A Wedding - London - Canal Boat Trip

Everything went without a hitch getting home. We had Economy Plus seats on our LHR to IAH. IAH to SFO was back to economy but fine. Due to my scheduling error on our FAT flight we spent the night in SF. That was actually good. We were so tired and we would have had to wait several hours for the flight. Instead we got a good night's sleep. We rented a car and drove home, arriving earlier  than our flight would have. It was a fabulous trip, but it is always good to come home! Thankful for a safe journey. 

Our last full day in London has arrived. Bittersweet really. We are tired and ready to go home but then it was sad to say "see you later" to G&T.  Anyway, we had a great day. We met up and G&T's apartment and took the Underground into Center City area to the Sky Garden . Tawny got the free tickets for us, it isn't easy to get in there. They do have a certain number of tickets ready for drop ins, but that is iffy and you might not get in. We just beat the rain. Thankfully, we did the Outdoor Terrace when first arriving. As we went on the the inside areas it began to rain. They Outdoor Terrace was then closed, not even an option to go out there. That said, we had tremendous views before the rain began. Best views in the city. I thought the view was good from the London Eye, but this far surpassed that. George was great in pointing out various things and we even managed to see what we believe was our Tower Hill hotel.  Best View of the Shard Ever! ...

Today we needed some down time and we got a lot of little things done around our hotel room. I caught up on a lot of emails so I won't feel too overwhelmed when I get home.  This afternoon G&T too us to Cookham to The Ferry . This is a lovely pub and we had fantastic food. Another lovely meal with our friends. Sadly, the service was greatly lacking. It was more disappointing to G&T than to us because they want to assure we have a good time. We did have a wonderful time despite the service.  The Ferry Sunday Roast Pork Sunday Roast Trio Desserts When  we came back I started sorting out a few things because tomorrow is our last full day and we need to think about packing. I don't look forward to that part!

Victoria and Albert Museum is on the agenda today. George picked us up at 10:30a and took us to the V&A Museum. What a delight. We spent a few hours on the floor with most of the things pertinent to V&A and The Exhibition. I took a lot of photos. I will also have a lot of fun looking back on those and digesting the information.  Bust of the Young Victoria The Exhibition Opening Day We decided to have lunch at the V&A. It was good, a bit crowded in the cafeteria, but we found a spot. Eating to live piano music and surrounded by the lovely decor, what more could we want?  We trekked over to the Natural History Museum. That might have been a mistake because even though there was no queue now, it was terribly crowded. We misunderstood that the Moon Landing Exhibition was there, but it was really at the Science Museum. Anyway, they did have a Moon Exhibit, which we found and took a photo of. It was quite nice but not what we were looking for.  The Mo...

Today was a relaxing day for us. At our age we tend to run out of energy at times and need a "day off" from the exploration. We relaxed this morning and headed to G&T's around 3p. After having some drinks with them we headed downstairs to The Stable for dinner. They have personal pizzas, salads, and more. We had a great Cider tasting. I could not pick a favorite because all of them were delicious! We have been wanting to try ciders but we didn't really try before now. John had one 1/2 pint in a pub and was not impressed. These were really good. I hope we can find them at home! We had a leisurely dinner and then back to their apartment, a little more visiting and then we caught the bus back to the hotel. I think we made it faster than they could have driven us! The bus was right outside when we went out and hopped on. It dropped us steps from our door. I wished I had timed it because I am sure we would break some record! Authentic Cider Tastings Pot of Gold...

Today is Highclere Castle Day!!! Our friends are taking good care of us and are taking us out of town to Highclere Castle today. They booked the tickets last March when they knew we were coming and wanted to go there. Like typical locals, they had not been out there yet, even though they are Downton Abbey fans.I would say it took 1.5 hours travel time to get there but I am not really sure as I didn't look at the time closely. It was a nice drive, especially the last part, in the English countryside. A nice drive but we would never do it ourselves! There is a large field in front of the castle where one parks, you proceed to the ticket check, and not the antique French vehicle turned into a snack bar next to the ticket booth. The visits are well organized . We had a 1p entry time. We arrived a little early, just enough time for a G&T plus a snack and we were ready to enter. They stagger the entry times so it won't seem so crowded. Sadly, Carson, Mrs. Hughes and n...

Today John and I visited the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew . The bus ride was fairly quick and very easy. It was about 30 minutes in the queue to get inside. I suggest buying tickets online before going then there is much shorter line. I think we would need a second day to visit all the lovely things here. We went to the Palm House, The Princess of Wales Conservatory, The Hive and walked along numerous garden areas. We did take the tram around the entire venue and saw several other things, but you could not see everything from the tram. There is an amazing Chihuly Exhibit going on right now. My disappointment was that we ran out of both time and energy to see more of the exhibit in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery. It is possible we will find time to go back to see that. Right after we depart for the US they are going to have Chihuly Nights and I bet that will be fantastic as well.  Tram Sapphire Star  Scarlet and Yellow Icicle Tower   Summer Sun We ate a ligh...

We are watching the weather today. Tonight is our outdoor theatre and hopefully a picnic before the show. John walked down to the Thames, which is very close to our hotel.  I stayed back to prep for tonight. Tawny and I talked and we have a plan in place. George picked us up at 2p and took us to their lovely apartment and we had a champagne toast to the fun of being together again and other drinks! They do have a lovely place and though they keep telling me it is small, it seems very spacious with so much light coming in, the modern white decor, and the thoughtful design. I failed to take any photos of the views, maybe we will go there again. I did get this nice shot of George pouring some wine. They live in such a convenient place, close to transportation (though they have their own vehicles), a convenience store just downstairs, ATM, and the concierge who are very helpful. Tawny and I went downstairs and picked out delightful little snacks for our picnic. I am happy to report...

Up and ready to go after a quick breakfast for John and coffee for both of us. As we approached the entrance there was Arthur, with is smiling face, to guide us in. That was a good thing as backing up is not something we have mastered. Actually, Arthur says there is very little control when going in reverse. What one does is put the nose into the bank then use the rudder in forward to move the back. We did perfect with his instructions! We say good-bye to the twisted trees that reach for the sky and their twisted roots that hang on for dear life as the water slowly works away at them. The canal teems with life from the smallest bug skimming across the water, the abundance of berries, the birds that serenade us every day, and the unseen rustling along the bank as we pass. Arthur called us a taxi and bid us farewell, we were on our way to Hook Train Station for the next adventure and he continues on in his seemingly idyllic existence there along the canal.   I wan...

It is hard to believe this is our last full day on the canal. We reluctantly left the lovely Barley Mow location and headed toward Galleon Marine.  Again, being a weekend, the canal is busy with kayakers, canoes, and other modes of transportation. The friendly atmosphere will be missed. I think I got a good photo of the Thatched roofed house we passed. We plan to spend the night by Galleon Marine as we need to return the boat by 10a. Thatched Roof Our swan family was not here this morning but we saw them a bit further down the canal. It is bittersweet heading back. However, as we rounded the bend at Galleon Marine, there was Arthur to smile and wave at us. This time, for the first time, we had to use the mooring stakes. No problem though. We moored up and relaxed for a bit then it was a trip back to the Waterwitch! No, we don't have a reservation so we are relegated to the outside, which was fine. The first table we sat at was right by the yellow jacket trap, so we m...

Such a relief that John woke up feeling fine this morning. He wanted to eat breakfast but I suggested dry toast and tea to start with to be sure all was well. Thankfully, that went down well and he ate breakfast a bit later. So, we are off for another delightful day on the canal. We went under the Exchequer Bridge to the turn around, yes it is time to head back toward Galleon Marine. It is smaller than some of the others and we slightly went aground but John reversed and we were just fine. Today is Saturday and we note the increased traffic on the canal. Two boats are moored by us in the morning, they look like privately owned boats but I'm not sure. We saw a paddle boarder earlier this morning. As the day progressed we encountered a couple of rubber rafts with electric motors, multiple kayaks, 3-4 other canal boats and then as we approached Barley Mow mooring there was a pretty large boat called Madam Butterfly. I'm not sure but I think there is 10-15 people on it and they a...