Category: England

London – Our first look around

Ange Bowman4 Comments

We woke up bright and early, and after a very nice continental breakfast, which the hotel had provided, we headed for Earl’s Court underground station.

We purchased the ticket without fuss and even managed to find the right train to Piccadilly Circus to collect our London Passes for Tuesday and Wednesday.

It was very straightforward. With London Passes and travel cards in hand, we headed for a coffee shop to plan the rest of the day.

Great coffee. We all resisted the yummy doughnuts and baguettes (still not hungry after breakfast).

We boarded our First Hop on and Hop Off tour. This is a must in London as you can get your bearings quickly. When one of the tours stopped at the Westminster stop, we alighted and hopped on a ferry that cruised from Westminster to Woolwich and back again.

We had booked a Hop on Hop off day pass, and this was one of the stops included in it. The experience was fantastic, and the Captain who was giving the commentary was not just a comedian but also very knowledgeable. He shared interesting facts and figures throughout the tour. We arrived back at Westminster in the mid-afternoon and reconnected with the bus tours. We spent the next couple of hours exploring all the main sights.

Picked a fine time to point out – not fussed about
heights – at the top of the London Eye. “I’ll sit here in the middle
Don’t rock it!!!

We had dinner in the back of the Piccadilly Circus area (Sharpie spotted a place to eat earlier in the day and mentioned it at least 30 times during the day). It was excellent food, and since we hadn’t eaten since breakfast, it hit the spot.

After finishing our 4.30pm early bird particular (Seinfeld reference), we caught another Hop-on-Hop bus back within half a km of the hotel. Of course, staying on the bus until the next stop would have set us down 50 yards from the hotel, but we needed the walk.

All in all a full day and not too tiring we saw so much.

The Prospect of Whitby is a historic public house on the banks of the Thames at Wapping in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is claimed to be the site of the oldest riverside tavern, dating from around 1520.

Safe Arrival in London – Our first trip to United Kingdom and Europe

Ange Bowman2 Comments

Arrived London at 10.30am Sunday morning.

Only four hours later than scheduled due to leaving Sydney late. Original plane deemed unfit for service, replacement plane arrived in Sydney at 9pm only to have a mechanical problem which they eventually rectified at 11pm (we on the plane waiting). Pilot then had to wait for special permission to fly out after curfew.

At 11.25pm our 5.50pm flight eventually lifted off.

Not a good start Qantas especially when in-flight entertainment failed and was out of action for the flight. Otherwise we had a good trip luckily for Qantas the food and service was good all through the flight.

Glad I wasn’t paying business or first class prices as they had the same problems as us but paid a premium.

Comfort Inn Kensington is very good and we are happy with the room. We walked to near by tavern for Fish ‘n chips and an ale for dinner. Rested up and had very good nights sleep and everyone feeling fresh and ready for day two.

Bookings Finalised

Ange BowmanLeave a comment

All bookings have finalised currently working of pre-purchasing the sights and attractions tickets. All reviews indicate this is the way to go with pre-purchase. Apparently you are able to avoid some of the long queues. Will add some information as it comes to hand
Have also organised pre-allocation of seats on Syd to Lon and Lon to Syd flights.

Trip Outline Europe 2008

Ange BowmanLeave a comment

Leave Sydney at approximately 6pm on Saturday, 15th March 2008, flying with Qantas.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There will be an hour and a half break at Changi Airport in Singapore for refuelling before arriving in London at 6:30 a.m. on March 16th 2008.
 
We will spend five days exploring London while staying at Comfort Inn Kensington (as seen in the left photo).
 
After that, we will pick up a car and set off to explore England, Ireland, and hopefully Scotland as well.
 
The car for two weeks, as shown on the map.
 
Following this, we will fly from London to Rome, where you will spend four days at the Windrose Hotel (as seen in the right photo) near Termini.
 
Then, leave Rome by train to visit Pisa, Florence, Venice, Milan, Lyon, and Dijon before arriving in Paris for four days. You will fly from Paris to London and stay at the St Giles Hotel Heathrow on our last night in London.
 
Finally, we will fly back home on the 19th of April, arriving in Sydney at 7 p.m. on the 20th of April.
 

Travel Details:

Travellers: Ange, Ian and Judie
Flights: Qantas