envisioned having Ed & Jane go off to visit a museum or a show while I wandered the London streets taking pictures of the locations where they lived. NOT! 

It is such a busy, bustling city I would have no concept of how to get someplace. Can you say 'church mouse in the big city'?  Traffic is unbelievable! And since Ed has many ancestors from way back buried in Westminster, I thought for sure I could find their graves and markers.  Once there, however, I realized I had no chance of that either.  It appears every famous person in the world wanted a placard to be here in the Abbey. 

After a few hours here, we decided to head toward our second goal:  Saint Paul's Cathedral.  We jumped on the Underground and planned to get off close to our destination to find some lunch.  It was very easy going even though we had never been on this line.  We found a little restaurant Dion right next to St. Paul's.

Food was good and we were able to sit outside and people watch while having lunch. Very enjoyable.

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's was delightful and I have to say, my favorite of the day.  It's very majestic looking both inside and out.  St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604.^[1] St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother church of the Diocese of London. The present church dating from the late 17th century was built to an English Baroque design of Sir Christopher Wren, as part of a major rebuilding program which took place in the city after the Great Fire of London, and was completed within his lifetime


Here, to, they give you an audio headset so that you can learn about the cathedral at your own pace. 

Now this structure is certainly a lot younger the Westminster Abbey.  It's also brighter and in many ways seemed more ornate to me.  They offer visitors the opportunity to go up to the top of the structure which has a great view of the city.  However, you have to climb about 586 stair to do it.
This is where Ed & I parted.  I finished up the audio tour while he headed upward.  I then headed to the Crypt to take a look around. I decided to have proper tea in the Crypt Café while waiting for Ed.

We had to weave our way back to Northwood where Jane was picking us up earlier then usual.  Our plan was to print out our boarding passes for our flight to Ireland tomorrow, have a nice dinner in Denham to end our week, and then do most of our packing tonight.

The Swan Inn

Jane suggested The Swan Inn in Denham, England as a nice place to eat.  She was right!  We got there early enough to take a walk down the street passing houses covered in Wisteria.  About a block away was a Church with an ancient (and new) cemetery.  Headstones marked from the 1600's and the twentieth century.  Very interesting.

Dinner was delicious!  But they didn't have Eton Mess for dessert!  Eton Mess has become my new favorite dessert.  We had it the first night we arrived in England at the home of Wendy and Dave and then Jane bought some for my birthday celebration--they both had a little different variations of the same dessert but both were absolutely delicious!

It sounds like it's easy enough to make so that may be one of the things I 'bring back' from our trip!

As of tomorrow, we are on our own.  We'll see whether I made good choices for B & B's to stay in and if we survive driving on the left side of the road!

Thank you Jane!  You have been a wonderful hostess and tour guide!  And your love of the city and of England makes you a great Ambassador!

Second Day Bus Tour -- Tuesday June 4, 2013

Our plan for today was to take the Underground to Westminster Abbey to do a full tour before my legs poop out.  Then lunch (of course!), then tour St. Paul's Cathedral, a ride on the River Thames and if any energy, get into the Tower of London.

Unfortunately, the best laid plans usually go awry.

Today, apparently, they are having a ceremony at Westminster Abbey continuing the Jubilee celebration of Queen Elizabeth. The crowds are going to be unbearable at the Abbey so we are going to put that off until tomorrow (maybe).

View of London from River Thames

Our modified goals included the cruise on the River Thames and a tour of the Tower of London.  We set out on the Underground and got off at the Westminster station which just so happens to be the site of the cruise boats as well.  Good plan!  Sun is shining, crowds are minimal for the cruise and the views are beautiful!




Tower of London was actually pretty interesting.  We had a tour with a Yeomen Warder--a Beefeater.  Humor and information! The Tower of London is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England.

You can probably spend more then just the few hours we spent here.  History of it is fascinating!  However, we decided we would continue on the bus tour for some of the areas we had not yet been too, find a restaurant and call it a day.

Beefeaters marching thru Tower Square

Ruins on the Tower grounds

                                                      



It's my Birthday -- Monday June 3, 2013

Being in England and having it be my 64th birthday, I can't help but hum the Beatles song "When I'm 64" all day long!  Very fun!

Our host, Jane has decided that today is her day of rest from London! She has been a great tour guide but we're looking to do a few 'touristy things' today, so she is going to set us free to do it on our own. And the weather cannot be better!  Temps are in the 60's and the sky is bright blue with shining sun!

Big Bus

Our goal today is to take a Bus tour of the city.  There are a few to choose from.  We decided to go with Big Bus Tours. 
They have city tours in many of the major European cities.  It's a red double decker bus with live commentary (and on some routes, headphone commentary) and includes free River Boat trips down the Thames and walking themed tours if you'd like.  Lots of options.

It was a good choice.  We got into the city very easily and found the Big Bus tour quickly and got on board.  As we were getting on, they offered us a 'deal' for a second day for only six pounds.  Knowing that we probably can't see everything in one day, we took it....so we'll be back again tomorrow! You can get on and off these buses anywhere you choose along the way.  Great way to see a city! 

I had modest goals for my Birthday:  I wanted to ride a double decker bus, ride The London Eye, and see Westminster Abbey.  And of course eat well!

The London Eye

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames in London, England. The entire structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually.^[5] When erected in 1999 it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, until surpassed first by the 160 m (520 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006 and then the 165 m (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008. Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the taller Nanchang and Singapore wheels, the Eye is described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel".^[6] It offered the highest public viewing point in the city^{[citation needed]} until it was superseded by the 245-metre (804 ft)^[7] observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard, which opened to the public on 1 February 2013.

It didn't disappoint!  Although there were long lines to get tickets and to get on the Eye, it really moved along quickly.  The wheel's 32 sealed and air-conditioned oval shaped passenger capsules, designed^[15] and supplied^[16] by Poma, are attached to the external circumference of the wheel and rotated by electric motors. Each of the 10-tonne (11-short-ton)^[17] capsules represents one of the London Boroughs,^[18] and holds up to 25 people,^[19] who are free to walk around inside the capsule, though seating is provided. The wheel rotates at 26 cm (10 in) per second (about 0.9 km/h or 0.6 mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes. It does not usually stop to take on passengers; the rotation rate is slow enough to allow passengers to walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level.^[17]  And on a clear day like today, you get to have a birds eye view of everything London has to offer!

We got back on the double decker bus to continue the tour and find some lunch.  We found a really nice café called The Cote with an outside seating area.  I had a salad with chicken and avocado and Ed had the Salmon and Haddock fish cakes.  Along with wine of course.  All excellent!

Although my goal was to get to Westminster Abbey today, the Queen's Coronation celebration tomorrow has prevented us from going there due to their preparations. We then continued along our bus tour of London until we went to Green Park to set awhile.  It's amazing how many people actually hang out in these parks!  Lots of green space in a city atmosphere that everyone really appreciates.

Green Park is near the Ritz Hotel so we decided to find dinner near there rather then going elsewhere.  Down a few blocks, we found a side street with a cute restaurant/pub named  The Clarence.  We continued to have a good meal and waddle our way home to Jane's! 

A great ending to a 64th birthday!

A day in the country -- Sunday June 2, 2013

Going into 'the big city' to take in all the sights and sounds it has to offer is something you HAVE to do while near London.  However, our hearts are in the countryside! We decided to take a break from London today.  Jane has some friends in Surrey, England who invited us to join them for a traditional Sunday lunch at one of their favorite Pubs.

The day started out a little cloudy but the sun started to shine brightly as Jane  navigated us to their home in Merrow.  The village of Merrow, in Surrey, England, lies on the north-east corner of Guildford. It is about two miles from the town centre, right on the edge of the ridge of hills that forms the North Downs. Walter and Jo Willcox have a lovely home in that country on a tucked away little lane where many of the houses are covered with Wisteria. 




The Volunteer Pub

We then all drove together to The Volunteer, a Pub in Sutton Abinger  where we met up with their daughter, Pip, and her dog, Bruce.  As we walk in, it was like going into Cheers.....everyone knew their name!  A great, old, comfortable English Pub!

The Volunteer is a traditional 16th Century English pub, situated in a beautiful valley next to the little hamlet of Sutton Abinger, near Dorking.  Inside, the pub has kept its original features such as the open fire and exposed beams, but the neutral decor adds a light and airy feel to the place. It's thought that the Volunteer received its name during the Napoleonic Wars - when soldiers signing up for the war were given a Kings Shilling.  The pub became the favourite place to volunteer as you then got to spend your shilling on alcohol!  As a tribute to this there is a mural of Nick (the current landlord) wearing full Napoleonic dress - quite a talking point!  Today the Volunteer is popular with walkers and mountain bikers alike, both drawn to the surrounding hills and countryside. 

Dinner was delicious and conversations even better!  After dinner, Walter and Ed decided to take a hike thru the woods with Bruce that would bring them about half way home.  The ladies all planned to go back to Jo's house for tea and wait for their call when they stop at another Pub after their walk!

Pip works at Oxford University where our daughter Pam went to school and she has offered to give us a personal tour when we are in that part of England later in our trip which we are really looking forward to.

It turns out that Walter is descendant from William Wilcoxson  .....and so is Ed!  Now I just have to work on the connection!  Small world, isn't it!

New English Friends

Once Ed & Walter finished their walk, we gathered once again for more tea and cakes.  Are you noticing how our day revolves around food?  And it's all delicious!  Who said food in England is terrible????  They are very wrong.

The weather has been WONDERFUL!! -- Saturday June 1, 2013

Who said it rains all the time in England!?  Well, actually, our friend Jane told us the spring this year in England has been really cool and rainy.  I'm glad the weather system seems to have run it's course before we got here!  The weather for us is perfect for sightseeing! Mid 60's, part sun and part clouds---my kind of weather!

We seem to have settled upon a daily 'routine'--up about 8 am, breakfast till 10 am then head to the Underground between 10 and 11 am.  That gets us into London in time to walk around a bit and stop for lunch (notice how we focus on food a lot?). 



Trafalgar Square

On Saturday we first headed to the ticket office to check out the possible half price tickets for a matinee today.  Between being an OAP (Old Age Pensioner!) and the availability of half price unsold tickets sometimes, we were able to get a good deal.  We are now scheduled to see the Harold Pinter play, The Hot House.  With our tickets secured, we headed to Trafalgar Square to people watch and then it was time for Lunch.

After walking around, we settled on a little French place called La Roche Patisserie on St. Martin's Street.  What a find!  Only seating about 20 people it was perfect.  A light lunch and then dessert!  We were seated directly next to a three shelf case filled with all their elegant cakes and pastries---no way to resist!  We each chose a favorite and along with a Cappuccino, it was a delightful lunch.



We had some time before the theatre so we went to the National Portrait Gallery on a recommendation of my friend Joan. Large and small portraits of all the famous people of the world:  Royalty, actors and American Indians!  Some of paintings were HUGE.  There was even a photograph of a 20th century actor that was 20 ft wide by 10 feet high!




After the theatre performance we walked thru St. James Park. St. James's Park is a 23 hectares (57 acres)^[1] park in the City of Westminster, central London - the oldest of the Royal Parks of London.^[2] The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St. James the Less.

St. James's Park is bounded by Buckingham Palace to the west, The Mall and St. James's Palace to the North, Horse Guards to the east, and Birdcage Walk to the south. The park has a small lake, St. James's Park Lake, with two islands, West Island, and Duck Island, which is named for the lake's collection of waterfowl. This includes a resident colony of pelicans, which has been a feature of the park since the first gift of the birds from a Russian ambassador in 1664. The Blue Bridge across the lake affords a view west towards Buckingham Palace framed by trees. Looking east the view includes the Swan fountain to the north of Duck Island and, past the lake, the grounds known Horse Guards Parade, with the Horse Guards building, the Old War Office building and Whitehall Court progressively behind. To the south of Duck Island is the Tiffany fountain situated on Pelican Rock and past the lake is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with the London Eye, the Shell Tower and The Shard progressively behind.



For dinner we settled on an outdoor Italian restaurant named Il Padrino Restaurant in Leicester Square where I had my first Fish and Chips in London and a nice cold Carling!

By the time we waddled home on the Underground, it was a very satisfying 12 hour day!

The British Museum -- Friday May 31, 2013

Last night we had decided upon a modest plan of action for today.  We would wake up whenever so as to be sure we had no jet lag and then have a little breakfast.  After breakfast we would take the Underground into London with the goal of spending most of the day at the British Museum.

The London Underground turned out to be a really easy mode of transportation!  We purchased an Oyster Card which will get us on and off all trains and buses in London with ease.  They remind me of the Charlie Card in Boston (which of course I have never used:)).  So we were off!

The British Museum is a museum in London dedicated to human history and culture. Its permanent collection, numbering some eight million works,^[3] is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence^[3] and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.^[a]

The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. The museum first opened to the public on 15 January 1759 in Montagu House in Bloomsbury, on the site of the current museum building. Its expansion over the following two and a half centuries was largely a result of an expanding British colonial footprint and has resulted in the creation of several branch institutions, the first being the British Museum (Natural History) in South Kensington in 1887. Some objects in the collection, most notably the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, are the objects of intense controversy and of calls for restitution to their countries of origin.

We had lunch minus the Champagne!

Since we didn't get there till about 11 am, we chose to look thru the early Grecian wing for an hour and then have our lunch upstairs in the Court Restaurant.  The Court Restaurant menu boasts charmingly presented food, with a selection of several appealing afternoon teas. 

Overlooking the original Reading Room, Court Restaurant in Bloomsbury is almost an exhibition in itself, with classical columns, and its astonishing roof allowing in plenty of light.

Once we finished lunch, we decided to each go our own way to visit all that interested us within the museum.  We planned to meet at 4 pm so we could then move on to Covent Garden.  Jane helped by being a tour guide for Ed in some of the exhibits he was interested in.  I chose the media tour---head phones and information on a hand held computer.  It was fun.  I was at my own pace, looking at different items of interest.

We met up at 4 pm and found a bus to get us to The Strand to change over some dollars for pounds.  The rate was $1.55.  Not too bad.  Then we were off for Covent Garden.  Covent Garden reminds me of Faneuil Hall in Boston--lots of tourists, little shops, outdoor entertainment and bars.  Not an area Jane was very fond of.  She was tired after our day and decided to go home and leave us on our own!  We were going to have to find our way home on the Underground ourselves!

We found an outdoor bar and had an appetizer and a bottle of wine.  We sat next to a couple of women from the London area.  They were very nice and one of them, Carol, even gave us a card to contact her if we got into trouble.  She suggested a restaurant for dinner:  The Brasserie Blanc.  Good choice. 

After dinner we made the adventure on the London Underground ourselves back to Jane's house!  It was really easy. 

It was a perfect day in London!