Further Food Catastrophies

All I can say is that I feel lucky to be travelling with a nurse as she has helped me get my travel tummy into top gear!
No more information required?
Its always a problem when you change your diet so severely and your body keeps shouting internally going "What the Hell do you think you are doing?"

England and Wales so far have been a test on my stomach - I'm eating way too much and it's all basically bread/pastries/fired crap - yes....typical English fare.

We've been trying to get salad's into our systems and really Tesco (the local Woolies/Coles) has brilliant pre prepared salads for about $4 each.

Being on a tight budget I am always on the look out for a cheaper option - the almighty $$$ is just not stretching far enough to cover everything.

Wales gave us the option of Welsh cakes which were really flat scones with some sultanas in them and a little sweeter. They were served with butter and maybe we just didnt get a good batch.....but I was not terribly thrilled with those.

And the tea was very strong and quite bitter - heaps of sugar and milk made it drinkable.

Heading back to Stratford Upon Avon for some culture in the land where Shakespeare was born saw Gayle buy some Pork Scratchings which were dried pork rind fried to an inch of its life and covered with some sort of flour for added texture.
It was like eating dried crackling except we stopped when we turned up one piece with hair still on it from the poor piggy it came from.

Gayle did enjoy a beautiful Italian Risotto last night across the road at the Pub in York and she said it was delicious!

I was still trying to sure a sick tummy - maybe today I will get adventurous!!

Food delights of England!

Now before you go off and say that there is plenty of good food in England I will agree with you - yes there is!
Currently I am sitting in a Hotel in Wales surrounded by about 50 Restaurants with every sort of food you may ever desire.
I though would like to comment on some quirky things that we have found so far that are just not right!
You know how sometimes you might travel to somewhere new and you get to enjoy their cuisine and think...mmm..maybe I will go home and try to eat more like that.
Well....I havent said that about England.
The English have a real skill at taking perfectly good food and twisting it into something quite....unusual.

Take for instance the Cornish Pastie.
Now I am sure that it was designed as a food to fill you up with a whole lot of vege and anything that was left over from the meals from days before.
But that pastry was never meant to be eaten!
And it should not be eaten today!
I have never tasted anything so salty and so doughy in my life!

Another great quandary is why the English serve potato chips, from a packet with sandwiches?

Here is a picture of my meal today which was perfect except for the chips!
I guess that they might think that the chips are my portion of 'vege' for the day?
But totally not required.

The coffee is another thing - I have had quite a few while being here and I have to say that the coffee has gone from bad to worse.
When you press a button and the coffee and frothed milk comes out of one tube then its not a proper coffee no matter how much you think it is.

And lets finish on 'cream teas'.
Now these are yummy - but after about two or three I really dont want any more. Clotted cream - now that stuff is so thick you need a knife to cut it! But you can cover everything with that stuff and it will taste great!

Scones, as with many of the cakey items I have come across so far, are very stodgy and heavy.
I am afraid that its time for the Metamusil!

Getting all hippy at Glastonbury!

Finally got to get our old hippy on at Glastonbury!

Glastonbury is one of those places that mixes the new religions with the very old pagan religions all in one spot. You can go and sit next to sacred wells and then climb up to the Glastonbury Tor and then visit the ruined Abbey where King Arthur was buried before the monks exhumed him.

The hippies have taken over a portion of Glastonbury and each of their shops is filled to the brim with gems, trinkets, incense and all manner of things witchy and magical. People walk around wearing lots of colour and velvet. They have flowers in their hair and have a lovely smile on their faces as if they are very happy with the world they have created - and indeed it rubs off.

People spend lots of money and the goods are exquisite!
Every item is beautiful and well crafted - I actually saw very little kitch and I am rather an 'expert' in new age stuff lets say.

The alley ways are a small magical portal into other worlds and are all begging you to enter following the wafting fragrances of incense of all types.

We actually found it very difficult to leave as there seemed to be just one more shop to go into and then another and then another. I could have done with a whole day just perusing the shops and the streets - just exploring.

The early afternoon saw us travel to Wells - another Cathedral city.
This one seemed so far removed from the 'hocus pocus' of Glastonbury that it just did not feel right.
It was too neat, too tidy and the town was overwhelmed by the Cathedral and its school buildings.

Interestingly, the very next night, I was watching some television before going to bed and "Elizabeth" the movie with Kate Blanchett was on. Low and behold I recognised those corridors and those stained glass windows in many of the scenes - I had just been there the day before!
It was Wells Cathedral.

Let's Get out of Here

London is certainly a most wonderful city - and as many of the tour guides say, they believe it is the best in the world - but I am not really a shopping and clubbing person so I am glad to be heading out to see some of the real English countryside that I have been hanging out for.

Our first journey was by train so off we went hauling our bags, still relatively empty, to the nearest Tube Station and down the stairs to get another train to Paddington Station where we could catch the next train to Bath.
We chose to walk to the Station which was not far but I do admit a little inconvenient with the bags as a cab to the station would have been close to about $60. 

Another disappointing coffee purchased ( must stop doing that) and had a look around to see if I could find the statue of Paddington Bear which is supposed to be somewhere at the station.

What I did see what the immense crowd of smokers standing outside the main entrance sucking on their last fags before they could enter the Station. I have to say that looke so funny.

We didnt wait too long and piled into the train - the ride would take about an hour but I realised that our reserved spots had me facing backwards which was not going to be good for my travel sickness. So I changed seats giving Gayle space to sleep and for me to catch up talking to my hubby and my girls for the whole duration of the ride.

We arrived at Bath to pick up our hire car - and headed into the city centre.

So amazing - just coming around the corner to see the Cathedral and the Roman Baths.

Again a battle for space and sanity amongst the thousands of tourists but what a treasure this place it!
I know I was seeing it but my head was having trouble taking it all in.
The cathedral was also stunning.

I did drop a coin into one of the spas making a wish that one day I would return and i could share all of this wonder with my husband. I am missing him not being here with me. It's hard to leave loved ones behind on a journey of a lifetime - but sometimes that is the case and all you can do is your best to share with them your experiences through photos and skype which I have been doing.

It's London ...what could possibly go wrong?

Our day started with a lovely breakfast at a small coffee shop a few doors down from our luxurious hotel (not) at Whitechapel.

We made our way down the the Tower of London to be the first in the gate for the morning tours.
One very nasty beefeater gave me a mouthful way in as I asked for a photo - obviously he was not having a good day and wished to spoil mine.
It was the first bit of attitude we have encountered but I came to notice that many of the guides were a pretty bitter lot - lots of folded arms and growling faces.
Such a disappointment.
That first hour with just a handful of visitors was glorious but then it turned to utter bedlam ad we vied for space at each exhibit amongst streams of teens and school children of all nationalities.
The tourists did not stop and by the time we left it was horror central for anyone who might hate crowds (like me).

We had traditional fish and chips and then headed for some calm at All Hallow's Church, the oldest in London and it was blissful.
Quiet and very old it was a stunning place to spend time.
Totally beautiful and ready to reveal its secret as we headed down into the crypts below that had been converted to prayer rooms.
It was my first encounter with ghosts since arriving - I seemed to be greeted at the door and then followed around whilst there by a very elderly priest in long robes - reminded me of friars, very plain but very strong energies.

We walked past old Roman tiled floors - exposed so that we could see the past history of the site and also an old saxon arch ( from 675 AD) made from old recycled Roman roof tiles.
You tend to forget that the Romans were there before the English created London.

We got on the Hop On Hop Off bus finally for a tour around the city which was the master plan with the though of getting off at a few of the stops and checking places out.

But no.....heading to Hyde Park saw us stuck in a traffic jam that just was not moving.
After 40 minutes of going nowhere we and many others on the bus decided to get off and try our best to make it on our own.
Well, that was an epic failure - the bus route map is not very clear - it shows you round about where stops are but not exactly where they are.
So we wandered, and walked, and walked and stopped to ask and walked some more and walked till our feet ached but we could not to a bus stop.

Mind you everyone else in that area of the city was also without transport.
The London cabbies had gone on strike leaving their cabs in the middle of the streets - leaving them  empty and clogging up roadways.

And it seemed that no one could speak English very well so everyone we asked gave us directions that just led us in circles.
When we finally found a stop we could not believe that it was literally around the corner from where we first started.

We barely made it back to the hotel and collapsed for the rest of the evening - nope, no Jack the Ripper tour.
No going out for tea - just a hot bath and bed.
Maybe we can try another adventure tomorrow.

Day One and the fun has already started!

Heathrow is a monster of an airport!
We landed at dawn with a red sun rising on the horizon - it was 5 degrees warm.
It took about 4 hours to finally get through Customs and all the bits required and to work out how to get into the city.
So we took the underground - good idea at Heathrow but terrible idea by the time we got closer to the city. Hundreds of people trying to pack in to the wagons in an effort not to miss the train.

Let's just say I had some intimate moments with total strangers - boobs were touched, bottoms also - people breathing in my ear....all of which was promptly followed by a courteous 'sorry'!

Then we had to haul those dang heavy suitcases up and down the stairs of several train stations ( no lifts) and as I composed myself while trying to catch my breath Gayle just laughed at how unfit we both were!

We dropped our bags off at the Ibis Whitechapel after working out how to get there and headed off again into the Underground to go directly to Gayle's best shop in the whole world Harrod's.

The bottom floors look a bit like our Myer's stores but as you go up higher the floors take on a very Egyptian theme - very ostentatious.

The clothes and items are very expensive - very high end but there seems to be a lot of money floating around as the shop is packed and lots of people are walking around with Harrod's bags.

We stopped for something to eat and we must have looked a treat because when Gayle asked the waiter whether she could have another iced tea - she was told that 'we do not do refills here" - UM....
yeah?!!!!! I wasnt expecting a refill - I was expecting to PAY FOR IT!!"

Just a touch embarrasing!

Did we really look that boganish.

I think the waiter realised that he had really offended Gayle and bough her back a chocolate.

I had a burcher muesli with vanilla yoghurt and ginger stewed apples (thought it would help me shift a day's worth of aeroplane food) and Gayle had Welsh Rarebit and two iced teas.

We then hit the store and worked our way passed amazing crystals, 1000 pound bed sheets, 9000 pound pieces of luggage and shoes that were gorgeous but outrageously expensive.

Ahh...one can dream!

Finally we headed back to Whitechapel (again a squishy ride in the Tube) a quick visit to the local Tesco for some food and checking in to our room.

It was only later that we discovered that we were next to a Mosque with a call to prayer happening on a regular basis. Also Gayle discovered that we have a disco shower - when the water comes on there is a light in the shower head which changes colour.


The air conditioner doesnt work - so we currently have the window open but we can hear all the traffic outside and the toilet is in behind a cabinet in the wall.

Well all of this goes to make our first day a lot of fun.
Nothing terrible has happened and these little inconveniences all add to the fun.

Tomorrow we are heading to get on the Hop on hop off bus for a trip around London and stopping off at the Tower.

Now to sleep before I can no longer keep my eyes open.

Let the adventure Begin!

So let's just say that there are two very excited ladies sitting in the departure lounge at Sydney airport right now - and even though we have checked in and gone through the hoops - it still feels rather surreal.
To tell you the honest truth we have been excited for weeks now - you would think we were both going on our very first overseas trip!
But it just goes to show that no matter how old you are you can still get bloody excited about life!
We have already been naughty - have made smart arsed comments to Customs officers, of course.

Its so great to have a wonderful friend to travel with that you can feel totally comfortable with and living in each other's pockets for the next three weeks will test us - I hope we are still taking to each other by the time we come home!

One hour till boarding - wish us luck!