What a nice day! Awoke late, had breakfast, did some preliminary packing and headed out to the Victoria Palace Theater to see Billy Elliott's Matinee performance with another couple on our cruise. We walked around the Victoria Station area for awhile on another sunny, warm day. Then had a glass of wine in the theater's bar prior to the show. It was one of the best shows we have even seen and the young star a most talented young man! Very enjoyable afternoon...quick taxi ride home, checked email and had a second dinner at the little Brasserie that we ate at the other night. This time we shared it with Don and Donna Smith with whom we toured yesterday.
Now in the lounge for my last fix of free WiFi. Our bus to Southampton will pick us up at 9 AM and delivered us 2 1/2 hours later to Celebrity's Eclipse for our 13 day cruise to Miami. We have such good memories of last year's transatlantic cruise on her sister ship, the Equinox. We look forward to repeating the experience on this newest ship in Celebrity's Solstice class of ships. It's been a wonderful week in London; we've renewed some old friendships and made new friends staying here who will sail along with us. First port will be Le Havre, France!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Day 6 - Stonehenge, Windsor Palace and Bath
A whirlwind (actually 11 hr) bus tour today. Not our typical travel method, but the only way we can see these places in the time we have. Off to meet our bus at 8 AM at the Millennium Mayfair Hotel about 2 blocks from where we're staying!
Continuing..... wonderful day with good weather until we were on our way home to London when the skies opened up.
First stop Windsor Palace or Castle depending on which tour guide you read- long walk from the coach park to the Palace where we first visited the lovely doll houses where everything (according to the story) worked including mini-Hover and toilet worked. The Queen was at home - denoted by the Royal Standard flying over the Castle. She uses the Castle both as a private home, where she usually spends the weekend, and as a Royal residence at which she undertakes certain formal duties. Unfortunately she did NOT invite us for tea. We toured the State apartments which are amazing - priceless works of art, many china sets that are also priceless and furnishings and chandeliers of gold, crystal and other precious stones. We were not allowed to take pictures indoors but you can get an idea here.
We bought sandwiches and drinks at a little shop near the Windsor railroad station and headed about an hour's drive to Stonehenge. I know, some people think it's just a pile of rocks, but...... I'm still amazed that any group of people (for any reason - as yet unknown) could figure out a way to cart multi-ton stones from Wales to the western plains of England and then erect them with a foundation 9 feet underground to stand for so many years. It was windy and cold but intriguing and fun nevertheless. We took lots of pictures which I'll post later. Another hour and a half and we arrived in Bath....a charming Georgian town with a Roman Baths' museum. We really enjoyed the baths and were exhausted and ready to go back to the Marriott. It rained all the way home....and we got soaked just going from the bus to a taxi back to the hotel. Really felt like London. Very good sleep AND even I didn't wake up until 9 AM the next day!
Continuing..... wonderful day with good weather until we were on our way home to London when the skies opened up.
First stop Windsor Palace or Castle depending on which tour guide you read- long walk from the coach park to the Palace where we first visited the lovely doll houses where everything (according to the story) worked including mini-Hover and toilet worked. The Queen was at home - denoted by the Royal Standard flying over the Castle. She uses the Castle both as a private home, where she usually spends the weekend, and as a Royal residence at which she undertakes certain formal duties. Unfortunately she did NOT invite us for tea. We toured the State apartments which are amazing - priceless works of art, many china sets that are also priceless and furnishings and chandeliers of gold, crystal and other precious stones. We were not allowed to take pictures indoors but you can get an idea here.
We bought sandwiches and drinks at a little shop near the Windsor railroad station and headed about an hour's drive to Stonehenge. I know, some people think it's just a pile of rocks, but...... I'm still amazed that any group of people (for any reason - as yet unknown) could figure out a way to cart multi-ton stones from Wales to the western plains of England and then erect them with a foundation 9 feet underground to stand for so many years. It was windy and cold but intriguing and fun nevertheless. We took lots of pictures which I'll post later. Another hour and a half and we arrived in Bath....a charming Georgian town with a Roman Baths' museum. We really enjoyed the baths and were exhausted and ready to go back to the Marriott. It rained all the way home....and we got soaked just going from the bus to a taxi back to the hotel. Really felt like London. Very good sleep AND even I didn't wake up until 9 AM the next day!
Day 5 - London - Churchill War Rooms and the Imperial War Museum
Today we awakened to clouds but, once again, no rain and warmer temperatures. We're finally in a good rhythm - up early to delivered coffee, newspaper and cookies; moving at whatever pace seems reasonable; breakfast in the Exec. Lounge (although it was so crowded yesterday that they comped our breakfast in the regular restaurant buffet); gathering our brochures, maps and GPS - leaving nothing to chance and off we go. We're natives with the Tubes...this time once again from Marble Arch to Westminster and a short walk to Whitehall and the Churchill War Rooms...recommended by Pauline Frommer, Rick Steves, and, most important, Marilyn and Bob. It was a wonderful experience especially since my book club had recently read The Postmistress and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - yes there really is a book by that name. Both books had a different look at London during WW II and I was grateful for having read them before coming to London.
The war rooms are exactly where they were during the war and replicated to show how and where Churchill and his War Cabinet made their decisions. Included were tapes of conversations Churchill had with his generals, President Roosevelt, etc. It was a moving and educational experience. As we were leaving we passed through a shop that carried all sorta of replications of food rationing, ration cards and even a ration cookbook for wartime kitchens. A sobering experience. We then walked about 1 1/2 miles across the Westminster bridge to Lambeth Street and the Imperial War Museum. Except for the many instruments of war (planes, tanks, rockets, etc.), many of the exhibits focus on the impact of the war on people (soldiers, sailors, children, Londoners, etc.). We started with the Holocaust Exhibit which was incredibly well done with many recorded interviews with survivors, descriptions of the experiences of children in German cities, ghettos and concentration camps and many remnants of those times. Very emotional and moving and we ended up missing the rest of the crowded exhibits while digesting, once again, man's inhumanity to man.
Returned to the hotel on yet another Tube line in time for afternoon tea followed by heavy hors d'hoevres and drinks....no dinner tonight.
Pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/spengle/20101028# Some pictures from the day before are duplicates - start with poster of Churchill. We're on our way out and I wanted to get these posted before we leave so left the duplicates :)
The war rooms are exactly where they were during the war and replicated to show how and where Churchill and his War Cabinet made their decisions. Included were tapes of conversations Churchill had with his generals, President Roosevelt, etc. It was a moving and educational experience. As we were leaving we passed through a shop that carried all sorta of replications of food rationing, ration cards and even a ration cookbook for wartime kitchens. A sobering experience. We then walked about 1 1/2 miles across the Westminster bridge to Lambeth Street and the Imperial War Museum. Except for the many instruments of war (planes, tanks, rockets, etc.), many of the exhibits focus on the impact of the war on people (soldiers, sailors, children, Londoners, etc.). We started with the Holocaust Exhibit which was incredibly well done with many recorded interviews with survivors, descriptions of the experiences of children in German cities, ghettos and concentration camps and many remnants of those times. Very emotional and moving and we ended up missing the rest of the crowded exhibits while digesting, once again, man's inhumanity to man.
Returned to the hotel on yet another Tube line in time for afternoon tea followed by heavy hors d'hoevres and drinks....no dinner tonight.
Pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/spengle/20101028# Some pictures from the day before are duplicates - start with poster of Churchill. We're on our way out and I wanted to get these posted before we leave so left the duplicates :)
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Dinner last night - River Boat ride to Greenwich today
Had a very good meal at a local Brasserie last night - British all the way - Art had Shepard's pie and I had Welsh Rarebit. Both meals were excellent and, for England, very reasonably priced! Although we certainly knew that prices are very high here, we continue to be surprised as just how high!
Today we're off to Greenwich on the River Red Rover boat on the Thames! It's cloudy with reports of 62 degree highs and partial sun this afternoon. So we decided to take them at their words and head out with hopes of no rain today.
We had a wonderful hour long boat ride with funny commentary all the way to Greenwich. The weather cleared and it turned into a sunny, beautiful day. Link to lots of pictures (including a 2 part rainbow on the way back - if you look closely :)). We walked through the campus of the University of Greenwich and the Royal Naval College, stopped in the Painted Hall where they were having a posh private party - but we saw the paintings and took pictures anyway. Then visited the Chapel before going over to the National Maritime Museum. We spent several hours enjoying the model ships, Nelson's wars stories including the bloody uniform that he was wearing when he was mortally wounded, saw restored stain glass windows that were destroyed during the war and painstakingly pieced together, and a few other exhibits. Then visited the Queen's House which was a school for sons and daughters of British seamen (until 'dangerous' things happened and then it became a school for just the sons!). Finally, we climbed up a very steep path - my knees and feet talked to me about it all night - to the Observatory to stand on the Prime Meridian. We've now straddled the Equator (0 Latitude) in Ecuador and 0 Longitude in Greenwich :) The views down to the river and beyond were fabulous and the exhibits including original telescopes still in place from the time of the first national Astronomer (he had to pay for his own equipment on a small salary) and the original clocks that were developed to measure longitude...were quite impressive.
We stayed until 4 PM when we realized that to make the 4:25 PM boat back to Westminster we had to hurry down the steep path and walk over to the dock. Whew! we were the last ones on the boat. Not really a problem since there was another one in 1/2 hour....but we were ready to get back to our cocktail hour in the Exec. Lounge....spoiled we are and loving it!. Chatted with some folks for awhile, then went out to a local Italian restaurant, visited a bit with our new friends from Charlotte and crashed! A wonderful day with unusually good weather. Here for 4 days with rain on only one!!
Today's picture: http://picasaweb.google.com/spengle/20101027#
Today we're off to Greenwich on the River Red Rover boat on the Thames! It's cloudy with reports of 62 degree highs and partial sun this afternoon. So we decided to take them at their words and head out with hopes of no rain today.
We had a wonderful hour long boat ride with funny commentary all the way to Greenwich. The weather cleared and it turned into a sunny, beautiful day. Link to lots of pictures (including a 2 part rainbow on the way back - if you look closely :)). We walked through the campus of the University of Greenwich and the Royal Naval College, stopped in the Painted Hall where they were having a posh private party - but we saw the paintings and took pictures anyway. Then visited the Chapel before going over to the National Maritime Museum. We spent several hours enjoying the model ships, Nelson's wars stories including the bloody uniform that he was wearing when he was mortally wounded, saw restored stain glass windows that were destroyed during the war and painstakingly pieced together, and a few other exhibits. Then visited the Queen's House which was a school for sons and daughters of British seamen (until 'dangerous' things happened and then it became a school for just the sons!). Finally, we climbed up a very steep path - my knees and feet talked to me about it all night - to the Observatory to stand on the Prime Meridian. We've now straddled the Equator (0 Latitude) in Ecuador and 0 Longitude in Greenwich :) The views down to the river and beyond were fabulous and the exhibits including original telescopes still in place from the time of the first national Astronomer (he had to pay for his own equipment on a small salary) and the original clocks that were developed to measure longitude...were quite impressive.
We stayed until 4 PM when we realized that to make the 4:25 PM boat back to Westminster we had to hurry down the steep path and walk over to the dock. Whew! we were the last ones on the boat. Not really a problem since there was another one in 1/2 hour....but we were ready to get back to our cocktail hour in the Exec. Lounge....spoiled we are and loving it!. Chatted with some folks for awhile, then went out to a local Italian restaurant, visited a bit with our new friends from Charlotte and crashed! A wonderful day with unusually good weather. Here for 4 days with rain on only one!!
Today's picture: http://picasaweb.google.com/spengle/20101027#
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
British Museum, Rain, John Lewis shopping, Rain......
Today we knew we were in London...cloudy, gray skies, rain projected. But....we never let the weather dictate to us. We were awakened with the delivery of coffee and cookies to our room, moved slowly since we knew today would be a museum day and we didn't have any schedule to keep. After breakfast, we headed to the Marble Arch tube station...feeling like pros re: local transportation...no change of trains and just a few stops to Tottenham Court and a walk in the rain to the British Museum. The exterior was worn with chipped paint and dirty steps...not what we had expected - then we walked inside and it took our breath away. We stayed for far longer than we had planned...I had the strange notion that we could do 3 museums today - NOT!! We stayed until my legs wouldn't go any further. Had a very interesting Welcoming tour of the Enlightenment room with a docent who shared lots of background stories about the collections of Sloane and then explored the Egyptian and Greek exhibits and the Lindow Man who was found in a British bog after being buried for 2000 years! Gruesome but interesting. This museum is remarkable; it could take days to see it all and it was free!
We walked out into the rain - used my Dollar store umbrellas to cross the street to, what else, a Starbucks!.. Shared a panini and had our coffee fix then headed out to the tube to check out John Lewis - a large department store with prices we could afford (as opposed to Harrod's where we couldn't afford most things! We'll go to Harrod's as a tourist visit later in the week if we have the time. John Lewis is a beautiful store, owned by the employees and guaranteeing the best prices on the products they carry. They had a 2012 Olympics store where we wanted to buy T shirts, but at 25 GBP per shirt, with a conversion rate to about $37, we passed :).
So back to the hotel with a souvenir canvas tote bag for 1.95 GBP that went to charity - the last of the big spenders, Drinks and snacks in the lounge and now out to dinner at a local Brasserie recommended by the concierge....review pending.
British Museum pictures
We walked out into the rain - used my Dollar store umbrellas to cross the street to, what else, a Starbucks!.. Shared a panini and had our coffee fix then headed out to the tube to check out John Lewis - a large department store with prices we could afford (as opposed to Harrod's where we couldn't afford most things! We'll go to Harrod's as a tourist visit later in the week if we have the time. John Lewis is a beautiful store, owned by the employees and guaranteeing the best prices on the products they carry. They had a 2012 Olympics store where we wanted to buy T shirts, but at 25 GBP per shirt, with a conversion rate to about $37, we passed :).
So back to the hotel with a souvenir canvas tote bag for 1.95 GBP that went to charity - the last of the big spenders, Drinks and snacks in the lounge and now out to dinner at a local Brasserie recommended by the concierge....review pending.
British Museum pictures
Monday, October 25, 2010
Day 2 - London
Quick weather update - we awoke to 4 degrees Celsius this AM- you can do the math! Needless to say, we're glad that the sun is shining since we ride the London Eye this afternoon and happy that we packed gloves and a scarf for me! Lovely wake-up call this AM with coffee and paper delivered at the door and breakfast in the Exec. lounge. Could get used to this service (oh, that's right, we'll get the same on the cruise, so wonder who will continue this treatment at home :)). Off to buy our Oyster cards and figure out how to get from the Marble Arch tube station to Westminster.....
Update (end of the day):
We walked to the Bond Street station to get a direct line to Westminster and not have to change trains the first time we used the tube. Cold, sunny morning perfect for a walk. Arrived at Westminster station in good order and walked across the bridge to get good pictures of Parliament, the Eye, etc. Of course, they had scaffolds up on two sides of Parliament and part of Westminster Abbey; so we just photographed the other sides :). We then had a wonderful tour of Westminster using a very well done audio system that was not available when we were here in the 80s. The only disappointment was the 'no photos' rule; it is an amazing place with photo ops around every corner and, on a lovely sunny day, the light streaming through the stained glass was spectacular. Once every hour, there is a one minute prayer and all visitors are asked to either participate or observe a moment of silence....a very moving experience. We loved finding tombs or commemorations in the form of plaques, marble slabs on the floor or statuary honoring everyone from British statesmen and generals to the 15 year old son of a wealthy patron. Lots of American honorees as well - including FDR, American servicemen from WW II, Authors, etc. Those who wished could attend any church service being held while they visited or return at any time (free) to worship. We truly could have stayed much longer than we did. On the way out, I asked one of the docents how decisions are made about honorees. He told us that it is a very complex and lengthy process now but long ago anyone with money or high connections could honor a loved one (hence the 15 year old son of a patron).
Onward we went to less esoteric activities...we turned in my voucher for a 3 PM 'flight' on the London Eye which I ordered online to avoid long lines. So....we stood on a long Disney looking line to turn in the voucher for our 'real' tickets. We found that part of the ticket was a 4D film that simulated the flight in all kinds of weather - we got rained on, snowed on, etc. Fun and lasted all of 4 minutes! Then we lined up AGAIN for about 40 minutes to wait for our turn on the 'flight'. It was a great people watching experience - especially the well-behaved English children and their parents. The weather was superb having warmed up a bit and now being mid-afternoon very pleasant. The ride on the Eye is one of those 'must dos' but not exciting experiences. In weather like today, the views were clear and distant and the proximity to the Thames with its boats and birds was an extra treat. Our 'flight' much like any ride managed to get stuck for a little while but the whole thing took about 40 minutes. We then walked along the river enjoying the street entertainers including a good, small band and walked across the river on a new pedestrian bridge (at least new since my last trip here). I had purchased a special deal online that included the Eye, a 3 course dinner at a typical English restaurant and a copy of the Cook Book published by the restaurant (Porter's). The walk to the restaurant was fun and included a short distance on The Strand where we stayed on our first trip to England in the early 80s. The food was quite good, service excellent and, of course, Art had a British Lager and we had Fish and Chips and ended with a Hot Chocolate pudding (cake-like and dripping in wonderful chocolate sauce). We walked to the Leicester Square tube station through Covent Garden and thoroughly enjoyed the crowds, seeing the many ethnic restaurants and managing to get back to Marble Arch AND change trains without getting lost or missing a train.
We finished the evening with a drink in the Executive Lounge and a visit with a couple who recently moved to Charlotte that we met last night. Art is now playing cards with Greg (learning a new game) while I'm updating my blog.
Pictures: Pictures - London Day 1
Update (end of the day):
We walked to the Bond Street station to get a direct line to Westminster and not have to change trains the first time we used the tube. Cold, sunny morning perfect for a walk. Arrived at Westminster station in good order and walked across the bridge to get good pictures of Parliament, the Eye, etc. Of course, they had scaffolds up on two sides of Parliament and part of Westminster Abbey; so we just photographed the other sides :). We then had a wonderful tour of Westminster using a very well done audio system that was not available when we were here in the 80s. The only disappointment was the 'no photos' rule; it is an amazing place with photo ops around every corner and, on a lovely sunny day, the light streaming through the stained glass was spectacular. Once every hour, there is a one minute prayer and all visitors are asked to either participate or observe a moment of silence....a very moving experience. We loved finding tombs or commemorations in the form of plaques, marble slabs on the floor or statuary honoring everyone from British statesmen and generals to the 15 year old son of a wealthy patron. Lots of American honorees as well - including FDR, American servicemen from WW II, Authors, etc. Those who wished could attend any church service being held while they visited or return at any time (free) to worship. We truly could have stayed much longer than we did. On the way out, I asked one of the docents how decisions are made about honorees. He told us that it is a very complex and lengthy process now but long ago anyone with money or high connections could honor a loved one (hence the 15 year old son of a patron).
Onward we went to less esoteric activities...we turned in my voucher for a 3 PM 'flight' on the London Eye which I ordered online to avoid long lines. So....we stood on a long Disney looking line to turn in the voucher for our 'real' tickets. We found that part of the ticket was a 4D film that simulated the flight in all kinds of weather - we got rained on, snowed on, etc. Fun and lasted all of 4 minutes! Then we lined up AGAIN for about 40 minutes to wait for our turn on the 'flight'. It was a great people watching experience - especially the well-behaved English children and their parents. The weather was superb having warmed up a bit and now being mid-afternoon very pleasant. The ride on the Eye is one of those 'must dos' but not exciting experiences. In weather like today, the views were clear and distant and the proximity to the Thames with its boats and birds was an extra treat. Our 'flight' much like any ride managed to get stuck for a little while but the whole thing took about 40 minutes. We then walked along the river enjoying the street entertainers including a good, small band and walked across the river on a new pedestrian bridge (at least new since my last trip here). I had purchased a special deal online that included the Eye, a 3 course dinner at a typical English restaurant and a copy of the Cook Book published by the restaurant (Porter's). The walk to the restaurant was fun and included a short distance on The Strand where we stayed on our first trip to England in the early 80s. The food was quite good, service excellent and, of course, Art had a British Lager and we had Fish and Chips and ended with a Hot Chocolate pudding (cake-like and dripping in wonderful chocolate sauce). We walked to the Leicester Square tube station through Covent Garden and thoroughly enjoyed the crowds, seeing the many ethnic restaurants and managing to get back to Marble Arch AND change trains without getting lost or missing a train.
We finished the evening with a drink in the Executive Lounge and a visit with a couple who recently moved to Charlotte that we met last night. Art is now playing cards with Greg (learning a new game) while I'm updating my blog.
Pictures: Pictures - London Day 1
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Arrived in London
Someone fed happy pills to the TSA agents at CLT! We had an amazing 5 minutes going through security with all agents smiling and making small talk. Saturday afternoon must be a good time to fly; empty airport with flights leaving on time and arrival on time in Chicago. Still felt strange to fly west to go east! Starbucks was a welcome sight before boarding (again on time). Left in a rainstorm but flight was uneventful and we arrived ON TIME.
Unfortunately we had to wait for almost 15 minutes for a gate and 30 minutes to get through customs before we could get our luggage. The good news was that both of our bags arrived with us…then the task was to find the driver who was to take us to our hotel (we had an hour and 15 minutes from our arrival time before we’d have to pay additional per minute of wait time . We found him by the Information Desk just as we were told with15 minutes to spare. And we were on our way to the JW near Hyde Park.
We had hoped to find a vending machine at Heathrow to buy our Oyster transportation cards which allow one to choose how much money to put on the card and then use it for all buses and the underground until the money runs out and add more money as you need to. The card costs 2 GBP which is refundable if you turn the card in when you leave OR you can keep the card and add to it on a future trip. Guess we’ll have to wait until our first visit to a Tube station and get the cards there. After little sleep on a red eye flight, I didn’t think it worthwhile to deal with the train and taxi alternative. Several good reviews (on Cruise Critic, of course) for Executive Airport Cars made the choice easy for us. We were not disappointed. Check-in went smoothly; we received a lovely letter informing us of the Executive Lounge where we could have continental breakfast; traditional cream tea in the afternoon and drinks and hors d’oevres in the evening. The best news was that WiFi is complimentary in the lounge. That’s a real bonus since the charge for Internet access in the room is 20 GBP per day!
After showers and a nap for Art, we headed to the lounge to check it out. Lovely little sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, fancy coffee machine with espresso,cappuccino, etc. and, of course, tea. So here I am updating my blog with free WiFi, drinking tea and enjoying the ambience of a traditional old British hotel. As we walked out of the hotel to explore the area, our first site was a rainbow directly in front of us. A good omen for our trip!
Unfortunately we had to wait for almost 15 minutes for a gate and 30 minutes to get through customs before we could get our luggage. The good news was that both of our bags arrived with us…then the task was to find the driver who was to take us to our hotel (we had an hour and 15 minutes from our arrival time before we’d have to pay additional per minute of wait time . We found him by the Information Desk just as we were told with15 minutes to spare. And we were on our way to the JW near Hyde Park.We had hoped to find a vending machine at Heathrow to buy our Oyster transportation cards which allow one to choose how much money to put on the card and then use it for all buses and the underground until the money runs out and add more money as you need to. The card costs 2 GBP which is refundable if you turn the card in when you leave OR you can keep the card and add to it on a future trip. Guess we’ll have to wait until our first visit to a Tube station and get the cards there. After little sleep on a red eye flight, I didn’t think it worthwhile to deal with the train and taxi alternative. Several good reviews (on Cruise Critic, of course) for Executive Airport Cars made the choice easy for us. We were not disappointed. Check-in went smoothly; we received a lovely letter informing us of the Executive Lounge where we could have continental breakfast; traditional cream tea in the afternoon and drinks and hors d’oevres in the evening. The best news was that WiFi is complimentary in the lounge. That’s a real bonus since the charge for Internet access in the room is 20 GBP per day!
After showers and a nap for Art, we headed to the lounge to check it out. Lovely little sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, fancy coffee machine with espresso,cappuccino, etc. and, of course, tea. So here I am updating my blog with free WiFi, drinking tea and enjoying the ambience of a traditional old British hotel. As we walked out of the hotel to explore the area, our first site was a rainbow directly in front of us. A good omen for our trip!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Is it OK to say Bon Voyage to yourself??
Well, even if it isn't alright - I am saying Bon Voyage to us! After a wonderful visit with our friends of more years than most of us can count, we packed, picked up a few last minute things (including ear plugs with the hope that I might get a few hours sleep on the plane while Art snores happily away :)), and are now counting the hours. Sweet Ellen is taking us to the airport despite her hectic schedule and we are grateful to not have to add three weeks of airport parking to our tab. Missy goes to her kennel in the AM. Then we'll be ready to go.
Since our FF tickets are on American Airlines, we have the pleasure of flying to London via Chicago...but no complaints here (our tickets cost $20 for taxes)! Two hours at O'Hare with the many other people traveling this weekend and we will be on our way!!
Since our FF tickets are on American Airlines, we have the pleasure of flying to London via Chicago...but no complaints here (our tickets cost $20 for taxes)! Two hours at O'Hare with the many other people traveling this weekend and we will be on our way!!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Ongoing Plans
We've decided, after reading lots of tips on Web sites like Trip Advisor, to 'wing it' in Vigo. The town sounds like a good place to walk, see the sites, taste the food (and try the wine :)) and just explore on our own. So I've printed several suggested walks that include the beautiful beach area and all uphill walks in the city. As long as my knees hold out, we should see what we want to see and be able to return to the ship on foot. An intriguing piece of information is that Spanish if not the first language in all of Spain - we knew about Barcelona and Catalonia from previous trips, but not about the regions of northern and coastal Spain. Vigo is in Galacia and, therefore, has two languages - Galacian and Spanish.
In Ponta Delgado, Azores, a private taxi will take us on a tour of the island including the beautiful mountain lakes and sights in the city of 29,000. The islands are part of Portugal, so I'll get to use the few Portugese words that I learned when I was in Rio some years ago :)
The countdown is on. Since we have 2 wonderful events prior to leaving (the Bar Mitzvah of our grandson Max and a visit from our dear friends Phyllis and Bernie), I know that the time will fly and we'll be boarding our plane to Chicago (see first post for explanation) soon!
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