I finally made it into St Paul's Cathedral and without having to wait in a single line. Of course, that Meant I had to bring along thirty nine year olds but it was, eventually worth it.
I'm not sure how the UK school bodies still allow gaggles of children to roam the streets with minimal adult supervision but there you go. We had to catch two buses, a tube and then walk for ten minutes but we made it in the end. The volunteer guides in the cathedral were kind, engaging and spoke very well to the children. They even took them into a special, corded off section of the cathedral and got them to lie down and look at the tiled murals on the ceiling. It was excellent! We climbed up to the balcony section and looked down, some kids loved it, others stayed on the seats and everyone was generally happy. I had to do a pre-trip in January and so have added a few pics from the top, outside walkway of St Paul's. I fyou squint, you can see the London Eye in the foggy distance. If you can manage to avoid the line to get in, I would recommend it. Some unscrupulous few even go to the public services to avoid lines and paying for entry. Life choices, I guess.
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Just a quick note to say- to all those naysayers and doubters out there- it has SNOWED in London.
That is all! Love from the Aussies (and a Cornwall-ian) After an early morning doctors appointment one Saturday, I decided to stop off at Little Italy and jump on one of the famous canal boats that trawl the narrow waterways of London. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it sure wasn't for my feet to freeze. Anyway, it took about an hour to get to Camden via the zoo and plenty of other place I could only partially see- the boats were used to transport goods way back when so although there are seats now, they aren't at optimal viewing point. Still, it was a nice way to spend my Saturday.
I particularly enjoyed the phone call from Mel who, assuming I was upstairs in the house, called me from bed asking if I wanted to eat. To be able to tell her I was out on a canal and her response were both worth the early morning bus ride and cold feet :D A relaxing way to start a Saturday but probably not something I will be racing out to do again. October has been a month of settling back into London life, battling a little homesickness and welcoming the odd bout of sunshine to break the Autumn weather. School takes a short break- the teachers say thank god for that and usually evacuate the city en masse to somewhere less work-ish! To take my mind off of home, a beautiful gaggle of gal pals has been at my side, going on adventures and causing trouble. I would be lost without them! You know who you are :) xxxx Hever Castle, KentRoad trip! We managed to find a car and trek our way to Hever Castle, nearby Canterbury (kind of). The grounds are huge, well groomed and very romantic, even if they were Halloween themed with plastic skeletons coming out of the ground and pumpkin heads rolling everywhere. There was an old school (and my first) genuine garden maze which was a lot of fun. The buildings are all old, stone and impressive. Of course they would take me to a castle to cheer me up! It worked. There were plenty of displays inside regarding Anne Boleyn and so much history beyond that. It is currently used as a museum and a wedding venue. It's a fantastic family fun day out or, like us, a girls day out if you're into history, gardening or ye olde worlde in general. On our way back to London, we made a pit-stop at Pooh Corner in Pooh Country, Hartfield. It was a tiny little store in the original village of the creator of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, A. A. Milne. According to a brochure, the area was Milne's inspiration for the Pooh stories, along with the tales of his son and his faithful nanny as 'Christopher Robin' was growing up. Considering its out-of-the-way position, it was super busy and there were all kinds of Pooh-themed merchandise inside, from new graphic story books to postcards with copies of the original Milne sketches on them. Childish but a definite stop if you're in the area. Edinburgh, ScotlandI have returned and this time I brought friends! As it was school holidays, though short and rainy, I decided it would be good to drag some beauties up north and educate those up there about the true fabulousness of teachers on break. Scotland is one of my favourite slices of old world country I've discovered so far and though it was the first place I travelled to on my own so many years ago, I still find myself coming back again and again and, more often than not, dragging others with me. I found it surprising that the two UK residents had never made it so far north before and it was so much fun playing tour guide! We sampled a few drinking houses, one particularly funny ghost tour, the top graveyard in Edinburgh and an alley where an undead woman was said to have lived. We did a historical walking tour, bothered the students and staff at the university and got lost on cobblestone streets. Did you know the Scots built themselves a coliseum? Or tried to as they were once considered 'the Rome of Europe'. Unfortunately, shipping enormous slabs of sandstone from warmer climates takes a toll on the pocket and whoever it was, ran out of money. The half built grand coliseum stands on the hill by the observatory and looks charmingly out of place up there. My only wish would have been to have stayed longer, but that is nothing new there. A good time was had by all, one pound bills were collected, alcohol was consumed and laughs were had. Until next time Scotland! You know I'll be back. I am one lucky girl.
Before she headed off on the long flight home, I got to go out with this lovely to one of the best, most fan-girly places in the world! WARNER BROS. HARRY POTTER WORLD According to a highly expensive brochure I didn't end up buying, most of the filming was done in the studios and we got to walk past, through and around particular HP scenes, including the brand new Forbidden Forest exhibition where they display some of the fake trees they actually used in filming- they are enormous We had ourselves a grand, geeky old time with selfies, butterbeer in two chilly forms and brilliant company. Have a safe flight girl! I am going to miss you more than you know- Melbourne is lucky to have you back! Much love xxxx
To all my new friends, near and far, Made it to Sorrento and finally, finally found these two trouble makers! By the time I got to them Dad had gout happening, Mum had a severe chest infection (and no medication) and I earned myself my first set of bed-bugs from a Sorrento hostel I probably won't be revisiting. Before boating off to the family island of Panaraea (slideshow), I managed to sweet talk a pharmacist into selling me the necessary antibiotics and we stumbled onto a ferry towards paradise. Panaraea is half party island (complete with regular celebrity showings including the Kardashians and Will Smith and Co.) half old school locals who have lived there since before the beginning of time. Of course, some of these oldies have made a pretty penny and constructed huge McMansions. Their families trip back to the island every few months to lounge about in the sun and enjoy their parents and grandparents hard toils. We were lucky enough to be invited to dinner by the islands head matriarch and her family, one of whom had originally traveled to Australia with Grandad (Dad's father). It was a lovely dinner and surprisingly easy conversation considering half was pigeon-English and the other half was Italian- which I do not speak at all- much to many a locals' horror. We stayed with the most beautiful family who fed us just about every night and put up with our horrible attempts at their language. Oh, and their kids were gorgeous which helped! After a few beautiful days lounging about in the sun (and shade) it was time to head home and I had to leave the parentals at the airport to flap away to Singapore on yet another adventure. As for me, Summer is winding down. A few more days until we are back at school and a few more days to get back to the hustle and bustle of London. It was a busy trip but so much worth it! Maybe more sunshine next year :) #becausewhynot I am often accused of being a Tourist with a capital T. It is truth and I am unashamed. Visiting the city never grows old, particularly on a beautiful sunny day!
It is only the 2nd time in my life I have spent my birthday month in the sun and though the rays aren't super strong, I am loving it! Thank you all who helped me celebrate. Much love. #touristlife #london #cityscapes #itsmybirthday #picturetime #becausewhynot |
AuthorMy home is Australia, with my family and their many, many animals. I have travelled all around the world with my family and by myself where I have made too many friends to count. |