We headed up early to London again. We have been walking to the train station which has been nice. It is just over a mile and a half to the station from RA's place. We have the trains down at this point. It can be crowded at times, but it is not really that different from Japan, just not as many trains. This trip there has not been a late train as of yet.
When we arrived at London Waterloo we switched to the Northern Line to switch at Embankment. From there we got on the District Line and went out to Tower Hill. The last trip I didn't have a lot of time to look around the Tower of London. So we went through it again. Followed around the one Beefeater that had done the Ceremony of the Keys on my last trip. He was very funny once more. We saw the Crown Jewels, a lot of resources went into making those. We then stopped at Starbucks is as often happens. Then we took the DLR out to the Cutty Sark.
The Cutty Sark is a famous ship that was on display in Greenwich, but had been set alight to. On the last trip they were almost finished with the renovation. Then someone burnt it down to the keel. They are almost finished with the reconstruction now. After walking around the construction site we walked up to the Old Royal Navy College. Very impressive. We went into the area where Lord Nelson laid in state after dying in the Battle of Trafalgar. The painting in that room, aptly named "The Painted Room" was very impressive. From there we walked through the Maritime Museum, interesting pieces of history, they had a Royal Barge. Looks something like you might see in ancient Egypt. We then walked up to the Royal Observatory where Greenwich Meantime is kept. Nice view from the top of the hill down towards the college and the river.
By this time we were hungry so we went and found a Mexican restaurant. The food was not spectacular, but it was a fair representative of what that type of food should taste like. We then headed back to RA's place to get ready for the trip up to Scotland.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Fulham Match - April 3rd
Two football matches in under 24 hours, crazy? Perhaps, but we headed out early to the train station. I went up to the Post Office to buy some snack food and ran into RA's friends that she goes to the Fulham matches with.
We had an early start because they were doing train work by the rail station that you would normally use to get to Fulham. Instead they let you ride a bus that takes around 40 minutes. It was a bus ride! Right before the last stop the bus was crowded with a lot of people who had just been in a Bus Bus accident. Some were still a little jittery from the crunch. We finally got to Putney and headed over to a Starbucks.
We then walked down to Craven Cottage to watch FFC take on Blackpool. One of the players for Fulham is Clint Dempsey, who plays on team USA. Fulham ended up winning the game 3-0, with a player recently off injury scoring two goals. After the game we headed over to see one of the strangest things I have ever seen. The owner of FFC was friends with Michael Jackson and had just unveiled a statue in his honor the same day. It is very weird, most FFC fans are concerned that it will turn them into the laughing stock of the Premier league. It was just very strange.
It was actually Mothers Day in the UK so we went to dinner with everyone. Italian again, it was decent.
We then headed back to RA's place for another full day.
We had an early start because they were doing train work by the rail station that you would normally use to get to Fulham. Instead they let you ride a bus that takes around 40 minutes. It was a bus ride! Right before the last stop the bus was crowded with a lot of people who had just been in a Bus Bus accident. Some were still a little jittery from the crunch. We finally got to Putney and headed over to a Starbucks.
We then walked down to Craven Cottage to watch FFC take on Blackpool. One of the players for Fulham is Clint Dempsey, who plays on team USA. Fulham ended up winning the game 3-0, with a player recently off injury scoring two goals. After the game we headed over to see one of the strangest things I have ever seen. The owner of FFC was friends with Michael Jackson and had just unveiled a statue in his honor the same day. It is very weird, most FFC fans are concerned that it will turn them into the laughing stock of the Premier league. It was just very strange.
It was actually Mothers Day in the UK so we went to dinner with everyone. Italian again, it was decent.
We then headed back to RA's place for another full day.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
London: Changing of the Guard, West End Show, Women's Friendly - April 2nd
We headed back to London, taking an earlier train than before. We went over to see the Changing of the Guard. The area around the palace was packed with people. We walked past where the guards were coming from to replace the ones on duty. Set up on the corner we got some good shots, lots of people around for that. We then switched sides of the street and watched the guards who were replaced coming back. Not as many people. The band played a Beatles song before the changing happened.
After doing this we headed over to meet one of RA's friends and then go to a show. We went and watched Wicked. It is the Wizard of Oz story from a different viewpoint. Afterwards we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The service was slow, but the food was decent.
Mom and RA went back to her place and I headed off with RA's friends to a football match. It was a match between England and US women's teams. The women's World Cup is this summer. Team USA played very sloppy and got behind 2-0 within 12 minutes. They scored a goal before halftime, and played better for the remainder. Sadly they could not create enough chances to score. The exciting part was that we got on ESPN 2. My sisters friend had it posted on her wall before we got back from London. I looked way to excited after a losing effort, oh well. The trip back took around an hour and a half.
After doing this we headed over to meet one of RA's friends and then go to a show. We went and watched Wicked. It is the Wizard of Oz story from a different viewpoint. Afterwards we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The service was slow, but the food was decent.
Mom and RA went back to her place and I headed off with RA's friends to a football match. It was a match between England and US women's teams. The women's World Cup is this summer. Team USA played very sloppy and got behind 2-0 within 12 minutes. They scored a goal before halftime, and played better for the remainder. Sadly they could not create enough chances to score. The exciting part was that we got on ESPN 2. My sisters friend had it posted on her wall before we got back from London. I looked way to excited after a losing effort, oh well. The trip back took around an hour and a half.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Reading April 1st
Slept in once more, or to say I woke up and then went back to sleep. Last night was a late one, so a little catch up was in order. We decided to head over to Reading to do some shopping.
Walked to Virginia Water train station. Very nice weather and the walk took around an hour. It was supposed to rain today, but didn't when we were out. The weather has been very nice, in deference to the forecast.
The train ride to Reading took around half an hour and was nice and smooth. After stopping at Starbuck's we headed over to a mall called the Oracle. Just like any other US mall, it did remind me of a mall in north west Sapporo. We then went over to Primark for some shopping. Then it was back to the train station.
We got Indian take-away for dinner and went back to RA's place for dinner. One of the nurses who works at the school came over. We watched the Wizard of Oz as a precursor to going to Wicked tomorrow.
A good easy day to ease into UK time.
Walked to Virginia Water train station. Very nice weather and the walk took around an hour. It was supposed to rain today, but didn't when we were out. The weather has been very nice, in deference to the forecast.
The train ride to Reading took around half an hour and was nice and smooth. After stopping at Starbuck's we headed over to a mall called the Oracle. Just like any other US mall, it did remind me of a mall in north west Sapporo. We then went over to Primark for some shopping. Then it was back to the train station.
We got Indian take-away for dinner and went back to RA's place for dinner. One of the nurses who works at the school came over. We watched the Wizard of Oz as a precursor to going to Wicked tomorrow.
A good easy day to ease into UK time.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
London, Cermony of the Keys - March 31st
We headed out to London around noon today. We got a taxi from RA's place to Virginia Water. The train goes from here into Waterloo station in London. We got a travel card, when traveling in a group of three it is significantly cheaper, £8.80. This includes the travel into London and also around London.
When we got into London we headed to the Tube and went to the stop near The British Museum. It is always great to walk through the Museum. I have taken some photos of different areas. Not much to say, just that you could spend weeks looking through all of the artifacts that are housed within the building. We spent around 2 hours walking around.
After having a spirited discussion about what we should eat we decided to YO SUSHI! Basic Sushi go round setup, it was good to have something like that. No raw fish, but standard fare other than that.
We then headed over to Oxford Street. Which is a very busy shopping street, they have created a "mass" crossing where you can cross in all directions. This was modeled after Shibuya, but it is like a lighter less filling version. Still is entertaining to cross the street on the diagonal. I stopped by a UniQlo, they do have sizes that are bigger than in Japan. We then went to Primark, which is like Black Friday all the time. The deals are really cheap, and people climb over each other the free the savings. We are planning on heading to Reading in the morning to go to a more relaxed store.
Time had escaped us, and we were running a little bit late for the evenings activity. We met up with one of RA's friends and her fiancee near the Tower of London. After a quick bite of Chips we went over to observe the "Ceremony of the Keys". This is the longest running ceremony of the sort around 700 years. Every night they lock the tower gates in a particular way. It is very cool and one should try to do it if you get the chance. Photography and Videography are not allowed during the proceedings.
It happens at 10 PM everyday and lasts six minutes.
After that we headed back to Waterloo, when we arrived there were probably over 2000 people sitting in front of the gates looking at the board. Someone had been killed by a train on another line and had stopped all train traffic. Got some coffee then ran and caught the train back. It was packed, not to the standards of the Yamanote line in rush hour but enough to make you uncomfortable.
After getting back to Virginia Water it was a quick taxi ride back. Almost 2 AM so I should be getting to bed.
When we got into London we headed to the Tube and went to the stop near The British Museum. It is always great to walk through the Museum. I have taken some photos of different areas. Not much to say, just that you could spend weeks looking through all of the artifacts that are housed within the building. We spent around 2 hours walking around.
After having a spirited discussion about what we should eat we decided to YO SUSHI! Basic Sushi go round setup, it was good to have something like that. No raw fish, but standard fare other than that.
We then headed over to Oxford Street. Which is a very busy shopping street, they have created a "mass" crossing where you can cross in all directions. This was modeled after Shibuya, but it is like a lighter less filling version. Still is entertaining to cross the street on the diagonal. I stopped by a UniQlo, they do have sizes that are bigger than in Japan. We then went to Primark, which is like Black Friday all the time. The deals are really cheap, and people climb over each other the free the savings. We are planning on heading to Reading in the morning to go to a more relaxed store.
Time had escaped us, and we were running a little bit late for the evenings activity. We met up with one of RA's friends and her fiancee near the Tower of London. After a quick bite of Chips we went over to observe the "Ceremony of the Keys". This is the longest running ceremony of the sort around 700 years. Every night they lock the tower gates in a particular way. It is very cool and one should try to do it if you get the chance. Photography and Videography are not allowed during the proceedings.
It happens at 10 PM everyday and lasts six minutes.
After that we headed back to Waterloo, when we arrived there were probably over 2000 people sitting in front of the gates looking at the board. Someone had been killed by a train on another line and had stopped all train traffic. Got some coffee then ran and caught the train back. It was packed, not to the standards of the Yamanote line in rush hour but enough to make you uncomfortable.
After getting back to Virginia Water it was a quick taxi ride back. Almost 2 AM so I should be getting to bed.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Travel Day and First Full Day March 29th - March 30th
My computer got setup on the network today, so internet access is back. I did use Starbucks WiFi in Staines today, just had to enter the Starbucks Loyalty account number and free WiFi was at your finger tips. Anyways back to the last two days.
March 29th,
The flight which is direct into Terminal 5 at Heathrow went smoothly. I have gotten used to at least Economy Plus on United, so the legroom got tiring after a while. The food was alright and I did manage to get some sleep.
Immigration was a breeze there weren't many non European citizens so the line was very small. After going through Customs we met up with Ruth Anne. She had borrowed a car from one of her friends to pick us up. We went and picked up a cheap cell phone at Carphone warehouse. The phone was £3 and a loaded SIM card was 20. Amazingly cheap, the phone looks like a child's toy, but does what it needs to. There is no predictive text input, which can make for a sore thumbs if trying to enter a long message.
We then stopped at Sainsbury's with a Starbuck's inside. I have found that people give you a quizzical look when you speak to them in an American accent. The great thing about Starbuck's is that the quality is there and it tastes the same where ever you go in the world. We picked up a variety of different groceries.
After getting to RA's placed we dropped off the luggage and she went and dropped off the car. Then we went to her office and met a few different people walking around campus. She made Vegan chili for dinner, which wasn't too bad. The mixture of spices was good, and the meat replacement wasn't that noticeable.
We finished the night watching the England versus Ghana Friendly. England didn't put out its full strength team but was able to go up 1-0 at half. Ghana equalized in the 90th minute and the crowd was going crazy. Most of their fans had flown from Ghana just for the game.
March 30th
I woke up a few times, but finally got out of bed at 1000. This was because RA called the house and I heard it and jumped up to answer. We went in to visit and picked up the laptop. We then walked the "Monk's Trail" which goes from Thorpe to Chertsey, it was around 3.5 miles. The rain picked up a few times, but nothing compared to what went on last weekend in the Northwest. There is an amusement park that the trail borders on. Lots of screaming people enjoying the roller coasters.
We stopped at Chertsey and had lunch at Subway, which might seem like a weak choice. The toaster they had actually warmed the bread instead of burning it. Much better than getting a toasted sub in the US. We got it Takeaway and went to the train station.
It took a while to find the electronic ticket booth and buy tickets to Staines. The train ride was a nice break. It took around 30 minutes to make the trip. After using my phone to figure out which direction was correct we headed to the mall area to pick up some things. They had a street fair setup, hidden behind a tent was a beautiful site, Starbucks. After taking a break siting we went to a grocery store and then headed to the bus station. After waiting 30 minutes for the bus to arrive and 10 minutes for him to pull around to the stop. After riding the bus for 20 minutes we were back.
RA got off work a little early and made some broccoli soup. She and Mom headed off to do stuff on campus, and I walked down to the Post Office. Post Office's here are stores. A very lazy day all in all.
March 29th,
The flight which is direct into Terminal 5 at Heathrow went smoothly. I have gotten used to at least Economy Plus on United, so the legroom got tiring after a while. The food was alright and I did manage to get some sleep.
Immigration was a breeze there weren't many non European citizens so the line was very small. After going through Customs we met up with Ruth Anne. She had borrowed a car from one of her friends to pick us up. We went and picked up a cheap cell phone at Carphone warehouse. The phone was £3 and a loaded SIM card was 20. Amazingly cheap, the phone looks like a child's toy, but does what it needs to. There is no predictive text input, which can make for a sore thumbs if trying to enter a long message.
We then stopped at Sainsbury's with a Starbuck's inside. I have found that people give you a quizzical look when you speak to them in an American accent. The great thing about Starbuck's is that the quality is there and it tastes the same where ever you go in the world. We picked up a variety of different groceries.
After getting to RA's placed we dropped off the luggage and she went and dropped off the car. Then we went to her office and met a few different people walking around campus. She made Vegan chili for dinner, which wasn't too bad. The mixture of spices was good, and the meat replacement wasn't that noticeable.
We finished the night watching the England versus Ghana Friendly. England didn't put out its full strength team but was able to go up 1-0 at half. Ghana equalized in the 90th minute and the crowd was going crazy. Most of their fans had flown from Ghana just for the game.
March 30th
I woke up a few times, but finally got out of bed at 1000. This was because RA called the house and I heard it and jumped up to answer. We went in to visit and picked up the laptop. We then walked the "Monk's Trail" which goes from Thorpe to Chertsey, it was around 3.5 miles. The rain picked up a few times, but nothing compared to what went on last weekend in the Northwest. There is an amusement park that the trail borders on. Lots of screaming people enjoying the roller coasters.
We stopped at Chertsey and had lunch at Subway, which might seem like a weak choice. The toaster they had actually warmed the bread instead of burning it. Much better than getting a toasted sub in the US. We got it Takeaway and went to the train station.
It took a while to find the electronic ticket booth and buy tickets to Staines. The train ride was a nice break. It took around 30 minutes to make the trip. After using my phone to figure out which direction was correct we headed to the mall area to pick up some things. They had a street fair setup, hidden behind a tent was a beautiful site, Starbucks. After taking a break siting we went to a grocery store and then headed to the bus station. After waiting 30 minutes for the bus to arrive and 10 minutes for him to pull around to the stop. After riding the bus for 20 minutes we were back.
RA got off work a little early and made some broccoli soup. She and Mom headed off to do stuff on campus, and I walked down to the Post Office. Post Office's here are stores. A very lazy day all in all.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Fly day - March 28th
Time for another trip over the pond. I have used what I have learned from traveling to Japan for packing. Should be fun.
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