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initiating relationships
Published: May 19th 2013Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » Heathrow Airport
May 19th 2013
initiating relationships is never an easy task.. often tense + nervy, it asks an awful lot questions of ones ego + sense of self worth not to mention the fear of rejection. meeting a new city is always an epic thing.. some ppl believe planning is the best way, others are a little more reckless + on the edge.. we got off the plane collected our bags + spent several minutes trying to work out how to get out of the airport as we didn’t follow the crowd.. on this occasion we wish we had. scottish in heart, scottish by nature we decided to make our own + cheapest way to our accommodation. we were jetlag tired + not all that keen on carrying our backpacks all day.. so we scrambled underground + boarded the first ... read more
May 19th 2013
Locks today 9 – total 35 So much for only 3 hours motoring each day – 6 hours Friday and 8 ½ today to reach good moorings at Crofton. Far-reaching views for most of the way, with a lot of sunshine. The Kennet & Avon Canal runs between (wait for it.....) the R. Kennet in the east and the R. Avon in the west. Hving travelled uphill since we started, today we crossed the summit, via Bruce Tunnel, and the locks are now all downhill. There are two major pumping stations on the canal, on e of which is here at Crofton. Canal water is pumped uphill to the summit to replenish all that is lost downhill as each lock is used. Frequently the summit pond is too dry for full navigation though. There are two ... read more
May 19th 2013
Well folks, it was another jam packed day. We went to Stonehenge & Bath. Definitely two places I could see again. Stonehenge really left me with an unexplained feeling; awe is the only word I can think of to even capture my experience. Bath has got to be the most beautiful place I've visited so far on this trip. The Roman Baths were pretty awesome but the city was unbelievable. Our tour director and bus driver have been quite accommodating, they took us through the small villages and countryside on our way to Plymouth. The roads were quite narrow, I'm not sure how Sid our driver maneuvered the coach through them. There were many fields of rape seed, canola in bloom. The bright yellow blooms seemed even brighter against the rich green background. Tonight we had ... read more
Another retirement tour but this time with an apprentice (my son, Neal)!
Published: May 18th 2013Europe » United Kingdom » England » Buckinghamshire » Buckingham
May 18th 2013
Plans Neal recently purchased a Porsche 911 and wanted to take it for a good trip as up to now he has only really used it for the occasional commute to work and visits to friends and family. So the plan is to take it for a spin on a week-long tour around France. The car is a 2001 Porsche 911 Carrera (a 3.6l, rear-wheel drive, manual 996 for those who care about these sorts of things) and is a real racer. We have had to promise not to try to see what its top speed is on this trip. It has only just left the garage where it was being repaired on Saturday but we hope this means it is in good condition now and we get us around the route. Getting ready As we ... read more
May 18th 2013
It's now a little past 7:30 I'm almost done in; I've been on the go since 6:00 am. The bus tour left @ 8 this morning. We went to Westminster Abbey, The Household Calvary Museum, the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar. Square and Picadilly Circus. We also saw the MI5 & MI6 buildings. You will see I tried to bring a fine young soldier home for you single girls but I couldn't even get him to smile. This afternoon I took another tour, I met a couple ladies and a couple from around Cambridge Ontario and a couple from California who were also on the tour. The tour went to St Paul's Cathedral, what a work of art, I took pictures but I know there is no way I could capture the beauty ... read more
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May 18th 2013
Hooray – no frost this morning. We were joined bright and early by Matthew, Clair and Naomi for the last 3 locks into Devizes Wharf. We visited a food fair in the Market Square, part of Devizes Food Festival Week but sadly had no room in our small fridge for any of the delicious food, although we did buy some fudge! Devizes is a medieval market town which grew up around the original castle, long since disappeared. The Market Square became the focus in the 18th century and many of these buildings survive. By the 19th century Devizes held the largest corn market in the West of England and was also a centre for selling hops, cheese, cattle, horses and cloth, made by the many manufacturers of wool and silk in the area. When Matthew and ... read more
May 17th 2013
Well I made it, they double booked my seat on the plane so I got upgraded, how cool is that? That's right I got to sit with the cool kids and received all the special privileges. After we landed I made my way to the train station,it's about 30 minutes from Gatwick airport to London, Victoria Station by train. There was lots to see, everything from rural views of horses in the fields to factories and the usual row houses you would expect to see in England. From there I took a black cab to my hotel. I just got back from a long walk along the Thames River to check in with the tour company. I purchased my lunch at the grocers; the shop reminded me of our convenience stores, I picked up a sandwich, ... read more
Day 2 - Caen Hill flight plus a few other locks.
Published: May 17th 2013Europe » United Kingdom » England » Wiltshire
May 17th 2013
26 locks today – it was good to be on the move finally. Travelled with Digger and Karen from the Sarah Dand the time passed very quickly, despite the number of boats around – so much easier to share the lock work although a little grease on the paddle mechanism would have been welcome too. The 16 locks of the Caen Hill flight were apparently dug by hand by French prisoners of war from Napoleonic times. The flight follows the steep contours of the hill so the locks are very close together, necessitating large side ponds to provide sufficient water. Well worth a look on Google Earth as the flight looks very strange from above. Some of the side ponds are mini nature reserves, others are used for canoeing. They are too shallow for narrowboats to ... read more
May 16th 2013
Yaaay! My other half and I are off to Malaysia in March 2014 - tickets booked! Cannot wait. Visiting South East Asia is something I have wanted to do for a very long time. The cities, temples, beautiful beaches, great food :-) Although I have travelled around Europe extensively, I have only been outside once, to visit a friend in the US. The trip is a long way to go (10 months away), and lots can happen between now and then, but am really excited and looking forward to it. There will be other trips to look forward to aswell - we're heading off to Berlin and Poznan in August for starters, so watch this space! Xx... read more
Coasts and Castles - the Northumberland Coast
Published: May 16th 2013Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland » Bamburgh
May 16th 2013
As we crossed the North York Moors we spied a glimpse of the North Sea and coast far below us. A day later we could touch the sea in the town of Whitby where Captain James Cook apprenticed and began sailing. Having visited the beach in Hawaii where Cook's career ended, we were fascinated by the museum in the house where he studied by candlelight at night in his attic room. Whitby is also the location in Bram Stoker's book where the ship carrying Dracula's coffin crashed and the bat flew ashore. We managed to pass up the Dracula museum on the boardwalk but we didn't skip the pub advertised to have the best fish and chips in England. We followed the coast north along a bike route called Coasts and Castles, seeing restored castles and ... read more
