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  • TravelerLondon- 1st time
    1
    Day 1

    Flug nach London Stansted

    April 22 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Mit ein paar Komplikationen sind wir um 22:00 Uhr Ortszeit am Flughafen Stansted angekommen. Ryanair hatte einen Registrierungsfehler bei dem Alter von Amelie und mir, weshalb wir zu zweit auf der Nachrückerliste gelandet sind während Anna und Mama ihren Sitzplatz hatten. Mit der Bahn und anschließend einem Uber sind wir schließlich gegen 1 Uhr vor der Wohnung angekommen, dessen Tür ein etwas komplizierteres Schloss darstellt. Nun geht es schlafen, um Kraft zu tanken für den morgigen Tag.Read more

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  • Fall & Winter 2024
    Day 86

    Hello England!

    December 2, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F

    Landed at London Stansted Airport on time at 1:05p … despite the delayed departure from ADB. Smooth, uneventful flight.

    The shuttle train between terminals was jam packed, but somehow we squeezed ourselves onto it.

    The immigration queue was long, but moved at a steady pace towards the ePassport gates. We scanned our passports, the gates opened, and we officially entered England.

    Once we collected our bags, we made our way to the National Express coach station. Our tickets were for a later bus, but we managed to get on the 2:30p departure to the Victoria Coach Station.

    Fingers crossed our transportation luck will hold and we’ll manage to score seats on an earlier connecting bus from Victoria to Southampton.

    So far, our ‘travel day weather’ is continuing to hold. Chilly here in England. Mostly overcast, too. The rain that left the pavement wet is long gone. The sun just might succeed in breaking through.    Read more

  • TravelerGuazzelli Europe & UK 2024
    1
    Day 27

    Cambridge - London

    October 12, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Wet night, but clearing by the time we got organised. Caught the train to Whittlesford (my grandfather grew up here [Mum's dad]). We went over the road from train station to the Red Lion hotel. They agreed to hold our bags while we went off. The pub began life as a monastery in the 1300s. Beautiful carved beams and revealed wood wall frames. A most gorgeous pub. We got a taxi to the Duxford Air Museum and spent 2 of the most amazing hours of our lives. Bi-planes and others were taking off and landing (joy flights).
    The collection and display was so awesome!
    We got a taxi back to the pub, planning to have lunch, only finding that the chef became ill and had to be taken to hospital! So we got on the train to London. We got there and finally sorted the right train to be on. Got to our accommodation just after 5. Not a flash area but accommodation is good. Out to find tea then back by 9pm.    Read more

  • TravelerUK and a bit of Asia 2024
    1
    Day 36

    Walking Cambridge II and IWM Duxford

    September 27, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    It was yet another split-up day. Again, nobody wanted to come with me to IWM (Imperial War Museum) Duxford to see a different and bigger collection of aircraft—just as well, as it cost an eyewatering 24 quid. The ladies, dodging the rain showers, went back into Cambridge and did some more sightseeing and window shopping—it’s been 24 hours since they last did that.

    I set off to recharge the car at Trumpington (south end of Cambridge). I had to wait for 25 minutes as all 12 units were in use, with 3 to 4 cars queuing. The guy next to me often uses this one and said he had never seen it full. It charged very quickly when I did get access.

    I went on to Duxford - only 10 minutes from the chargers - and parked. I started in Hangar 1 (of 6) and was gobsmacked by the size and the number of aircraft. Several other hangars were just as large, with some big planes on display. B-52, Concord, Sunderland flying boat, Vulcan, B17, Liberator, SR71,… And then there were the smaller planes, more Spitfires than when this was an active airbase…
    Outside the airfield (used as a fighter base during the Battle of Britain) was a B17—Memphis Belle—which regularly flies in airshows here (one just a few weeks back). I was particularly interested in the B17 as my Dad flew in B17s that were used by RAF Coastal Command during the war for anti-submarine patrols. They had another one on display in Hangar 6—the American collection! It was good to get to see them.

    There was so much to see that I can’t describe it all here (‘what a relief’ I hear you say). The pictures will be better than my descriptions anyway,

    Got home mid-afternoon. We walked to a nearby chippy and bought far too much food - but it was good.    Read more

  • TravelerUK and a bit of Asia 2024
    1
    Day 35

    Walking Cambridge and Shuttleworth

    September 26, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    It was another split-up day. Nobody wanted to come with me to Shuttleworth to see the collection of vintage aircraft. I have no idea why, as it seemed a no-brainer to me. So the ladies did their own things, with Christine walking around the river to see that and the colleges that make up Cambridge University. Tricia followed on later to locate the cattle on the Midsummer Common. They met up later.

    I set off for Shuttleworth in the sunshine and got there with no incident (a 50-minute drive). I got a car park in the small one by the entrance, which was good. Inside, I showed my prepurchased ticket and went in. The doors of the first hangar opened onto a collection of WWI aircraft, some replicas and some original. Most of these were in flying condition but weren’t flying today. When they do at their flying events, the crowds are much larger. I have always had a fascination with this era - maybe it was all those Biggles Books that I read as a child. I recognised most of the aircraft, so my dementia hasn’t yet taken hold. On to the other hangars, which included some pre-WWI aircraft like an original 1909 Bleriot, still with its original engine and still in flying condition (only on fine, still, days). Also, a couple of American racing planes from the 30s and the DH88 Comet that won the MacRobertson Air Race from the United Kingdom to Australia in 1933. Incredible machines, and many others too numerous to mention.

    I went through the displays and had a quick, late lunch before driving back. The ladies had luckily beaten me home as they had the keys.

    One of my bucket list items is ticked off. Can I do another tomorrow?    Read more

  • TravelerUK and a bit of Asia 2024
    Day 34

    Walkabouts

    September 25, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We didn’t drive anywhere today, so we decided to split up for different activities. Christine and Tricia decided to visit the University Museum of Zoology in the David Attenborough Building. It’s full of skeletons, stuffed animals, and really stuffed animals like the Dodo and Giant Sloth. That was not my scene, so I visited the Centre for Computing History.

    I can’t speak to the ladies' choice of museum except to say it was a lot grander than mine and also free. I walked to mine and located it in a run-down industrial area. Not to be deterred, I went in and paid my entry fee. I was one of the first people in that morning, and the lady behind the counter said that I was lucky as no school groups were attending and that it should remain quiet. The museum was better inside than out, and there were many computers in there, most of the gaming or personal variety, but some other interesting machines. Many of the systems are working, and you can try them out,

    They had a working 1980s PC-type business system of some early English brand running an Operating system that wasn’t Microsoft, but one of the program choices was Microsoft Word (probably the first release). If you think the current Word is a bit overblown, be thankful you don’t have to use this one. I fired it up and had a play. There are no graphics—all text. It brought back memories… I even found a manual for it on a shelf nearby.

    There is a lot of information about Acorn Computers and its famous spinoff company, ARM (which designs the processors in many smartphones and many other products). Acorn started in Cambridge, and ARM is still here.

    A couple of systems reminded me of some of the machines I have worked on—large disks with little capacity, magnetic tapes, paper tape, and punched cards. Also a large display of the LEO computers developed in the late 1940s/1950s by the English Lyons company that ran the massive chain of tea rooms of the same name. They decided these new-fangled computers could help them with their vast clerical workload. They funded the development of a machine based on the EDSAC system built in Cambridge and started the Lyons Electronic Office subsidiary (LEO). The system they developed was sold to several organisations and is regarded as the first business computer system. Fascinating. Well, I thought that it was.

    I made my way out, bought a Melton Mowbray Pork Pie from Tesco and ate it on my way home. I beat the ladies back by 30 minutes.

    It was a good, if somewhat nerdy, day for all of us.    Read more

  • TravelerUK and a bit of Asia 2024
    2
    Day 33

    Cathedral Spotting, mice, shirts, pizza

    September 24, 2024 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Another grey day dawned, but it wasn’t raining, so we decided today to visit Ely Cathedral. We haven’t visited a single one so far on this trip, and time is running out, So off we went with only one ugly roundabout junction road issue. We got to the biggest car park and found that everyone else had beaten us to it. So we navigated to the next nearest but got lost when the navigation system gave up on us. We parked in a supermarket car park and discovered I had no mobile access. I had also forgotten to preload the maps, which didn’t help. We drove by dead reckoning to the next car park and found it and the one remaining park. We walked back up the street, which was the main street, and found the cathedral - it’s pretty hard to lose a cathedral, especially this one.

    We got our tickets and went in. It’s definitely a jaw-dropping place—very big and very beautiful. It’s challenging to explain in words - so I won’t bother. Attached to the cathedral is the Lady's Chapel. That is also huge and stunning, with massive clear windows and intricate stonework. Sadly, much of the detail and decoration was smashed or removed during the reformation (talk about babies and bathwater).

    On the way out, staring at the enormous stone arches, a lady started a conversation and was interested in the fact that I came from NZ as she had a brother in Wellington. I think she was a guide. She showed me something missed by many tourists—the Cathedral Prior doors, which are on the outside of the Cathedral in a specially enclosed room and show intricate stone carvings from the 1100s—quite some time ago.

    It's an amazing place.

    Back home for another stale cheese sandwich. I then set off to solve a problem. I purchased a new rechargeable mouse a few days ago, but mine didn’t recharge. I located a branch of the retailer and managed to convince the spotty sales assistant that there was a problem. After conferring with a superior, he said that they would test it, which would take 40 minutes. So I went off and looked at the shops. In the Red Cross op shop (I was getting desperate for things to do), I found a nice-looking shirt. I then noticed it was a Superdry (posh) brand, which I liked, and it was only £7. I took it to the counter and discovered it was a new item with attached tags. I just checked, and the retail prices range from £45 to £50. Winner. So, my failed mouse had a silver lining.

    I returned to the apartment just in time to set off for a pizza in a restaurant back in town. Apart from needing food, this was a celebration dinner for Tricia’s birthday. Pizza was her choice. I found a chain that made wood-fired pizza with sourdough bases (Franco Manca) and also had vegan options. It was a good choice, and we demolished our pizzas (I had an ale with the label ‘No Logo’ - nice). On the walk back, we spotted several impressive buildings. Cambridge University and the Church have left quite a legacy here.

    I won the fitness challenge with 21,000 steps today - and my feet are not happy.    Read more

  • TravelerSabbatical
    2
    Day 5–6

    Heading up North

    August 29, 2024 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Ich bin heute Morgen nach 10!! Stunden Schlaf aufgewacht, allerdings mit ziemlich fiesen Nacken- und Schulterschmerzen. Kann mich immer noch kaum bewegen, deswegen hat natürlich alles ein bisschen länger gedauert…
    Ich war aber in einer ziemlich fancy Markthalle und mit Holly am Strand spazieren bevor wir weiter Richtung Norden gefahren sind.
    Heute übernachten wir wieder an einem Pub in der Nähe von Cambridge.
    Morgen muss ich aber auf jeden Fall mal auf einen Campingplatz, weil ich dringend Hollys Sachen waschen muss (Pinkel-Schwein). Madame hat sich heute bei einem Spaziergang an einem Bach den Bauch so mit Wasser vollgeschlagen, dass sie danach locker ne Stunde Bauchschmerzen hatte… am Meer konnte ich sie auch nicht mehr ableinen, weil sie sonst die ganze Zeit Salzwasser getrunken hätte. Bisschen sad, sie hat ja eig immer geliebt am Strand rumzutoben…
    Gehen jetzt noch mal ne kleine Runde nach dem Essen spazieren und dann geht’s wieder in die Koje :)    Read more

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  • TravelerBev's 100 day adventure
    1
    Day 42

    Day 41

    August 20, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Just got in from another full day. Architecture lecture in the morning, then off to see examples in 3 of the colleges. Quick drink at a pub, then off to Shakespeare mid summer nights dream in the grounds of Kings College. PhewRead more

  • TravelerBev's 100 day adventure
    1
    Day 40

    Day 39

    August 18, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Ist night at Girton. Had intro this afternoon then out to a pub for a drink and dinner. I dined on wild boar sausages and squeak . Yum plus a pint of shandy. On the course is another woman from Wellington. 3 from Auckland, 1 aussie and the rest , about 20, from the USA.Read more

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