Suzie and Nik Do The UK

April - May 2023

Hello! We are about to embark on a most amazing trip to the UK! We are going to begin in London, make our way up to Chester for Eurovision in Liverpool (YAY!), then onto Edinburgh, then to Inverness, scoot down to York and then back to London :D Read more

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Suzie and Nik Do The UK
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- Apr 27, 2023, 5:20pm
- 🌙 22 °C
- Altitude: 7 m
- Australia Queensland Brisbane Brisbane Airport -27.406667, 153.10166727°24’24” S 153°6’6” E
Day 1
Brisbane Airport!!
April 27, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
Suzie - Here we are!!! Boarding will begin at 8.15pm and so far I've had to take something out of my checked luggage and put it in my carry on, needed to buy a new lock, dropped a tin and I'm not even at the bar....yet!! Maybe I should rethink that idea!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Nik - My passport didn't scan properly. The security guy asked me to to go the counter and I thought I had done something wrong. 🤦 It was just that the scan had timed out. Oh well. Bound to be a few hiccups along the way.

We still have two and a quarter hours until we can board.Read more
Suzie Holland I thought you were going to have a full body scan!!
4/27/23Reply
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Suzie and Nik Do The UK
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- Apr 27, 2023, 8:50pm
- ⛅ 19 °C
- Altitude: 5 m
- Australia Queensland Brisbane Brisbane Airport -27.39525, 153.10951827°23’43” S 153°6’34” E
Day 1
Here we go!
April 27, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We're boarded and ready to go! Woot woot!
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Suzie and Nik Do The UK
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- Apr 28, 2023, 4:57am
- 🌙 22 °C
- Altitude: 9 m
- United Arab Emirates Dubai Downtown Dubai 25.2048, 55.270825°12’17” N 55°16’15” E
Day 2
Dubai International Airport
April 28, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
Suzie - Lots of Emirates planes, it's hot and people are pushy and rude.As usual, the men treat the women like crap sadly.

Nik - I had been told Dubai airport was big...that is a HUGE understatement.

We had to ask for directions a couple of times. (We were so tired it was hard to fully take on what we were being told.)

They rush us through the security check. I found the way it was done to be a bit rude. It was so rushed that my stuff ended up going through the machine in 3 different trays, rather than them waiting til I could put all my stuff together. As a result I've lost two of my bracelets.Read more
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Suzie and Nik Do The UK
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- Apr 28, 2023, 6:43pm
- ☁️ 17 °C
- Altitude: 18 m
- England Kensington Kensington Square Garden 51.501667, -0.18666751°30’6” N 0°11’12” W
Day 2
Kensington Gardens
April 28, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Suzie - We are staying in Bayswater, part of the City of Westminster and on the doorstep of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park 😀😀😀 It's absolutely beautiful here 💜💜💜💜

I'm so glad we are here!! Our arrival at our hotel wasn't as smooth as we hoped but it sure was memorable!! Note to self, go to stations that have lifts, most stations have stairs and the people of London were very kind to help us get our bags up the stairs!!!

Nik - After battling with our bags on the stairs through the train stations....(Why are there no ramps? Do they not like ramps here? They would be very helpful when your dragging a 20kg bag around. ((However I do have to thank the many, many people who showed us such kindness, offering to help us with the stairs.))

...and a strange issue with the express train pass I had, (🤷) we made it to our hotel in Bayswater. It's small, but tidy and warm and suits our purpose....sleep and showers.

I'm tired and have sore legs from being cramped up in the plane for so long, and looking forward to sleep tonight, but I'm not really feeling jet lagged. So yay!

After dumping our stuff at the hotel and a very much needed shower (the shower could be hotter) we went for an explore. A walk to Kensington Palace and the gardens too. So good to stretch our legs a bit and start looking around.Read more
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Suzie and Nik Do The UK
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- Apr 29, 2023, 5:06am
- 🌙 6 °C
- Altitude: 33 m
- England City of Westminster Bayswater 51.513333, -0.1951°30’48” N 0°11’24” W
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Day 3
Good Morning London!!!
April 29, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌙 6 °C
I'll be posting again soon, and I wanted to share some thoughts of these beautiful surroundings...as you know, I have been to the UK before and it's so wonderful to share the UK with someone I love 💜💜💜💜 I love it here 💜💜💜 London is one of my favourite cities in the world.

We have been exploring this morning - from Bayswater we went to Notting Hill, Holland Park, North Kensington, and back to Bayswater 😀😀😀 A good 6km's 😀 We are going to go back to the hotel now and getting bags to take to Portabello Road markets!!

There's such beauty at 5am when other people are asleep... promises of a new day; so peacefulRead more
Suzie Holland So what can you do here??!!! Our hotel is in the background
4/29/23Reply
Suzie Holland Ukraine Embassy - we stand with Ukraine 🩵💛🩵💛🩵💛
4/29/23Reply
Suzie Holland I call this pic 'Life....er...Finds A Way'!! - Holland Park Walk, Holland Park
4/29/23Reply
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Suzie and Nik Do The UK
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- Apr 29, 2023, 7:58am
- ☁️ 8 °C
- Altitude: 52 m
- England Greater London Bayswater Round Pond 51.511376, -0.1874551°30’41” N 0°11’15” W
Day 3
Our First Morning
April 29, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
Nik - We're both early risers and it's no different here on the other side of the globe. After 4am call home we ventured out for an early morning walk and explore all rugged up. Google told us it was 8° and yes it was cold...but not as bad as I thought.

With no real plan to speak of we just wondered through Bayswater and Notting Hill Gate. We found an old church, coronation flags flying and even signs of fellow Eurovision tragics. Then a lovely breakfast at a place called Dr Power.Read more
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Suzie and Nik Do The UK
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- Apr 29, 2023, 11:29am
- ☀️ 15 °C
- Altitude: 27 m
- England Royal Kensington and Chelsea Notting Hill 51.513333, -0.20333351°30’48” N 0°12’12” W
Day 3
Portabello Road Markets
April 29, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Suzie - One word for these markets - bonkers!!! It makes Salamanca Markets in Hobart, Tasmania look like a prim tea party!!! So many people!!!

Time for a hot chocolate and a break!!

Nik - Yep...what Suzie said. Crazy.Read more
Traveler That shop reminds me of Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium.
4/29/23Reply
Traveler Me too actually.
4/29/23Reply
Traveler One day…. Looks amazing
4/29/23Reply
Suzie Holland I honestly could have spent all day in Alice's...so many antiques and collectibles to look at! Alice's was also used for the Paddington movies, as Mr Gruber's Antique store!!!! I love Paddington and Paddington's creator, Michael Bond, lived in the Portabello Road area!!! 😀😀😀😀
4/29/23Reply
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Suzie and Nik Do The UK
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- Apr 29, 2023, 3:19pm
- ⛅ 19 °C
- Altitude: 23 m
- England Greater London North Kensington Royal College of Art 51.501667, -0.17833351°30’6” N 0°10’42” W
Day 3
Kensington Gardens and Surrounds
April 29, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Suzie - Including our 5am trot this morning, we have walked almost 20 km, seen the most lush green of Kensington Gardens, visited De Vere Gardens where my Glasgow born grandmother Nancy Gibson lived and worked at the Prince of Wales Hotel before her emigration to Australia in the late 1930's, I touched the Royal Albert Hall (!!!), we marvelled at the opulence of the Albert Memorial, caught 3 red London buses (ended up at the wrong place the first time!), and found the biggest market we have ever seen. Time to rest!!Read more
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Suzie and Nik Do The UK
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- Apr 29, 2023, 3:33pm
- ☁️ 18 °C
- Altitude: 25 m
- England Greater London North Kensington Royal College of Art 51.501622, -0.17594351°30’6” N 0°10’33” W
Day 3
Prince Albert Memorial
April 29, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Nik - Well it's been an epic journey to get to this memorial. (It involves hopping on the wrong bus, an aborted attempt to get into the Natural History Museum (we said no way when we saw the line up) and a very long walk.

The memorial is beautiful though. Much bigger and more ornate than I had imagined and the surrounding park is stunning.

We are however exhausted. It's warmed up and we're both feeling a bit sunburnt (despite the sun cream) and ready for a sit down and something to drink.Read more
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Suzie and Nik Do The UK
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- Apr 30, 2023, 11:12am
- ☁️ 16 °C
- Altitude: 12 m
- England Tower Hamlets Whitechapel The Tower of London 51.506667, -0.07666751°30’24” N 0°4’36” W
Day 4
Tower of London
April 30, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Suzie - We have been sent to the Tower by order of....well, ourselves really!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 This example of Norman (and other dynasties of English royalty) is a sight to behold!

The last time I was here, I was with a tour and it's so wonderful to just meander through the Tower and grounds, instead of being rushed through.

We are having lunch at the moment in the Armouries Cafe and we are about to go to the original Tower, the White Tower, built by William the Conqueror.

Nik - I was expecting a crowd at The Tower of London. I was not, however, expecting the line up to get in to be three quarters of the way around the outer wall.

Having said that though, the line moved quickly and we were soon through the gate.

It's a marvel, how they were able to build such huge, beautiful, enduring buildings way back when with such simple tools. We certainly don't build like that now, even with the technology we have. Do you expect any modern built building to still be standing in 950 years? I sure don't.

I loved seeing the ravens. They are two or three times the size of the crows we have back home. Unfortunately they we're not allowed out of their cages due to an avian flu going around. I would have liked to see them out and about.

We went to see *some* of the crown jewels. Many of them were not on display due the the coronation of King Charles in six days time. We did get to see many of the crowns though. So sparkly.

I found walking on the old cobble stones tricky. They are all uneven and I got the toe of my shoes caught between the stones several times, causing me to stumble.

I loved exploring this old site, trying to visualize it back in the years just after it was built, knowing I was walking in the footsteps of Kings and Queens, being in the room where the two princes were kept, So many stories, so much history.Read more
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