Category: Holiday

We are all struggling a bit with the length of the day here at the height of summer. Today sunrise was 4:45am and sunset will be at 9:22pm, a 16 and a half hour long day.

Twilight is about 45 minutes either side of those times, so it is light from about 4am through to after 10pm.

Only consolation is that we are past the solstice so the days are getting shorter. By the time we leave for home the days will be about 20 minutes less.

Sydney for comparison currently has sunrise about 7am and set just before 5pm for an almost 10 hour day. Even at the height of summer Sydney has rise at 5:45am and set at 8:05pm for a 14 hour day.

Today is the first day of using our 3 day London Pass. After a breakfast of vegemite toast, croissants and fresh strawberries we headed out on the tube for Tower Hill station and then a short walk to the Tower.

Bypassing the ticket queues with the pass makes getting in much faster :). Once inside the White Tower dominates the centre of the complex.

We started by doing the walk around the outside walls and towers. This finished near the crown jewels entry and with the lines really short (ie no queue) we decided to go straight in. The sheer number of gems in some of the crowns borders on them looking gaudy. The size of some of the silver and gold gilt tableware is amazing. There was a punch bowl about a metre across that can hold 144 bottles of wine. Coming out and the queue to get was certainly longer now.

After a quick bite to eat, we went through the White Tower exhibit. The suits of armour for both man and horse are impressive. The range of weapons on display from swords, through pikes to pistol and cannon is wide. In the old armoury was a 19″ cannon that fired shot that weighed 227kg each. Would have been amazing just watching it get loaded. After leaving the White Tower the queue for the jewels was even longer, we’ve been lucky a couple of times now with getting in early.

We left the Tower and headed for Tower Bridge.

Here we did the Bridge experience which starts with an elevator ride to the top, then a walk across the east side, with views along the river and across the city. There were short movies at either end about the design and building of it. We then headed down the south tower and off to the old steam engine rooms, where the engines are still in working order.

Walking along the south side of the Thames we stopped in at the London Crypts in the foundations of London Bridge. A fun mix of history and the macabre here. The horror walk went on a bit long, but its always good to hear Nerida screaming with the actors jumping out and Dana ducking the dangling the hanging heads.

We tried to do the Globe tour, but at this time of year it is only open in the mornings so they can prepare for evening shows. Instead we spent about an hour wandering the Tate Modern until Dana just got too weary to go on. A walk back across the Millennium bridge and onto the tube for home.

Nerida picked up an dress from Tufnel Park that she had been eyeing up on a few trips past the shop. A lovely vintage fabric and design.

Once again Dana has crashed at an early hour for her. All the walking we are doing and a slight bit of jet lag hanging on have defeated her normal night owl preference.

Plan for tomorrow is to do Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s cathedral, then depending on how long we’ve spent on those we will decide what to do next. The Eye is an option if the day turns out as nice as forecast.

After a couple of black coffees to get the body going, we went for a wander off to Tufnel Park to find some provisions for the week. Came back for a breakfast of vegemite toast, croissants, cinnamon scrolls, juice and more coffee.

Fuelled up for the day we headed off for our first tube ride into London and to the British Museum.

Spent a few hours wandering around looking at the vast numbers of statues, temple panels and other items of antiquity.

There were statues of horses

as well as parts of the Parthenon

After some lunch and souvenir shopping at the museum, we decided to just have a wander down towards Trafalgar Square. Along the way by chance we stumbled upon Neales Yard which contained a cosmetics shop that Nerida was wanting to find as they wont ship to Australia – bonus find.

Had a sit in Trafalgar Square watching the pigeons and people for a while, then decided to walk down The Mall to Buckingham Palace. Watched the guards walking back and forth for a bit before heading back into St James Park. Saw a variety of water birds with young as well as several squirrels.

Came back through the Horse Guards to Charing Cross station and then back home.

Tomorrow we start with our London Pass and plan to do the Tower and some of the other attractions in that area. Which we do will depend on how much time we spend in each. Might be back to the same area tomorrow.

Lots of flying later and some sleep we are awake in the early morning light of London. Even Dana is up before 6am.

Plane from Sydney to Dubai left on time at 6am and several movies, TV shows and two meals later we landed at a very warm Dubai at 2pm local time. Landing in threw the thermals of near 40 degrees was a fun experience. So much dust haze every where.

Boarded onto the flight to London about an hour later onto a very warm plane that must have been in the low thirties at least. We sat past expected departure and then got the announcement that they were having issues with the air conditioner (no kidding) and that techs were looking at it and we might be another 20 minutes. At least an hour later (Nerida is sure it was one and a half hours), that got it fixed and we got into the air.

Dana and I both managed to get some rest, but Nerida dozed at best. Pilots did a good job of making up some time and we were only about 20 minutes late o the ground in London.

Customs took ages, we managed to get in the queue behind all the difficult people, with some even rejected and made to go wait sideways.

A cab ride later winding through London in the setting sun at 10pm at night we got to our accommodation for the first week.

Flat has a real coffee machine so Nerida is a happy camper sitting here drinking a black coffee and planning the day.

First step is to walk to the nearest shops and get some milk, bread and basics for the rest of the week.

Almost ready now. Bags are packed and the phones and iDevices loaded up with music, movies and games for flight.

We fly out of Sydney Sunday morning at 6am. Minimising the early start by staying near the airport overnight.

There is a short leg stretch in Dubai in the heat of the afternoon before arriving in London at 8pm.

We stay in London for the first week before heading to Paris. Paris also gets a week of our time, before we return to the UK and we head to Bath and Cornwall for the rest of our time.