MY "ADVENTURES N ENGLAND, SCoTLAND & WALES" TRIP REPORT; AUG '14 (W/ PICS & VIDEO)

[knewton64]

DAY 5 CONTINUED -





NOW ABOUT THE CAVERN CLUB 'DISTRICT':




IMO, worthwhile checking out but just keep in mind that it's kinda like visiting Mardi Gras but with an industrialized twist.
ANYWHO -

Had fun after seeing that area, blogged for a bit , went out a walking around the town (had fun talking w/the locals who were out & about walking their dogs) & after that w/lights out finally around 12:30am (went to bed 'early')

really gonna miss u Liverpudlians -
Very engaging & nice town ya got.

Scotland???
Gotta listen carefully cuz when they get a goin' = WOWZERS!!



BUT YOU??
Very fun to hear you. Very nice time visiting yer city.


P.S.S. To the Omlette maker Staff person (banquet) back at the Marriott Hotel:
DUDE!! THANK YOU - YOUR OMLETTES ROCK!



ANYWHO -
today we are off 2 c the Ludlow area as we make our way on over to a Welsh place called Cardiff Castle and for a pretty cool banquet later on this evening(yes.....complete w/MEADE) = YUM!!


Just may have to bring back a wee bit 2 sip on when we get back to our hotel.
But.........

What to go with it!


Cookies??
Belgian chocolate?
Or......


Ahhhh the possibilities -




UNTIL NEXT TIME -




T.T.F.N.
& CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

Just arrived into Cardiff -&- no worries.


Had a very enjoyable day rolling our way through the various countryside with the highlight being the city of Ludlow where of all things, I was 'given' a private tour of the city (away from CIE TOURS of course) for a while courtesy of a local by the name of Louise

Louise my luv, you will always have a special place in my heart as you really really really made me feel comfortable touring your city for a wee bit.


ANYWHO -
we have arrived in the city of Cardiff & are now about to have a tour of the castle followed by dinner there as well.
hmmmm......take note of the forshadowing of what u r about to c in the below video n realtion 2 what I did that night....

** JUST A DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK W/YOUR MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO &.... **


UNTIL NEXT TIME -



T.T.F.N.
& CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

Day 6
"the conclusion"


EDITOR'S NOTE: PLEAE KEEP N MIND THAT I AM WRITING THIS UNDER THE 'NFLUENCE" OF 1 and 3/4 bolltles of wine; courtesy of the Cardiff Castle banquet as well as the beginning of:

(sshhhhh!!!! it's a surprise.....I'll tell ya later)




ALRIGTTEE -
so about the day today -



Was a wee bit mentally dodgy dealing with the motor coach time but I got through it ok with no major outstanding things as we slowly made our way to the city of Cardiff and saw the castle etc ......which IMO looked just smashing:



and -

**JUST DOUBLE CLICK OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **



And the stained glass?? Pretty neat lookin'




But before we arrived.....we made our way through a few city stops with one of them being Ludlow.
LAter on, as I was getting off the motorcoach n Ludlow, I for whatever reason, just felt in the mood for a foodie kind of a day so off I went having fun while in the city of Ludlow. Was in the process of seeing what kinds of food would go with what but I felt a wee bit confused about it & that was where I ran into by chance an angel named Louise who was kind enough so show me around a bit the city & guide me through my rough spots & literally turned me around and made my day in Ludlow & very special one from the heart that I will never forget.

** AGAIN, THANK U LOUISE **:
And one of the stops she & I made out way through was the Harp Lane Deli. Nice place - worth checking out.


Interior shot of the back area (and yes, I did ask permission to take pics) -





ANYWHO -
Even had some Gelato (hope I spelled that right) there as well = YUM!!
(at another establishment just a few steps away)






When it came to the bewitching hour -
had to say a heartfelt goodbye to my impromptu city tour guide &
So from there, we were back on the motor coach & passed through a few more cities as e made our way to Cardiff.
IMO, Cardiff is a nice little ol town that has a fantabolous castle that 'seemed to sparkle' the more wine I "sipped" over dinner as we were first shown the grounds of her followed by a wonderful dinner.......

(the Reception room I feel is where this pic was taken from)



and did I say a wonderful diiner??
- NICE -

and the after dinner munchies?



** WOWZERS!! ***

and.....
**there was wine EVERYWHERE !! **
(FYI - you are given some MEADE when you first walk in = YYUUMM!!)


But in relation to the dinner wine........
and so 'few' Guests partaking in it. hhhmmmm........


So, you know me by now,.........
I didn't want to appear to be a anti-social Guest so down a glass of Merlot I went.......
and then for some mysterious reason......
it morphed into another glass of wine.

then another.......
and b 4 I knew it.........

the Irish came out in me (yes, I am 1/2 Irish)
and I put on a magic show of sorts & 'made' a few bottles of Merlot wine disappear.:


and let me tell ya, that wine was delicious!!


It really made my whole day even more 'funner'as the dinner (chicken, veggies etc) was soon also on a disappearing act as well
followed by a rousing good time we all had over our dinner show festivities:




** JUST A DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK W/YER MOUSE OVER ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **



FYI - I am just countin' my lucky stars I wasn't picked to go up on stage and be part of the night's festivities as I jjjuuussstttt get a feeling that I would have been jjjuuusstttttt a weee bit wobbly. **** YA THINK?? **




** DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **



ANYWHO -


We all tumbled out of the castle around 10pm ish & it was there I meandered back up to my hotel room & had a wee bit of a surprise waiting for me.....

my room = very nice.



....a surprise waiting for that I will show next in my next installment....






UNTIL THEN




T.T.F.N.
& CHEERS

 

[knewton64]

ok.....so it's 4am and what am I doing????


sippin' on Cider & nibbling on:
okokokokok......remember when Louise showed me around town?
Well, we just had to pick up some:

1) ISLE OF MULL CHEESE (a Scottish Cheddar)
2) PERL LAS CHEESE
3) some sea salt & cider vinegar crisps
4) 2 chocolate bars: a Mint chocolate & a Lordy Lord (a dark chocolate)
5) chocolate covered peanuts.


now these next items I had bought earlier b 4 I chanced across Louise @ a neat little place called Broadbean (worthwhile checking out) w/Emily helping me understand what kinds of local ciders she wud recommend-

interior shot of the place (and yes, I did ask Tim the Mgr for permission to take some pics)



a little better shot of the back area -



and -




while there, she recommended -
5) Tenbury Cider
6) Old Fields Orchard Cider
7) Ludlow Vinyard Farmhouse Cider
8) chocolate peanuts


Now -
what was quite funny was as I was leaving the fine establishment, I asked her if she could be so kind & write down her name & ......
To wit, she got 'kindly' upset & replied that she was already spoken for.

To wit I saved face & replied in a politically corrected worded way that I am busy running around playing tourist & may forget, etc
(okokok....I will admit she's cute but BLOODY H***!! That was the last thing on my mind.....
Being LEGALLY compelled to come back to England??


* EDITOR"S NOTE: The above referenced conversation was cleaned up a weee bit for print in order to protect all innocent parties.
okokokokokokok........all kidding aside - very nice place & worthwhile checking out.

ANYWHO -
So, with a soft goodbye , we all left the city of Ludlow & onto our hotel.




Let me tell ya, what I had back in the room really put a nice cap on what has turned out to be a well put together day.
I mean, the pairing up of the various items I mentioned above was just out of this world!! = YYUUMM!!
And what makes it even more special IMO, is listening to various Irish, Scottish & Welsh music I have on my laptop


that & BBC Scotland on my laptop really helps enhance our motorcoach time & makes it sooooooo much easier to handle.



ANYWHO -
slighty off topic here.......
ok.....some silly business to talk about you Disney fans:
(for some silly reason, a thought bubble of the return flight home to the USA just bopped n 2 my head & thought of London & PL Travers....)
and the airline book readin material I have been paruzin thru
and it seems that PL Travers based her Mr Banks character on a 57 yr old married male whom she took a liking towards but obviously couldn't follow through with her feelings.




ok......enuf of my going off topic....


Lights out for me came when all that cider began to have a conversation with me.
A conversaton I will admit I rather enjoyed.



ALLRIGHTEE -
we are off to have a Jolly Holiday of a time n seeing the sights and sounds of London (2 days).

CAN'T WAIT






T.T.F.N.
& CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

gonna take a wee timeout of sorts & use this posting for misc pics & video from the last few days -



l]

[/URL
(HAS ANYONE GOOGLED 'PETER MAX' AND SEEN HOW MUCH HIS ART FROM THIS TIME PERIOD GOES FOR?? OMGOSH!!)




But on a different note - one of the rare times it was fun to have some alone time - not meant as a negative, just this place IMO really involves some alone time to pause & reflect (Silly & Goofy me, I forgot which day we saw this) - what a minute......just realized this was from our day 6.....ok onward.



How she looked in her prime -


the inside of her now -



and -



Who can forget though my introduction to the Royal Cresents??

(just imagine this being YOUR home)




it's surrounding gardens -





T.T.F.N.
& CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

or is this really like an fyi.....


Just be aware that when u pop n 2 a pub ANYWHERE and there iz an English football game on, YA BETTER KNOW WHAT U R LOOKIN AT.


just popped n 2 one & a game is about to get under way & me??????

I know very little (some but not a whole lot like the 15 gents in the pub did).......just that I root for 'that guy'
in Ireland to win all the golf majors and if I had to pick one, it wud be MANCHESTER in regards 2 English football.
To wit, some of them turned around and looked at me as if just possibly I wasn't all that innocent as I seem to be.


Ahhhhh, the gift of blarney = LUV IT!!


Soon, they all calmed down &
they overall took pity on this bloody Yank and schooled me quite nicely on whos who & whats what while over a pint.


Yes, very helpful & now I know a lot more than I did yesterday.
Thanks chaps - ya made my dAY.



ANYWHO -
Onward 2 Stonehenge & then London and more on my DAY 8 across the pond.





T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers Y'ALL

 

[manning]

For some reason I'm not seeing pictures. All I see is:

Pic # 1

Pic # 2

Video # 1

Video #2

It started at post 49. Some pictures in that post is there.

 

[knewton64]

For some reason I'm not seeing pictures. All I see is:

Pic # 1

Pic # 2

Video # 1

Video #2

It started at post 49. Some pictures in that post is there.

I KNOW!!
VERY IRRATING as I understand. From what I can gather, the hotels have their internet access restricted to limit bandwidth (or limited bandwidth) so my gain onto their internet alas, is limited.
= RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!

But.....no worries as everything I have been doing daily has been loaded up onto Photobucket with no issue.
Just that I have to wait until I get back to the States to fill in the gaps.

Yea, that stinks I do def agree & hear ya but this is what I gotto do. Even tho I feel like throwin a shoe at 'em for being so daft but hey, it is what it is.
Good point, didn't mean to not explain this issue fully but here it is.



Be patient with me as I hope to and my intentions are to finish this blog asap cuz keep in mind, I am now approximately 128 days away from my Disneyland adventures. Don't feel there will be a problem there as this is Disneyland we are talking about.

ANYWHO - about getting caught flirting with someone tonight......
But before I spill the beans on that one -



DAY 7
SATURDAY AUG16th
HIGH TEMPS IN THE LOW 70'S
AND NO RAIN: = YYEEAA!!


Ok.....who turned on the SUN??
and that's how my day got started so I decided to turn a negative into a positive one and take a few nips of Cider for a bit (90 minutes worth of sippin' makes fer good writing) & b 4 I knew it, it was time again to officially get ready for the day and boogy on downstairs for some extremely much needed breakfast followed by a fairly good nap time for me on the coach as I was just a feeling a wee bit wobbly.


After having a daily am breakfast buffet during this adventure......



....I decided to order off the menu this time = YUM!!



I thought that would help but
the feeling was still with me even when we rolled up into the city of Bath -


The Bathhouse was very nice although very surreal cuz I have always seen it on the Rick Steves travel dvds but to actually see it in person was breathtaking.

Sorta reminded me of the Hot Springs in Arkansas but on a much bigger and grander scale:
Here is a shot of what she used to look like a long time ago -



Now -


seeing all of this was really a sight to behold as it stretched on & on & on....here are some of the statues you see on the top floor -



and -
seeing Bath Abbey just next door really brought it all home for me as to see this on a Rick Steves travel dvd is one thing but WOWZERS!! To see it in person?? Very humbling IMO -



seeing the stairway to Heaven = wonderful



ANYWHO -
So after a while, my wobbliness was beginning to wear off & I was in the mood for some much needed ice cream but for some wacky reason, a pint was just a calling my name instead as I heard later on today:



"....Before Saturday, Manchester United had not lost a league opener at home since 1972 and Swansea had never won a league game at Old Trafford, but the Swans stunned Louis van Gaal and Manchester United 2-1 to (temporarily) move to the top of the league.

In his first Premier League game as manager, Louis van Gaal picked out a surprising lineup and used a brand new 3-4-1-2 formation — which they abandoned at halftime. Expected starters Robin van Persie and Luke Shaw were unavailable due to injury, and Jesse Lingard was forced out of the game after just 24 minutes, throwing a wrench in van Gaal’s plans.

Swansea’s Ki Sung-yueng scored the first goal of the year in the 28th minute, leading the Swansea fans in Old Trafford to give van Gaal the David Moyes treatment......"


Ok......that didn't make my day....RRRRRRRRR!!



"MOVING FORWARD"



So on 2 the coach we went & soon we made our way on over to those testy bricks in the ground called Stonehenge -

(me .....lookin a wee bit tired but havin fun)



IMO, a quick 20 minute walk will do ya some good.....just walk from the Visitor's Center to the site as I found it to be very quiet and peacefull - sorta like one of those "pause and reflect" moments ya know?




I caught some of the narration but overall, IMO - I found that lady's voice on the hand held device to be information overload and a wee bit confusing to follow. But oh well, I still had fun looking at the formation & visually seeing what it must have been like way back when when this thing was built.

While at their gift shop, I heard this just a callin' my name:

What I had waiting for me back at my hotel room.......
(What can I say, I LUV MEAD!! = YUM!!)




But in relation to the two places I saw today:
had the same feeling - it was fun seeing them and visually seeing what life must have been like during their heyday. Very fun & informative to see.



just then, a rather strange thing happened (around 3pm):

I NO LONGER FELT WOBBLY!! - YYEEAA!!
ok.....but at 3pm??? - WOWZERS!!



the drive into London was peaceful as I got my direction legs up underneath me as we got all checked into the hotel with no major issues.
and there.....waiting for me at check in......

** WAS MY NEW IPOD!!**


Yes, I will be sending back in my old one (still under warranty) so no issue there.


Later on,
I was unofficially adopted by some of my fellow travelers who was kind enuf to take me under their wing for some much needed f-o-o-d at a nearby restaurant.


But then...........
things seemed to turn on me
as I got caught.....
nay "busted" flirting with the wait staff.


WHO ME??
what did I do to get nailed??



STAY TUNED
as I am off now to get everything reloaded back onto my IPOD as YYEESSSSSSS!!!!


I am now back up and running !!
Plan on using it tomorrow during my day in London 2 take pics & video.



P.S.S.
Only wacky piece of news is that Andy is in Switzerland for a wedding so looks like no ANNDDDEEEE & company while I am here in London. Ah well, no worries. It is what it is.



UNTIL THEN -
(thank you CIE TOURS.COM for one incredible adventure)



T.T.F.N.
& CHEERS Y'all

 

[knewton64]

(OKOKOKOKOKOKOK.....WHAT THE BLOODY H*** HAPPENED TO MY ARMS??)


Well, the good news is is that the bottle of Stonehenge Mead (and assorted chocolates) was mighty tasty overnight with me relaxin in my room while listening to BBC Scotland on my laptop but alas........this is my 2nd to last full day overseas.


** I KNOW **


the quandary......the predicament........nay the deliciousness of the situation since please be aware that I have been playing jjuusstt a wee bit in relation to 'all things calories'

So, yyeess.....be on the lookout for me to begin now to weekly blog - (please see below where you see my "MY ADVENTURES N DISNEYLAND,,,,,,,,etc etc etc......)" blog or as we Disney fans like to say......our "TRIP REPORT" - about what I am doing to get down to yes.......I am saying 185 pounds by December 20th.


REASON??
Keep in mind that I am about to enter the land of sugar (via Disneyland California) shall we say & yes.....I do plan on a having a rockin good time there.

Besides......there I just may have to ask Minnie for a kiss.
** ON MY BIRTHDAY......December 30th **



ALLRIGHTEE -
onward to
"Getting Busted"
and my last full day in Europe.





T.T.F.N.
& CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

But before we get into that one......


DAY 7
The conclusion

AKA "GETTIN' BUSTED"


Ok, so by now we were all pretty much so getting along together as one big ol group of friends when one night, I got unofficially adopted into (a very nice bunch of people from shall the say in Pro football terms) the NFC EAST and we all headed out to a restaurant nearby our hotel.

Now I will admit I was beginning by now to loosen up a wee bit and be quite a chatterbox that night when all of a sudden, up popped our wait staff whose accent intrigued me as I couldn't quite place her - she sounded a slight bit French??
Furthermore, mind you all this time being over in Europe. you will find yourself immersed in quite an assorted of different tongues being spoken, so you know me by now - I just had to 'step out" a bit and find out where she's from.

So, in the process of asking her.....
and some for daffy reason.......I made a passing remark to her that 'cough cough.....cough'......
seemed to have caught the attention of some of the dinner Guests sitting 'nearby' who invited me out to the restaurant n the 1st place.


WHO IN TURN, took great delight in not letting go of the comment (that yes, was heavily flirtatious in nature) that by now I was trying to socially, gracefully & desperately distance myself
from but to no avail.
You innerlace that with my lame but rather courageous attempt at speaking broken French to her, it made for quite a scene.

Yikes! The gig is up and I have been called out and had to come clean with my discourse.
Ok.....you 2 plus 6- we just may have to meet up again over a Pro Football game or possibly even a CIE TOURS adventure sometime in the future.

Unofficailly adopting me into your family put the icing on the cake on what has been quite a fun adventure for me.



But wait!!


before we pack it in, how about a tale of my Day from DAY 7??





UP NEXT:
The wacky tale of remembering 'Phil & Leslie's' names during DAY 8 n London....






T.T.F.N.
& CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

(JUST DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK OVER THE ABOVE LISTED VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U )

& IT'S MEANT 4 A GIGGLE....



Well.....before we get into that, gota smidge bit of good news 2 tell ya -
it appears that atleast this small blip from the tele has been posted ok onto my travel blog but please keep in mind that its play is quite a bit sporatic due to what my best educated guess I listed b 4 about what I think is the cause of this bloody mess but hey - atleast ya know I am doing me best.

and
yes, hope I can properly fix the issue - (& post pics & video properly onto this blog) -once back into & USA and things quiet down a bit 4 me.



ANYWHO -
So hope this video of some fun tele spotting keeps ya n the mood for all things Europe as there will be a small delay in me getting back to my

DAY 7 in London




as I am about now to head back to the United Stated.
It has been though quite a treat to be visiting here -


Made lots of new temporary friends -
May have made new friends as well....

allright you - luved yer company & thank you for 'unofficially' adopting me.


Lastly,
A heatfelt thank you to all of you, CIE TOURS.COM & of course -
You the reader.



Enjoyed it very much.




Ok, again - just a small reminder -
there will be a small delay in me gettin' back to



DAY 7 in LONDON
and
the conclusion to



MY ADVENTURES N LONDON, SCOTLAND & WALES




T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

(an example of what we had every morning for breakfast) = YUM!!


Feels good to be back in the good ol USA.



After a nice 12.......
nice count them 12 hour 'nap,'
I thought I would let everyone know that YYEESS!!!!!



** 'PHOTOBUCKET' IS INDEED UP AND RUNNING WITH ABSOL N-O FREAKIN' ISSUE!! **
(okokokokokok.......seeing this just made my day)- 2



So before I make a quick run on over to Half Price Book store (gonna FiNaLlY join the real world & get rid of all my cd's and a few dvds.....got over 400 cds = but the time has come for me to spring clean that house of ours before L.B.
arrives back home........






and then after that -


grab a nice pancake breakfast somewhere -
Help Ladybug get checked out of the 'hotel' for spoiled Pooches, etc etc etc.



BUT HEY -
Now that I finally have no issue with Photobucket, here is what I have proposed for ya.

Please give me some time to sift through all 18......
yes count them 18 gigs of film that I have shot while on the incredible adventure


Then
I plan on backing up a bit -
getting all the appropriate pics & video up on previous postings on this trip report.....aka "blog" if ya will
BEFORE I go forward and complete out what has turned out to be quite a fun trek across the pond.



So......
to still keep ya in the mood for all things Great Britain minus Ireland -

here is a








T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

get a feeling that U will be having quite a few pics & video to be a postin so I'm thinking -


hey, why not create some sort of an misc posting ya know?


saw this in a shop window -




Now this completely threw me -

just exactly what am I to do "AT ANY TIME??"


and
without sounding tooooooo catty, I thought this was cute -




While across the pond, we saw people lawn bowling & also playing cricket.
ALLRRIGGHTTEEE -----

Got yer map ready??



Cuz we are about to jump back into all things London.




UNTIL NEXT TIME -







T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

(#313 at the Mecure Hotel; London Bridge = very nice hotel)


Anywho -
'poligze for the delay but we roll on into London w/no issue w/Yours truly deciding at the last moment NOT to head out and see Let It Be at the West End - instead I chose to just a chill out at a nearby restaurant.....with approx. 18 others from our tour group........

Great food = YUM!





Boogy on back to the hotel & fair to say lights out for me around 1am. Reason?? Need my 'beauty sleep' as I am about to walk my feet off on my Adventures n London, Scotland etc adventure; DAY 8 in LONDON.
(MY LAST FULL DAY BEFORE I FLY BACK TO THE USA)





UP NEXT:

**JUST DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U**


and -

'BEING RESCUED BY JIM & MARILYN "P"'







T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

(one of the many highlights of my day.....seeing at a restaurant this just to the left of me.....being nibbled on my a nice lady who spoke very very little broken English & me???? Very Very Very little broken French.

- Stay tuned as ya gotta check out how I was able to ask her the details on it ......in French.....and IMO what goes good with it





ANYWHO -


DAY 8
SUNDAY AUGUST 18th
PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES - (20% CHANCE RAIN) - W/HIGH TEMPS IN LOW 70s


This morning came sooner than I had expected but hey, with every closing of a door comes the opening of another - so I was determined to make the best of today and go 'out with a bang' if ya will ...YYEEAA!!


GOT YER WALKING SHOES ON??
Cuz, at 8am ish, I had me a belly full of a great breakfast and was out that door......minus unknownst to me not realizing in hindsight I should have gone after the Oyster card - oh well.....next time....there will be a next time.
Reason why I say this is that my original plans were to see Kensington Palace in the am, Tower of London in early pm (went thru Viator.com for this) followed by cruise on the river in early dusk & any misc later on but all that got altered. RATS!!!! How I miss you Andy and your family -

All well......it is what it is.



So as I was leaving the hotel, I noticed something rather odd and on the rhealm of being quite funny to see....
It was like a 80 by 40 that was on 4 wheels with people bicycling on it!
Yes, I wish would have taken a picture of it but anyways.....I had a "bus" to catch.......



or so I thought.......




I didn't realize that the buses DON'T START OPERATING UNTIL 9AM!! ** OOPS!!** RRRRRRRRRR!!
(and I am such the Disney Commando traveler!!)


Reason for the miscue?
Hotel Front Desk told me everything starts up at 8am.......ahhh no.....the buses do not until later in am.
No biggie - just make the best of it.



Hmmmmm......ok - so after traversing the London Bridge Street 3 times (getting acclimated to the area the hard way), I decided to take a small break -

(nice place)

From there, I finally somehow found my way on over to the right Bus and there...........
I was 'rescued' - (hey .....that's a lot of walking.....90 minutes worth when you don't know where u r going) - by two of our fellow group travelers .....whom were going on over to see the Tower of London.

Hmmmmmm........so with a blink of an eye, I threw out -(with sadness cuz YES.....I had really wanted to this this but the buses here in London IMHO are confusing to follow)- seeing Kensington Palace & instead opted to 'be like an Elmer' &.......


Like glue - I stuck to them for a wee bit as we all took in the sights and sounds of the Tower:



and
they would even have these little map like things that would show you were you are in relation to the big picture:



So, we took in the sights of these -





Here is an artists' drawing of what the place looked like back then -



check out all the different kinds of armor -

** DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK W/YOUR COMPUTER MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **


Now once inside, we spent just a wee bit over 3 and a half hours - (IMO, WEAR COMORTABLE WALKING SHOES) -touring the place as all three of us were beginning to feel the 'heat' of doing all this walking but we chose (since last full day) to press on and see more of the place -

(ok - will admit...was pretty cool seeing that)


And the above contraption is called a......



and on we went to.....



with -

(pretty wicked room I say)


Now this kinda reminds me of riding in an airplane......NOT FIRST CLASS



On a similar note........
HHHHMMMMMM.............
(meant for a giggle)
United flight diverts over 'Knee Defender' fight - USA Today


http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthe...d-flight-diverted/14609109
"On Sunday, a fight between two passengers over personal space, a thrown cup of water and the use of a controversial plastic gadget that prevents airline seats from reclining caused United Airlines Flight 1462 from Newark, N.J., to Denver to divert to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the AP reports.

During the flight, a man seated in the Economy Plus section, which offers four more inches of legroom than other coach seats, was reportedly using a $21.95 gadget called a Knee Defender to prevent the woman seated in front of him from reclining her seat.

While the Federal Aviation Administration does not prohibit the use of the Knee Defender, like most other major U.S. airlines, "we do not allow customers to use devices that prevent seats from reclining," said United Airlines spokesman Charles Hobart via e-mail.

But the male passenger refused to remove the device when asked to do so by the flight attendant.

ALSO ONLINE: 'Me first!': Why is selfish behavior on the rise?

The woman whose seat could not recline stood up and threw a cup of water at the Knee Defender user, a law enforcement official told AP, and soon after United made the decision to land the plane in Chicago.

"Authorities met the aircraft, removed the two passengers and the flight continued to Denver shortly afterwards," said Hobart.

No arrests were made because the incident "was deemed a customer service issue and not a threat to aviation security," said Transportation Security Administration spokesman Ross Feinstein.

"Sometimes people do things they shouldn't do on airplanes, but as far as I know this is the first time anything like this has happened," involving the Knee Defender, said Ira Goldman, the man who invented the device in 2003 and continues to sell it online.

"United could make seats that do not recline, but they have not chosen to do so," said Goldman. "In the meantime, the Knee Defender says right on it: 'Be courteous. Do not hog space. Listen to the flight crew.' Apparently that is not what happened here."


.....People......doncha luv em!!


ANYWHO -
And of course, what tour would not be complete without the story behind these -


and
IMHO...... "A MUST DO" -

Ya gotta take the time to drink in the Crown Jewels!


Seeing that was soooooo intimidating but a marvel to see.....
I mean just imagine the Queen......
craving a PP&J......
asking the servants to bring one down.......

ON ONE OF THOSE SERVING TRAYS!! - LOL.


and YES -
The Queens' Dollhouse = CUTE.




Overall, I really enjoyed my time there but naturally with it now being around 1:45pm is, all of our stomachs were talking to us to off we went in search of a nice place to sit down for a wee bit, rest our feet and get something to eat.


I wouldn't be disappointed -

(window display of the restaurant very very close by the Tower of London)




UP NEXT:

So just what was she drinking next to me that I wanted at that restaurant??


and.....
anyone up for the London Eye??







T.T.F.N.
& CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jp9_sgJcN0
(Ah.....to be in London over NYE..........)





ANYWHO -
Where were we??


Oh yes......'That restaurant' scene.
Well....it wasn't quite like out of the scene from an old school movie, "When Harry Met Sally" but it was IMO quite cute.
So as we were all siting down at that Restaurant, I immediately noticed 4 women seated just to the left of me and one of them was just being served something like this:


Now being the always curious little bugger that I am, I jumped in and asked her what it was and.......


Well....

She & her 3 Girlfriends looked at me as if I had just gone daft with the 4th lookin' at me as if she was trying to speak but had issues.

My reaction?
She then said in extreme broken English with a very heavy thick French Accent in essence she is from France and can barely speak proper English.

So me....well....got an idea
and quickly mustered up the courage to break out what French I knew and proceeded to ask her, in broken French, what was that and where is it on the menu.

She in turn 'went off on me'
and proceeded to speak just fluent French!!



OK......lets stop the tape here & digress.
So......have a Goofy question to ask you.:

Q: Have any of you been at a sporting event to where this is a slight 2-3 second sound delay and it almost sounds like an echo??
Well....that's how I felt listening to her cuz YIKES!!! It was just like that with me catching every 3rd word.....mentally translating it back into English....all the while looking at her and then at that drink!!

Too surreal as I knew I was in wwaayyy over my head but hey....I was having fun conversing with a very cute French woman who really made my day......
So I understood where to find it on the menu and what it was and thanked her for this wonderful suggestion as that thing looked just fantabolous!!



Now I know by now you are asking yourself, just what was that drink???
Well....


It's warm milk (I have never this before) and warmed Belgium chocolate! DOUBLE YUMM!!!!!


I thanked her and her friends for showing me this....with her saying in French that my French was pretty good -
ok...I blushed over hearing this

And as they were leaving, up walked our Waiter & I proceeded to order this -



That's a bowl of a clam/oyster based soup (Soup of the Day) with an appetizer of a sausage based roll surrounded by a bread - (with dipping sauce) -that was just outta dis world followed by that divine glass of chocolate mile that when combined together....
made for a wacky but quite filling meal that really helped me get ready for the 2nd half of my day.
And with that -
off Jim, Marilyn & I went to check out this:

(The London Eye)


Now IMHO, yes - very worthwhile to watch your possessions while you are in this area of London Because it is a very heavily people congested area but worthwhile checking out.



MORE TO COME






T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

(A real quick 12 second video of her cuz YES!! You get on that things while it's still moving!! ** OOPS!! ** ME BAD ....I didn't know - that's why shot of it is so brief.)
** JUST DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK W/YOUR MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **



ANWHO -
So it becomes about that time that we take the Yellow double decker bus on over to the London Eye area & WOWZERS!! - That place is just wall to wall people!!


Hmmmmm.....think Disneyland on NYE......


Ok.....attitude adjusted & off we went to try seeing the world thru the London Eye for the very first time:

(the views just really took my breath away)


Now initially I was reluctant to ride this (thought typical tourist trap) but since they were going to ride it, why not me??
Besides, I have been on a lot of observational tower like things in the past so what's so different about this one that would WOW me??


IMO, It's becuz it's moving is what's the difference.
** A MUST DO WHILE IN LONDON **
-My attitude changed as it's also a great way to sit down, relax while seeing London (kinda like seeing "SOARIN" at a Disney park) -



Here is another look......just off on my right:



It was just very peaceful being waayyyyy up there -
and it moves very slowly which I found to really enhance the overall experience:

**JUST DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **



Just wished we coulda asked the ride attendant if we "could go again' cuz I was having so much fun today.....but wait!



It's 5pm now & about that time to head to the harbor and our river cruise.

** DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK W/YOUR COMPUTER MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U

** and yes, IMO she's very loud when you are up close**





UP NEXT:
Seeing the river from a different P.O.V.



T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[knewton64]

By now, my feet are beginning to give out on me again (hey....I have been going & going every day these past 10 days or so 4 hrs sleep a day), so what better way to relax than taking a nice cruise down the river Thames.

And with that, all three of us climbed into section #2 of the boat and saw the sights and sounds of London.....from a different P.O.V.



**JUST DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **




The tour Guide for the 40 minute 'ish' cruise was just a wee bit off his rocker but he mixed his narrative with enough of humor and information to keep my attention as overall, I liked it as it was a way to slowly begin to wind down my day:





and -





After the cruise, we seemed to have stumbled onto a cute place called-

(located in the opposite direction of the cruise entrance....about a 10 minute walk straight on down the walkway area)



Now, this place is kinda like a place to hang out and have a beer or what not and something to eat.

So, of course - I just had to 'find me' a brownie.....or two.

** AND WATER **
(by this time , I am beginning now to feel allllllllll those pieces of fudge & such that I had eaten over these past few days & that they were also now beginning to 'talk to me')



ANYWHO -
We all hung out there for a bit before we made our way back to the nearest bus stop and wouldn't ya know it, we meet up (by accident) with a lot of the other group travelers in our tour group -

had fun talkin' about each others days en route back to the hotel.......
Agreed to all head out for dinner -


Found a good Italian restaurant nearby -

Great food = YUM!


Now, for the life of me - the name of the church slips my mind.....
but later on, a small group of us headed out for some much needed walking.

Found a nearby church -
boogied on over to a nearby Pharmacy (of course I just 'had' to pick up some chocolates)

fyi - try some of the local brands.....ya won't be disappointed)


then slowly made our way back to the hotel.

Me?
NAH!!

I had fun chilling out on the Internet until just a wee bit b 4 1am when it was lights out for me.





UP NEXT:


DEPARTURE DAY
AND
WHATS NEXT FOR ME IN REGARDS TO TRAVEL


and
the status on 'The Great I-pod 64 debate"
via I complaint I filed against the The Yorkshire Hotel; Harrogate UK
through the tour company I reserved this vacation through.
WHY??
Since I tried to return the 4.5 month old I-pod through a local Apple Store near me (2 days ago) and they said, "NO, You have to return it to where you bought it from."
Ok.....so I went there (my local Walmart store) and they said, "No, you have to return it through Apple."


** NICE **

Yes,
there is more to this (that I will reflect on via my overall review of this vacation later on in this blog) but for now, I am just going to leave it at that.
So....
STAY TUNED 4 THIS ONE....






T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[4nana]

knewton64, still enjoying your great adventures and photos/videos ! Looks like a wonderful time indeed! Bringing back many fond memories of our trip visiting Buckingham Palace & Changing Guard, Houses of Parliament/Big Ben, the thrilling London Eye ride n view, River Thames cruise and Tower Bridge (as the London Bridge was actually moved to Arizona in 1967 ), St Paul's Cathedral, the Abbey, interesting foodies, and so so much more.

Thx, altho we didn't have digital when we traveled, you've inspired me to get my album/videos out ! Cheers, can't wait for Scotland n Wales!

 

[knewton64]

knewton64, still enjoying your great adventures and photos/videos ! Looks like a wonderful time indeed! Bringing back many fond memories of our trip visiting Buckingham Palace & Changing Guard, Houses of Parliament/Big Ben, the thrilling London Eye ride n view, River Thames cruise and Tower Bridge (as the London Bridge was actually moved to Arizona in 1967 ), St Paul's Cathedral, the Abbey, interesting foodies, and so so much more.

Thx, altho we didn't have digital when we traveled, you've inspired me to get my album/videos out ! Cheers, can't wait for Scotland n Wales!

Ahh.....ya made my day!! - Thank you.
That's what I like the most about adventures, is the aspect of surrounding yourself with the sights, sounds & oh yes - the local foods

and in the process, should I inspire someone well.....
that just makes me smile.


and speaking of that,
I am now off and running getting ready for Disneyland.
(coming up fast....only 120 days away now)



ANYWHO -
Don't worry, yes....I do see an extended adventure through CIE.TOURS through Scotland n my future........


MORE TO COME on that I promise.



ANYWHO -
onward to my departure day

While I get that set up, here is some music to getcha n the mood.
Now this was sooooo much fun.....IMO, grab a small snack....sit down & take in the various street musicians....well worth it.

(some music being played one block over from the Bath Abbey)

**JUST DOUBLE RIGHT CLICK W/YOUR COMPUTER MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **




T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL