grandmaandjames

All packed and ready to leave, found a cab that will take us to Heathrow for £30 which is a good deal as tubes in chaos due to strike. Using the laptop has been a challenge as conection keeps dropping off, so writing from the internet cafe I found yesterday. Have all photos on disc so will put more up when I get home. Thanks to all who have followed the blogs and taken the time to respond to us, it has been enjoyable for James to record his thoughts. I will print this blog so he has a permanent record of his trip which has been a great experience for us both and will give us many memories for a long time. WE will be back in NZ on Saturday @ 11.30am.... read more

James writing hi every one james writing I'm writing about my top 7 attractions in my past 4 weeks here on my holiday At number 7 it is a big castle called Cardiff castle, Cardiff castle is at number 7 because it tells you about the castle and you get to go in to someone elses house a very fancy house with nice decorations like big as chandeliers and a big fire place the people in the house don't live in there any more they left there house in the 1950's but my down side in this attraction is the stupid movie about the castle I thought it was the most lamest movie in the world they were in the 1500's and they were on buses At number 6 it is a long narrow path it ... read more

Friday, night we headed off to Brighton by cheap bus. T and S worked for a month in Brighton when they first came to thge Uk and they rate it highly. If rents were cheaper and incomes larger they would move there. I can see why. Though a rocky beach is not appealing, but the place does have a nice buzz. We were extremely lucky to find a cheap family room on the seafront oppposite the West Pier. The Granville charged us £130 for the room and included a fantastic restaurant breakfast, free internet, pool table, DVDs. roon was spacious and spotless. Highly recommended. James loved the pier, I enjoyed wondow shopping in the Lanes and it was great to catch up in the afternoon with an old mate, drink on th e beach and all ... read more

This afternoon we return on a Megabus to London. £10 for the two of us, you can't complain. We have had a lovely time staying with Miss G, N and S. Their home is spacious and they have about 100 TV channels so James has been pleased to chill out and channel surf. A pleasant change from our somewhat cramped conditions in the studio in London. The weather has been truly stunning, but the Welsh seem even more surprised than we are, this is the first hot day in three years they exclaim as they wipe pink brows. The smell of BBQ is hanging over Wales as I imagine coal fires once did. We have taken bus tours, wandered the Bay, explored the castle and military museum, enjoyed the Cardiff museum,and art gallery, tried Welsh cakes, ... read more

We caught a Megabus from Victoria Coach Station to Cardiff today. Dirt cheap tickets. Coach perfectly acceptable but the toilets were ghastly and I was traumatised. Arrived to a beautiful day, collected by Miss G. Taken to her lovely flat, BBQ tea in the backyard with her flatmates and family. Lots of Pear Cider. Yummy Miss G will be our tour guide tomorrow ... read more

I had read of the largest shopping mall in Europe, opened late 2008, so off we went on the tube to Shepherds Bush. Mall shopping is a novelty to me, I rarely go to the Hutt Valley, Porirua or Tawa. Walking around Wellington is my usual shopping but I am not really a shopper at all. But today despite the crowded tube the shopping environment was a real pleasure. My first experience of Marks and Spencer, and a nice browse through a wide range of shops, the ultra expensive Village and then all the usual mall suspects. I purchased a handbag and suitcase as the ones I have with me have not survived the rigours of travel. I will return alone if at all possible before I return home , but tomorrow is a bus trip ... read more

After the success if the London Bike Tour we decided to take the Paris night ride. Equally as good, but felt somewhat more vulnerable riding across Parisina intersections and along footpaths amongst somewhat disgruntled pedestrians. I think I would be grumpy if Americans took loads of tourists around Wellington holding up traffic and blocking the footpath while shouting out a very compressed history of my much loved monuments and cultural icons. ( which are????) I notice that none of these guides seem able to answer many questions, instead they have a well practiced patter that their fellow Americans find very funny and "cute" but fellow antipodeans didn't seem to find nearly so amusing. Humour is quite a cultural specific matter, though perhaps slapstick is universal? The bike ride included a stop for icecreams and a boat ... read more

I do like Parisians, they have overwhelmingly been polite and helpful, they don't push and shove, they endeavour to speak to me in English once the realise my few French phrases are all I have got, and they apologise when they haven't got what we are looking for. It is all rather charming. We went to a flea market and the wondeful food market next door this morning. There were many things we liked, quaint old snaps, but 5 Euro each, non, non, non. A case that would have been lovely for my glasses 15 euro. I know I shouldn't but I do the conversions and it is simply ridiculous. Oh dear those tourists have spoilt if for us budget travellers. Now I am simply wandering and not ticking off sights, I am enjoying myself much ... read more