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Sunday 6 April 2008 Arriving back in London town exhausted, and with Euston & Carolyn working the next day, we enjoyed a saffron risotto by Chez Euston and then crashed for the night.
Monday 7 April 2008 After a lazy late morning wakeup we headed into town to meet Rob & Alena from Canada, whom we had met in Portugal. They were in London as the last stop on their European trek. We met up with them at the Victoria & Albert Museum, aka the V&A, where we chatted and then joined a 'highlights tour' of the musem. It was quite interesting. We learned about the history of the museum and about some of the exhibits such as the history of fashion, the Crystal Palace which was built for the Great Exhibition in 1851 and the Ardabil Carpet which incorporates fantastic visual effects.
After dinner that night we discovered the wonder that is English Butter Ice Cream. Delicious and so SO naughty!
Tuesday 8 April 2008 We made up for the lazy day prior by making an early start to rush to meet a morning walking tour. It was a 'free' tour run by New
Europe which Rob & Alena had told us about the prior day where you pay no set fee for the 3 hour walking tour, but tip the guide at the end if you liked it. Sounded like a good deal so we gave it a go.
The history tour took us around many of London's historic sites such as the Tower of London, London Bridge, The Monument to the Great Fire of London, St Paul's Cathedral, Temple Bar and the church of the Knights Templar, and St Clements church which was damaged during WWII air raids. The tour was great and included lots of quirky stories about the various landmarks. It was also nice to spend some more time with Rob & Alena.
After some traditional English Cornish pasties for lunch, Michael continued on to the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. He was like a kid in a toy store - he was entertained for hours!
Wednesday 9 April 2008 Pleased with the tour from the prior day - thanks to the tip from Rob & Alena - we decido embark on another free tour. This one was themed 'Royal London'. It met at
the Wellington Monument near the ANZAC memorial at Hyde Park then continued on to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. We lost our guide amongst all of the crowds but managed to catch up with him soon after. Michael played guard and then we continued on to St James' Palace, Trafalgar Square, the horseguards, South Dowling Street, The Churchill War Cabinets, and Westminster. It was interesting but nearly as fun as the tour from the day before.
When the tour concluded, we headed down to the Thames where we caught a 'flight' - at the time it was sponsored by British Airways - on the London Eye. Usually they only put a dozon or so people in the glass pods but since most of ours were scool kids they decided to cram it with about double that. This normally wouldn't be an issue except that it was stopped when we were at the top for a long time while staff dealt with a issue in another pod. It was also a very hot day so we were really suffering up there. Barbara's sufferings were magnified by the loud Texan woman next to her asking ignorant questions about
Ardabil carpet
woven visual illusion, perspective in a rug! Australia. Michael spent this time running around taking photos of the rare gorgeous sunny London day. We returned to land with a little heat exhaustion and slightly annoyed but otherwise unscathed.
Next stop was Kings Cross Railway Station where we played at Platform 9 3/4 - of Harry Potter fame - before meeting Barbara's cousin Malachi 3rd's wife Momoe there. We caught the train north to Letchworth where they live which is a beautiful garden city. It would be the first and last London train ride for us - the bus in definately cheaper even if it does take longer! There we met her husband Malachi 3rd, Malachi 4th and their Japanese au pair Hisa. It was lovely to meet them, even if only briefly - Michael and Malach did get a chance to watch some football together.
Thursday 10 April 2008 In the morning we caught the train back to London as we had purchsed a return ticket the previous day. Barbara rested while Michael returned to the Science Museum for more mischief.
That evening we enjoyed the Jack the Ripper walking tour run by London Walks. The stories were quite gory and it was
History of fashion
- some trends should never return spooky walking around the shadows of the city at night. The guide was quite talented and managed to actually create some atmosphere despite the 60 people that turned up for the tour.
Friday 11 April 2008 On the road again, but this time to Cambridge to visit Michael's friend Laura. The rise was long but the scenery pleasant. When we arrived we walked around the town centre and the markets in the square then we ught shelter from the rain in HSBC trying to cancel our unused UK credit cards.
When the storm passed - or so we thought - we took ourselves on a self-guided walking tour of the colleges along the river. Only part way in we spotted something far more fun - punt rides. Punts are small boats that are pushed up and down the river using long sticks - Venician gondola style. We took a guided punt tour because Barbara wasn't confident of staying dry with Michael at the helm. It was very civilised with coushions, blankets and umbrellas that came in very handy when it started HAILING!!!!!
We visited the Chapel at Kings College before meeting up with Laura for drinks
History of fashion
- the 'chav' suit by the river and then partner Pete later for dinner at Yippee Noodles where we ate Yippee Noodles!
Saturday 12 April 2008 After a restful sleep at Laura & Pete's on the outskirts of town we caught the early bus back to London where whe had a hasty brunch with Euston & Carolyn before rushing out once again for a bus to Stratford-upon-Avon.
Four long bus hours later we arrived and were met by Barbara's uncle Geoff and his wife Deb. They kindly showed us around town including some famous Shakespeare sites before enjoying a beer by the river at the Dirty Duck Pub, a local haunt for actors.
Back at their house, a lovely traditional English thatched cottage, we met their twin daughters Rose and Hannah and their lovely labrador. After some chatting at getting to know one another, we headed out for dinner at The Bell Inn - yummy yum YUM!
With our stay being only very short we stayed up for as long as we could stay conscious, chatting and sharing photos - and wine! - before falling asleep.
Sunday 13 April 2008 A ridiculously early bus took us back
History of fashion
- padding to make your bottom look bigger to London. All through the four hour journey Barbara disgusted the other passengers by chundering all the way. She has started feeling strange the evening before then fell ill during the night and was a mess by morning. The bus ride was agonising. We were very worried because we were due to catch an 8.5 hour bus to Paris the following day but we didn't know if Barbara would make it.
Back in London Barbara rested while Michael enjoyed Yum Cha in Chinatown with Euston & Carolyn.
Monday 14 April 2008 When we woke at 5am for an early bus to Paris, Barbara was feeling much better, thankfully! We bid a sleepy farewell to Euston & Carolyn - although not for the last time - and then trudged sleepily to Victoria Coach Station. The bus drove south to the Port of Dover - but we couldn't see the famous white cliffs - and then boarded the Chunnel train. Off to France we went!
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