Day 9 - Going about London

We awoke with a bit of anticipation, having arrived in London and ready to explore the city.  For it's size, it would be impossible to see everything in just a few days, but that's just fine with me.  Mona made (great) coffee this morning, as she has this entire trip, and we talked about our must-see lists and planned for the day's excursion.  The weather was going to be in the mid 60s, so we'll see how hot we get moving around.

We started our day by heading out in search of Travel Passes, which would let us get around by the Tube (Underground), train or bus.  We needed to head back to the London Victoria Station to get them, so we returned to the station and attempted to board a train headed back that way.  Except, I picked the wrong platform and headed the wrong way.  Doh!  We switched directions at the next stop and were on our way!

At the Victoria station, we found the right counter to purchase our Travel Passes.  Now, where to go?  Why, the Tower of London of course!  Our first stop would be a cultural landmark originating before the 15th Century.

The Tower of London was an interesting visit, allowing us to maneuver up and down narrow stairways and old towers.  The exit also afforded us an excellent view of the Tower Bridge, where we snapped a few pictures and planned our next stop, Shakespeare's Globe Theater.  We headed over the bridge and along the Thames River, passing through Borough Market, a large venue like the St. Lawrence Market we'd visited in Toronto.  This outdoor bazaar was nestled under the train trestles and filled with every manner of produce stand and dining experience.  More on that later.

Arriving at the Globe Theater, we discovered we'd missed the last guided tour (they're only held in the mornings) so we took a quick look in the gift shop before leaving.  It was lunch time, so the Borough Market was a good choice for lunch.  The selection of food was immense, and we had no trouble finding new and interesting things to sample.

Onward from the Market, we traveled further west towards St. Paul's Cathedral.  Along the way, we stopped at the Monument of the Great Fire of London.  In 1666, a massive fire ravaged the city for nearly three days.

St. Paul's Cathedral was a sight to behold - it's massive dome and sweeping arches filling much of the sky.  We circled the grounds and stopped for ice cream, pausing for our first pictures of an iconic British phone booth!

Our walk continued onward toward the Museum of London.  There were several features on the history of the city, its growth, decline and rebirth through the ages.  I vaguely remember the manufacturing decline in England in the 70s and 80s, and was very surprised to see how closely it mimicked the decline of manufacturing in the US that we still experience today.

In the museum cafe, Mona mentioned a nearby theater and suggested seeing a movie.  We hadn't been to the theater to see a movie since our beloved Alamo Drafthouse Theater had closed in Kalamazoo.  So, we were off to the Ritzy Theater in Brixton!

Along our walk from the train station, we picked up a snack of cupcakes from a local baker and had a quick bite while we walked.  The documentary we saw, "Can I Be Me?" covered the life and times of Whitney Houston, one of our favorites.  While the topic was sad, it had us engrossed for a time.

As we headed back to the evening streets, we walked back to the Brixton Village, another bazaar teaming with restaurants.  A Mexican restaurant caught our eye, so we snagged a nice meal, relaxed and made plans to return to our flat.  There were fewer trains as the night grew later, so we headed to the nearby station, only to find the next train was canceled and the following train wasn't due for another half-hour.  Ah well - time for the bus!

Google Maps has been an excellent tool for getting around.  When we pick our destination, it gives us the option to use public transportation and provides details about train times, bus timetables and where to get them.  We used this to pick a bus, and found one that ran from our current location all the way back to the flat!  As long as I can get my bearings, Google Maps has been a great way to get around!

Day 8 - Liverpool to London

I was glad we'd spent more time walking yesterday in Liverpool, because the day started off with steady rain.

Our lone stop for the day: The International Slavery Museum. The museum featured numerous exhibits on the history of slavery  from the 1500s through today's modern sex slave trade. It also showcased art from many Afro-Cuban influences. It was quite a moving experience.

With only a half hour until our train arrived, we headed back to the hotel to claim our luggage and head for the train station.  We grabbed  our luggage, hailed a cab and headed to the train station.  Along the way, our driver, Marc, told us quite a bit about Liverpool and its people.

At the station, we pulled our tickets and got ready to run our travel gauntlet.  We boarded our train, which took us as far as Crewe, where we switched to a new train.  The train took us to Heuston Station, where we switched to the London Underground, i.e The Tube!  We had just a few stops before we switched to Victoria Station and switched to our final train.  After a few minutes, we reached our stop. 

We exited the station and headed for our lodging.  The flat we'd rented was just a few blocks away.  In our new digs, we got the lay of the land and headed out for dinner.  A nearby Mediterranean restaurant caught our eye, so we made it our goal.  I was a short, 15 minute walk before we reached our destination.  The restaurant was small and cozy, as we'd just beaten the dinner rush.  While we sampled a nice variety of foods, we planned our "attack" on London.  What would we see?  Would we buy a pass?  Get a voucher?  We'll see what happens tomorrow!

Day 7 - Morecambe to Liverpool

After a good night's sleep, we awoke to patter of a steady rain. The forecast had predicted rain pretty much everyday, but this was the first rain that started early and continued.  Mona was intrepid and went for a walk and breakfast. I was a lazy bones and slept in. 

After Mona returned, we packed and set off for the bus to catch the train in nearby Lancaster. I must admit - public transportation makes getting around the country soo easy!

Getting to the train station was a bit more interesting than expected.  First, we discovered the bus route ran in the opposite direction, meaning we had to switch to the other side of street.  Second, we learned the bus only went to the Lancaster bus station, which was a bit of a walk to the Lancaster train station.  Not a big deal - it was a short walk (up a long hill!) but went right past the castle we'd visited the other day.  We found our train platform and awaited our train.  We had a short ride to our next station, where we switched trains for a longer ride to our final destination.

Arriving in Liverpool, we found the weather was quite a bit warmer, but just as cloudy.  Ah, well!  The Liverpool train station was larger and busier, but was easy to navigate.  Calling a taxi, we had a quick ride to our accomodations.  The room was part of a suite, large and comfortable.  After dropping our luggage, we were off to see the sites!

While Liverpool is known as the home of The Beatles, it wasn't our primary focus for the trip.  We opted to start our trip by visiting the Maritime Museum, which featured exhibits on the Titanic, contributions from the British Merchant Marine fleet during World Wars I and II and numerous other displays.

After the Maritime Museum, we strolled a few blocks and headed for the British Music Experience.  The digital displays featured British contributions to music from the 50s through today.  We even had a chance to try our hand at music instruments, singing and dancing.  All-in-all, it was a fun experience.  After that, we were off in search of dinner!  We found a nice restaurant near the Liverpool One shopping mall and enjoyed a quick dinner.

We finished dinner and walked a few more blocks to The Cavern Club, a famous Liverpool night spot.  Pictures: check!  Yes - we basically walked over just to get pictures of the place.  As we headed back to our hotel room, we stopped off for dessert, and settled in for the evening.

Tomorrow will give us more opportunity to explore!

Day 6 - Fun in Morecambe!

After a pleasant night's sleep in our new digs, we got a start to our day and set our plan.  Our hosts had bicycles available, so we planned to bike to nearby Lancaster, see the local castle and continue on to the University.  The castle was close by, just a few miles, and should be less than 25 minutes by bicycle.  We meandered through the quiet morning streets and headed in the general direction.  Just on the edge of Morecambe, we found our route led to a walking/biking path.  The walking side and biking side were clearly marked, so it was easy to follow.  Intersections for other attractions and cross streets were clearly labeled, so it made the trip easy!

At the castle, we climbed a steep staircase at the back, then stopped for a few pictures from the hillside and at the entrance.  Inside the castle gate, we stopped by the gift shop for a quick bite and a few souvenirs.  A guided tour left shortly thereafter, so we had a brief lunch before starting the tour.  Apparently, Lancaster Castle was still used a prison right up until 2011.  To this day, it still serves as a Civil courtroom and hears cases on a very regular basis.  Our guide, Christopher, was very knowledgeable (and quite animated!) giving his history lessons and pointing out details of the history of the Castle.

As our tour ended, we biked a short distance to a shopping square and took a stroll.  There were plenty of places to eat and shop, and a few interesting sights as well!

As the early afternoon wore on, we opted to bike back and find an early dinner.  The biking path conveniently continued near us, so we easily hopped on and headed back to the flat.  Upon on return, Ramona dropped in a quick load of laundry.

On our next jaunt out, we went in search of dinner.  An interesting note about the seaside towns, many shops and restaurants close on Mondays, as their staff work the weekends.  When we arrived the previous day, we'd already passed many places that had closed on Sunday.  Pity we wouldn't get to eat there tonight, either!

We walked back downtown to a restaurant called Palatine.  The fare was pretty good, though service was slow on the quiet evening.

Dinner completed, it was time to walk off those calories!  We meandered the streets just off the boardwalk, with everything closed, save for a convenience store.

Oddly enough, it just started to rain on us a tiny bit as walked.  I noted it rained the same time yesterday as well.  It wasn't hard or long, just a drizzle that stopped almost as soon as it started.

With an exciting day of travel ahead, we turned in for the evening.

Day 5 Glasgow to Morecambe

We awoke to another cool, rainy morning in Scotland.  After breakfast, we had plans to explore the city before our afternoon train ride south to our next destination, Morecambe.

We walked along the Clyde river about a half-time or so, toward the Kelvingrove Museum.

They were featuring a comic book art exhibition today, but we weren't interested in paying the entrance fee.  However, there were plenty of interesting exhibits that were free, so we explored the rest of the museum. We saw lots of good displays on a bit of Scottish history, as well as art.

After taking in the museum, we wandered nearby to the University of Glasgow, then onto downtown.

An interesting discovery, we found a grocery store called Waitrose.  At the entrance, they provide hand scanners for you to scan labels on your items as you go, building your shopping list.  At the end, you've collected the full total of your bill and items and can quickly pay for your food and exit.

After a quick stop for food, we were headed back to the train station for our afternoon train.  We boarded and found our seats, which were situated at a table with another couple.  They were in town for the Stone Roses concert and were heading back to Lancaster, along our route to Morecambe.  Oddly enough, they were Morecambe as well!  Along the ride, we talked about things to do and see, places to eat, and entered into a nice discussion about the history of the area.  It was nice to have some folks to talk to, as it made the miles fly by.

Before long, we were at Lancaster station and said goodbye to our traveling companions.  Switching trains, we were on our last leg of today's journey.  Morecambe is a quiet, seaside town, a busy resort in the summer months.  The couple we spoke to on the train mentioned the economy was fairing well, and just needed more investment to really take off.

We strolled along the windy street, which seemed very reminiscent of a Coney Island boardwalk, right down to the amusement parlors and shops.  Our lodgings were a short walk, and we found our hosts inviting us to our flat for the next few days.

A quick trip to the local convenience store found us loaded with water, snacks and breakfast for the next day.  We turned in and rested up for more adventures tomorrow!

Day 4 Dublin to Glasgow

And so our adventures continue! We started the day of kinda early. Laura had to board a flight early, so Ramona got up early to see her off. Once we got ourselves going we had a light meal and packed up the apartment.

We've rounded up our things, and headed off to the airport.  We opted to grab a taxi, for fear of delays thanks to the parade and festival coming to Stoneybatter later in the day. Arriving in plenty of time, we checked our bags and I went in search of a post box to mail postcards. Oddly enough, I learned that Dublin Airport sells no postage or has a post office in the airport. There are many angry posts on the web that confirm this. Ah well!

Once we got our bearings, we bought a few snacks and proceeded to our gate.  Dublin's terminal is quite walkable, so we easily figured out where we needed to go - a ground level terminal gate.  Interesting....  As the time for our flight neared, we boarded a bus at the gate that drove us out onto the tarmack.  Sure enough, we were boarding away from the terminal again.  This time, we had a smaller, turboprop plane, as the distance was a mere 245mi from Dublin, Ireland to Glasgow, Scotland.

The flight boarded quickly and we were off!  Mere minutes after take off, the weather below became cloudy.  As we dipped below the clouds to land, it was clearly rainy.  As we made our final approach, it was clearly windy as well, as the plane bounced and swayed as we went.  Fortunately, the landing was smooth, so all was well.  As we deplaned, it was much cooler than it was in Ireland - it was barely 58 degrees!

I expected we would go through customs, since Ireland and Scotland are different countries, but we merely collected our luggage and were on our way!  Now, I understand the value that the EU brings to residents of member countries - it's quite easy to move between countries, cross borders, exchange good and services on a common currency, etc. (yes - I know Scotland is in the UK and is on the British Pound for its currency).

From the Glasgow airport, we took a bus to the city center, a short distance away.  We went directly to the central train station, as we needed to get our rail tickets from Glasgow to our next destination. 

Tickets in hand, we were ready to start exploring the city.  We stowed our luggage for a few hours and were ready to go out.  It took just a few minutes to spot our first Scotsman in a traditional kilt!

I was also told to try out a dish that Scotland is famous for, a deep-fried Mars bar.

As our day continued, we meandered through downtown Glasgow.  The city center was full of people and activity, despite the cool and at times rainy weather.  

For dinner, we happened across a restaurant called Prep Fitness Kitchen, which featured lots of high-protein, low-fat foots that are probably meant to be your after-work out dinner.

Heading back to Central station, we retrieved our luggage and took a traditional Black Cab to our hotel.  The driver had a thick Scottish accent which took a minute to get used to, but he was patient with us and repeated himself slowly as-needed.

As we drove the streets, I noticed people wearing t-shirts for the band, "The Stone Roses", and properly guessed there must be here for a concert. Our hotel was near a large concert venue and the SSE Hydro, the city's hydro power plant.

Packing it in for the day, we unpacked and got ourselves ready for bed.