A Long Travel Day

Pages from Jan's Travel Journal: April 28, 2015

We had a very long travel day, making our way back to France. That morning we all grabbed a hot drink in the hotel breakfast room before trundling our luggage along to the bus station. We had decided to take this alternate form of transportation for a couple of reasons. One, it would give us different views and perspective to be on the highway, and two, riding the bus would save the three of us a total of £75. It would mean adding one additional hour of travel time, which seemed a fair exchange.

Near the bus station in Bath, Desmond discovered a Krispy Kreme donut shop! He walked over and picked up a box of assorted donuts while Craig and I waited at the bus terminal. That was a tasty treat for all of us, but especially for Des, who had not had Krispy Kreme for a couple of years, at least. My favorite was the speculoos-filled donut. 

A shopping arcade in Bath.

Farewell, Bath! It's been fun.

The bus turned out to be very nice, more like a charter bus would be in America. It had tinted windows and plush, high-backed seats. I enjoyed looking out at the lovely English countryside, though it wasn't long before we were driving through the outskirts of London. After we arrived at the terminal, we walked through Paddington Station and hopped on the Tube to St. Pancras Station where we soon boarded the Eurostar. Craig was quite impressed with the high-speed train and the idea that we were just a short ride away from Paris. On the train, we had seats that faced each other, with a table between which made it much more comfortable to read, snack, or play a game.

At Paddington Station in London.

The London Underground, aka The Tube.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at Gare du Nord, where we piled into a taxi for the ride across Paris to Gare d'Austerlitz. The train to Orleans wasn't crowded, which made for a quiet, pleasant journey. At the station, we transferred to a tram for the ride across town to Desmond's home. At that point, we had been travelling for 15 hours and were more than ready for something to eat. We deposited our luggage inside the door and walked across the bridge to Oh, Terroir where we had a delightful meal. We had all somehow decided on the same dish, which was the delicious ham in Dijon sauce served over spelt. Oh, Terroir is one of only a few restaurants in Orleans which allows free refills on drinks. We enjoyed the sparkling lemonade and a tasty blend of strawberry and blackberry juices.  

We're back!

When we returned to the house, Craig got the full tour of the new digs. He was impressed with the layout and with the way Desmond had decorated his home. We chatted for a while, and then went to bed exhausted. But it had certainly been a fun trip!

From London to Bath

Pages from Jan's Travel Journal: April 26, 2015

The Hotel Apollo in London was a small, narrow row house that had been converted into a charming bed and breakfast. Its location on Argyle Street made it very convenient to both King's Cross Station and St. Pancras Station. I had read mixed reviews about the place and decided to take a chance as the price was quite reasonable. The bedrooms are tiny, but very neat and decorated in a cozy style. There was even a kettle in the room, and packets of coffee and tea. The bathrooms were clean and modern. It's a family business and the owners were very nice. We would be willing to stay there again.

Our small, cozy room at the Apollo.

We had the full English breakfast before starting our short journey to Bath. The breakfast room was in the basement, which had a large walk-out with stairs leading to street level. The windows allowed plenty of morning light to brighten the room. That meal was quite an experience! Our plates were heaped with bacon, sausage, grilled tomatoes, baked beans, mushrooms, hash browns, and a fried egg. A toast rack was brought to the table, along with plenty of coffee or tea. I was able to finish about half of my meal. I'm simply not accustomed to a heavy breakfast. It was certainly a meal we will never forget.

A full English breakfast at the Apollo, London.

Our next stop was Paddington Station, where we would catch the train heading west for Bath and Bristol. Desmond easily navigated our way through the London Tube (mind the gap!) to Paddington, where we boarded our train. We enjoyed every minute of the ride through London and into the countryside. The gorgeous rural scenery of lush green fields, peaceful streams, farms, and pastures dotted with fluffy sheep kept us mesmerized. We saw several little narrowboats floating serenely on placid streams and canals. As we neared Bath, Des spotted the chalk horse high upon a hillside. There are several of those in the area, and I'm sorry I was unable to get a good photo of one.

I had originally booked rooms for us at a hotel in Bath center, but due to a schedule change, we found ourselves at the Holiday Inn, about a twenty minute walk from the train station. The hotel is located beside a very old cemetery, which Craig and I had a view of from our room. It wasn't creepy at all. The ancient, ornate headstones were surrounded by flowers, bushes. and  tall trees. It looked like an interesting place to explore. We stowed our bags in the room and then the three of us set out to explore Bath. 

A Tiny Tour of London

Pages from Jan's Travel Journal: April 25, 2015 continued...

We were very glad to see Craig again and even though he must have been exhausted from traveling, he was eager to go out and explore a bit in London. It was hard to believe that it had really happened, but there we were! We freshened up in our tiny rooms at the Apollo and then set out to find something to eat.

We didn't have to walk far to find a pub. It turned out to be an Irish pub called O'Neill's, which was just across from the train station. The waitress was very friendly and happily allowed us to sample some of the beer before making a selection. Desmond and Craig began a little tradition of asking for "your two favorites" and the wait staff at each pub we visited was always happy to oblige. They enjoyed trying the popular local brews. I had ordered ginger beer, which was very refreshing. 

Our meal was delicious and filling. We all chose something different. I went for comfort food and ordered the mac and cheese with bacon. It was quite possibly the best macaroni and cheese dish I have ever tasted. The blend of cheeses and the crisp, smoky bacon made it a very satisfying choice. Des enjoyed shrimp scampi, which was actually more like garlic-seasoned fried shrimp. Craig dug into a plate heaped with the traditional bangers and mash. The sausage and mashed potatoes were topped with a rich brown gravy. After that meal, we all decided that we were fans of pub grub!

We enjoyed a tasty lunch at O'Neill's pub in London.

Craig had to try the "bangers and mash" at O'Neill's.

With only the afternoon and evening in London, we chose to board one of the double decker buses for a hop-on, hop-off tour. We saw some amazing sights: the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and so on. I was a typical gaping tourist, camera in hand, awed by the sights and sounds of England's capitol. I particularly enjoyed the walk along the Thames. The area was crowded, yet seemed very safe, and the throngs of visitors were all in a festive mood. The weather was in a good mood, too, as the clouds thinned and sunlight brightened the scene.

The London Eye.

Big Ben, of course.

     

The Tower of London.

The Tower Bridge.

 

The three of us enjoyed a boat tour on the Thames, which showed us many of the sights we had viewed from the bus, but from a different perspective. I'm not sure any of us ever stopped smiling as we turned our heads this way and that to view the iconic buildings and attractions. We all agreed that we will have to return to London in the future for a more extensive visit. 

Westminster Abbey and Big Ben.

The Tower Bridge, London UK

Before making our way back to the hotel that evening, we stopped for dinner at another pub, The Skinners Arms. It seemed like a typical English pub and was lavishly decorated with old photos, ads, and other memorabilia. The staff and other customers were all friendly and welcoming. One couple even gave up their table for us and moved to a smaller one so that we would not have to wait. I decided that it was time to try the fish and chips, and was not disappointed! Craig ordered a steak and Guiness pie, which was topped with puff pastry and looked wonderful. Desmond chose the salmon, which was served with roasted potatoes and green beans. We walked slowly back to the hotel and were soon ready for bed. It had been an exhausting day, though a very delightful one. 

Of course, I had to try the traditional fish and chips in London.

London, Here We Come!

Pages from Jan's Travel Journal: April 24 and 25, 2015

Desmond was at work, so I did some laundry and tidied up the house in preparation for our trip to England. We were all looking forward to seeing Craig in London soon. I knew he was anticipating a break from work!

That evening, we went to Chez Ming for dinner. Fanny and her young daughter, Jade, were able to join us. We were feeling very festive because this was actually vacation eve for Desmond. We had a wonderful meal and I enjoyed listening to Jade speaking some English. It's amazing how quickly children can pick up a new language. I hope that someday I will be able to converse with Fanny and Jade in French.

I was up late, tracking Craig's flight. I finally went to bed around 1:00 AM, when I saw that boarding had begun. I tossed and turned all night, and finally got out of bed at 5:00. I checked Craig's flight status again, and learned that his flight had been delayed for two hours due to an air conditioning valve malfunction. That meant we would all arrive in London at about the same time.

Desmond and I set out for Paris by train. We had a quick breakfast of pastries and coffee in the station before our train left for Gare d' Austerlitz. Once there, we grabbed a taxi for the ride to Gare du Nord, where we would board the Eurostar. I had never been to Gare du Nord - it was a busy place! The Eurostar terminal was chaotic, but we found a cafe in which to purchase some sandwiches and sat down for a quick lunch before joining the queue on the platform. I was nervous about crossing the channel tunnel, so I made sure that I had an absorbing game to play on my iPad while making the crossing. I ignored the darkness outside the window, and before I knew it, we had arrived in London! My phone rang before we were even off the train. It was Craig, informing me that he has just arrived at Heathrow and was taking a taxi to meet us at the hotel. He was a bit concerned that his ATM card had refused to work at the airport, though he had managed to exchange some euros for pounds and believed he would have enough for the ride to our lodgings.

The beautiful St. Pancras train station in London.

St. Pancras International  is a busy and beautiful London train station which first opened in 1868. The Victorian Gothic Architecture is a wonder. The elegant interior is crammed with restaurants and shops of every kind. We didn't linger in the station, but set out to walk the short distance to the hotel. It should have been a quick walk of less than two blocks, but it took us a bit longer because we took a couple of wrong turns. We checked into the Hotel Apollo, a bed and breakfast which was small and charming and very clean.

 

The Hotel Apollo in London was cozy and clean.

Craig phoned again, this time from the taxi. He said that the meter was ticking away at an alarming rate and asked if we could meet him outside the hotel as he was certain that his 50 pounds just wasn't going to be enough. Desmond sprinted back to the station and located an ATM, where he was able to withdraw from my account. He returned in plenty of time to hand over the 120 pounds due for the taxi ride from Heathrow! We had heard that London cabs were expensive, but wow!  

It seemed that every year we had traveled to France, there was a problem with one or the other of our debit cards. Even though Craig and I had both informed the bank of the dates of our travel and were assured that both cards would work properly, it had never turned out that way. The problem was not insurmountable, but was awfully inconvenient at times. It was actually a good thing that Craig's flight had been delayed!