Final thoughts about the UK

It has been a great trip! I can't wait to come back.  I have my list started for places to visit.

What I will miss when I go back to the states:

·      Gorgeous scenery: mountains, water, valleys, gardens, flowers

·      Seeing sheep grazing right beside the road

·      The politeness of the UK people

·      Quaint sayings

·      Tea time- I’m actually liking tea with milk

·      Cardiff shopping arcades

·      Small towns and their shops, pubs, interesting architecture

·      History everywhere you go

·      UK bacon and sausages, hula hoops snacks, Galaxy chocolates, shortbread from Scotland

·      Lynne’s cooking and sitting around the Powell’s dining room table with my Welsh family & my Iowa family (next time I want all my boys here)

·      Having tea in the conservatory

·      Going to Mark & Spencer’s shopping

·      Going to Nano’s restaurant for chicken

·      Dave’s humor

What I won’t miss when I go back to the states:

·      UK money (although I almost have it figured out)

·      UK plumbing and electrical in hotels

·      UK TV channels in hotels

·      Taking loads of pictures and then having to download and label them

·      Time change/difference (hard to communicate back home)

·      Driving on the left side of the road

·      Roundabouts

·      UK public transportation

·      A full Scottish breakfast

·      All the rain

·      Having to think about getting on another airplane for a long flight!

I

Week 3 Wales Aug. 22 - 28

Mon., Aug. 22 & Tues., Aug. 23

Day 15 & 16

We are in somewhat of a routine and more relaxed mode.  We have done lots of shopping and watching videos.  A highlight for me was seeing the BBC Pride and Prejudice series with Colin Furth.  It was so good.

I also an so sick of all my clothes and thus felt compelled to shop for bargains. I also needed to finished getting gifts & souvenirs to bring back home. The Welsh shops in Cardiff are great.  Instead of shopping malls they have Arcades with tons of shops. 

Wed., Aug 24

Day 17

I babysat Gruffy while Emma went to Newport to renew her passport. 

That evening we went to Cardiff to the theatre seeing Sound of Music with Nan, Claire, Lynne, Emma, and Colette.  This was in the Millenium Centre Theater where Emma used to work.  It is an unbelievable building.  The production was excellent.

Thursday, Aug. 25

Day 18

Emma went out with a friend and since Dave was not feeling well, Lynne and I went to Cardiff to tour the castle. It is my favorite one I've seen so far. After having tea, we drove up to Castell Coch on way home. It was closed so we will have to wait until next time to go in.  

Friday, Aug 26

Day 19

We hung around home today as it is very rainy and Lynne is not feeling well. Some bug is going through the family. 

Sat., Aug 27

Day 20

The weather still overcast and rainy and now I have the headache today.  So I went for a walk with Dave, Lynne, Gruff, and the dogs hoping fresh air would make me feel better.  The woods behind their property are beautiful, with wonderful views of Merthyr and the countryside.  Emma and Sarah used to play in the trees when they were little girls.  They showed me a tree that has a little door for the fairies. :-)

Sarah and Louie came in the late afternoon. Emma went out in evening with friends so we all babysat Gruff and watched movies.

The best part of this day was Dan from Apple brought my new iPad2 all the way to Merthyr.  He was still on holiday, but managed to get it from FedEx and drove it to me so I could exchange it before I went back to the states.  Now that is service!

Sun., Aug 28

Day 21

We all slept very late; Lynn made chili and Sarah and Louis left around 4:00 to go back home so Louis could go into work.

We spent the afternoon and evening watching Disney movies.  I have been busy labeling my thousands of Wales photos and trying to work on this blog.

I'm anxious to return to the states- five weeks is a long time to be away from home.

Week 2 Day 13 & 14 Wales

Sat., Aug. 20

Day 13

We had a quiet day today with visitor’s: Gwenda and her daughter Lisa.  Lisa lives in London and met up with Chris and Lucas when they first arrived in the UK.

I offered to cook dinner.  We had spaghetti and sauce with chicken and lots of veggies and salad.

Clive and Colette came by in the evening.  Lynne and Dave and them get together most every Sat. evening.

Sun., Aug. 21

Day 14

I went to see a waterfall with Clive, his son, Chris, Louis, and Sarah.  We had a nice hike up to the falls.  Clive is a wonderful photographer and gave Sarah some tips.  It is a beautiful area and we lucked out- the sun was shining.

Lynne made great homemade pizza.  After dinner we sat around talking and Emma brought down some hats and big sunglasses and dressed up Gruff and sang songs. It was a hoot.  Even her Nan got in on the hats.

Week 2 Day 12 Wales

Friday, Aug 19, 2011

Day 12

Today we met Sarah, Louis, & Tina Jones (Louis’ mom) at St. Fagen’s.  It is a park/museum with original buildings moved and restored on the grounds to preserve the history of Wales.  It reminds me of Living History Farms in Des Moines.

Sarah and Louis are considering this as the venue for their wedding next summer. So we toured the grounds and buildings while they met with someone to look at the two choices for wedding ceremonies.

We left the grounds and went to a great pub for a late lunch or early tea.  I had wonderful fish ‘n chips without mushy peas.

Week 2 Day 11 Wales

Thursday, Aug 18

Day 11

Dave got up early to take Chris and Luke to the bus station in Cardiff. They will also fly into Chicago.

Sarah and Louis went back home to check on mail, etc.  We will meet up with them on Friday at St. Fagen’s to check out the venue for their wedding next June.

Lynne, Emma, Gruff, and I went to a large Mark and Spencer’s near Cardiff.  It has everything- similar to a super Target back in Iowa.  Love their grocery and wine selections.

Week 2 Day 10 Wales

Wed., Aug 17

Day 10

Mark flew home today.  Dave and I took him to the bus station in Cardiff.  Luke was going to do it, but couldn’t find the keys to the rental car. He will travel to London to catch his 3:20 flight to Chicago.  After leaving Mark off Dave and I spotted a mini cooper with the British flag on its roof.  Mark had been looking for one all vacation and here it was just around the corner from the bus station.

Dave took me to see Llandaff Cathedral in a suburb of Cardiff.  It was amazing. 

In the afternoon we went to the Retail Park and did some shopping.  I sent a whole suitcase of my stuff home with Mark.  I am finding I am so sick of the clothes I brought and I have ruined my best white T-shirt, so I was anxious to find a new one and something new to wear.

Mark had a very long travel day- with an extra long layover in Chicago. He didn’t get home until 2:00 am Iowa time.

After completely tearing the house apart looking for the keys, and calling to see what they would have to do in order to get the car back to the rental place, the keys were found in Sarah’s camera bag. 

Week 2 Day 9 Wales

Tuesday, Aug 16

 Day 9

This is Mark’s last day and had hoped to do a leisurely hike with Wayne at Pen y fan.  Unfortunately, it is foggy and rainy so that plan was cancelled.  So we all went to Dan Yr Ogof to see the caves.

This is a huge park area with animals- ostriches, llamas, horses, pigs, etc.  A dinosaur theme park and play area for children and three caves.  The largest cave was very different then our caves in the states.   One of the smaller cave areas can be used as a wedding venue.  In fact , Dave and Lynne went to a wedding in the cave.  I found it to be a bit cold and gloomy.

On the way home to had dinner at Nano’s, a chicken place with all kinds of sauces- similar to Buffalo Wild wings- only better.

One thing is for sure we have not lacked a big variety of interesting and good food on this trip.

Week 2 Day 8 Wales

Monday, Aug 15

Week 2 Day 8

The weather is a little iffy today but Luke and Chris want to hike, so they had Dave leave them off at Pen y fan.  Everyone else hung out with Emma for a quiet day of videos and playing with Gruff.  Sarah and Louie plan on staying the week so they can have more time to visit with Emma and their nephew.

Ian picked Mark and I up and took us around the Welsh countryside. He is a wealth of knowledge, as he has worked in the forest service for years and traveled all around the area.    We toured the ruins of the 12^th century Augustinian Priory at Llanthony and had lunch in the pub on the grounds.

Our last stop was Hay on Wye- a town full of bookstores.  This is right on the mark for me.  Every street is lined with little shops and lots of them are bookstores with new and used books.  So much fun!

Sarah and Louis treated us to an Indian take out feast for dinner.  Louis helped us decide on what to order- the only thing I recognized and knew I liked for sure was the garlic nan.  The food was excellent and we tried lots of new dishes.  I like Indian food more and more.

Day 7 - Wales

Sunday, Aug 14, 2011

Day 7

We all helped make food and get the house and yard ready for the barbeque.  I made a layered taco dip and Charlene’s calico beans.  I thought it would be fun to have some American dishes. 

We were blessed with a semi-sunny day and lots of friends and family.  We were able to get reacquainted with Colette and Clive and their two boys; Mark and Lesley Frowen; Lynne’s brother, Wayne’s family (only Wayne was able to come to the wedding); Emma’s Nan, Joan Mathews; we finally got to meet Lynne’s sister, Claire and her hubby Jeremy and girls Manan and Calynn; Gwenda and Ian; and Dave’s sister, Julie.  Leana came, so it was fun to catch up with her also.  There were lots of other friends of Luke and Emma’s.  It was a great time with wonderful food and drinks.  Emma’s carrot cupcakes and Lynne’s chocolate cupcakes were a big hit.

At one point I was sitting with some of the ladies discussing the royal wedding, royal family, and Princess Dianna.  It was interesting to get their perspective on the royals.  They were curious about what Americans saw of the wedding and that we are so interested in the royal family.

Emma was not feeling too well again today.  In the night she became very ill and Lynne ended up taking her to the emergency room.  They were afraid she had appendicitis.  It turned out to be a urinary track infection. 

Day 6- Wales

Saturday, Aug 13

Day 6

Dave took Luke, Chris, and Mark to a rugby game in Cardiff at the Millennium Stadium. They left after lunch and met Clive and his two boys: Chris and Carl, and Sarah’s fiancé, Louis.  The girls stayed home to make food for the Sunday barbeque, did laundry, got groceries, and hung out. 

I used the time to work on my blog and label photos.

Dave and Mark came back by suppertime, leaving the boys to bar hop.  Lynne and Sarah went into Merthyr train station and picked them up.  No one was feeling any pain.

Day 5- Wales

Friday, Aug. 12

Day 5

Today was a shopping day.  We went into Cardiff (about a ½ - ¾ hour drive from Merthyr).  It is the capitol of Wales and sits right on the bay.  I absolutely love it. We went to Saint David’s Arcade and Queens Street. I was finally able to go to the Apple store and have my iPad2 checked out.  The good news is- they will give me a new one, the bad news is they don’t have Version iPad’s- so they offered to check in Des Moines and see if I can get one shipped to the UK.

After hitting the two Welsh shops we drove down to the Bay area for dinner.  After dinner we took a walk around the Bay and over to the theatre (Canolfan y Mileniwm Cymru/ Wales Millennium Centre) where Emma worked.  Luckily, Emma talked to a security guy and he let us tour the building.  It is made from Welsh wood and slate- it is impossible to describe how beautiful it is. I can see why Emma always loved working there.

Friends of Luke’s and Emma met us for a drink and a chat then back home to Merthyr.

Day 4- Wales

Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011

Day 4

We got an early start on the day, as we have loads to see today. Our first stop was Castell Dindfwr.  Kathy Shellady has an ancestry connection to this Castle and I wanted to tour it and take photos for her.  It was a nice walk to the castle.  We wished we had more time and could have gone to house and garden area too.  It is still overcast, but we are managing with umbrellas and raincoats.

Mark and I really wanted to visit Caernarfon/Carmarthen where Emma and Luke went to college.  Luke showed us where he lived and the union, etc.  I of course had to check out the library. We stopped in town to pick up some lunch and sat in the town centre area.  It is a nice college town.

Tenby is Emma and Luke’s favorite place in Wales.  We could see why- it is on the ocean with a stunning beach.  We walked through the town and down to the beach.  The tide was coming in and I managed to get my feet wet trying to climb the rocks.  It was a bit rainy, but still a beautiful end to a lovely day.  We had supper in a pub before traveling home to Merthyr. I highly recommend the fresh seafood.

Day 3- Wales

Wed., Aug. 10, 2011

Mark, Dave, Luke, and I rented a car and traveled up to Abertawe/Swansea to Mumbles.  It is a quaint little town on the beach.  It is a bit overcast but still very pretty for beachfront walking.

We continued on to Worms Head- it is very cloudy and the tide had come in so we could not walk out on the rocks.  It was still gorgeous scenery- rocky shore and beach area.

Luke and Emma went into Cardiff to have dinner, leaving Gruff with his 4 grandparents.  Luke’s friend Chris took the train from London and they picked him up and brought him to Merthyr.  He had left Luke after touring London and went to visit friends in Germany.

We played a movie trivia game in the conservatory at the Powell’s home.  It is a pretty room with a glass ceiling and windows all around looking out to their gardens.

Day 2- Wales

Tues., Aug. 9, 2011

Day 2- Wales

Emma is still under the weather, so Luke stayed behind and Dave took us to ‘Big Pit’ mine/museum.  The tour took us down into the mine and through tunnels- our guide was a man who had worked in the mine years ago.  They turned out the lights so we could see how pitch black it was- scary.

We then met up with everyone at the Abbw Vale outlet mall to do a bit of shopping.  Mark found a Rugby jersey to wear to the Rugby game on Sat.

On the way home we went to Tal y bont reservoir and took a walk, viewing the stunning Welsh countryside.  Then on to Yr Neudd, to see a small waterfall and lovely stone bridge. 

Day 1- Wales

Mon., Aug. 8, 2011

We finally made it to South Wales!

We flew into Cardiff, Wales arriving around 9:00 am.  Dave and Luke met us at the airport and drove us to Merthyr Tydfil.  Lynne was working, Emma was not feeling well, and Gruff was asleep when we arrived, so after tea we unpacked and headed out to Cyfarthfa Castle with Dave and Luke as our tour guides.   Dave told us all about the ironworks and mining industry that has been apart of Wales’ history.

It was delightful having a home cooked meal and sleeping in a home again.

Two days and three nights in Glasgow, Scotland

Fri., Aug. 5 – Sun., Aug. 7, 2011

Glasgow, Scotland

We settled into the very nice Millennium Hotel, unpacked, and went to find food. There was a very nice Italian restaurant across the square.  It is a Jamie Oliver place with a great menu and wine.  The lady sitting in the table next to us, told us her son was the 2^nd chef.  After dinner we took a short walk around the area and decided to make an early start the next morning.

Saturday, after having breakfast at a sidewalk café, we toured an art museum. We then bought a hop on hop off bus ticket and toured around the city.  It is much smaller then London of course with a few interesting places to see.  We decided to stop at the Botanical Gardens.  It was a great choice. It is a pretty drizzly, gray day- so not fun site seeing.   We caught the bus back to our hotel and walked back to the shopping area.  There is a huge store called Frasers.  It sold everything and was not cheap.  Outside a Scotland folk band was playing so we stopped to listen and ended up buying a CD.

On our way back to the hotel we picked a pizza at DiMaggio’s.  Mark finally feels like he is getting some American cuisine.

Sunday was a very rainy day and I decided I really wanted to rest before taking off for Wales early Monday morning. I have come down with the sniffles and have not been feeling the best the last few days.  So we hung out at the hotel pretty much all day- doing a little shopping and stopping at TGI Fridays for supper. Mark was ecstatic- free refills on pop and they could make him a cherry coke.

Our tour guide told us several times: “Glasgow, always a burden, never a pleasure”.  I finally understand what he meant- it is a very gloomy, busy city when it rains.  Lots of hustle and bustle and shops.  We heard they were trying very hard to change the city’s image and renovate the shopping, tourist areas.  I will be glad to move on to Wales.

Day 5- Highland tour

Fri., Aug. 5, 2011

Day 5 Highland Tour

After our last full Scottish breakfast we packed up and headed to the van for our last day of touring.  It is still cloudy and drizzly.  KIlmartin Glen is our first stop of the day to see the cemetery and carved gravestones from the 14^th and 15^th centuries. We drove on to Temple Wood and walked through fields with grazing sheep to see standing stones and other ancient stone formations. There was an ancient monument, Nether Largie located in view of the South Cairn mountain range.

While stopped at Dunadd Fort, Steve showed us his collection of Highland knives, swords, and shield and gave us an opportunity to try them out.  We hiked up to Dunadd Fort and the view was amazing.  I always seem to have the wrong shoes on whenever we hike.  Between the large stones and wet small rocks I had a bit of trouble with the trail.  Johann from Switzerland came to my rescue and helped me up and down.  It was worth the trek.

Our last stop of the day was at Loch Lomond.  We had time for a short walk and then had to say our good-byes to Andreas and Pernella.  We will be getting off the tour in Glasgow and the rest will go on to Edinburgh.  It has been wonderful week, one we shall never forget.  As Mark said- “we will remember the places, but carry the new friends we made in our hearts”.

Day 4- Highland tour

Thurs., Aug. 4, 2011

Day 4 Highland Tour

We woke to a rainy day and got caught at breakfast with no umbrella.  The innkeeper had extras by the door and sent us on our way.  After packing and loading up the van we took off for Clan Donald Skye- a castle ruins and gardens.  Although it is raining even harder, we managed to tramp around regardless. The gardens are lovely and gave me many ideas for landscaping back home.

We planned to take the ferry across so we can see the train and bridge used in the Harry Potter movies.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the ferry for an hour and thus Steve took us on a very winding road for a little bonus site seeing. Nice farms & lots of sheep on the side of a very narrow country road.  They are Scotland’s lawn mowers.

After driving on to the ferry we were able to get out and stretch our legs up on an enclosed deck.  Upon leaving the ferry took a photo of the train used in the Harry Potter movies.  Our next stop was for lunch near the stone bridge used in the Harry Potter movies.  Our final destination was the Ben Nevis whisky distillery near Fort William.  It was an interesting tour and of course had a wee taste.

It is still a very dreary day- at our next photo stop Mark just hopped out – I was too cold and wet to get off the bus again.  We decided if we had to have such a rainy day today in order to have had the sun yesterday it is worth it.  Our photo shoot was at the Castle Stalker viewpoint.

From there we traveled to Oban on the bay, for our last overnight stay.  Mark and & I had a room in the Royal Hotel.  We met up with our friends from Sweden, Andreas and Pernella, and ate seafood on the bay.  After dinner we walked around the quaint town admiring the seaside and flowers.  

Day 3- Highland tour

Wed., Aug. 3, 2011

Day 3 Highland Tour

We went to the grocery store to pick up lunch supplies and then headed out to take a boat trip.  It is absolutely spectacular weather and scenery.  We saw otters and birds as we traveled over to a mountainous island.  Once landing we scurried over slate slab rocks and stones to find a picnic spot.  This reminded Mark and me of YMCA of the Rockies camp in Estes Park where we met 38 years ago.  We use to picnic on the side of the mountain at the camp and had similar views of the surrounding mountains.  We hiked around until time to take the boat back to Isle of Skye.  On the boat they served tea and biscuits.  I am getting quite use to tea with milk and white coffee (coffee with milk- no cream) and shortbread cookies (biscuits). I saw a family with 4 small children with curly, curly hair.  The 3 boys reminded me of mine when they were little.  The captain of the boat let them sit in the seat and ‘steer’. It just doesn’t get any better than that for a kid.

Part of group voted to stop in Portree to watch the Isle of Skye Highland games.  What a treat- we saw Scottish dancers of various ages competing, bagpipe band, high jumping without a landing cushion, stone throwing, caber tossing, and the tug-of-war.  It was all great fun.  The rest of the group stayed on the tour bus and went up the coast a ways to see “Old man of stone”- I guess the “Old woman of stone” had fallen down- no kidding.

Back to Kyleakin and dinner at Taste of India restaurant.  I generally do not like Indian food, but one of the young gals, of Indian ancestry, convinced me she would find something on the menu I would like and she was right!  Are we ever tired tonight- it has been a long and exhausting day- one I’m so glad to have shared with Mark and our new international friends.

Day 2- Highland Tour

Tues., Aug. 2, 2011

Day 2 Highland Tour

A beautiful sunny day, it is perfect for a hike at Glen Affric in the Caledonian forest.  We hiked to a waterfall and traveled on into the Highlands area to the location of the battle of Glenshiel.  Steve, our tour director and driver, showed us his battle sword.  We all got a chance to try it out- very heavy. I’m so intrigued with all the wildflowers in the fields- lovely colors. From here we went to Eilean Donon Castle.  This castle has been restored.  There is no way I could have made it in Medieval times- the lack of sanitary conditions would have done me in- to mention the difficult living conditions. We stopped at a Country Inn for lunch, where everything goes better with beer.

After lunch we drove over the Isle of Skye Bridge and into the most exquisite scenery, indescribable.

For the next two nights we will be staying at MacKinnon Country House in Kyleakin, Isle of Skye.  We are in the Fraser room. J After unpacking we hiked into town to the local watering hole and met up with some of our fellow tour pals.  I had great fish ‘n chips, although they can keep the mushy peas- yuck! 

Day 1- Highland Tour

Mon.,  Aug. 1, 2011

Day 1 of Highland Tour

We arrived at the Highland tour office at 8:15 and started loading the vans at 8:30.  Our tour guide/ driver is Steve, a jolly Scotsman.  We got off to a slow start as one of the tour members was in Glasgow instead of Edinburgh, so we had to drive to Glasgow before starting on our journey.  We drove past the Edinburgh Castle and then on to Glasgow.  From there we went through the center of Scotland.  Our first stop was for lunch at Dunkeld, where we walked by the River Tay and had a picnic, then on to the Highlands to Culloden battlefield.  Since I have read the Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, I was looking for the Fraser clan stone and found it.  I know it is a fictitious series, but it has given me some background in Scotland’s history.

We traveled to the Loch Ness Exhibit @ Drumnadrochit. We went out on Loch Ness- (darn we didn’t see Nessie!) and motored past the Urquhart Castle.  It is in ruins now.  The lake and surrounding area was beautiful, with farms dotting the hillside.  It is here we had some time to get to know others on the tour.  We are a varied group from- USA, Canada, Spain, Australia, Romania, Switzerland, South Korea, and Sweden.

We got in late to our hotels.  Steve left us off about 7:00 after showing us the Durmnadrochit area and making suggestions about places to eat.  Unfortunately, our hotel room was very dinky and not too clean.  We are still having trouble getting the electrical outlets and lights to work.  We had to turn power on to get the shower to run with hot water.  I slept in my sweats, as I didn’t want to get under the bed covers.  Needless to say- we didn’t get much sleep.  The second glitch we couldn’t get into the restaurant Steve recommended.  We ended up at a café and had an OK meal.  We are discovering Mark is a picky eater and isn’t enjoying the UK cuisine.  He misses American sodas and sweets- big surprise.

Travel Day to Scotland

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Breakfast- you got it same offerings and we are a bit tired of it.  Then finished packing and dragged our luggage down the street to the Baker Street Station and snagged a cab.  King’s Cross Station is our jumping off spot.  All went smoothly.  We met a nice young man at the McD’s at lunch.  He was from Munich, Germany and we had a lovely chat about his travels and study of English.

On the train our seats have a table, which we share with a gal from Edinburgh, Scotland.  She has been most helpful.  We only have one night so want to make the most of it.  We join a tour on Monday for 5 days and could not stay in Edinburgh for the weekend as a festival will be going on and the hotels were way too expensive (like over $300 per night).  So we will get the MegaBus and travel to Glasgow.

Once we checked into the lovely George Hotel we ran out to walk the Royal Mile and see as much of Edinburgh as possible.  We ate supper at Deacon Brodie's Tavern, having meat pies- delish.  We walked from Edinburgh Castle to Palace of Holyroodhouse- where the queen stays when she is in town.  Edinburgh is a beautiful old city with such interesting architecture. Absolutely love it.  This goes on the list of places we want to visit again and stay longer.

Day 3 London

Sat., July 30:

After breakfast at the hotel (2^nd morning of hard boiled eggs, meat & cheese, breads, yogurt, fruit, cereal, or croissants), we headed back the Baker Street station and once again onto Big Bus tours.  Samantha was our tour guide, who was from Glasgow, Scotland.  She was delightful!

We hopped off at St. Paul’s cathedral and walked to the Millennium Bridge- gorgeous day- sunny and cool.  From there we traveled to Marble Arch and had lunch at McD’s.  I know I broke my rule of only eating at local places, but this was easiest, and no I did not get fries.

We walked through Hyde Park- a lovely way to spend a pretty Saturday afternoon.  We made our way to the Princess Diana memorial fountain. It is in a nice garden area and the fountain is circular with a grassy area in the middle.  It is for wading and splashing, which many children and parents were enjoying.  I was wishing Gruff were with us.  I think the happy sounds of children’s laughter would please the princess.

From there we continued our walk to Kensington Palace.  This was Diana’s residence.  It is being renovated and will be open for tours and events at some point.  We meandered through the gardens and gave thought to having tea at the Orangery, but decided we better keep on the move.

Our last stop of the day was at Paddington Station of Paddington Bear fame for me!  It was here that we were finally able to get a phone for Mark and a SIM card for my HTC android phone.  Yeah, we can make calls to the US and throughout the UK and I have Internet once again.  Ah-h-h it’s the little things that can make you feel at home.

In fact, once back at the hotel for some reason the Wi Fi started working again – hallelujah!  Facebook- here I come.

Dinner was at the Pizza Express- a very nice Italian restaurant, which served gourmet pizzas.  We walked around for our last night in London, taking our final photos. I had one gentleman tell me no photos of the very interesting office building and a very nice lady ask about the photo I took of her building and flowers. I am sure they are thinking-“another pesky USA tourist”.

Then on to packing and downloading/ labeling photos.

Day 2 London

Fri., July 29:

We had breakfast at the hotel and hopped on the bus and began our tour of London, stopping at Trafalgar Square, changing of the horse guard, Westminster Bridge and a river tour, Tower of London, and then lunch.  We ate @ a place called The Kitchen and it was not to our liking- very bland lasagna and blah smoked salmon salad. It was expensive and we were still hungry.

We caught the bus and continued to Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and then to Buckingham Palace via the St. James Park- all so beautiful and impressive. We have started our list of places to explore further on our next trip to the UK. 

For dinner I had my 1^st fish ‘n chips at the Allsop House.  It was superb! 

Our next glitch- no Wi Fi connection, so no working phone, no Internet, or email- gr-r-r.  We at least got our photos downloaded and started labeling them.

Day 1 in London

Thurs., July 28:

We arrived in London at 9:00 am/ 3:00 pm Iowa time.  Emma helped us go through customs.  I was told I could not take a photo as I waited in line.  But they did not make me delete the border photo.  Once through customs it was time to claim our bags and find Dave & Lynne.

They were waiting as we came out- ecstatic Grandparents.  They had not seen Gruff since January.  Dave helped us get a mini cab and load up all our bags.  We sent 1 bag with Emma of stuff for Wales, but that still leaves one very large, heavy bag and 2 small bags.

Our taxi left us at our hotel, Four Seasons in Gloucester.  We were able to check in and get settled before leaving to find food.  We ate at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, then walked around a bit and headed back to the hotel to rest.  I haven’t taken a nap and slept that long and hard forever.

Upon waking, we bought a 2-day ticket to the Big Bus Tours (an open top bus)- a narrated tour that you can hop on and off.  This was a perfect way to see London.  We rode the whole route to get our bearings and planned where we would get on and off on Friday.  Unfortunately, the tour stopped before we got back around to our starting off point, which was near the hotel.  So we hoofed it.  It was not a bad walk if you are not dead tired.  We also had trouble finding somewhere to eat.  Mark ended up with Subway and me fruit and snacks I had leftover from the plane, then off to bed. Another glitch- I couldn’t use my sound machine. When I plugged it into the adapter I got in the US we heard a big pop and smelled something hot.  Now what do I do?  Thank heaven for my iPod touch and the white noise app.  J

Travel Day

Wed. July 27, 2011:

We left for CR airport @ 8:30.  Had one glitch- couldn’t bring up the reservation for Emma & Gruff.  Finally, she was able to find our receipt of payment online.  Note to self- next time make sure to have the actual payment receipt with the confirmation.

We were delayed about 20 min., but the pilot made up for it in the air and we arrived in Chicago with no trouble.  From gate B we had to go the gate C, which was tricky to find.  A very nice pilot helped us as his plane was delayed due to mechanical problems.  When we finally got to our gate it was announced that we had a 3-hour delay to London.  The plane was coming from Hong Kong. 

We went and got food and walked all around the concourse.  Gruffydd slept from CR to Chicago, woke up and ate and played.  He slept on and off all afternoon and was not fussy at all.  Around 7:30pm we finally started boarding our flight.  The plane was not full so we were able to move Mark to a different seat and have a place for Gruffydd.  After having supper we settled in for the night, and yes- airport food truly stinks.

I discovered at the airport that my iPad2 would not charge and would not change to a new screen unless I shut it down and restarted every time I wanted a new application.  Of course this was a huge problem, as I had downloaded lots of games, movies, and books for the trip.  I will try and go to an Apple store in Cardiff, Wales.  I can still use my iPod touch- thank heaven I had updated it with my white noise app and my laptop- my movies and books are accessible, just no games- I will have to download those.

Gruffy and I watched “Tangled” .  Emma and I stretched out criss cross and made a bed for Gruffy on the seat between us.  He slept most of the way to London.  What an angel.

1st trip to Europe

The bags are packed and of course I am 1.2 lbs. over.  I will have to repack in the morning.  We leave from Cedar Rapids airport @ 11:00 am and from Chicago @ 4:00 pm. We won't arrive in London until early Thursday morning- London time.  We're keeping are fingers crossed that Gruffydd will sleep on the plane.  His first tooth is so close to coming through- poor little guy is in misery.  He is now crawling everywhere and pulling himself up.  We are having a great time playing and watching him grow.

As usual I can't sleep the night before a trip.  Too wound up and now worried about the bag. :-) I guess I will go repack it right now!