Our last day in Rome because our Tuscan adventure begins. Decided today was going to be an easier, slower paced day ... pffft, I don't think Rome understands what should be easier and slower.
I've been to Rome 4 times now and never been to the Pantheon which is one of Romes oldest temples, dating to around 120 AD. That was where we headed first. Jumped on the right bus and only had to wait 4 stops. Got talking to some young Aussie guys and giving them some tips ... and missed our stop .... by a long way. In fact, we went to the very end of the bus route. Stayed on the bus and waited for it to go back the opposite way.
Finally got to our destination: The Pantheon. Walking past the typical roman columns into the bottleneck that is the entrance (there's only one way in/out), your eye is drawn upward to a massive dome with the best skylight I've ever seen! Light was streaming in and my camera just couldn't do it justice. The multi-coloured marble was a feast for the eyes and as I leaned against a column, a positive and cooling tactile experience was had after standing outside in the heat. Cannot believe how many tourists are burnt to a crisp - too easy to spot. We have been slathering on the suncream and I've still got a watch tan on my wrist!
After the Pantheon we side stepped over to the Piazza Navona, probably the most famous of Rome's piazzas. Market stalls line the centre of the piazza and restaurants are right around the perimeter. Beautiful water fountain in the centre which I believe is sculpted to represent the four great rivers of the world. Very hard to get a decent photo with all these damn sunburnt tourists hanging about! Walked past a couple of restaurants and made our decision on which one to eat/drink at based not on the menu prices (for that would be smart) but on the amount of water misting from the room of their alfresco umbrellas. Oh my ... it was divine. People watching was never so much fun. Sweaty red faced visitors, grasping their water bottles and desperately looking for shade ... and all this was witnessed from the comfort of our little table as the mist gently drifted over us dropping the temperature by at least 10 degrees. Lovely meal and as luck would have it, we had dined at the oldest restaurant in the Piazza Navona. YAY US ... the bill was worth the comfort!
Site-seeing done for the day it was time to do a little shopping. I hate shopping. I really hate shopping for clothes. I really hate shopping for clothes that look gorgeous and then don't make ME look like the mannequin! We found Zara again (remember ... Hong Kong .. Bobbie in Zara?) - I left her there in a state of glazed eyed bliss and went for a walk. I was actually looking for a bookstore that sold English language books because a book on Italy, particularly Tuscany, would come in really handy for the next week. I must have walked for about an hour and had no luck. Went back to find Bobbie and found a bookstore literally right across from Zara and found the book we wanted. *sigh* Where were the signs huh?
Caught another bus to a different area and got off a stop too late and found ourselves in front of a non descript church. Wondered why people were lining up to go in (maybe it's a mass or something). Got back to the hotel, did a little reading and found out it's the church that monks used human skeleton parts to build with in an underground area. Duh - that would have been strange/interesting/macabre to see.
Finished with shopping, we washed our filty feet at the hotel .. all day walking in thongs made our feet black! Walked about 50m down the road and sat and ate some more. Cannot maintain this eating thing - I'm fairly sure I'm about to explode and it ain't gonna be pretty! Upside was ... free wifi! Downside; no-one but Bobbie & I to share it with. Don't even know the password ... as the waiter said it's a very rude word in Italian. Glad I didn't ask.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
It's getting HOT over here ....
Tuesday, June 28
Just one thing on the agenda today ... Vatican City and a good thing it was too. What a scorcher of a day. Managed to see the temperature later on today at 6.30pm and it was 34oC.
Anyway ... back to the beginning. We took the local buses and arrived at Vatican City at around 11.00am. Could not believe the lines - they would have to have been at least 2kms long ... and that was just to get into the Vatican itself. We were comtemplating what to do when approached by a tour group hawker ... another glance at the lines convinced us it was probably worth it. We followed her to the group meeting point after which we were walked around to the back of the Vatican to the agency office. As we walked around on the side of the road with the shade we could see across the road at the line (in full sun) to get into the museums ... another couple of kilometres. In short, visiting the Vatican, Sistine Chapel & associated museums is NOT something I would recommend doing without a group. It took us a VERY long time - perhaps about an hour to get into the Vatican museum.
Once inside though it was amazing. Our tour guide was an art history student and we were astounded at the knowledge he shared with us as we walked through the many areas including the Pinecone Courtyard. There's a giant pinecone there that was 'pinecone-napped', as Bobbie put it, by one of the popes ... so hence the Pinecone Courtyard! We walked past sooooo many marble statue busts it is unbelievable that there is any marble left in the world to quarry! We were told that the sculpture and art we see is only a third of what the Vatican has in its possession. The Sistine Chapel is as beautiful as ever. Michelangelo really did NOT like painting and as he was forced to paint the chapel (short story for blog purposes) ... he really knew how to show the authorities of the day what he felt. The Last Judgement contains a self portrait in misery and on the ceiling itself he painted one panel with God bare-bummed ... that way God was literally mooning the Pope that commissioned Michelangelo to paint the chapel in the first place everytime he looked up!! Love it. Not allowed to take photos in there (a real shame) and there are guards constantly calling "Shhhh, no talking" "SILENCE" "No Talk". Ok ... got it.... be reverent.
After the Chapel our Tour Guide collected our little headsets and gave us a bit of an orientation to the Basilica itself. Another huge line was beside us to climb the steps to the top of the Dome ... roughly 500 up (and what goes up must come down). Another hour and a half was just too much to think about. So we went into the Basilica ..... the sheer magnitude of wealth is apparent. Statues, artwork, marble floor, crypts. Every inch is covered and is glorious to look out. So much it was overload.
It was a very long, hot day so after the Basilica (and not having eaten since Breakfast) we went back to the Trattoria near the Trevi Fountain where our friendly waiter served us graciously once again. Even sang Happy Birthday to us ... again. Rolled on out of there and waddled off to find a bus home. Found the bus station and when the bus finally came we found ourselves in rush hour ... on public transport .... with a LOT of other people. There are perhaps 6-8 seats on the entire bus so nearly everyone is standing. Up close and personal doesn't quite cut it when you can feel the person's body shape who happens to be next to/behind/ or in front of you. No groping was experienced but as I said at the beginning of this entry - I noted the temperature at 6.30pm was 34oC .... that was OUTSIDE the bus .... without sweaty people ... with body odour .... and sardine conditions.
Do you know how many people can fit into a public bus in Rome? A HELL OF A LOT!!
Just one thing on the agenda today ... Vatican City and a good thing it was too. What a scorcher of a day. Managed to see the temperature later on today at 6.30pm and it was 34oC.
Anyway ... back to the beginning. We took the local buses and arrived at Vatican City at around 11.00am. Could not believe the lines - they would have to have been at least 2kms long ... and that was just to get into the Vatican itself. We were comtemplating what to do when approached by a tour group hawker ... another glance at the lines convinced us it was probably worth it. We followed her to the group meeting point after which we were walked around to the back of the Vatican to the agency office. As we walked around on the side of the road with the shade we could see across the road at the line (in full sun) to get into the museums ... another couple of kilometres. In short, visiting the Vatican, Sistine Chapel & associated museums is NOT something I would recommend doing without a group. It took us a VERY long time - perhaps about an hour to get into the Vatican museum.
Once inside though it was amazing. Our tour guide was an art history student and we were astounded at the knowledge he shared with us as we walked through the many areas including the Pinecone Courtyard. There's a giant pinecone there that was 'pinecone-napped', as Bobbie put it, by one of the popes ... so hence the Pinecone Courtyard! We walked past sooooo many marble statue busts it is unbelievable that there is any marble left in the world to quarry! We were told that the sculpture and art we see is only a third of what the Vatican has in its possession. The Sistine Chapel is as beautiful as ever. Michelangelo really did NOT like painting and as he was forced to paint the chapel (short story for blog purposes) ... he really knew how to show the authorities of the day what he felt. The Last Judgement contains a self portrait in misery and on the ceiling itself he painted one panel with God bare-bummed ... that way God was literally mooning the Pope that commissioned Michelangelo to paint the chapel in the first place everytime he looked up!! Love it. Not allowed to take photos in there (a real shame) and there are guards constantly calling "Shhhh, no talking" "SILENCE" "No Talk". Ok ... got it.... be reverent.
After the Chapel our Tour Guide collected our little headsets and gave us a bit of an orientation to the Basilica itself. Another huge line was beside us to climb the steps to the top of the Dome ... roughly 500 up (and what goes up must come down). Another hour and a half was just too much to think about. So we went into the Basilica ..... the sheer magnitude of wealth is apparent. Statues, artwork, marble floor, crypts. Every inch is covered and is glorious to look out. So much it was overload.
It was a very long, hot day so after the Basilica (and not having eaten since Breakfast) we went back to the Trattoria near the Trevi Fountain where our friendly waiter served us graciously once again. Even sang Happy Birthday to us ... again. Rolled on out of there and waddled off to find a bus home. Found the bus station and when the bus finally came we found ourselves in rush hour ... on public transport .... with a LOT of other people. There are perhaps 6-8 seats on the entire bus so nearly everyone is standing. Up close and personal doesn't quite cut it when you can feel the person's body shape who happens to be next to/behind/ or in front of you. No groping was experienced but as I said at the beginning of this entry - I noted the temperature at 6.30pm was 34oC .... that was OUTSIDE the bus .... without sweaty people ... with body odour .... and sardine conditions.
Do you know how many people can fit into a public bus in Rome? A HELL OF A LOT!!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Food Babies and GRAPPA
Monday, June 27
We made it to breakfast today (thank goodness) cause that's all we had to eat all day. Bobbie was ready ... after 3 cuppacinos!! We went to the Colosseum and that's where we found the population of Rome. A street tour hawker explained why ... the last Sunday of every month is free to enter St Peter's (Vatican) so consequently all those tourists decide to go to the Colosseum on the Monday. Logging that one down in my Travel Agenty stuff. The line was enormous just for tickets so decided to go with the street hawker. It was good, straight in and they give you a good commentary on the history of the building and allow free time before the next meeting point which was the Palatine Hill.
It was stinking hot so a purchase of the touristy sun umbrellas was in order. Damn street hawker wanted 5 Euro. No. Offered me 4. No, I've seen it for 3. DONE. he he (though, I may have been able to get him down to 2? maybe). Met David our guide and went through the grounds of what was the most important hill in ancient Rome. Even walked on marble floor fragments that the emperors would have walked on. David introduced us to the concept of tour group bullying. At the last stop on the tour we were instructed to form a wall and walk all together towards the lookout balcony. He would yell and shout and we were to watch all the other tourists scarper away. Worked a treat and we had prime position! Couldn't stay for the last couple of minutes as we had to allow time to get back to the hotel for an organised tour of the Catacombs. Bye David ... you were awesome!
Panic set in when the time of our hotel pick up was drawing near and after a couple of phone calls to the supplier we decided to flag a taxi. Couple of minutes later we were safely at the meeting point .... where we wanted for the next 45 mins. *sigh* There was a big drama as one of the other tour buses had hit a car and then pushed it LITERALLY under the bus in front. What a mess ... I took photos and when I get a stick - that's definately being posted. Finally onto the tour bus and we have 3 stops over the next couple of hours. The first being St John (English version). Apparently, this is the most important church of Rome ... not St Peters. Reason has something to do with someone being in power of something ... kinda can't remember but, it was another great church. Only hitch was ... Bobbie was scantily clad for church going today. Singlet shirt and shorts ... OH LA LA!!! Draped her scarf over her shoulders and then had to borrow an American lady's very stylish navy hoodie to drape around her legs. WOW, she cut a stunning profile! Another highlight was that this is the church that houses the steps that Christ ascended on his way to Pontius Pilate. Correction: The Holy Stairs are not in St Johns ... but in another little church pretty much across the road. The steps were apparently brought back by St Helen. They're protected by brass coverings but you can walk the same path ... just on your knees.
After that we went to the Catacombs which was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!! Absolutely worth the trip ... there are no photos because the catacombs are owned by the Vatican and therefore no photos allowed (certainly not there anyway). The Tour Guide was so blase, slapping the centuries old marble and digging off tiny bits of the Roman soil called Tofa. After that we were on to our last stop ... St Maria Maggiore. If I remember correctly this is the only church of the 4 (?) principal churches that has not been rebuilt. Another church meant that Bobbie needed another church outfit. On went the scarf and when the next street hawker came up to sell a scarf (she was a prime target in her shorts!) ... I talked him down from 5 to 2 Euros. :)
Caught a taxi to the Trastavere area of Rome tonight and had dinner at the Ristorante Galeassi. Our waiter was very friendly ... no, not THAT kind of friendly! Great meal, though we just can't eat like the Italians. We don't eat nearly as many courses and yet we're the ones with the food babies!!?!? Bobbie tried Grappa aka Rocket Fuel at 40% alcohol. Apparently you have this at the end of the meal as it aides digestion. She got halfway through the small glass and with glazed eyes could not drink any more ... so tipped it into the lovely trailing plants alongside us. She now claims she is dissolving from the inside out. Grappa is eating away her pasta baby. Walked around the little alleys for a while before waving down a taxi for our ride back to the hotel.
We found the perfect taxi driver for the Amazing Race. We had a true roman experience. Clenched knees and closed eyes. A thrill of a ride .... but it wasn't a race and there is no million dollars waiting for us.
We made it to breakfast today (thank goodness) cause that's all we had to eat all day. Bobbie was ready ... after 3 cuppacinos!! We went to the Colosseum and that's where we found the population of Rome. A street tour hawker explained why ... the last Sunday of every month is free to enter St Peter's (Vatican) so consequently all those tourists decide to go to the Colosseum on the Monday. Logging that one down in my Travel Agenty stuff. The line was enormous just for tickets so decided to go with the street hawker. It was good, straight in and they give you a good commentary on the history of the building and allow free time before the next meeting point which was the Palatine Hill.
It was stinking hot so a purchase of the touristy sun umbrellas was in order. Damn street hawker wanted 5 Euro. No. Offered me 4. No, I've seen it for 3. DONE. he he (though, I may have been able to get him down to 2? maybe). Met David our guide and went through the grounds of what was the most important hill in ancient Rome. Even walked on marble floor fragments that the emperors would have walked on. David introduced us to the concept of tour group bullying. At the last stop on the tour we were instructed to form a wall and walk all together towards the lookout balcony. He would yell and shout and we were to watch all the other tourists scarper away. Worked a treat and we had prime position! Couldn't stay for the last couple of minutes as we had to allow time to get back to the hotel for an organised tour of the Catacombs. Bye David ... you were awesome!
Panic set in when the time of our hotel pick up was drawing near and after a couple of phone calls to the supplier we decided to flag a taxi. Couple of minutes later we were safely at the meeting point .... where we wanted for the next 45 mins. *sigh* There was a big drama as one of the other tour buses had hit a car and then pushed it LITERALLY under the bus in front. What a mess ... I took photos and when I get a stick - that's definately being posted. Finally onto the tour bus and we have 3 stops over the next couple of hours. The first being St John (English version). Apparently, this is the most important church of Rome ... not St Peters. Reason has something to do with someone being in power of something ... kinda can't remember but, it was another great church. Only hitch was ... Bobbie was scantily clad for church going today. Singlet shirt and shorts ... OH LA LA!!! Draped her scarf over her shoulders and then had to borrow an American lady's very stylish navy hoodie to drape around her legs. WOW, she cut a stunning profile! Another highlight was that this is the church that houses the steps that Christ ascended on his way to Pontius Pilate. Correction: The Holy Stairs are not in St Johns ... but in another little church pretty much across the road. The steps were apparently brought back by St Helen. They're protected by brass coverings but you can walk the same path ... just on your knees.
After that we went to the Catacombs which was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!! Absolutely worth the trip ... there are no photos because the catacombs are owned by the Vatican and therefore no photos allowed (certainly not there anyway). The Tour Guide was so blase, slapping the centuries old marble and digging off tiny bits of the Roman soil called Tofa. After that we were on to our last stop ... St Maria Maggiore. If I remember correctly this is the only church of the 4 (?) principal churches that has not been rebuilt. Another church meant that Bobbie needed another church outfit. On went the scarf and when the next street hawker came up to sell a scarf (she was a prime target in her shorts!) ... I talked him down from 5 to 2 Euros. :)
Caught a taxi to the Trastavere area of Rome tonight and had dinner at the Ristorante Galeassi. Our waiter was very friendly ... no, not THAT kind of friendly! Great meal, though we just can't eat like the Italians. We don't eat nearly as many courses and yet we're the ones with the food babies!!?!? Bobbie tried Grappa aka Rocket Fuel at 40% alcohol. Apparently you have this at the end of the meal as it aides digestion. She got halfway through the small glass and with glazed eyes could not drink any more ... so tipped it into the lovely trailing plants alongside us. She now claims she is dissolving from the inside out. Grappa is eating away her pasta baby. Walked around the little alleys for a while before waving down a taxi for our ride back to the hotel.
We found the perfect taxi driver for the Amazing Race. We had a true roman experience. Clenched knees and closed eyes. A thrill of a ride .... but it wasn't a race and there is no million dollars waiting for us.
When in Rome .........
Sunday, 26 June
I failed to mention that we arrived very late ... as in early this morning and we were STARVING!! When Alitalia says you are served a snack onboard ... they really mean a snack. Couple of biscuits and a drink. Got into our room which was not very impressive at all. Asked the concierge whether there was room service 'no' .. ok is there somewhere close by to get something. "You can go across the road, they are Egyptian ... but do not be afraid" (huh?) Ducked across and grabbed the only thing left on the menu at 1.00am ... Lasagne. Flashed my travel agent card when we finally woke up (and missed breakfast) and were given a much better room. *sigh* At least the water in the bidet wasn't going to scald us! KIDDING ... the shower in the first room went from skin sloughing hot to cryofreeze within 10 seconds, every 10 seconds. Once we had our new room sorted, it was off to hit the cobblestones of Rome. We were very disorientated to start with and very hungry, after missing our breakfast, so first order of the day was to find something to eat. Found a cafe quick near the Termini (main railway station) where the waiter was friendly - perhaps a little too friendly? Had warned Bobbie about the Italian men and their penchant for a quick grab or touch. He was very hands on and gave us both a side handled hug ... and then he spoke with an English accent. *groan* A sleezy Brit in Italy!!
Now we had food in our bellies, we were right to go. Felt that the best thing to do was jump on a Hop On Hop Off tour of the city and get our bearings. Great idea but shocking bus tour .... should have gone with the official one. The speakers did not work at all on ours but at least we got to see what we wanted to do. We stayed on the bus until it had almost done a full circle. Went into Basilica St Maria degli Angeli e Dei Matiri which did not look so church-like from the outside but was incredible on the inside. Loads of information about Galileo and how he wasn't an atheist but was merely dedicated to the 'logic of the creator' and was in fact a very faithful man. It was also the last architectural project of Michelangelo.
Next stop on our massive walking tour of Rome was the Monument of Emanuele II ... or as Bobbie & I tried to describe it to someone ... the big white thingy. Well, it is big ... and white. Basically a military museum but was considered quite sacred because it is a monument that was built to commemorate the unification of Italy.
From the big white thingy we thought 'oh, it's not so far to the Trevi Fountain'. Lovely walk, got sidetracked by many shops along the way and finally made it there. MASSES and MASSES of people, all vying for a spot on the marble lip of the fountain to take the all important coin toss shot into the fountain. Tradition holds that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain it guarantees your return. YIPPEEEE. Had lunch at a Trattoria around the corner and was serenaded by an accordian player. When he came up for our 'donation' I had no coins, he kindly offered to give change. Do I look green? I said I would give him 2 Euros. He dug into his little crushed paper cup and presented me with 2 Euros but before I handed him my 5 Euro note, I shook my head and shoved my hand into that little cup for my extra Euro. The guy at the table next to us thought it was amusing and Bobbie was mortified (but laughing) that I had the gall to do that. What can I say ... I'm part Scottish.
Food Babies on board we took off again and headed for the Spanish Steps. I can honestly say, I've been to Rome 3 times before but have never approached them from the back. Walked DOWN the steps and sat and relaxed for a while ... and did a bit of people watching. There are plenty of street hawkers trying to sell bags and scarves and even alcohol but we didn't see a single person the grog.
Walked ALL the way home and collapsed .... where's a masseuse when you need one?
I failed to mention that we arrived very late ... as in early this morning and we were STARVING!! When Alitalia says you are served a snack onboard ... they really mean a snack. Couple of biscuits and a drink. Got into our room which was not very impressive at all. Asked the concierge whether there was room service 'no' .. ok is there somewhere close by to get something. "You can go across the road, they are Egyptian ... but do not be afraid" (huh?) Ducked across and grabbed the only thing left on the menu at 1.00am ... Lasagne. Flashed my travel agent card when we finally woke up (and missed breakfast) and were given a much better room. *sigh* At least the water in the bidet wasn't going to scald us! KIDDING ... the shower in the first room went from skin sloughing hot to cryofreeze within 10 seconds, every 10 seconds. Once we had our new room sorted, it was off to hit the cobblestones of Rome. We were very disorientated to start with and very hungry, after missing our breakfast, so first order of the day was to find something to eat. Found a cafe quick near the Termini (main railway station) where the waiter was friendly - perhaps a little too friendly? Had warned Bobbie about the Italian men and their penchant for a quick grab or touch. He was very hands on and gave us both a side handled hug ... and then he spoke with an English accent. *groan* A sleezy Brit in Italy!!
Now we had food in our bellies, we were right to go. Felt that the best thing to do was jump on a Hop On Hop Off tour of the city and get our bearings. Great idea but shocking bus tour .... should have gone with the official one. The speakers did not work at all on ours but at least we got to see what we wanted to do. We stayed on the bus until it had almost done a full circle. Went into Basilica St Maria degli Angeli e Dei Matiri which did not look so church-like from the outside but was incredible on the inside. Loads of information about Galileo and how he wasn't an atheist but was merely dedicated to the 'logic of the creator' and was in fact a very faithful man. It was also the last architectural project of Michelangelo.
Next stop on our massive walking tour of Rome was the Monument of Emanuele II ... or as Bobbie & I tried to describe it to someone ... the big white thingy. Well, it is big ... and white. Basically a military museum but was considered quite sacred because it is a monument that was built to commemorate the unification of Italy.
From the big white thingy we thought 'oh, it's not so far to the Trevi Fountain'. Lovely walk, got sidetracked by many shops along the way and finally made it there. MASSES and MASSES of people, all vying for a spot on the marble lip of the fountain to take the all important coin toss shot into the fountain. Tradition holds that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain it guarantees your return. YIPPEEEE. Had lunch at a Trattoria around the corner and was serenaded by an accordian player. When he came up for our 'donation' I had no coins, he kindly offered to give change. Do I look green? I said I would give him 2 Euros. He dug into his little crushed paper cup and presented me with 2 Euros but before I handed him my 5 Euro note, I shook my head and shoved my hand into that little cup for my extra Euro. The guy at the table next to us thought it was amusing and Bobbie was mortified (but laughing) that I had the gall to do that. What can I say ... I'm part Scottish.
Food Babies on board we took off again and headed for the Spanish Steps. I can honestly say, I've been to Rome 3 times before but have never approached them from the back. Walked DOWN the steps and sat and relaxed for a while ... and did a bit of people watching. There are plenty of street hawkers trying to sell bags and scarves and even alcohol but we didn't see a single person the grog.
Walked ALL the way home and collapsed .... where's a masseuse when you need one?
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Last Day in London ... and Miming
Saturday, June 25
Stayed late in our apartment as check out wasn’t until 11 o’clock. Packed up, did some internet research on where to leave our bags (note: Paddington Station). Bought our Heathrow Express tickets on my mobile ... the reason I record this is because they have the facility to send the ticket to your phone and it gets scanned on the train – AWESOME. The Russian cleaners were very keen to get us out ... so we dawdled until the appropriate time.
Only two stops on the agenda today as that was about all we were going to fit in. Went to visit the Templar’s Church (from the DaVinci Code). Not a particularly beautiful church but interesting all the same as the Knight’s Templar built the circular part back around 1100. The Knight’s effigies were interesting despite the damage they had suffered during WWII when a bomb hit the church.
Then off to Portobello Road Markets. OH MY GOSH ... those markets are HUGE. Can’t comprehend why anybody would shop anywhere else because there was everything from clothing, to antiques, to food, to junk and jewellery and vintage gear. We only did a small portion of it owing to time constraints but would love to go back sometime and see more.
Once safely checked in at Heathrow it was time to eat again ... wow, you do a lot of that on holidays. Lucky they only weigh the bags huh? Bobbie had a pint of beer and a bottle of wine (500ml) and was suitably chilled to say the least. Was not the least bit concerned that there was some point in time that we needed to be at the gate. I of course was not suitably chilled ... but stressing – the planes will leave without you! Finally dragged the reluctant hurry’er and got to the gate as they were opening it for boarding.
Sat next to a lovely older Italian lady who was very nervous on take off so I had to comfort her despite the language barrier. What did Bobbie do? Made aeroplane flying actions (not really sure that flapping wings was the right thing to mime) and saying OK. It was a good thing the woman closed her eyes when Bobbie mimed the plane going down! Through the course of the flight we managed to find out her name was Rosa and that she had two children; a son and daughter, one of whom lives in Rome, the other in London. Oh, and she did have a husband but he died. The mime for that was almost comical. Imagine; eyes closed and arms and legs extended straight out in front. Language barrier? Never. I don’t hold much hope for Bobbie’s translation skills. We’re in trouble. With the little Italian I could remember and deciphered from Rosa, we told her we each had 3 children. We told her we were sisters, from Australia, and holidaying in Italy. She said we were very beautiful ... lucky her opinion of us was not affected by Bobbie’s miming! Kept her happy during landing and she wished us a Happy Holiday and I thanked her for the lesson in Italian. See Italian is not so hard to figure out ... just bring Marcel Marceau with you.
Customs was interesting ... take your passport, stamp it and throw it back at you. Not a welcome to Italy or a warning not to mime ... nothing. Met our transfer driver and as we exited the building, saw Rosa and her son. She grabbed both of us and gave us a good Italian smooch on both cheeks. Too bad we couldn’t get to inviting ourselves for dinner!
Bonnie Scotland and the Human GPS
Now in Italy where there is NO free wi-fi and what wi-fi there is ... is SUPER EXPENSIVE ... so blogs will be recorded and uploaded when possible ... enjoy!
Thursday, 23 June
Up really bright and early for our speed date with Scotland ... “Don’t talk to me for an hour” says Bobbie. J She loves waking up! We touched down in Bonnie Scotland and as the slight drizzle fell, Bobbie noted the weather wasn’t that crash hot and lucky we had bought one of our many umbrellas (I think we’re collecting them now!). All I had to say in reply was ‘Welcome to Scotland’. Grabbed our hire car ... no pressure here ... it only had 11 miles on it so, it was brand spanking new. As we exit the airport my trusty navigator reminds me to remain on the right side of the road. This does not bode well especially since in the UK you drive on the left!! Hmmmm. Together with our mud map we found our way to a parking garage in the Old Town part of Edinburgh. Typically, the sun came out ... and went away, then came back, it drizzled and the sun was back again as we trudged our way up and down the Royal Mile. The original plan was to go straight to Edinburgh Castle for the firing of the one o’clock cannon we were pretty hungry so stopped at The World’s End pub for a bite ... and a pint. We ordered the haggis which we both agree was very nice (it really is! Don’t think about what is in it ... just try it sometime!)
Thursday, 23 June
Up really bright and early for our speed date with Scotland ... “Don’t talk to me for an hour” says Bobbie. J She loves waking up! We touched down in Bonnie Scotland and as the slight drizzle fell, Bobbie noted the weather wasn’t that crash hot and lucky we had bought one of our many umbrellas (I think we’re collecting them now!). All I had to say in reply was ‘Welcome to Scotland’. Grabbed our hire car ... no pressure here ... it only had 11 miles on it so, it was brand spanking new. As we exit the airport my trusty navigator reminds me to remain on the right side of the road. This does not bode well especially since in the UK you drive on the left!! Hmmmm. Together with our mud map we found our way to a parking garage in the Old Town part of Edinburgh. Typically, the sun came out ... and went away, then came back, it drizzled and the sun was back again as we trudged our way up and down the Royal Mile. The original plan was to go straight to Edinburgh Castle for the firing of the one o’clock cannon we were pretty hungry so stopped at The World’s End pub for a bite ... and a pint. We ordered the haggis which we both agree was very nice (it really is! Don’t think about what is in it ... just try it sometime!)
We put our tourist hats aside for a short while and visited the relis ... Mum’s cousin Billy & his wife Helen. I use to live with them for a time when I was in Scotland. It was very nice to see them and amusing to watch Helen struggle to understand Bobbie’s accent. It was only easier to understand me as she knew the cadence of my voice. We had a lovely afternoon tea with them and then went off to meet up with Keith (the family tree connection is there but not sure how to describe it – perhaps the crazy squirrel?). Keith took us out for dinner and after stuffing ourselves we went for a very brisk walk in the very crisp cool air. Oh look Princes Street Gardens ... quick, let’s get back to the bar where’s it warm! We crashed at Keith’s place for the night which was great. Bobbie said her thanks and goodbyes before retiring and I got up in the morning to say Cheerio! It was great catching up with Keith again ... just a real shame I didn’t get to see all my other squirrely relatives! Missed you guys!
Tourist hats back on and we went back to the city and stopped first at Mary King’s Close .... the part of Edinburgh that is still underground. Parts of the close date back to ............ and it was fascinating to hear the stories of how people lived. Our guide ‘Agnes’ (aka Karen) was just brilliant and charmed everyone with her portrayal of a 17th century maid/guide. Back on the surface we hot-footed it up to the Castle for the one o’clock cannon. Made it in time and thankfully this time the sun was just perfect (the last time I was here it was freezing and windy and miserable). An older couple sidled up to us and the man tried lifting his wife so she could see over the castle wall, she wasn’t real comfortable with that and we joked around that he was really trying to toss her over the edge like in the days of old when everything was tossed into the Nor Loch .... now drained and beautified as Princes St Gardens. Went to take Bobbie up to St Margaret’s Chapel – the oldest building in Edinburgh but there was a wedding scheduled so that put that off. Down to the Prisoners of War Exhibition then ... very interesting. Did you know that Napolean tried to put his brother on the throne of Spain? By this time Bobbie was suffering from a case of ABC ... “Another Bloody Castle” and as I had seen much of it before ... we made our way back to the High Street and did some last minute tourist shopping. Had a spot of bother driving back to the airport. Got stuck at a confusing intersection (Lothian Road & Princes St) ... and ended up back two attempts to get on the right road because we succeeded the third time .... only to find we had been on the right road both the previous 2 times. Perhaps a GPS purchase would have been a good idea? It was all good though, we only panicked running to our gate for about a minute .... and I ran past the queue. Stopped and walked back to the end of the line. All good. Safe.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Feeling the burn ....
A nice early start today saw us walk down to the closest gate to Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park to hire a bike. All over London Barclays Bank has bike racks where you can hire a bike. Bobbie did ask whether riding a bike was something you never forget ... huh? So we whipped out the travel card and eventually managed to unlock and reef the bikes from the highly sophiscated bike racks. We started in Kensington Gardens with a view to visiting Kensington Palace (of course) ... however, it's mostly closed for renovations and after just 5 minutes on the bikes, we were already starting to feel the burn. Lactic acid build up ... check! With 'riding along on my push bike honey' coursing through my brain we set off again. We reached the other side of the Gardens and then decided to try and find the Peter Pan Statue and Princess Diana's memorial fountain. Only so many of the paths are marked as bike paths and it took us a while to figure out what others were ring-a-linging their bells at us ... seems that single file is the way to ride in the park. Other paths we had to walk alongside our bikes and while posing for a self-timed photo ... we watched incredulously as a woman noticed us posing, turned her head and noted the camera position and yet kept walking!?!? We do have a great photo though of us ... with her just walking out of frame. HA ... she didn't time her photo bomb to perfection. A Canadian couple were watching and decided that we look in need of assistance and took the photo for us.
I think we actually got lost in the park .... after we found Peter Pan, we kind of stumbled across Princess Diana's memorial fountain which wasn't open yet. Our early start was working for us ... on schedule already! Finally found our way and realised that we had actually cycled all the way to Hyde Park Corner ... and if you look at a map, it pretty much means we did the whole park circumference. WE TOTALLY ROCK!!! Redocked the bikes and started our walk to Buckingham Palace (oh yes, we were feeling invigorated after that and a good walk was what was needed .... besides, there had to be a coffee shop somewhere along the way right?). It started to rain and duh? guess who forgot their umbrella. Hmmm, frizz city here I come. Sidled up to Bobbie (who of course is like a boy scout and comes prepared for everything) until we came across a convenience/souvenir shop. Presto, umbrella purchase in hand ... it was on to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard. My lovely friend Ash recommended getting there quite early in order to get a good position. So we pretty much were stoop sitting just outside the Palace for about an hour ... and Ash was right .... it was the best time to arrive. MASSES of people congregated. FINALLY, the ceremony started and about halfway through Bobbie said "oh come on, how long does it take to change just 2 guards" ... funny girl. There were a couple of band regiments playing and out of the 6 songs played, I picked 3. Now check out this playlist: Tom Jones (It's not Unusual), Star Trek Theme (oh yes), Barry Manilow (Cococabana), a jazz number, a waltz and then the finale "Who could ask for anything more"
Off through the London drizzle to St Paul's for attempt 2. Beautiful, beautiful church but not sure how you can maintain reverence with tourists milling around during a service. Climbed the 530 steps to the Golden Gallery (burn baby burn). It was very windy up there and as I hugged the stone wall, made my way around. Too bad it was a drizzling overcast day because the view was just amazing. Had to be the friendly Aussie and offered my services as a professional *cough* photographer to the other tourists. They were impressed with my skills I could tell! They weren't worried at all that I wasn't prepared to peel my back off the wall to take the photo. Back down the 530 steps. Legs quivering quite a bit for a while.
Went to the British Museum. Good grief that thing is huge .... fantastic displays and way too much to try and cram into a couple of hours. Circled a couple of the highlighted ones and made our way to those exhibits and taking in whatever else happened to be on the way. The Rosetta Stone was great as was the Easter Island Statue. "Dum Dum, give me Gum Gum" Egytian mummies and pieces of eight. Tiny dice the size of your fingernail in the shape of a crouched human. Mind boggling greek vases. It would take weeks, maybe months to really see a lot.
Harrods was our last stop for the day ... thank goodness cause the sore feet were back. Walked in through the perfumery and it was packed. We have come to London and visited Harrods during the ONLY sale they have for the year. There's a lot of people in there. Tried to find a cafe in there and decided that after walking through a few shopping areas that this store was just way too big for us! Found the gift shop, got what we came for and found the closest pub where we had dinner. Walked into another store and bought a couple of trinkets only to have the checkout girl ask "What language do you speak in Australia" WHAT THE? Was I speaking something else? She also asked for a recommendation about where she should live. We said Queensland and then she asked "Will I have those cute koalas in my backyard" *sigh* What are we going to do with the English I ask? Caught the bus home and hobbled into the apartment.
Bobbie just came back from the BEST food shop "Wholefoods Market" with a bunch of goodies ... nom nom nom nom ... candied almonds, fresh organic fruit, truffles, chocolate pudding and White Chocolate Lemon & Cashew Bites. AHA ... it's snack time!
Perhaps we need another burn day tomorrow me thinks?!
I think we actually got lost in the park .... after we found Peter Pan, we kind of stumbled across Princess Diana's memorial fountain which wasn't open yet. Our early start was working for us ... on schedule already! Finally found our way and realised that we had actually cycled all the way to Hyde Park Corner ... and if you look at a map, it pretty much means we did the whole park circumference. WE TOTALLY ROCK!!! Redocked the bikes and started our walk to Buckingham Palace (oh yes, we were feeling invigorated after that and a good walk was what was needed .... besides, there had to be a coffee shop somewhere along the way right?). It started to rain and duh? guess who forgot their umbrella. Hmmm, frizz city here I come. Sidled up to Bobbie (who of course is like a boy scout and comes prepared for everything) until we came across a convenience/souvenir shop. Presto, umbrella purchase in hand ... it was on to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard. My lovely friend Ash recommended getting there quite early in order to get a good position. So we pretty much were stoop sitting just outside the Palace for about an hour ... and Ash was right .... it was the best time to arrive. MASSES of people congregated. FINALLY, the ceremony started and about halfway through Bobbie said "oh come on, how long does it take to change just 2 guards" ... funny girl. There were a couple of band regiments playing and out of the 6 songs played, I picked 3. Now check out this playlist: Tom Jones (It's not Unusual), Star Trek Theme (oh yes), Barry Manilow (Cococabana), a jazz number, a waltz and then the finale "Who could ask for anything more"
Off through the London drizzle to St Paul's for attempt 2. Beautiful, beautiful church but not sure how you can maintain reverence with tourists milling around during a service. Climbed the 530 steps to the Golden Gallery (burn baby burn). It was very windy up there and as I hugged the stone wall, made my way around. Too bad it was a drizzling overcast day because the view was just amazing. Had to be the friendly Aussie and offered my services as a professional *cough* photographer to the other tourists. They were impressed with my skills I could tell! They weren't worried at all that I wasn't prepared to peel my back off the wall to take the photo. Back down the 530 steps. Legs quivering quite a bit for a while.
Went to the British Museum. Good grief that thing is huge .... fantastic displays and way too much to try and cram into a couple of hours. Circled a couple of the highlighted ones and made our way to those exhibits and taking in whatever else happened to be on the way. The Rosetta Stone was great as was the Easter Island Statue. "Dum Dum, give me Gum Gum" Egytian mummies and pieces of eight. Tiny dice the size of your fingernail in the shape of a crouched human. Mind boggling greek vases. It would take weeks, maybe months to really see a lot.
Harrods was our last stop for the day ... thank goodness cause the sore feet were back. Walked in through the perfumery and it was packed. We have come to London and visited Harrods during the ONLY sale they have for the year. There's a lot of people in there. Tried to find a cafe in there and decided that after walking through a few shopping areas that this store was just way too big for us! Found the gift shop, got what we came for and found the closest pub where we had dinner. Walked into another store and bought a couple of trinkets only to have the checkout girl ask "What language do you speak in Australia" WHAT THE? Was I speaking something else? She also asked for a recommendation about where she should live. We said Queensland and then she asked "Will I have those cute koalas in my backyard" *sigh* What are we going to do with the English I ask? Caught the bus home and hobbled into the apartment.
Bobbie just came back from the BEST food shop "Wholefoods Market" with a bunch of goodies ... nom nom nom nom ... candied almonds, fresh organic fruit, truffles, chocolate pudding and White Chocolate Lemon & Cashew Bites. AHA ... it's snack time!
Perhaps we need another burn day tomorrow me thinks?!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Facing Fears and Food Babies
I think I need to inject coffee into Bobbie's bloodstream about an hour before she wakes. LOL She's calling me the site-seeing nazi.
Today was the day. The day for trepidation. The day of fear. The day of the London Eye. What was I thinking? I'm afraid of the little kiddie ferris wheels at Floriade ... and here I was standing in line at the biggest flipping ferris wheel (sorry ... but that's what it is - point blank) in the WORLD. Ugh ... loads of people lining up. Had read in our little guidebook that peak time is 12-3pm ... we were there at 11am. It's like when you put ant-rid out and the whole damn nest is soon seething around it. Grabbed the salt and vinegar crisps (get with the lingo) on the snatch, grab and pay stand while in the line to calm my nerves. Worked a treat until we had to step into the glass capsule while it was still moving. What was that about? Slowly, slowly it inches its way up. The views are stunning I will say, great photo opportunities too. But I was feeling very nervous and touched with a little vertigo as I went near the sides and really, the sign that said not to lean on the doors was totally unnecessary I felt. Bobbie thought it very amusing watching me inch my way around the capsule with my knees glued at times to the wooden bench in the centre. Oh hardy, ha ha. I stood close to the edge thinking myself very brave when she decides to give me a little shove from behind. The American dude found it amusing too. I wondered out loud if Bobbie would like to go lean on those doors. Oh yes and jumping up and down was hilarious too ... NOT. "OOOooooo" it's swaying Lisa" Pffft, mocking me when the fear factor is legitimate. I mean seriously, this is the same woman that was scared of the real people in the dark at Madame Tussauds. Really compleplating taking her to the London Dungeon and LEAVING HER THERE.
Went on the Hop On Hop Off Thames River Cruise which was very interesting and the jokes were worth having a laugh at. Getting very hungry now so when the tour stopped at Westminster we went into The Red Lion for a feed. Very appetising menu but when we went to order they said we couldn't order for at least 20 mins ... apparently very busy and I think the cook was under duress. Sat down and enjoyed our lemonade / wine. We're perfecting the art of taking selfies so decided to take one with the bar in the background. Just as we finished taking the photo I noticed the sly, yet totally non-stealthy movements of a photo bomber. We laughed outloud at him and the resulting photo is brilliant. So we asked him his name and Bobbie posed for a selfie with him. Pretty 'Martin' did not speak a lot of English but at least he had a great sense of humour. Our 20 minute waiting period over, we ordered our Jacket Potatoes ... no, we couldn't have that (they ran out) .... ok, ordered a couple of other things - oooh, lucky ... they were the last ones. What English Pub runs out of food??? On a main strip? It was delicious though and an hour and half later we rolled out of there to go visit St Paul's Cathedral. We arrived there and after some discussion with the ticket lady, we decided we didn't have sufficient time to climb the stairs to the dome. So we decided tomorrow would be a better option.
Off to Trafalgar Square then .... Bobbie was totally amazed at the sheer amount of people just sitting around and doing nothing more than people perving. Grabbed a cuppa in the square cafe .. and much to Bobbie's disappointment, found out that it was permissable to drink alcohol in the square. Sat around for a while and took some great photos .... but it's the quick or the dead if you want to get a photo in front on the lions. Some crazy father put his 3 year old up between the Lion's feet - now it's about 7 metres off the ground and stood back to take photos. Loads of photo had their hearts in the mouths as the little girl jumped from one paw to the other.
Grabbed a bus, rather than the tube, and chatted to some great little Aussie kids on the way home. Went for dinner down the road at the Hyde Park Perk Bistro which was super quick service and now we're prostrate on the bed with some serious Food Babies. Time to hibernate me thinks!
Today was the day. The day for trepidation. The day of fear. The day of the London Eye. What was I thinking? I'm afraid of the little kiddie ferris wheels at Floriade ... and here I was standing in line at the biggest flipping ferris wheel (sorry ... but that's what it is - point blank) in the WORLD. Ugh ... loads of people lining up. Had read in our little guidebook that peak time is 12-3pm ... we were there at 11am. It's like when you put ant-rid out and the whole damn nest is soon seething around it. Grabbed the salt and vinegar crisps (get with the lingo) on the snatch, grab and pay stand while in the line to calm my nerves. Worked a treat until we had to step into the glass capsule while it was still moving. What was that about? Slowly, slowly it inches its way up. The views are stunning I will say, great photo opportunities too. But I was feeling very nervous and touched with a little vertigo as I went near the sides and really, the sign that said not to lean on the doors was totally unnecessary I felt. Bobbie thought it very amusing watching me inch my way around the capsule with my knees glued at times to the wooden bench in the centre. Oh hardy, ha ha. I stood close to the edge thinking myself very brave when she decides to give me a little shove from behind. The American dude found it amusing too. I wondered out loud if Bobbie would like to go lean on those doors. Oh yes and jumping up and down was hilarious too ... NOT. "OOOooooo" it's swaying Lisa" Pffft, mocking me when the fear factor is legitimate. I mean seriously, this is the same woman that was scared of the real people in the dark at Madame Tussauds. Really compleplating taking her to the London Dungeon and LEAVING HER THERE.
Went on the Hop On Hop Off Thames River Cruise which was very interesting and the jokes were worth having a laugh at. Getting very hungry now so when the tour stopped at Westminster we went into The Red Lion for a feed. Very appetising menu but when we went to order they said we couldn't order for at least 20 mins ... apparently very busy and I think the cook was under duress. Sat down and enjoyed our lemonade / wine. We're perfecting the art of taking selfies so decided to take one with the bar in the background. Just as we finished taking the photo I noticed the sly, yet totally non-stealthy movements of a photo bomber. We laughed outloud at him and the resulting photo is brilliant. So we asked him his name and Bobbie posed for a selfie with him. Pretty 'Martin' did not speak a lot of English but at least he had a great sense of humour. Our 20 minute waiting period over, we ordered our Jacket Potatoes ... no, we couldn't have that (they ran out) .... ok, ordered a couple of other things - oooh, lucky ... they were the last ones. What English Pub runs out of food??? On a main strip? It was delicious though and an hour and half later we rolled out of there to go visit St Paul's Cathedral. We arrived there and after some discussion with the ticket lady, we decided we didn't have sufficient time to climb the stairs to the dome. So we decided tomorrow would be a better option.
Off to Trafalgar Square then .... Bobbie was totally amazed at the sheer amount of people just sitting around and doing nothing more than people perving. Grabbed a cuppa in the square cafe .. and much to Bobbie's disappointment, found out that it was permissable to drink alcohol in the square. Sat around for a while and took some great photos .... but it's the quick or the dead if you want to get a photo in front on the lions. Some crazy father put his 3 year old up between the Lion's feet - now it's about 7 metres off the ground and stood back to take photos. Loads of photo had their hearts in the mouths as the little girl jumped from one paw to the other.
Grabbed a bus, rather than the tube, and chatted to some great little Aussie kids on the way home. Went for dinner down the road at the Hyde Park Perk Bistro which was super quick service and now we're prostrate on the bed with some serious Food Babies. Time to hibernate me thinks!
Things that go BOO, Jet Lag and Sore Feet
... continuing on
Tuesday found us up bright and um ... earlier making our way to Madame Tussauds. I haven't been there for well over 20 years *warning warning ... age awareness alert*. The lines were INCREDIBLE - we were there by 9.30 and the queue was wrapping right around the domed building. Luckily for us we had prepaid and went into the much quicker queue. Oh my ...... the first room was sooooo full - can anyone say 'sardines'??? Brad & Ang were there, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera (GEEZ she's tiny ... smaller than Kylie Minogue I'm sure .... but with really big boobs!). Robert Pattison had his own room?!?!? Had some great fun getting up close and pesonal with Princes William & Harry, Johnny Depp (drool, slobber) and Shrek (actually, think I may have gotten a little too close to Shrek ^^). Bobbie DEFINATELY got way too friendly with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and for the sake of tendy innocent eyes, we probably won't post that photo!
There was a separate little display call 'Scream' ... they were adamant that anyone under 12 could not go in as it was apparently very scary. Bobbie & I went in ... well, we are a little over 12 so the age limit was not really an issue. Bob didn't realise there were real people in there (even though they were announcing it beforehand). They were all acting as though they were in an asylum and would suddenly jump out to try and lift the terror level to code brown (you know ... where you have to change your underpants?). The first guy got right up in our faces acting nutty so, I turned around and said 'I like 'em crazy' .... he followed us roughly halfway through the exhibit just constantly going 'ha ha ha'. I just went into giggles. Meanwhile shuffling in front of me, Bobbie has her head down and is hiding behind the young boys hoping the people don't notice her (and I believe she was wishing fervently that I would stop interacting with the crazies). When we got out she said how scary it was ... I guess going on the Jack the Ripper Tour is out of the question for her!!! I could not stop laughing. The wax figures were brilliant - even saw a few that Madame Tussaud had done herself - incredible. A brilliant 4D experience was the last thing through the building and the effects were stunning - think Movieworld but BETTER. The 3D parts were so real and when Wolverine was stabbing into metal, you would get a jab in your back from the seat. I would scream/giggle. Bobbie wasn't so scared - poor wee poppet!
We stopped for a croissant and coffee on our way out - UGH ... worst croissant we've had - dry and lifeless.
We then made our way to the Tower Bridge where we got rejected because of our voucher - apparently the Wholesaler hadn't been paying them, so we were sent on our way. We couldn't be bothered buying a ticket so walked across the bridge and decided to go to the Tower of London. Stop for some traditional fish & chips ... and I had to have the special little box it came in. At 8 pounds, it was expensive ... and then I accidentally knocked Bob's to the ground as she was about to put sauce on it. 5 minutes later, Bobbie was having a very expensive lunch as she refused to let me reimburse and purchased another box. It wasn't that crash hot and when I got a bone in my mouth, that was it. Fish bones and me don't gel.
Onto to Tower of London .... the crown jewels was very interesting, but by this stage ... jet lag was making Bobbie walk like a zombie and my feet had decided to swell and make me walk like I was swaying to a jazz beat all of my own. It was very good though. We were shattered afterwards and made our way back to the apartment where we rested for about an hour before going to meet one of my CIT course buddies for dinner. Ash took us to The Elk in Fulham and ordered the Elk Platter ... cause all three of us were ready to eat a moose by that stage. Loads of laughs and girly giggles made for a great night. Apparently Ash found 'Scream' scary too *sigh* ... now who's going to go on the Jack the Ripper Tour with me huh?
Tuesday found us up bright and um ... earlier making our way to Madame Tussauds. I haven't been there for well over 20 years *warning warning ... age awareness alert*. The lines were INCREDIBLE - we were there by 9.30 and the queue was wrapping right around the domed building. Luckily for us we had prepaid and went into the much quicker queue. Oh my ...... the first room was sooooo full - can anyone say 'sardines'??? Brad & Ang were there, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera (GEEZ she's tiny ... smaller than Kylie Minogue I'm sure .... but with really big boobs!). Robert Pattison had his own room?!?!? Had some great fun getting up close and pesonal with Princes William & Harry, Johnny Depp (drool, slobber) and Shrek (actually, think I may have gotten a little too close to Shrek ^^). Bobbie DEFINATELY got way too friendly with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and for the sake of tendy innocent eyes, we probably won't post that photo!
There was a separate little display call 'Scream' ... they were adamant that anyone under 12 could not go in as it was apparently very scary. Bobbie & I went in ... well, we are a little over 12 so the age limit was not really an issue. Bob didn't realise there were real people in there (even though they were announcing it beforehand). They were all acting as though they were in an asylum and would suddenly jump out to try and lift the terror level to code brown (you know ... where you have to change your underpants?). The first guy got right up in our faces acting nutty so, I turned around and said 'I like 'em crazy' .... he followed us roughly halfway through the exhibit just constantly going 'ha ha ha'. I just went into giggles. Meanwhile shuffling in front of me, Bobbie has her head down and is hiding behind the young boys hoping the people don't notice her (and I believe she was wishing fervently that I would stop interacting with the crazies). When we got out she said how scary it was ... I guess going on the Jack the Ripper Tour is out of the question for her!!! I could not stop laughing. The wax figures were brilliant - even saw a few that Madame Tussaud had done herself - incredible. A brilliant 4D experience was the last thing through the building and the effects were stunning - think Movieworld but BETTER. The 3D parts were so real and when Wolverine was stabbing into metal, you would get a jab in your back from the seat. I would scream/giggle. Bobbie wasn't so scared - poor wee poppet!
We stopped for a croissant and coffee on our way out - UGH ... worst croissant we've had - dry and lifeless.
We then made our way to the Tower Bridge where we got rejected because of our voucher - apparently the Wholesaler hadn't been paying them, so we were sent on our way. We couldn't be bothered buying a ticket so walked across the bridge and decided to go to the Tower of London. Stop for some traditional fish & chips ... and I had to have the special little box it came in. At 8 pounds, it was expensive ... and then I accidentally knocked Bob's to the ground as she was about to put sauce on it. 5 minutes later, Bobbie was having a very expensive lunch as she refused to let me reimburse and purchased another box. It wasn't that crash hot and when I got a bone in my mouth, that was it. Fish bones and me don't gel.
Onto to Tower of London .... the crown jewels was very interesting, but by this stage ... jet lag was making Bobbie walk like a zombie and my feet had decided to swell and make me walk like I was swaying to a jazz beat all of my own. It was very good though. We were shattered afterwards and made our way back to the apartment where we rested for about an hour before going to meet one of my CIT course buddies for dinner. Ash took us to The Elk in Fulham and ordered the Elk Platter ... cause all three of us were ready to eat a moose by that stage. Loads of laughs and girly giggles made for a great night. Apparently Ash found 'Scream' scary too *sigh* ... now who's going to go on the Jack the Ripper Tour with me huh?
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wakey Wakey Sleepy Head
Lisa checking in ............
So the plan was to meet up with some family today (Sunday). Didn't get to bed until after 12 (fairly sure Bobbie had her second wind and lasted a good deal longer than me) and woke promptly before 8am - there really is no way I can sleep in ... even with jetlag *sigh* It was sometime later that my spooning partner awoke ... groggily ..... crying out for coffee. By the time we had had breakfast, beautified ourselves and attempted some sort of organisation it was close to 11.30am. Wandered up and down the High Street here in Kensington for a while before meeting the lovely lovely Raili (Jari's cousin and my Raili's namesake).
Raili is an air steward with Air New Zealand and as luck would have it, her roster was clear this weekend so it was possible to catch up. Being as organised as we were ... we rattled off all the places we were keen to see with our own personal tour guide "um, dunno ... what do you think Raili?" :) It was fine though, she knew just what to do. So off we went in search of adventure and mayhem.
With Raili brandishing her scarf like a professional, we navigated the tube and found ourselves in Leicester Square where, while Raili search her clever little 'find a deal' iphone app, Bobbie and I contented ourselves with taking photos of ourselves (aka selfies). Photo bombing was a good giggle and when we get a cord to connect the camera we'll upload it .... classic. Had lunch in the Cafe Rouge which was very very nice, complete with frenchmen. Great value - two course meal for 8 pounds and Bobbie & Raili were very very appreciative of the wine on offer! So after our long leisurely 2 hour lunch, we were ready to move again. Off through Soho, down Carnaby Street (Oh, the most DEVINE and quirky shoe shop there) and into one of Raili's fav perfume stores. Note to self: Must get the name of that gorgeous rose perfume. Earlier in Carnaby St Raili had recognised a doctor from one of the shows on TV - something about horrible medical stories that he fixes .... sounds like an SBS show ;P Later in the perfumery Bobbie was super excited to be standing next to him as he sniffed the tester bottles and using elegant sign language *cough* wondered whether it would be rude to tap him on the shoulder and say hey! Verdict was ... if he crossed our path a third time it was a sign ...... there was no sign. But hey, she stood next to him right?
Bit of a wander down Regent Street ... amazing buildings curving in one structure. Impressive. Bobbie had found a like minded soul in Raili and we HAD to go into Zara ... I really must learn how to shop. Went to Piccadilly Circus and found the majority of the tourists sitting ON the fountain looking like a bunch of locasts descended on a crop of corn but with the street music playing, cars and buses flashing by and lights flashing all around - it was a great atmosphere ... would love to see it at night. Love seeing London with fresh eyes!
Then it was time to part company for our next date :) Our nephew Cody & his gorgeous girlfriend Karlie recently moved to London so we had an appointment to meet them for dinner in Covent Garden at 7.00am. Had to go home and freshen up a little after the days walking tour however unfortunately for us there was a lot of engineering works going on with the Underground which totally messed up our navigation skills to get us there in time.... ok, Bob takes a while to get ready ... which is probably why she always looks great. I'm too lazy 'meh, this'll do' Finally made it there at 8.15am OOPS
Had a great time though ... so proud of them both, great jobs, great attitude. Cody sounded a little concerned about having dinner with the aunties as on his facebook status he said he was taking a hammer in case it all went south (literary license taken here on the wording ;P) Didn't go south and Bobbie & I returned to our apartment exhausted but without hammer shaped dents in our skulls. I promptly fell into bed ... and Bobbie stayed up - night owl that she is.
Too knackered to continue with today's adventure ........... stay tuned xo
So the plan was to meet up with some family today (Sunday). Didn't get to bed until after 12 (fairly sure Bobbie had her second wind and lasted a good deal longer than me) and woke promptly before 8am - there really is no way I can sleep in ... even with jetlag *sigh* It was sometime later that my spooning partner awoke ... groggily ..... crying out for coffee. By the time we had had breakfast, beautified ourselves and attempted some sort of organisation it was close to 11.30am. Wandered up and down the High Street here in Kensington for a while before meeting the lovely lovely Raili (Jari's cousin and my Raili's namesake).
Raili is an air steward with Air New Zealand and as luck would have it, her roster was clear this weekend so it was possible to catch up. Being as organised as we were ... we rattled off all the places we were keen to see with our own personal tour guide "um, dunno ... what do you think Raili?" :) It was fine though, she knew just what to do. So off we went in search of adventure and mayhem.
With Raili brandishing her scarf like a professional, we navigated the tube and found ourselves in Leicester Square where, while Raili search her clever little 'find a deal' iphone app, Bobbie and I contented ourselves with taking photos of ourselves (aka selfies). Photo bombing was a good giggle and when we get a cord to connect the camera we'll upload it .... classic. Had lunch in the Cafe Rouge which was very very nice, complete with frenchmen. Great value - two course meal for 8 pounds and Bobbie & Raili were very very appreciative of the wine on offer! So after our long leisurely 2 hour lunch, we were ready to move again. Off through Soho, down Carnaby Street (Oh, the most DEVINE and quirky shoe shop there) and into one of Raili's fav perfume stores. Note to self: Must get the name of that gorgeous rose perfume. Earlier in Carnaby St Raili had recognised a doctor from one of the shows on TV - something about horrible medical stories that he fixes .... sounds like an SBS show ;P Later in the perfumery Bobbie was super excited to be standing next to him as he sniffed the tester bottles and using elegant sign language *cough* wondered whether it would be rude to tap him on the shoulder and say hey! Verdict was ... if he crossed our path a third time it was a sign ...... there was no sign. But hey, she stood next to him right?
Bit of a wander down Regent Street ... amazing buildings curving in one structure. Impressive. Bobbie had found a like minded soul in Raili and we HAD to go into Zara ... I really must learn how to shop. Went to Piccadilly Circus and found the majority of the tourists sitting ON the fountain looking like a bunch of locasts descended on a crop of corn but with the street music playing, cars and buses flashing by and lights flashing all around - it was a great atmosphere ... would love to see it at night. Love seeing London with fresh eyes!
Then it was time to part company for our next date :) Our nephew Cody & his gorgeous girlfriend Karlie recently moved to London so we had an appointment to meet them for dinner in Covent Garden at 7.00am. Had to go home and freshen up a little after the days walking tour however unfortunately for us there was a lot of engineering works going on with the Underground which totally messed up our navigation skills to get us there in time.... ok, Bob takes a while to get ready ... which is probably why she always looks great. I'm too lazy 'meh, this'll do' Finally made it there at 8.15am OOPS
Had a great time though ... so proud of them both, great jobs, great attitude. Cody sounded a little concerned about having dinner with the aunties as on his facebook status he said he was taking a hammer in case it all went south (literary license taken here on the wording ;P) Didn't go south and Bobbie & I returned to our apartment exhausted but without hammer shaped dents in our skulls. I promptly fell into bed ... and Bobbie stayed up - night owl that she is.
Too knackered to continue with today's adventure ........... stay tuned xo
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Are we there yet?
YES!!!!
So the adventure has begun. Bobbie & I arrived separately at the very 'special' Sydney Airport International Inn. It was very quiet in the hallway until I knocked (code like). The door opened and then there we were jumping up and down squealing with excitement and going in circles. Hope no-one was sleeping. It was a while before we calmed down and finally went to sleep at about 1.30am.
Got to the airport in the morning and tried on a little travel agenty type sweet talking at the Check-In counter. We were hoping for a little insider information on just how full the plane was and whether we could be positioned so that we could quickly grab adjacent seats in order to lie down. Not to be - would have so totally worked for us had the plane not been at 90% capacity as I was handing out London accommodation information to the Check In lady like a pro!
Going through Duty Free was amusing .... we got as far as the comestics area and spent a good deal of our time there shopping. Ooops. Watched about 4 movies on our way to Hong Kong ... laughed out loud numerous times at Little Fockers. funny
A 6 hour wait in Hong Kong Airport was not a problem - window shopping was brilliant and we were taking notes left right and centre for our return visit. The only problem was when Bobbie discovered Zara .... she just about went into meltdown and I could have sworn she wanted me to leave her there! "We're coming back Bob" .... her sad little face as we exited the store was only softened because she let herself buy a very cute little denim jacket.
The flight to London was a cattle train ... omg, sooooo many people. Our travel agent/CIT teacher/friend certainly got us the best seats - right down the back on the side ... actually managed to almost get diagonal! It was a very tiring trip so we were really glad to arrive in London at long last after over 12 hours. Having the break in between was genius. Had arranged the airport transfer for about 1.5 hours after our arrival fully expecting that customs and immigration would take that amount of time. Apparently at 5.30am there's barely anyone in the area. Did not see a single customs agent (and we did have the song 'bad boys' backing up our approach) and were through in just 15 minutes. A little more sweet talking, and a handover of my business card got us our transfer early. Arrived at our accommodation to find no-one was there to meet us ... and so we sat on the stoop. Stoop sitting is not all it's cracked up to be. An American lady was starting to feel very sorry for us and we eventually got a number for the actually apartment manager ... the damn booking agent (despite numerous calls) had not let him know we were arriving at any particular time. Let that be a lesson "Without a travel agent, you're on your own!"
We jumped on the tube and figured we'd go check out Covent Garden. Didn't know if the train was going in the right direction ... just felt like winging it. Gorgeous part of town .... loved it ... the market was cute and plenty to see. Felt very weary close to lunch so went back to the apartment and had a snooze for a couple of hours.
Went to see Chicago last night too ... and we both very nearly fell asleep. We managed to peg open our eyes and the show was FANTASTIC. Amazing, funny, brilliant. So delirious with sleep depravation we made our way back to the apartment to the tune of Bobbie attempting (and failing dismally) with a British accent "Allo Govna ... you got a fiver, I'll give ya a fiver for lifting your skirt" ... oh dear, could be a long trip if she tries Italian! Got to the apartment and found the door ajar. EEEEK!!! Slowly entered (we did what all those crazy women on horror movies do - what is with that?) Holding our newly purchased brollies aloft, we entered ready to club whoever had broken in. Checked the toilet 'clear'.... shower recess? 'clear'... loft? 'clear' ... kitchen cupboards (you know .. .they always hide in there waiting for you to fall asleep!) 'clear' .... oh dear, first night here and we didn't shut the door properly. Oops our bad!
So the adventure has begun. Bobbie & I arrived separately at the very 'special' Sydney Airport International Inn. It was very quiet in the hallway until I knocked (code like). The door opened and then there we were jumping up and down squealing with excitement and going in circles. Hope no-one was sleeping. It was a while before we calmed down and finally went to sleep at about 1.30am.
Got to the airport in the morning and tried on a little travel agenty type sweet talking at the Check-In counter. We were hoping for a little insider information on just how full the plane was and whether we could be positioned so that we could quickly grab adjacent seats in order to lie down. Not to be - would have so totally worked for us had the plane not been at 90% capacity as I was handing out London accommodation information to the Check In lady like a pro!
Going through Duty Free was amusing .... we got as far as the comestics area and spent a good deal of our time there shopping. Ooops. Watched about 4 movies on our way to Hong Kong ... laughed out loud numerous times at Little Fockers. funny
A 6 hour wait in Hong Kong Airport was not a problem - window shopping was brilliant and we were taking notes left right and centre for our return visit. The only problem was when Bobbie discovered Zara .... she just about went into meltdown and I could have sworn she wanted me to leave her there! "We're coming back Bob" .... her sad little face as we exited the store was only softened because she let herself buy a very cute little denim jacket.
The flight to London was a cattle train ... omg, sooooo many people. Our travel agent/CIT teacher/friend certainly got us the best seats - right down the back on the side ... actually managed to almost get diagonal! It was a very tiring trip so we were really glad to arrive in London at long last after over 12 hours. Having the break in between was genius. Had arranged the airport transfer for about 1.5 hours after our arrival fully expecting that customs and immigration would take that amount of time. Apparently at 5.30am there's barely anyone in the area. Did not see a single customs agent (and we did have the song 'bad boys' backing up our approach) and were through in just 15 minutes. A little more sweet talking, and a handover of my business card got us our transfer early. Arrived at our accommodation to find no-one was there to meet us ... and so we sat on the stoop. Stoop sitting is not all it's cracked up to be. An American lady was starting to feel very sorry for us and we eventually got a number for the actually apartment manager ... the damn booking agent (despite numerous calls) had not let him know we were arriving at any particular time. Let that be a lesson "Without a travel agent, you're on your own!"
We jumped on the tube and figured we'd go check out Covent Garden. Didn't know if the train was going in the right direction ... just felt like winging it. Gorgeous part of town .... loved it ... the market was cute and plenty to see. Felt very weary close to lunch so went back to the apartment and had a snooze for a couple of hours.
Went to see Chicago last night too ... and we both very nearly fell asleep. We managed to peg open our eyes and the show was FANTASTIC. Amazing, funny, brilliant. So delirious with sleep depravation we made our way back to the apartment to the tune of Bobbie attempting (and failing dismally) with a British accent "Allo Govna ... you got a fiver, I'll give ya a fiver for lifting your skirt" ... oh dear, could be a long trip if she tries Italian! Got to the apartment and found the door ajar. EEEEK!!! Slowly entered (we did what all those crazy women on horror movies do - what is with that?) Holding our newly purchased brollies aloft, we entered ready to club whoever had broken in. Checked the toilet 'clear'.... shower recess? 'clear'... loft? 'clear' ... kitchen cupboards (you know .. .they always hide in there waiting for you to fall asleep!) 'clear' .... oh dear, first night here and we didn't shut the door properly. Oops our bad!
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