England – AK In Wanderland

Day 20 – Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Alex

Well, this is it.

The 20th and final day of our whirl wind tour around the main British isle. We’ve seen so much and traveled so many miles. Our feet hurt but our minds have been massaged with beautiful country side, history and culture.

Today we set out to see the last of the major London attractions. We started with a stroll to Trafalgar Square for a little photography and people watching.

We then walked through Admiralty Arch and marched down The Mall to Buckingham Palace. The thing that stuck out to me was how the gates are the most luxurious thing surrounding an otherwise vanilla building.

It’s the history that matters, though. We got in position for the changing of the guard. There were so many people nudging and pushing and positioning themselves to squeeze into any opening to the front.

The ceremony itself was quite long and drawn out. As the incoming guards passed by, I got some nice unobstructed video. Once inside the gates, though, the sea of people and the gates themselves blocked the view mostly.

It was still neat to watch. Those black furry hats have got to be heavy and hot!

After the guard change, we strolled through Hyde Park. Included was a stop at the Diana, Princess of Wales memorial fountain.

A tube ride later and we had lunch in the Notting Hill area. It’s a cute little part of town. A little quieter with more shops and restaurants than historic sights.

Our final stop was St. Paul’s Cathedral. The outside of this place looks really plain. Actually, it looks more like a government building than a cathedral.

Inside, though? Magnificent.

Pictures aren’t allowed so that’s all I’ve got. The rest was magnificent, though. It rivals the inside of many others I’ve been into, and I thought it was nicer (inside only) that Westminster.

We’re ready to come home I think. Three weeks of walking takes a toll. Three weeks of washing clothes in sinks gets tired. Three weeks of sleeping in a foreign bed gets uncomfortable.

But this is what I label as a first world problem. I expect no pity and feel blessed to have been able to experience this.

We’re on our way back, America.

TOTAL STEPS WALKED 26,714
TOTAL MILES 10.54

Day 18 – London (AC)

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Alex

Travel days are quite crazy. Not just the hustle and bustle of going from a place that you’ve just finally mastered to a new, unknown animal. At the end of the day, the place you left seems like a dream you just remember bits and pieces of.

We hopped on the train in York at 10:25 – which was a bit later than we’d like, but that express train to London was literally half price (£50 vs £100 each).

Once in London, there was a sense of “making it.” We purchased our London Passes (multi-attraction discount card) and Oyster Cards (tube/bus pre-loaded fares), then hopped on the Tube for a 15 minute ride to our hotel in the Westminster area.

After checking in, we shot out and like little ball beatings got sucked in by the magnets that are historical and iconic sights.

Westminster Abbey.

I wasn’t supposed to take these and even feel a little guilty.

We toured the Churchill War Rooms and Churchill Museum. Both are amazing exhibits. The history of WWII just never gets less staggering. This was just one piece of that time in history.

The museum was phenomenal. So many pieces of information, artifacts and interactive displays on the man’s life.

Seeing Big Ben was similar to The David or the Statue of Liberty. These are places you learn about from a young age. When you see them up close, they consume you. It’s hard to stop taking photos. You just stare at the detail, soaking in the fact that you’re actually seeing it.

On the other side of the south bank, we poked around the London Eye. We bumped into an arcade that was part of our London Pass. £3 in free tokens each was enough for us to play a giant PacMan game and some air (hockey) soccer.

I won three games in a row. I played the fourth left-handed. After taking a 4-2 lead, Kari tied it up 4-4. Then I went up 6-4. She again tied it up. The machine’s air turned off and we had to play the final point without air. Lame. Left-handed and without air, I finally lost. May as well have used my foot!

And one more pic of Big Ben!

TOTAL STEPS WALKED 17,954
TOTAL MILES 7.08

Day 17 – More York

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Alex

We’re just about to the finish line, which turns out to be an aptly used cliche seeing as how my feet feel as if I’ve been running a marathon.

Shoes were put to pavement once more this morning as we we made our way from our B&B, through the ancient walls and back into the certified most haunted city on earth.

We started by meandering through the Yorkshire Museum. This place had all sorts of information and artifacts spanning the city’s history under the rule of Romans, Vikings and evil Kings.

Built among the ruined St. Mary’s Abbey — with some foundation and pillars still incorporated within — it’s phenomenal to ponder the change this relatively small city bore witness to.

After poking around the museum for a couple hours, we had a midday beer at The Golden Fleece, one of the oldest and, supposedly, most haunted joints in town.

Then it was time for the free walking tour hosted by the city volunteers group. Our guide, George, was an older chap that knew the city quite well. Having been born and raised within the walls, he had an undeniable passion and love for York.

We learned about different inhabitants, rulers and invaders. We were given bits of info on everything from Guy Fawkes to the Harrowing of the North. We even learned about how certain terms originated in York.

Such as “a hole in the wall,” which derived from a minister using a secret passage out of the Minster into an adjoining pub back when businesses surrounded the cathedral.

Can you spot where the door was? It was filled in when Charles II came to town and ordered all non-church related structures be removed from the holy grounds.

After three hours of walking the city, it was time for dinner!

Kari had green thai chicken curry — or something like that — while I had a chicken and mushroom pie with mash and veggies.

Okay. It’s time to relax. London tomorrow!

Day 17 – The Golden Fleece

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Kari

I find stories of hauntings interesting. Whether the tales are far fetched or not I can’t say for sure.

Today we stepped into the Golden Fleece pub for a beer and a snack.
This pub is full of atmosphere. Lots of pictures and drawings of York and many, many ghosts encounters posted on the walls. The floor is slanted to the right and the tables are packed in tight. The light is dim and the door is creeky.

This pub is considered the most haunted pub in England.

This excerpt is from the Golden Fleece Web Site:

“Possibly the most famous ghost is Geoff Monroe, a Canadian airman who was staying at the pub in room four when he died in 1945, by throwing himself or falling out of one of the windows. People staying in his former room have been frightend in the night by his figure, in full uniform, standing over them, his icy touch having woken them from their slumbers.
Customers have complained of bedclothes being removed, clothes had been taken off the rails and thrown on the floor, the sound of footsteps were frequently running across the passage ways and The Lady Peckett’s Dining room.
During a ghost hunt in 2002 a number of people including a (now former) skeptic, saw a man walking through the wall of the front of the bar, Dressing in late 17th century clothes, he walked of a wall adjoining Herbert’s House, across the corridor to the Shambles bar. The most chilling aspect of the sighting was that the ghost paused as he crossed the corridor and looked straight at the horrified ghost hunters.”

Pretty crazy huh? While I didn’t encounter a ghost here, one that I know of anyway I did have a creepy feeling while I was alone in the restroom. I crossed my fingers hoping I wouldn’t get an icy touch or slap on the butt when I was in there. Definitely creepy, but a fantastic stop on this amazing journey we have had so far!

TOTAL STEPS WALKED 16,396
TOTAL MILES 6.46

Day 16 – York, England

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Kari

Today we woke up early and drove to York. It took about 1.5 hours to get here from Durham. Durham was nice but full of “older” ladies dressed up for a night on the town. Basically they were acting like drunken idiots at 6:00 PM. Good times!

Anyhow, when we arrived in York we dropped off our Mercedes rental and Alex said goodbye to driving on the left forever… Until we return someday that is.

We hadn’t had wifi access in 24 hours so we had no idea how to find our B&B that we reserved. After about a 1/2 mile or so we found a Costa coffee shop and a nice young lady who helped us out by using her phone. We’ve found most people very willing to help out with directions and have been very thankful for them. All it takes is a very lost look on our faces and strangers come out of the woodworks to help us.

When we finally found our B&B we checked in to our lovely room and started out on the town.

First stop was the York Castle Museum.
A very well put together story of how people fought and lived during times of war in the 1940’s. There were rooms decorated as they would have looked back in the 20’s , 30’s, 40’s all through the more modern times like you might see today.

There was even a whole street decorated with shops and a horse carriage with sounds of thunder all about. Easy to imagine how it might have been back then with this set up.

After the museum we walked about the Shambles, a shopping district here in York. This is where we sit and drink our beer and write these posts.

The enormous church here is called York Minster. So large in fact that we couldn’t fit the whole church in our photos. The bells were chiming as we passed by, I was able to get the sounds on video. Quite an amazing sound to here from such a beautiful church.

We spent quite a while today walking around the city and up onto the old city walls.

Tonight we head out for a ghost walk tour about York. I’m excited but I don’t think Alex is as into it as me.

It’s 10:15 PM and we just finished our ghost walk. Our guide was pretty good. He knew lots of tales of haunted York. York is supposedly the most haunted city in Europe. His stories were good and he gave me a fright and a few others too. We lucked out with the weather, it was a bit rainy before the tour. We walked all around the town listening to stories of murders and hangings. There’s a bar called the Golden Fleece that was featured on Most Haunted, a tv show. York is in the Guinness Book as most haunted city.

The tour was £5, pretty worth it considering the length was over an hour. It was not cheesy like some others we heard were. All in all, a good time.

Day 15 – Hadrian’s Wall and Durham

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Alex

After three nights in the hustle and bustle of Scotland’s capital, it was time to head south back toward and into England.

The morning drive included a nice stop in the borders for a fun photo opp.

Now back in England, we headed toward Hadrian’s Wall. Did you know it’s American English to say toward and UK English to say towards? I already knew that before this trip, by the way. Gabby probably taught me that.

The way’s length was quite amazing as you’d see long stretches of it as you drive between sights.

We stopped at Housestead’s Fort, which has the best preserved fort remnants. Still, it’s all foundation and rubble. Your imagination and help from recreation artists are required just as they are for most of the Roman Forum.

It’s amazing to think about the extended reach of the Roman Empire at its peak.

After poking about the wall for a couple hours, it was off to Durham. Here, there was of course a well known cathedral. It was stunning inside with it’s high bell tower, arched ceiling and stained glass depictions of biblical events.

The town itself was neat but overflowing with drunkards on a Saturday evening. I’d advise hitting this place during the week.

That’s it for now. Two nights in York upcoming then we’re off to finish the trip with three nights in London.

Cheerio!

Day 8 – Blackpool at night

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Kari

Here’s some shots from our iPhones of what’s happening tonight in Blackpool.

The sun was setting as we headed out down the miles of sidewalk. The lights began to turn on down the street lighting up the city with colorful characters such as Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob and his buddies from the show. Even McDonalds had their own light show of blinking M’s in front of their restaurant.

The city seems safe in the daytime but with the thousands of people flocking to the piers at night it’s a little unnerving to be carrying around expensive camera gear.

We felt pretty safe in the other cities, not really needing to worry about being pick pocketed or robbed of our gear.
For some reason here though the vibe is much different. The city is much dirtier and garbage is littering the streets. Blackpool is a beautiful beach town in the day and very colorful at night. It seems a little run down and in need of some TLC but in spite of that it wasn’t a bad little stop on the way to Scotland.

The fog rolled in very fast tonight and suddenly the piers we had just seen in front of our eyes were gone.

Tomorrow morning we are headed off to Glasgow, Scotland bound.

TOTAL STEPS 22,238
TOTAL MILES WALKED 8.77

Day 8 – Blackpool

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Kari

Well.. We started out our day heading to the lake district. But plans suddenly changed when we realized we goofed up our car reservation. 2 cabs and £20 later we found ourselves back at the train station heading off to Blackpool.

Blackpool was our original destination before we decided to see the lake district. So it wasn’t as if we didn’t kind of want to come here anyways.

Blackpool is a cross between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. And at night there will be an illumination festival full of bright lights extending 6 miles through the city. It will be a sight to see!

Now we are sitting in Revolution, a restaraunt chain over here by the beach eating this yummy food and drinking the delicious beer.

We’ve spent the past few hours wandering around Blackpool. There are so many people here it’s like being in Disneyland. It’s definitely a tourist trap full of cheesy carnival games and rides. A true money pit. The only reason we are tolerating it is for the night photography which will begin around 8:00 PM. So for now it’s back to our hotel for a quick nap and then we’ll be on our way.

( This beach goes for miles and miles. )

If you’re keeping score at home, this is Blackpool on a map. About an hour or so north of Liverpool.

And this is the Irish Sea…