A 24-day adventure by Wanderinghands
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  • 33.8kkilometers
  • Day 2

    Transit!

    July 5, 2017 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Arrived in KL after our night flight. We both managed a few naps but nothing meaningful so here we are in the lounge waiing for our showers, always a good way to spark up.
    A green tea for me, it is 6.30 am, probably too early for liquor!?!?

    Phil - I'm tired (already)!
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  • Day 2

    Still in transit and then, we're here!

    July 5, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Thirty two hours door to door - leaving home till checking into our Kensington apartment.
    KL to Heathrow was a drainer, a lot of nothingness and little rest. The last time we did this length of trip was to Paris Business Class. Economy is very different on the long haul!
    Arrived at Heathrow, spent ages in the queue for Passport Control, bought our train cards at a ticket machine and Phil lost his credit card....... for about 10 mins. He went thru his pockets, wallet and looked around twice, then I did the same and eventually he found the card on the ground under a piece of luggage. PHEW!!!!! Just a little too tired.
    Caught our train and arrived at apartment just before 6.30 pm.
    Had dinner at a local pub which we can definitely improve on in the future and wandered a local shopping/restaurant strip to stretch our bodies.
    10pm and we are crashing, an early finish so we'll be right tomorrow for our first day in London.
    The good news is that all of my online shopping had arrived and was waiting for me on arrival! Makes life very easy!

    Phil -so glad to finally get here. First beer and food was not great but we both did not care, we just needed to sleep.
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  • Day 3

    London by bike

    July 6, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Our first day in London, and considering I woke first at 1.30am and thought it was 4am or later I haven't done too badly. I did get more sleep but it was all over the place.... Still, didn't feel too bad in the morning so munched thru breakfast when it arrived while trying again to get online Wimbeldon tickets with no luck so headed out from our apartment in Earls Court and caught the tube to Waterloo to join the half day bike tour of London that we had booked.
    The sun was shining brightly as we kitted up with our pushies and headed off. It was great to see that my bike had one of those big wide seats - something you can actually plant your butt on.
    A 30C day in London, couldn't believe our luck! Wonderful to be out and about.
    As usual it seems mandatory that people that can't rides bikes feel the need to learn whilst in another country by booking on a bike tour. This equates to entertainment and disaster. Interesting combination in traffic!
    I have to say cycling thru London in the traffic was certainly more disconcerting than cycling thru Paris or Florence. Felt as though there were moments of russian roulette and also saw two accidents.
    Whilst cycling around we saw the Houses of Parliamemt, Big Ben, MI5, MI6, Samual Johnsons house, Covent Garden (where I found time for a gelati), Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square and London Eye.
    We made it back to base late but unscathed and headed off on foot to walk thru Borough Market which is a very nice food market with lots of cheese, fresh meats (crocodile, kangaroo, wild boar, camel, zebra), fresh pasta, breads, cakes, fruit and veg, wines and more). Something for Vic Market to have a look, as its more like South Melbourne market.
    From here we walked over London Bridge to the Monument to the Great Fire of London. Phil decided to climb it when we got there, 311 steps each way and then we walked down along the Thames for a way towards Tower Bridge before walking back, finding a little pub for 'refreshments' near the river before battling the peak hour tube ride home.
    The day was finished off with dinner at a nice little Thai restaurant and a chat with local people on the table next to us.
    Walking home and almost at our apartment one of the Wimbeldon courtesy vehicles stopped and a player with a huge bag of racquets and companion walked into our apartment building right before us. Although the face looked familiar I can't think of his name.
    The night before another vehicle had also dropped a player further up the street so its nice to know they all want to stay near us!

    Phil- I woke at 3.30 am ready for a big day. First time I have had jet lag and now understand how people can be confused. The bike ride could have been a disaster and riders could have been hurt. Weaving between cars and going too fast, the guide had no idea how to run a good tour. The traffic is bad. The population has grown but the streets have not. This is what Melbourne will be like in 10 years. Proved my fitness level climbing to the top of the Monument. Mind you, I was stuffed when I got home.
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  • Day 4

    Canal cruise to start the day

    July 7, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    I literally fell asleep last night as I couldn't keep my eyes open. That rarely happens.
    Woke up this morning at 4am ready to do it all again only to find out it was only 4am.
    Daylight hours here are amazing at the moment. It's not dark till about 10.30pm which means you dont realise how late your day/night is when you are out because it is still light and this morning when I woke for the first time I noticed that it is quite light by 4am.
    Lucked out again for Wimbeldon tickets so headed out on the tube to Little Venice to take a canal cruise (Jasons Cruises) on Regents Canal. We arrived earlier and watched life on the canal. Lots of narrow boats line the canal, with almost 24,000 people living on narrow boats on canals.
    There were paddle boarders out on the still water, sharing space with the swans and their cute babies.
    The canal cruise was lovely - slow and relaxing on a day of perfect weather - 28C.
    We travelled thru tunnels, under bridges, along the back of Regents Park and a section of the London Zoo.
    Our trip was one way to Camden Market so we climbed off the narrow boat an hour later and went exploring thru the market.
    This market was so much fun. All of the street food stalls looked great with such variety and the rest of the market ranged from souvenirs to eclectic to quality products. The architecture in the place is fantastic too. We loved our time here and would have loved to spend hours here.
    We finished off our visit with a columbian dish for lunch followed by ginger margaritas from the mexican restaurant.
    A three km walk to help neutralise the expansion of our waistlines took us from the market to Primrose Hill for views of London, then onto Abbey Road zebra crossing and Abbey Road Studios so Phil could walk back and forwards across the crossing along with many others trying to get the perfect shot like every other tourist there.
    The poor traffic are very frustrated by the antics of the pedestrians here.
    From Abbey Road we took the train back to Oxford St where we experienced the shopping contrasts of Selfridges with its excesses and brands before visiting Primark (Kmart on steroids) just a little further along the street where everything is cheap, plentiful and crowded.
    In between I managed to buy my second pair of shoes in the UK already.
    Next stop on the pavement was a walk down New Bond Street where everything is for the richer than rich folk on our way to Victoria Secret before we made it in the door of The Ritz for a champagne. The experience was short lived before being advised we didn't meet the dress code so would not be able to stay. Phil was wearing shorts!
    Feeling unloved we headed home, stopping at a pub for a drink although not the same as The Ritz, that is for sure, before dining Lebanese tonight.
    The guy sitting closet to Phil during dinner had us in stiches trying not to laugh at his nicely coordinated outfit in a becoming masculine shade of grape, along with his mannerisms and expressions.
    Going home with wilted bodies we chuckled all the way along the street.

    Phil - I'm in London. It hit me today and Wendy cannot get the smile off my face. Having grown up with "on the buses" with Reg Varney, the " Carry On" movies with Sid James and Steptoe and Son, I was able to re-live all those memories. Walking across Abbey Road was magic. So many doing it, they have a live web cam to show you how funny we are all marching across the road. Camden Market was the best market I have ever been to. I actually wanted to buy so many things, but my sensible wife persuaded me not too. If I ever get back, I will spend a full day there, and fill my bags of goodies.
    Wendy has been amazing, walking so far and allowing me to indulge myself. Like jumping on a double decker bus for 4 stops so I can say I have been on one. As I was directing the tour, I gave her a special detour to Victoria Secret. Funny how we got kicked out of the Ritz. Probably a better story than actually getting in to have a drink.
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  • Day 5

    Skyline views

    July 8, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Up and about for another full day that Phil has said this morning will be fairly easy to achieve. Hmmm.....
    First stop wasTower of London. Dragged Phil to the Crown Jewels display first which meant it would mix up the order of his tour because that building was further away from the entrance. We walked straight in, no queues. Different story when we were leaving a few hours later. Those queues were quite long - thank you wife.
    After the jewels we took a Yeomans 60 min tour with a Beefeater that had no problem with self esteem.
    It was interesting to find out though that to have his job (there are 37 of them) you must live in the Tower grounds and that the gates are locked at midnight so if you not home you're not coming home. They even have a Dr live onsite as you are isolated when locked in.
    Also of interest was the fact that you must be ex military with a good conduct medal to apply.
    Anyway, after his tour and history lesson we continued around to other sections of the palace.
    Exiting you walk out onto the boardwalk along the Thames and very near to the Tower Bridge. We took it upon ourselves to walk across the bridge and back, with a crowd of tourists.
    Just before we walked across the draw bridge was lifted to allow access for a vessel. We had a good view for that.
    From here we then walked to Skygarden, taking the lift to the 35th floor. This is three levels high at the top of a city building with various restaurants scattered across the levels.
    The views were great covering 360 degrees of London.
    We were very lucky to get in as I tried to get tickets last week and there were none left. Phil looked last night and there were three tickets available. Yay for us, he booked two of the three tickets.
    it was very relaxing up there so we found a spot to chill and ordered ourselves a drink to savour the moment. I chose a Moet with the confidence that it would actually be chilled here. Phil also needed to take out a new mortgage to pay for my induldgence.
    Next stop was Bond in Motion, an exhibition at a museum of many of the vehicles, bikes, a snow plough, small aircraft and various underwater stuff used in the Bond 007 movies. Phil's day just keeps getting better and better.
    After this we headed to Westminster Abbey. Admired the outside and that was it because who knew that it closes early on Saturdays for sightseeing. Disappointing as I remember it being amazing inside. It will have to wait till another visit to London.
    Final item on the agenda was Buckingham Palace. So some more pounding the pavement and we were out the front. Strangely no one was at the gate to meet us and invite us in for tea, so we just had a casual stroll by and headed into Greens Park where we took a quick break on the grass under some trees along with thousands of others. Saturday and 27C of sunshine equalled rent a crowd in the parks.

    Phil - Another exciting day. The Bond exhibit was amazing. Each car had a film clip of the movie it was in, but I already knew this as I have seen them, many many times. Really lucky to get into the Sky Garden. Great views, and got the brownie points with the Moet. Having seen the Queen coming out of Bucky Palace and down the road so many times on tv, it was good to be able to stand there and now be able to say been there, done that. They had the gay pride march on, so there were lots of rainbow flags and face paint in the park. We have certainly done Lots of London in 3 days, and now look forward to going bush.
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  • Day 6

    Edinburgh

    July 9, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Our 4 1/2 hour train trip was uneventful although we had Mr Booming Voice in front of us. Loud but happy with the world after his night out at the U2 concert last night.
    Phil had to turn his volume up on his free movies to hear them.
    We arrived just after 3pm and we love it here! The buildings are magnificient, so full of character.
    Shame about the weather. We have gone from heatwave 27-30C in London to 15C with a cool breeze to drizzle and then rain in Edinburgh. Needed to unpack to drag out the jackets and umbrellas before we ventured anywhere.
    We then took a late afternoon walk in the local area and picked up breakfast supplies on the way back, which means my man gets to cook for the next few mornings.
    While out we saw an ad for a 18+ History of Edinburgh walking tour which we went back and joined at 6.30pm. It was just an hour of chuckles and information on the local history covering topics your not likely to hear anywhere else and a fair amount of swearing which you are warned about at the start. It did fit the situation. Best described as entertaining, enlightening and inappropriate! It even included a detailed history of the Merkin!
    We then headed to a local pub for dinner and were just like 'locals' ordering fish n chips and shepherds pie!
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  • Day 7

    Royal Britannia!

    July 10, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Awoke to the drip, drip, drip of precipation outside our window, not heavy, but definitely wet!
    After chef Phil made us bacon and eggs we headed out to face the day.
    Our first attraction was Edinburgh Castle, and by the time we got down the hill to collect our tickets the man suggested we get on the bus instead of a very wet walk.
    As I said it wasnt heavy, but it did travel sideways which creates a real challenge trying to keep dry.
    The camera was tucked inside my two jackets but each time I pulled it out to take a pic one handed (other hand holding umbrella) it seemed to get covered in mist again.
    We enjoyed the castle but I am sure we would have enjoyed it a lot more on a dry day. Even when you went inside buildings they were wet from everyone else. And the views from up on the hill were definitely limited today.
    I don't like whiskey, but Haha, my highlight was probably tasting a whiskey liquer at one of the gift shops and it was great, and a very handy heart warmer on the day. Phil and I even managed to get a second round of tastings and went back and bought a bottle before leaving. And, since being home tonight we may have sipped our way thru a few more measures each.
    A hearty soup lunch was perfect today to take the body chill away and then we went back outdoors to find a bus to take us to the docks to visit Royal Britannia, decommissioned by the Queen in 1997. We both really enjoyed the tour thru many of the rooms on board, and indulged in a visit to the Royal Deck Tea Room for tea and cake and hot chocolate and scones.
    Can you believe it, all the beds on board, bar one, are single including the Queen and Prince Phillips. The only double bed was brought on board by Charles when he married Diana, for their honeymoon.
    The state dining room was stunning and still used today for corporate events and private functions, if you have the dollars.
    A bit more shopping after disembarking, including my third pair of shoes and a bus back to the Old Town where we are staying.
    It was still dry following the ease up of rain earlier so we walked to Greyfriars Kirk (Chuch) and Graveyard to find Jonh Grays gravesite. The statue of Bobby his dog is outside the graveyard with a shiny brass nose as everyone rubs it for luck as they pass.
    By the time we walked back we decided it was Beer O'clock and popped into one of hundreds of taverns and soaked up the character of the place and a few refreshments.
    By this time its 8pm and another day is done!
    The maximum temperature today was a big 13C. Brrrrr...

    Phil - Edinburgh is a town that could easily take you back in time. The architecture is amazing and in the old town they have not spoilt it. The buildings are the same as they were 100's of years ago. And the town is huge, so it is not just the case of a few buildings, it goes for miles.
    Basically, you have a small range of stores. There are pubs everywhere and these is some record for the most pubs per capita. Then there are the tartan, cashmere, and kilt shops. So many I don't know how they survive. And then the whiskey shops. You would think that with so many whiskeys made around here it would be cheaper. Not the case. Very expensive.
    The royal yacht was very interesting. There were pictures of the royal family in normal clothes and doing normal things, something that you just don't see.
    The range of boutique beers here is huge. Many on tap. Very hard to decide what to have, but I am working my way through them.
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