There’s No Place Like London

We returned to Orpington to say farewell to Anne & Phil, as they were returning to Australia that evening.  It was sad saying goodbye, as we don’t know when we will see them again.  I think that they enjoyed their time in England and I know that they loved seeing Margaret and Peter again.

Michael and I then returned the hire car and once more caught the train to London.  We checked in to our hotel at Russell Square and then it was off to the Tower of London, as I wanted to see the art installation called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.  The installation is made up of 120,000 blood-red ceramic poppies, which have been planted in the dry moat surrounding the tower.  More will be added in the coming months until there are 888,246, which will represent the number of British and Commonwealth soldiers killed in World War 1.  The sight of the poppies is awe-inspiring and it will be truly mesmerising when all of the poppies have been planted.  I sincerely hope to return to see the completed work.

 

We called into All Hallows-by-the Tower after we had left the exhibition.  This is the oldest church in the city of London, having been founded in 675.  It is also where Samuel Pepys climbed the church’s spire to watch the Great Fire of London.  There is an effigy of Tubby Clayton who opened Talbot House, a rest house for soldiers, which we saw at Poperinge in Belgium.

 

The next day we caught up with Matthew at Westminster Abbey.  We spent a good couple of hours wandering the Abbey, listening to an excellent audio guide, which explained much of the history of both the abbey and the various monuments.  I was particularly thrilled to see Poet’s Corner, especially Charles Dickens’ grave.

The rest of the day was spent rambling around the city – Bond Street, Soho, Jermyn Street and Fortnum & Mason.  It doesn’t matter how many times we retrace out steps, there is always something new and interesting to see.  We finished up at South Bank where there was a Festival of Love being held and Michael and Matthew decided to visit a Freak Show.  I really wanted to go with them but thought better of it at the last minute, and by the sound of what they saw, I am glad I did!  There was a lizard man with a forked tongue, a girl doing flame tricks and grossest of all – a man who put fish hooks into his eyes and hung weights from them.  I felt ill just listening to them describing what they had seen.

Bar on a carousel

We said goodbye to Matthew, as we were leaving the following day to continue our journey.  He has another 3 days to explore London and then it will back to Australia for him.  I think he enjoyed his time in England and France and I don’t think that it will be long before he travels again, as I think, he has been bitten by the travel bug!

Dublin Me Darlin’

The day arrived for another sad goodbye, this time to the city, which I love so much.  London is such a wonderful place, full of history and I feel so much at home there.  I really hope that I can return again soon.

Once again we boarded the train at Euston Station and had a very relaxing journey to Holyhead.  We then transferred to the waiting Ulysses and a very calm ferry crossing took us to Dublin.  It is good to be back.

The Newquay Song

We returned our 7 seater car and picked up a more manageable sedan as Michael & I headed off to spend a week on our own, leaving Anne, Phil, Margaret & Peter to a week of catching up with old friends.  Matthew is spending the rest of his time exploring London.

The day was spent driving through the countryside and we stopped at Southampton for lunch.  Unfortunately we ended up dining in a food court as, try as we might, we couldn’t find how to get to the old city.  The city is huge and well developed with many large shops.  It seems a very busy place with many of the cruise ships still leaving from here.

 

The drive became more picturesque as we neared our destination of Newquay, a coastal town in Cornwall.  The town would have been quite lively and a premier tourist destination back in the ‘60’s, however now it is looking a little faded and run down.  The coastline is spectacular and the beaches are quite beautiful (they even have sand) and the views from the cliff tops are stunning.  Michael & I enjoyed walking around and it was invigorating to breathe in the cool sea air.

 

 

 

The following day we drove to Land’s End, somewhere I have always wanted to visit.   

When I was child, I was fascinated by a photograph that my grandparents had on their dining room shelf, showing my Aunty Pat sitting at the base of a sign showing that she was at Land’s End.  The idea that she was sitting on what appeared to me to be the end of the world enthralled me.  Aunty Pat passed away a week ago, so it seemed particularly fitting that we visit this site.  We saw the sign where she had her photo taken which has become a major tourist draw.  The views as you can imagine were spectacular.  Michael had his first proper Cornish Pasty – it looked hideous to me, however Michael enjoyed it.

 

 

Penzance was our next stop, which is another lovely coastal town.  We had originally intended to stay for a few nights, however what little accommodation they had was fully booked, which was why we ended up in Newquay instead.  We then drove on to Porthleven, which is a beautiful fishing village.  We enjoyed a cream tea at one of the pubs alongside the harbour while watching a Vulcan bomber fly overhead.  There was an air show nearby so we were treated to several jets passing overhead.  We later learned that one of the Royal Navy Sea Fury planes had crash-landed at the runway.  No one was hurt, luckily.

 

Later that evening Michael and I had a drink at the bar downstairs in the hotel.  There was an Irish comedian entertaining the crowd, telling some of the worst jokes I have ever heard.  The average age of the audience was 70 and they were screaming with laughter.  I got the feeling that they didn’t get out much!

One For The Bristol City

When we met up with Terri and Ben in London, they mentioned that we should try and visit Port Isaac as it was a gorgeous little town.  Ben’s girlfriend Nat hails from there and they had spent some time exploring the area.  Based on their recommendation we decided to pay a visit and it was by far and away the best thing that we did.  You may be familiar with the town as the fictional Port Wenn from the series Doc Martin.  

 It has quaint twisting and narrow streets lined with pretty granite cottages.  We loved walking around and the view from the top of the road looking down to the water below is breathtaking.  It is truly one of the prettiest places we have seen on our travels.  We stopped for coffee at one of the beautiful cafes and tried a Cornish heavy cake, which was described to us as being a cross between a bread and butter pudding and shortbread.  It was delicious.

 

We finally arrived at our destination of Bristol after an agonisingly slow journey along the M5.  The British must just be resigned to traffic jams.  Bristol itself is a nice city and I instantly felt comfortable there.  It appears to be going through a period of regrowth and there was evidence of urban renewal everywhere.  We had dinner down at the quay area, which was lively and filled with the ubiquitous bucks’ and hens’ parties that abound in the UK.  Why British men have a constant need to dress in women’s clothing is a mystery to me. 

 

The following morning we spent walking around and looking at the street art, which was our main reason for visiting Bristol.  Banksy has a number street art pieces and we saw the famous man hanging from a window (my favourite) and the mild, mild west.  There were many spectacular and interesting pieces done by other artists as well and we enjoyed walking around studying them.  Michael struck up a conversation with a shopkeeper who explained the changing area and work that her son does in promoting artists and their work. 

 

 

 

Continuing our art theme albeit with a change of pace, we visited the M Shed to view the Wallace & Gromit exhibition.  It was a fascinating exhibition showing the creative process from scripts to production.  The work that goes into making the figures is astonishing and I will view the shows in whole new light. 

 

Next day we took a short drive to Bath, a city both Michael and I visited and loved separately 30 years ago.  The city is every bit as beautiful as I remembered it and it was wonderful walking around The Circus and Royal Crescent.  The entire city has been well preserved.  

 

 Bath Abbey remains an architectural beauty however, not as peaceful as I remember as it was packed with chattering tourists.  I was eager to revisit the Roman Baths as I remembered being entranced on my previous visit.  The entire set up has changed (except the actual baths themselves) and the whole experience now feels totally commercialised.  The audio guide’s information was so “dumbed down” that it struck me as childish and I really felt like I was at a theme park instead of an historical site.  The fact that people were wandering around dressed as Roman centurions and noble women didn’t help. I suppose that the administrators feel that they have to chase the tourist dollar, however I think it is a shame.  

 

 

What’s The Meaning of Stonehenge?

Next on our list was one of the most famous sites in the world – Stonehenge.  We first caught a glimpse of the site from the road as we were crawling along in the traffic.  It didn’t seem that impressive from a distance however, once we were up close it was a different matter.  It was amazing looking at the huge standing stones, seemingly in the middle of nowhere and pondering how and why they placed there.  There are many theories and much folklore attached to the site however, at the end of the day, no one is absolutely certain.  All I can say is, that I am glad I saw them up close.

 

We spent the night at a hotel in Crawley, which is a town not far from Gatwick Airport.  The town was originally called Crows Leah however the name and spelling evolved over time to what it is today.  It is a nice area and we had a pleasant and relaxing evening there.

 

 

Hopping Down in Kent

Hopping Down in Kent (the music and pictures of hopping)

Michael and I caught the train from Victoria Station to Orpington in Kent to start the next phase of our journey.  We picked up our hire car and then took a drive to see the Rainham Kent war memorial.  I had wanted to see my great uncle’s name which is inscribed thereon.  We arrived in Rainham and located the memorial only to discover that it was covered up for restoration.  We were disappointed but decided to take photos anyway.  Whilst were looking at the memorial we both puzzled over the fact that it was a different shape to what we had seen pictured on the Internet.  We walked to the local café and upon looking the memorial up again, we discovered we were in the wrong Rainham!  What country has 2 towns of the same name within an hour of each other?  Anyway, back to the car we went and this time found the correct village.   

 

The memorial is located outside the perimeter of St Margaret’s Church and is in the form of a Celtic style, Cornish granite cross.  We located Lance Corporal Reginald John Uden’s name and once more I was struck by the eerie sensation of seeing a memorial to a family member that I had never met.  We decided to enter the church to have a look around and discovered that the church has been there since 1282, with some of the Norman remains still in use.  The majority of the church dates from the 14^th century with the tower having been added in the 15^th century.  It was wonderful wandering around such a beautiful building steeped in history. There is even a 1000 year-old yew tree in the grounds.

 

The next day was Matthew’s birthday and he joined us down in Orpington where Anne & Phil were staying with Margaret & Peter.  I have mentioned Margaret & Peter before as we have visited them on our previous trips.  Anne & Margaret have been friends for many years since nursing together.  Michael had hired a 7- seater car, so we all piled in.  There was Matthew and I in the rear with 4 OAPs ranging in ages from 77 to 84.  Trying to get everyone organised, seated and strapped in was like trying to herd cats!  Much laughter ensued and then we were off for a trip down memory lane.

 

Anne was born in Goudhurst, so it was there that we headed with Anne acting as tour guide.  We saw the house that she used to live in which was right by where the train station used to be.  Originally the house was the lodge gate to Finchcock Estate.  We then drove a little further onto the Estate and met a woman riding a lawn mower who knew of Anne’s family.  In the course of the conversation, the lady informed us that she had never travelled more than 3 miles from her home (she was in her 40’s)!  Anne then took Michael & Matthew to see her grand father’s house, which used to be the other lodge gate for the Estate.

Anne then guided us into the village of Goudhurst itself, pointing out the old dentist, butcher and grocer along the way.  The village school that Anne attended was no longer there, much to her disappointment.  Next we walked up the hill to St Mary’s Church where Anne talked about the choir and polishing the brass plaques.  The cemetery outside the church is where Anne’s parents are buried and Michael was surprised to discover that there are no headstones to mark their graves. 

 

We celebrated Matthew’s birthday lunch at the Goudhurst Inn which was very pleasant.  Anne really wanted Phil, Michael and Matthew to see the Hop Farm in Paddock Wood as she thought it would be of interest to them.  Unfortunately, when we arrived, we discovered that the hop museum had been badly flooded earlier this year and is now closed.  The Hop Farm is now just another family amusement park and another little bit of history has been lost.  Anne was very disappointed and try, as we might, we couldn’t find a single hop garden for her all day.

 

Matthew has gone to Paris for 4 days to see the end of the Tour de France so it was just the 6 of us left to have fun.  We drove to Chartwell, which was once the home of Winston Churchill.  I was really looking forward to the visit however, when we arrived, we discovered that the studios Churchill used to paint from were not open until later that day and Michael really wanted to see them.  We didn’t want to keep everyone waiting until then so unfortunately we didn’t go in.  We shall just have to go back another day.

Hever Castle was our next stop and what a wonderful place it is.  It began as a country house in the 13^th century and it was here that Anne Boleyn grew up.  There were wonderful displays about Henry VIII and his wives and it was easy to imagine what living there then was like.  In the 1900’s, Hever Castle was purchased by William Waldorf Astor, who used it as his family residence.  He added the wonderful Italian Gardens, which are simply magnificent to walk around.  Michael and I had a lovely time wandering around whilst the others enjoyed sitting in the sunshine.

We visited Down House, which is where Charles Darwin and his family lived.  Michael, Phil and Anne toured the house whilst Margaret and I sat in the garden and talked.  Margaret is a lovely lady who reminds me very much of my mother.  She has a very English sense of humour with a sense of the ridiculous, so many a time, we were bent double, roaring with laughter over something silly.  I felt a little guilty not going around the house but I was having such a good time. Anyway, it gave the others a chance to read all about Darwin and his theories of evolution.

 

Next on the agenda was a trip to Canterbury.  It is a beautiful, old walled city and as it was Sunday, the bells were ringing throughout the town.   

 

We didn’t stay long as I wanted to see the sliding house in Margate.  An artist has transformed a derelict house by making it look like the façade has slipped into the front garden.  Part of the upper floor of the four-storey house is exposed as curving bricks, windows and a door below give the illusion that the front of the house is sliding away.  Anyway, I enjoyed seeing it however I am not sure how the others felt about it.

 

It was a long day of driving today, so long in fact that the four OAPs fell asleep.  Michael remarked on what a peaceful drive home it was!

Margate Beach

The following day we stopped on the way to Hastings at the town of Battle.  Michael visited the Abbey whilst the rest of us browsed the shops and stopped for coffee.  Michael found the museum very interesting and I think he enjoyed having a little time to himself.  Then it was off to Hastings, which is another lovely old town.  We had fish and chips for lunch and Anne was indignant that they were offered the OAP special (it came with a cup of tea and slices of white bread and butter). 

 

Battleground of Battle near Hastings

Old Cathedral on the Battle ground

The drive home was excruciatingly slow as there had been an accident on the M20.  Michael suggested we stop at McDonalds to let the traffic ease.  It was the first time Peter had ever been to McDonalds – not bad for 84!  Somehow, I don’t think he will be rushing back.

Matthew returned from Paris with tales of everything he saw and did.  He certainly made the most of his time – I got tired just listening to everything he packed in.  Once again we all piled into the car, this time to visit the seaside.  Brighton was our destination and once there we headed to the Royal Pavilion. This pavilion is a former royal residence and is remarkable for its exotic oriental appearance.  The décor inside is Chinese and is very over the top in most cases.  I did like the magnificent dragon chandelier though.

 

We have been so lucky with the weather during our trip, as once again we were here for another heat wave.  Today it was a sunny 28 degrees, which was perfect for a stroll along the Brighton Pier.  I have always wanted to visit Brighton ever since reading Brighton Rock as a teenager.  The pier was packed with holidaymakers and it was fun just to walk along and soak up the sights and sounds.  There were even jellied eels, winkles and whelks for sale and of course Brighton Rock.  Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside!