Blogs from Camden Town, Greater London, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 4

A Football Game, Touring Whitehall & Westminster Nothing like walking around to cure jet lag, although there was only one hour's difference between Livingstone Zambia and London, so there wasn't as much jet lag as there was just plain lack of sleep from the plane flight. In any case, we decided that a London walkabout was the thing to do. We were spending our last week away from home with our newly-married daughter and son-in-law. What a nice flat they have, and with a convenient extra bedroom, which we very much appreciated, given that accommodation in London is exorbitantly expensive. It was Richard's wish to attend a football game (soccer in North America), so lucky us, the Queens Park Rangers were playing Reading in Shepherd's Bush. Leanne & Brad had reserved tickets. It was an experience ... read more

Tuesday was a warm London day and Paul and I visited Camden Town, the spiritual home of Coldplay, the famous Camden Town Markets and sadly the seedier side of London. Yes the place is eclectic and no doubt you can buy things in the markets here that you probably won’t get anywhere else in London however stepping onto Camden High Street from the tube station was quite an experience. I sensed a number of suspicious characters hanging around the tube station as we made our way up Camden High Street. The market stalls on the High Street are dominated by cheap t-shirts and new music but as we made our way up the street it became apparent that although there may be some hidden gems in the stalls, the majority of stuff on sale is basically ... read more

All packed and ready to leave, found a cab that will take us to Heathrow for £30 which is a good deal as tubes in chaos due to strike. Using the laptop has been a challenge as conection keeps dropping off, so writing from the internet cafe I found yesterday. Have all photos on disc so will put more up when I get home. Thanks to all who have followed the blogs and taken the time to respond to us, it has been enjoyable for James to record his thoughts. I will print this blog so he has a permanent record of his trip which has been a great experience for us both and will give us many memories for a long time. WE will be back in NZ on Saturday @ 11.30am.... read more

Friday, night we headed off to Brighton by cheap bus. T and S worked for a month in Brighton when they first came to thge Uk and they rate it highly. If rents were cheaper and incomes larger they would move there. I can see why. Though a rocky beach is not appealing, but the place does have a nice buzz. We were extremely lucky to find a cheap family room on the seafront oppposite the West Pier. The Granville charged us £130 for the room and included a fantastic restaurant breakfast, free internet, pool table, DVDs. roon was spacious and spotless. Highly recommended. James loved the pier, I enjoyed wondow shopping in the Lanes and it was great to catch up in the afternoon with an old mate, drink on th e beach and all ... read more

I had read of the largest shopping mall in Europe, opened late 2008, so off we went on the tube to Shepherds Bush. Mall shopping is a novelty to me, I rarely go to the Hutt Valley, Porirua or Tawa. Walking around Wellington is my usual shopping but I am not really a shopper at all. But today despite the crowded tube the shopping environment was a real pleasure. My first experience of Marks and Spencer, and a nice browse through a wide range of shops, the ultra expensive Village and then all the usual mall suspects. I purchased a handbag and suitcase as the ones I have with me have not survived the rigours of travel. I will return alone if at all possible before I return home , but tomorrow is a bus trip ... read more