| Windermere and a chance to catch up ... not as cold as we thought it would be | ||
| San Diego
Yosemite, Death Valley and Las Vegas |
We've just had dinner with the Bailey's, caught up with a little washing in the basin and the girls are in bed. Fortunately in another room ... but that's another story we'll tell you a little further down. Last time we wrote we were at the Trubys just out of London but ran out of time to finish. I think we had got up to the Grand Canyon on the first night. Well, the next day was fantastic. We had a quick breakfast in the quite reasonable rooms then climbed into the cars to go to the Visitor Information Centre. At the centre we watched a short video on the Canyon then decided to go on a walk along the South Rim of the Canyon.
The walk was so awe inspiring that we forgot we'd walked for nearly 2 hours. The girls didn't notice either. I guess the odd squirrel "spotto" helped distract them. When we reached Bridal Valley Lodge we had hot dogs for lunch and again squirrels entertained the girls as they ate. No feeding the squirrels though. Big signs warn that they can bite. From there we headed to Yavapia Point which has more breathtaking views then to Hopi House were we bought quite a bit ... sand painted boxes, Indian dolls and a few other trinkets. Seems the Indian have learnt from the white man how to trade goods (in this case money) for trinkets and beads :-) ( by the way ":-)" means smile in Internet language ... look at it sideways and you'll get it).
That night we went back to Bridal Valley Lodge for a sit down restaurant dinner and a surprise Birthday party for Nicole. After all it was the 21st in Australia. It went off really well, except for a bit of poor service and the meal Clare got which was a salad in a taco shell swimming in water ... yuk. We bought a cake from the supermarket and placed some magic candles on it that don't go out when you blow them.
Next morning was an early start. Big day and another surprise for
Nicole since it was her American birthday on the 21st there. We told them
we had to get to the airport to fly to London. When we arrived at Grand
Canyon airport and they saw only small planes they got a bit nervous. Then
when we walked them to the helicopter section they started to wonder ... a
bit smart these 2. Seems they can both read to well and the penny dropped.
Becky was so excited.
Kim managed to get front seat with the pilot. She took 5 minutes to settle down in the flight. Phil was in the back near a window with Beck in the middle and Nicole diagonally opposite next to another window. What a trip. Fantastic. We flew for about 20 minutes and it was really smooth. They provided headphones with a commentary and music all the way. The time flew by (excuse the pun). Magnificent views of the canyon and the rim. Words can't do justice to the flight. Back into the cars and off to Phoenix. We really didn't know how long the trip would take and we didn't want to be late.
Fortunate that we did 'cause the skies opened up with thunder, lightning and rain just as we unloaded the bags for check-in at British Airways. Change of clothes at the airport, a little food and wait. The plane to London was a DC-10. Phil wasn't to keen to catch it ... he doesn't like DC-10's. It was crapped but adequate. The girls, particularly Becky, liked watching Batman and Robin with Arnold Schwarzneger as Mr Freeze. Nicole scored well on the flight with a special birthday card from the crew and a visit to the cockpit. Not a bad flight considering we went over the North Pole too. By the time we reached London 10 hours later we had lost a further 9 hours due to time differences and it was around 4.00 in the afternoon. Dave Truby met us at the airport and took the Baileys back to their house. We caught a nice size taxi right to the hotel in London, Baywater in Westminster actually, right near Hyde Park just down the street from Marble Arch. Took about an hour and a half. Gatwick is a long way out of London. Our room was up 7, yes 7 flights of stairs. After lugging all the bags up the stairs you could feel every present and every sock in those bags. Phil went out and bought Pizza for the girls and a curry for himself and Kim. Phil was so excited about the Indian Curry in London. Couldn't wait to get it along with a warm English beer. He bought too much and ate it all. Next morning we had English Breakfast downstairs in the hotel them jumped on the tube from Queensway Station to Marble Arch to meet the Trubys and the Baileys. The Baileys stayed at the Trubys. At Marble Arch we caught "The Original London Bus tour" rather than "The BUS sightseeing tour". Why the Original? Easy ... the people from the other company were yelling and shouting how good theirs was compared the Original it was just plain rude. Yarro checked them out but they didn't offer anything more and they were so rude there was no way we'd catch their tour.
After lunch we hopped back on and completed the trip without getting off ... time was getting by and we really had so much to do in such as short time. We went past Whitehall, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, over Lambeth Bridge, past St Thomas hospital founded by Florence Nightingale, over Tower Bridge and past the Tower of London. We went through the oldest part of London, where the London Fire of 1602 started, past St Pauls and onto Buckingham Palace, Victoria Station and Wellingtons Arch then back up Park Lane to Speakers Corner and Marble Arch. Fantastic tour with excellent commentary. The Baileys, Trubys and us all decided to have a quiet coffee, tea, milk, juice, etc and a handy coffee shop along with a chat and head our own ways. We headed down Oxford Street to look at Marks and Spencers, Selfridges and eventually Hamleys Toy Store. Great shops. Phil liked the Food Halls best. Kim liked the clothes and we bought a few tights for the girls and a shirt for herself. We couldn't resist the food halls and bought nice salamis, grapes, and olives with fetta cheese. Of course the girls loved Hamleys Toy store which we got to via a big red bus. That was exciting. Anyway, the store is five stories high and full of toys ... wonderful stuff for kids and adults. We must have spent over an hour there. Back to Oxford Circus Tube station and a short ride to Queensway Station. On the short walk back to the hotel we stopped at a Pasta restaurant for dinner. This was made particularly interesting by the fact the waitress managed to break a glass over Nicole and Kims dinner. The meals were nearly finished but she replaced them both with new ones. Once back in the hotel the girls went to sleep really quick and Kim and Phil sat up repacking bags. You see, before heading toward the shops that afternoon we thought it wise to check out Hertz and the size of car we were getting. They aren't terribly big over here 'cause the roads are so narrow. Anyway, it was clear that all four big bags and us was going to be tight so we packed summer clothes, presents and anything else we didn't think we'd need for awhile into Phils now very big black extendable bag and consolidate the rest into the 3 duffle bags. Next morning after another English Breakfast we caught a taxi to Harrods for a quick look around and shop. Again the food hall was impressive. Then another taxi to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. By the time we got there the place was packed with people. A huge crowd and not a space near the fence was to be found so the girls ended up on our shoulders videoing for us. Very elaborate affair with 2 bands and a parade coming together, making shouting noises at one another then matching off down the street. We were lucky to get a very good view in the end as we decided to leave and catch a taxi back to pick up the car. Well, as the taxi started to drive off the traffic was stopped to let the parade pass by and we were first car in the queue. Picked up the car from Hertz and stopped at the hotel for a quick load. We'd already dragged the bags down earlier in the day. A couple before breakfast to build up an appetite, a couple during to help it settle and the rest for plain exercise at the end of breakfast. Off to Windsor on the M40 and to meet the Trubys.
Dave went with Phil to navigate back to the Trubys house and Kim went with Sue. Once at the Trubys it was dinner time so Phil and Dave headed out to by Indian (Phil was happy) and fish and chips for the children. After dinner the girls had a quick read before bed, Kim relaxed, Sue mended clothes and the TV went on as Phil typed up the previous message. That brings us to the end of London. Next morning it was Saturday and time to hit the road heading north to where we are now ... Windermere. We decided to go via Oxford and Blenheim Palace but since time was getting on we didn't stop and headed onto Stratford-on-Avon. Now this is a pretty spot.
It was great also to learn the origin of several expressions we commonly use today that date back to the way people lived in those cottages. "Pot Luck" is a term used when people would dip into the pot that was always on the fire in the kitchen. The pot contained mutton, mice (whole mice), birds and whatever else that was edible. You never really knew what you'd get or how old it was ... nonetheless that was your meal. "Threshold" refers the point when the straw on the floor is piled so high it reaches the door frame or top of the step into the kitchen. You see the kitchen was the main living area that the farmer and workers would gather to eat. They didn't bathe so they covered the floor with straw and herbs to cover the smell. As the straw and anything else that fell on the floor decomposed it also provided warmth. "Stop gap" is the term for the elm cover that was placed over the stone oven to prevent the heat getting out off the gap and to keep the heat in to bake the bread. Finally, "upper crust" is derived from the fact that when the fire was built in the oven coals and ash would often be left behind even after scrapping them out with a special hook. Well the bottom of the bread with get ash and grit in it. The workers would get that part of the bread and the "upper crust" would go to the farmer who owned the cottage and lands. A very educational stop.
Back into the car and northward we headed past Birmingham. Before we knew it night had fallen and we had no place booked to stay. We decided to turn off the motorway and look for a B&B after looking at one of the motorway hotels and no one liked them. First town we reached was Stafford and that was full with people from all over the country participating in a dog show. O Oh we thought. We even asked an man from the AA for advise and rather than pull out the AA book he went for the yellow pages. No luck though so we decided to go further north. Just before Stoke-on-Trent (Stone actually) Kim saw a B&B sign. We pulled in and Kim tried to find someone. She even went inside and called out but no one answered. Whilst inside she picked up a brochure with their phone number on it. Phil's mobile works in England so we used that to call them. They answered to phone. So funny ... we're sitting right outside their Manor as it turned out using a mobile phone to get their attention. Whitgraeve Manor is about 100 years old, maybe more and huge. Lawn tennis court out the front and many rooms. The owners have 4 children, a big BMW plus other cars but the rates were very reasonable. In fact, we had a room for the girls and a room for us. Very comfortable. Daylight saving ended in England on Saturday night so the clocks went back an hour. regardless the girls took full advantage and grabbed 12 hours sleep before 10.00am English Breakfast served in a magnificent dining room full of antiques. Of course the owners have someone come into serve the breakfast. We headed north again and on the advise of the owners at the Manor went past "Les and Mav's" place which is built from old bits and pieces from all over the place. Apparently because they classify it as an agricultural structure the planners can't stop them building it with all sorts of bits and Les is such a character that when they visit to examine it he throws a fit. On the way we also passed Alston Towers which is a massive amusement park in the middle of beautiful English countryside. It's claimed to be the biggest amusement park in Europe ... bizarre since it's in the middle of nowhere with the only access being narrow, windy roads. From there we headed up into the Peak district to Buxton for Phil to re-live old memories. As it turned out the Palace Suite in the Palace Hotel is half the size it once was so the dream was shattered. However, the sun was out and the town was delightful as was the surrounding countryside. We bought pies and sausage rolls and sat to eat them beside the mineral spring in the middle of town. Very cool and very nice. It was amazing to watch people turn up with as many as 20 large containers to fill with water from the spring. Apparently the Buxton spring Water company had tried to get it closed but old laws and public pressure prevented it. Back in the car off we go again this time heading past Manchester and Preston as nightfall approached one hour earlier than the night before. The motorways are good in England like America and the speed limit is 70 miles per hour which is around 115 kilometres an hour. This makes for a quick trip in a small country. On the way into Windermere the road in the opposite direction to us was bumper to bumper with cars. Good we thought ... everyones heading home after the weekend. Anyway, around 5.00pm we reached Windermere and the first office in town is the Tourist Information centre. Kim popped in and out in a few minutes with a B&B that could accommodate us. The Park Beck. We found it no trouble and went to check out the room. It didn't smell so good and said so. The owner said it was a natural fragance ... smelt like smoke to us. To tired to argue now we headed out to find a meal. We headed toward the lake and found a nice little place with childrens menu and plenty of people in it. Not a bad feed for a Sunday night. Once refreshed and back the B&B we really noticed how bad the smell was so Phil complained to the owner's husband. He actually thought we had been smoking in it when he went to deliver the fold away bed and was about to tell us they don't permit smoking. With this reinforcing our position the owner switched us to another room. In fact, to 2 rooms since all four of us couldn't fit in either of the ones remaining. A good deal in the end and a good sleep. After showers in a tiny rooms with hand held nozzles we had English Breakfast (again), checked out and headed off to explore Windermere and other places to find a farmhouse stay that would accommodate us and the Baileys. Well, were we in for a surprise. It turns out that this week is school holiday week in the north of England. No one told us that in Australia or even London did they. It also turns out that this week is the last chance for many to get away before, as they put it, "they go into hibernation for winter". First sign of this was a huge traffic jam for 8 miles to Ambleside where we had read many of the farmhouse stays are. We finally got to Ambleside and the Tourist Office said nothing available ... not in Amblesire, Grasmere or Windermere. In fact, they said, you'll be lucky to find a family room even in a B&B and this turned out to be so true. When we returned to the car Phil's mobile had a message someone had tried to call 3 times. We guessed right it was the Baileys. Fortunate for them they had called numerous B&B's on Sunday night to get accommodation for themselves now we were left with nothing. Plenty of single and double rooms but nothing for families. Not to worry, we decided to go door knocking B&B's near where the Baileys had booked ... nothing available. No worries, we'll go shopping at the supermarket and drop back where we stayed last night ... they said they'd be happy to have us back ... no one was home though. No worries, let's eat lunch by the lake and walk through Bowness-on-windermere. Beautiful spot with swans the girls hand feed. We also went to the World of Beatrix Potter exhibition which was marvelous. What about accommodation though? Phil called the Park Beck and the phone answered ... they were happy to provide the same 2 rooms at the same rate as last night. Great news. We headed back to Park Beck, past Fisher Beck, West Beck, How Beck, with our own Beck Beck :-) and checked back into the same rooms. Relief and time for dinner. Phil called Adrian as we walked to find a restaurant for dinner and told him we'd be at his place by Saturday afternoon. Just as he finished talking to Adrian and was about to call the Baileys to see where they were the mobile phone went dead ... battery was flat. How do we contact the Bailey's. Not to worry, let's go find a restaurant and worry latter. Just then, around the bend comes the Baileys in their car ... couldn't have worked out better. We had dinner at the restaurant nearby (almost identical menu to the one the night before) and caught up on their trip to Leicester to see friends and Castle Howard. So, this has been a long message and I hoped we haven't bored you. More when we get to Adrians. The girls are fast asleep and so should we be.
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We dropped off the girls at Hopi Point, about 4 miles west of the main
centre, and Yarro and Phil dropped the van near the Bridal Trail Lodge
where we planned to finish the walk. Yarro and Phil drove back to Hopi
Point and we started the breathtaking walk along the rim. Amazing and
awesome. Deep, deep ravines and steep drops to the valley floor. You could
see the thin Colorado River far in the distance with the occasional rapid
to help you appreciate the power of water that has created this incredible
canyon. 
Before dinner we headed back to Hopi Point to watch the most beautiful
sunset over the canyon. The valley and sky changed through just about
every colour of the rainbow. A wonderful experience. 
Phil carried the cake alight to the table and we all sang Happy
Birthday. Well, as try as she might, and with assistance, those candles
wouldn't go out. It was so funny watching her turn red trying to blow them
out. Kim, Rebecca and Nicole plus a few Baileys finally managed to blow
them out. Great fun but no tip for the waitress.
The roads are so good in America that the trip only took a few hours
and we arrived in Phoenix 6 hours before the plane was to take off. What
do you do in Phoenix with 6 hours to kill? Interesting ... the locals
didn't have any suggestions either ... there is nothing there. It's one
main street with some high rises and about as exciting as Newcastle on a
Wednesday afternoon. The botanical gardens was a desert, no major tourist
attractions, no nothing, so we headed for the airport. 
The tour took us past Mayfair, Park Lane, then onto the Ritz,
Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square. We hopped off at Tralagar Square for a
little lunch and a walk around. The tours very good. It allows you to hop
off at any of the 26 stops along the way and get back on. The buses pass
every 5-10 minutes and have live commentary. 
We reached Windsor and parked fairly easily in one of the "Pay and
Display" parking areas. It was good timing 'cause the Truby's had just
arrived there too so we met at the Entrance and went in together. Windsor
Castle is the official residence of the Queen and it's beautiful. We were
allowed to walk through the main courtyard areas and through the Chapel.
This is a really old place dating back to William the Conquerer and 1066.
Amazing to walk over tablets with dates like 1453 and 1768 before
Australia was Australia. As part of the Castle tour we were also permitted
to go through the Pouzin art exhibition and Queens Mary's Doll collection.
What a doll house ... huge with everything from a clock tower to a wine
cellar. Incredible detail. 
We actually stopped at Anne Hathaways' cottage first and glad we did.
It was really good to see how an old English Cottage is built and hear how
people lived between 1463 (when the cottage was built) and the early
1900's. I guess you already 
We then took a short drive into Stratford-on-Avon and this is a pretty
little town with a nice park. We bought fish and chips which is very
English and found a little wall near a waterway lock to sit on. Great
timing again. No sooner had we finished our fish and chips along came one
of those long c