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

Our Trip To Salford Quays and Media City 10 July 2013

The day started well I had had a good night sleep plus it was a little cooler, my nosebleeds had ceased for the time being, picked up Andy then met Brian in town, when by tram to media city, we found it was a great place to take photos of all different shapes and buildings, I remember when there was nothing in this area at all, in fact if we go back far enough, this was once a very busy dockyard many years ago but nothing apart from the cranes seems to have survived,

one of the interesting things was all the people we name badges, well nearly all were young pretty people.

We went into the main building after taking a few photos, for a drink amongst other things we had a look round to see if we could see any celebrities, but there were non visible, Then I noticed a map so went over to have a look at it, whilst trying to work out what it said two young women approached us one with the obligatory clipboard, I explained that the board was to describe some work that they were planning to do to encourage people into doing more to do with the wider background in theatre, this was far too good a chance for me, so I regaled/bored them of my history in amateur dramatics backstage, they listened politely and then asked if they could take our photo, very reluctantly we rushed to pose, don't know if or when it will be seen.We then had another wander around taking photos of the various buildings, before coming across the blue Peter garden,

they have Petras statue and Sheps paw print in concrete, they must have moved the whole thing up from London, we then took the Metro to Salford quays and took a range of photos again of buildings, plus a man on waterski using an electric hoist, took the metro back home until large groups of schoolchildren, it had been quiet until them, now look forward to the next adventure.

sorry I forgot to mention whilst wandering round we cam across a pair of swans and their cygnets totally oblivious to all that was going on around them as we went round the quays

Final Thoughts On My Holiday 7 July 2013

I thought I would do a short piece about the holiday experience, firstly I need to thank Mykle for all the time and effort he put into helping me to organise the holiday so that I would have the best experience with the time available, I also want to thank Brian again for encouraging me with the holiday and for keeping me company on the way there and the three nights in Copenhagen.

I also want to say thanks to Sue at Ace Travel 2 for her time in helping arrange the holiday. If you have read the start of the blog you will realise that I nearly had to abandon it due to back problems at the very start, which are still creating problems, hopefully the physio will sort them out soon, I so glad though that I persisted with the holiday despite the pain, it is one of those holidays I will remember for a long time.

I really do have to thank Mykle and Jean for all their time and effort, knowledge kindness and company that they provided whilst I was in Norway, you really did make it a memorable holiday for me and showed me places I would never normally have seen on holiday, I only wish there was some way I could show you how grateful I am for everything.

Finally I just want to say thanks to all the people who’ve taken the time to read and comment on the blog, at this moment in time there are no photos because I am still trying to catalogue them, one of the mistakes is not to write down what I am taking photos of and trying to remember after the event the names of all the settings and buildings, made much worse by the fact I took approximately 500 photos whilst away and still missed some opportunities, so shortly I will attempt to put some photos on that will better show what beautiful scenery there was throughout the trip and why it’s such a holiday to remember.

Well photos finally added, hope it makes the Blog a little more enjoyable, have put these below as a teaser

My Last day the trip Home 4 July 2013

Woke up early, had a shower finish packing bags, had a coffee then down to reception to give back key to room. Made my way to the North terminal, went on shuttle to South terminal, then when looking for the train to St Pancras, was just in time, the train was fairly packed but at least I got a seat, when reached the station then decided to walk to Euston, walking with two cases took much more effort than I had previously remembered, when I got there I had breakfast then waited for the train.

No problems with seat on train or the trip back to Manchester, when I got there I made my way down to the Metro, unfortunately there did not seem to be any going to my destination, but no announcements or staff to speak to. In the end I got one to the centre then walked across to the other line then was able to get the tram home, from there I got the local bus, finally I got to my flat at the door was a load of letters, which I ignored, now back to reality, unpacked case, set washer off, because it was so warm decided to run a bath whilst checking my mail, the end of my holiday.

The Trip Home 3 July 2013

Having stayed up late in the hope I would sleep last night, no such luck, so in the end got up had a shower finished packing and had final breakfast, before checking out. Went to station got sandwich and cake for the trip, found seat, there was plenty of room so settled in for a relaxing trip.

Then two couples arrived at the last minute, three settled down very quickly, not sure it was right they took up eight seats in total, they had to pay the conductor, so presumably there was no problem but the man in front of me, decided to speak in a loud voice for the next hour, it would not of been so bad if there had been conversation but the others were busy on their tablets, this did not deter him. He finally got fed up and put his headphones on, well I dont know what he was playing but his head was banging backwards and forwards, I went to get a drink, the conductor was there so I asked if it was ok to move to the next compartment, he said was ok, at long last bliss.

Not so I managed to tip up my cup of tea on three occasions and had to then clean up the floor, before I realized that it was having my headset on was the problem when getting up from my seat

then spent time looking out of the window between trying to update the blog. I forgot to say earlier that yet again the weather was overcast during the trip, also because the train was travelling at speed, as quick as I spotted something I wanted to take a photo it was gone before I could get the photo, it was also hard to take in the scenery, but the ride and comfort was much better than on trains I have been on in the uk.

Finally we arrived at Oslo station, so took Mykles advice and had something to eat, in this case had a McDonald's, generally I have found them to be busy but very clean unfortunately this was not. I then found my way to the airport train, but needed help to solve using the ticket machine, then it was a comfortable ride out to the airport. As usual the process to check in was chaotic, first to a machine then to the baggage drop, it was supposed to be self service but I needed help using the scanner, then off through security and into the main departure lounge that was much less crowded. Eventually an announcement went out to say to go to the gate, did that but we had to stand outside as the door was locked, after about 15 minutes they finally let us in to sit down, there seemed to be a delay and then more people came into the area and created the queue, it seemed very disorganised, eventually we boarded the plane, I slept a lot the way, finally we landed at Gatwick and I went to collect my luggage, it always seems such a long distance from the gate to this area.

I then went looking for the shuttle that would take me to the north side of the airport and my hotel, when this arrived it was quite empty, when we arrived I looked for the way out, but by mistake ended up in the posh Sofitel hotel,

eventually I found my way out of there and into the Premier Lodge, there was no reception desk just a bank of machines with staff to assist, I do feel it actually slowed the process down, because if others had the same problems as me then it must have taken much longer to process us all. Eventually I got my room key, joined the mass of people waiting for the lift, when I finally got in the lift would not go up, it seemed yet again we had to scan a card before it would move, eventually sorted that out and got to the floor and my room at last. Heaven the room was bright spacious and even better had Aircon, in the bathroom was a real bath, I run the bath whilst unpacking my clothes, then had a soak, I have decided not to have a meal, so I bought a sandwich and cake and had these while watching TV, the bed was very comfortable so I had an early night.Only one more day before I would finally be home and it would be the end of my adventure

Last Day In Bergen 2 July 2013

Up bright and early today only problem is that weather still overcast, showered went down for breakfast,  made sure this time no problem with table being cleared. Went down spoke receptionist,  she helped work out how to find bus to the aquarium,, so why did I get lost yet again. I finally found the stop just as the bus was pulling away, unlike many british drivers he stopped for me.so off to the aquarium.  When I got there was surprised how busy it was and so many very young children,  not sure they all knew quite where they were or why.

As I arrived one of the staff was feeding some of the fish and showing a range of crabs, they all seemed quite ferocious with their huge claws,

I wandered in and first looked at a range of crocodiles, they were just lay there as if in waiting,

then onto observe different snakes both large and small, oops forgot about the penguins,  there were only a few and a they seemed to do was groom themselves,

maybe I was expecting something like Happy Feet with lots of activity,  then down in the lift to look at the tropical fish, was shocked there was Nemo plus all his family and friends,

I immediately took photos as evidence and sent as a text to my son for advice, I was tempted to rescue them, but for the large shark looking fish in the same tank,  maybe this is a good time to mention I still not heard from my son about this. I continued looking at the various tanks with  whole range of different types and colours. I then went back upstairs just in time for the feeding of the seals, quite a crowd had gathered so it was difficult to take photos as they surfaced then dived down again,  next back to the penguins,  that were so swift and graceful in the water

I was quite interested to find out that apart from some of the tropical fish many were from surrounding waters of Norway

Day Two In Bergen 1 July 2013

Despite the fact my room was very warm I had a reasonable nights sleep,  unfortunately the weather had changed and it was damp outside. Had a refreshing shower got dressed and went down for breakfast.  There was quite a variety of food so tried various combinations,  I wanted another piece of bread so left the table when I came back everything was gone, at first I thought I had gone to the wrong table but no, even the full cup of coffee was gone, so I had to start again, I did consider mentioning it but in the end decided just to finish my meal.

I had found the art museum yesterday but it was closed, I had also decided to look at the aquarium, because it was dull I felt looking at things indoors was a good idea. I read about the Bergen Card which for one payment gave free transport, plus discounts at various venues,  just then the hevens opened, just as well I had my new waterproof coat with me.

I went looking for the tourist office to buy the card then to go to the aquarium, I dont know if it was the rain or what but I just could not find it until I asked a kind local, for some reason I had decided it was an old building whereas it was ultra modern, no wonder I could not find it.

I explained what I was trying to do to the young woman who served me, she sold me the card and gave instructions how to find the bus stop I needed, I was pleased that this time I got it right, so patiently waited and waited, after over half hour the bus arrived, err umm no it was going the other direction,  so I crossed over only to find it was an hourly service and I would have to wait another three quarters of an hour. I decided instead to leave for now and go to the Kode art museum instead as I knew the way.

The museum was in four seperate modern buildings, the exhibits I wanted to see were in 3 and 4, I  went into number 3 first, I was unsure if I was allowed to use my camera so left in locker with my backpack,  I later noticed others using theirs, but did not wish to go back at this point, the main artist featured in this was Munch I did not understand much of his work, preferring that of Dahl and my new favourite Astrup but there were only a few exhibits of his.

I then moved on to number 4 this time remembering my camera,  which was just as well as there was much more of Astrups work, there were others whose paintings I also I enjoyed looking at but did not understand most of the more modern works.

It was whilst I was at the museum that I was reminded of the fact that this element of my holiday was the first when I fid not have regular company, to chat to and discuss what experiences I was having, in fact I felt a little lonely, maybe it will be a good idea in the future to find regular travelling companions to share future holidays with.

When left it was still raining quite hard and I was hungry, so looked for somewhere to eat, well when its like that, why not fall back on an old standby and there was McDonald's, but what a different sort of building to usual,

,  so had a meal and drink there, intending to go on to aquarium,  unfortunately the rest had not helped my motivation,  so went back to the hotel to dry off have a shower and a rest.

on the way came across the lake in the centre

Watched some tv then chatted to son on Skype for a while, isent it clever how we can do this, he told me grand daughter has a job, she has been trying for some considerable time so was very pleased for her, he is off to Sweden soon working, so gave advice about how to save money with cost of living being so much higher.

For my evening meal had a couple of sandwiches followed by another giant piece of carrot cake, because I could do, LOL,  went down to bar had a drink of coffee and wrote up blog for today in rough but also spent some time doing another post on here then off to bed watched tv for a while.

The Trip To Bergen And My First Day 30,June 2013

I got up early finished my packing, had breakfast,  felt really sad about leaving this beautiful place and my friends,  but it was time to go so we all set off for the bus (I do struggle because its the best one I have ever been on) seems there is no word for coach in Norwegian,  there was plenty of room on the coach so settled back intending to take photos but we were traveling to fast,  we changed to another bus and it filled up as we traveled. the weather was quite warm, and sunny

We eventually reached the ferry so it was a chance to stretch my legs, use the toilet and have a sandwich, by the time I had done this the ferry was docking, what I had not realized was that I should of been on the coach, oops,  I rushed off after it, fortunately it stopped to pick up other passengers so I was able to board without any embarrassment,  then off again to Bergen, just for a change I slept for much of the way despite the fact the driver seemed  to be going quite fast.

Finally  I arrived at the bus station and thanks to Mykles excellent directions was quickly outside the hotel which was opposite the train station,  it seemed very grand from the outside, even more so when I entered,  the young lady was very pleasant and quickly booked me in.

this photo is typical of the layout of the hotel, I now regret not taking more,

I went to the room it was old worldly and spacious, but a little warm for me despite the fact the windows were open, again no air conditioning,  the bathroom was much better, only problem was the towels were a little worn,   but not worn out, there was also a surprising shortage of storage space,  although there was a refrigerator with a range of drinks to buy, on the table there was a basket with snacks,  when I read the prices they seemed quite expensive, again thats based on English prices, not in Norway which is a rich country, but I was later to find they were not so bad, there was also a decent size safe that took everything including my large camera  and was free. The bed was a double and looked very comfortable,  I unpacked had a shower then changed before my first expedition into the town, the receptionist was very helpful and showed me the route to the harbour and provided me with a map.

When I got to the harbour I noticed the funicular to Floyen, it was bright and sunny so I bought a ticket for my next adventure,  I took photos as we climbed,

when I got out it was well worth the trip with views for miles in every direction of the harbour and sounding area, so many more photos were taken. I decided to walk along one of the tracks through the woodland,  somehow for a change I got lost, eventually found a signpost to put me back on track, it was beginning to cool down so only walked a little further before my trip back down to the harbour.

I did not feel like a large meal so settled on an enormous hot dog and a drink, I also purchased a very large piece of Carrot Cake to take back to my room for later, whilst I was catching up with my blog, I also watched tv for a little, there were tv channels in English with Norwegian sub titles,  I found a film on one which helped me settle, the bed was as comfortable as it looked so off to sleep looking forward to tomorrows new adventures.

Only One More day left Before I Have To Leave 29 June 2013

Up late today, maybe it was reading until the early hours,  looked at more photos, had breakfast, I have been trying to eat a little better whilst away, trying local food, today it was shredded wheat with cranberries and milk, may see if they have this at home for a change from porridge.

Went with Mykle to Sande, I must apologise because some of the Norwegian words I am using, I do not have the correct keyboard for, had a look at the airport very different from others it is tiny, then to see ferry crossing at Andetolote where they are proposing a replacement bridge to speed everything up. Then on to Utvik fjell down to the village and Invik, next shopping in Sande for some items Jean needed for the traditional meal she was cooking that evening. We stopped so I could take photos across the lake from where they lived, then back to house.

Went on computer to book train trip from Bergen to Oslo,  then had evening meal of, typical Norwegian food, consisting of kjottkaker (meatballs) entestuning (mushy peas) potatoes,  carrots, tyttebaer (cranberries) the meal was delicious but then followed byblå plomme (similar to damsons) with custard. After we went for a walk I was hoping it would help me burn some of the meal off so I do not put to much weight on.

For me it was quite sad as was my last day in this fantastic setting with two fantastic people for company, I shall miss Jean and Mykle greatly but am hoping to keep in touch on my return, they have shown me how different life can be if we really try at it, if you read this Jean and Mykle again thanks for everything. After this I went bed to be ready for the long day tomorrow.

A more cultural day 28 June

Believe it or not this is my second attempt at what was quite a long blog, that suddenly disappeared when I went to save it, so as cannot sleep at 3 30 in the morning will try again.

Late start, first breakfast and conversation then as Jean was going out so Mykle and I went on a pleasant walk to look at the Nicolai Astrup museum not far away at Astruptunet,not being a great follower of art I had not come across this artist before

  It seems he is a famous Norwegian painter who moved to the area when quite young, married had children and used the setting of mountains lakes and the general scenery from his studio for inspiration,  as his income Improved so he moved from house to house next to each other, all now preserved. His homes were so basic compared to those today. We had a young guide explain about his life and paintings, that went from landscapes of the area to

portraits,  plus some more complex subjects, the guide also gave background to his home and family, I have never been that interested in any particular artist but, I found some of his paintings very attractive to look at, also to see the houses preserved and odd little things like the roof was covered in vegetation that turned out to be bark from trees which it seems is a very good strong resilient way to protect the roof of a house, also I found with my bad back that the doorways into the houses were quite low, my presumption was that this was because Norwegians were small, the guide explained in actual fact it was done this way so that anyone attempting to get in and attack had to bend down very low so then gave the owner a good chance of hitting them over the head with a weapon, it just goes to show there is a good reason for everything.

It had been raining unlike previous days so it was as well we had umbrellas to protect us on our walk back, when we arrived so had Jean so we had something to eat, whilst eating, there was another visitor to the bird feeder, namely Cyril the squirrel,  he was a red one, I had only ever seen one before, but it seems they are common in the area, he set to eating some of the food Jean had put out, so I took a series of photos of him.

As Mykles computer was still not working spent some time trying to resolve, but was unsuccessful even with the assistance of fivety plus forums kind assistance, and that of my computer expert back home via e mail.

During my time here I had not watched or missed the tv but tonight there was a programme 50 years of Richard Attenborough, the others wanted to watch so we did, it was funny to see how he had aged from a young man and how technology had progressed over the years to enable them to observe and record more detail of the life and environment of animals both during the day and night.

Mykle and Jean then showed me photos that charted their progress from the original plot to their present home, it must of taken so much desire, determination, planning, skill and physical effort to of achieved such a fantastic home in this sort of setting, where the elements conspired against them.

It was late so I went to bed but could not sleep, so decided to read a little of one of my e books, More William by Richmal Crompton,  whose books I had read when young, I had not realized until starting this book how long ago it had been written,  in fact it was 1922 a very differt world to the one we live in, the book though was still an enjoyable finish to the day.