Overdose on tourist traps and gardens

---

---

Eureka! Paul has found our photos so I can now refresh my memory and write my next blog.







So what do you do when your eldest son has flown the nest, migrating from the southern to the northern hemisphere to start a new life in London? You visit him of course!







What can I tell you about London that no-one else has told before? Probably not much, but our photos might just do the job. We took an over abundance of pictures of everything we saw. I will use this opportunity to let the pictures tell most of the story with a couple of unscripted snippets. We visited the usual tourist traps, some we have seen before and others we haven’t: Museums, Tower of London, Cutty Sark, London eye, Harrods, Camden town amongst others.







Fragments of our personal experiences:







It goes without saying that to see our son, Jacques again was truly indescribable. Any parent in similar shoes knows what I am talking about. Enough of that!



We strode along the streets of London, following Jacques blindlessly, or rather the men strode and I trotted along with my short legs - picture this: three men walking ahead like royalty and me a few steps behind, puffing and panting, while trying to keep up. This was also when we started the 'ostrich'. Let me explain: we couldn't always see each other in the crowds especially me, being of short stature. Where we got it from I don't know, but if we couldn't see each other we would raise an arm and make an ostrich like beak to identify each other. We certainly laughed non stop and people around us must have thought we were just slightly deranged or perhaps a few country bumpkins that have been set free in a city for the first time.







We learnt to survive on cheap student type food, eating many a meal at a good price making good use of specials. We stayed at the Tavistock hotel, which is a huge tourist establishment with full breakfast included, but the mass production of rubbery and oily fried eggs and leathery bacon, was not the best, but at least we were fed and the price of the accommodation wasn't too bad.















This was also an ideal opportunity for me to visit Chelsea. Chelsea for me was a "wow" moment. Having designed and installed 3 show gardens locally, I had a vague idea of what it entailed. The gardens were awe inspiring, the main marquee so colourful and full of perfume, with towers of flowers, strawberries and other floral exhibits with wafts of beautiful fragrance filling the air. Did I mention we took so many photos? We took so many of the flower show alone that I could just about do a photo blog of that alone. I even ‘rubbed shoulders’ with some of the gardening fraternity TV personalities in the flesh - almost! By the end of the day we were drooping like wilted flowers, but I am so glad we had the opportunity and even Paul enjoyed it although he, not being a gardener, is most likely to call a rose by another name. Not only was Chelsea magnificent, but all the parks and gardens we saw were delightful too.







Then Paul, Philip and I took the train to the Lake districts to stay with Karen & Clive whom we hadn't seen for a while. Jacques unfortunately had to work. What a beautiful area! Last time we visited the UK we drove through the area very quickly but this time we could spend a few days. Once again great to catch up with family and do a bit more sightseeing. We enjoyed walking around exploring and popping in to the odd pub for a meal.











Clive had tickets to watch a rugby game in Edinburgh so we drove up to Scotland for a fleeting trip and the men could watch rugby while Karen and I visited a friend of hers. We also managed to do a small amount of sightseeing before the rugby game, then headed back to the Lake districts before going back to London.







All too soon the realisation that time was running short. We had one day left to spend with Jacques and it was a beautiful warm sunny day, spent in a park just enjoying each others company. What a perfect way to end our trip but with sad farewells, yet wonderful to be able to experience so much of London and parts of the UK.





And now to bore you with our photos! If you want to see them all please view all six pages. If not…scroll on to one of the far more interesting blogs to read on Travelblog!

---

Comments

[RENanDREW]

Ostrich!
I love the ostrich idea...I can usually easily spot Andrew's tall frame in a crowd, but having shorter paws don't help in my case ;)

[roamingfox]

Firm favourite
Sorry for only responding now, but I couldn't get it right. Thanks for the comment and yes, the ostrich has become a regular thing when we are travelling and in a crowd. Sometimes though we do it for a laugh as well... Mischievous, I know.