London and Edinburgh 2017

A 11-day adventure by sojournerjapes Read more

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Trip start
January 20, 2017
London and Edinburgh 2017 sojournerjapes
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Day 1
Friday, January 20, 2017 at 12:00 AM
⛅ 39 °F
Altitude: 335 ft
United States Seattle–Tacoma International Airport 47.45046, -122.3107547°27’2” N 122°18’39” W
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Leaving Seattle
January 20, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 39 °F
Galavanting Granny So happy for you to be able to see/travel to so many places in the world.
1/25/17Reply
Galavanting Granny Hi Jim! Love You!
1/25/17Reply
Galavanting Granny De plane! or is it the subway?
1/25/17Reply
Galavanting Granny You arrived England just about the time I was knocking at your door. Had a nice (brief) visit with Lauren, Marianne and Gene.
1/25/17Reply
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Day 2
Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 12:00 AM
🌙 32 °F
Altitude: 72 ft
England Heathrow 51.4713, -0.4536851°28’17” N 0°27’13” W
Arrived in London
January 21, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌙 32 °F
After nearly 10 hours in flight with Delta, landed without any issues.
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Day 2
Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 3:00 PM
☀️ 37 °F
Altitude: 46 ft
England Brook Green 51.501493, -0.21636651°30’5” N 0°12’59” W
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Arrived at My Airbnb in London
January 21, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 37 °F
My flight landed in London and I took the train to Hammersmith station then a taxi to my room at an Airbnb. Met my hostess Isabella and her boyfriend Ed. It is a nice location close to the conference and tube station is not far away either < 1 mile. Its cozy but will do for my stay here in London.Read more
Galavanting Granny Nice!
1/25/17Reply
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Day 3
Sunday, January 22, 2017
☀️ 37 °F
Altitude: 39 ft
England Big Ben 51.500744, -0.12470651°30’3” N 0°7’29” W
Sunday Sightseeing
January 22, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 37 °F
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Day 4
Monday, January 23, 2017
🌫 34 °F
Altitude: 95 ft
England Kensington Station 51.496, -0.21047751°29’46” N 0°12’38” W
Blockchain Expo 2017 Day one
January 23, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌫 34 °F
Attended the first day of the Expo in London, heard several speakers from startups to Microsoft. I didn't see anything groundbreaking though. Interesting but a lot of the booths were vacant or just had a single person in the Blockchain section. Took time and when to dinner at the Westfield mail which is nearby. One of the largest malls I've been in. There was a Tesla store and Bentley's on display.Read more
Galavanting GrannyAberdeen has a new Tesla charging station as you enter downtown. Counting on it becoming a great asset for people traveling to the ocean beaches.
1/25/17Reply
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Day 5
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at 3:50 PM
☀️ 46 °F
Altitude: 92 ft
England Kensington Station 51.495972, -0.21058751°29’45” N 0°12’38” W
Blockchain Expo - Day Two
January 24, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F
Second day of the Blockchain expo. Bright sunny morning, clear skies and a brisk walk to the venue from my room at 39 Addison Gardens.
Galavanting GrannyA well marked Roundabout, or Rotary as they call them on the East coast.
1/25/17Reply
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Day 5
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at 8:20 PM
🌙 34 °F
Altitude: 26 ft
England Loftus Road 51.51026, -0.22797551°30’37” N 0°13’41” W
Westfield London
January 24, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌙 34 °F
I explored the Westfield Mall ( https://uk.westfield.com/london ) which is enormous. Massive shopping mall with all the top brands including Tiffany's, Tesla, Bentley, etc. You could definite spend some serious cash (or go into serious debt) at this place.Read more
Galavanting GrannyAlways fun to do some whishful looking!
1/25/17Reply
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Day 6
Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 10:29 AM
🌫 36 °F
Altitude: 49 ft
England Brook Green 51.501281, -0.21655751°30’5” N 0°12’60” W
Exploring London
January 25, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌫 36 °F
Today was a sightseeing day. After sleeping in I took the tube ( https://tfl.gov.uk/ ) into London to the National History Museum and Sky Garden.
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Day 6
Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 1:38 PM
🌫 37 °F
Altitude: 72 ft
England Natural History Museum 51.496847, -0.17631751°29’49” N 0°10’35” W
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National History Museum
January 25, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌫 37 °F
Visited the museum along with several hundred school children. Its located near Cromwell Road which appears to be where many of the embassy are. Saw the French, Yemen and Nigerian embassies as well as police patrolling the sidewalk with SMG. ( http://www.nhm.ac.uk/ )Read more
Galavanting Granny Beautiful stained glass window , an art in itself!
2/11/17Reply
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Day 6
Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 3:01 PM
🌫 36 °F
Altitude: 115 ft
England Pennsylvania Coffee House 51.511251, -0.08359251°30’41” N 0°5’1” W
Sky Garden
January 25, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌫 36 °F
The Sky Garden ( https://skygarden.london/ ) is on the 35th level of a building in London so it overlooks the city. Its open to the public (with reservations) and you can see most of the city when its not fogged in (like today) It would make for awesome photos on a clear day like earlier this week or awesome sunset views over the city of London. Definitely must see if you are here and the weather is nice.Read more
Galavanting GrannySounds a lot like home Jim.
1/25/17Reply
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Day 7
Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 5:00 AM
☁️ 32 °F
Altitude: 33 ft
England Whitehall 51.50308, -0.12072951°30’11” N 0°7’15” W
London Jan 26th
January 26, 2017 in England ⋅ ☁️ 32 °F
Today I'm heading out for a day trip to Windsor castle, Stonehenge, Lacock (medieval village) and Bath. It turned out to be a very busy day starting at 4:30 AM so I could catch a bus from the Flat in Addison Gardens to Victoria Coach Station (London's Greyhound depot) to meet the tour bus.Read more
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Day 7
Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 10:01 AM
☁️ 32 °F
Altitude: 141 ft
England Windsor Castle 51.483979, -0.60448551°29’2” N 0°36’16” W
Windsor Castle
January 26, 2017 in England ⋅ ☁️ 32 °F
We journeyed from London to Windsor, the sometime home of the queen. Apparently she spends the winter months at her private residence. It is one of the oldest occupied castles in the world and it shows as it is very well maintained. Tremendous power and wealth was consolidated here which the castle and its content demonstrate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_CastleRead more
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Day 7
Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 1:10 PM
☁️ 34 °F
Altitude: 285 ft
England Stonehenge 51.178882, -1.82621551°10’44” N 1°49’34” W
Stonehenge
January 26, 2017 in England ⋅ ☁️ 34 °F
It was interesting to hear the history of Stonehenge and the Salisbury plains. Some of the first stones were from glacial activity. The plains didn't support trees well so it as perfect for hunting and gathering which made it popular with the early people. Interesting place with several sites I would have liked to have time to visit. I'd highly recommend it for a longer stay on a summer day as it is quite unique. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StonehengeRead more
Galavanting GrannyPrevious question answered. You've had a most extensive tour Jim. Happy for you!
2/11/17Reply
Galavanting GrannyYou will need to get together with your cousin Karen G. and share your England experiences.
2/11/17Reply
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Day 7
Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 3:40 PM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 138 ft
England Lacock 51.415786, -2.12292851°24’57” N 2°7’23” W
Lacock
January 26, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
During our journey from Stonehenge to Bath we stopped in Lacock which is a medieval village that has remained mostly unspoiled from its long history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacock We had lunch at The George Inn, a traditional English pub http://www.georgeinnlacock.co.uk/ which made for an interesting stop on our way to BathRead more
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Day 7
Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 4:40 PM
☀️ 34 °F
Altitude: 85 ft
England Roman Baths 51.381056, -2.35954251°22’52” N 2°21’34” W
Bath
January 26, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 34 °F
From Lacock we travelled to Bath, were the Romans built traditional Roman baths on the site of a natural hot springs. More interesting was the commentary from our Tour guide about the history of Bath and its nature as the "Las Vegas" of its time in the 1800's where the rich and famous would bring their families to vacation and marry off their daughters for wealth or power. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Baths_(Bath) Apparently Jane Austen's life was linked to Bath and the society there during her time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_AustenRead more
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Day 7
Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 9:33 PM
🌫 30 °F
Altitude: 56 ft
England Brook Green 51.501204, -0.21659451°30’4” N 0°12’60” W
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Addison Gardens London
January 26, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌫 30 °F
Back to Isabella & Ed's Airbnb flat for the night. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/11290436

It was a very long day and I had a great day seeing the sites though. I need to pack to fly out to Edinburgh. One thing I realized is that I PACK TOO MUCH STUFF. Note to self: Need to start minimizing what I bring on journeys as I typically end up only using less than half of the clothes, computer equipment, etc. that I bring because lugging heavy bags around is not fun especially when you're trying to plan how to get to the airport via walking and the Tube!Read more
Galavanting Granny Is this the world famous Stonehedge?
2/11/17Reply
Galavanting Granny Nice ... amazing architecture and love the window designs.
2/11/17Reply
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Day 8
Friday, January 27, 2017 at 6:40 AM
⛅ 32 °F
Altitude: 75 ft
England Heathrow Terminal 5 51.471883, -0.48905551°28’19” N 0°29’21” W
London Heathrow Airport
January 27, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F
Well figured out that I didn't want to lug my bags through the tube. Uber to the rescue! The fare wasn't too bad and it took me door to door from the Flat to the terminal. The Tube is definitely cheaper though. I arrived much earlier than I anticipated though and waited several hours. Had an macchiato w/two shots & English breakfast then hung out in the airport and at the Aspire lounge. (thank goodness for American Express). Heathrow has lots of shopping venues to explore as well. ( http://www.heathrow.com/ )Read more
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Day 8
Friday, January 27, 2017 at 1:20 PM
☀️ 39 °F
Altitude: 200 ft
Scotland Lions Haunch 55.935761, -3.16730855°56’9” N 3°10’2” W
Dorstan Guest House
January 27, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F
Arrived at my room for the next 3 days. Dorstan Guest House ( http://www.dorstanguesthouse.com/ ) was the lodging I found through the Microsoft Prime account. Its a Victorian family villa in the City of Edinburgh. The room is nice with its own bath and will be a nice spot for my exploration of Edinburgh. It is a beautiful sunny winter day here so I'm going to rest for a bit then head out and explore.Read more
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Day 8
Friday, January 27, 2017 at 2:00 PM
☀️ 39 °F
Altitude: 236 ft
Scotland The Royal McGregor 55.950342, -3.18629755°57’1” N 3°11’11” W
Royal Mile Edinburgh
January 27, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F
I took the local transit to the Royal mile ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mile ) and walked up to the Castle, explored some of the shops and activities. Will return tomorrow and explore some more. Sunny but a chilly and a little bit of a wind today so will bundle up more for tomorrowRead more
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Day 8
Friday, January 27, 2017 at 6:34 PM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 180 ft
Scotland Dalkeith 55.893156, -3.07086155°53’35” N 3°4’15” W
Lost in Dalkeith
January 27, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
Well, my room is on Preistfield road which is off Dalkeith road. I caught a bus tonight which said it was going via Dalkeith. Big assumption. I ended up in Dalkeith the city. Fortunately the bus driver was helpful and provided directions back on another route. However, I found the taxi stand first, so took a cab back to my guest house. The lesson I took from this was to always check the map AND the bus route.Read more
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Day 9
Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 8:00 AM
🌧 36 °F
Altitude: 200 ft
Scotland Lions Haunch 55.935756, -3.16731455°56’9” N 3°10’2” W
Sleepy in Edinburgh
January 28, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 36 °F
Well several days of travel and adventure caught up to me today. I woke up for breakfast in the guest house this morning, a lovely homemade Scottish breakfast, had my juice and coffee then went back to my room.... unfortunately I laid down on the comfy bed and fell asleep again for a couple of hours and didn't venture out until after 11:45.Read more
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Day 9
Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 2:30 PM
🌧 34 °F
Altitude: 240 ft
Scotland Grassmarket 55.947538, -3.19629755°56’51” N 3°11’47” W
Grassmarket
January 28, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 34 °F
I took the city bus to downtown and then arranged for hop-on bus tickets. Interestingly, when I went to the cash machine it gave me a different currency based upon British pounds. I now know that Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Great Britain are part of the United Kingdom but I didn't expect a separate currency. When I asked the visitor center person about it she explained it was Scottish currency and backed by the Scottish bank. I found it interesting. It would be like Washington having its own currency..... Explored the Grassmarket area which is shops, restaurants and bookstore. Had Lunch at the Petit Paris restaurant and had the best French Onion soup and Lamb stew. It was delicious. www.petitparis-restaurant.co.uk. Also found "The Knights Vault" which was selling movie swords and handmade items. www.theknightsvault.com. Finally, checked out the "Old Town Bookstore". A small quaint bookstore with stacks of books and other artwork. http://www.oldtownbookshop-edinburgh.co.uk/ After exploring Grassmarket I hopped on the bus and explored more of the city. It was cold and rainy today with a teasing of snow. If it was a few degrees colder I bet it would be snowing. Not a lot of photos from today.Read more
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Day 10
Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 10:10 AM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 200 ft
Scotland Lions Haunch 55.935761, -3.16730855°56’9” N 3°10’2” W
Sunday in Edinburgh
January 29, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
Well today is my last day in Edinburgh. I fly out to London this evening, overnight near Heathrow and then flight out to Seattle on Monday morning. I had a nice breakfast with English bacon, haggis, egg & toast. I don't think I've had haggis before and it had an interesting flavor and texture. I would definitely try it again. My plan is to use my hop on tour tickets today and visit the castle properly with a walk through. Snapped some shots this morning as it looked it was going to be another sunny day. What I like most about the city is all the stonework and stone buildings. It is the local building material so it used broadly (stone streets, etc.)Read more
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Day 10
Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 10:40 AM
⛅ 37 °F
Altitude: 210 ft
Scotland Edinburgh Castle 55.948595, -3.19991455°56’55” N 3°11’60” W
Edinburgh castle
January 29, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F
Made it to the castle. It was a wet but sunny day and lots of tourists. Pretty amazing site which they have dated back to 600 AD or so. The earliest parts of the castle date from the 1100's with much of it having been restored several times through the centuries after being destroyed.Read more
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Day 10
Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 10:50 AM
⛅ 37 °F
Altitude: 210 ft
Scotland Edinburgh Castle 55.948595, -3.19991455°56’55” N 3°11’60” W
Edinburgh Castle - Cannons and views
January 29, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F
The castle had defensive cannons which overlooked most of the city approaches. It has a rich history and lots to explore. http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/
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