roman and saxon side-by-side

dover castle

Subconscious

I woke in a panic about 3am this morning, heart racing - it was the end of the world as we know it, as I had to get on the road, on foot, with my 10 year old son. No idea where the husband and 12 year old daughter were, but we had to try to find them.

My most pressing concern was what to pack - what did we need to survive? We had to be able to carry everything ourselves, and while we'd be able to get food from deserted houses and shops, we couldn't rely on electricity or other power sources. We might also have to defend ourselves from who knows what threats.

The dream was very vivid. So much so, that I spent the next hour or so wide awake, working through the packing list (the kids think I've completely lost the plot!). In my mind, I packed clothes, an extra pair of shoes each (there was much walking to be done), first aid supplies, matches, a self-sufficiency handbook, toothbrushes and toothpaste, knives (including two big kitchen knives, wrapped in towels), a can-opener, spoons, plastic cups, water bottles, muesli bars, torches and a supply of batteries, a couple of rolls of toilet paper (!), sleeping bags and winter coats (we might need to get through a cold winter without heating), and a photo of the missing family members. The boy was most pleased that I didn't take shampoo, but not so thrilled that I made him leave his Skylanders toys behind. There were a few other small items, but basically that was it. Interesting how you sort out priorities when the crunch comes.

So what did I take from this? Apart from reading too many apocalyptic books (there may have been zombies, but I'm not sure. There was definitely something threatening), there is very little that I'm so attached to that I couldn't leave it behind (children excepted!). And I need to start packing for the trip to England - although the knives and matches had better stay behind, and I can probably manage without taking my own can-opener and toilet paper!

Planning in progress (two weeks to departure!)

Only two weeks until we fly out of Sydney to London!

So far, we have inked in:

• new members' tour of Hampton Court Palace
• a walk around The Borough with London Trails, using old maps (love maps, especially old ones, love history, love seeing the changes, so I'm really looking forward to this one)
• a meeting with a friend who has been living in England for the past year
• day trip to Carlisle, up near the Scottish border, to coincide with the Festival of British Archaeology
• new members' tour of the Tower of London, after hours
• Garden History tour of Kensington Palace
• a day trip to the Gunnislake Festival in Cornwall
• a tour of the Buckingham Palace State Rooms (only open in summer).

And in pencil (flexible dates):

• Birdoswald Roman Fort, part of Hadrian's Wall (while we're in Carlisle, if there's time)
• the Banqueting House, in London
• an Unseen tour (in London, guided by homeless people)
• Kew Palace & Gardens
• day trip to Dover and Canterbury
• day trip to Bath
• BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall (standing room 'promming' ticket on the day)
• Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House
• British Museum
• V&A
• Tate & Tate Modern
• National Gallery
• Royal Hospital Chelsea (home to the Chelsea Pensioners, who conduct tours) and the nearby Physic Garden
• the Jubilee Walk, in sections, stopping frequently to visit places along the way - will take a week or so if we do it all, but looks like a very flexible way to see lots of London on foot
• and of course we need to explore our 'local' area - South Kensington, with all the institutions on offer close by.

Somehow I don't think three weeks will be enough!

Historic Royal Palaces

As I mentioned in my previous post, we've become members of the Historic Royal Palaces, the organisation that looks after the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, the Banqueting House, Kew Palace and Hampton Court Palace. I also mentioned that we'd been able to book places on the Tower of London new members' tour.

Tower of London [source]

But that's not all - turns out that our timing is perfect to also take advantage of the Hampton Court Palace new members' tour ...

Main gate, Hampton Court Palace [source]

AND the Kensington Palace Garden History Tour (which gets us into the normally closed to the public Sunken Garden.

Kensington Palace Sunken garden [source]

We've also decided on the destination for the second of four day trips on our BritRail passes - Carlisle. It's going to be a looooonnnnngggg day - 3.25 hours min. on the train each way - it's very close to the Scottish border.

Carlisle Castle [source]

There is evidence of people living in this area since at least the Iron Age, and the Romans established a fort here in AD72 (it was on the 'civilised' side of Hadrian's Wall). Of course, once the Roman Army was in residence, a whole town grew up around it, and Carlisle has been occupied ever since.

I'm looking forward to the train trip - I haven't been to Cumbria and the Lake District (or most of the other places on the route), so it will be lovely to see it, even if it is just from a moving train on the way through!

London calling

In just over three weeks I'll be on the train heading up to Sydney, in readiness to fly out to London the following day. We're going with QANTAS via Dubai. My international trips so far have been with Cathay Pacific, so it will  be interesting to see the difference between airlines.

We've bought BritRail 4 day Flexipasses for day trips out of London. I've been discussing destinations with my parents, and it looks like one day will be to Dover and Canterbury. Dover is a little over two hours from London Victoria station on the train, and Canterbury is 16-27 minutes (depending on the train) closer to London. In Dover, we're planning on visiting Dover Castle. We can stand on the top of the white cliffs, but it's a bit hard to really see them from that angle.

Canterbury has many attractions, the most well-known being its cathedral. Also on my list is St Augustine's Abbey, the Canterbury Roman Museum, St Martin's Church (the oldest church in England still in use as a parish church), and the Canterbury Heritage Museum. I'm not sure we'll have enough time for it all, but there are many more places to see if we get through that list!

We've also become members of the Historic Royal Palaces, the organisation that looks after the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, the Banqueting House, Kew Palace and Hampton Court Palace, so we're hoping to get to all of them. By becoming members, we qualify for the HRP new members tour of the Tower of London, held after hours (and being high season, it will be great to see it without the crowds). I rang London one night last week to make sure we have places booked on the tour.

Our other purchase has been the English Heritage Overseas Visitor Passes, giving us free entry to any of hundreds of properties on the English Heritage list for 16 days. Dover Castle is one of those, and once we've decided on where our other day trips will be, I'll check what else is in the area. Eltham Palace, southeast of Greenwich, is looking good, and there are quite a few properties within London itself.

But for now, I need to concentrate on finishing off a list of jobs required by the end of the financial year. Trip planning will have to wait for a week!

Time for another trip!

This time I'm heading back to London, without children, but with my parents. It's all come together very fast - the trip was only suggested early last week, and now the plane tickets are booked, accommodation is sorted out, and we're talking about what we want to see, both in London and on a few day trips further out.

We head off in mid-July, and have 22 nights on the ground in London, staying in a flat in South Kensington.

More details to follow!

Souvenirs

We didn't do any serious shopping in our 2010 trip, but one thing we did buy, and which I aim to make a tradition, was a small Christmas decoration from each place we stayed in.

From England, a royal crown from Hampton Court Palace:

From Paris, the Eiffel Tower in a gift basket:

From Rome, a tiny nativity scene in a jewellery box, bought from a stall near the Vatican:

this blog is nearly done

I started this blog on my birthday last year. We're nearly there again, and 44 will be finished. Not quite sure whether to start something new, or to change the name of this site and continue on ...

In the meantime, the countdown to departure continues - we're down to a smidgeon over two weeks! The latest developments include definite plans to visit 1st Lambeth North Guide Unit in London (and possibly a Brownie group too, depending on what time we get back from our trip up to York). This week I'll organise to buy some Australian Guide badges to take with us, and apparently they'll have some for Miss Tizz, although I'll leave that as a surprise for her :)

Jetlag might decide otherwise, but as we arrive in London very early, we're hoping to make our way to the apartment, unpack, wander around the local area and do a little grocery shopping to set us up for the two weeks, and then have a short rest and lunch. In the afternoon we hope to head out and join a hop-on hop-off bus tour (the prepaid ticket is good for 24 hours, so we can start one afternoon and do more the next morning), get a feel for the layout of the city, and then have an earlyish dinner and an early night.

Globe Theatre, London
AndreasPraefcke

I've also mapped out some of our London days to take advantage of the 6-day London Pass we prepurchased. Of course everything might change, but the basic plan is to visit one or two of the bigger attractions each day, and add in other places if we happen to be in the area and feel so inclined.  We're planning to go to the London Bridge Experience and Southwark Cathedral one day, St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London on another, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre tour and Winston Churchill's Britain at War Experience on the third day of the pass, Hampton Court Palace on the fourth, and a canal boat tour along the edge of Regents Park and London Zoo on the last day. Even taking a day out of the pass to go up to York, and even if we don't visit any other attractions, we'll save more than the cost of the pass. I'm pretty sure we can fit a few more visits in, and we can go guilt-free to places that we might otherwise hesitate about, because even if we don't stay for 10 minutes, we won't have wasted our money on entrance fees.

Canal Boat at Camden Lock

We still have a few unplanned days in London, and lots of things we'd like to do and see, so we'll just play it by ear when we get there. We have a good guide book, and internet access, so we have plenty of information at our fingertips. We definitely want to go on the London Eye, and can prebook online, but we'll leave that until we get there and see what the weather is like - with a bit of luck we can pick a nice day!

update on oxford

I went back to the Oxford Tourism website in another attempt to buy the Harry Potter walking tour tickets, with no success, but I did notice there were four less tickets available - only 11 left. Right, no messing about waiting for emails. So I rang them (which is kind of a big deal, because I really don't like phone calls much). No problem, except that the computer of the person who answered the phone decided to freeze, so I was passed on to a second person, and had to go through the story with them (I'm ringing from Australia ... e-shop not working ... can I buy tickets over the phone?).

In the end, it was no problem, just a lengthy international phone call, and we're booked in.

Miss Tizz will be pleased in the morning when I tell her :)

today I bought ...

• a wallet big enough to hold unfolded British pounds (British pounds are bigger than our banknotes, and they get bigger as the denomination increases, and so I don't have to take all my everyday-at-home stuff out of my everyday-at-home wallet)
• some zip-up document wallets (to hold the paperwork - accommodations details, print-at-home tickets, etc - for each city we're going to visit), and
• a purple, fringed silk scarf (because we're going to Paris, and one needs a fabulous scarf for Paris. I'm ready to go now!).

 Yesterday I collected some British pounds that I'd ordered through my bank last week, and they're stashed safely in my new wallet.

Last night I found a world time website, and we've worked out suitable contact times between London/Paris/Rome and Australia.

I've made a list of people whose addresses I want to take with me, so we can send them a postcard, and a list of things I need/want to do in the next three weeks.

I received, in today's mail, my shiny new Visa debit card. And someone from Slow Travel told me about the Harry Potter walking tour in Oxford, which appears to only run once in October - serendipitously on the very day we are planning to visit! And there are places available on the tour, despite the November tour being fully booked already. I checked with Miss Tizz that this was a tour she'd like to do (Yes yes YES!), and tried booking it online, only to have the e-store checkout process fail several times ('Your session has timed out', even though I went straight to the checkout after adding the tours to my shopping cart). Hmmm. So I've emailed the people, and hopefully someone will get back to me soon.

sorting out the money

I've been trying to get my head around just how much money we're going to need while we're away. We've paid for the major travel expenses, most of our sightseeing in London and some for Paris and Rome, deposits on the three apartments (and the London one needs to be paid in full before we leave). So basically it's down to the balance of the accommodation, some entry fees and local transport, and food and basic supplies for the apartments.

We'll have a kitchen and a washing machine in each place, so we can live fairly cheaply (we like good food, but we're not really 'foodies'; we're not into serious shopping - no plans for French frocks or Italian boots; and we're not even going to attempt to see everything in one trip - we'd prefer to spend some time soaking in the local culture rather than paying to go into every museum and gallery and tourist attraction and historical site). We'd like some nice meals out over the five weeks, but we're not hunting Michelin-starred restaurants or the latest trendy and expensive bistro.

So what's it going to cost? How long is a piece of string?!

I joined the Slow Travel online community some time back, and there is a wealth of information, both on the main site and in the forums. At the risk of sounding daft, I asked this very question. I can look up exchange rates, but that doesn't tell me a lot about the cost of living in another place. One reply I received said that 20 euros per day should be fine in Rome if we're doing our own cooking, and that wouldn't be skimping on groceries - Italians would live on less that that most days, but we obviously won't be buying in bulk or from discount supermarkets out in the suburbs.

So what I've come up with is allowing 100 GBP per day in England, and 100 euro per day in France and Italy, pre-loaded onto a Travel Money card along with the apartment rent balances for Paris and Rome, accessible via ATMs and which can also be used like a credit card at point of sale (and which is NOT linked to a bank account). I'll take 100 GBP in cash to get us started. And I'll also have my normal ATM card and credit card as backup, although I'm hoping not to use them.

And I just have to hope I've got it roughly right!

countdown, and another decision made

In one calendar month we will be in Hong Kong airport, waiting to leave on the second leg of our journey to London :)

The Shambles in York
Photo: Daveahern

York Minster
Photo: Lofty

Salisbury Cathedral
Photo: Andrew Dunn

We've finally made a decision about the three day trips we're going to take from London, using the BritRail Pass: York, Salisbury/Stonehenge, and Oxford. We've chosen three quite different places, from among many possibilities, and now I can stop debating with myself about destinations and instead concentrate on the logistics of getting there and what to do once we're there.

Stonehenge
Photo: Frédéric Vincent

Part of the Oxford skyline
Photo: Wallace Wong

Blenheim Palace, near Oxford

Photo: Magnus Manske

international guiding

Miss Tizz, my travel companion, is a Junior Guide, and thought it would be fun to visit Guide Units overseas during our trip. I contacted Guide HQ in Sydney, and today she received a letter containing a WAGGGS Introduction Card. WAGGGS is the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts - an association of member organisations from all over the world.

Tonight I have sent emails to the national organisations in the UK, France and Italy to see if we can organise a visit in each country. I received an email back from the PA to the International Commissioner, Girlguiding UK, within minutes of hitting 'send', and we've been put in touch with the region office for where we'll be staying in London.

I've also received a response from the Italian organisation, but an automated one - the office is closed until August 27 - apparently everyone in Italy goes on holidays in August!

So now we'll have to leave room in the bags for a Guide shirt and sash, make sure all Miss Tizz's badges are sewn on, and think about some small things we can take as gifts to the units we visit. The husband has suggested buying a roll of the commemorative Centenary of Guiding $1 coins from the Australian Mint. Any other ideas?

soho square

Your name froze on the winter air
An empty bench in Soho Square
Forgotten now I turn away
Just save me for a rainy day
But don't be sorry, I don't want to hear it baby

My feet froze in the winter chill
I knew I'd probably get ill
But I was praying we could fill an empty bench and still
You're so sorry but I don't want your pity baby

It's all yours now please don't tease
The pigeons shiver in the naked trees
And I'll do anything but please don't hurt me
Just kiss me quick 'cos it's my birthday
And I feel so small I don't know why but no I'm not too old to cry
An empty bench in Soho Square.

If you'd have come you'd have found me there
But you never did 'cos you don't care and I'm so sorry baby
I don't mind loneliness too much but when I met you I was touched
And that was good enough for me but do we always have to be sorry
Why can't we just be happy baby?

One day you'll be waiting there, no empty bench in Soho Square
And we'll dance around like we don't care
And I'll be much too old to cry
And you'll kiss me quick in case I die before my birthday

One day you'll be waiting there, no empty bench in Soho Square
No I don't know the reason why I'll love you till the day I die
But one day you'll be waiting there
Come summertime in Soho Square
And I'll be painting stars up in the sky
Before I get too old to cry before my birthday
I hope I see those pigeons fly before my birthday
In Soho Square on my birthday

----------------------

Soho Square, written by Kirsty MacColl & Mark Nevin, recorded by Kirsty MacColl in 1994.

Kirsty's bench in Soho Square, at its unveiling in 2010

 I'm a bit of a Kirsty MacColl fan, and have had vague thoughts of visiting Soho Square in London, just because of this song. Kirsty was hit and killed by a power boat while scuba diving with her sons off the coast of Mexico in December 2000. 2010 is ten years since her death, and on Kirsty's birthday - 10 October - there'll be a party in Soho Square. It just happens that we will arrive in London the week before, so I think I'll need to mark this date into our schedule.

i love my postie

I love hearing the postie bike arriving each day, because there's a good chance he's bringing me a travel-related surprise!

The Tower of London with Tower Bridge behind.
[photo: The Anglophile]

Yesterday we received our tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London :) We're booked in for the Friday evening at the end of our first week in London, and very much looking forward to it.

Wonder what's next ...

status update for england

Last night I ordered 1-day Yorkshire passes - same deal as the London Pass, but for Yorkshire in the north of England. We'll only be able to take advantage of the York city attractions, but again the big benefit is the convenience of having pre-paid and not having to worry about cash or the budget when we're there. We definitely want to visit the JORVIK Viking Centre, DIG, the York Castle Museum and York Minster. It's going to be a long day!

So ... where are things up to for the English leg of our journey?

• Airfares into London Heathrow - PAID
• Train from Heathrow to the city - PAID (Oyster card)
• Accommodation - deposit PAID, balance to be paid via Paypal before we leave Australia
• Public transport around London - PAID (Oyster card, can be topped up in London if required)
• The Original London Tour (hop-on hop-off bus) - PAID
• London Pass (2 x 6-day passes for city attractions) - PAID
• Britrail Pass (3 non-consecutive days train travel anywhere in England) - PAID
• Yorkshire Pass (2 x 1-day passes for York attractions, plus discounted hop-on hop-off bus tour) - PAID

We still need to pay for the London Eye ride (tickets can be pre-ordered, but I need to research this a bit more, and would prefer not to be locked into a particular date). We'll also pay for The Stonehenge Tour (Stonehenge/Old Sarum/Salisbury bus + entry fees) when we're there, plus whatever we decide to do on Day 3 of our day trips. Other than that we'll need to buy food and consumables for the flat, plus we'll need a little spending money as we go (but we're not planning on any massive shopping sprees, so we won't need a fortune).

seeing the london sights

Just a quick one ...

Last night I ordered a couple of London Passes in anticipation of our visit. They give you entry to over 55 London attractions (and skip-the-queue privileges at some of the more popular places), and other special offers and discounts.



We opted for the 6-day passes, so we can spread the sightseeing over almost week. With that plus three day trips out of town, and a few 'down' days, that's our 12 day stay pretty much covered.

counting down

11 weeks to go :)

We've been considering where to go for our third day trip out of London. We're pretty definite about York and Salisbury/Stonehenge, but there are so many options for day 3 of our Britrail Pass.

We have had strong recommendations for Cambridge and Bath. Any other ideas? Bear in mind they must be 9yo-friendly, accessible by train, within England (i.e. not Wales or Scotland), and do-able in a day.

locking up the tower

 Photo: Kjetil Bjørnsrud

I read about the Ceremony of the Keys, mentioned in passing on a travel forum. It sounded interesting, and Miss Tizz was keen (although whether for the ceremony or for being allowed to stay out later than usual I'm not sure), so I did some research.

The ceremony is the official locking up of the Tower of London for the night, and it is thought to have been performed (apparently without fail) every night for about 700 years - although one night during WWII it was a little late, as the Germans bombed the Tower.

One of the big drawcards for me, apart from witnessing the centuries-old ceremony, is the opportunity to get inside the Tower at night, without the crowds. We'll do a daytime visit as well, but I think a visit at night will be very special.

Entrance to the ceremony is by dated ticket only, and you need to apply in writing (no emails, faxes or telephone calls) at least two to three months in advance. Places are limited, so I sent our letter off today, addressed to the Tower of London - that in itself is a bit exciting to us! Hopefully we'll be lucky!