UK - 2023

* Note : Photos are on my Panasonic Camera. They will be added here after I get back to Sacramento. The Panasonic app is not compatible with this phone.😡 April 30, 2023 Today is a museum day.  We have two museums to visit.  In the morning, we are going to the Churchill  War Rooms .  This museum is one of many associated with the Imperial War Museum. Our tickets allow us to enter between 9:30 and 10:00 am.   You have heard of Greenwich Mean Time, right?  The standard for our time tables was established downriver from London, in the town of Greenwich.  There are several wonderful Royal Museums in Greenwich. We purchased tickets on line to visit the Royal Observatory at 2 pm, after lunch. It was a good plan. BUT we didn't count on the millions of tourists who are in town to share in the excitement of King Charles' Coronation! OMG! The tourist hub of Westminster Cathedral, 10 Downing Street, Parliament and Big Ben were cordoned off for walkers and busses ...

Note:  Some photos are missing, due to an incompatibility between my Panasonic camera and his phone. I will add them when I return home to California. Saturday, April 29, 2023  We purchased two, one day tickets on line for our initial introduction to London. We made a light breakfast of yogurt and fresh fruit, and some Starbucks espresso. After putting together our napsacks, we headed out to find some real coffee and then the nearest Hop-on Hop-off bus. We stopped in at the Kensington Lane Cafe. The place was hopping! One waitress was barking orders with a sugar glaze. For example, "Sir, don't stand in front of the door! There are more customers trying to come in." The place was filled with folks happily eating breakfast. We really only wanted coffee. We watched the people scene and read the menu items on the walls. This kept us well entertained until our coffees arrived. Some of the more interesting items from the wall included  Lamb's liver & onions, and Spotted...

April 28, 2023 The plan was to meet at the baggage carousels in Terminal 3 at Heathrow. Carl is flying non-stop from Boston. I am flying non-stop from Los Angeles. His plane is supposed to arrive 20 minutes before mine. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! We made eye contact while in line, in Customs. The line went quickly as they were using e-readers for passports and taking our photo. Easy peasy! We have several activities to complete before we board the Heathrowe Express to Paddington Station. We need to activate our UK SIM cards in our cellphones,  exchange dollars for pounds, and purchase Oyster Cards used to quickly use transportation throughout London. Carl is having some trouble getting his SIM card to activate. We worked on that for a while, and gave up to go to the Exchange and convert money. Then on to find the Paddington Express. Found it! The train arrived at the Paddington Station 13 minutes. At the Paddington Station, we finally found the "Prearranged taxis" s...

This year, I'm off walking in and near the Cotswolds of southwest England.  A high school friend, Carl Peterson, is joining me for the first walk from Kemble to Oxford following the Thames Path West walking trail. We will begin at the headwaters of the Thames river, and walk east to Oxford. Foreign travel is new for Carl, so we agreed to take a few days to explore London first. What better way to get the jet lag behind us before we begin the inn to inn walking? Besides, if we are in London, then let's take the time to see the major attractions, learn about public transportation, learn about English pounds (£), and sample pub fare. After exploring Oxford, Carl will return to the states. I will head back to Painswick which is a small town about half way down the Cotswold Way walking trail. I will walk solo over the next 7 days. My husband, Steve, will join me when I reach Bath.  We will explore Bath, Bristol and Cardiff together before we head home. The entire trip, London thr...