Our first day in London 3rd November 2014

Hello readers, as promised this is the first real blog of the trip and we start off with London for the day. We arrived early for the train and the trip went well apart from the fact it was raining hard when we got to Euston, we went to leave our luggage, what a rip off £40 for 2 large and two small cases,  the woman in front seemed to have something in her case that they were not happy with but soon we were done and off to buy our travelcards to travel on the tube.
We noticed it was still raining hard so decided to forget trafalgar square and head instead for the Tower and poppy display. Despite the weather there were lots of people queuing for a closer look.  Chico seemed very impressed with all the poppies, next we went down the river to the O2 but it was practically deserted,  so we continued on to the cable car over the Thames, which we all enjoyed, then on to the light railway, unfortunately it was busy and with reflections in the carriage the view was spoilt.w
We then made our way back to St Pancras so I could show Paul what a station could really look like, the place has been renovated beautifully, then to Burger King for A double Whopper then Euston to pick up the cases. (By the way at present I am struggling to enter photos on here but you can see some on Gulliver Chico Glasser profile on Facebook.) On to the tube to Heathrow,  by now it was getting late.
Sady when we got there, we just missed the bus to the hotel so it was another half hour and a tour of all the terminals first.It was a Pemier Inn so check in was fast, but still getting on for 10pm before we were sorting ourselves out, never was I so glad for a shower,  the room was up to their usual high standards it was 12ish by the time we finally settled for the night so with the need to get up again at 4 30am I tried to get to sleep for a few hours.

It had been a very enjoyable adventure I felt, shame we did not have time to do more and that initially the wrather was poor, we were very impessed at how helpful people were on the many occasions that we got lost, I really must thank Maggie for the time and effort she took to arrange our trip round London

One more week to go 26 October 2014

It seems so long ago since my first chat with my son about a trip to the Grand Canyon, that developed into this marathon of 30 days away with over 60 hours in the sky, 5 countries and 10 destinations for me. Now there are three of us the latest addition is Gulliver Chico Glasser, see previous blog for more about him, dont forget to follow him on Facebook, he hashis own profile and will keep you up to date with his travels as well as photos with me.

They will be with me on my first leg to London that origionally was just a train trip, but thanks to you Maggie is now going to be an exciting adventure, with visits to the Poppy garden at the Tower, then a trip down the Thames by boat, a meal at the O2, then cable car across the river before a train trip to Docklands.  If I time it right it will then be a trip to Heathrow after rush hour to rest before the start of the real trip with our first adventure in New York.

So far it seems we are going to visit staten island ferry, the Statue of Liberty, the memorial to the Twin Towers and the Air Sea museum, but the first adventure there will be to find our hotel, as it involves a trip into the centre first.

After a few days there we travel to Vegas hopefully to visit the Grand Canyon, it came as a surprise that it gets cold in Vegas and the Canyon so it could affect our ability to get there and my sons planned bike ride on the Rim, but we will see. I am still hoping for the chance to meet up with my Buzzer friend Geri if her health is up to it. My son informs me we are having a look at casinos and the Strip is obviously going to be included, think may need to hire a scooter to help cope with distances.

My son then travels back home then its me and my new trusty friend Gulliver Chico Glasser for the rest of the journey. If you read back a little you will read about him, he is with me to promote ME Chronic Fatigue Syndrome awareness and promote our local group as well as encourage people to sponsor him on the groups behalf.

The next leg is to Auckland for a couple of days, then to Oz, Port Douglas, Ayres Rock, then Sydney. I have found a place there to stay where  whem I come in on the ferry there are spectacular views each day of the Opera House and Bridge at each destination it will be an adventure.

Then its onto Malaysia with a trip to visit my friend in Penang followed by a trip to Singapore and finally to Shanghai before returning back to London again for the last leg home.

Its thanks to Sue at Ace Travel2 that its all been possible,  thanks Sue for all your time and patience over the months in the planning and sorting out paperwork for the trip as well as encouragement with the mammoth task, I must stop making lists as my luggage will be overloaded with them.

My visas are in place,  Sue is coming this week to go through all my paperwork to make sure I have my E tickets transfer and hotel vouchers, my GP has sorted out my prescription and  I should have a letter from her, so there are no issues for the medication I will be carrying for pain relief. I have had all necessary inoculations and more recently my flu jabs and just to make sure, have travel insurance to cover the trip.

After I thought about the cold in New York and possibly Vegas and the Canyon, I have made sure that I will have sufficient clothing that will cope with the hot and cold weather, I have tried packing my case and everything I can think of is going in and it is still under weight,  sorry have not included yet all of Chicos clothes some kindly donated by Caroline and  Mandy, do another task for me. I have decided as I am travelling with Chico that this time I will not take my SLR camera rather, my tablet, compact camera and recently purchased camcorder to record what I see on my travels and also to copy onto my blog but also to keep copies to show when I get back home. They will take up less room and be more inconspicuous I hope as I travel around.

Although it is now so close I still have not sorted out the best way to deal with money in the various countries, despite advice from my friend Paul which has been helpful on the subject and other aspects of my trip. But will finally resolve this week, its so complicated with a range of currencies to deal with in particular when I first arrive at destinations in the different countries and the first few hours whilst I find my bearings, so different as a lone traveller than with an organised trip, but much more exciting I hope.

Well I will close for now, hope you enjoy the read and will continue to follow the adventure as it unfolds.

My latest trip to London for the wildlife photographer of the year award exhibition 21 March 2014

My latest trip to London for the wildlife photographer of the year award exhibition 21 March 2014

I joined our U3A photography group, a little while ago, we have visited a number of venues, but this one to London seemed particularly interesting, given the fact that I’m going on Safari in the next few months, so I was hoping that this would give me inspiration as well as be a pleasant trip out in good company. The first thing I realised was I would not be ale to achieve a full day with such an early start, so common sense made me realise that I should that I should travel down the day before and then meet up with the others.

Because I have done this trip before it was going to be easy to book the train tickets and hotels, while the train tickets were not a problem other than the fact that I adopted for E tickets and had problems printing them out, but that was quickly solved, trying to find a hotel in a suitable location, at a reasonable price was a much bigger task, but eventually I booked one with travel Lodge, which was not too far away.

I did as I had done previously and went on Facebook to where a group of friends I have in London post I mentioned my trip, for most of them, unfortunately they were unavailable on the day that I was free, which was a shame booked, I was would find other things to do, fortunately close to the date a man called Dave volunteered to meet up and show me round and Maggie, who was been brilliant in the past, at showing myself and others the sights of London, said she would also meet up, but suggested the Tower of London experience as a good place to spend a couple of hours, I had had confirmation from my U3A friends that we would be meeting on the Saturday lunchtime going for a meal and then to the exhibition, so all was arranged.

On the day there were no problems on the train, I met with Dave at Euston, we decided because I only had a backpack not to go to the hotel first but instead to travel to the tower bridge, it’s funny how the brain does not work sometimes properly, the bus we were getting on was what I believe is called the Route Master, a real old boss, complete the conductor that you boarded at the back, it wended its way through the streets of London but then seem to get stuck when we looked out of the window realise we were close to the tower, so you might as well get off, it was only then I realised the bus was something to take a photo of because there are so few of them now, unfortunately, by the time I had got my camera out it had sped off into the distance, never to be seen again.

We walked over to Tower Bridge bought our tickets and spent a couple of pleasurable hours looking at the various exhibits and taking photos, it was interesting to listen to Dave about his various trips and career and life, I had sent a text to Maggie to confirm where we were so we met at about 5 PM, just as it was starting to get dark, which gave me the opportunity to take a series of photos of the tower, Tower Bridge, the Shard and various other places illuminated at night. We then went from meal, which was quite pleasant but in the short time we were there, it quickly filled up and Maggie explained this was typical of London, I felt it was time now to book into the hotel, the other two decided they would travel with me, part of the way which was very kind of them, I could not believe the length of the queues for a ticket on the underground, but once bought there were no problems and Maggie parted with us. I think at Victoria, I really do appreciate the effort she goes to to make these trips so memorable. Dave offered to see me all the way to the hotel, so we continued to Euston and then walked to the hotel, luckily he was able to use his phone and Google maps to find it for us, once booked in I parted with Dave and said I would be in touch when I got back home, but thanked him for his time and effort and kindness.

Went to my room it was a very basic compared to some I had been in, but there again, given its location, not too expensive, luckily it had a bath so I could have a good soak and a drink of tea before resting and watching TV before going to sleep. The hotel did say on its website that there was some traffic noise, even without my hearing aids with the window closed, it was still intrusive, but initially I slept quite well,despite the strange bed that seemed to rock, but woke in the early hours, so found it difficult to get back to sleep again. Eventually did. I got up about eight get washed and dressed, then went looking for somewhere for breakfast, those of you know me will not be surprised that I ended up at McDonald’s. I then went back to the room to sort my things out, then travelled back to Euston to meet up with my U3A friends. We could not believe the queue to get down to the underground and how many people wanted a ticket, including me. Eventually, this was sorted, luckily one of us knew where we were going, so off we went. It was decided we would have a meal first which was very pleasant and again those that know me will understand when I say how pleased I was to find carrot cake was on the menu, I think if I remember correctly it was a Lebanese restaurant.

We then joined a great big long queue to get into the museum, eventually we were inside, again , lots and lots of people and lots and lots of noise, we first went to a talk by a young man who, when he was 14 had been the young wild life photographer of the year, for one so young. He was exceptionally talented and knowledgeable about his subject. We then went to look at the photo exhibition, I had never realised how dedicated some people are to their photography, the time and effort some spent looking for that elusive photo was truly incredible, having said that some of the people lived in areas of the world where it was more conducive to the photos that they took than others. After this we parted with one member who was going on elsewhere, we had a short walk round a small part of museum before it was time to go back to Euston for our train.

We had a drink and cookie there then it was time for the train, we chatted on the train so the time passed quickly, when we got back to Manchester. We got the Metro to Piccadilly gardens and just by good luck the Fountains were working, and displaying in a range of colours which were quite spectacular, so we took a few minutes to get photos before going for the other tram, at Bury. I had just missed my bus so got the taxi, then the task of unpacking doing washing and catching up with those usual day-to-day tasks. It was all a very enjoyable trip in good company, I think I would like to go back to London again maybe spend more time looking at the buildings at night time, but we will have to see.

My Trip To London to See Chorus Line and Meet with London Friends 16 August 2013

Trip To London to see Chorus Line the Musical and meet Ex Saga friends 16 August 2013

I had been planning this trip since I had heard that chorus line the musical was returning to London, my plan was to go sometime in September or October when things had gone quiet, but suddenly out of the blue I read that the show was due to close in August, I already had a holiday booked with Brian my travelling companion and Andy another friend for one week, so I agonised whether to go not, fortunately many friends suggested it was something to do, because who knew what was round the corner and maybe I would never get to see it again if I did not go now.

My thought was I did not want to travel on my own, so I asked various friends and acquaintances and even asked on the websites that I visit, the were people who would have liked to go to see the show but were busy at the time I was planning, I also couldn’t decide whether I was just going for the day much as I had done with Proms in the Park last year or whether to stay overnight. I then started looking for coach trips, but no success there, so next decided to sort out trains and a hotel, when I started adding up all the cost without even buying the theatre ticket this was going to be a very expensive trip.

Eventually I decided that I would go and stay overnight, I went in travel agents to ask about packages and they could do one going on the Friday and returning on the Saturday by train for £40 plus believe it or not a hotel near to Euston at only £32, I quickly went and had a look at trip advisor, it had mixed reviews but it was suitable for my needs for one night, so I went ahead and booked, I then started trying to work out about the theatre ticket, Friday night seem the best time to go, but I didn’t seem able to find a ticket at the right price in the right place, eventually I found an agency that was selling discounted tickets that suited my needs, how Ward that they could charge less than the actual theatre was doing.

I had mentioned on Facebook to some of my friends who live in London but I was coming down for a visit and how I would look forward to meeting up with them if any were available, fortunately the two Janes Maris and Pauline said they were able to meet me and will take me for a trip down the Thames, I wasn’t quite sure if they were going to throw me in LOL, one or two others said they would have loved to have met again unfortunately it clashed with other arrangements they’d already made, so now I was really looking forward to the trip.

On the day I drove into town because I realised it was going to be late evening when I returned on the train so it was better to have the car at the station, the trip down was uneventful, I always struggle to understand why when it says quiet no mobiles on the train, there are always those that ignore it, why don’t they go instead into one of the other compartments instead, otherwise it was pleasant trip. The hotel was only a short walk away, not the most attractive, when I got to reception it was 1:45 PM, I said was it possible to obtain no sorry you cannot do until 2 o’clock, not sure the reasoning behind this, went to room it was basic but okay, even had to your coffee making facilities if you wanted them, so I unpacked had a wash and change, I forgot to say that it was shared toilets and bathroom, but they were not far away and were clean, so I then went out, originally I decided I was going to have a look at the London Eye before returning to get ready for the show, then realised it may take too long, so I consulted my guidebook and set off for the British Museum.

There were no problems finding my way there, it was a little bit busy on the roads, but what a surprise when I got there, it shows how long it is since I must visited a museum because there were hundreds of people outside, undeterred I went inside I could not believe the number of people and the noise, I always thought these were peaceful quiet places, because I was time-limited I only looked at certain exhibits, I don’t know if it is because I am getting old, but some people were quite rude, pushing in front of you to make sure they missed nothing or standing blocking the way taking photographs, I wandered back downstairs, I went to have a look at the drinks and snacks, those that know me well are aware that I love carrot cake, that I paid 5 pounds when in Norway, well readers believe it or not, a slice at the British Museum which was not that appetizing or big, cost £4.50 so I decided to wait. I wandered back towards the hotel and found a pleasant garden with an empty bench to sit and watch what was going on in the peace quiet and tranquillity, an elderly gentleman approached and sat down, oh no he got out his mobile phone started chatting, so back to the hotel I went, had a rest before getting ready to go out.

I went downstairs to have a meal in the hotel, it seems they no longer do this, so went to Euston station, to somewhere I’d use previously, unfortunately they were full, and I just hope Brian is not reading this, because I ended up going to Burger King, must say their burgers are much bigger than McDonald’s, then on the bus to the theatre, I had definite instructions on where to get off, informed the driver of my destination, I could not make out what he was saying, actually he was telling me that it shows on the board and is announced.

I reached my destination and walked to the theatre, it was already filling up inside but for some reason they did not open the doors to the seats for some time, as it was a special occasion I paid for a full programme, the photos were good, but where was all the information about the cast. Fortunately I had been given good advice about where to sit in the theatre so had a very good view, the show started and I just sat and enjoyed the full two hours, the stage is a very simple one for the show, the only thing that is different at certain times is a range of mirrors behind the actors, their acting singing and dancing was really good apart from, gosh I can’t remember her name now, but the character couldn’t sing, there was humour in the show, sadness and lots of fun, one of the problems is I now struggle because some of the songs will not stop going round my head, I had forgotten how the show ended, but found the last little bit before the final song a little odd, other than that a fantastic show I would go and see again maybe when it is touring. I then returned to the hotel.

One of the things I forgot to mention, was how noisy London is, with the basic traffic but even more so with the constant sirens of emergency vehicles, I had made a mistake and my room was on the front of the hotel, if I closed the window it cut the noise down, but because there was no other ventilation and it was quite warm it then got too hot, something to remember for another time, I did not sleep well but I normally don’t anyway.

The next morning I got up had a shower went down for breakfast, which for the price of the room was quite good, then got ready to go out, remembered to take everything as I would not be returning, then went over to the underground, with my next set of instructions, to meet my friends at the embankment. First shock trying to work out how to use the ticket machine, eventually acquired ticket, I could hear constant announcements being made bought was not quite sure what the relevance was, went looking for the Northern line, that was the relevance it was closed, at least for the part that I needed, so now we had hundreds or thousands of people lost trying to work out how to get to their destination, after about quarter of an hour I finally sorted it out, it took an extra change at Victoria before I reached my destination and finally met my friends at the barrier.

They had decided with my consent that they would take me down the Thames on one of the clipper boats to Greenwich and then we would plan from there, on board the boat we sat in the rear as the weather was quite good at that time, and they showed me various points of interest, I took a few photographs but it was difficult because of the speed and ever-changing view to get that many good ones, we eventually reached Greenwich we had a walk around, went from meal then carried on as I had mentioned wanting to go on the cable car across the Thames, we bravely did that, one of the Janes initially struggled but later on see more relaxed, from our viewpoint we could see across London, including people walking across the top of the O2 stadium, don’t think I’m that brave, eventually we set off back to the embankment on the boat again. This time I knew the route I was taking, Pauline had by now left us, the others saw me safely onto the tube before leaving me at the next stop, the timing was perfect there was a train to Manchester within quarter of an hour, the trip back was uneventful, the only shock was the car parking charge of £21, it seems weekend starts on Saturday not Friday, that’s when I would have got the cheap rate.

This trip was a good reminder that we should do the things that we want to while we can, because if we’ve enjoyed them we can always do again, so thanks to everyone who encouraged me and the fantastic company