Winding down

The last full day of our holiday, travel day excluded dawned this morning in 40 odd degrees of heat in Dubai.

Back to the Dubai Mall was the plan to fill up every last bit of space (and perhaps a little more) available in the suitcases.

This mall has everything you could want, is never ending in all directions and can hold (and does) many thousands of shoppers and tyre kickers.

After returning to the hotel mid afternoon to freshen up it was back to the mall and the Burj Khalfia for a trip to the top with our man in Dubai, Dave

It is worth a moment to read up on some of the facts and figures of the burj at http://yeinjee.com/2010/burj-khalifa-dubai-facts-figures/.

Even though the day was hazy the view is something else.

After our trip back to sea level we then had dinner with Dave & Lucy at a restaurant overlooking the water and fountain show which  is the world’s largest dancing fountain and:

• In sync with classical, Arabic and world music
• 1.5 million lumens of projected light
• Spray heights of up to 500 feet
• 22,000 gallons of airborne water

You can see a performance on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=579asyFa1Og

Home to bed to get sleep before the 6am rise to start the long haul home.

Everyday of the trip has been awesome and we will have memories of it for the rest of our lives and in the 7 weeks we were away we had rain only on 3 days none of which stopped us doing the things we wanted to - how lucky was that, the Gods were shining on us.

Cheers & thanks for taking the time to read the blog which was our way of recording our trip so that we could look back on it in the future particular when the mind has began to fade (some say that is now!)

See you all in the Land of the Great White Cloud in a day or two

All the following photos taken from either the visit to the Burj Khalifa or watching the water fountain show

Desert Safari

After a jaunt to Wafi shopping centre late this morning and following a swim in the hotel pool to cool off, it being 44 degrees today, we were picked up late afternoon for a desert safari.

After around 45 minutes driving we pulled up by a group of shops "miles" from Dubai but close to the desert and were told there was a 15 minute break while we waited for all the tour groups to meet up when it fact it was an opportunity to push everyone into a cheap tourist shop.

Back in the 4 wheel drive Toyotas (must have been 100 of them) we moved onto the desert proper.

Just before leaving the road the drivers got out and let air out of the tyres so that they would have better grip in the sand.

Then in convoy they raced through the desert doing dune bashing - up and over dunes, sometimes at 45 degree angle, sometimes having to let the vehicle slid down the slope because he couldn't bring it up to the top of the dune etc.

I thought it was rather tame apart from when we went over the top of a dune and my head was propelled into the roof of the vehicle, but Sherry didn't enjoy much.

We then stopped to allow every one out into the desert for photos and to put your toes in the sand.

What was surprising and disappointing was the amount of rubbish that others before us had left in this area however the view of the desert was quite spectacular.

Off again in convoy to another part of the desert which required the vehicles to go back onto the highway and as our vehicle came off the sand and onto the tarmac it must have rolled its right rear tyre off the rim as we came to a shuddering halt and then the fun started.

 The jack wouldn't lift the vehicle high enough to start with.

Using a pump connected to the motor they though they could pump it up again but couldn't get the tyre to seal properly on the rim.

After around 30-40 minutes of headless chook stuff the tyre was finally changed and we were off again.

However due to the wasted time we missed being parked up to see the sunset and were too late into camp to get to ride a camel.

  At the camp the 200 or so guests were served a meal and we were treated to performances by a belly dancer and a male dancing the tanoura.

While the lady was a good dancer (and looker) I thought the male was the more impressive and skilful.

Back into the Toyota for the drive back home and we watched street signs say that Dubai was 25kms, 18kms, and then 30kms away in that order!

A quick dip in the pool before it closed for the night finished off the day.

What is there to say!!

Awoke at 5am London time after a very interrupted nights sleep, there being a party in the flat above us, the flat beside us and the street out the front until the birds starting chirping.

Off to Victoria Station onto the Gatwick Express and before you could say 7 o'clock we were at the terminal.

Normal unpleasant flight to Dubai and we are in the apartment by 9.30pm having lost some hours with the time zones and a full day has passed.

Off to bed now, good night

Going back to last night

I omitted to write about the dining experience.

We chose to go for a curry in Brick Lane which is a street of Indian curryhouses touting for your business.

After walking passed a few we were invited by a "tout" to use their facility and we made as to move off and he started to offer a discount.

By the time we accepted his invitation to dine he had offered two pints or two wines each and a 30% discount overall - so 3 of us enjoyed excellent curries with drinks for a total cost of less then 45 quid!

This morning we went to the "High St" to order a mini-cab to take us to London Victoria station to catch the Gatwick Express - a 6am pick-up tomorrow morning doesn't sound like fun but it has to be done.

This afternoon we took the underground to go to Knightsbridge but as we arrived at King's Cross the alarms went off and we had to exit the underground before we could get onto the next train that we needed.

Feeling like chooks with heads cut off we consulted a small pocket map to try and find the best way to Knightsbridge - a 7 or so minute walk to Euston Station and back on the underground got us there not long after.

Walked out of the underground and straight into Harrods - while we can now say we have been into Harrods it wasn't a shop that had a nice feel about it unlike Hamleys yesterday.

After Harrods we then did a walk around Knightsbridge, Chelsea & Belgravia to see how the other half live and I have to say if the Ferraris and other prestige cars either parked or driving around the area were any indication then they are living quite nicely thank you.

Walked passed many of the embassies in around Belgrave Square ending up at Hyde Park Corner station which coincidentally was the first underground that we exited when we started our sightseeing in London last Monday morning - so we can confirm that we have gone full circle.

A final journey on the underground got us home to allow time to repack the suitcases.

London has been an enjoyable city but I agree with John Cleese that it appears to have lost its Englishness given the number of foreign speakers that you hear in the street.

And a question  for the banks operating in the NZ market - why can the banks here in London offer free withdrawals from ATMs no matter which bank you are with whereas you scoundrels want to charge a fee for non-customers?

The suitcases are bulging...

...after an afternoon in the Regent/Oxford Streets shopping strips.

The number of people doing the same was overwhelming, we think it is the last week of the summer holidays for the kids.

Talking of kids we were two ourselves as we spent quite sometime in Hamleys department store, a toy store on Regent St that is the world's largest toy store and has become a tourist attraction in London being in existence since 1760 in one form or another

The number of different toys that have never seen the light of day in NZ was mind blowing - almost gives one ideas of being an importer but the pros and cons of that need to be carefully thought through.

We met our nephew James (Jimmy) Harnett for dinner & an ale in the Bishopgate area tonight.

Just in case his mum reads the blog we report that he looks as handsome as the day you last saw him, he is no shorter than you remember, his tongue is as quick as it ever was and he has matured into a thoughtful gentleman.

Apart from the photos above none were taken today as you can't photo shop after shop after shop and make them look different!

One more day in London before we pack up and start our trek home.

Why oh why...

...was Windsor Castle built under the flight path of Heathrow?

A plane approximately every 2 minutes flying over the top of the castle and the city becomes a distraction from what is a very eye catching environment.

Taking the train from Paddington and changing at Slough (rhymes with plough, not tough) we were deposited literally in front of Windsor Castle which for all intents is the London home of the Queen, Buckingham Palace being the weekday office.

It is a majestic site as the stone of the castle looks newish and that is because the stone used in its construction contains a silica which leeches when wet and self cleans the stone.

As it is an official royal residence photographing it is limited to in the main external shots hence the photos in the blog.

 We visited Queen Mary's Doll's House - a replica of the layout of a royal residence, the Drawings Gallery where there was a very fine exhibition marking the 90th birthday of the Duke of Edinburgh and the State Apartments - being rooms set out to show how royalty lived in past years but some of which are still in use today for official occasions.

Following that we took the Round Tower tour which allowed us to climb the Round Tower (obviously) but which (not so obviously) is not perfectly round.

This gave a superb view out over the city of Windsor, the Park associated with the castle and also the town of Eton.

On the east side you could see all the way back to the City of London and the south side gave a very good view of the Long Walk which stretched 4.4kms into the distance.

Following that tour we went into St George's Chapel where 10 kings of England and numerous others including The Queen Mother and the ashes of Princess Margaret are interred.

 The chapel is also where the Knights of the Garter meet every June, interestingly Military Knights who provide support for the Order of the Garter are allocated accommodation by the Queen on site at Windsor Castle.

Military Knights accommodation to right

 You too can have a house in the country by Windsor - you just need to afford the lease (8,000 quid per month!)

A very worth while day visit to Windsor concluded with a pub meal at the King & Castle before the return trip back to Paddington

The Tower

Another awesome day in London town today.

Left home late morning and walked to the Tower of London.

It was nothing like we had expected - it was more like a series of old buildings in superb condition some with turrets or towers.

Enjoyed a guided tour by a Beefeater who had the usual sense of humour that these guides seem to have.

Went through the Jewel House and saw all the Crown Jewels - the displays simply sparkled with diamonds and gold, it would be interesting to know what value they had in total assuming they were capable of being valued.

Following our visit which lasted well over 2 hours we walked across the Tower Bridge another stunning sight from all vantage points.

Having crossed the Thames on the Bridge to the south side we walked along the Queens Walk to the London Bridge which we crossed back to the north side and continued along to St Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren's iconic piece of work.

By this time visiting time was over so we walked around the outside arriving at St Paul's underground which we used to get over to the West End.

Walked around the restaurants in Leicester Square and Charing Cross Rd to see where we would go for tea and soon realised that all the pub menus were the same so went into one that presented well.

Asked the waitress why the menus were alike and was told that all the pubs were owned by Nicholson Pubs and therefore all had the same menu.

After a satisfying pub dinner we then went to the Phoenix Theatre in Charing Cross Rd for the show we had booked - Blood Brothers. This musical has been on West End since 1988.

We thoroughly enjoyed the show which was one of if not the best musical we have seen.

Wikipedia has very good information about it which is worth a read (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Brothers_(musical)).

Joined the many other revelers on the Underground for the trip back to our digs.

I have to repeat - London town rocks!

Night.

Soaked it up in Bath today

A 2.5 hour train from Waterloo this morning dropped us off in Bath a city in the county of Somerset some 100 miles west of London which was made a World Heritage site in 1987

Its main attraction is the Roman Baths which has been dated to 43AD.

 The city centre is a delightful sight with buildings of Bath stone (much like the Oamaru stone though more yellow).

As one walks up the slope of the hill on which Bath lies you come to The Circus, a group of residential buildings in the shape of a circle - unfortunately as I am not a bird I could not get a photo of it.

Close by is another well known feature of the town, The Royal Crescent which is a continuous block in the shape of a crescent.

As we were wandering in that area we stopped and talked to a sculptor who had been commissioned to create a sculpture for the 2012 Paralympics - as at today he had been working 3.5 months on the sculpture and hopes to have it completed by the end of September. It will be interesting to see the completed work on his website www.bendearnley.com. He has also completed a work based on Oscar Pistorius and that will be unveiled in London next week.

Back into the actual city and we visited the Bath Abbey which was originally built in Norman times and has some nice stained glass.

 Right by the Abbey are the Baths which have been been retained as found and which has a very informative audio guide.

The water is so toxic in the main bath that if you stood in it you would get lead poisoning as the bath is lined with the original sheets of lead which are leeching toxic waste into the spa.

Another point of interest was the Sally Lunn shop where the original Sally Lunn was baked and the same recipe is retained to this day - it is nothing like the sally lunn as we know it.

We had lunch at The Bath Bun shop which was a quaint tearoom supplying the Bath bun made as it was in the 1700s - the bun is baked with a cube of sugar in it and the top is sprinkled with both sugar & raisins.

Time had run out as we had to get the 4.07 train back to London which dropped us back here at 6.45pm on time to the second.

If you are up this part of the world then a day trip Bath is highly recommended.