Blogs from United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

Day 53 - Flying home - losing 9 hours Bernard left me at security, and I’m off! I wandered through duty free, I know not to buy cigarettes here for Andrea, as they are so expensive. I’ll wait I’m in Dubai. My Apple Watch died whilst I was away, I may have mentioned it yesterday’s. I’ve lost the plot! But I did buy a new one to replace it. My flight set off perfectly, and on time. My first flight, Sydney to Dubai is 12 hours long, but in transition, I lose about 6 hours. When I land in Dubai, my body will feel like it is 10:40am, but as I have dropped the 6 hrs, as I land, I go back to 4:40am. I’m not sure that my body is entirely happy about that! We ... read more

Are you looking for a fun, eco-friendly and convenient way to get around town or explore the great outdoors? Consider investing in an electric bike. These innovative ebikes offer the perfect blend of portability, power and rider comfort. Here's why an electric folding bike should top your shopping list. Ultimate Versatility One of the biggest draws of an electric folding bike is its incredible versatility. These compact marvels are designed to seamlessly adapt to your lifestyle and travel needs. With the ability to quickly fold down to a compact size, you can effortlessly transport your bike wherever your adventures take you. Envision bringing your folding ebike along on road trips, hiking excursions, or even tossing it in the trunk for a spontaneous countryside cruise. The folding mechanism allows you to conveniently store the bike in tight ... read more

We left Alston in Cumbria and crossed into Northumberland. It was a short drive to Haltwhistle, following the route of the River South Tyne. You automatically think and associate Newcastle as being on the River Tyne, but the two tributaries North and South never seem to get a mention or an acknowledgement of their existence. Haltwhistle, a small market town of about 4,000 people on the main East / West route between Carlisle and Newcastle, has a similarly little known claim to fame. Haltwhistle is the Centre of Britain or at least, so it claims. There are others with a similar claim to the geographical centre and Haltwhistle conveniently disregards measurements to Shetland and settles at Orkney as the most northerly point. Claim or counter claim aside, Haltwhistle has branded itself. We positioned our Vera next ... read more

We're packed, esim installed, suica card loaded up and just one more sleep to go. Seems the rain and temperature has slowed the blossom so we'll hit peak blooms in Hiroshima and the Shimanami Kaido we hope. Although the weather is now looking good and warm compared to London recently. A bit concerned by jet lag as its been quite a few years since we had to deal with that.... read more

Thu: Arriving in style on Airbus A380 The highlight of the day: was the arrival of our British Airways Airbus A380 pulling into our gate. That thing is a mammoth! You couldn't have missed it slowly making its way to the gate. Of course, we booked early and paid extra to secure the upper deck window seat 💪 The anticipation is building up! The flight was delayed for a half hour and the boarding area was a mess but Y got us in the special boarding group 🙌 The boarding tunnel was split into two. We were going with everyone else to the further entrance. Upon seating, I realized it was directly connected to the upper deck entrance. No stairs, nothing, meh. The upper deck could only be felt from the increased distance to the wings ... read more