Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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Well, our additional kms that we had planned to walk on our last night in Paris, were doubled at least, as we took the wrong turn out of the underground station and ended up miles away from where we had intended to go! Well, the Arc de Triomphe was standing prominently at the end so one could have been forgiven for thinking they were heading towards the Champs Elysees, when in actual fact we were heading the opposite way! (So, the Arc looks the same from both sides!!!!! How were we to know! And you know how utterly hopeless I am with direction!!!) Anyway, we certainly worked up and appetite and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Chez Clements on the Champs Elysees. It was a beautiful Friday night, with heaps of people about, but unfortunately, due to our getting lost initially, we missed the last climb of the tower by just a few minutes so we had to be content with standing in its lit up awesomeness!

The rest of the night was spent doing the boring (and very stressful) task of packing once again and weighing suitcases and bags to comply with the cheaper airline’s strict luggage restrictions! Honestly, I would have to say, without a doubt, that preparing luggage for the airport and going through the check through points etc to catch the flights, are the absolute worst parts of travelling for me. I get so anxious and stressed, and inevitably get pulled aside to have my bags checked and to get frisked!! (yes, I have had another frisking down at yet another airport!) Maybe it is because I find the whole thing so stressful that I sweat or something - at the very least I must give off some vibes that say, ‘check this person out, they seem too nervous’!!! But we made it through and touched down on British soil once again (and, I got my passport stamped this time! Not sure how I went in and out of Paris before without having any stamps in my passport!!). Luton! A fair cry from Paris…

A train ride to Kings Cross Station, and then a taxi ride to the hotel we had booked on the internet, saw us finally arrive, proper. I knew that any accommodation we had from now on would seem dull in contrast to the beautiful Paris accommodation, but this was beyond a joke! Talk about Flowers in the Attic!!! We were sent to an attic room on the top floor, that was clearly built around a double bed!! The bed was pushed up against one wall and a chair plus huge floor air-conditioning unit took up the other side. At the foot of the bed, it was wide enough to walk through but not wide enough to pull the suitcase through!!! And we were here for 5 nights!!!! It was late, we were tired, we had no idea where we were (Regent’s Park, as it turned out) and had no clue as to what other accommodation might be around if we checked out, so we asked for a larger room (that came at a huge cost) and were given a pretty good room (but certainly not matching the price!!). This will be fine we thought, until just after 11 pm when we had gone to bed, there was a high pitched screeching (not unlike a monkey) coming from the room next door - that went on until 2.30 a.m.!!!! We found out that it came from a small boy child, and were hopeful that the family would move on, but no. They are still here!!! And yes, the noise continues! So we have changed our days to coincide with them - that is staying up really late (until they go to bed) then sleeping in (while they sleep). The things we have to do!!! If we had been in the middle of our trip I would definitely have looked into moving elsewhere, but it is the last few days and the hassle would be more than it was worth (plus we would be charged exorbitant fees for leaving early!) so we have stayed put, and had a great time in spite of our accommodation.

As we did quite a few touristy things when we were here (on transit to Tuscany), this time has allowed for a more relaxed approach to London. On the itinerary, amongst other things, has been a visit to Harrods (amazing store!), a visit to Kensington Gardens (with the Princess of Wales memorial water fountain), Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Lord’s Cricket Ground, the famous Oxford Street (so many shops!) and Piccadilly Circus.

We also went to see Wicked last night. It was a great show but I was not happy that we got ripped off with our tickets! We ordered and paid for tickets that were supposed to be 1/3 of the way back in the middle of the Dress Circle, but on arriving at the theatre and collecting them, we were ushered to the very top of the theatre in the furthest back corner!! Row X!!! And there were no rows Y or Z!!! There was only one seat in the Theatre that was worse than ours, and that was the one next to me - up against the wall. A lady from New York got that one and was not happy Jan! I made a joke that I would need binoculars to see anything (which really wasn’t a joke as you definitely could not make out any faces or anything from where we sat!) and to my amazement found that there were sets available for 1 pound hire, in the back of the seat in front of me - just add a 1 pound coin!! It was a great show though and we really enjoyed it.

Today we took the train from Kings Cross Station to Cambridge. It only took 45 minutes to get there, and the weather was glorious. We spent the day looking at the Universities, Kings College (and its magnificent Chapel), the canals, shops, and parks. I re-visited some of the places that I had frequented when I stayed with Kathy, and it was so lovely to go back there and see it all again, as well as do new things that I hadn’t done before. The train ride back was a lot longer (as it was not an express train) and it was chocker block full of Arsenal supporters heading to the game tonight. One of the stops was at Finsbury Park, right near Emirates Stadium, and we got to see the Arsenal ground as we went past, as well as 100s of people in red and white, queuing up to see the match.

I’d love to say that we have been wineing and dining in ritzy London restaurants, but with now being officially broke and all, Pizza Express was a treat for us!!! And I took on the hottest pizza in the place (Etna). Boy, was it hot! Luckily for me, the lemon gelato they served me afterward had lemoncillo poured all over it, so with the coolness of the sorbet and the alcoholic content of the lemoncillo, I wasn’t feeling too much for very long!

Tomorrow is our last day and we are planning on going into the city for the day as we still have not been to the London Tower nor to Westminster Abbey. I imagine it will be full and fun before returning to our hotel room for our last night away, to, you guessed it - pack!! AGAIN!!! At least this time we have higher weight allowances (which is just as well because I am certain that I am at least 10kgs heavier than when I left!!) so it should all be good, but I will inevitably forget to take something sharp out of my carry on bag, or the liquids will be too large, or my bag not the right dimensions for the tiny little metal box they have for determining the size of carry on luggage (that escapes me how some people with massive looking suitcases can get on board and my squishy floral bag gets pulled up and turns out to be ½ centimetre too long or 1 gram over weight, or something equally pathetic!) But fingers crossed it will all go smoothly, and after leaving here at 12 noon on Thursday, I will touch down in Devonport at 9.30 am on Saturday morning (with a 7 hour stopover in Singapore and then a further 4 hours in Melbourne!) I can safely say my birthday is going to be a write-off! But the most exciting part about it all is that on my birthday, I get to meet my beautiful little first grandchild for the very first time!! What a birthday present that will be!!!

I doubt that I will get to write another blog so thanks to all who have followed our travels. I hope you have gotten something out of it - if not, no harm done, at least I have a ‘journal’ of sorts, of what I have done! (Ok, well maybe there might be one last update after we get home. After all, with that amount of time on planes, trains and automobiles, there is surely going to be something to write about!!!)

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Photos

Outside of Harrods
Don't be fooled by the shopping bag - I could only afford souveniers!

Harrods London
A huge and magnificant building

Kensington Park
at the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

I bet these guys get a lot of work!!!!
A sign on the side of a workman's truck outside Kings College, Cambridge

Comments

[LJ]

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This will be a brilliant diary for you to keep and re-live whenever you feel like escaping! Thanks so much for sharing. Luv LJx