It was an early start – breakfast at 7am and in the airport transfer vehicle at 8:15am. By 11 am we were in the air (BA 501) and on the ground at Heathrow at 1:45 pm. By 4:30 pm we were in our Earls Court apartment.
As I write these words we are maybe 30,000 feet above France on our way to London. The exploration and tour part of our trip is over. Now we have a social week in London, catching up with three groups of people – all in English pubs. The few Spanish and Portuguese words that have become familiar to us will be replaced with Aussie vernacular.
Windsor Castle from Our Plane
Language was rarely an issue in Morocco, Spain or Portugal as English is very common in those countries – particularly where tourists are common. However, we tried to master words like thank you, hello, wine & beer – plus a few others.
I was surprised how close our BA flight path went to Windsor Castle as we approached Heathrow (see photo). With minimal fuss we exited Heathrow and caught the Tube to Earl’s Court.
We soon settled into our small but comfortable apartment in Earl’s Court, before we walked 75 metres to our local pub – The King’s Head – to have drinks with Fay and her son. After drinks we moved about 200 metres to another pub for traditional English fare.
After that we fell into bed and slept.
Day 45 – Friday 17 June 2016 – London
Today started slow with Shirley taking full advantage of a washing machine while I did things to do with shopping, technology and flights. We did manage a 30 minute walk around Earl’s Court sometime after lunch.
Around 4 pm we headed to the Tube for a ride to Trafalgar Square. A photo was a waste of time as the square was covered in large and small marquees for some music-related festival on the weekend. So we headed to the Coal Hole a favourite pub of our daughter Sara. It is what I would call a typical English pub.
In due course five of Sara’s mates turned up and we had a great session. After that we headed to an Italian restaurant in Covent Gardens, where I had an excellent seafood penne.
The Coal Hole and A Sign Within
Again, we did not need much rocking.
Day 46 – Saturday 18 June 2016 – London
We decided early that the trip was starting to catch up with us, so today was to be a quiet day. It was a bit disappointing as we had a previous commitment that had to be put aside.
Shirley at Hamleys with Lego Friends
It is an amazing place, with many staff demonstrating lots of the toys. They seemed to be having a “ball” – and were getting paid for it.
I took some street-sign photos to prove that I have played Monopoly and was amused by an old fashioned phone box that had Wi-Fi.
We had a quick look at the Covent Garden market then headed home for more rest.
When it was time for dinner we went for a walk and found a great hamburger place. We liked the name plate on the hamburger delivery container – that had Aussie implications.
Hamburger Delivery Container
Day 47 – Sunday 19 June 2016 – London
We started the day feeling a lot better than at the same time yesterday. Again it was a slow start until we headed off around 11:45.
We arrived at London Bridge station and had a wander before we entered the Barrowboy And Banker at 12:30. Seconds later we were greeted by multiple English cousins, and having my arm twisted for a pint of bitter. The group became 16 – seven of whom were my cousins – the rest were extended family. Some I had not ever met – some I last met in 1975.
Location of Cousin Get-together
We settled into continual conversation, interrupted by the need to order roast pork and Yorkshire pudding, order more drinks, take photos or move around the table.
Chris and Seven of His Cousins
It was a fantastic afternoon, which crept into evening before we said goodbye around 7pm. I headed home armed with photos, memorabilia and some great memories.
My only male cousin at the lunch reminded me that we had seen one day of an Ashes test at Egbaston (I remember that bit) in 1975 during which we saw Jeff Thompson bowl his first over of test cricket in England – in conjunction with D K Lillie. It is now history that Thompson took 0/21 and 5/38, as Australia won by an innings and some runs.
Day 48 – Monday 20 June 2016 – London
The day started wet and looked like continuing that way. It did, so we had a quiet day. Around 3pm the rain stopped, and we started – walking. We found Brompton Cemetery, whose residents have dates mainly in the 19th and early 20th century. It was a lovely place for a walk with plenty of leafy English trees and lots of greenery.
Brompton Cemetery
We also saw a lot of squirrels – probably the first to appear in any of my blogs.
Cemetery Residents
We used the Tube to get to Wimbledon to have dinner with a great mate of Sara’s, plus her family. They live in a beautifully renovated home in a lovely part of London. We dined on superb Sri Lankan food. I used my grandpa charm to put son number one to bed and to sleep – good story-telling and a “horsey” ride did the job. It was a great night.
Day 49 – Tuesday 21 June 2016 – London
The weather was a huge contrast from yesterday as I headed off for a 7:15 am walk. It was a good way to start the day. Some time later Shirley, Fay and I went for another walk. We had lunch, went our different directions and relaxed for a few hours.
Around 3:30 we met up with a lovely Welsh couple who we first/last met on a tour of China in 2009. Seven hours later we said goodnight. Those seven hours were filled with laughter, stories, memories, a few drinks and dinner. It is hard to describe the joy of re-meeting such good people – people who believe in having a laugh, a smile and a casual drink – not to mention being on a return train trip for seven hours just to catch up with us. It was an excellent evening. These people know who they are and we say “thanks for being good friends”.
Good Friends at the Blackbird
Day 50 – Wednesday 22 June 2016 – London
We were not satisfied with seven hours at the pub last night so four of us returned at 8:15 am today for a hearty English breakfast. After that we said good bye to two lovely people.
Shirley and I decided to get out of London for our last day in the UK and so we headed to St Albans. It was only 25 minutes on a country train, and a comfortable trip at that. We wandered around the town, admired the very old buildings and took photos of the 9th century school and cathedral.
St Albans 10th Century School
The market was worth a look as were the excellent pasties that we had for lunch. I also took a photo of a sign that produced a smile.
An Impressive Sign
The last photos I took on the trip showed the view outside our Earl’s Court apartment window.
View from our Earl’s Court Window
As I close our story I think of our journey via Dubai, Spain, Morocco, Spain (again), Portugal and England. The time has gone very quickly. The scenery, food, cultural experiences have all been very very good. The wine experiences added to the trip.
The camel ride into the desert and a five star tent accommodation was probably the highlight – but there were many others. We met some great people from the countries we visited (two tour leaders for example), as well as some great people who travelled the same or similar paths/tours.
We spent quality time with some cousins (who are now friends), and others who were already friends.
I hope you enjoyed the journey. We did. Reality at home beckons ……………
Well reality has arrived. We arrived home about 10:20 pm Friday 24 June when the temperature was about 4 degrees C. Another journey has come to an end.
*** This Post is Complete ***
Post Updated 3 pm Sunday 26 June 2016
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