Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The tour from Hell, I mean London.
So, even though I posted our itinerary for the world to read, I mixed up the dates for our all day tour to Stonehenge, Bath, and Stratford-on-Avon. We were woken up by the hotel calling us at 7:15 to inform us that the tour was here to pick us up. We dressed, posted on facebook, gathered our things and were in the bus in less than 5 minutes. Impressive, I know.
Then we arrived at Victoria Station, got on our tour bus for the day and set off. Oh wait, just kidding! Our tour guide Hugh told us, 100 times, that we have lost an Indian family and we have to turn around for them. He made it very clear that it was THEIR fault, not his. Bad form sir, bad form.
Then we set off to Stonehenge. Keep in mind that mom and I have neither eaten, nor peed since waking up! We get there at about 10:27(ish) after listening to this obnoxious woman who spoke portuguese prattle on for the entire ride to her friend.
We only have 30 minutes at the site, so we trek around the circle (no touching the stones!) and admire the craziness of the stone circle. It is amazing. I only wish I could have gone into the circle instead of just walking around it.
Then we finally peed and made our way back to the bus. On time of course!
Everyone is on the bus and we are about to pull out. Oh wait, we have to sit for 15 minutes while the obnoxious woman and her friend slowly walk back to the bus. She will be referred to as "The Drunk" from now on.
We finally make our way to Bath after another hour in the bus. It is a beautiful city, but now we only have 1.5 hours in the city compared to the 2 hours we were meant to have. Mom and I pop into the Pump Room to catch a glimpse of the baths, and then we go grab lunch because it is after 12 pm and we are starving! We grab a bite at a place near where we are going to be picked up. It is freezing cold out but we are too proud to ask to be moved inside. After lunch we grab a coffee (from Starbucks, hahah) and run back to the bus. Right on time.
OF course, we have to wait yet again. It was not The Drunk this time, but a very angry pushy lady from the front of the bus.
Finally, we are on the way to Stratford On Avon, the birthplace of the best writer in the English language! Shakespeare!
The city is beautiful. We pay to see Shakespeare's grave and mom buys me a mini Shakespeare bust for my future classroom. We have to shove 50 people in a very small room to watch the various videos about Shakespeare and then we are served scones and champagne while we watch a duo perform a scene from MAcbeth.
I do not feel well, so we duck out of the house tour and spend our remaining ten minutes in Shakespeare's garden, and perusing various Shakespearian insult books.
It has been a long day and we finally start the trip home. As mom and I hunker down for a nap in the bus we notice The Drunk and her friend are drinking something. Oh yes, it is a bottle of Sloe Gin (delicious I am sure, but not appropriate for a bus!) Her friend has maybe two swigs, and by the end of the trip The Drunk has consumed the entire bottle. In the last 20 minutes of the trip I saw her turn the bottle upside down looking for extra drops more than once.
I could write about her all day, but I am sure my mom will have funnier things to say about the woman who never ever shut up.
Mom and I grabbed a nice dinner and headed to the hotel. If I were to give the tour a grade...C minus.
Tomorrow is big red bus tour day, and then off the Scotland.
Pictures from the day:
Then we arrived at Victoria Station, got on our tour bus for the day and set off. Oh wait, just kidding! Our tour guide Hugh told us, 100 times, that we have lost an Indian family and we have to turn around for them. He made it very clear that it was THEIR fault, not his. Bad form sir, bad form.
Then we set off to Stonehenge. Keep in mind that mom and I have neither eaten, nor peed since waking up! We get there at about 10:27(ish) after listening to this obnoxious woman who spoke portuguese prattle on for the entire ride to her friend.
We only have 30 minutes at the site, so we trek around the circle (no touching the stones!) and admire the craziness of the stone circle. It is amazing. I only wish I could have gone into the circle instead of just walking around it.
Then we finally peed and made our way back to the bus. On time of course!
Everyone is on the bus and we are about to pull out. Oh wait, we have to sit for 15 minutes while the obnoxious woman and her friend slowly walk back to the bus. She will be referred to as "The Drunk" from now on.
We finally make our way to Bath after another hour in the bus. It is a beautiful city, but now we only have 1.5 hours in the city compared to the 2 hours we were meant to have. Mom and I pop into the Pump Room to catch a glimpse of the baths, and then we go grab lunch because it is after 12 pm and we are starving! We grab a bite at a place near where we are going to be picked up. It is freezing cold out but we are too proud to ask to be moved inside. After lunch we grab a coffee (from Starbucks, hahah) and run back to the bus. Right on time.
OF course, we have to wait yet again. It was not The Drunk this time, but a very angry pushy lady from the front of the bus.
Finally, we are on the way to Stratford On Avon, the birthplace of the best writer in the English language! Shakespeare!
The city is beautiful. We pay to see Shakespeare's grave and mom buys me a mini Shakespeare bust for my future classroom. We have to shove 50 people in a very small room to watch the various videos about Shakespeare and then we are served scones and champagne while we watch a duo perform a scene from MAcbeth.
I do not feel well, so we duck out of the house tour and spend our remaining ten minutes in Shakespeare's garden, and perusing various Shakespearian insult books.
It has been a long day and we finally start the trip home. As mom and I hunker down for a nap in the bus we notice The Drunk and her friend are drinking something. Oh yes, it is a bottle of Sloe Gin (delicious I am sure, but not appropriate for a bus!) Her friend has maybe two swigs, and by the end of the trip The Drunk has consumed the entire bottle. In the last 20 minutes of the trip I saw her turn the bottle upside down looking for extra drops more than once.
I could write about her all day, but I am sure my mom will have funnier things to say about the woman who never ever shut up.
Mom and I grabbed a nice dinner and headed to the hotel. If I were to give the tour a grade...C minus.
Tomorrow is big red bus tour day, and then off the Scotland.
Pictures from the day:
Friday, May 13, 2011
Whirlwind
As you can see by Caitlin's pictures, we've been busy girls. Debs met us in Leeds on Tuesday and we headed over to Hovingham and her gorgeous cottage, Stepping Stones. The village is idyllic and the drive there was filled with the daft animals jumping all over the road. We barely missed a deer by a cottontail, a pheasant by the tailfeathers and several bunnies by their lucky feet. Debs drove us by the ruins of abbeys and castle walls and Roman mazes. After we got home, Debs made a lovely salmon & lentil dinner and then we drank wine and warmed by the fire and then settled into the most comfortable beds in our cozy rooms. On Wednesday, we joined Debs' friend, Sue and her husband, Rich and their adorable kids, Max and Isla for a trip to The Forbidden Corner. Forbidden Corner is an enchanted garden/castle/puzzle (all of the above!). We had a lovely picnic and we surrounded by dozens of ducks. On the way back, we saw more abbey ruins. I think I will never forget all of the stone walls in England!
On Thursday, Rob G-J joined us from Harrogate and after a yummy breakfast of freshly baked bread and jam and bacon sandwiches, we set off for Whitby. On the way, we stopped at St. Mary's Church and saw a Roman crypt. Then we went to Robin Hood's Bay where we walked down to the bottom of the hugely steep hill. As soon as the sea air hit our faces, Caitlin and I thought of home. So, who goes down must go back up and we did! Then we parked at the Abbey in Whitby and walked down the 199 steps down to the town, and did takeaway at Magpies (fish & chips & mashy peas, of course) and took our lunchboxes down to the pier to eat. Yes, again, we meandered our way back up through town and up the 199 steps to go past the Abbey and to the car.
We headed into Malton, where I got a haircut and then over to Sue & Rich's house so that Max and Isla could perform their Elvis tribute for us! Debs made a delicous seafood chowder and we sat and chatted for a few hours.
Today, we repacked everything and loaded up the car. We headed into York and walked the city wall and to York Minster. Then off to Betty's Tea Room & Cafe for a delicious lunch and then a dash to catch the train for London.
Tonight, we'll meet a couple of friends from Summit.
More fun to follow!
On Thursday, Rob G-J joined us from Harrogate and after a yummy breakfast of freshly baked bread and jam and bacon sandwiches, we set off for Whitby. On the way, we stopped at St. Mary's Church and saw a Roman crypt. Then we went to Robin Hood's Bay where we walked down to the bottom of the hugely steep hill. As soon as the sea air hit our faces, Caitlin and I thought of home. So, who goes down must go back up and we did! Then we parked at the Abbey in Whitby and walked down the 199 steps down to the town, and did takeaway at Magpies (fish & chips & mashy peas, of course) and took our lunchboxes down to the pier to eat. Yes, again, we meandered our way back up through town and up the 199 steps to go past the Abbey and to the car.
We headed into Malton, where I got a haircut and then over to Sue & Rich's house so that Max and Isla could perform their Elvis tribute for us! Debs made a delicous seafood chowder and we sat and chatted for a few hours.
Today, we repacked everything and loaded up the car. We headed into York and walked the city wall and to York Minster. Then off to Betty's Tea Room & Cafe for a delicious lunch and then a dash to catch the train for London.
Tonight, we'll meet a couple of friends from Summit.
More fun to follow!
Pictures from our time with the wonderful Debs!
This is Robin Hood's Bay, where mum and I spent an hour or so trudging up this very very large hill with Debs and Rob G-J.
Then we went to lovely Whitby! We walked down, and then back up, 199 steps from the church down into the town.
Then we explored Maldon for a bit while my mum got her hair cut. It looks amazing, but I didnt get a proper picture of it yet!
Then we went to York Minster today, and Betty's for afternoon tea. Then we raced to the train station. We are in London now!
When we get home I will post a link to ALL of our pictures.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Wild Wicklow
Today, we did the tourist thing and went on the Wild Wicklow tour. We met the tour bus and our congenial guide, Kevin at 9:15. The tour bus went by the sea in Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary), then we wound our way up into the mountains seeing several lakes and turf and lots of sheep! We stopped for lunch in the little village of Laragh for some delicious beef &guinness stew. Yes, they LOVE their Guinness here. Caitlin admits that it is better here than the States. After lunch we saw the ruins at Glendalough. We meandered through the graveyard and walked a little until the rain drove us inside. We got back on the bus and back to Dublin. I'm finally feeling human but the jetlag really caught up to Caitlin today. We are in for a bit but going around the corner for dinner later.
Tomorrow, we may hit the art museum and find a park and read (and watch people!) until our flight to see Debs!!!
Caitlin will upload photos later :)
Tomorrow, we may hit the art museum and find a park and read (and watch people!) until our flight to see Debs!!!
Caitlin will upload photos later :)
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Walking walking walking.
That is the map of all the walking we did yesterday! Over 4.5 km!
Okay, I know that isn't that impressive, but after a kajillion hours of traveling I think we did pretty well.
We woke up this morning and ate a decent breakfast at our b&b. Unfortunately, our jet lag caught up with us and we passed out for about 2 hours after! We are just starting out day, and we are heading to the Guinness Storehouse.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Here we sit in the center of Dublin at the Old Storehouse. Caitlin is having a pint and we are singing along with the rowdy pub crowd.
I'm waiting for my bangers and mash! We are trying to stay awake until a normal time, although besides maybe an hour of sleep on the plane, I've been awake for over 24 hours!!
I'm waiting for my bangers and mash! We are trying to stay awake until a normal time, although besides maybe an hour of sleep on the plane, I've been awake for over 24 hours!!
We are here and safe!
'Mum" and I are eating a brunch in the Gatwick airport. No real shenanigans to report of thus far, other than Mom losing and finding her wallet, all before we left Jacksonville!
We will post pictures once we get to Dublin!
The best way to contact us is through our email addresses!
P.S. Hey Debs, we just tried some Colemans Mustard. We understand why you love my mom's mustard so much. (Hers is better ;) )
Friday, May 6, 2011
Charlotte airport.
We just met some lovely ladies from Wisconsin who kept us company while we ate some delicious bagels!
Leaving on a Jet Plane
So, I *think* I'm all packed and ready to go! I am driving up to Jacksonville in a couple of hours to begin this fun-filled journey. Honestly though, we could be going anywhere... I'm just happy that Caitlin doesn't mind me tagging along. She's done a great job of planning our itinerary and there's a good mix of plans/no plans, tours/time to just wander.
Usually, I'm horrible about taking pictures, but I promise to try harder on this trip :-)
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Our Itinerary.
6- Mom and I leave Jacksonville at 3:36, and fly to Charlotte. From Charlotte, we board a plane to London.
7- Mom and I arrive in London and go through Customs :(. Then we go right back into the airport for a flight to Dublin. We arrive in the early afternoon.
8- Museums, Guinness, Indie films, Oh My!
9- Mom and I go on the "Wild Wicklow Tour" Click Here!
10- No plans as of yet in Dublin, and then we board a flight to Leeds where the wonderful Debs picks us up!
11- Mom, Debs and company, and I go out to the Forbidden Corner.
12- York! Debs! Yay!
13- More Debs! Train to London in the afternoon. Possible meet up with all the Summit folks!
14- Vinopolis!
15- No plans!
16- Stratford on Avon, Stonehenge, Bath tour. Time to be tourists!
17- To Edinburgh, by train and car.
18- To Skye!
19- Skye!
20- Back to Edinburgh.
21- Mom and I both fly to Gatwick, at different times. I get picked up by my friend Nick and meet up with my friends in London. Mom takes a train down to Plymouth to see her Summit friends.
22- Lazy day in London with Nick and Mom.
23- Alas, time to return to the real world!
7- Mom and I arrive in London and go through Customs :(. Then we go right back into the airport for a flight to Dublin. We arrive in the early afternoon.
8- Museums, Guinness, Indie films, Oh My!
9- Mom and I go on the "Wild Wicklow Tour" Click Here!
10- No plans as of yet in Dublin, and then we board a flight to Leeds where the wonderful Debs picks us up!
11- Mom, Debs and company, and I go out to the Forbidden Corner.
12- York! Debs! Yay!
13- More Debs! Train to London in the afternoon. Possible meet up with all the Summit folks!
14- Vinopolis!
15- No plans!
16- Stratford on Avon, Stonehenge, Bath tour. Time to be tourists!
17- To Edinburgh, by train and car.
18- To Skye!
19- Skye!
20- Back to Edinburgh.
21- Mom and I both fly to Gatwick, at different times. I get picked up by my friend Nick and meet up with my friends in London. Mom takes a train down to Plymouth to see her Summit friends.
22- Lazy day in London with Nick and Mom.
23- Alas, time to return to the real world!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
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