Friday 30th July 2010
Ray here....
What a marvellous holiday! My thoughts of the magnificent countryside - be it the quilt pattern fields of the English countryside, to the Yorkshire moors, with a special mention of the Scottish Highlands, the seaside resorts of Blackpool and Scarborough, the friendliness of the British people. I'm very impressed with the British Tourist Board who do a great job selling the history of these islands. the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle sent a shiver of pride down my spine - being an ex-military man. Special mention my time in Billinge, walking the paths and trails of my childhood and Jean, John and Ian for making my birthday a special treat. My Auntie June, Uncle Brian and cousins Colin and Pauline - I hope we meet again. Thank you for sharing a part of my special trip, and assisting me in visiting with members of the family who are no longer with us in body.
Overall - time and money well spent. The memories will last a lifetime - especially Narelle's face and language when she is approaching a roundabout!!
Narelle here...
As always I must have the final say.......
Actually this is more random thoughts and observations.
Ray says the Irish cows are so fat and lazy because they only have to sit there and the grass grows up to their mouths!
I have seen way more rabbits here than I have seen in my entire life in Australia - I don't know why that is....
I finally saw a deer - it was like the badgers I mentioned before (kangaroos - Pacific Highway)
We saw a red squirrel in Wales - this is the native variety and it apparently fairly rare these days - it WAS NOT like the badgers and deer.
The hedgehog however - WAS like the badgers and deer.
We may have seemed absolutely mad crisscrossing the country as we did and I will admit to a few tactical errors in planning, but we saw heaps of the countryside and loved it!
A thought from Ray - Hadrian's Wall across England only took between 6 and 8 years - to build. We need the Roman Soldiers to come and finish off the Pacific Highway.
I will actually finish by complimenting Ray - you have all heard me say that we own a satnav as an aid to keeping our marriage together. Well in this instance we may have needed Tom Tom, but he wouldn't have been enough - I would never have made it without Ray's help.
Finally -
Thanks to Phil and Claire for giving us the idea of blogging- and for following our exploits and encouraging us.
Thanks also to everyone else who watched and read and wondered if I had fallen into one of my walls (love ya Kay) when we went off air for a few days.
It has been an amazing experience that I will never forget, but my next holiday will be somewhere quiet with a good book.
Until our next adventure.............
Friday, July 30, 2010
Henley on Thames and Runnymede
Friday 30th July 2010
Today was our last day.
We went to nearby Henley on Thames, which is where the Royal Regatta takes place every July. It is also where Oxford and Cambridge began their famous rowing feud.
It's a charming town and seems to have really balanced the olde worlde with a little touch of modern very well.
We took a cruise down the river (Thames) and saw how the other half lived(below)......
There was also a very charming little island in the middle of the river with about half a dozen holiday homes on it. Seemed like a great place to settle in with a good book. Accessible only by boat, but you only need to go 50 metres - probably easier just to swim!
There was also the inevitable swans, but I've spared you the photo this time.
Just one of the buildings that took my fancy.
After we left Henley we went to Runnymede. There is an amazing Air Force Memorial there. It is a memorial to all the allied airmen who died during WWII who have no known grave.
We then went to the monument (also Runnymede) that marks the place where The Magna Carta was signed.
Today was our last day.
We went to nearby Henley on Thames, which is where the Royal Regatta takes place every July. It is also where Oxford and Cambridge began their famous rowing feud.
It's a charming town and seems to have really balanced the olde worlde with a little touch of modern very well.
We took a cruise down the river (Thames) and saw how the other half lived(below)......There was also a very charming little island in the middle of the river with about half a dozen holiday homes on it. Seemed like a great place to settle in with a good book. Accessible only by boat, but you only need to go 50 metres - probably easier just to swim!
There was also the inevitable swans, but I've spared you the photo this time.Just one of the buildings that took my fancy.
After we left Henley we went to Runnymede. There is an amazing Air Force Memorial there. It is a memorial to all the allied airmen who died during WWII who have no known grave.
We then went to the monument (also Runnymede) that marks the place where The Magna Carta was signed.
Bath
Thursday 29th July 2010
Bath - what can I say............ I really enjoyed this most of all the 'histerical' things we have seen.
The archaeological finds (as always) are amazing. This is from a tombstone - they believed that the person would have been an actor, because of the facial mask used. This was just one of many tombs, altars and a whole range of buildings and artifacts.
The baths themselves are quite amazing as well and when you start to look around and see the different rooms and their uses you start to think what makes us think we are civilised. Let me tell you - Wealthy Romans knew how to live! Spas, saunas, massages, servants..................
I really liked Bath. It was neat, clean and symmetrical.
This lion fashioned from succulents, cacti and grasses (eat your heart out, Uncle But), was fabulous, although we only saw it from the walkway above the park as we refused to pay a pound to go down into the gardens - we would have only been walking back to the car to leave......
Bath used to have tolls on all it's roads, so i imagine this building (one either side of the start of a bridge over the River Avon leading into Bath) was a toll house - basically it just took my fancy.
Every where you looked was pretty and pleasant. This is from the bridge mentioned above looking down along the river.
There was, of course, more churches than you can poke a stick at (just like most places here), but this one looked good viewed over the cricket field.
Bath - what can I say............ I really enjoyed this most of all the 'histerical' things we have seen.
The archaeological finds (as always) are amazing. This is from a tombstone - they believed that the person would have been an actor, because of the facial mask used. This was just one of many tombs, altars and a whole range of buildings and artifacts.
The baths themselves are quite amazing as well and when you start to look around and see the different rooms and their uses you start to think what makes us think we are civilised. Let me tell you - Wealthy Romans knew how to live! Spas, saunas, massages, servants..................
I really liked Bath. It was neat, clean and symmetrical.
This lion fashioned from succulents, cacti and grasses (eat your heart out, Uncle But), was fabulous, although we only saw it from the walkway above the park as we refused to pay a pound to go down into the gardens - we would have only been walking back to the car to leave......
Bath used to have tolls on all it's roads, so i imagine this building (one either side of the start of a bridge over the River Avon leading into Bath) was a toll house - basically it just took my fancy.
Every where you looked was pretty and pleasant. This is from the bridge mentioned above looking down along the river.
There was, of course, more churches than you can poke a stick at (just like most places here), but this one looked good viewed over the cricket field.The cricket field is notable, not just because they were playing cricket on it at the time, but because Dr. W. G Grace (England's answer to Don Bradman) played here. There you go!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
London
Wednesday 28th July 2010
Off to London for the day.........
We caught the train from High Wycombe, which terminated at Marylebone. We then had to catch the "tube" or "underground" to get to Picadilly Circus.
The train (peak hour, more or less) was an interesting experience. The passengers were completely silent! No groups of people travelling and talking together. It was so quiet you felt self conscious if you spoke.
The "tube" was unbelievable. I never want to hear anyone complain about Sydney's rail system ever again. I have no idea why they call it the tube. it should be the can - as in sardines. Thank goodness we only had to go a couple of stops.
The first thing we saw as we emerged from the underground was a statue of Eros. According to my tour guide this is a very famous statue. I really have led a sheltered life.....
London is chockas with statues and memorials and I have not included many of the photos here.
The photo below is of Green Park. It's not very green at the present time, but it actually has no flower beds in it at all. This is because one day when King Charles II was walking here with his wife she told him to pick a flower and present it to the most beautiful woman he saw. He picked a flower and gave it to another woman!! She was so angry that she ordered all the flower beds removed from the park - hence Green Park.
We took a "hop on, hop off" bus tour and the first time we got off was at Buckingham Palace. Ray actually wanted to see the changing of the Horse Guards, but we were given a bit of a bum steer and we ended up with the rear end of the horses on video.
We got several views of Big Ben. Actually this is not Big Ben. You can't see Big Ben, unless you go inside here - this is St Stephen's tower and clock. Big Ben is actually the bell that chimes.
Many, many, many of the buildings in London are highly ornate. This a frieze from above the entrance to the supreme court. It depicts the many faces of justice.
We went into Westminster Cathedral - lots of dead people in here and absolutely jammed in! Kings and Queens and Nobles and Actors and Writers and the list goes on.
As we only wanted to spend one day in London (city-phobia), we had prioritised the things we wanted to see, but the bus tour gave us glimpses of things that were also interesting but we didn't want to spend time (or flagging energy) on.
Off to London for the day.........
We caught the train from High Wycombe, which terminated at Marylebone. We then had to catch the "tube" or "underground" to get to Picadilly Circus.
The train (peak hour, more or less) was an interesting experience. The passengers were completely silent! No groups of people travelling and talking together. It was so quiet you felt self conscious if you spoke.
The "tube" was unbelievable. I never want to hear anyone complain about Sydney's rail system ever again. I have no idea why they call it the tube. it should be the can - as in sardines. Thank goodness we only had to go a couple of stops.
The first thing we saw as we emerged from the underground was a statue of Eros. According to my tour guide this is a very famous statue. I really have led a sheltered life.....
London is chockas with statues and memorials and I have not included many of the photos here.The photo below is of Green Park. It's not very green at the present time, but it actually has no flower beds in it at all. This is because one day when King Charles II was walking here with his wife she told him to pick a flower and present it to the most beautiful woman he saw. He picked a flower and gave it to another woman!! She was so angry that she ordered all the flower beds removed from the park - hence Green Park.
We took a "hop on, hop off" bus tour and the first time we got off was at Buckingham Palace. Ray actually wanted to see the changing of the Horse Guards, but we were given a bit of a bum steer and we ended up with the rear end of the horses on video.
We got several views of Big Ben. Actually this is not Big Ben. You can't see Big Ben, unless you go inside here - this is St Stephen's tower and clock. Big Ben is actually the bell that chimes.
Many, many, many of the buildings in London are highly ornate. This a frieze from above the entrance to the supreme court. It depicts the many faces of justice.
We went into Westminster Cathedral - lots of dead people in here and absolutely jammed in! Kings and Queens and Nobles and Actors and Writers and the list goes on.
As we only wanted to spend one day in London (city-phobia), we had prioritised the things we wanted to see, but the bus tour gave us glimpses of things that were also interesting but we didn't want to spend time (or flagging energy) on.Our next stop was the Tower of London. For me the highlight was The Crown Jewels. Of course no photos allowed.
Below is the Traitor's Gate where traitors were brought in via the river to await their fate - usually execution.
We were lucky enough to get a close up of a couple of Grenadiers as we queued for the Crown Jewels. They walked straight past us.
I couldn't resist the opportunity to have a photograph near one of these guys - just to prove I really have been there!!
The Tower of London actually has several towers. One of these houses an exhibition of instruments of torture. They say they didn't really torture people very often, but who really knows..............
This is a replica of the instrument depicted above. 'Nuff said!
"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down......."
Below is the Traitor's Gate where traitors were brought in via the river to await their fate - usually execution.
We were lucky enough to get a close up of a couple of Grenadiers as we queued for the Crown Jewels. They walked straight past us.
I couldn't resist the opportunity to have a photograph near one of these guys - just to prove I really have been there!!
The Tower of London actually has several towers. One of these houses an exhibition of instruments of torture. They say they didn't really torture people very often, but who really knows..............
This is a replica of the instrument depicted above. 'Nuff said!
"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down......."Now - anyone who is as dumb as me is about to get a big shock. This picture is London Bridge. Well - it's actually the 4th version thereof, but it is very unspectacular.
Included in our bus tour tickets was a river cruise as well, so in order to sit down for a while we took advantage of it.
This is the Tower Bridge! All my life when I've sung the song above I thought I was singing about this bridge!! Live and learn...............
I take comfort in the fact that this is a common misconception.
Included in our bus tour tickets was a river cruise as well, so in order to sit down for a while we took advantage of it.We got a glimpse of the dome of St Paul's Cathedral from the boat.
We also saw the London Eye, which we had intended to go on, but saw from the boat that it was standing room only and we just couldn't take it, so we gave it a miss.
As we left the boat the tour guide drew our attention to this statue of Boadicea. He said she was London's first lady driver, he horses are each heading in different directions, he passengers are hanging on for grim death and she is looking to the heavens - perhaps that's how you need to dive if you want to drive in London.
We went from there to Trafalgar Square
We also saw the London Eye, which we had intended to go on, but saw from the boat that it was standing room only and we just couldn't take it, so we gave it a miss.
As we left the boat the tour guide drew our attention to this statue of Boadicea. He said she was London's first lady driver, he horses are each heading in different directions, he passengers are hanging on for grim death and she is looking to the heavens - perhaps that's how you need to dive if you want to drive in London.
We went from there to Trafalgar Square
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag...." There are very few pigeons in Trafalgar Square now. We did see one or two, but they have managed to clear them all out by banning people from feeding them. You can actually be fined now if you "feed the birds". I would have taken a photo of the steps, but they were literally covered in people, so I settled for the fountain and and Nelson's Column. I think I missed Nelson's head!!
This massive ship in a bottle was also noteworthy in Trafalgar Square.
No trip to London would be complete without a London Bus. In the realms of transport I have never seen so many cabs in my life. Buses, taxis and people!!
"Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross" (yep - there really is a song, poem or nursery rhyme for everywhere you go). Our train home was going to Banbury. That was the last stop - luckily for us we were getting off at the first stop.
This massive ship in a bottle was also noteworthy in Trafalgar Square.
No trip to London would be complete without a London Bus. In the realms of transport I have never seen so many cabs in my life. Buses, taxis and people!!
"Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross" (yep - there really is a song, poem or nursery rhyme for everywhere you go). Our train home was going to Banbury. That was the last stop - luckily for us we were getting off at the first stop.My feet will never be the same again!!
Windsor Castle & Hampton Court Palace
Tuesday 27th July 2010
It was a short drive from our apartment to Windsor Castle. Now the good news is that this castle is not a ruin. It is still used by the Queen quite often and is also used for lots of official royal ceremonies and such.
This is the main entrance.
This impressive section of Windsor Castle is just that - a section!
The most fabulous part of the day was the Changing of The Guard. We don't have many photos, but have some fabulous stuff on film. It was an impressive sight. Ray loved the brass band military music too!
From Windsor we went to Hampton Court Palace.
It was a short drive from our apartment to Windsor Castle. Now the good news is that this castle is not a ruin. It is still used by the Queen quite often and is also used for lots of official royal ceremonies and such.
This is the main entrance.
This impressive section of Windsor Castle is just that - a section!
One of the highlights of the day was the tour of the State Apartments. I mus admit to being somewhat of a 'pleb', though, because although these apartments house some incredible and famous works of art (Rubens, Van Dyke, Holbein, Da Vinci) and most people seemed most focused in on these, I was busy looking at the architecture and furnishings. For instance I wonder how many of those people notice the ceiling cornice that had to be at least three feet wide and adorned with crests.............. or the ornate silver tables and mirrors (pair of), it was so much I can hardly remember.
Queen Mary's Doll House was an unbelievable sight. All of this and no photos allowed!!
This (below) is the Great Park of Windsor where the kind used to do all his hunting when in residence. No hunting now, but pretty............
The most fabulous part of the day was the Changing of The Guard. We don't have many photos, but have some fabulous stuff on film. It was an impressive sight. Ray loved the brass band military music too!
From Windsor we went to Hampton Court Palace.This was Henry VIII's favourite hangout.
We were greeted at the main entrance by a Beefeater........
......... and some scary looking gargoyles. This one is The British Lion.
I fancied the symmetry of this section of the palace...................
The clock below is apparently very famous (I would never have know without my trusty guide - aka Ray), but it is an indication of Henry VIII's interest in science and technology as it is actually an astronomical clock.
We finished our day out at Marlow, which is a town Ray remembers visiting when he came to this county to an 'Outward Bound' school in this area for 3 months as a child.
We were greeted at the main entrance by a Beefeater........
......... and some scary looking gargoyles. This one is The British Lion.
I fancied the symmetry of this section of the palace...................
The clock below is apparently very famous (I would never have know without my trusty guide - aka Ray), but it is an indication of Henry VIII's interest in science and technology as it is actually an astronomical clock.
We finished our day out at Marlow, which is a town Ray remembers visiting when he came to this county to an 'Outward Bound' school in this area for 3 months as a child.
It was very pretty.
This is a view across the Thames River from the park in Marlow
York to High Wycombe
Monday 26th July 2010
Absolutely nothing to report for today - I just didn't want you all to think that I had lost a day (although it's possible!).
It took us 3 4 hours to get to high Wycombe and then we spent the afternoon finding a laundromat (laundrette) and getting Ray the slowest haircut I have ever seen.
Anyway after being on my feet for 12 hours yesterday, I needed the rest!
Absolutely nothing to report for today - I just didn't want you all to think that I had lost a day (although it's possible!).
It took us 3 4 hours to get to high Wycombe and then we spent the afternoon finding a laundromat (laundrette) and getting Ray the slowest haircut I have ever seen.
Anyway after being on my feet for 12 hours yesterday, I needed the rest!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
York in a day
Sunday 25th July 2010
While I began the day in bed with a coffee and a good book, Ray began the day with an early morning walk. This is the River Ouse quite close to our accommodation. There were lots of boats moored. Many of them were the old-fashioned canal boats you see so many of here.
Once I got my act together we went for a walk on the town wall.
There were some nice views from on the wall - like this over some parkland, but it wasn't all quite so pleasant - some roads and traffic and some local authority housing as well in parts.
This tower is an original part of the town wall. Lots of people were climbing up to the top and I'm sure the views were fantastic, but even though I know I will, I really never want to see another staircase again!
We really enjoyed the York Castle Museum. It was very extensive. There was your usual museum exhibits - so much history here - and even a 1960's section - which was fun, but the part I enjoyed the most was in the prison cells underneath (still pretty much as they were). Again, the work that had gone into making things comer alive was fabulous. As you entered each cell a projection of an actor telling the story of someone who had been in the cell was triggered. Each story finished with words projected on the wall telling you what happened to the people. Hangings, transportation to Australia and America etc....
Of course we had to visit York Minster. Religion played such a significant role in the history of Britain.
While I began the day in bed with a coffee and a good book, Ray began the day with an early morning walk. This is the River Ouse quite close to our accommodation. There were lots of boats moored. Many of them were the old-fashioned canal boats you see so many of here.
Once I got my act together we went for a walk on the town wall.
There were some nice views from on the wall - like this over some parkland, but it wasn't all quite so pleasant - some roads and traffic and some local authority housing as well in parts.
This tower is an original part of the town wall. Lots of people were climbing up to the top and I'm sure the views were fantastic, but even though I know I will, I really never want to see another staircase again!
We really enjoyed the York Castle Museum. It was very extensive. There was your usual museum exhibits - so much history here - and even a 1960's section - which was fun, but the part I enjoyed the most was in the prison cells underneath (still pretty much as they were). Again, the work that had gone into making things comer alive was fabulous. As you entered each cell a projection of an actor telling the story of someone who had been in the cell was triggered. Each story finished with words projected on the wall telling you what happened to the people. Hangings, transportation to Australia and America etc....
Of course we had to visit York Minster. Religion played such a significant role in the history of Britain.If you can see the metal barriers on the road in this picture you might imagine some of the difficulty us tourists were having as there were bike races going around the city all day, so crossing the road took quite some time on occasion.
One of those little silly things that take my fancy was this street below......
We visited the National Rail Museum. It was huge. There were Royal trains and horse drawn trains and all manner of things, including a Japanese Bullet Train. This picture (below) is of the train that goes under the English Channel to France.
Although I took only one photo (of a guy playing a lute - not included here), one of the highlights of our day was a visit to Jorvic. This is a recreated Viking village, from the first settlement of York (then called Jorvic). The recreation was absolutely fabulous, but I was so busy looking and listening that I didn't take any photos. 
One of those little silly things that take my fancy was this street below......
We visited the National Rail Museum. It was huge. There were Royal trains and horse drawn trains and all manner of things, including a Japanese Bullet Train. This picture (below) is of the train that goes under the English Channel to France.
Although I took only one photo (of a guy playing a lute - not included here), one of the highlights of our day was a visit to Jorvic. This is a recreated Viking village, from the first settlement of York (then called Jorvic). The recreation was absolutely fabulous, but I was so busy looking and listening that I didn't take any photos.Apart for the replica village, there was a museum display. Housed in this display was the oldest know surviving building timber. They soaked it in hot wax for a year to preserve it and be able to display it.
We ended the day in the Roman Bath pub - notable mainly because of the fish they served me for dinner!
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