London Day 1

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August 20th 2019

Published: August 20th 2019

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Windfarm in the Sea

Windfarm in the Sea, amazing

Well here we go, another tip and another blog 😊

Flew Thai Airlines from Perth-Bangkok-London, good fights as 22hr flights go. No airsickness yay! which meant I could sightsee out the window.

Things that struck me:

• Bangkok is HUGE. Flying in at night and looking at all the lights was amazing and they went forever.
• Bangkok airport is a very grey uninspiring place with long convoluted process to get to your next place and no-one smiles!
• Loved looking out the window and seeing lights and trying to identify on the flight tracker where we were.
• There are wind turbines in the sea off the coast of England! I seriously thought I was seeing things! It is quite incredible to see ships passing through them and to marvel at the size they must be and how.... Amazing, why isn't Australia doing this?
• Heathrow airport is the total opposite to Bangkok!

Landed early at 6.50am. Jim picked me up from the airport and we headed for the hotel hoping on the very off chance we could get into it early. We are staying at the Clayton Crown Hotel in Cricklewood. Reception was lovely and managed to find

The patchwork farm quilt of South-West England

a room that was ready, yay a shower and a cup of tea!

Clean, fed and watered we then caught the 189 red double decker bus into Oxford street having driven down Abby Rd, past Lords Cricket Ground, Baker St and finishing at Marble Arch. Brilliant little trip. Had a wander through Selfridges - WOW the money being spent in there was obscene!

Looked at Marble Arch. For those who don't know the history as I didn't - the Marble Arch was designed to be a grand celebration of British victories in the Napoleonic Wars and act as a gateway to the expanding Buckingham Palace. It wasn't finished to the planned design due to money. After Queen Victoria took the throne and moved into Buckingham Palace, which up until then had remained unoccupied, in 1837 it was found that it was too small to hold a large court. As a result, expansion work took place and the Marble Arch was dismantled and rebuilt on the corner of Hyde Park. It was placed where a village originally known as Tyburn stood and was one of the most notorious public execution sites in the country. Executions were held here for

Selfridges

almost 600 years. Executions had stopped and Queen Victoria thought this would be a good place for the Arch.

After a wander and cuppa we headed back to the hotel for a rest then finished up with a beer and dinner at a great little restaurant Elementree. Bed early after very little sleep in the last 48 hours.

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