England 2023

November 2023

A 14-day adventure by Sarah Read more

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Sarah McCabe England 2023
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- Nov 14, 2023, 1:00pm
- ☀️ 70 °F
- Altitude: 177 ft
- United States California Santa Clara County Cuernavaca 37.36985, -122.06001737°22’11” N 122°3’36” W
Day 1
Packed and Ready
November 14, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
We are all packed and ready to go. Vinnie staged a silent protest this morning when I was trying to do the last bit of packing. He was not successful either in stopping me or in getting packed into the suitcase.

Travel tip: take photos of your packed luggage. If they get lost, it is really helpful when you are filling out the paperwork. This is the first trip where I have also put Apple Airtags in our luggage. Belt AND suspenders is my motto!Read more
Good idea [Lynn]
11/18/23Reply
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Sarah McCabe England 2023
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- Nov 14, 2023, 3:45pm
- ☁️ 68 °F
- Altitude: 82 ft
- United States California San Mateo County Lomita Park San Francisco Airport station 37.617425, -122.3907537°37’3” N 122°23’27” W
Day 1
Last meal in America
November 14, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
We arrived at the gate really early because we had zero delays getting to the airport, checked in and through security. Literally no lines anywhere. So we decided to get a snack and some beer.

I'm trying to adjust to the time change gradually by convincing myself it is four hours later than CA time. So time for a beer! It helps that I got up at 8 am and was working non-stop until we left for the airport at 2. Those last minute things already take more time than you expect!Read more
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Sarah McCabe England 2023
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- Nov 15, 2023, 12:04pm
- ☀️ 54 °F
- Altitude: 112 ft
- England City of London Puddle Dock Blackfriars Railway Station 51.511867, -0.10406151°30’43” N 0°6’15” W
Day 2
Landed in London
November 15, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
After a relatively uneventful night flight we landed in London at noon local time which is 4:00 a.m. for us. At one point I looked out the window and saw sunrise over Greenland.

Then we navigated through London public transport to our hotel. Which is very hip and trendy, just like us. Russell remarked that he was one of very few people on the street in shorts. As a matter of fact, strangers on the train remarked on that as well.Read more
Brits tend not to wear shorts in these temperatures apart from some school children who have to! [Joanna]
11/16/23Reply
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Sarah McCabe England 2023
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- Nov 15, 2023, 3:00pm
- ☀️ 54 °F
- Altitude: 72 ft
- England Southwark Cathedrals 51.505111, -0.09821451°30’18” N 0°5’54” W
Day 2
CitizenM Hotel London (Bankside)
November 15, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
It took us about 3 hours after landing to navigate the airport, clear customs, get a train in to central London, get a tube close (-ish) to our hotel and then walk to our hotel. We saw some interesting sites along the way, but jetlag is creeping up and we are feeling pretty wiped out.

The hotel is kind of an interesting concept. The rooms are extremely tiny, but there are very expansive, and comfortable common areas. So you are expected to spend little time in your room and work or read down in the common areas.

Although it was tiny, the room was surprisingly well equipped and even came with a tiny drawer refrigerator.Read more
That room is even too small for me! What district are you staying at? [Virginia Quong]
11/17/23Reply
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Sarah McCabe England 2023
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- Nov 15, 2023, 5:00pm
- 🌙 50 °F
- Altitude: 75 ft
- England Southwark Borough Market 51.505103, -0.08981451°30’18” N 0°5’23” W
Day 2
Borough Market and Dinner at Padella
November 15, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌙 50 °F
After we unpacked and settled in, we headed off to a nearby indoor food market. It was very impressive, which it should be since it has been running for about a thousand years (no exaggeration).

Russell decided that it was too cold even for him in shorts, so he headed back to get long pants at the hotel while I wandered around the market and put our names in at a restaurant that looked really good (and rated Michelin Bib Gourmand).

They had a cool way of queuing at this restaurant. At 4:30 they put out these signs with QR codes. Once you scanned them, they put you on the waiting list and started seating people at 5. We ended up getting seated around 5:10 and had 3 different delicious pasta dishes.

Then we were back in the hotel and asleep by 7 pm. We both got very little sleep on the plane, so we were hoping that if we got a regular night's sleep tonight, we could adjust to England time in one night.Read more
I'm impressed with the queuing set up! With those smiles, you are so enjoying London. [Virginia Quong]
11/17/23Reply
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Sarah McCabe England 2023
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- Nov 16, 2023, 10:00am
- 🌧 43 °F
- Altitude: 23 ft
- England Greater London Lambeth Greater London 51.496947, -0.12081451°29’49” N 0°7’15” W
Day 3
Early morning bike ride
November 16, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌧 43 °F
Even though we didn't have to get up until 12 hours after we went to bed, we still didn't get a great night's sleep. But we didn't have much trouble getting up in plenty of time for our early morning bike tour of London. This is something we like to do each time we visit a new city.

This tour was a little bit gimmicky, in that we were riding old-timey bikes (modern construction but vintage aesthetic) and the guide dressed in tweed. But it was a fun gimmicky tour.

Even though rain was forecast, it held off while we were riding. It drizzled enough at the start that Russell and I broke out our new raincoats, but then it stopped before we could give them a proper test.

Funny enough, it did rain for a bit, but we were in a pub for that period, so we didn't get wet.

One of the more striking sites we visited was the covid memorial wall where every painted heart represented a person lost to covid somewhere in Britain (not just London). The hearts seemed to stretch on forever.

Our final stop on the bike tour was a spot where street art is both allowed and encouraged. The guide handed out spray paint cans and we went to town. I made a google map pin. Sort of a "you are here" statement. Russell added an infinity symbol so I guess the message is "you are infinite."Read more
The heart wall is a lovely gesture. [Virginia Quong]
11/17/23Reply
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Sarah McCabe England 2023
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- Nov 16, 2023, 12:04pm
- ☁️ 46 °F
- Altitude: 56 ft
- England Greater London City of Westminster Victoria Memorial 51.501342, -0.14075351°30’5” N 0°8’27” W
Day 3
Buckingham Palace
November 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
Just as we pulled up to Buckingham palace on our tour, a ceremonial carriage arrived, accompanied by a police escort. It had all the trappings of some official visiting head of state. Then, when we were about to leave, a second carriage arrived.

It was all very pomp & circumstance, however, we couldn't see inside the carriages to determine who was in them. Afterwards, I looked it up and I am pretty sure this was a rehearsal for the state visit of the President of South Korea who will be arriving next week. We will be in Devon then, so we won't be able to see the real thing, so it was cool to see the dress rehearsal.Read more
Glad you are having a splendid time so far, getting to check out London and a taste of British life and culture. Thanks for sharing the photos. [Rhonda]
11/17/23Reply
Walk up to them next time and ask with a straight face, "Are you my Uber?" [Susumu]
11/18/23Reply
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Sarah McCabe England 2023
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- Nov 16, 2023, 4:00pm
- Altitude: 43 ft
- England Greater London Waterloo Waterloo Bus Depot 51.503489, -0.11005651°30’13” N 0°6’36” W
Day 3
Lunch and steet scenes
November 16, 2023 in England
We skipped breakfast before our ride, so we were pretty hungry when we finished. Our guide recommended a local cafe/diner so we headed over there. It was very yummy, and pretty healthy as well.

We saw some more street art on our way back to the hotel. Then we had to use the facilities, so we stopped in a pub. And then, of course, we had to order beers to be customers!

By the time we left the pub, it was raining so we finally got to test our raincoats at least a little bit.Read more
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Sarah McCabe England 2023
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- Nov 16, 2023, 4:45pm
- ☁️ 46 °F
- Altitude: 72 ft
- England Southwark Cathedrals 51.505125, -0.098251°30’18” N 0°5’54” W
Day 3
Modern Marvels
November 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
One thing I have noticed about England that is different from 25 years ago: the sinks in the public bathrooms have been modernised. As I recall, pretty much every public bathroom, even those in brand new construction (brand new at the time, that is) had separate hot and cold taps. Often separated by quite a large physical distance. So it was impossible to wash your hands with warm water. Your choices were scalding or frigid. Nowadays, many public bathrooms have a mixing faucet, like we would see at home. Some still have the older configuration (hand is for scale in that photo). Interestingly, all the mixing faucets look very similar. I don't know if they all come from the same manufacturer, but they look like they do.Read more
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Sarah McCabe England 2023
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- Nov 16, 2023, 6:15pm
- ☁️ 46 °F
- Altitude: 46 ft
- England Southwark Grange Bermondsey Abbey 51.498484, -0.08122951°29’55” N 0°4’52” W
Day 3
Late dinner
November 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
We had a very late dinner reservation so we went into our hotel to get out of the rain. We had enough time for both of us to get a refreshing nap.

Dinner was at a Spanish restaurant where the food was very tasty and the wine selection was extensive. We may have indulged in wine a bit too much but it was a delightful meal.

Then a quick walk back to the hotel and we were ready to hit the hay.Read more
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