Sadly our last day in London. Sad, as there’s still so much to do and see. I am looking forward to being home. To make the most of it, we seized the day for a last stroll through Hyde Park, hanging with the squirrels, before strolling down Oxford St. I was feeling a bit foot weary, so thought we could catch a few buses around, from Marble Arch down to Trafalgar Sq, but L wanted to walk, knowing we’d be sitting on planes for the next day. So we compromised. We walked to Regent St, via Selfridges so L could have a Lola gluten free cupcake (a delayed birthday cake).…

After yesterday’s culture, today was all about touristy stuff. I guess it’s one of those things, L and I don’t really see ourselves as tourists, as those are the folks on package tours who turn up in big buses and get led along and shown things and stuff like that. We’re visitors, we turn up, do our thing at our own pace, doing our own research and stuff. I think it’s a more internal, mental thing. (We did try to describe ourselves as travellers, but over here they’re gypsies.) We visit places, we don’t necessarily tour them. Today’s visiting involved strolling through Green Park, finding that to be one of…

Ah Monday, a day of culture, or something. Another day and i’m feeling a bit walked out after yesterday’s efforts at Kew gardens, so the path of least walking sounds good. This means tube with a change to the Victoria line, and down to Pimlico for a quick wander through Tate Britain. The Tate is kind of a selfish pleasure for me, as it’s full of my favourite paintings, or at least should be. It’s also been a bit of a let down, too, over time. My first visit was when they had closed the Pre-Raphaelite room, so allI got to see was The Lady of Shalott as it was…

Today we caught up with L’s cousin E, who lives somewhere south of woop-woop (actually in the commuting belt for London, but outside the M25 so therefore in the boonies). We rushed down breakfast in order to make all the right trains, and got ourselves to Hampden Court, locale of the famous palace where Henry VIII liked to park his rump on occasion. Met E, and decided to check out the grounds of said palace. Not sure about E, but L and I were craving a little greenery and open space. The greenery soon got cold, so we decided a picnic in nearby Kew Gardens would be good. We piled…

Today was L’s birthday. Regardless of how old she claims to be, in London she is a baby (I would say spring chicken but we’ve seen that on a few menus lately). The hotel building is many times her age; our local underground station is three times her age; and London had grey hair before she was born. We spent the morning wandering around the Camden Markets, an interesting sprawl of little markets that combined make up on big marketplace. Interesting, fascinating stalls, shiny things, clothes, souvenirs, fabulously smelling foods from around the globe, the ultra modern and the trendy retro, bizarre and grotesque items, and heavy metal t-shirts, among…

Another catching up binge. It seems that time flies when you’re … tired. As much as anyone loves travel, it is tiring being a long way from home for any length of time, and it’s starting to catch up with me. With the zombie cold from hell that has been following us back with a vengeance, I miss the comfort of home. So trying to remember back to last Friday. kicked off the day with our favourite laundromatte. We’re getting the hang of these machines. Then it was time for the big time machine trip: The British Museum. Home of much cool things, from the old to the really old.…

A new day, a hint off bluesky and sunshine. A quick skype with L’s mum and it was time for more continental breakfast. I know it’s been days since I had bacon and a fried egg but I’m sure my digestive system will thank me for it one day. Today was Oxford St, with a bit of the rest of the West End for good measure. L wanted to shop, and where better really (I’m not keen on letting her loose and unsupervised in Harrod’s). She had a list of locations, checked it twice, and off we went. Quick stop at Marble Arch for a photo, then away into retail…

After everything we’ve been eating, a continental breakfast at the hotel sounded sweet. A little light toast, tea, all-bran and some yogurt and honey to add a bit of balance to the system and top up the immune system. London at this time of year can be a bit of a challenge to the system, as there aren’t many seasonal greens, and the cold, biting wind on the streets is rapidly contrasted by the blast furnaces cranking up the heat in almost every building.  Lots of sudden temperature changes. After breakfast the most pressing task was doing the laundry. A little bit of research has located a couple of laundromats…

Another day catching up on a backlog of blogposts. Now caught up, this one’s live. Checked the weather last night, and the Met Office had issued some cautions for wind and rain. North of Scotland can expect snow, possibly a blizzard, so it looks like we’ve picked the  right day to head south. Some minor drama at Waverley station, our train had no platform on the board 15 minutes before departure, then all the boards went blank. L managed to find a railperson who told us which platform we needed. Hiked there, got on the train, all was good. Headed south, made it through Newcastle without incident, always a good…