London, Day 3

Monday, June 30

When we checked our emails this morning we were delighted to find that our nephew, Scott and his girlfriend, Kate had arrived in London yesterday and had some time for us all to catch up. We arranged to meet at Harrods out the front of this iconic store. It was great to see them and Noelle led the way into Harrods while we all followed behind. There were some amazing items with amazing price tags to go with them!

Noelle at the front of Harrods

We couldn't resist the opportunity to have coffee and cake in the Tea Room at Harrods and were staggered with all the choices of teas, coffees and cakes. Needless to say, the cakes, although tiny, were full of flavor and absolutely delicious. They were a visual treat too.

Al, Kate and Scott and our "tea fancies"

Sticky Date Cake & Lemon Meringue Slice for us

It was great to catch up on news from home and hear all of Scott and Kate's plans for their holiday. We realized that we had been chatting for ages and that it was time to leave our table for the lunch clientele so we said our goodbyes and we caught the Tube to Westminster where we came out at street level literally at the foot of Big Ben. It looked fantastic and it is such a London landmark. Nearby are the Churchill War Rooms which we wanted to see, but when we got there, couldn't believe the long queue waiting to get in. We joined the line and tried to calculate how long it would take as they were only letting small groups in at a time - our estimates varied from 40 minutes to 90 minutes and we did toss up about going and doing something else but the line started moving a bit quicker and we ended up only having to wait about 30 minutes.

Al with Big Ben in the background

Quite a few London icons

Once inside and downstairs, we were given an audio guide to explain the different points of interest in the War Cabinet "bunker" that was set up in 1941 so that Winston Churchill, his Generals and his Cabinet could meet and run the military and the government in relative safety. The various rooms on display have been recreated as they were left when they were no longer needed after the war ended. It was incredible to think of the hundreds of men and women who worked underground for such long hours over the course of the war to do their bit for the ultimate goal of freedom. This included typists, cooks, civil and private servants, bureaucrats and military personnel as well as the politicians, and it was all done in secret! There were many personal accounts of what it was like living and working underground during the stress of the war years, and it was very moving listening to them and learning about the sacrifices that were made by so many people.

Al outside the entrance to the Churchill War Rooms

A detour from the War Cabinet tour took us into the Winston Churchill Museum which was a study of his life from birth to death. It was divided into the various phases of his life, but obviously the biggest display concerned the WW2 years when he was Prime Minister and his leadership was so inspirational that England was able to resist Hitler despite the odds being against them. There were a lot of multi media and interactive displays which made it easy to learn about the man during the 90 years of his life.

We had to hurry through the rest of the War Cabinet tour as it was getting close to closing time, and as we left the heavens opened, but fortunately we only had a short walk to the tube station. It reminded us of Melbourne when it always seems to pour just as people are leaving to get home from work!

We decided to finish off our real Londoner's day with an Indian curry meal and, fortunately, had plenty of choice near our apartment. It was a great way to end a fabulous day except that, once we got back to our apartment, we had to do our packing ready for our flight to New York tomorrow. These packs are the ones when you have to decide what you really need to keep, what you would like to keep and what you are willing to discard - all to meet the 23kgs airline weight limit. What a pain!

 

 

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London, Day 2

Sunday, June 29

After weeks of staying at B&Bs and having to have breakfast at a set time, we were able to sleep in this morning as the apartments we're staying in don't include breakfast. It was great having a lazy Sunday morning as we planned our day's activities.

Our apartment is close to Euston Station so we were only about a 20 minute walk from Camden with it's markets and Lock, so we decided to head there. Being a Sunday it was very busy but there was a great atmosphere and it was very cosmopolitan. The weather was typical of London with a cool breeze, grey skies and occasional drizzle but ideal for wandering around all the market stalls and buildings.

Punks "photo busking" with their hairdos

Crowds at Camden Market

Noelle at Camden Lock Market

Inside the Camden Lock building

The market stretched from the street to the inside of the old Lock building and then to the Stables (where the horses that pulled the barges on the canal were looked after). The whole thing was really well done with brilliant sculptures, old archways which now house shops, cobblestone lanes and loads of atmosphere. The stalls had unique handicrafts, vintage goodies, a large variety of food options and loads of souvenirs so there was something for everyone to make it a terrific day out.

One of the sculptures in the Stables Market

Shops built into the arches

Part of the Stables Market in Camden

After exploring every nook and cranny we were ready for a change of pace but, just as we were about to leave, the rain got heavier. Luckily we'd brought our umbrellas so we soldiered on and headed for Regent's Park via Primrose Hill. It's fabulous that a city as large as London has so many great parks and they are big too. We felt like real Londoners enjoying a leisurely Sunday stroll through a park!

We entered Regent's Park at the London Zoo entrance and made our way to the Inner Circle where Queen Mary's Garden is located. The rain had stopped by this stage and as we strolled past the playing fields people were playing cricket, soccer and tennis, whilst kids were having great fun on their scooters. There were a lot of picnics happening too as the Brits made the most of a nice Sunday afternoon.

Crossing the canal into Regent's Park near London Zoo

The entrance to Queen Mary's Garden was through the Jubilee Gates which are really impressive - the Brits certainly do fantastic gates for royal celebrations. The gardens were magnificent with roses of many varieties, delphiniums in all shades of blue and mauve, pretty ornamental lakes with water birds frequenting them, and all making for a very tranquil atmosphere despite being in the centre of London!

The Jubilee Gates

Alan and the rose named after him!

After dropping our shopping back at the apartment, we headed to our "local" pub for a traditional Sunday roast dinner to finish another great day.

 

 

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Braintree to London, England

Saturday, June 28

Because we were breaking our journey to London with a visit to more relatives, this time in Enfield, and because we had to return our car to Heathrow by 1.00 pm, we were up bright and early and on the road by 9.00 am.

Sat Nav did a great job in guiding us to our destination in Enfield but the only problem was, there wasn't any parking available in the very narrow street that already had cars parked on both sides. The couple we were visiting are more of Noelle's mum's relatives and in their 80's so we didn't want to be late - we know when they say 10.00 am they don't mean 10.02 am! We saw a number of spots but they were only for one hour. After circling around for awhile (with Noelle in a mild panic) we finally located a parking spot in the next street and by the time we knocked on Alan & Sylvia's front door, we were LATE!

After lengthy discussion, it was decided that we should have a cuppa in the back garden. Alan & Sylvia disappeared inside and, after what seemed an age, emerged with our "black" teas with milk in them and a packet of biscuits. They were in such a tizz. In typical London style, it was not long before it began to rain and we had to hastily retreat indoors. More drama as lounge chairs had to be cleared and rearranged. It really was quite comical.

Alan is the relative who has done all the Family Tree research on Noelle's mum's family and can trace it back into the 1700's. We chatted about that work and Alan also recalled the time Noelle's dad visited his parents and him when he was only 6 and Noelle's dad was stationed in the UK as an RAF pilot during WW2. Thankfully, Alan & Sylvia have done quite a lot of travelling so that became the topic of conversation and before we knew it, it was time to leave.

We wove through streets in Enfield but as soon as we reached the main road to Heathrow, traffic had come to a stand still. It was raining and a police car and an ambulance with sirens blaring, wove their way through the lanes of near stationary vehicles but we couldn't see where the hold up was. Sat Nav was showing 25 miles to go with an ETA of 12.57 pm and our car was due back by 1.00 pm. As time wore on and the distance we had covered was in yards rather than miles, we knew we were in trouble. We contacted Avis who were very understanding - thankfully - because we didn't arrive at their Heathrow depot until 2.37 pm! It was quite an exhausting trip stop-starting all the way plus we were anxious about how late we were. Avis were great about it all.

We then caught the Heathrow Express to London Paddington Station, hailed a cab to our apartment and collapsed in a heap. A cuppa revived us along with the knowledge we were in London - yes!! We settled in, did some chores then had a nice dinner out before a relatively early night. There are so many things we want to see and do while in London and we want to get an early start tomorrow morning.

Visiting with Alan & Sylvia

 

 

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Cambridge to Braintree, Essex

Friday, June 27

After rain overnight, we left Cambridge under overcast skies heading to Braintree with the forecast being for possible torrential rain! Fellow breakfasters at Tudor Cottage recommended we turn off and visit Saffron Waldren on the way as it is a pretty village so we decided to do this.

The route we followed is obviously the route the Tour de France is to follow as there were signs all along the roadside that no stopping would be permitted on July 7 and offending vehicles would be towed away. The roads were relatively flat compared with some we have seen the Tour take on the TV so we concluded it must be a promo leg.

One of the many roadside signs warning of "no parking" while the Tour de France passes through

Saffron Waldren lived up to the recommendation and we enjoyed a stroll through the town until a shower of rain (thankfully not torrential) sent us scurrying into a coffee shop. Once the shower passed, we made our way back to the car and headed for Braintree where more of Noelle's mum's cousins live. It was a short drive but we passed through some very pretty villages in Essex before reaching Braintree. Once at our hotel, we checked in, dropped our luggage and headed for Kerin & Christopher's home.

The Main Street in Saffron Waldren

It is always nice to spend some time in a private home when travelling and today was no exception. Kerin & Chris made us very welcome and we immediately felt at home. It is three years since we met them and it took all afternoon to catch up on all the family news on both sides of the world then it was on to family tree conversation. We can trace our mutual great grandparents family history back to the mid 1700's but there are no hidden royals or famous identities. Kerin had prepared a lovely home-cooked dinner for us and her son, Richard and daughter, Sarah joined us. Before we knew it, it was after 10 pm and time for us to head off. It really is good having family on the other side of the world and we look forward to reciprocating their hospitality in Australia some time in the future.

Checking out "Alfreda" the pet tortoise (who wasn't quick enough to make the photo) with Kerin & Chris' lovely garden in the background

Continuing with the chatter while dinner cooked - Kerin & Chris in their conservatory

Noelle (in full flight) with Sarah

Richard, Kerin & Chris' son

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cambridge, Day 2

Thursday, June 26

After yesterday's exploration of Cambridge we knew there was a lot to see and do so we set off after another filling breakfast. Our B&B, Tudor Cottage is very nice and super clean, and close enough to walk into Cambridge.

Tudor Cottage

 

We headed for the daily market, again taking in the sights of this lovely market town. Cambridge is certainly getting into Tour de France mode for the 3rd stage that leaves from here on July 7 and goes to London with all the streets getting the "Tour" treatment. Some of the places we wanted to visit were still closed due to graduations taking place, while others didn't open until midday so we had to amend our schedule.

Ready for the Tour de France

Quirky sculpture near the Cambridge market

 

First up was the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), which was dedicated to the brave and heroic explorers of both poles, but especially Captain Robert Scott and his companions who lost their lives on the return journey from the South Pole in 1912. The SPRI has been a part of the University of Cambridge since 1920 and has an amazing collection of items from the various expeditions dating back from the 1800s to the present day research stations. When we saw the basic gear they used only 100 years ago it gave us a chill thinking about wandering around in minus 20-50 C temperatures trying to reach one of the poles!

The Scott Polar Research Institute

There was also a temporary exhibition on stamps produced by the British Antartic Territory (and other countries), and the various postmasters appointed on the different expeditions since the late 1800s. Sir Edmund Hillary was appointed postmaster for the NZ expedition that he led in 1956 and the post office set up at Scott Base by NZ continued to operate until 1987.

We decided to have lunch before our next stop and chose Browns, a British restaurant that sources local produce and presents it in a really unique way. It was a great choice and our meal was lovely, again proving to us how much British food has improved.

Browns restaurant in Cambridge

We were now fuelled up and ready to tackle the Fitzwilliam Museum (a mini British Museum) but we only had 2 hours before it closed so we knew we were only going to skim the surface. We picked a couple of the rooms from their guide but were sidetracked walking through the first room! Then we came across a Fan Gallery that contained amazing fans from around the world. Some really were works of art, especially the ones that were a few hundred years old.

A display in the Fan Gallery

We finally moved on to what we really wanted to see - a room of Flower paintings for Noelle, the big name Dutch and French masters, and the Impressionists. Unfortunately it was nearly closing time so we had to hurry through so there's plenty more to see on a future visit.

Impressive entry to the Fitzwilliam Museum

 

On our way to King's College we came across an innovative busker, although I'm not sure how healthy it is to squeeze into a rubbish bin and try to sing and play guitar - anyway it made us laugh!

His singing wasn't really rubbish

 

When we got to King's College it was closed to visitors but we saw a sign saying that at 5:30 the Choir was performing in the famous Chapel so we seized the opportunity and joined the queue. The Chapel is the grandest and most iconic building in Cambridge and took over 100 years to complete. Unfortunately the Chapel has a "no photos" policy inside so we weren't able to get any pics but, suffice to say, it was very impressive and Reuben's "Adoration of the Magi" looked stunning hanging above the altar. The huge pipe organ and the Choir's singing made for a magnificent musical memory of Cambridge plus we got to see inside the grounds of the college!

Noelle in the queue beside the Chapel

Cambridge certainly has a lot to offer, so we know we'll be back for another visit in the future.

 

 

 

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Stratford-upon-Avon to Cambridge, England

Wednesday, June 25

We left Stratford-upon-Avon in brilliant sunshine again. We have been so blessed with the weather but unfortunately the forecast is becoming bleaker as we get closer to London. Today's drive was only 100 miles so again we chose Sat Nav's fastest route and arrived just after midday. We felt like naughty children when Lucia, the Italian lady who owns the B&B, grumbled because we had not let her know our ETA and our room was not ready. Our paperwork told us that check-in was between 1200-1900 but apparently we still should have notified her. Fortunately, we were able to leave our luggage and Lucia armed us with a map and bus timetable but we decided to walk the half hour or so into Cambridge's city centre.

Noelle waiting for a punt on the River Cam

On our punt

The sun was lovely and warm and we were happy to check out the sights along the way. Cambridge is obviously a student town but is steeped in history and it's buildings are magnificent. When we were planning our trip last year, we had considerable difficulty finding accommodation in Cambridge and today we found out why. It was Graduation Day at all the colleges so the town was crawling with graduates in their gowns, proud parents, grandparents and families, deans, professors and the like all robed up, and frenzied caterers carrying in huge quantities of food and drinks to marquees set up on all the college lawns. Sadly, it also meant that all the colleges were closed to tourists today. This being the case, we chose to take a punt ride on the River Cam that took us past many of the colleges. There were lots of champagne picnics taking place on the various college lawns and a lot of relieved looking students - and parents! The punts were manned by well-spoken young men who all looked as though they were from well to do families and spoke accordingly. Our punter was very good and pointed out all the different colleges along the way - Trinity, Kings, St Johns, Queens College, etc. as well as telling us interesting little tid-bits about each and who their most famous sons were - the likes of Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Milton, A.A. Milne, Oliver Cromwell, Peter Cook, Eric Idle & Graham Chapman (Monty Python) and Bill Oddie & Tim Brooke-Taylor (The Goodies) - what a mixed bag! We were quite amused by the story about Prince Charles attending Trinity College and having to be accompanied by a bodyguard at all times, including lectures. Apparently at the end of Charles' course, the bodyguard asked permission to sit the exams too and attained higher grades than Charles - oops!

We were glad we did not have to punt ourselves because the river was very crowded and a lot of the young punters who had hired a punt privately appeared to have had one too many shandies so punt "bumping" was the order of the day. We thoroughly enjoyed it despite punt whiplash and it seemed quite the thing to do whilst in Cambridge.

Punt "bumping" on the river

After punting we headed back into town to soak up the atmosphere of such an important day in the life of Cambridge and wondered what famous people of the future were graduating today.

The Tour de France is commencing in Yorkshire this year and Stage 3 goes through Cambridge on July 7 so many of the shops have themed their windows accordingly and there are Tour banners everywhere. So many Cambridge residents use bikes - it could almost give Copenhagen a run for its money so the Tour will no doubt be a highlight in the town.

Glimpses of Cambridge today

... and one for our dear friends, The Hardy's!

 

 

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