Blogs from Heathrow Airport, Greater London, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

Our last day of the trip! Today we are going to end our day, handing back the car to Avis and staying at the Renaissance hotel at Heathrow. We decided that on our way back to London we would visit Blenheim Palace, and spend all the available time of the day exploring the palace where Winston Churchill was born. After breakfast we chatted with Clare and Katrina and then got on our way. It wasn’t far from Oxford to Blenheim, but the traffic was terrible around Oxford. Once we had got into the open country, the traffic calmed down quite a bit and the trip to Blenheim was good. As we drove up the drive to the carpark, we could see how big the Palace wa. We hadn’t quite expected it to be that big. Walking ... read more

We will post our last photos and adventures soon. Stay tuned to this page for updates. Update: we are home safe and sound but slightly incoherent, forgetful and not quite here yet. So in an attempt to cure jet lag we cashed in our Xmas gift from Saraya and ventured to the beer and cider festival in Catania Gardens, St. Kilda. It was great! We are now in Avoca inspecting the storm damage which didn't do any serious harm; just some mud on the floor AND the dams are still holding a lot of water! EUREKA! Our last day in London involved visits to two wonderful museums: the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Natural history Museum, both situated in beautiful old stone buildings that were available to the public and FREE to enter, as it ... read more

OMG! After almost a year of planning we are days away (and counting) from setting off. You'd think twelve months would be time enough to make sure everything was in place but, you know, life ..... Despite all good intentions to keep key information in one handily available notebook, this brightly coloured, can't-miss-it, personal organiser has proved to be a master of disguise and is never anywhere to be found when needed, even when in plain view. I now find myself operating from various check lists, post-its, scrappy bits of paper and mid-night mental memoranda that I hope will still be lurking somewhere in my brain the following morning in full consciousness. I've learned to listen to that faint tinkling in the old grey matter, hoping it turns into a full-blown cacophony of alarm bell-ringing, reminding ... read more

Last day, and have to catch my shuttle to the airport, go through security, and then my flights to get home. London to Doha - 7 hours... Doha to Perth - 12 hours... then an overnight stay in Perth till the morning to catch the 6.50am flight to Adelaide - 2.5 hours. Arrival is lunchtime Christmas Eve. Just a few shots of you know you are in London when you see these things. Heathrow was my last meal before boarding, and of course Santa isn't too far away either. Goodbye England, it was the best. I miss you already!!... read more

The day that felt like it would never get here has arrived. At Heathrow. With way too much stuff (note to self, for Asia part of travels, pack lighter!). But ticket, visa and passport in hand. The US (and me) better be ready for what's about to hit it! I am a bit of a jumble of nerves, peering into the unknown and completely out of my comfort zone, but excitement peaks up every now and then, knowing I just need to land, find my feet, say hello to a few of the locals, and everything else will fall into place. Signing out, until next time when my feet are on foreign soils.... read more