Blogs from Bayswater, Greater London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Last day today! After 5,600kms travelling through England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales today is the final day of our tour. We travel from Plymouth back to London with a stop at Stonehenge on the way. STONEHENGE On the way to Stonehenge we also saw a couple of the mysterious Crop Circles which was a bonus. Stonehenge itself was very impressive, it the middle of some fields there is this massive rock structure, so it really stands out against the land that surrounds it. There is much mystery around Stonehenge but it was built as a temple –a place of ceremony, of burial and of celebration. Given the size and weight of the individual pieces and the limited tools available during that time, the construction is an incredible achievenment. The actual structure is roped off so you ... read more

LONDON EYE Todays highlight was a ‘flight’ on the London Eye. The Eye dominates the central London Skyline and you travel in a capsule that takes about 30 minutes to do a full loop. Neither of us particularly like heights but we felt fine for the whole trip – which is pretty good considering you are suspended in the air in a glass capsule 135metres (443 ft) above the mighty Thames. On a clear day, and we certainly had one, you can see for 40kms. Once again we paid a bit extra for priority entry so we could turn up just 15 minutes before our flight and not have to spend a long time queuing – in 28 degrees it was a no brainer! You are in a capsule with around 20 people, there is a ... read more

QUIET DAY IN LONDON TOWN It has been pretty full on since we arrived in London so today we took things easy. Jeanette had pre-arranged a brief meeting outside Harrods with Debbie from her work at home. They were both in London at the same time so was great for them to catch up. HARRODS After saying Hi to Debbie we spent a couple of hours wandering around Harrods. What a store! It’s huge and classy, and the prices of some of the items were mind blowing. I’ve included a pic of a writing desk, it’s big and impressive and 76,000 pounds (and change) – that’s around $180,000 NZ dollars – for a writing desk – you’d want to be able to live in it for that money! As you would imagine there was some exquisite ... read more

PARK, LUNCH and ROCK AND ROLL Highlight of today was catching up for lunch with Leah (cousin) her work is near Regent Park so we took the opportunity to spend a couple of hours there in the morning. Lunch was at a very nice Itallian Restaurant near Leah’s work. Dominion Theatre where We Will Rock You is playing was just down the road so we picked up a couple of tickets to tonight’s performance. REGENT PARK Hyde Park was a great place to visit with its wide open spaces, lakes and walkways, Regent Park was simply stunning. Large formal gardens and beautifully manicured lawns are a spectacular feature. The Park also boasts and outdoor theatre, large duck puck pond/lake with paddle boats and a huge area of sports fields and some more natural areas. It was ... read more