So, for the next month, I'll probably be on a blogging holiday. I'm doing my big travels and am not able to easily update my blog, since the little interent is spent replying to important emails, booking places to stay, etc. However, I'll include my travel itinerary below. (I'm doing this from Amsterdam, so the Ireland and Egypt bits are over and were both fantastic!) More about each place and complete with pics in May.
Mar 12: UK to Ireland - Trace, Steph, (& Anna?) leave London Stnstd at 12.05pm and arrive in Dublin at 1.15pm
13: Dublin to Kilkenny - Leave on Shamrocker tour 08.15am; Glendalough, Kildare, Rock of Dunamase, Kilkenny
14: Kilkenny to Killarney – Rock of Cashel, Blarney Stone, Cork, Killarney
15: Killarney to Doolin - fishing villages, Dingle Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher, Doolin
16: Doolin to Galway – Doolin, Burren landscape, Pol na Brone Dolmen tomb, Galway
17: Galway - St. Patrick’s Day in Galway
18: Galway to Dublin to UK - Clonmacnoise, Dublin distillery, Meath; return to Dublin c. 5.30pm, leave Dublin 9.15pm and arrive in London at 10.25pm.
19: UK to Cairo – Leave Heathrow at 6.20am and arrive in Cairo at 2.35. Join Topdeck Tour that afternoon.
20: Cairo to Luxor – Egyptian Museum, Giza and Pyramids, night train to Luxor
21: Luxor – Temple of Karnak, Temple of Luxor, markets
22: Luxor to Aswan – Valley of the Kings. Ramesseum Temple, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Aswan
23: Aswan – Abu Simbel and Temple of Hathor, Temple of Isis and High Dam, bazaars
24: Aswan to Cairo – felucca ride at Elephantine and Kitchener Islands, Nubian village, night train to Cairo
25: Cairo – Saqqara, Coptic churches, market
26: Egypt to Amsterdam – Tour ends in morning, leave Cairo at 3.20pm and arrive in Amsterdam at 10.20pm. Katie flies in 10.30-11.00am
27: Amsterdam – museums/anne frank house, shopping/markets, biking, red light district, etc.
28: Amsterdam – (see above)
29: Amsterdam to Bruge - train w/ maybe stops in Antwerp/Ghent; Market Square, Beginhof if nice
30: Bruge – bikes, city walk, canal cruise, museums, Straffe Hendrik brewery tour, etc.
31: Bruge – bikes to Damme along canal, Oostand, North Sea visit, maybe late train to Brussels or another night in Bruge
Apr 1: Bruge to Brussels – Grote Markt Walk, museums, shopping, etc.
2: Brussels to Luxembourg – Katie still working on plans
3: Luxembourg to Mosel Valley – Katie still working on plans, travel to Mosel Valley
4: Mosel and Rhine Valley – biking and tour, Rhinefels Castle
5: Mosel and Rhine Valley to Koln – finish bikey, to Koln, Koln Cathedral
6: Koln to Munich – Katie flies out of Amsterdam at 1.00pm. Trace and Steph to Munich (07:54 – 12:30)
7: Munich – day trip to Nuwanstien Castle
8: Munich to Milan – finish Munich, night train to Milan (20:56 – 07:45)
9: Milan to Naples – early train to Naples (08:00 - 14:30?, if miss, then prob have to take train that changes in Rome)
10: Naples – day trip to Pompeii (08:50 – 9:18?)
11: Naples to Rome – train to Rome (2 trains/hr, c.2 hr)
12: Rome – meet Shauna and Anna and probably Morgan
13: Rome –
14: Rome to Florence – (1-2 trains/hr, 1.5-2hr.)
15: Florence – day trip to Pisa (1-2 trains/hr, 1.5 hr)
16: Florence – EASTER, Florence Easter firework thing?
17: Florence to Venice – (10/12:39 – 13/15:28)
18: Venice to Milan to Barcelona – Express trains to Milan every 1-2 hrs (14.22 – 17:05) Night train to Barcelona (leaves c. 19:50 – 09:02)
19: Barcelona to Sevilla – day in Barcelona (day trip?), night train to Sevilla (22:30 – 08:40)
20: Sevilla – meet Amanda and Ross
21: Sevilla – day trip to Costa de Luz/Gibraltar/Cadiz…?
22: Sevilla -
23: Sevilla to Granada – (07:00 – 10:05?)
24: Granada to Barcelona – night train to Barcelona (21:25 – 9:20)
25: Barcelona -
26: Barcelona to Paris – night Train to Paris (21:05 – 8:48)
27: Paris -
28: Paris – day trip to Versailles
29: Paris -
30: Paris to UK – Eurostar to London (1-2 trains/hr at least, c. 2hr)
May 1: UK - Steph leaves Heathrow at 3.40pm.
27 March 2006
03 March 2006
Planning and Peaks Part II
This week has put my plan to finish my 'Must Do' list into high gear. Monday Trace and I went to see 'Billy Elliot,' the new and v. popular musical verision of one of my favorite movies. This was one of the two shows ('Mary Poppins' being the other) that I really wanted to see before I left London (and the first of the two for me to actually see). It was amazing, hilarious, and just really well done. Tuesday, GP and I went to see Jeremy Iron's new play 'Embers,' a good story and ecellent acting. Wednesday I went to the National Gallery (yes, again) and did a lot of the bits left that I hadn't seen yet before heading to my last BUNAC pub meet. Thursday, Morgan, Trace, Robin, and I went to High Tea at the Ritz. From so many books and people, it was something that you have to do, even though it's a bit pricey. They were right. The Ritz itself was a bit smaller than we expected, but for 34 pounds we got unlimited sandwiches, scones, pastries, and tea and also a complimentary glass of champagne (usually 14 quid on it's own!). We ate soooo much, but just kept going since it was all so good. Towards the end we were all a bit wired after so much sugar and caffine topped with a glass of oh-so-tasty champagne. After tea, we decided we needed exercise after so much food, so we walked through Green Park and over to Buckingham Palace before catching the tube again. Friday, I went to the British Museum and then back to have an early night before heading to York and the Peak District the next morning.
****
I wrote this a long time ago and haven't had time to finish it. I'll be updating this when I get back to the US or when I find fast internet for cheap somewhere on the continent. I'll be adding the rest of this post and my last week in London. Sorry for the delay!
****
I wrote this a long time ago and haven't had time to finish it. I'll be updating this when I get back to the US or when I find fast internet for cheap somewhere on the continent. I'll be adding the rest of this post and my last week in London. Sorry for the delay!
The Beginning of the End... in London
Yes, that's right, this week started the end of my time in London. After the fabulous weekend in Cornwall, I spent Monday posting my entry on this blog, as well as generally recouperating form the bit of my cold that resurfaced for the beginning part of the week. Tuesday was cleaning night in the flat, with Wednesday finally being my night out in town. I went to the National Gallery for a bit before going to see "Night of the Iguana" starring Woody Harrelson (pretty decent) with Trace. Thursday I went to the National Portrait Gallery for the first time, which I was extremely excited about. I felt that I greatly improved my British history knowledge just by the portraits, and got to see portraits that I'd only seen in textbooks and of people I'd never seen images of in the first place. After that, I met Kate and John at the Prince Alfred for some quality hang out time, since we hadn't seen each other for a few weeks. Friday night I went out with people from work for a bit before going to see "Good Night, and Good Luck" (excellent!!!) and having a nice early night.
Ah, the weekend... My last full weekend in London... Monday I'd planned everything I wanted to still do in town, and had developed a plan for both days. Saturday I got up early and made my way with the gorgeous weather to Westminster Abbey (my first real time there too! unbelievable, I know...). Again, it was exciting to see the graves of people like Queen Elizabeth and Charles Dickens. My quest then took me accross the river and along the Southbank to the The Globe Theatre. There aren't performances this time of year, especially since it's an open-air theatre. It's also just a reconstruction of what they think Shakespeare's theatre actually looked like, though it's also probably pretty accurate. I had a fantastic tour (complete with the guide's favorite stupid questions including one where someone didn't know that Shakespeare was actually dead) there that was more about what Elizabethan London would have been like, especially if we'd been coming to see a show. After The Globe, it was on to Borough Market for a snack and back accross the Thames to find Leadenhall Market (the location for one of the scenes in the first Harry Potter movie where Hagrid and Harry are just about to enter the Leaky Cauldron. The exterior for the Leaky Cauldron in the third movie was actually filmed near Borough Market, where in the books it's supposed to be between the many bookshops of Charing Cross Road, just north of Trafalgar Square). (photos: Westminster Abbey; tour inside The Globe; and Leadenhall Market, though more closed stores in an old arcade)
After the Harry Potter dorkiness, I was off to St. Paul's to purchase a trinket for my sister and grabbed a bit of lunch. I then tried to find the Temple Church, which I'd never really seen and didn't know what to expect. Temple actually turned out to be a fenced-in housing area in v. old buildings and rowhouses that centered around the Temple Church (yes, as featured in the Divinci Code). After the church, I had a nice sit on the edge of the river while chatting on the phone before meeting the crew at a pub to watch the England v. Scotland rugby match. The pub happened to be next to the Twinings store that I'd been searching for and also hoping to go to before I leave, though it has extremely limited hours that render actually going to the store to shop a bit impossible. Scotland, the underdogs, trounced England, the leaders in the Six Nations tourney, by the way. Andy, his friend from home, and I left the pub (others had left sooner to go have some rest) and headed to Covent Garden for some food. We met Jen and her visiting mom for a drink and the Olympics at the Maple Leaf before heading to our fun gelato place for dessert. I'd accomplished above and beyond the day plan. (photos: St. Pauls, one of my favorite parts of London; and a view down the Thames)
Sunday I was up early again to go to Camden Market to get my sweater/jacket I'd seen and been wanting to purchase. I met Trace, Meredith, and another visiting friend there and Trace and I bought the sweaters before heading to Hampton Court Palace. The train service there was severely disrupted due to engineering works, so the half-hour direct train trip was really an hour and a half train-bus-train combo. We had a good trip, meeting a mom and her daughter from Texas that were in London for a long weekend.
I'd heard a lot about Hampton Court, often billed as the home of Henry VIII (one of his many, really), but it was indeed a facinating place. We went on a tour with a costumed interpreter, but then wandered through the rest of the royal rooms of multiple monarchs, the royal kitchens, before wandering through the extensive gardens. By that point in the day it was getting a bit cold and the cool maze was already closed, but we saw more than enough. We eventually made our way back to the train to London, only to meet the rest of our friends at the Alfred after some trip planning sessions. (photos: Front entrance to Hampton Court; me with the interpreters; and the back of Hampton Court from the gardens)
Ah, the weekend... My last full weekend in London... Monday I'd planned everything I wanted to still do in town, and had developed a plan for both days. Saturday I got up early and made my way with the gorgeous weather to Westminster Abbey (my first real time there too! unbelievable, I know...). Again, it was exciting to see the graves of people like Queen Elizabeth and Charles Dickens. My quest then took me accross the river and along the Southbank to the The Globe Theatre. There aren't performances this time of year, especially since it's an open-air theatre. It's also just a reconstruction of what they think Shakespeare's theatre actually looked like, though it's also probably pretty accurate. I had a fantastic tour (complete with the guide's favorite stupid questions including one where someone didn't know that Shakespeare was actually dead) there that was more about what Elizabethan London would have been like, especially if we'd been coming to see a show. After The Globe, it was on to Borough Market for a snack and back accross the Thames to find Leadenhall Market (the location for one of the scenes in the first Harry Potter movie where Hagrid and Harry are just about to enter the Leaky Cauldron. The exterior for the Leaky Cauldron in the third movie was actually filmed near Borough Market, where in the books it's supposed to be between the many bookshops of Charing Cross Road, just north of Trafalgar Square). (photos: Westminster Abbey; tour inside The Globe; and Leadenhall Market, though more closed stores in an old arcade)
After the Harry Potter dorkiness, I was off to St. Paul's to purchase a trinket for my sister and grabbed a bit of lunch. I then tried to find the Temple Church, which I'd never really seen and didn't know what to expect. Temple actually turned out to be a fenced-in housing area in v. old buildings and rowhouses that centered around the Temple Church (yes, as featured in the Divinci Code). After the church, I had a nice sit on the edge of the river while chatting on the phone before meeting the crew at a pub to watch the England v. Scotland rugby match. The pub happened to be next to the Twinings store that I'd been searching for and also hoping to go to before I leave, though it has extremely limited hours that render actually going to the store to shop a bit impossible. Scotland, the underdogs, trounced England, the leaders in the Six Nations tourney, by the way. Andy, his friend from home, and I left the pub (others had left sooner to go have some rest) and headed to Covent Garden for some food. We met Jen and her visiting mom for a drink and the Olympics at the Maple Leaf before heading to our fun gelato place for dessert. I'd accomplished above and beyond the day plan. (photos: St. Pauls, one of my favorite parts of London; and a view down the Thames)
Sunday I was up early again to go to Camden Market to get my sweater/jacket I'd seen and been wanting to purchase. I met Trace, Meredith, and another visiting friend there and Trace and I bought the sweaters before heading to Hampton Court Palace. The train service there was severely disrupted due to engineering works, so the half-hour direct train trip was really an hour and a half train-bus-train combo. We had a good trip, meeting a mom and her daughter from Texas that were in London for a long weekend.
I'd heard a lot about Hampton Court, often billed as the home of Henry VIII (one of his many, really), but it was indeed a facinating place. We went on a tour with a costumed interpreter, but then wandered through the rest of the royal rooms of multiple monarchs, the royal kitchens, before wandering through the extensive gardens. By that point in the day it was getting a bit cold and the cool maze was already closed, but we saw more than enough. We eventually made our way back to the train to London, only to meet the rest of our friends at the Alfred after some trip planning sessions. (photos: Front entrance to Hampton Court; me with the interpreters; and the back of Hampton Court from the gardens)
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