Our last few days in London have been filled with catching up with good friends, enjoying the range of international food on offer (maybe too much roast duck) and buying a few odds and ends...
The pics say it all for this entry! Goodbye UK, hello Japan.
/ Thames for lunch/ Primark clothes fitting- insane!/ Best fish and chips with Simon/ So many bogan aussies in London it feels like Sydney.
London starting to get very busy in the lead up to the Queens Jube. We are leaving the day before (great timing) but the streets are busy and they are running out of things, like ice!
The city is really getting into the spirit of it. News outlets are analyzing the cost of the public holidays versus the economic stimulation from tourism. Rach would love to change our tix to stay for it.
Still very hot here, pushing 30. Amazing how much hotter it seems here with less open space and buildings made to keep the warmth in. The parks though are deliciously cool with lush green lawns and leafy trees.
So things we love in London: multiculturalism, food- down the road from the best duck in town, walking a lot again without a car- they are a hassle here, their public transport and for Trav LOVE their wine scene (50 year old Ch. Margaux and 60 year old Pauillac on the Enomatic sampler for 20 quid).
But we still cant get over how grubby people are in their own home (take your rubbish with you!) and the pushy people in the street are still here even with the sunshine...
Pub near our digs in the spirit of things/ council art/ in Kensington Park/ Selfridges window display
We almost got everything in to our bags, almost.... The concierge at our London hotel has given us the look of 'oh shit these are heavy'.
Sad to return the Pug to it's home in London. Amazingly scratch free;) A French man took it away as soon as we finished the paperwork. We both had the feeling 'what are you doing with our car!'.
We will miss her amazingly wide turning circle, diesel rattle, but jokes aside we will miss all the great times we shared on the road.
Bloody hot in London today. The city is a beautiful place when the sun is out. Our holiday has come full circle.
Even though we have longer left on our journey than most people would take in a year it feels like we are on our way home.
Pic: 13500 miles in 4 months
By fluke Rach booked us in at the Royal Adelaide- hotel that is.
Making our way slowly back to London, we are in the very propper Windsor (with Eton next door) to check out the queen's sometimes digs.
Forgot how much they like their baked potatoes and sauce here. Enjoyed a chili spud for lunch, while we pondered how to get 3 cubic metres of crap in to four suitcases and a backpack. Bring the bin.
Walked over the Thames to the royal college town of Eton. We saw all these people in matching tuxedos and wondered where the wedding was.
Turned out it was their school uniform, and the teachers had the addition of a white bow tie. Would suck to be the bottom of the class here.
Her flag is up! Rach hopes to spot the Queen @ Windsor/ beefeaters
A big day of Shakespeare in Stratford after a great play last night.
The very contemporary take on King John had a lot of music and spitting. We think there is a correlation between acting skills and saliva production, i.e. the more you have the better. Modern costumes, music and casting (especially the bastard as a female) underscored the timelessness of his stories.
Visited the birthplace of the man himself, and also his son-in-law's house, and his neighbors house, and his graveyard. Missed out on going to his wife's childhood home because it was sold out. Not really, but we thinks we covered the main bits..
After Rach lost her last bag of mixed lollies in Brighton we have been on the lookout ever since. Jackpot: 3 types of cola bottles, 2 types of chocolate mice and Junior Mints.
Off to another show tonight, Richard III. Hopefully Trav lasts longer than last night, he was about to doze off in the final scene.
Piccies- First day in shorts; pasty (in the son-in-laws garden)/ Lollies/ Give the guy a break Juliet!/ Inside Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Left our great digs in Bath and set out for Shakespeare country with a few stops on the way.
First, some big stones you may not have heard of, Stonehenge. The view from the street was almost as good as the view we paid 8 quid each for. However, the free audio guide was riveting.
We were particularly excited that over 90 different types of lichen have been discovered on the stones (to date). Maybe they will discover more lichen species in the future...
After our big rock experience we thought we might be able to dodge the entry fee at Warrick castle by peering through the fence. It was not to be, greeted by a 12 foot stone wall. Still, we will save our castle £'s for Windsor.
27 degrees on our arrival in Stratford-upon-Avon. It seems topless with track suit pants is the way to go on a warm spring day. We are struggling with our winter heavy wardrobe. Shopping??
Picked up some last minute tix to see some classic Shakespeare at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre tonight. Fill you in tomorrow :)
Pics- Sarcasm aside, Stonehenge was amazing/ Over 90 lichen and one ladybug/ A weak point in the Warwick fences gives us a glimpse of a pair of peacocks
Rach can now cross 'world record' off of her bucket list. We arrived in the very pretty city of Bath the day before the torch relay and a world record attempt for the biggest human Olympic rings.
With Guinness on hand, we broke the record by 100 people. Or at least 'unofficially' at this stage.
The local mayor and his wife (next to us in the black ring) explained that turning out for this type of thing was something that the poms do best. We are now wondering if we can claim our English leg as a tax deduction...
Watching the Olympic torch relay pass through the town was great, even if the tradition was upstaged by sponsor floats with megaphones. It is big business.
It wasn't all Olympics. The roman bath ruins in the centre of town were well worth a visit. We then refreshed with a swim and a sauna at the modern spa. The rooftop mineral spring pool with glass walls overlooking the old city was a great place to end the day.
My first world record attempt/ 1st century roman baths/ Olympic torch arrives
