dave_future_predator (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dave_future_predator) wrote2012-02-07 04:19 pm
dave_future_predator) wrote2012-02-07 04:19 pm
Entry tags:
A Trip in Englandshire
We had a really nice trip away, thought I'd share some pics. There were kisses, flowers, and chocolate! So quite fitting for a Valentine's week!
I was really looking forward to seeing some snow, because we haven't had any up our way. We were not disappointed! It was a few degrees below when we got to my brother's, and we went for an amazing walk on the Saturday, through a park (with mistletoe on the trees! kissy kissy!) and then along the frozen canal.
Fantastic to hear the sound of lumps of snow sliding across the ice, watch the ducks slipping along, poor things. I took this just before the young swan fell through the ice and got a little swim!
Dave had a brilliant time :D
Monday we set off into London, where we planned to have a day of sightseeing, then stay overnight near Kew, then go to Kew Gardens the next day before heading back.
It was just nice to be back in London with all its little quirks.
We started off at the Bank of England museum, which was very interesting. It's only open through the week. It was quite good! We got to try and lift a gold bar worth almost half a million pounds! It was very heavy. And lost about £3000 in value while we were there :p It was really cool to look at the new £50 note under a microscope and various lights and see all the security features.
We had some bento boxes at Tsuru, then headed off to the Golden Hinde. This is a replica of Sir Francis Drake ship that he sailed around the world in in 1577-80. It's a pretty little ship, but my god, it really looks small. I have no idea how 80-odd men (mostly 6-foot tall) survived that long voyage. The replica has also been around the world. It was a very good guided tour - basically a lady in costume telling us what the voyage would have been like. The cannon deck had such a low ceiling. I really enjoyed seeing the ship.
The lady explained that the original ship would not have had a wheel to steer it, in those days they just had a stick that someone strapped themselves to and yanked it about *g* Kind of illegal now, it's so dangerous. Dave took the opportunity to check the wheel out.
We headed off to Kew and had a fabulous meal at an Iranian restaurant above a Cuban bar *bg* This, of course, gave us the opportunity to have mojitos with our meal, LOL. It was a great meal, then we stayed at the Premier Inn :D
Kew Gardens was really amazing, even though it is February, so I suppose not much was in bloom, really. Except the orchids, so what more do you need?
I found a plant some of you might appreciate *g*
We found a statue of what looked like Scooby Doo beside the Palm House, LOL!
There were workmen in harnesses fixing the Temperate House. Nice.
We went into the Evolution House which was interesting! It demonstrated life from 3.5 billion years ago. Dave felt right at home among the horsetails and ferns, even though he's from the future...
We spent 6 hours at Kew and still it was only scratching the surface. I want to go back in the summer to see the giant waterlilies :D
The next day we started to head north again (no one would let me go to Ipswich *pout*) and went to the National Space Centre in Leicester. Really very cool! Yes, it was busy, but so much to see. Everything from Helen Sharman's washbag to the spacesuit for a dog *wibble* And a neat building! Had to be built around the two enormous rockets inside :)
Then we headed to Birmingham where we stayed at the Travel Lodge, before going to Cadbury World the next day. CADBURY WORLD!!! CHOCOLATE!!!!!
Ahem. Fantastic history. A Quaker family, who looked after their workers and created the village of Bournville at a time when workers around the UK had a very hard life. It's a lovely place. Totally bonkers. And they keep plying you with liquid chocolate, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, and well, just brilliant, hahaha. I LOVED IT. AND I BOUGHT A WHOLE BOX OF FUDGEMALLOWWHIPPLESCRUMTIOUSDELIGHT BARS IN THE BIGGEST CADBURY SHOP IN THE WORLD.
A super trip. Still a few days of holiday, yay! Then back to normal :) Hope you liked my pics!
I was really looking forward to seeing some snow, because we haven't had any up our way. We were not disappointed! It was a few degrees below when we got to my brother's, and we went for an amazing walk on the Saturday, through a park (with mistletoe on the trees! kissy kissy!) and then along the frozen canal.
Fantastic to hear the sound of lumps of snow sliding across the ice, watch the ducks slipping along, poor things. I took this just before the young swan fell through the ice and got a little swim!
Dave had a brilliant time :D
Monday we set off into London, where we planned to have a day of sightseeing, then stay overnight near Kew, then go to Kew Gardens the next day before heading back.
It was just nice to be back in London with all its little quirks.
We started off at the Bank of England museum, which was very interesting. It's only open through the week. It was quite good! We got to try and lift a gold bar worth almost half a million pounds! It was very heavy. And lost about £3000 in value while we were there :p It was really cool to look at the new £50 note under a microscope and various lights and see all the security features.
We had some bento boxes at Tsuru, then headed off to the Golden Hinde. This is a replica of Sir Francis Drake ship that he sailed around the world in in 1577-80. It's a pretty little ship, but my god, it really looks small. I have no idea how 80-odd men (mostly 6-foot tall) survived that long voyage. The replica has also been around the world. It was a very good guided tour - basically a lady in costume telling us what the voyage would have been like. The cannon deck had such a low ceiling. I really enjoyed seeing the ship.
The lady explained that the original ship would not have had a wheel to steer it, in those days they just had a stick that someone strapped themselves to and yanked it about *g* Kind of illegal now, it's so dangerous. Dave took the opportunity to check the wheel out.
We headed off to Kew and had a fabulous meal at an Iranian restaurant above a Cuban bar *bg* This, of course, gave us the opportunity to have mojitos with our meal, LOL. It was a great meal, then we stayed at the Premier Inn :D
Kew Gardens was really amazing, even though it is February, so I suppose not much was in bloom, really. Except the orchids, so what more do you need?
I found a plant some of you might appreciate *g*
We found a statue of what looked like Scooby Doo beside the Palm House, LOL!
There were workmen in harnesses fixing the Temperate House. Nice.
We went into the Evolution House which was interesting! It demonstrated life from 3.5 billion years ago. Dave felt right at home among the horsetails and ferns, even though he's from the future...
We spent 6 hours at Kew and still it was only scratching the surface. I want to go back in the summer to see the giant waterlilies :D
The next day we started to head north again (no one would let me go to Ipswich *pout*) and went to the National Space Centre in Leicester. Really very cool! Yes, it was busy, but so much to see. Everything from Helen Sharman's washbag to the spacesuit for a dog *wibble* And a neat building! Had to be built around the two enormous rockets inside :)
Then we headed to Birmingham where we stayed at the Travel Lodge, before going to Cadbury World the next day. CADBURY WORLD!!! CHOCOLATE!!!!!
Ahem. Fantastic history. A Quaker family, who looked after their workers and created the village of Bournville at a time when workers around the UK had a very hard life. It's a lovely place. Totally bonkers. And they keep plying you with liquid chocolate, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, and well, just brilliant, hahaha. I LOVED IT. AND I BOUGHT A WHOLE BOX OF FUDGE
A super trip. Still a few days of holiday, yay! Then back to normal :) Hope you liked my pics!