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    • WoklynUK2024
      Day 31

      Day 8 London

      May 16 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      Our last day in London, and in England, was unfortunately wet, so we had a quiet morning, hoping it would fine up. We had lunch, then headed for the underground which would take us to Kensington Gardens. It was still quite wet, and Wok was pretty tired after yesterday, so we decided the outdoor venue was not a good idea. Later in the afternoon when the rain had stopped we went out for a walk around our local area.

      We made our way down to the river for one last look. We had yet another view of the Eye, and Big Ben, but the most impressive sight was the number of people having their after-work drink with friends. The bars are small, and unable to accommodate the drinkers, so the crowds spill out onto the footpath, and then onto the street, if there’s not too much passing traffic. And the noisy conversation! We found a somewhat more sedate venue and had a drink before coming home.

      Our photos today are a small reminder that we’ve been staying in what was the newspaper centre of Britain until the late ‘80s. This is our last blog. We’ll be seeing many of you in person soon. Thanks for travelling with us. We wish you God’s blessings. From Lyn & Wok      Read more

    • WoklynUK2024
      Day 26

      Day 3 in London

      May 11 in England ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Today when we woke up we decided we’d have an easy morning, ie stay at home till lunch time. Then we went to an interesting pub in Fleet Street, the street adjacent to our apartment, for lunch, and carried on from there. But we learned from some writing on the wall that the first daily newspaper was published in Fleet Street in 1702 and publication of most dailies continued there till the late 1980s. .

      We didn’t intend to go inside St Paul’s, but we wanted to have a relaxed look around. There was a lovely garden in the grounds, and a beautiful park across the road, and we found, quite by chance, a tourist information place nearby. The tourist buses have a stop near St Paul’s, as well as the London buses, so it made quite a spectacle to see a variety of the big double deckers lined up.

      What really excited me was that we found ourselves quite close to the river. There was a pedestrian way from St Paul’s down to the river and over the Millennium Bridge. That was one bridge that I really wanted to see, because it had a literally shaky start. Of course it was opened in June 2000, by the Queen. Some of you may remember that as people started to walk across, (it’s a pedestrian bridge), it started to shake dangerously. It was closed until the engineers determined and corrected the structural problem and it was reopened in 2002. I don’t think they bothered the Queen on the second occasion, but the resultant nickname is “the Wobbly Bridge”. I can guarantee that it now doesn’t even shudder, and today being Saturday and 23 degrees there was a crowd putting it to the test. So that’s one of my “Hope I can do’s “ crossed off.

      Across from St Paul’s there’s a very poignant memorial to “the firefighters who lost their lives defending London in 1939 to 1945”. Every man and about twelve women totalling 1027, had their names on it. However at a later date it was decided to include all fire fighters who had lost their lives at work, so the memorial was raised to include an additional 1192, and it is updated as necessary.

      Tomorrow’s going to be 25. We’ll be complaining about the heat before too long, but Tuesday it looks like rain. Amazingly we’ve only had one wet day our whole holiday.      Read more

    • WoklynUK2024
      Day 27

      Day 4 London

      May 12 in England ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

      This morning we had a phone call from Kate and Carsten to say Happy Mothers’ Day. We didn’t look our best, as we were awake, but not yet up and dressed. Neale sent his greetings from Johannesburg. Mothers’ Day here was on 30th March.

      We had a lunch date with Caroline and Terry, friends of Kate and Carsten’s. Caroline, Kate and Carsten were all at New England Uni together, and Caroline and Terry have been working in the UK for a number of years. They now live in London, so we were keen to catch up and they chose The Old Bank of England Pub, which was very close to our apartment. As you can see from the photos it is a most beautiful interior, and we remembered that it was the place in “Mary Poppins” where the children visited their father at work. Of course it wasn’t a pub in those days. Caroline and Terry make the most of their years here and take frequent opportunities to travel on the continent and to other countries nearby. They know how far it is to come from Australia, so they’re going to see as much as possible while they’re only a three hour train trip or a short flight away.

      We didn’t cover much new territory today, except that we did walk down to the Thames and had another view of the river, this time from Waterloo Bridge. Then on the way home we passed this bronze statue of the dragon, which is the symbol of The City of London. Its position marks the border of that area of the Greater City. We also passed the Australian High Commission, and had a wander through Covent Garden, both of which are not far from our home.

      It seems that wherever one goes there are well known places close by, and many of them sound especially familiar to keen Monopoly players.      Read more

    • WoklynUK2024
      Day 28

      Day 5 London

      May 13 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      We had a great day today. It was one of the days for the Changing of the Guard, so we arrived at Buckingham Palace in plenty of time and took up our position on the Mall where we thought we’d have a good view. A troupe of the Horse Guards went by soon after we arrived. Then we waited for the real guards to march along, and we waited, and waited. Many of the crowd gradually drifted away, and we saw a police car nearby and we knew you could always ask a policeman if you were lost. Well, we weren’t lost but the Grenadier Guards were, so we asked them if anything was going to be happening. They told us all the different regiments were rehearsing for the Trooping of the Colours, but the Horse Guards would be passing again soon. And they did! The most entertaining part was the the two mounted police who preceded them, clearing tourists who were all over the street taking photos, and risking being mown down by the horses who looked as though they were going to proceed straight ahead regardless.

      We had a lovely walk back through St James Park, along the lake where we saw squirrels and white swans. The squirrels look so tiny, and the swans so big compared to our black ones. After lunch we walked back along Whitehall past the Cenotaph, and numerous other war memorials. The two photos we’ve included honour the airmen of the Battle of Britain, and the women who served in WWII. We walked past Downing St, but there was no way anyone was getting near No 10. The entry to the street was very securely protected to all but authorised entries.

      Of course we had to see Big Ben, (yes, I know you can only hear him), crossed onto Westminster Bridge, then walked back along the Thames till we were close to home. We loved walking along beside the river which is such an iconic part of the city.

      Needless to say we’d had a wonderful day, seeing so many sights, and were happily exhausted when we reached home.      Read more

    • WoklynUK2024
      Day 25

      Days 1 &2 in London

      May 10 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      We didn’t send a blog yesterday, as it was moving day, and all we had energy for was the move, and a grocery shop! However as we left our little basement appartment to go to the Tesco, we had a view down the street (Fleet street, very London-ish) of St Paul’s Cathedral, also very typical London.

      Today we set out to walk in the other direction to Trafalgar Square. It was about a half hour walk, past the British Courts of Justice buildings. If their administration of justice is as impressive as the buildings it is in safe hands. We contemplated how much we in Australia are affected by that exact system.

      We decided that a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus would give us a good overview of all the main places of interest, and it was excellent. We crossed the Thames a number of times, and though the traffic was very heavy it didn’t worry us. Places like the Tower Bridge and Westminster Abbey were very crowded, and it made us happy not to be here at peak summer time. We could have walked as fast most of the time, but not as far, as our mobility is still not good, so it was certainly the way for us to go.

      The streets are crowded with London buses and cabs, both mostly electric, which does make for much cleaner air. The buses are still red, and the cabs are still the same shape, and predominantly black. Many of them have succumbed to the trend of sporting advertising on their side panels, everything from The Lion King, to ice cream.

      Our apartment is a studio, which is very roomy, and one of those that has fridge, washing machine and dishwasher incorporated in a perfectly functional but small kitchen area. We’ve had four different washing machines, all of which work perfectly well, so that is one issue with which we haven’t had to cope. But it does make life a little dull!

      Tomorrow we’re going to test out our ability to negotiate the public transport system.      Read more

    • WoklynUK2024
      Day 31

      Day 7 London

      May 16 in England ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      Yesterday’s trip to the Cotswold villages was absolutely all that we could have expected and more. I decided not to attempt the blog last night as it had been a twelve hour day, with a lot of travelling, as well as all the sightseeing. And you can imagine there were a lot of photos to sort through.

      You can see from the photos that the weather was perfect. After about an hour and a half travelling out of London and on the motorway, we were on country roads among farms, and then we reached our first stop, Burford, photos 1 and 3. It was a pretty village on a hill, and of course all the shops and houses are old, yet well cared-for. There were lambs in the paddocks (I suppose they’re fields over here, but it seemed pretentious to say that) and though this whole area grew rich on the wool industry, now the fat lambs are the main source of income. Our second stop was at Bibury. This is the classic scene that photos of the Cotswolds show, Arlington Row, photo 2, a row of cottages made from the local cream stone. With a small stream flowing through, it was a classic rustic village scene. Photos 4,7,9 and 10 are also taken there, which in itself tells you what Wok’s favourite place was.

      Our lunch stop was at Bourton-on-the-Water, one of those names which gives a description of the place. Photos 1,8. It was bigger and busier, with lots of tourists and locals brought out for the day, along with their dogs, by the beautiful weather. There were a number of stone bridges across the stream, built long before tourist days, to enable the large flocks of sheep to cross on market days. We had fish and chips by the water, walked across each of the bridges, chatted to a couple who’d been to Australia a number of times, and sat on a bench next to a man with whom I talked cricket. I reminded him that we won the ashes, but he was quite reasonable about it. Maybe he wasn’t that committed to the game.

      As we left there for or last stop our driver offered us a different route from usual, which was slightly longer. We accepted enthusiastically, and we were so pleased we did. We drove down the classic narrow country lanes, meeting other vehicles which sometimes required one to reverse, through many small villages, and where I’m sure only locals would normally venture. One was called Coln-Rogers, a “blessed village”. The practice in WWI was for all the young men of a village or district to enlist together, sometimes with tragic results. The prefix was added to the village name if all their soldiers returned home. There are only 56 such villages throughout Britain, and only 14 that are doubly blessed, having lost no men in both wars.

      Our final stop was Stow-on-the-Wold. As with all these towns their history goes back to Saxon times. The most striking sight here was a door behind one of the churches where there are two ancient yew trees, where everyone has their photos taken.

      We were so pleased to have been able to see this beautiful area. Today is our last day. We planned to go to Greenwich on the River Ferry, but discovered there’s a strike!! So now we’re about to decide what alternative we’ll choose.      Read more

    • TravelerLondon to Visit Meghan
      Day 3

      Dinner at Pasta Nostra

      April 15 in England ⋅ 🌙 46 °F

      In Italy, I developed an affection for Prosecco and Hugo - a drink with Prosecco, elderberry syrup, and mint. I was delighted to find it on the menu! Han, Meghan, and I didn't think about taking a picture of dinner until AFTER dessert.Read more

    • Orkney to the Hansa Worlds
      Day 26

      Greenwich market, Cutty Sark and Smithfi

      September 30, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      John Flintham drove us into London be interesting to see what we can fit in.

      We hit the Greenwich Markets first. We sat for the best UK coffee so far at Ideal Espresso, before exploring the stalls. The stall quality was good and the range broad. Overall a top market. Lunch at Goddard in Greenwich, delightful Jellied eels and Fuller's London Pride.

      We paused for a light lunch, Jellied eels and a Fuller's London Pride at Goddard at Greenwich. More stalls then the Cutty Sark, this is very well presented with lots of activities for kids. 

      Next we tracked across the Thames to investigate Smithfield Market, where Ripples forbears originated. Found the story of the torture and execution of William Wallace and the monument across the road.

      Flintham family dinner at Côte Covent garden and caught up with the intrepid Ian White after his ride around Morocco on a GS1250.      Read more

    • TravelerKalt aber herzlich
      12
      Day 5

      Markt, Tower Brige & 1 Mörder

      August 30, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Wieso sind die Zeichen der Überschrift beschränkt, ich brauch mehr Platz🤣 Nach dem Guard Change ging's zum Borough Market, der echt leckere und mit Liebe gemachte Produkte bietet. Von Kuchen, Käse oder Pastries bis hin zu gerösteten Nüssen und hausgemachter Salsa💃 Dann sind wir über die Tower Bridge spaziert (mit suuper Aussicht!) um zu unserer Jack the Ripper Walking Tour zu kommen. Mega interessant, vor allem wenn man sich für den Lebensalltag von "Normalos" in der viktorianischen Zeit interessiert. Auf die Zeit werd ich meine Zeitmaschine garantiert nicht einstellen. 🤡Read more

      See translation
    • Traveler5 girls do Europe
      Day 31

      Suitably painted and polished

      October 4, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      A leisurely wakeup today and everyone is feeling refreshed. Nothing like a good nights sleep despite the riff raff congregating outside our door and exchanging pleasantries with each other. Everyone a bit reticent about hollering out, to buggar off and chat somewhere else (just in case a gun or knife might be produced 😵‍💫)
      Breakfast done and dusted for most and off everyone dispersed. Kel and Beth to spend the day together shopping and looking around. Susie and I off to our feet and nail appointment.
      Confession time… so you know how google translate has been so handy…well google maps cock it up everytime…..
      We duly set off to our appointment and although I had thought we could go out the drive into the property, rather than to the side street, google said no Diane, go this way. Same route we took yesterday so thought, ok, follow that arrow. Anyway did get a bit off track, but came back and headed in the right direction….some 10 minutes walking. We get to a familiar spot and I said to Susie, isn’t that the church right beside our place? Yes… it would appear that google took us on a jaunt around in a circle. We could of hop skipped and jumped to the nail bar, not walk for a 1km in a circle. FM! Bit of a giggle and a suggestion that we keep it under wraps… but hey thats what travel is always about. We did see some interesting shops…vintage, second hand, bric a brac…certainly not what Ninja shoppers want to see tho.
      While I had my nails done, Susie enjoyed the ministries of having her feet and nails done. And I swear I could hear her purring.
      We have both suffered from squiffy tummies since yesterdays lunch, Beth didn’t eat all that we did as she is GF, so it would appear the prawn croquettes may have been slightly ‘off’. Not pleasant and certainly we didn’t feel like heading far from home. However did decide to walk to Spitalsfield Markets and have a gander. Kel and Beth had been there and we had received a pic of a jumper Susie might like, but they had left before she answered. Those bloody maps were doing my head in, so asking a human seemed the best option and yes we are going the correct way, just turn right then left!!!
      We made it, and along the way I saw the Shard (I call it the Bullet) and I knew we were there. Found some interesting bits and bobs and then decided maybe a little snack to keep the energy levels up. Easy chicken skewers, maybe slightly too spicy (uh oh) and then to look at some of those stalls. Yep, aha, we liked a few things… few shopping bags filled and then decided it was time to head back. Spotted some cute and amazing statues, the place is full of different ones. Pics to amuse the grandies, and walked to call an Uber cos energy levels were subsiding pretty quickly. Sat down to wait, and a squirrel ran past us! I thought it was a rat!
      Anyhoo, Uber was not playing the game so decided to catch a bus, headed out on the street and wouldnt ya know it but a Black Cab was heading our way, hands out, and he just pulled in. Lovely chap, delighted at how delighted I was to be in a Black London Cab.
      Home in less than 5 minutes, bags deposited and time to sit, when Kel arrived, and Beth was on her way shortly.
      Delights all round looking at everyones purchases. From socks to haute couture… we all are so different in what we buy.
      Kel left to go get some wine and nibbles for Dan and Cami who were calling in for drinks before they went out to dinner together. Beth arrived, another show and tell session with lots of ooing and ahhing all around.
      A fine day, a little chilly on the arms though. Tired out and eager to relax at our homebase.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    City of London, LND, Londonas, London, Лондонский Сити

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