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    • TravelerKeep Walking
      Day 1

      ANZAC Parade in London

      April 23 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      It was perfect timing. I overnighted on London and awoke to it being ANZAC day. The London, dawn parade is in Hyde park so it was up at 4am to get to Hyde park by 4.30am. It was pretty moving as I especially remember my grandfather (a returned serviceman) with such love.Read more

    • TravelerPlatinum Jubilee Trip
      11

      Diana: 25 years on…

      June 15, 2022 in England ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      It is always a reflective time when I visit Kensington Palace. Sure, I love all the history, particularly related to Queen Victoria and Princess Margaret who both lived here. But, obviously my biggest reflection is Diana. Everybody remembers where they were when they heard the news. I was living in London that year and remember feeling devastated as I travelled around France and Spain at that moment in time. I watched the funeral in Spain and the normally busy streets were completely void of people. It was eerie. Such a waste… Such an outpouring of grief. Can’t believe that it is 25 years this year. I couldn’t wait to get back to London. I lined up to sign the book of condolence at Kensington Palace and I saw the amazing floral tributes in front of Kensington Palace. They were as high as me and as far as you could see…💐🌹🌺🌸🌼

      Today all I had to do was walk out of my hotel room and cross the road to be at the palace. How fantastic is that? ❤️👑 I have visited and toured the palace many times but I get just as excited 😆 when I am doing it again. Today is no different! Last visit I saw Diana‘s dresses 👗 exhibition and this time the exhibition is ‘…life through the Royal lens…’📸

      And, what an exhibition it is! So many wonderful photographs… some never before seen. Queen Victoria started the photographic craze mid 1850’s with her reign. There is one photograph that shows her face smudged. Queen Victoria did this to the negative because she did not approve of the way she looked. It was with her children and they all are untouched. I simply devoured all the information around the photography and how it completely changed the public perception of the Royal family… as expected, the Queen calls all the shots when ever she has a photography session.✊🏻👑

      There was another story about Queen Mary crying for three days when she was to marry William. But, it became a true love story because William would not leave her side for weeks, even setting up a bed right next to her when she was sick and eventually died of smallpox.😢

      I am now standing in a quiet alcove admiring the serenity of Diana‘s statue. You are no longer allowed to walk around in the sunken garden which I was at first disappointed about, but then I spoke to the gardener who explained that a sunken garden is supposed to be appreciated from a distance, as a whole… It made complete sense and made it much more serene and respectful ❤️❤️❤️🪴🌸🌹🌳🙏

      This was indeed another highlight of this trip! There were not too many people so you had to complete silence to just admire and reflect. Beautiful moment 😢❤️🌹

      PS: I went a little bit crazy in the gift shop! Whoops! Rule Britannia! 🤪👑 🇬🇧 🇬🇧      Read more

    • TravelerPlatinum Jubilee Trip
      21

      ‘Cause we Can Can Can ☀️🍷🏨💃🏼

      June 23, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      Slept in this morning and went across the road to Starbucks for a leisurely breakfast. We packed our bags and rolled across to Maidavale Marriot Hotel for a ‘Staycation’ treat 🍾

      We purchased the package where we get free drinks 🍹 & nibbles from 530 to 830 and complimentary coffees & non alcoholic throughout the day. We have full access to the gym, pool and saunas which I spent a couple of hours making use of this afternoon. (Not the gym 🤫).

      It has been so relaxing 😎 just to chill out and enjoy the luxurious atmosphere. I’d say we both deserve it after all the planning, activities & sightseeing.

      The only downside is that we are surrounded by foghorn American 🇺🇸 folk 🫤👎🏻

      Everything else is lovely 🥰

      6.30pm UPDATE! We are at the complimentary nibbles guess what? It’s hideous! I cannot tell a lie:

      Bags of crisps
      Green salad
      Chicken 🐔 nuggets (dry)
      Samosas (dry)
      Black Forest cake

      The yanks are loving 🥰 it and DEMANDING more! We are drinking as much wine 🍷 as is humanly possible to block it (and them) out!
      🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️
      🤨🤨🤨
      🤣🤣🤣
      🤮🤮🤮
      One of the cranky yankies demanded lemon cake because “…I can’t eat chocolate 🍫 cake 🍰…”
      Fucking wanker! 👎🏻

      So. Richard & I looked at each other and said: let’s get outta here and go see a musical 🎵 🎭

      Within 10 minutes we had purchased great seats for MOULIN ROUGE, ran for the tube 🚇 and was at the Piccadilly Theatre 🎭 in the heart ❤️ of London in 15 minutes!

      …Because we CAN, CAN, CAN!

      💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼      Read more

    • TravelerEurope trip ✈️
      21411
      Day 4

      London day 3

      April 3 in England ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      Another day another slay, we started today in Notting Hill at the real Notting Hill bookstore and then walked through the Portobello markets, Hyde park and Kensington Palace which was a tad bit windy and cold.

      By far the highlight was definitely West Minister Abbey. Today we were able to actually go in and it was magnificent. Lots of dead people’s tombs but also the most incredible architecture I’ve ever seen.

      We then had a very late lunch at Neal’s Yard before going out to dinner later in the evening where we had fresh handmade pasta which was so delicious 😩      Read more

    • U.K. - Iceland - Israel
      1
      Day 3

      Out and about on a sunny London day

      April 29, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      Who said London has poor weather?
      Today was glorious blue skies and pleasantly warm as we tackled a few significant points of interest.
      We left the apartment just after 8am to walk to St. Paul’s Cathedral for our first tour of the day. The architecture of the building is amazing and the audio tour was very informative. A real highlight (especially for Loss) was to hear the pipe organ being played while we were there.
      After seeing all the main features of the building, we then climbed right to the top of the dome for some great views across London. The narrow, winding staircase is definitively not for the claustrophobics!
      After this, we caught the tube to Queensway station then walked down through Kensington gardens to Kensington Palace. In the grounds is a memorial tribute to Princess Diana who lived there from the time of her wedding until her death 16 years later.
      As it happens to be a holiday weekend (and the weather was so nice - testified by the number of English out sunning themselves) we were only able to secure tickets for a tour of the palace itself at 4.30pm. This gave us a few hours to see some other things in the interim, so we walked /tubed back to Whitehall, and then toured the Churchill war rooms - the bunkers underneath Whitehall where Churchill and his war cabinet planned and executed WW2. The whole place is preserved exactly as it was in 1945 and gives a sense of the fortitude and conviction of Churchill and his nation of the time.
      As we were leaving Whitehall (hoping to go to number 10 Downing Street), we happened upon a changing of the guard.
      Alas, Downing Street is no longer accessible to the public - totally protected by police and steel fences - quite different to my last visit in 1974 when you could stand right by the door.
      We spent a little time down on the banks of the Thames (amid throngs of people, a large protest outside Whitehall and many shirtless British men who were finding the 19 degree temperatures way too warm to stay fully clothed), with some photo ops of the London Eye and Big Ben while we were there.
      It was then time to return to Kensington Palace for our 4.30pm tour. We walked then tubed to Paddington station first (mainly for the benefit of the grandchildren who love Paddington bear) - then another 20 minute walk saw us back at Kensington where we enjoyed a tour of the palace - not the section where Diana lived - but rather where Queen Victoria was born, lived and worked.
      After another walk / tube and walk, then a shopping diversion for some groceries - we returned ‘home’ at 7pm after clocking up 23,000 steps today.
      A great day all round, rounded off with Loss preparing another amazing meal in the kitchenette.      Read more

    • Europe 30's
      112
      Day 2–3

      London

      February 1 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      Our first day in London was full of walking and coffee (trying to fight off the jet lag).
      British Museum ✔️
      Buckingham Pallace ✔️
      Hyde Park ✔️
      Cat on Lead ✔️
      We ticked off a few sights and were in bed by 6:30 pm.Read more

    • Blanck AdventuresBlanck EU Adventures
      1
      111
      Day 3

      London

      June 2, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      We have now traveled 7,800km.

      I think we avoided jetlag mostly because we flew overnight. Surprisingly, what was just helpful for combating my nerves on the plane was juggling kids and a beer. Demi stayed up all night until we landed and waited for the plane to taxi, of course. Adalynn stayed up until 4:30am Texas time, while Old Lady Mabel fell asleep at 11:30pm. The flight was thankfully very smooth! Once we landed, kids began to melt - big surprise. Adalynn was crying and said "I just don't know why I crying or what is the matter." We made it to our hotel and just chilled. Mabel fell asleep finding Waldo.

      Already, we have encountered cultural differences that are fun. Such as, specific trash bins for all the things, so I tried to throw my food trash into a hand sanitizer station and looked like a goober. The toilets flushes differently, lack of public restrooms (but really clean ones when you find them), great tap water access for drinking, elevators are called lifts, someone told us to get on the 490 and I tried to get on the 419 (they anunciate much more than us) and farms right by the airport. I almost forgot.... Demi broke out in a face to hips itchy rash, so we had to hunt down some Benadryl. That was on our list while in London as well. Poor kid! She is doing much better now.

      The next day we ended up taking the tube into London also referred to as "Lindin" by our two blondies. Turns out lots of things were closed for the celebration, so seeing the city was our best bet. We went knowing we had half melted children and lots of crowds, so we would just get a taste of London.

      As we stood on the London Bridge seeing the sights, planes and jets flew overhead in formation with streams of red, white and blue in honor of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. What a privilege to be on this adventure at this time! So MANY people, but so memorable. We managed to see the London Bridge, Big Ben, The Eye of London and a cathedral that was just beautiful. We meandered through the market and ate a Cornish meat pie with fresh strawberries.

      My favorite was sitting along the streets of London while eating at The Fish and Chips Shack. Tiny cobblestone streets, English taxis, and tasty battered fish just made the evening.

      The next day we are ready to head out with our two backpacks into the countryside, but first hit Houndlow's Little Urban Farm.      Read more

    • TravelerCamino 2023
      22
      Day 63

      Thames Path to Putney

      June 23, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      I thought I would set off early this morning to walk some more of the Thames Path. Ma wee sister Meg's had drawn a beautiful coloured map of the walk (or what I thought was the walk) consisting of 6 kms!.

      I ended up walking the Barons court to Putney path after forgetting Meg's map!! Hobbling home after 16.9 km I immediately soaked my feet in cold water. I hadn't worn my trail shoes, thinking my trail sandals would suffice on such a hot day, 26 degrees!

      It was a lovely flat easy walk, passing a few iconic statues and buildings along the way. I began to wonder if I was on the right path about half way along the route. The reality hit, the Putney bridge was the next stop according to a "Thames Path" sign and indicated 1 and 3/4 miles!? Ok so that's only around 3 kms I can do this! My watch is unreadable in the sun but I'm sure it had told me I'd walked at least 6 km by now???

      Distracted by beautiful gardens, statues, buildings I walked on stopping to ask one woman how far to a bridge across to opposite side of Thames, determined to complete a loop today! She was quite taken aback, I mean I do look my age!! She looked me up and down and at my walking sticks, assuming disability (which most people do here, not that you're walking a few hundred kms! Hehe) and said "oh my, it is quite a walk!"

       I urged her to go on and tell me anyway. "Just keep going straight along this path and you'll find it, but then how will you get back" she added worriedly! "Do you intend to walk?" "Uh huh! That's my plan",
      I forgot I then had to head back to Barons court!

      I saw her face just then, head on side, eyebrows raised "that's a long walk" ... It is a bit of a walk and had my trainers been on my feet it would have been easier but hey ho, it was what it was.

      I'm not keen on walking over bridges, but Putney bridge is like walking along a road, and I felt at ease; .. compared to the Hammersmith bridge which is under reconstruction, being forced to walk on a makeshift platform at the side of the bridge boarded off..!!

      On the Thames, tourist boats and serious rowing crafts ambled along at a slow pace and I thought of my great granddaughter doing similarly in New Zealand. I noticed a school full of pupils, their parents and teachers enjoying a sports day in a huge open field next door to the Fulham football ground. Their shouts of glee and encouragement taking me back to other sports events I had attended. How did they survive sports in this blazingly hot sun?

      Apart from the Putney rowing club, on the other side of the Thames, were many other college rowing club houses I passed, including the "Imperial" rowing club, The Thames, the Vesta, the Westminster, Dulwich College, Crabtree Boat Club, for Cambridge University Alumni, there seemed so many I was impressed!

      I was reminded of my short sojourn rowing on lake Rotorua over thermal vents! It is a lovely sport.

      "Hirpling" (old Scottish word for hobbling!) toward Hammersmith, off that bridge, I asked for directions to the main street. The young woman said "come with me I'll take you!" Just amazing! So off we went, she putting her hand out in front of me at each traffic crossing saying "don't cross, wait"! I was inwardly laughing to myself, she was very serious, she even asked if I could "see". I was heartily enjoying her kindness and assumptions about my abilities!!

      She had glowing red hair and eyes, not unlike Queen Mary of Scotland. It wasn't long before she told me of her Scottish heritage. Such a lovely young woman, thanks to her, my Camino was shortened by about another mile as I would have walked on instead of the shortcut she showed me.

      I reached home and sunk my feet into a delicious bath of cold water... 😊👣...satisfied I had completed my intention for the day...and some!!      Read more

    • TravelerCamino 2023
      14
      Day 63

      Friday in Ealing Broadway

      June 23, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      Today my Camino was to tube to Ealing Broadway and visit with Jonathan and Rozalia.

      First things first write my journal! Then again at tube station they have finally cordoned off a left and right pathway so that one can actually get down to the platform through the throngs of people heading out to Tennis at Queens 👑 🎾 honestly it was a walking crowd!

      I had to change at Holburn then get the central line to Ealing Broadway! Phew.... How to do that?? Firstly a gentleman told me to take the lift down to platform 4! So, trustingly I went toward the lift following his outstretched arm and finger pointing the way.

      Down the lift I went and out at platforms 7 & 8, "well that can't be right", so off I went again back to the start point. "Ah", said he " it's the second lift!!" I had to walk further down to get to the next lift!! Down I went again and could not work out which platform from here. Asked another tube worker "oh you get on here at this platform but you'll have to change at Acton".

      "Well, ok" I mused, as I thanked him and wandered to the platform he pointed out. Once there, I didn't know which train to take so asked another worker. He had to get his phone out to check the timetable. I told him that someone else said I had to change at Acton. "One moment" he said, and I waited as he searched the timetable.

       "Yes", said he, take the train there on platform 7 it will take you all the way there. "What about Acton?" I asked concerned "No need to change, as I said this train will take you", I thanked him profusely for his reassurance and went toward the train, 5 feet to go and the train left the station!! He had to laugh and I just shrugged my shoulders to wait for the next one!.

      My grand nephew was on fine form and we enjoyed a wee bit of time together. He had been playing the piano at the station when I arrived, so sweet.      Read more

    • TravelerCamino 2023
      2
      Day 60

      Barons court, hammersmith, lost on tube

      June 20, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

      Hehe!! All I did was enjoy the babies today with Meg's and go into Hammersmith one stop on the tube. After battling through the crowds going to the Queens tennis just up the road.

      Grocery shopping done, a bit of Saintsbury's meal deal lunch , 3 pounds 50 pence...had and back to get the tube to Barons court!

       Somehow I ended up on the wrong tube and jumping up with anxiety, spontaneously yelling loudly "oh no!" A lovely gentleman got up from his seat to help and reassure me ... Got off with me and pointed me in the right direction.

      Never be alone in the world, there are angels all around us, we just need to ask!      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    City of Westminster, WSM

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