Saturday, November 22, 2008
Day 15
The last day.
Today is a low key day for us. We're just going to be hanging out in a pub near the hostel before retrieving our luggage and making the trek to Heathrow. Our flight leaves at 7:15.
England, we'll miss you!!!
Today is a low key day for us. We're just going to be hanging out in a pub near the hostel before retrieving our luggage and making the trek to Heathrow. Our flight leaves at 7:15.
England, we'll miss you!!!
Day 14
Today we had an amazing brunch in Neal's Yard, a little vegan enclave, and then went to Portobello Road Market, which occupied the rest of the day. This is a mile long street filled with vendors.
I went to a movie, Choke, which was pretty good, while Anney came back to the hostel and chilled out.
I went to a movie, Choke, which was pretty good, while Anney came back to the hostel and chilled out.
Day 13
We started this day off by visiting the Charles Dickens museum, which I loved.
Afterwards Anney went to the National Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, while I went to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre as well as lots of walking about the South Bank.
We met up again and went to our 2nd best vegan dinner. Nom!
Now, some of you may be asking why we have so much time apart since we hit London? Well, keep in mind that Anney lived here for 6 months, so some attractions are old hat for her, but new and exciting for me. :)
Afterwards Anney went to the National Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, while I went to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre as well as lots of walking about the South Bank.
We met up again and went to our 2nd best vegan dinner. Nom!
Now, some of you may be asking why we have so much time apart since we hit London? Well, keep in mind that Anney lived here for 6 months, so some attractions are old hat for her, but new and exciting for me. :)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Day 12
I think the bed in this hostel is trying to kill me.
But other than that we decided to spend a day away from the museums and just shopped today. We started at Holborn and just wandered around Covent Garden and Soho and Picadilly. I found and bought a new jacket, as did Anney.
But other than that we decided to spend a day away from the museums and just shopped today. We started at Holborn and just wandered around Covent Garden and Soho and Picadilly. I found and bought a new jacket, as did Anney.
Day 11
Yesterday we went to the Imperial War Museum. It was an emotionally exhausting day. We started the the Children's War exhibit, which was about the evacuees during the blitz on London, and that set the tone for the day. We then did all the wars of the 20th century, ending with the Holocaust and the Crimes Against Humanity exhibit, and stumbled out of there, numb and exhausted.
We went to a movie to cheer ourselves up, Easy Virtue. It was hilarious and perfect.
We went to a movie to cheer ourselves up, Easy Virtue. It was hilarious and perfect.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Day 10
This morning we tried to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum, but we couldn't find any exhibits that inspired us. So we headed to the Tate Britain and I visited the Francis Bacon exhibit while Anney visited some other exhibits.
After lunch we took a champagne 'flight' on the London Eye. I found the experience to be breathtaking. I absolutely loved every minute of it.
We came back to our home base and after dinner went to a play called Lucky 7, inspired by the Seven Up series of movies.
(Sorry, I'm a bit tired to write a good post tonight.)
After lunch we took a champagne 'flight' on the London Eye. I found the experience to be breathtaking. I absolutely loved every minute of it.
We came back to our home base and after dinner went to a play called Lucky 7, inspired by the Seven Up series of movies.
(Sorry, I'm a bit tired to write a good post tonight.)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Day 9
London has decided to do a lot of public transportation maintenance this weekend, the result of which is that it took us about 2 hours to get to where we had brunch, which admittedly was quite far away from the hostel. But it was an *amazing* brunch and worth every minute. And it took probably another 2 hours to cross town and visit the Earls Court Doctor Who exhibit, which was 3 times larger than the one we saw in Cardiff and was absolutely fantastic.
Afterwards Anney went ot a classical music concert, while I saw the new James Bond movie, which was wonderful. If you are going to see James Bond in the theater, seeing it in England seems so appropriate.
Afterwards Anney went ot a classical music concert, while I saw the new James Bond movie, which was wonderful. If you are going to see James Bond in the theater, seeing it in England seems so appropriate.
Photos all set
The photos were all off by a day starting around day 3. I've now fixed everything and uploaded all the photos from yesterday, which will be under the Day 8 link I previously posted.
Hmm...
My posts and the pics seem to be out of synch. I've missed a day somewhere in the posts, and I'll have to sort that out later.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Day 8
...today was awesome! We had breakfast at the hostel, and then headed into London proper.
We went to a museum of English art (I forget the name and it will either come to me as soon as I log off, or as soon as I talk to Anney and she tells me what it was) which had man ancient and well known paintings, and then we hit several shops, stopping at a vegan hotdog place, before heading to Borders on Oxford Street where Elisabeth Sladen (of Sarah Jane Adventures fame) was signing autographs. I waited in line for about 2 hours while Anney read some books.
We then walked along the southbank of the Thames and visited the Tate Modern Art Museum. We visited the exhibit they currently have on surrealism which totally knocked my socks off. I was pretty much dragged out of there, and could have spent all day there. It was... profound. I watched a 15 minute surreal film, which when it ended the guy next to me said "What the heck was that all about?" I said "Bananas?" but what I meant was "If you didn't feel it, just shrug your shoulders and move on. It's *surrealism*. Asking what it's about is... not what it is about."
I just... sigh... I just love stuff like that.
Anyways, we then went to a Turkish restaurant for dinner, which was amazing, and now it's pretty late at night and we've had an awesome day. We're still figuring out what tomorrow will bring, however.
London rocks!
We went to a museum of English art (I forget the name and it will either come to me as soon as I log off, or as soon as I talk to Anney and she tells me what it was) which had man ancient and well known paintings, and then we hit several shops, stopping at a vegan hotdog place, before heading to Borders on Oxford Street where Elisabeth Sladen (of Sarah Jane Adventures fame) was signing autographs. I waited in line for about 2 hours while Anney read some books.
We then walked along the southbank of the Thames and visited the Tate Modern Art Museum. We visited the exhibit they currently have on surrealism which totally knocked my socks off. I was pretty much dragged out of there, and could have spent all day there. It was... profound. I watched a 15 minute surreal film, which when it ended the guy next to me said "What the heck was that all about?" I said "Bananas?" but what I meant was "If you didn't feel it, just shrug your shoulders and move on. It's *surrealism*. Asking what it's about is... not what it is about."
I just... sigh... I just love stuff like that.
Anyways, we then went to a Turkish restaurant for dinner, which was amazing, and now it's pretty late at night and we've had an awesome day. We're still figuring out what tomorrow will bring, however.
London rocks!
Day 7
Yesterday we had another yummy b&b breakfast, left our bags in the b&b's office and headed to a museum of a Georgian house, where the whole house has been restored to the way it would have been in the 1700's. It was beautiful.
Then we hopped on a train to London. We were really pleased when we got here, for the room we booked was nicer than we anticipated (it being a hostel and all.)
After hanging out for a while we went out for some sushi and came back and crashed for a while. We both did a lot of internet catching up and I watched the Children In Need special, which featured a scene from the upcoming Doctor Who story.
And that's it. Not much of a day, but these travel days are getting exhausting. Today however...
Then we hopped on a train to London. We were really pleased when we got here, for the room we booked was nicer than we anticipated (it being a hostel and all.)
After hanging out for a while we went out for some sushi and came back and crashed for a while. We both did a lot of internet catching up and I watched the Children In Need special, which featured a scene from the upcoming Doctor Who story.
And that's it. Not much of a day, but these travel days are getting exhausting. Today however...
Day 6
Today after breakfast we decided to have a museum day. We started at the Roman Baths, which were amazing, and probably the best touristy thing we’ve done on this trip thus far. We next went to the Jane Austen Centre, and finished at the Pump Room/Fashion Museum. The Pump Room was unfortunately closed and the Fashion Museum was... interesting but not fascinating.
We walked by some of the older parts of town before coming back to our room to prep for another vegan highlight: Demuths. We had a great meal there and then went our separate ways. Anney had found a brochure earlier in the day about a classical music concert happening tonight. While I was willing to go, we decided she would have more fun if she was not worrying if I was enjoying it, and I would have more fun if I was not pretending to enjoy it. I instead went to the Thermae Bath Spa, which is the only place in town that one can partake of the natural thermal waters. I figured, how can one come to Bath and not do it? It was okay. A couple of lukewarm pools. Some amazing steam rooms, but how long can one sit in those? (1 minute if you are me.) I would have enjoyed the other spa amenities they had there, but I ran out of time. Now we are back in our room and prepping for another day of traveling, to London, where we have a room that comes with an internet connection! So maybe I’ll finally get some of these pictures up.
We walked by some of the older parts of town before coming back to our room to prep for another vegan highlight: Demuths. We had a great meal there and then went our separate ways. Anney had found a brochure earlier in the day about a classical music concert happening tonight. While I was willing to go, we decided she would have more fun if she was not worrying if I was enjoying it, and I would have more fun if I was not pretending to enjoy it. I instead went to the Thermae Bath Spa, which is the only place in town that one can partake of the natural thermal waters. I figured, how can one come to Bath and not do it? It was okay. A couple of lukewarm pools. Some amazing steam rooms, but how long can one sit in those? (1 minute if you are me.) I would have enjoyed the other spa amenities they had there, but I ran out of time. Now we are back in our room and prepping for another day of traveling, to London, where we have a room that comes with an internet connection! So maybe I’ll finally get some of these pictures up.
Day 5
Yesterday we had another amazing breakfast at our b&b (if you’re in the area I *highly* recommend staying at the Meridian Guest House) and grabbed our stuff and headed out on another travel day. These days are *so* tiring. We took three trains from Stratford-Upon-Avon to Bath, then dragged our suitcases through town to the next b&b. From there we decided to go out and have some unplanned time, and just get a feel of Bath city center. We walked for hours just taking in the sights and found one vegetarian location we were looking forward to had their kitchen closed for the week, but found a nice substitute. We ended the day hanging out in a bar with Internet access, Anney doing online errands and me reading.
There were two crowds of young and not so young adults filling the pub, playing Magic: The Gathering, a card game I played with my friends about 14 years ago. This tickled me immensely.
There were two crowds of young and not so young adults filling the pub, playing Magic: The Gathering, a card game I played with my friends about 14 years ago. This tickled me immensely.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Day 4
This morning we got up and had breakfast provided by the b&b owner, beans on toast. We headed into town and walked the streets and visited the shops. Some presents were purchased. We then hung out in a pub for most of the afternoon doing online errands (planning our journeying tomorrow) and writing postcards.
We came back to our room and changed, heading out to a different pub to have dinner (a falafel sandwich and a bean and potato dish) and then see Hamlet.
We bought tickets to see Hamlet because David Tennant was in it, and while he was excellent, I was dumbfounded at how good Patrick Stewart was. I mean, oh my god. That was the most intelligent and scheming Claudius I have ever seen performed.
I will get all of our photos uploaded as soon as I can, but our internet issues have prevented it thus far.
We came back to our room and changed, heading out to a different pub to have dinner (a falafel sandwich and a bean and potato dish) and then see Hamlet.
We bought tickets to see Hamlet because David Tennant was in it, and while he was excellent, I was dumbfounded at how good Patrick Stewart was. I mean, oh my god. That was the most intelligent and scheming Claudius I have ever seen performed.
I will get all of our photos uploaded as soon as I can, but our internet issues have prevented it thus far.
Day 3
On Monday morning I got up early and ran to some filming locations I *needed* to see before we left. The day before I had a general idea of where these locations were, but when we went there on Sunday they just didn’t look right and I thought we were in the wrong place. After checking on the internet during our visit to the R Bar I realized we *had* been at the right place. When I returned on Monday morning I found the shots I was looking for: the Bad Wolf graffiti was still there! (Only those who watch Doctor Who will understand this reference.)
Anney and I then got on our first of three trains to take us to Bristol, then Birmingham, and finally Stratford-Upon-Avon. It was a long, cold, rainy trip, which had us running from one train station to another while in Birmingham, plus all the trains were running late because of the weather. But when we got here, we found the b&b we had booked, the Meridian, to be absolutely gorgeous. (And warm and dry.)
We dropped our stuff off and headed into town. We had a fabulous meal at The Vintner, several exceptional glasses of wine (hence the name) and went and saw Love’s Labours Lost at the Courtyard theatre. This was an amazing performance, and David Tennant was at his comedic best.
Anney and I then got on our first of three trains to take us to Bristol, then Birmingham, and finally Stratford-Upon-Avon. It was a long, cold, rainy trip, which had us running from one train station to another while in Birmingham, plus all the trains were running late because of the weather. But when we got here, we found the b&b we had booked, the Meridian, to be absolutely gorgeous. (And warm and dry.)
We dropped our stuff off and headed into town. We had a fabulous meal at The Vintner, several exceptional glasses of wine (hence the name) and went and saw Love’s Labours Lost at the Courtyard theatre. This was an amazing performance, and David Tennant was at his comedic best.
Day 2
Day 2
Getting a late start, we headed to the Food Studio for lunch, which was a fantastic Indian restaurant that was *very* vegetarian friendly. I can’t remember what we ate other than it was good. I couldn’t help but spend most of our meal listening to the loud conversation at the next table between an elderly English couple and the Indian owner of the restaurant, about their travels in Japan. “There’s no English anywhere,” complained the English gentleman. “It’s terrible.”
From their we walked to Roald Dahl Plass, which has been a major filming location in Doctor Who and Torchwood. We walked around and took many pictures. We also watched some kids playing on these weird devices which were like a combination of stilts and pogo sticks. They were really quite interesting and athletic. We went inside the Millennium Centre were a larger group of kids were having a street dancing/break dancing exhibition which was really amazing.
We then went back to the R Bar which we had discovered the previous day as having internet. I tired to post our Day 1 post, but there were some issues with the connection, and then the bar suddenly closed on us, for we had forgotten it was Sunday. We then found out most of the restaurants we wanted to go to were closed for the day, and headed back to the hotel to regroup and replan. Despite the pouring rain we decided to go wandering around to find someplace to eat, and were glad we had done so for we got a better sense of the city centre, rather than just the bay area where we had been hanging out. We found a lovely little Italian restaurant and then went back to the hotel.
Getting a late start, we headed to the Food Studio for lunch, which was a fantastic Indian restaurant that was *very* vegetarian friendly. I can’t remember what we ate other than it was good. I couldn’t help but spend most of our meal listening to the loud conversation at the next table between an elderly English couple and the Indian owner of the restaurant, about their travels in Japan. “There’s no English anywhere,” complained the English gentleman. “It’s terrible.”
From their we walked to Roald Dahl Plass, which has been a major filming location in Doctor Who and Torchwood. We walked around and took many pictures. We also watched some kids playing on these weird devices which were like a combination of stilts and pogo sticks. They were really quite interesting and athletic. We went inside the Millennium Centre were a larger group of kids were having a street dancing/break dancing exhibition which was really amazing.
We then went back to the R Bar which we had discovered the previous day as having internet. I tired to post our Day 1 post, but there were some issues with the connection, and then the bar suddenly closed on us, for we had forgotten it was Sunday. We then found out most of the restaurants we wanted to go to were closed for the day, and headed back to the hotel to regroup and replan. Despite the pouring rain we decided to go wandering around to find someplace to eat, and were glad we had done so for we got a better sense of the city centre, rather than just the bay area where we had been hanging out. We found a lovely little Italian restaurant and then went back to the hotel.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Day 1
We arrived at the airport at 6:45 and walked right through security without incident, or so I thought until I looked behind me to see Anney being hauled away because of her water bottle (they were just asking her to empty it.) Our flight left promptly at 8:20 Friday night and we arrived without incident around 7:30am Saturday morning. We each tried to get some sleep, not with huge success, but not a total disaster.
The entertainment systems they have on international flights are so much better than last time I flew (uh, 18 years ago.) There are so many movies I'm looking forward to watching on the flight home when I have to try to stay awake.
We tooled around the airport for a while before boarding a bus at 10am. (Breakfast = grape leaves and fruit from Marks & Spencer's) The two drivers of the bus were hilarious, cheerful, and friendly. In fact, I swear Arthur Weasley put our bags into the hold of the bus. After several stops we arrived in Cardiff at 1:30pm. We both tried to stay awake on the drive, and we both failed.
When we arrived in Cardiff we found out why we had such trouble booking a hotel room for this weekend: There was a rugby match in full swing and the streets were teeming with thousands of fans, all wearing red shirts with Brains printed in them, which seems to be some sort of local beer. Or team. I'm not sure if there is a difference.
We swam upstream against the crowd until we reached our hotel room. After getting settled, we walked down to Cardiff Bay and had a snack at the R Bar, a pub with internet access. We are finding internet access harder to come by than I anticipated, so I'm not sure how frequently we will be posting, but it is a high priority for us! Then we went to the Doctor Who exhibit here in town. Lots of costumes and props from the show. I was in heaven.
We went back to the hotel and showered before heading to the local Vegetarian restaurant, one listed amongst the 10 best in the UK, and now I know why. I had the BEST meal of my life. Ravioli's for an appetizer, Risotto and a Stir Fry with peanut sauce for the main course, and chocolate cake and chocolate torte for our desserts. AMAZING.
Then we ewalked back to the hotel in the pouring rain (actually it was pouring on the way there, too, so we arrived soaking wet) and crashed. And, uh, slept for 13 hours which I find hilarious and Anney finds horrific.
The entertainment systems they have on international flights are so much better than last time I flew (uh, 18 years ago.) There are so many movies I'm looking forward to watching on the flight home when I have to try to stay awake.
We tooled around the airport for a while before boarding a bus at 10am. (Breakfast = grape leaves and fruit from Marks & Spencer's) The two drivers of the bus were hilarious, cheerful, and friendly. In fact, I swear Arthur Weasley put our bags into the hold of the bus. After several stops we arrived in Cardiff at 1:30pm. We both tried to stay awake on the drive, and we both failed.
When we arrived in Cardiff we found out why we had such trouble booking a hotel room for this weekend: There was a rugby match in full swing and the streets were teeming with thousands of fans, all wearing red shirts with Brains printed in them, which seems to be some sort of local beer. Or team. I'm not sure if there is a difference.
We swam upstream against the crowd until we reached our hotel room. After getting settled, we walked down to Cardiff Bay and had a snack at the R Bar, a pub with internet access. We are finding internet access harder to come by than I anticipated, so I'm not sure how frequently we will be posting, but it is a high priority for us! Then we went to the Doctor Who exhibit here in town. Lots of costumes and props from the show. I was in heaven.
We went back to the hotel and showered before heading to the local Vegetarian restaurant, one listed amongst the 10 best in the UK, and now I know why. I had the BEST meal of my life. Ravioli's for an appetizer, Risotto and a Stir Fry with peanut sauce for the main course, and chocolate cake and chocolate torte for our desserts. AMAZING.
Then we ewalked back to the hotel in the pouring rain (actually it was pouring on the way there, too, so we arrived soaking wet) and crashed. And, uh, slept for 13 hours which I find hilarious and Anney finds horrific.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
It begins tomorrow!
This will be the blog of Anney & Scott's journey in the UK. The itinerary is as follows:
Anney and I are leaving at 8:20 Friday night on British Airways flight BA0214 arriving in Heathrow Terminal 5 at 7:40am England time. We will then hop on a bus or train to Cardiff, Wales. We'll be staying at the Etap Hotel.
On Monday the 10th we will travel to Stratford-Upon-Avon, England, and stay at the Meridian Guest House. Monday night we see Hamlet. Tuesday night we see Love's Labours Lost.
On Wednesday the 12th we will travel to Bath and stay at the Walton's Guest House.
On Friday the 14th we will travel to London and stay at Palmer's Lodge. On Monday the 17th we have a champagne "flight" on the London Eye.
On Saturday the 22nd we depart Heathrow at 7:15 and arrive in Boston 2 hours later (wait, what??) at 9:45pm.
We hope to post here frequently with descriptions and pictures, but it all depends on how easy it will be to get internet access in each location.
Anney and I are leaving at 8:20 Friday night on British Airways flight BA0214 arriving in Heathrow Terminal 5 at 7:40am England time. We will then hop on a bus or train to Cardiff, Wales. We'll be staying at the Etap Hotel.
On Monday the 10th we will travel to Stratford-Upon-Avon, England, and stay at the Meridian Guest House. Monday night we see Hamlet. Tuesday night we see Love's Labours Lost.
On Wednesday the 12th we will travel to Bath and stay at the Walton's Guest House.
On Friday the 14th we will travel to London and stay at Palmer's Lodge. On Monday the 17th we have a champagne "flight" on the London Eye.
On Saturday the 22nd we depart Heathrow at 7:15 and arrive in Boston 2 hours later (wait, what??) at 9:45pm.
We hope to post here frequently with descriptions and pictures, but it all depends on how easy it will be to get internet access in each location.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)