Day 25 August 5th Oban to Fort William.
After breakfast we set off for a 45 mile drive to Fort William. After 11 miles we stopped at the Scottish Sea life Sanctuary. Inside a building we saw many fish species in small and large tanks including the rear and almost extinct NZ seahorse. At 10am we rushed to the North American otter’s enclosure for their daily feed. They were cute and performed well for their food. They differed from the Sea Otters we saw in Alaska two years previously.
We continued on towards Fort William. A wanted to climb Ben Nevis and I want to ride the antique train to Mallaig; we both missed out, the train was booked out for the rest of the month and Ben Nevis was hiding behind a mantle of thick cloud, so we drove past fort William to a spectacular valley enclosed on both sides by tall mountains disappearing into the clouds; many people were walking along tracks in the valley.
We then sought out our B&B Ard Daraich an old stone building set amongst many Rhododendrons and other shrubs; the Rhodos had all finished flowering for the season and were covered with new growth. We were promised to be shown around the garden the next day but rain intervened. After settling in we went for a short walk before driving several miles to a hotel for drinks before dinner. The hotel overlooked a tidal estuary; instead of the usual mud or sand the shore was covered with small rocks covered with gold coloured seaweed up to the green grass covered shore. It was truly scenic in the evening sun. A couple of miles further on we found our restaurant hidden away up a country lane over looking green fields sloping down and away towards a large hill covered with soft green Scottish pine trees. Back in NZ we would describe the place as the whop whops. The food was certainly not from the whops; it was Devine!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Day 24 August 4th Tarbet to Oban.
Day 24 August 4th Tarbet to Oban.
After a hearty breakfast we set forth on A83 before joining the A 82 for a 57 mile drive to Oban our next B&B town. We arrived at Oban Just before midday. Fay and I were able to buy some more cough medicine before we enjoyed a nice meal in a cafe overlooking the bay. We stayed at the Alltavona B&B, a nice everlasting stone building with a classy breakfast room situated on the waterfront overlooking the ferry terminal and small boat marina. Around 2pm Fay and A & H went walkabout while I stayed and watched a documentary on the Berlin wall.
After a hearty breakfast we set forth on A83 before joining the A 82 for a 57 mile drive to Oban our next B&B town. We arrived at Oban Just before midday. Fay and I were able to buy some more cough medicine before we enjoyed a nice meal in a cafe overlooking the bay. We stayed at the Alltavona B&B, a nice everlasting stone building with a classy breakfast room situated on the waterfront overlooking the ferry terminal and small boat marina. Around 2pm Fay and A & H went walkabout while I stayed and watched a documentary on the Berlin wall.
Day 23 August 3rd Touring around Tarbet.
Day 23 August 3rd Touring around Tarbet.
After a beautiful breakfast ( I am trying to eat less, but it is difficult) we went for a drive not knowing where we were going. After driving for about 35 miles we stumbled on the Benmore Botanic Gardens near Dunoon, Argyll. We strolled around for more than an hour through tall 100 year old American Sequoia redwoods under planted with soft green grass and many named small shrubs and trees. We photographed two large castle like homes within the Park before enjoying lunch at the cafe. After lunch we wandered on and eventally arrive at the seaside town of Dunoon, after which we retraced our track back to our B&B for a second night.
After a beautiful breakfast ( I am trying to eat less, but it is difficult) we went for a drive not knowing where we were going. After driving for about 35 miles we stumbled on the Benmore Botanic Gardens near Dunoon, Argyll. We strolled around for more than an hour through tall 100 year old American Sequoia redwoods under planted with soft green grass and many named small shrubs and trees. We photographed two large castle like homes within the Park before enjoying lunch at the cafe. After lunch we wandered on and eventally arrive at the seaside town of Dunoon, after which we retraced our track back to our B&B for a second night.
Day 22 August 2nd London to Glasgow.
Day 22 August 2nd London to Glasgow.
We were up early even though we had plenty of time we wanted to make sure the London rush hour did not hinder us. We left the guest house at 6:45am and walked to the station. The first set of stairs was not a problem as they sloped down. The train quickly appeared and we were on our way; being early meant there were seats available next to our luggage. Thirty five minutes later we arrived at South Kensington where we had to change from the Piccadilly Line to the Direct Line in order to travel to Victoria Station. There were two sets of stairs to climb; at the first a burly young man offered to help and at the second two young ladies offered; Hallelujah. Two stops later we arrived at Victoria Station and from there we walked about 500 metres to the coach station. Time taken from go to woe was 50 minutes. Victoria Coach Station was huge; there were 20 coach bays; busses were going everywhere. A sign offered a return day trip to Paris with six hours of Hop on Hop off bus in Paris. The Price £167. I spoke to a young Polish man who was about to commence a thirty hour bus journey to his home town in Poland. We boarded our bus at gate 19 and started the journey on the dot at 9am. This was an express bus which made one refuelling stop and two comfort stops for its passengers. The bus was fully loaded. At the beginning we travelled along the M1 highway for about a quarter of the journey and then we followed the M6; we left London at 09:00 and arrived at Glasgow at 17:40 after travelling 405 miles. On the way we passed by Lockerbie and Gretna Green. The bus ride was not pleasant; it was very hot inside as the air conditioning was not working. It was interesting to see how all the big trucks keep to the left lane while our bus kept in the second lane from the left; we passed an almost continuous line of trucks until over half way. As we neared the Scottish boarder the terrain changed from gently rolling plains to hill country before returning to rolling low plains just before Glasgow. The Scottish country side was not as closely populated as the English. We were met at the bus station by A & H who will drive us around Scotland for the next twelve days. A will drive and H will be our tour Guide. We travelled 40 miles to our B&B at the small village of Tarbet on the shores of Loch Lomond. From our room we could overlook the loch. Our B&B, Lomondview was constructed 11 years previously of light brown stone blocks of various sizes neatly patterned together.
We were up early even though we had plenty of time we wanted to make sure the London rush hour did not hinder us. We left the guest house at 6:45am and walked to the station. The first set of stairs was not a problem as they sloped down. The train quickly appeared and we were on our way; being early meant there were seats available next to our luggage. Thirty five minutes later we arrived at South Kensington where we had to change from the Piccadilly Line to the Direct Line in order to travel to Victoria Station. There were two sets of stairs to climb; at the first a burly young man offered to help and at the second two young ladies offered; Hallelujah. Two stops later we arrived at Victoria Station and from there we walked about 500 metres to the coach station. Time taken from go to woe was 50 minutes. Victoria Coach Station was huge; there were 20 coach bays; busses were going everywhere. A sign offered a return day trip to Paris with six hours of Hop on Hop off bus in Paris. The Price £167. I spoke to a young Polish man who was about to commence a thirty hour bus journey to his home town in Poland. We boarded our bus at gate 19 and started the journey on the dot at 9am. This was an express bus which made one refuelling stop and two comfort stops for its passengers. The bus was fully loaded. At the beginning we travelled along the M1 highway for about a quarter of the journey and then we followed the M6; we left London at 09:00 and arrived at Glasgow at 17:40 after travelling 405 miles. On the way we passed by Lockerbie and Gretna Green. The bus ride was not pleasant; it was very hot inside as the air conditioning was not working. It was interesting to see how all the big trucks keep to the left lane while our bus kept in the second lane from the left; we passed an almost continuous line of trucks until over half way. As we neared the Scottish boarder the terrain changed from gently rolling plains to hill country before returning to rolling low plains just before Glasgow. The Scottish country side was not as closely populated as the English. We were met at the bus station by A & H who will drive us around Scotland for the next twelve days. A will drive and H will be our tour Guide. We travelled 40 miles to our B&B at the small village of Tarbet on the shores of Loch Lomond. From our room we could overlook the loch. Our B&B, Lomondview was constructed 11 years previously of light brown stone blocks of various sizes neatly patterned together.
Day 21 August 1st a day in London.
Day 21 August 1st a day in London.
I was happy to have woken completely refreshed after the tiring day yesterday. We quickly had breakfast and set off to reconnoitre the route to the Victoria Coach Station where we would catch the bus to Glasgow on the morrow. I had already worked out the underground route, so it was a confirmation run in this respect. On emerging from Victoria tube station I asked taxi driver where the bus station was; he obliged; I also asked him how much a taxi would cost from our guest station to the bus station; his best guess was around £60.00; around $NZ133 compared with about £4.00 for the train. We found the Coach Station without any problems. The only problem with the train was that we had to climb about four sets of stairs with our heavy bags.
After finding the coach station the time was about ten in the morning so we bought two tickets for the “Original London Tour” hop on hop of bus. I planned that we would stay on the bus for one 2 hour round trip then start the hop on hop off bit. One of the first buildings of note we saw was the residence of England’s first woman Prime Minister; Margaret Thatcher. She owned the building, but not the land. All the land in the immediate locality was owned by a landlord Earl somebody. Every tenant of the land was obliged to repaint their homes annually with the same unique colour bought from the Earl who had it specially manufactured for him. Next stop would be Buckingham Palace and when the guide said that the changing of the guard was soon to take place i decided that we would hop off. We asked a palace spokesman where it would take place and the followed his directions. We had missed the actual changing ceremony but were able to witness the relieved guards marching through the gates back to their barracks. After a few more photos we then joined the queue in order to buy a ticket to view some of the interior; we reached the ticket seller who told us that the next entry group would be three hours into the future we decided to hop on the bus again. The next stop was the Big Ben, Parliament Buildings and Hyde Park stop. It was very difficult taking good photos from the moving bus so we hopped off again. I managed to capture Big Ben striking the hour as well as some good photos of the parliament. After spending some time sitting in Hyde Park watching the river Thames flow by we hopped back on the bus; next stop Trafalgar Square where we joined the huge crowds of people enjoying the sunshine and the music of the Jamaican steel bands. After taking photos of Nelson on top of his high column we managed to find some lunch. The National Art gallery was located here and we viewed some of the many old works. Then it was back on the bus again and after passing the Big Eye we crossed Tower Bridge and arrived at The Tower of London. I decided we would finish here as the Travelodge London Tower Bridge was nearby and I wanted to book for our last three nights in London. We then caught the underground back to our Guest House.
We enjoyed our day in London.
I was happy to have woken completely refreshed after the tiring day yesterday. We quickly had breakfast and set off to reconnoitre the route to the Victoria Coach Station where we would catch the bus to Glasgow on the morrow. I had already worked out the underground route, so it was a confirmation run in this respect. On emerging from Victoria tube station I asked taxi driver where the bus station was; he obliged; I also asked him how much a taxi would cost from our guest station to the bus station; his best guess was around £60.00; around $NZ133 compared with about £4.00 for the train. We found the Coach Station without any problems. The only problem with the train was that we had to climb about four sets of stairs with our heavy bags.
After finding the coach station the time was about ten in the morning so we bought two tickets for the “Original London Tour” hop on hop of bus. I planned that we would stay on the bus for one 2 hour round trip then start the hop on hop off bit. One of the first buildings of note we saw was the residence of England’s first woman Prime Minister; Margaret Thatcher. She owned the building, but not the land. All the land in the immediate locality was owned by a landlord Earl somebody. Every tenant of the land was obliged to repaint their homes annually with the same unique colour bought from the Earl who had it specially manufactured for him. Next stop would be Buckingham Palace and when the guide said that the changing of the guard was soon to take place i decided that we would hop off. We asked a palace spokesman where it would take place and the followed his directions. We had missed the actual changing ceremony but were able to witness the relieved guards marching through the gates back to their barracks. After a few more photos we then joined the queue in order to buy a ticket to view some of the interior; we reached the ticket seller who told us that the next entry group would be three hours into the future we decided to hop on the bus again. The next stop was the Big Ben, Parliament Buildings and Hyde Park stop. It was very difficult taking good photos from the moving bus so we hopped off again. I managed to capture Big Ben striking the hour as well as some good photos of the parliament. After spending some time sitting in Hyde Park watching the river Thames flow by we hopped back on the bus; next stop Trafalgar Square where we joined the huge crowds of people enjoying the sunshine and the music of the Jamaican steel bands. After taking photos of Nelson on top of his high column we managed to find some lunch. The National Art gallery was located here and we viewed some of the many old works. Then it was back on the bus again and after passing the Big Eye we crossed Tower Bridge and arrived at The Tower of London. I decided we would finish here as the Travelodge London Tower Bridge was nearby and I wanted to book for our last three nights in London. We then caught the underground back to our Guest House.
We enjoyed our day in London.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Day 20 July 31st Copenhagen to London.
Day 20 July 31st Copenhagen to London.
We had to rise at 5am in order to be at the gangplank at 6:30. Our big bags were packed and placed in the corridor by 7pm the night before where they would be collected and taken to the airport ahead of us. We breakfasted at 5:50am and arrived at the gangplank on time. The bus took 25minutes to reach the airport. I really do not know why we had to be taken so early. We had to wait until 11:30 before boarding the plane. The plane looked small but managed to seat 100. We had to buy our refreshments. I was worried because I had cashed all my Kroner for English pounds at the airport. To my relief they only accepted credit cards.
We arrived at Heathrow early and after walking for what seemed like 5 miles we cleared customs and arrived at the underground station. I topped up our Oyster cards and boarded the train. An oyster card is a train and bus pass which lasts forever providing you keep topping it up with money. When entering the train platform you touch a smiley face pad with card and the gate opens. You must go through the same process at your destination point at which point the machine calculates your fare and deducts if from your card value quicker than you can blink you eye. Twenty five minutes later we were at the Ealing Guest House. I was very weary and had a thumping headache so I lay down for a while.
At 6pm we went in search of our evening meal; we could not find a restaurant nearby but what we did fine was a small supermarket with lots of prepared meals just waiting to be put in the microwave oven and heated. We shared a nice shepherd’s pie followed by chocolate mousse and fresh fruit.
After I swallowed a couple of disprins and went straight to sleep. I awoke the next morning refreshed and with no headache.
We had to rise at 5am in order to be at the gangplank at 6:30. Our big bags were packed and placed in the corridor by 7pm the night before where they would be collected and taken to the airport ahead of us. We breakfasted at 5:50am and arrived at the gangplank on time. The bus took 25minutes to reach the airport. I really do not know why we had to be taken so early. We had to wait until 11:30 before boarding the plane. The plane looked small but managed to seat 100. We had to buy our refreshments. I was worried because I had cashed all my Kroner for English pounds at the airport. To my relief they only accepted credit cards.
We arrived at Heathrow early and after walking for what seemed like 5 miles we cleared customs and arrived at the underground station. I topped up our Oyster cards and boarded the train. An oyster card is a train and bus pass which lasts forever providing you keep topping it up with money. When entering the train platform you touch a smiley face pad with card and the gate opens. You must go through the same process at your destination point at which point the machine calculates your fare and deducts if from your card value quicker than you can blink you eye. Twenty five minutes later we were at the Ealing Guest House. I was very weary and had a thumping headache so I lay down for a while.
At 6pm we went in search of our evening meal; we could not find a restaurant nearby but what we did fine was a small supermarket with lots of prepared meals just waiting to be put in the microwave oven and heated. We shared a nice shepherd’s pie followed by chocolate mousse and fresh fruit.
After I swallowed a couple of disprins and went straight to sleep. I awoke the next morning refreshed and with no headache.
Day 19 July 30th Oslo Norway.
Day 19 July 30th Oslo Norway.
I awoke at 5am half an hour before sunrise. When I looked out the window, Norwegian houses amongst pines lined the shore, about 100 meters away; we had reached the Oslojorden fjord; in fact were probably half way through it. This one differs from the great fjord on the west coast of Norway; the one that appears in all the picture books with its tall precipitous cliffs. At this point there were a few small houses dotted along the shore but as we got closer to Oslo they grew in number and became bigger. It was a pleasant sight. There were quite a few populated islands, their only access to the city being by ferry or personal boat; there were quite a few in small harbours. We reached the pier at seven o’clock and only a short walk into town. Beside the pier was a restored medieval fort.
After breakfast we went ashore to our waiting tour bus. The weather was slightly overcast and threatening to rain. It did rain but luckily elsewhere. We drove through the centre of town through many fine buildings, plenty of trees and lots of lush parks. Some of the streets were lined with brightly coloured flowers. It was a pleasant drive. Our first stop was at a park where hundreds of sculptured human figures was the theme of the park; all of them nude!.
One beautiful waterfall had a large saucer full of water supported by six huge broad shouldered men hewn from stone which overflowed cascading down over their bodies. The park had lots of pools, very green lawns, lovely rose gardens as well as other flowers. When we rejoined our bus the driver could not start the motor, it had an electrical fault so we had extra time at the park until the repair man arrived.
We next visited a man made steel ski jump on top of a small mountain: there was no snow to be seen but in the winter there would be plenty; we were at latitude of 60 degrees. We drove further up the mountain to about 450 meters before descending through some really upmarket ski resorts and private home nestled among pine forests. Our next stop was at their National Art Gallery where we viewed many large paintings many hundreds of years old.
We were back on board moments before the ship sailed at 1:45pm. Apparently we had to sail early in order to negotiate the narrow fjord in turn with other large cruise ships (I counted five) and to arrive back in Copenhagen by 5am; it would be a busy day for the ship in Copenhagen disembarking its present 2700 passengers restocking and readying the cabins for another 2700 new passengers before sailing at 6pm.
At around 3pm we cruised past an historic island which had a military fort complete with large guns guarding the narrow waterway which we were travelling through. It also had torpedo launching tubes below the surface of the water. At the outbreak of the last world war, the day Germany had just invaded their neighbour, Denmark two German ships sailed toward this fortified this Island, one a blue ship carrying high ranking Germans and troops followed by a gunship. Norway at this point in time was not officially at war with Germany. The commander of the fort had a difficult decision to make and had not received official orders from Oslo. There was little time for communication as it was night. If he opened fire he would be damned and damned if he did not so he did. The blue boat was damaged so badly it sank in 300 feet of water not much further on; the gunship was torpedoed and also sunk. As it turned out the troops and officials on the blue were to make a surprise attack on Oslo and take over control without much fighting. The sinking of these ships allowed the royal family and the government officials enough time to take all Norway’s gold bullion and major artworks and escape to Britain. 48 hours later Norway surrendered to the Germans.
The Norwegians as recognition of the event and Britain offering asylum have a statue in the main square of Oslo.
After leaving the sheltered waters of the fjord we encountered rough waters. I was amazed at how the huge ship could be thrown round. Fortunately we reached sheltered waters again before we went to bed.
I awoke at 5am half an hour before sunrise. When I looked out the window, Norwegian houses amongst pines lined the shore, about 100 meters away; we had reached the Oslojorden fjord; in fact were probably half way through it. This one differs from the great fjord on the west coast of Norway; the one that appears in all the picture books with its tall precipitous cliffs. At this point there were a few small houses dotted along the shore but as we got closer to Oslo they grew in number and became bigger. It was a pleasant sight. There were quite a few populated islands, their only access to the city being by ferry or personal boat; there were quite a few in small harbours. We reached the pier at seven o’clock and only a short walk into town. Beside the pier was a restored medieval fort.
After breakfast we went ashore to our waiting tour bus. The weather was slightly overcast and threatening to rain. It did rain but luckily elsewhere. We drove through the centre of town through many fine buildings, plenty of trees and lots of lush parks. Some of the streets were lined with brightly coloured flowers. It was a pleasant drive. Our first stop was at a park where hundreds of sculptured human figures was the theme of the park; all of them nude!.
One beautiful waterfall had a large saucer full of water supported by six huge broad shouldered men hewn from stone which overflowed cascading down over their bodies. The park had lots of pools, very green lawns, lovely rose gardens as well as other flowers. When we rejoined our bus the driver could not start the motor, it had an electrical fault so we had extra time at the park until the repair man arrived.
We next visited a man made steel ski jump on top of a small mountain: there was no snow to be seen but in the winter there would be plenty; we were at latitude of 60 degrees. We drove further up the mountain to about 450 meters before descending through some really upmarket ski resorts and private home nestled among pine forests. Our next stop was at their National Art Gallery where we viewed many large paintings many hundreds of years old.
We were back on board moments before the ship sailed at 1:45pm. Apparently we had to sail early in order to negotiate the narrow fjord in turn with other large cruise ships (I counted five) and to arrive back in Copenhagen by 5am; it would be a busy day for the ship in Copenhagen disembarking its present 2700 passengers restocking and readying the cabins for another 2700 new passengers before sailing at 6pm.
At around 3pm we cruised past an historic island which had a military fort complete with large guns guarding the narrow waterway which we were travelling through. It also had torpedo launching tubes below the surface of the water. At the outbreak of the last world war, the day Germany had just invaded their neighbour, Denmark two German ships sailed toward this fortified this Island, one a blue ship carrying high ranking Germans and troops followed by a gunship. Norway at this point in time was not officially at war with Germany. The commander of the fort had a difficult decision to make and had not received official orders from Oslo. There was little time for communication as it was night. If he opened fire he would be damned and damned if he did not so he did. The blue boat was damaged so badly it sank in 300 feet of water not much further on; the gunship was torpedoed and also sunk. As it turned out the troops and officials on the blue were to make a surprise attack on Oslo and take over control without much fighting. The sinking of these ships allowed the royal family and the government officials enough time to take all Norway’s gold bullion and major artworks and escape to Britain. 48 hours later Norway surrendered to the Germans.
The Norwegians as recognition of the event and Britain offering asylum have a statue in the main square of Oslo.
After leaving the sheltered waters of the fjord we encountered rough waters. I was amazed at how the huge ship could be thrown round. Fortunately we reached sheltered waters again before we went to bed.
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