United Kingdom - Winter Road Trip 2010

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~ * ~ DAY 1 ~ * ~

December 11, 2010

LONDON

I hopped on my Air New Zealand flight from Hong Kong to London (special one-way promo ticket). I was impressed by Air NZ overall, especially their in-flight entertainment system. Sadly, I fell asleep and missed the ice cream! 13 hours and 3 loops around Heathrow later, I was back in London! After waiting 40 minutes to go through immigration, I headed for the tube. I was glad to still have my Oyster card on hand.

We had dinner at Ping Pong, a dim sum restaurant. Ping Pong is one of those "hip" London chains, where groups sit at large tables. Our group of 10 shared a table, though most of us ordered the set meal, which came with an assortment of fried and steamed items. Can't compare to HK but dessert was an unexpected surprise: rich molten Valrhona chocolate inside a white steamed bun!

Dinner ended early by 7 since people had to rush back to catch the X Factor finals (clearly, very important in the UK!). The chocolate festival outside Royal Festival Hall was just closing but we managed to get a few samples, mmm. Also came across a lively Christmas market along Southbank. We crossed the Thames via the Golden Jubilee Bridges to Charing Cross. There was a choir singing Christmas carols at Trafalgar Square by the large Christmas tree (which apparently was torched during student protests a few days before). There was an incredibly festive and fun atmosphere, especially since the choir was dressed up - snowmen, Christmas trees, reindeer, Santa, and even a Christmas pudding! We met up with Miranda outside the big shoe at Priscilla, and walked around Chinatown and Soho. A great surprise was joining a party at Paul's on Old Compton St, where Samit had started off the party. Paul had a great apartment with awesome decor, including a red floor with patterns, large paintings and sketches, and a carefully set up party table, with tea light candles and a sleek candle holder.

~ * ~ DAY 2 ~ * ~

December 12, 2010

We woke up early and got back on the tube to Heathrow. We met my family and picked up our Hertz rental car...and were off!

BLENHEIM PALACE & OXFORD

Our first stop was Blenheim Palace, the residence of John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, who was famed for his victory in the Battle of Blenheim. The Queen "favored" John Churchill (for several reasons), and gifted him a palace to honor his contributions. Blenheim Palace was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including for the gardens, which was designed by Capability Brown. There was a huge organ at the end of one hall, and a festive dinner table decorated in the context of Gulliver's travels. An interesting audio-visual "tour" of part of the house gave more details on the history and stories behind the house and its people.

They were also running a special promotion to change our day admission ticket to a year pass - so I now have a pass to visit Blenheim as often as I want over the next year. I wonder when/if that will happen...

Interesting notes: The house hairdresser received a higher salary than the head chef. Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace.

We also made a quick stop in Oxford, visiting Cornmarket St, Christ Church College, Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera and the covered market. Sadly, we didn't have enough time to hit up the Christmas market at Oxford Castle.

CLIVEDEN

Tea at the Cliveden in Taplow is one of the "1000 Places to See Before You Die." Entering the cozy warm living room with deep red tones, any cold feelings from the chilly air outside disappeared. We were sat in a corner of the library, surrounded by books accented with tasteful holiday adornments. The $24.50 afternoon high tea included our choice of tea (I had "Moroccan Mint"), and a large selection of sandwiches, cakes, pastries...and of course, SCONES and CLOTTED CREAM and JAM. YUM. Other favorites included the blackberry Madeleines and intense chocolate cake sprinkled with popping candy. Cliveden is surrounded by gardens and greenery (National Trust), and we were able to catch some of the views just before the sun set around 4pm.

ARUNDEL

After circling the small town of Amberley, we finally found the Amberley Castle (the Union flag marker was practically invisible in the dark!) where my parents are spending the night (Relais et Chateau). The interior was detailed, and there was a full on "ladies powder room" - with chairs and mirrors surrounding a fireplace and two connecting bath rooms. We went outside to take pictures of the castle exterior, complete with white pigeons holed up above the gate. The remote darkness gave amazingly clear views of the skies above - I even saw a shooting star!

We are spending the night at the Swan Hotel in Arundel. The Swan Hotel is one of those pubs-restaurants-B&Bs, with a great location on the high street. We enjoyed dinner in the restaurant dinner, in the company of locals who flocked to the pub to enjoy live music. (It was the only thing happening on a Sunday night in this small town! We know because we took a walk around town, past small restaurants and shops on the high street (including a flashy Chinese restaurant) and up the hill to the Arundel Castle, St. Nicholas' Church and the Roman Catholic cathedral.

Interesting note: Hanging Christmas trees with lights above the windows on the outside of homes here seems to be quite popular!

~ * ~ DAY 3 ~ * ~

December 13, 2010

We woke up in a heavy fog. After a full English breakfast, plus Greek yogurt, muesli and fruit, we took a quick look around the town. From the ruins from a Dominican monastery, we caught our first glimpse of Arundel Castel. It looked surreal, peaking out of the mist that seemed to rise from the shallow moat surrounding the grounds. Pairs of ducks bobbed in the moat, and I couldn't help feeling colder just looking at them happily splashing in the freezing water. We made a stop at Kim's Bookstore on the high street, which featured three floors of books, book wallpaper/posters and a huge dog that already weighed more than me at only 9 months.

CHICHESTER

Driving west, we approached the town of Chichester, surrounded by old medieval walls. It was great to see so much public transportation in such a small town, even a free shuttle bus from the center to the local Tesco! The town cathedral was impressive and even featured some modern artwork that was quite eye-catching.

BRIGHTON

We parked near North Laines and walked through a colorful collection of cafes, clothing stores and tattoo parlors. We took pictures by the Royal Pavilion, which was used as a hospital for wounded Indian soldiers during WWI. This perhaps explains the "exotic" Far East appearance of the pavilion. From the beginning of Brighton Pier we saw the expanse of rocky beach (so not like Hawaii!), which was completely empty - very different from the masses of sunbathers I encountered earlier in the spring.

BRIGHTON TO RYE: SOUTH DOWNS & BEACHY HEAD

From Brighton, we had a pleasant ride along the southern coast of England. We admired the white cliffs during sunset, which colored the sky with shades of pink and purple.

Beachy Head juts out from the coast near Eastbourne and offers a 360 degree view of the area. We excitedly ran through the grassy hills, taking pictures of the ocean, grasslands and settlements below. The few trees on the hill were twisted in interesting shapes from the wind, and our fingers were soon frozen from picture-taking, and we had to run back to the comfort of the car.

Sadly I must admit, another highlight of the day was visiting a Sainsbury's superstore near Hastings. Once I stepped in to the store, I immediately perked up and went into deal-searching mode, ie. looking for orange packaging (Sainsbury basics), yellow stickers (reduced prices) and orange labels (special promotions). I'm still amazed at how low prices are, especially compared to some groceries in New York and Hong Kong. We must have bought enough food for 10 people for 5 days and it was only £88!

RYE

By the time we reached Rye it was already dark. We had to make our way through a series of left-right-left-right-left-right to get to Mermaid St - a beautiful cobble stone street at the peak of the town. We unloaded our luggage and groceries, parked near the train station (after several failed attempts to fit into the tiny garage), and soon settled down for a tasty dinner: roast chicken, beef stroganoff pasta, salad and a wonderful balsamic dressing with cheese. A perfect meal after a packed day of travel.

~ * ~ DAY 4 ~ * ~

December 14, 2010

LONDON

~ * ~ DAY 5 ~ * ~

December 15, 2010

LONDON

~ * ~ DAY 6 ~ * ~

December 16, 2010

CANTERBURY

We took the scenic route to Canterbury from Rye, stopping along the small town of Chilham. The main square was very quaint and perfect as a town marketplace. We visited the church and took some great pictures with Chilham Castle in the background.

6 miles later, we were in Canterbury, driving around the old wall of the city to look for parking. The town center of Canterbury is best explored by foot, so we set off to the cathedral. As the seat of the Church of England, the Canterbury Cathedral is one of the most famous churches, a popular destination for pilgrims and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately the cathedral was closed so we walked around the streets, admiring the old architecture. I especially loved the small alleys in between the main roads and the old city walls and gateways. There were many interesting shops, though I agree that it's getting harder these days to tell which shops are part of a chain and which are more independent. I did notice Nasons, an independent department store, though - I'm sure their escalator was (is?) all the rage in the small town.

We walked down the main street towards the Canterbury West rail station to the Goods Shed for lunch. I had read about it online, and it was an interesting little farmers markets + food stalls + restaurants. We had the pork, tomato and squash soup and a brie, avocado and apple sandwich - yum! I loved the bread, and it was a nice spot to take a break. Outside we saw a Pullman train with fancy carriages - tables complete with table cloths and old decorative lamps. I will have to try one of those train trips some day!

DOVER

By the time we reached Dover, the sun was quickly setting. We followed the brown marked signs to the White Cliffs, and drove all the way down past the tea house. The drizzling rain and cold wind did not deter us from hurrying down the path away from the car park. Within a few meters we caught an amazing view of the port, where lines of trucks were waiting to board the cross-channel ferry. It was surprising to see how busy the brightly lit port was - a stark contrast to the country roads we had driven through in the surrounding Kent county. Through the mist we could even see France on the horizon. The rain made the chalky path clump to our shoes and we tried not to slip over the edge of the trail. At the end of the trail we were treated to a striking view of the white cliffs of Dover. It seemed quite mystical, with black sand beaches, green fields and waves crashing at the base of the towering chalk cliffs.

~ * ~ DAY 7 ~ * ~

December 17, 2010

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Comments

[The Virgin Backpacker]

I too loved Chichester! Went there as part of my adventures in the middle of summer-it must be a very different experience in Winter! The roads around Brighton and across to Dover are fantastic too...all the narrow country lanes and lush fields!! - The Virgin Backpacker www.thevirginbackpacker.com