An Olympic Sized Holiday

A 40-day adventure by My Awesome Adventures Read more

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An Olympic Sized Holiday Traveler
HMY Britannia
August 25, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 15 °C
We toured HMY Britannia. I was expecting over the top luxury. In places I felt like I was in my Nan’s lounge room. That’s not to say that it isn’t an incredible yacht - it certainly is! It’s just that so many of the decorating choices feel understated and very Nanna-ish. I guess Nanna would be thrilled that she has such good taste. 😁

The tour was excellent. The audio guides were extremely informative as well as including humorous details. I loved learning how in their off hours the officers would play “wombat tennis” which involved a stuffed wombat, a ceiling fan, a bat, and a miracle that there weren’t injuries. I also loved the wooden monkey who was a bit of a precursor to the “elf on a shelf”.

It’s nice to see how the other half lives - and to dream.Read more
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Floors Castle
August 26, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Floors Castle near Kelso is seat to the Duke of Roxburghe. It is the largest inhabited castle in Scotland. It is absolutely incredible.

I was wearing the T-shirt I bought at the Jane Austen centre with a Pride and Prejudice quote. It was very apt for today (even a member of staff felt so!) as the whole experience seemed very surreal. We walked in to find a larger than life portrait of the current Duke with his daughter. Touring the house, the staff were very happy to tell us how kind and affable he is.

The house was full of portraits (including miniatures) and tasteful curiosities of every type. Every window had a “pleasing prospect” of the gardens. I have no photos of the interior of the house, as the family lives there so photos are obviously not permitted.

I have never felt so discombobulated in my life. There was even a billiard room! Knowing that this was still a lived in house was amazing. We even watched a short film from the Duke which really summed it all up. He explained the history, showed current changes and explained how he sees himself as a steward over the castle and grounds, trying to leave them in even better condition for future generations.Read more
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An Olympic Sized Holiday Traveler
The border
August 26, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
A quick stop at the border. See our bus? It’s parked internationally. The front half is in England and the rear in Scotland!
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An Olympic Sized Holiday Traveler
The Minster in York
August 26, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
This the cathedral. It certainly is imposing. Unfortunately no inside pictures as it had closed to visits for the day and I wasn’t going back for vespers.

The building itself is very striking. There is lots of restoration work taking place, and the stone masons have carved some new gargoyles although they haven’t been mounted in place yet.

One new statue has been added in the past few years. The first to be added in 600 years. It’s of Queen Elizabeth II.Read more
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An Olympic Sized Holiday Traveler
The Shambles
August 26, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Now whenever my house or work is called a shambles I have photographic evidence to prove that they are not alike!

Now, this is a gorgeous little street that looks like something out of a Harry Potter novel (and it definitely plays on this tourist trade). Peter, our guide, explained how it got its name. Once there were butchers shops and there were big meat hooks outside, they were called ammels. They would then hang the meat or flesh on them. Flesh-ammels over time changed to shambles. As all of this was outdoors, the flesh would rot, smell, and attract pests. This is how “shambles” came to mean what it does today.Read more
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Double Tree - York
Aug 26–27, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
After our walking tour, I came back to the hotel to officially check in, fix up my hand luggage and drop off some things before exploring some more and getting dinner. The exterior photo of the hotel is actually taken a bit later - from the town walls when I started wandering.Read more
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Monk Bar
August 26, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Going back into the city centre to explore was fun. Our hotel is right by Monks Bar - one of the gates in the city walls. I went for a walk along the wall and really enjoyed the views.
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Other York Sightseeing
August 26, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Here is a collection of some other bits and pieces that I saw before dinner. I wandered a lot, got a little turned around, but if you keep walking for long enough you’ll find somewhere familiar.

There is a very old, put very quaint looking house. There is also a statue of Minerva which is attached to the side of a building. The building was originally a printers, so Minerva goddess of wisdom was looking out for them. We also saw Guy Fawkes’ house - of gunpowder and treason fame.Read more
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Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
August 27, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
A quick photo stop. We had our group photo done then took the opportunity to get photos of the cottage. There were lots of great discussions about Shakespeare. I loved hearing some outlandish theories.Read more
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Shakespeare’s Birthplace
August 27, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
We made our way into the town of Stratford. Here we got to go in to Shakespeare’s Birthplace.

There is a lovely little museum and then you tour the house itself. The gardens are also lovely - English cottage style. There were also some performers.Read more
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Stratford upon Avon
August 27, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Other parts of picturesque Stratford upon Avon. I’d like to come back and do the tour of the schoolhouse. By the time I got out of Shakespeare’s Birthplace, I didn’t have time to do it justice.

We’re not staying in town unfortunately. The first option of hotel burned down and the backup option is closed for renovations. It’s a shame, the town is lovely.Read more
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The Cotswolds - Broadway
August 27, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
This is a lovely area. Lots of rich people buys houses here making housing unaffordable for the locals. I’m finding it easier and easier to spend my imaginary Powerball winnings.
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Holiday Inn - Gloucester
Aug 27–28, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Our second last hotel. Tomorrow we head back to London. It’s hard to believe the tour is almost over.

My phone charging cable died today. That was a bit of a problem. The hotel has loaned me one for the night. I should be able to buy a new one in London.Read more
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Blenheim Palace
August 28, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
If I thought Floors Castle was grand, Blenheim Palace put me straight. It is opulent on a whole other level. Once our guide (funnily enough, a Frenchman) let us know that the first Duke of Marlborough had a bit of a rivalry with Louis XIV (the sun king - responsible for Versailles), it all made a bit more sense.

There was also an interesting exhibition about Winston Churchill. That made sense as he was actually born (unexpectedly) in the palace.Read more
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Blenheim Palace Gardens
August 28, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
The gardens were stunning. I went for a bit of a walk in the formal gardens. There is a temple to Diana and a lovely rose garden.

By the time I realised that the secret garden and the walled garden were on the other side of the estate, I didn’t have the time to get there. I guess I will just have to visit again sometime.Read more
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Blenheim Palace Stables and car show
August 28, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
So just as I should probably have been making my way to the coach, I found the stables. They were quite fascinating.

I also took a couple of photos of the cars outside. There was a bit of a car show on so I couldn’t get to the secret garden. 😞Read more
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Park Plaza - Westminster Bridge, London
Aug 28–29, 2024 in England ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
We’re back in London for the last night of the tour. A lovely hotel. Very central so I’ll head off for a wander before grabbing some dinner.

London has greeted us well. It’s 30°C and the sun is shining. Finally some summer weather.Read more
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Next leg of the journey
August 29, 2024 in England ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
“Oh, my baby says she’s travelling on the one after 9:09…” - The Beatles

This is currently on repeat in my head as I’m on a 9:09am train (that surprisingly left precisely on time!) hading south. Hampshire - here I come!Read more
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Odiham Castle
August 30, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Otherwise known as King John’s Castle (of Magna Carta fame). It’s quite incredible that you can you on an afternoon walk and see this piece of history while still hearing the motorway in the background.Read more
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Nature Ramble behind the Millhouse
August 30, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
This morning Auntie Toni and I went to a craft show at the airfield which was a lot of fun. I stopped myself from buying loads of yarn, thinking of the limited luggage space I have.

This afternoon Kirsty, Toni and I went for a lovely walk by the river behind the old mill house. The river is surprisingly clear due to the chalk filtering the water. Lots of brambles and berries to be seen. There was also a bit of wildlife with ducks, swans and some cattle.Read more
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Watts Chapel
August 31, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
After a fun morning building a fence to puppy proof the back yard, Auntie Toni, Kirsty and I went to a rather special art gallery this afternoon.

This chapel was designed and created by an artist who specialised in pottery. The chapel was absolutely stunning with amazing details on every surface. It stood in a graveyard. As we wandered through the graveyard I also came across an interesting grave, Aldous Huxley, who wrote “Brave New World”.Read more
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Watts Gallery Artists Village
August 31, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
The gallery was quite interesting. Part of it was the house in which the main artist / potter lived. There were exhibits of her own work, as well as her husband’s and some friends.
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Bosham
September 1, 2024 in England ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Had a lively lunch and stroll in Bosham. This was definitely not a place crawling with tourists. Lots of locals enjoying the sun and exercising dogs. Also lots of the local version of “yabbying” - hunting for crayfish in the chalk stream.Read more
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Fishbourne Roman Palace & Gardens
September 1, 2024 in England ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
This was an incredible visit. I have taken many more photos than these. When Auntie Toni and Kirsty suggested a visit to some Roman ruins with mosaics, I thought it was a nice idea, the mosaics would be mostly destroyed but I could piece it back together in my mind. Imagine my surprise to find a practically complete and enormous mosaic of Cupid on a dolphin. Incredible! Plus there were other mosaics and reconstructed gardens. The garden presented is only half of what would have been there in Roman times. Just to think, this was all discovered at the back of a housing estate and next to a school in the 60s.Read more
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Windsor Castle
September 2, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Windsor Castle seems much bigger than it appears on TV. You drive through an amazing amount of grounds before coming to the town on Windsor, then parking becomes an issue. It’s not cheap!

The walk to the castle was nice. It was great looking through St George’s Chapel and the State Apartments. No photography is allowed inside the buildings so my photos are outside only.

In reality we only saw a very small part of the buildings and didn’t really look at the gardens and grounds due to weather. I’m very glad we went today though, as the heat yesterday would not have been pleasant.

Queen Mary’s Dollhouse was amazing. It was designed by an architect and a horticulturist. It’s created in 1:12 scale and has the most amazing replicas. The wine bottles even have real wine in them! It has electricity, running hot and cold water and working lifts.

In 1992, there was a fire that destroyed many rooms of the castle. The restoration work is incredible. It doesn’t look at all out of place, the wood is just lighter in colour as it hasn’t aged.Read more
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