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linda_joyceSo you are going to have the holiday report now and I'll spam you with photos laterWe had a pleasant journey up on Sunday. The weather was warm and dry but not too bright for Beth to drive comfortably, it was busier than we thought thanks to the FA cup being played at Cardiff. We stopped at a Harvesters for lunch it being slightly better than Motorway food. I actually enjoyed my meal, I had the Chinese platter which as a starter for two was just enough. After a restful rest of Sunday we decided to to do Hampton Court on the Monday. Like a lot of Stately homes the Royal Palaces don't allow photography in doors (so when you do see my photos they will be of gardens and masonry)
Hampton Court has three tours which you can either do with guide or with an audio guide. Since both Jill and I are walking impaired we chose the audio guide and took our time doing the Tudor tour and the William and Mary tour in the morning.
We had a nice but unexpected break between them as the fire alarm went off just as we entered the ladies. A lady in a wheelchair was just opening the disabled toilet door to go in when the alarm started and everyone in the toilets, including her, thought it was something she had done so we all ignored it. Until the staff rushed in an ushered us out of the fire door and into the back garden. It turned out to be a false alarm but it rested our weary legs for long enough between the two tours.
We had lunch in the Tudor Cafe, a weird combination of self service cafeteria and Tudor kitchen. I had chicken stew Tudor style, it was delicious.
In the afternoon we completed the final tour George II state rooms.
Hampton Court has got things just right for those who find walking difficult but don't yet need wheel chairs, There was somewhere to sit and listen to to the guides in every room. When the tourist season really gets underway there probably won't be enough benches and chairs but in May it was just right. We got home a little tired but not too bad in the legs department.
So the next day we decided to do Windsor. Big mistake, the state rooms have to be seen all in one go and nowhere to sit in most of the rooms. It is no longer than Hampton Court but without the breaks and somewhere to sit by the time we got out of there Jill and I were barely able to move. Jill didn't manage the St. Georges Chapel, though after a sit down on the Long Walk I did just manage it. Lunch was a long slow one in a pub just opposite the Castle. It was rather expensive for fish and chips but since it was cooked on demand and we were sat down we didn't quibble.
After two days of sight seeing we decided to have a rest day the next day and had a long lie in and went into Kingston for a bit of shopping in Bentalls and the shopping mall attached to it. I have had my first taste of Krispy Kre3am doughnuts in Bentalls and am very grateful there is not a branch in Newport because I would not be able to resist them. We spent most of the time in Watermans as Beth and Jill are going to Canada later on this year and wanted to buy some paperbacks for the trip. I spent a happy half hour sat in the crafts section reading the knitting books. Then it was lunch and back home for an afternoon nap and dinner.
Thursday we went to Kew. I'm a lot happier about my garden now having gone round Kew Gardens. i don't have a mess at the bottom of the garden I have an Eco-friendly wild patch and my 'lawn' is a wild flower meadow. We had a fascinating poke around the Princess of Wales Glasshouse, but both Jill and I drew the line at touring the Palm House, there must be something about tropical heat that our knees don't like because both of us could hardly move before we went 10 yards. We sat at the meeting between the African and American and let Beth and our hostess Cousin Jane go and look at the rest of it. Jill and I learned a lot about the two areas as we were listened to the lectures of school parties and a Kew gardener. We did the temperate house and then went into lunch just in time to miss the new airbus flying in to Heathrow to see if it fitted. Kew is on the direct flight path and they are in low we would have had a wonderful view but nobody had told us.
Friday we travelled home in the rain but the worst of it held off until we were in and settled with the shopping done.
It was a tiring holiday but I'm glad I did it, I might not be able to do the walking in a year or two's time. I'll spam you with photos next weekend with any luck.
Hampton Court has three tours which you can either do with guide or with an audio guide. Since both Jill and I are walking impaired we chose the audio guide and took our time doing the Tudor tour and the William and Mary tour in the morning.
We had a nice but unexpected break between them as the fire alarm went off just as we entered the ladies. A lady in a wheelchair was just opening the disabled toilet door to go in when the alarm started and everyone in the toilets, including her, thought it was something she had done so we all ignored it. Until the staff rushed in an ushered us out of the fire door and into the back garden. It turned out to be a false alarm but it rested our weary legs for long enough between the two tours.
We had lunch in the Tudor Cafe, a weird combination of self service cafeteria and Tudor kitchen. I had chicken stew Tudor style, it was delicious.
In the afternoon we completed the final tour George II state rooms.
Hampton Court has got things just right for those who find walking difficult but don't yet need wheel chairs, There was somewhere to sit and listen to to the guides in every room. When the tourist season really gets underway there probably won't be enough benches and chairs but in May it was just right. We got home a little tired but not too bad in the legs department.
So the next day we decided to do Windsor. Big mistake, the state rooms have to be seen all in one go and nowhere to sit in most of the rooms. It is no longer than Hampton Court but without the breaks and somewhere to sit by the time we got out of there Jill and I were barely able to move. Jill didn't manage the St. Georges Chapel, though after a sit down on the Long Walk I did just manage it. Lunch was a long slow one in a pub just opposite the Castle. It was rather expensive for fish and chips but since it was cooked on demand and we were sat down we didn't quibble.
After two days of sight seeing we decided to have a rest day the next day and had a long lie in and went into Kingston for a bit of shopping in Bentalls and the shopping mall attached to it. I have had my first taste of Krispy Kre3am doughnuts in Bentalls and am very grateful there is not a branch in Newport because I would not be able to resist them. We spent most of the time in Watermans as Beth and Jill are going to Canada later on this year and wanted to buy some paperbacks for the trip. I spent a happy half hour sat in the crafts section reading the knitting books. Then it was lunch and back home for an afternoon nap and dinner.
Thursday we went to Kew. I'm a lot happier about my garden now having gone round Kew Gardens. i don't have a mess at the bottom of the garden I have an Eco-friendly wild patch and my 'lawn' is a wild flower meadow. We had a fascinating poke around the Princess of Wales Glasshouse, but both Jill and I drew the line at touring the Palm House, there must be something about tropical heat that our knees don't like because both of us could hardly move before we went 10 yards. We sat at the meeting between the African and American and let Beth and our hostess Cousin Jane go and look at the rest of it. Jill and I learned a lot about the two areas as we were listened to the lectures of school parties and a Kew gardener. We did the temperate house and then went into lunch just in time to miss the new airbus flying in to Heathrow to see if it fitted. Kew is on the direct flight path and they are in low we would have had a wonderful view but nobody had told us.
Friday we travelled home in the rain but the worst of it held off until we were in and settled with the shopping done.
It was a tiring holiday but I'm glad I did it, I might not be able to do the walking in a year or two's time. I'll spam you with photos next weekend with any luck.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-21 04:18 pm (UTC)We are into "prairie planting". In other words, we don't weed the flower beds enough but do have several varieties of grass running to seed.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-21 05:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-23 08:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-23 09:04 pm (UTC)I love anything with a History, ruins from ancient Greece up to date, ( there was a lovely purpose built ruined arch in Kew) , castles, abbeys and palaces in ruins or still habitable, I love them all. The one thing I regret about last week was it was raining to hard to stop off at Runnymede's on the way back from Kingston. If you enjoy a good play, if you ever go to Hampton Court go on one of the guided tours by the guides in costume. We caught a few bits of the Tudor lady tour as we went round, she was very good.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-23 09:07 pm (UTC)