Up and early, and off to the station with Roma to catch an airport bus. She was very insistent we get there early, and to make sure we had enough time to make our connecting flight to France to meet up with my cousin Alison. We actually had PLENTY of time since Roma misunderstood me from the night before - no worries tho, we were able to catch an earlier bus. We hugged, said our goodbyes - and off we went.
The bus traveled at least an hour north to Stansted Airport, which is the newest London facility. The trip took us north of London, where Sam alerted me to an amazing view of the city from the outskirts...never saw that before. The airport itself is a model of all what the future holds - transportation facilities that double as duty-free malls. This was obscene - we had to wind our way around a ton of shops just to get to the gates. Mind you these were not just shops along a corridor you could walk into - we were actually IN the shops themselves. Genius planning.
Before we embarked Sam got very upset about a passport detail that cleared itself up - basically our first blow up on the trip. After this we got to our gate, and took a fairly short trip to Dinard, France on Ryan Air. Not bad for an ultra-discount carrier. The airport however was tiny - really tiny...and smack in the middle of the French countryside. Nothing nearby - a far cry from the hustle of London.
After getting past a long line of customs, we went outside and were met instantly by Alison and Gerard - her hubby. A short drive later we arrived at her country home. Again, in the middle of nowhere in the Provence of Brittany. Absolutely beautiful countryside and her home was extremely new on the inside, but still very rustic. We were shown to our wonderful accommodations upstairs, and then joined them for a dinner with a couple of friends (and had fun with Gerard using Google Translate).
Before dinner we did take a short bike ride around the "hood." This was nothing more than a few country roads and farms. There was a very impressive French manor house we passed and ogled at for a while.
We also met up with Jonathon, and his son. Unfortunately his son had to leave to his mom's that day. Jonathon however was a joy to be with - and funny as hell. As the night wore on, so did his wine consumption. Before we all hit the sack, he was drunk, and quite the entertainment as well. Vulgar too, and Sam had this nervous smile throughout. Off to bed and prepared for a long day of touring ahead.
Monday, July 18, 2016
European Vacation 2016 - June 18th
Woke up on my last full day in London...to more rain. Again, not much, but all these clouds were getting me grumpy. Tod, Roma's husband, was finally back home from a trip to the states to visit his mum, and I spoke with him for a few minutes with plans to meet up later. We planned to finish our English stop with a visit to the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and whatever else struck our fancy. We would be joined by Aeron - and met up with him on tube at a station near his girlfriend's flat.
We arrived at a station near the observatory, and made the trek thru town - following the visitors to the grounds. Very large area - can almost remember when I visited with my parents well over 30 years ago. Up a steep hill and we entered the grounds and made our way through the old building. Well done displays and great preservation of the old telescopes as well. Interesting to know there were several prime meridians before the final one was settled.
We walked on from there, and this is where Aeron decided to take us on an "insiders" tour of London. In the process of moving about we were escorted from a train onto a bus due to mechanical difficulties. Apparently this is a London tradition. This included a visit to a backdoor hot spot of shops and eateries, as well as back to Camden Town. A highlight was a stop at a very popular pub with a bevy of brews available. We all had ourselves a good pint.
We eventually met up with Roma and Toby at a restaurant in the Hampstead area and had a great going-away meal. Tod was still too exhausted from his trip to join us. We arrived home for more chatting, then packed up for our departure early the next day.
We arrived at a station near the observatory, and made the trek thru town - following the visitors to the grounds. Very large area - can almost remember when I visited with my parents well over 30 years ago. Up a steep hill and we entered the grounds and made our way through the old building. Well done displays and great preservation of the old telescopes as well. Interesting to know there were several prime meridians before the final one was settled.
We walked on from there, and this is where Aeron decided to take us on an "insiders" tour of London. In the process of moving about we were escorted from a train onto a bus due to mechanical difficulties. Apparently this is a London tradition. This included a visit to a backdoor hot spot of shops and eateries, as well as back to Camden Town. A highlight was a stop at a very popular pub with a bevy of brews available. We all had ourselves a good pint.
We eventually met up with Roma and Toby at a restaurant in the Hampstead area and had a great going-away meal. Tod was still too exhausted from his trip to join us. We arrived home for more chatting, then packed up for our departure early the next day.
European Vacation 2016 - June 17th
(Yep...couldn't keep up with the blogging. Kinda tricky with a cell phone, and Sam was busy on his laptop. Soooo here I am a couple weeks later finishing up.)
Alright, up again and out to visit a few more notable locations while we are in London. First up was Westminster Abbey, for anything else just to show Sam a true-to-life medieval cathedral. Like most days this was also a wet one, but not too bad, and we made our way in with little waiting. The tour is well done, with an audio accompaniment guiding us through. Probably helps keeps the hoards moving along as well. We took our time and peered into the many nooks an crannies, such as chapels and tombs. The obvious highlight was the immense ceiling in the main aisle.
From there I decided we would walk (ugh!) to the Imperial War Museum just about a mile or so south. Problem is, we needed lunch, and there were few options for us - and Sam wasn't keen on pub food. So we walked past the museum, and eventually to a seedy mall. Not the best part of the city, but we did manage to get some sandwiches and move along.
We made our way to the museum, and were very impressed with the exhibits (not to mention the FREE entrance). The first involved WWI, and it was amazing in detail and presentation. It took both of us a good two hours to make our way through, and still could have lingered longer. However, we wanted to see the Holocaust exhibit, and only gave ourselves one measly hour to do so. Clearly not long enough, but we sped through and caught the major parts. Like WWI, this was a fantastic exhibition, and worthy of far more time that we allotted.
After this we decided to try out the gondola ride over the Thames sponsored by Emirates Airlines. We were amused that they actually received a mention on the London transport map - it's simply a tourist attraction. Anyways before we arrived we walked into the Millennium Dome, now called the O2 Arena. There was a teeny-bopper show happening and youth were running wild. The dome interior is now an upscale mall which rings around the arena - quite impressive transformation. I had heard this was a white elephant, but good to see things changed for the better.
Next door was the gondola ride, and we paid the small fee to journey across the Thames. It was neat, but to me personally a bit frightening. Can't remember the last time I rode one of those things. Great views all around. We then journeyed back to Piccadilly Circle to enjoy some wild weekend scenes, grabbed a Ben and Jerry's, and headed back. A few minutes chatting with Roma and off to bed.
Alright, up again and out to visit a few more notable locations while we are in London. First up was Westminster Abbey, for anything else just to show Sam a true-to-life medieval cathedral. Like most days this was also a wet one, but not too bad, and we made our way in with little waiting. The tour is well done, with an audio accompaniment guiding us through. Probably helps keeps the hoards moving along as well. We took our time and peered into the many nooks an crannies, such as chapels and tombs. The obvious highlight was the immense ceiling in the main aisle.
From there I decided we would walk (ugh!) to the Imperial War Museum just about a mile or so south. Problem is, we needed lunch, and there were few options for us - and Sam wasn't keen on pub food. So we walked past the museum, and eventually to a seedy mall. Not the best part of the city, but we did manage to get some sandwiches and move along.
We made our way to the museum, and were very impressed with the exhibits (not to mention the FREE entrance). The first involved WWI, and it was amazing in detail and presentation. It took both of us a good two hours to make our way through, and still could have lingered longer. However, we wanted to see the Holocaust exhibit, and only gave ourselves one measly hour to do so. Clearly not long enough, but we sped through and caught the major parts. Like WWI, this was a fantastic exhibition, and worthy of far more time that we allotted.
After this we decided to try out the gondola ride over the Thames sponsored by Emirates Airlines. We were amused that they actually received a mention on the London transport map - it's simply a tourist attraction. Anyways before we arrived we walked into the Millennium Dome, now called the O2 Arena. There was a teeny-bopper show happening and youth were running wild. The dome interior is now an upscale mall which rings around the arena - quite impressive transformation. I had heard this was a white elephant, but good to see things changed for the better.
Next door was the gondola ride, and we paid the small fee to journey across the Thames. It was neat, but to me personally a bit frightening. Can't remember the last time I rode one of those things. Great views all around. We then journeyed back to Piccadilly Circle to enjoy some wild weekend scenes, grabbed a Ben and Jerry's, and headed back. A few minutes chatting with Roma and off to bed.
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