November - On the Market

As November arrived, the temperatures were definitely getting colder so it gets more appealing to stay inside in the warm and not journey out to the tourist sites. So live has started settling in to a bit more normality, weekends at the shops, evenings at home, battling colds, finding a new flat and that sort of thing. So we don't have too much to report for November. We had a couple of nights out to celebrate Tree's birthday. One night having a few drinks in Camden and then another having a metre of Pizza in Fulham. It was HUGE but we managed to polish it off.

It was also time to start getting in to the Christmas spirit. We visited the Cologne market on South Bank with Tom and Gini and it didn't just rain, it POURED. Luckily the rain moved aside long enough for us to wander around the stall, sample some proper Gluhwein and ingest some tasty Bratwurst. The market itself was pretty small with not a lot of variety, but it has only been going for a couple of years so hasn't had much of a chance to grow. We did manage to pick up an idiot stick puzzle...That's the one where you have to hook the rubber bands inside the block of wood so that it snaps back. The McMillans will know what it is...

We also made our way to the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. It is really big and impressive. It has a big market selling lots of Mulled Wine and Bratwurst along with other winter delicacies. It also has a load of rides which we didn't partake in but there were plenty of other people enjoying themselves. We did manage to find a place selling an english Christmas favourite, a Snowball. That's Advocat and lemonade with a cherry on top. Tasty but a bit chilly when you are sitting outside.

And that was about it for November. That much closer to Christmas...

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October - Museums, a German and a Shower

October has arrived and the weather is certainly getting colder but there is still plenty to do in London. We managed to catch up with Robin and Mary again and head out to Greenwich. This time we went to visit the Maritime Museum. Robin was very excited about seeing an exhibit about the North West Passage and we are always keen to tag along to things. The North West passage is a sea route around the frozen north above Canada. Pretty rugged looking stuff especially with all the 1800s exploring gear. We also managed to check out some man made whirpools, hundreds of minature models of ships and a man dressed up as Neptune....After that we journeyed next door to the Queen's House which is a house originally built in the 1600s for Queen Anne of Denmark. It has since served all sorts of purposes. It is now an art gallery with all sorts of maritime themed art, including some distinctive pictures of what could only be New Zealand.

We also managed to catch up with Tom and Gini again at Portobello Market. This time it was to get some Christmas shopping done. Luckily Marcus got himself a good winter coat that morning as winter sure as on its way. The beer at the pub at the end of the day was well earned.

Now that the weather was getting colder it was time to start visiting some museums again. This time we decided to go to the Natural History Museum in Kensington. The Natural History Museum is the home of Dinosaur skeletons and we certainly saw plenty of those. Even though we were basically shuffling along with the crowd all looking at the same thing it was still pretty cool. The rest of the museum was not quite as exciting. There was a moa skeleton which was pretty cool to see, but the balance of the museum was mostly stuffed animals and "interactive" exhibits which basically involved pressin a button so that a light lights up. We didn't go to the Darwin Centre, so there is a good reason to go back but I don't think we need to see the rest of it again. The highlight was actually the building itself. It is a huge old Victorian Building but what is really cool is that throughout there are animals carved into the building itself. From monkeys to vultures to snakes to dolphins. They were all there.

We also journeyed out to another show. This time it wasn't a classic, rather a more modern show called Avenue Q. It is basically Sesame Street for adults. Definitely not one for kids. Very funny but quite odd watchin puppets dancing around on stage.

We had a couple of birthdays to celebrate too. Amy Cole had drinks at a tasty cocktail bar (which even Marcus managed to make after spending another week working in the outskirts of London). The next week we had Katie's birthday at an old electric goods store converted to a cool bar in East London. This time we were joined by Christian who was in London for the weekend for his friend's 30th birthday. It was our first chance to host some while they passed through London. We spent some time with him again on Friday with a trip to Spitalfields market for some more shopping and some Fish and Chips, a traditional English meal, at the request of Christian. Not as good as NZ fish and chips but not much is eh? Was really good for Marcus to catch up with him again and for Jess to meet him. Marcus' German is pretty rusty though. Need to brush up before travelling there.

The next day was a family affair, with a trip out to Leigh on Sea for Karla's Baby Shower. Karla and James were there, Greg and (an also pregnant) Nicole and Emily were there. And also Chris and Debbie had made the trip over to be there for the births of their grandchildren. Marcus thought he was going to the pub, but turns out males were welcome at this baby shower so he joined in too. There were baby dummies worn, baby food eaten and plenty of New Zealand lollies (courtesy of Chris and Debbie). That was the only time we managed to see Chris and Debbie but luckily they were around for the births of both Karla and Nicole's baby boys a few weeks later.

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Wales

Our next trip out of town was a little closer to home. Robin had gotten us tickets to see the All Blacks vs Wales so we were off to Cardiff with Robin and Mary. This time we decided to try a different way of getting out of town and got a coach bus from London to Cardiff. The up side was that it was alot cheaper than the train. The downside was that it wasn't as comfy as a train and it took a lot longer to get there but ultimately we arrived in Cardiff. Fortunately we had managed to find a hotel that was both close to the bus stop and close to the Millenium Stadium for the rugby. By the time we arrived it was pretty late on Friday night so we decided the best course of action was get a good nights sleep.

The next morning we were up bright and (not too) early to explore Cardiff. Cardiff central is split into two parts, the old town centre where we were staying and then the new waterfront which is a wee ways away. We decided to journey down that way for brunch. There are some pretty cool sculptures and architecture down there as well, and a whole lot of chain restaurants. We decided to go with a non-chain, being the Norweigen Church Arts Centre Cafe. It is housed in an old Church from the 1800s built for Norweigen Sailors. We indluged in a Welsh delicacy, Rarebit, which is a cheesy sauce over toast. We made our way (in between rain showers) back to the old town where we visited Cardiff Castle which the city is built around. It dates back to Roman times but has been knocked down and rebuilt a number of times since then. It was pretty chilly but nice to have a look around. We made our way under some of the pretty covered Victorian markets and back to the hotel for a shower and a change before we were off to the Milleium Stadium for the rugby. It is certainly an amazing stadium. Housing 75,000 the All Black supporters didn't stand a chance of drowning out the Welsh cheering and singing. Luckily the roof was on (flash eh?) and that helped keep it a bit warmer because it was freezing outside. The All Blacks had us worried in the first half of the game with a 6 all scoreline but luckily they must have had a talking to at halftime cause they pulled away and managed to win the game 19 to 12. Marcus had lost his voice from a cold but luckily Jess was doing enough cheering and shouting for both of them. We made our way back down to the waterfront for a tasty dinner and then walked back through the cold and wet off to bed to dry out.

The next morning we went for a walk through Cardiff park after finding a questionable eating establishment to cook us breakfast (it was the ONLY place open) and then jumped in the car for Robin to drive us to Pembrokeshire. It was a long day driving along the south coast of Wales but we finally arrived at our cute little cottage in the Pembrokeshire countryside, much of it not too different than New Zealand to look at (without the stone cottages). The next day was chilly but sunny and we piled into the car for some sightseeing. We took in a local wool mill, which had been visited by Prince Charles, and where Marcus found himself a new hat. After that we ventured on to the beautiful little town of St Davids, far on the West Coast of Wales, home of St Davids Cathedral. It was pretty big and impressive and has been the site of a church since the 6th century. We then went for a guided walk around the town (which mostly ended up being through the paddocks) and then piled back in the car again and went south to the town of Pembroke. We didn't really know what to expect but it ended up being the home to the best castle we have seen so far, Pembroke Castle. We arrived pretty late so we only had about 45 minutes to run around the castle, which was just enough time to run up the turrents, around the walls, down into the dungeons and into the cave underneath the castle. This was a proper castle and great fun considering there was barely anyone else visiting at the time. After all that running we were pretty tired so made our way back to our cottage for dinner and a sleep. The next day we spent driving all the way back to London. It sure was a long way but we made in one piece and that's "What's Occuring"...

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Paris

Before we knew it we were off to Europe again. This time it was for long a weekend away in Paris. We got the Eurostar from Kings Cross Station at a reasonable hour. So much better than having to get out to one of the airports and flying. We then zoomed our way through south east England, under the British Channell and by 11am we were in Paris. The Paris Metro is a bit more basic than the London Underground but we managed to make our way safely to our hotel, the Hotel Design on Port d'Orleans. We were struck by the bright pink paintwork and the exercise balls for seats in the lobby. Luckily when we made it to our room things were a bit more subdued. We had heard hotel rooms in Paris were tiny, but ours was great with a good sized room and bathroom.

We got ourselves some lunch. Didn't really know what we were buying but the food and wine seemed to turn out well. We reckon the waiter could understand English, he just chose not to. Then it was off for a walk around the local park. It was nice and quiet with a bit of a chill in the air but very relaxing. By now we were feeling settled so it was time to start the tourist activities. Back on the metro again and off to the Ile de la Cite to see Notre Dame Cathedral. The Cathedral is huge and with its Gothic Architecture was very imposing. There was some sort of service going on but we could still look around. The highlight is definitely the huge stained glass windows. We thought about climbing the tower to visit the hunchback, but the line was too long so instead we went for a big long walk along the banks of the Seine River, past the Louvre, through the Jardin des Tuileries, past the Concorde and up the Champs-Elysees until we got to the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed the stairs to the top where we checked out the crazy driving on the roundabout and the great views around Paris. We climbed back down the spiral staircase and continued walking until we got to the Trocadero and walked through the Palais de Chaillot where we got a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower. We picked up some very tasty crepes from a street vendor for dinner and slowly made our way down and across the Seine, under the Eiffel Tower and into the Champ de Mars. After all that walking we stopped for a sit on the grass in the Champ de Mars and we were right on time for it to get dark and for the Eiffel Tower to light up. It was beautiful and relaxing watching the lights flash all over the tower. It had been a long day by this stage so we made our way back to the metro and back to our hotel, via a local supermarket where we could pick some tasty (and cheap) red wine to mark the end of a great day.

The next morning we had a leisurely start. Downed some croissants and salami from the supermarket and jumped on the tram and train to get to the Eiffel tower. Might as well see something rather than being underground on the Metro. We arrived at the Eiffel tower before the the lines got too long. Bought our tickets and began the climb up the stairs. We could have taken the lift but figured if we walked it we would appreciate it better. It is certainly an amazing piece of engineering and it was cool the way you slowly work your way up it seeing gradually more and more. Because it is wide at the bottom and narrow at the top it also starts out that you have quite a bit of room as you climb up but the higher you get the less room there is and by the time you reach the top you are crammed in with hundreds of other holidaymakers all doing a "must do". However once we finally got ourselves to the top the view was fantastic. Pretty chilly but a great experience. Once we had had our fill we made our way down and then walked through the streets across to the Jardin des Tuileries. We picked up another crepe for lunch and slowly made our way back to the Louvre. We certainly didn't experience the long lines which it is apparently infamous for and in fact we were in there very quickly. The Louvre turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. There is SO much to see that you can't spend a lot of time taking in each exhibit. That suited us just fine. We of course did manage to get a good look at the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa as well as a lot of other quite amazing pieces of history and art. Time was getting on and there was still much to see. We made our way over Le Invalides, the war hospital, where we were planning on seeing Napolean's tomb. Unfortunately it was getting too late in the day and by the time we had bought our tickets we wouldn't really have enough time to get around the place so we had to settle for seeing it from the outside. With some extra time we decided to go and check out the catacombs. Undergound passages made from and filled with bones and skeletons...creepy! Again we were thwarted however as the catacombs were closed for repairs due to vandalism. Ah well, at least we have some stuff to see if we come back to Paris. We got back to the hotel, changed our clothes and then out we went again for dinner. We found a nice little restaurant across from Notre Dame where we tucked in to the likes of snails and foie gras. After a tasty meal we quickly journeyed off to the red light district and checked out the infamous Moulin Rouge, but only from the outside...the 200 Euro entrance fee was a bit steep to see ladies dancing around in feathers...

The next day we jumped on the train and travelled out of the centre of town to the suburb of Versailles, home of Versailles Palace, which is the French what Hampton Court is to the English. After much queueing up to buy tickets, and then more queuing up to get in we made our way around the palace. It was very much like Hampton Court but on an even grander scale. We had an audio tour which tended to prattle on a bit but gave us the key things that we needed to know. It was certainly opulence like nothing you could ever expect to see in New Zealand. The palace was amazing but the gardens were something else. With un baguette each in hand we wandered through the wonderfully manicured gardens which just stretched for miles. We timed it a bit wrong as none of the fountains were going, but even not working they were all works of art in their own right. After much walking we were well tired so picked up some dainty french macaroons and jumped on the train back to Paris, picked up our bags and then let the Eurostar take us back to the middle of Londontown.

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September - 30 Who? and the Zoo

After our big trip to Croatia we decided to take it easy for the rest of the month. However there were still a couple of highlights. The first was Tom's 30th birthday. There have been a few back in NZ but this is the first one we have been around to celebrate in London. It was a mexican feast with Tortillas and Margaritas in Shoreditch, an area of London we hadn't visited before. And as a special bonus Josh and Kate dropped in for their last night in Europe before winging their way back to NZ. After dinner we went out for a few drinks at some interesting bars in the area before wishing Josh and Kate their final farewells and heading off home late in the night.

The other big highlight for September was our trip to the London Zoo. We decided that before the weather got really cold we had best get along and see all the animals. It was certainly bigger than Wellington and had a number of very cool enclosures full of monkeys, where you were right next to them. There were also other things you couldn't see in NZ like snakes, Komodo Dragons, glow in the dark scorpions, Giant Galapogos Tortoise and monkeys with Moustaches. Definitely not the highlight of our trip but still glad we went to see some of the cool wildlife.

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Croatia

It was finally here. The trip that had been planned before we even arrived in the UK. We were so busy at the time that we never really quite knew what was happening but we knew we were off to Croatia to sail. So we rose early in the morning (or more correctly the middle of the night...3:30am and cold) and made our way to Gatwick Airport. Public transport in London really is good. We were able to jump on a bus from just near our house and then jump on the train which took as straight to the airport. We met up with Tom and Gini at the airport and before long we were off on our first Easyjet flight. We didn't see much as it was lights out for everyone the second we sat down in our seats but we managed to wake up just as we were coming in to Split. From out of the window the sea looked like glass and it was flecked with islands everywhere, islands that we would hopefully be visiting. After a very casual trip through customs we were out into the warm sun and our first trip to Eastern Europe. After a taxi ride that cost twice what we expected (although still not too expensive) with a driver who smoked like a chimney and was on the phone the rest of the time. Our hostel was somewhere near a fish market apparently and by the time we found the market an old lady had invited us to stay at her house and we had been invited to be special guests at a restaurant that night. They clearly like tourists. We found our hostel only to discover that it was just rooms. There was no reception...After phoning the number a lady came and saw us and we discovered we weren't even all staying in the same building. Seems like hostel is a loose term. By the time we did get to our room we were pretty sure we were staying in the spare room in someone's house. Never saw them though....It was then off to explore Split. It didn't take all that long. Split is only a small place with quaint little alleyways and old buildings all built around the Diocletian Palace. We explored the palace foundations, which was a market, climbed up the Bell tower, where health and safety was a loose term and ventured up to see the statue of Gregorius of Nin. It was pretty impressive, looking more like Gandalf the Grey in battle than a Catholic Priest, but apparently his claim to fame was convincing them to do mass in Croatian rather than just Roman. Rubbing his big toe brings good luck so we wished for smooth travelling weather. We also made a short trip to the ancient Roman temple of Jupiter and that was basically Split complete...By this stage it was pretty darn warm so we ventured down to the waterfront to have a few drinks...And there we stayed sitting in the comfy seats in the shade getting our beers delivered to us and relaxing the afternoon away. Out of the blue Ben and Tanya appeared. They checked their bags and then joined us for a few more drinks. As it was getting dark we decided we definitely needed to get ourselves some dinner. Tom and Gini had heard of a place around the point that served great food, so off we went. It ended up being quite a trek and we never actually found the restaurant but the place we found had a great view out over the Adriatic. We had to find an alternative way back as the beach we had crossed on the way there had turned into a rave and there were people dancing the night away in the sea. Those nutty Croatians. We ended up back at the waterfront, found a place to sit and proceeded to order more beers. In due course Kate and Josh arrived and our sailing party was nearly complete. We eventually made it back to our beds for a well deserved sleep.

The next day we awoke to rain pouring from the sky. Not a good sign when we were supposed to be sailing...but by the time we got to breakfast it had all but cleared. After breakfast we showed the newcomers around the sights of Split and then we decided to go for a walk around the harbour to the marina to find our boat. Kate never managed to speak to the company as they were busy dealing with other people but at least we knew where to find them later on. We ventured back to the waterfront and decided to find a spot for a few drinks and some lunch. They saw us coming and laid out a huge table with calamari, bread and salami. This was just in time for the arrival of Andy and Nicky and our group was complete. We finished our lunch and proceeded to pick up our luggage we cleverly used the water taxi to transport across the harbour and went to check in for our boat and meet our skipper. Jericho seemed like a good guy but unfortunately the company had not finished getting our boat ready so it was a few hours before we could actually go and see it. By this time it was getting dark and Jericho said the weather was a bit rough and recommended we stay the night in port. He also said that the plan the company gave us of sailing to Dubrovnik and back was mad (Mine Got!) and that although it could be done we would be sailing 8 hours a day which would not be fun. We weren't happy but decided to go along with Captain's orders. We managed to get a short trip when the boat was moved from one berth to the next. We had a few drinks and then turned in to our various cabins aboard.

The next day we were off. No stopping us this time, into the deep blue. At this point we discovered that the choice to stay in port last night was probably a good one. The water was calm but as we journeyed out people's stomach's were not. Everyone was looking pretty green around the gills for the first part of our trip with a few unhappy sailors not managing to keep their breakfast down. After a couple of hours we stopped in a sheltered cove and everyone jumped into the water for a swim. The water was pretty cold but salty and buoyant. We then continued our way past island's and ships aplenty to reach our first port of call, Starigrad on Hvar island. Starigrad was a quaint little town at the end of a long harbour. We went for a walk around (some hired scooters to zoom but we were happy being leisurely) picked up some groceries and made our way back to the boat before heading out to dinner at one of the local restaurants which Jericho had organised for us. They brought out the fresh fish which had been caught that day and we chose which ones we wanted cooked up. They then proceeded to bring it out cooked and whole to the table and use their expertise to serve it up. It was all a good show before back to the boat for another night rocking to sleep.

The next morning it was back on the boat again and around to the other side of the island. Only a few hours and plenty of traffic along the way and we we came around the corner and were very impressed by our next destination, Hvar town. This time we were buoyed in the middle of the harbour instead of up against the pier so the only way to shore was by dinghy (or swimming, but nobody was game enough for that...). We journeyed over to shore and then up through the steep streets of the town and up the hill to the fortress overlooking the harbour. The fortress itself wasn't particularly exciting but the view was just fantastic. We could see for miles in all directions. Just beautiful and luckily there was water up there too because it was HOT. So hot that when we came back down again we jumped into the water for a bit of shore swimming. Bit rocky but at least you could touch the bottom...That night we went out for nice basic local cuisine. Seafood again and some tasty Croatian lamb. We went off for a drink and some made their way back to the boat, but some of us decided to join all the sail Croatia travellers for a bit of nightclub action. After GIGANTIC cocktails there was a bit of a boogie and then back on the dinghy to the boat. A few doughnuts along the way had us worried we weren't going to make it but we made it all in one piece, if somewhat damper. Hvar was a definite highlight of the trip.

The following day we were off to the town of Viz (pronounced wees) on the island of Viz. Along the way we stopped for some swimming outside a couple of cliffs that had a gap between them. Those game enough to swim between the cliffs discovered that there was a beach behind them with a cafe and all. Luckily someone brought some money so we had some coffees and then swum back to the boat. Viz was a quaint little village at the end of another long harbour. After the mandatory walk around town and some local Pizza (very good) we went off the beach for a bit of sunbathing and then a swim. One thing that is cool about swimming in Croatia is everywhere you go swimming there are fish. Even if you don't think there are any there are in fact little ones around your feet. Dinner was a quiet one that night. The wind had picked up and it was all a bit cold outside but we still managed to enjoy a tasty meal.

Next day and away we went again. Special treat for us, we visited the Blue Cave on the island of Bisevo. This is a natural cave you can go into that has an underwater bridge and an opening to the water outside so the light comes through and makes the water a fantastic blue colour. The entrance is small so you have to paddle in their with your dinghy and look around before coming out. That is easier said than done as you are competing with big long tourist boats that take up half the cave and have no problems bashing you against the wall. We eventually got ourselves out safely and back to the boat for the next crew to have a look through too. Then it was back to the island of Viz where we stayed at the town of Komiza. Another quaint Croatian Island Village. We spent the afternoon in the stinking heat down at the beach, just relaxing. This one had sand which was a bit of a novelty, as stone had tended to the beach of choice around Croatia. There was plenty of time for lazing, playing and snorkeling. Didn't get a photo, but all the way along the beach in the water people had written things in stones. That evening we all piled in to a random van which whisked us off to a farm in the middle of the island for dinner. We weren't sure what we were in for but it turned out to be the best dinner we had in Croatia. There were big long outdoor tables and they brought out two dishes for us. One was roast lamb cooked in the oven with tasty vegetables. The second was a bit more interesting....octopus...a whole octopus...cooked in the oven again till all the juices came out and then rice was added in to make a tasty risotto. We have to say it was fantastic! You imagine octopus would be tough and rubbery, but this was so tender and tasty, even if it was a bit freaky to see all the tentacles splayed in the dish. We finished off the evening with home made Grapa from the farm. The complimentary bottles probably wasn't the best idea but we all enjoyed ourselves that night, even if our heads didn't the next day...

That next day we made the journey back to the mainland where we stopped at our skipper's home town of Trogir. This was back to big town again rather than little village. It all started a bit dramatically with some German amateur sailors make a right mess of exiting the marina and crashing into our boat. Only egos were hurt luckily but it took all of our strength to push their ship off so that it didn't crash into us again. Trogir was nice enough but didn't have the small town charm of the other places we had been visiting. It was much more touristy, with people and tour groups everywhere. We wandered around the town and climbed up the rickety looking castle tower where we got a good view up and down the coast as well as some worrying storm clouds in the distance.

The following day was our last day of sailing as we journeyed up the coast back to Split. All this time on the water and with a fisherman as our skipper and we hadn't done any fishing! So we purchased some basic line and stopped along the way to see what we could find. Funnily enough this was the first time that the water wasn't teeming with fish. Nonetheless we pulled up a few small fishies and threw them back again and everyone felt that we had made at least a token effort. We were also lucky enough to be treated to some cooking by our skipper. He did us up a tasty tomato pasta with basil pesto dish. It went down a treat. After much waiting around in Split Harbour we finally managed to get a berth. We had been put in between two GIANT luxury cruisers. Unfortunately the port was so full that they had to put us on the outside of the marina. Normally this would have been fine, but the storm we had seen the day before was bearing down and it ended up being a rough night with the ship bouncing up and down a lot. Funnily enough we had been on the ship so long now we actually preferred it to being on the land. Everyone was suffering from some serious land sickness. It is hard to explain, but basically if you spend too much time on dry land your vision starts to sway and you can't stand up straight. You need the safety of the rocking boat. We had our last dinner together as a group at the surprisingly tasty Marina Restaurant and then had a few last drinks before heading off to bed.

We awoke next morning, cleaned and emptied the boat and bid farewell to Josh and Kate and Ben and Tanya. They were off to continue their travels, but we still had one more day in Split. We slowly made our swaying way back to Split town and dropped our bags at the hostel. Andy and Nicky decided to stay in Split but we and Tom and Gini had done all of Split we needed to, so with the help of Lonely Planet Gini suggested we go visit some local Castles just out of town. After a few wrong turns we found the bus and eventually got off at what we thought was the right stop. It wasn't, but we still made our way down to the waterfront. It was pretty quiet as the cloud and cool wind were still around but you could see it must be teeming with locals in summer, with nice beaches and plenty of restaurants. We walked around some more and eventually found what was supposed to be the most impressive of the Castles, Kastel Sucarac. Apparently there is some Romeo and Juliet type story that goes with it, but we never quite got to the bottom of the whole thing. We slowly made our way back to the bus stop and then into Split where we met up with Andy and Nicky, found a place for dinner and made our way back to our beds for a reasonable night's sleep. The next morning it was back on the bus to the Airport with our plane whisking us back to reality again. We bid farewell to Andy and Nicky at the airport who were about to jump on another plane to get back to New Zealand and an excellent holiday came to an end.

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The Lake District

It was another Bank Holiday and this time we had planned to get out into the Countryside for some Rambling (that's English for "Tramping")with Tom and Gini. We met up at Euston (with what looked like half of the rest of London) to catch the train to Windermere. Train was pretty packed but we eventually managed to get settled in and we were off. Several hours later and we arrived in Windermere and head off to our B&B "The Archway". We were greeted by our excellent hostess and then it was off to bed for a good sleep before a day a of walking the next day.

The bed was good but the highlight of this B&B was definitely the breakfast. We had a choice of about six different options and when they came out they were HUGE, and tasty. We would have to do plenty of walking to walk that off. After looking at a few different options in Tom and Gini's book we decided to stay local and do a loop track that starts and finishes in Windermere. We started off with a climb up Orrest Head which was a nearby hill. If the clouds hadn't been so low we would have gotten great views of the Lake District. It was still good to be out in amongst nature again though. We continued on through the local paddocks, never quite sure where we were going but with Paddy Dillon guiding us we managed to find our way without too much trouble. We continued up into the hills and had a good view over Troutbeck which we later discovered was the inspiration for Postman Pat. We continued to climb dodging rain showers along the way until we finally started to make our way around and back towards Windermere again. We stopped for packed lunch, which was all a part of the stay at the Archway. Lunch was in the same style as breakfast, HUGE. With tasty homemade sandwiches, sausage rolls and Kendal Mint Cake (solid mint flavoured sugar covered in sugar) we wondered if we were actually going to do enough dinner to walk off the food...We continued on our way back to Windermere and eventually arrived back at the Archway, wetter and tireder than when we began. If breakfast and lunch wasn't enough there was also a very tasty cake sitting there for us too eat too. They sure know how to eat well in the Lake District! And to keep with the theme we went out for what we thought was British Cuisine but actually turned out to be French. Still tasty though.

The next morning it was more walking. This time it was to Grasmere where we went for a walk around two lakes, Grasmere and Rydal Water. As we arrived there was some sort of AMP show on with tents and animals and people everywhere. But we weren't too be distracted, we plowed through and set off down the road towards the Lake. Unfortunately the rain showers from yesterday had consolidated and we were basically walking in steady rain which got heavier and heavier throughout the day. Lucky we are from NZ so don't mind walking in the rain, and lucky we had our jackets too....This was a much mellower walk than the day before with it being largely flat around the back of the lakes. Nice walking through the woods and fields though and seeing some of the HUGE houses up on the hill. We stopped at the Badger pub for a beer on our way back. Not one we would recommend as a first choice to visit but good to get out of the rain. Then we journied up the hill and along the old coffin road back to Grasmere. It was an interesting old path that had flat rocks along the way. Apparently they used to carry the coffins from Rydal, where it starts, to Grasmere where the cemetary was. By the end we were pretty soaked but we couldn't pass Grasmere by without stopping in for some famous Grasmere Gingerbread. Made since 1854 it isn't like normal gingerbread. It is kind of like a slice/biscuit with bits of ginger all through it. Different but tasty. After some munching we jumped in the car for some more exploring. We journied onwards to Keswick. Right in the middle of the Lake District. It was still pretty drizzly but we had some time to head up to Castlerigg which is a stone circle, a la Stonehenge, only smaller and this one you could walk up to the stones. There were a few droopy heads on the way back to Windermere for some well earned rest.

The last day in the Lake District we decided to give the walking a break and do some touristy things. The girls were very keen to go and see Beatrix Potters House, which is not a themed place, rather it is the house where she lived and wrote all of the Petter Rabbit and friends stories. It was quite interesting but very dark as they tried to keep everything authentic to early 1900s. After that we went for a country drive where we came across a little gem in Wray Castle. It isn't actually a castle, rather it is a house built in 1840 to look like a castle. It was very cool and we had a good time looking around the outside. Unfortunately it was closed because it is currently for sale so we couldn't look around inside. Ever wanted to live in a Castle? Now is your chance. Then it was off to the tiny town of Ings for lunch at the Watermill Inn and Brewery. There we had some tasty lunch and enjoyed ourselves drinking the all thee different dog branded brews such as Collie Wobbles, Wruff Night and Isle of Dogs. This pub was very cool and we would definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the area. We had heard that Windemere and the towns around the Lake District can be quite touristy but we hadn't experience that at all...until we went to Bowness on Windemere. It seemed that that was where ALL the tourists were. The place was thronging with people, tourist shops and activities for people to do. Nonetheless it was nice to have a walk around and see what it was like down on the Lake front before we had to journey back to London. Unfortunately our trip home wasn't without event. We thought we would see if we could get the train back an hour earlier. Unfortunately there was no early train, and the later trains were all delayed. So it was several hours spent on the platform at Oxenholme playing cards as the heavens opened and POURED more rain than we had seen all year. Unfortunately everyone else had the same plans so by the time we got on the train it was packed. The joys of holiday travel. Luckily we were so tired it didn't really matter and we still had a really good outdoors holiday.

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