Day 11 - London and Iceland

Didn't sleep very well, got up at about 0800 and went walking towards a Paul's bakery at about 0900. Weather was decent, some cloud but mostly sunny but a bit cold. After about 10 minutes decided we might not make it to the Paul's to get back in time to check out so stopped at a Pret a Manger - a chain of bakeries that are everywhere in London. Had a coffee and croissant and picked up a couple of rolls for the journey.
Got to the station to go to the airport, got the wrong train ticket - I meant to get the express but got the commuter train instead. It turns out that the express takes 30 minutes but the normal train took 35, and is £5 less. So we did well in the end.
The airport wasn't busy and we got through security pretty quickly considering it was very thorough - pockets emptied, laptop out, through a metal detector, shoes off, stand in the scanner, physical body search and another scan with a hand held metal detector. I suspect it's been beefed up since last week. Luckily he didn't put on a rubber glove.
Got to the gate and it was packed - I didn't realise Iceland was so popular. Got on the plane - wifi! First plane I've been on with internet. 3 hours of youtube cat videos to enjoy. Actually it cost 7 euro and because I'm a tight arse didn't use it.
Sat on the tarmac for about 30 minutes with no explanation then finally took off. We were surrounded by a bunch of teenage school kids and had to listen to lots of 'Oh my God's and 'She was so like totally's but I put my noise cancelling earphones on and watched tv.
Coming into land, the pilot announced it was 3 degrees which wasn't too bad. We broke through the clouds and saw some steam rising from the landscape which was black and flat, with no vegetation to be seen. Got the bus to the hotel and the scenery was bleak - rocky, very flat except for mountains in the distance. No trees at all and very little vegetation, just lichen on the rocks and some brown grass. There was a light covering of snow on the ground.
Got to the hotel, and Song had done a fantastic job again. It was a small apartment with a sitting room, queen size bed with an ensuite and a separate kitchen. We unpacked and headed out, and it was bloody cold. I picked a couple of restaurants from Tripadvisor and we settled on Ostabudin - the number 2 restaurant in Reykjavik. I had lamb on mash with beetroot and mushrooms, and hazelnuts, Song had plaice and we shared a cheesecake for dessert. I also had a local beer. The meal was superb. My lamb was cooked to perfection and the texture was amazing. However, it wasn't cheap - $110. But Iceland is expensive. We went walking again and found the main street and there were lots of places to eat so we have a lot of choice. Took some photos and went back to the hotel. Song was tired and went to bed, and I thought about going into the freezing cold again to see if I could see the Northern Lights, but read the best time was between 23:00 and 01:00 and frankly I wasn't too keen, so went to bed.
Tomorrow we're going to the Blue Lagoon, a thermal bath spa.

Day 10 - London

Slept well, went for a walk to the shops and back. A bit cold and cloudy. Saw my younger brother and neice then to the cafe for a coffee and sandwich for lunch.
Dad drove us to the station and hit traffic but made the station in plenty of time. Train journey was pleasant and uneventful.
Didn’t stay long at the hotel before heading out and it started to rain. Song said we should go back to get the umbrella but I said the rain would stop. We walked across the Waterloo Bridge with the rain getting stronger and into The Strand. Went to Trafalgar Square, raining harder, then through Leicester Square into Chinatown. Rain was even heavier so we decided to have dinner in a Chinese restaurant, which was surprisingly good and not too expensive considering it was in the middle of the tourist area. We ordered a set meal which had soup, duck, beef, pork and rice.
Finished up and started to walk back to the hotel but after about 5 minutes decided I was getting soaked so we got into a cab. My weather forecasting skills are obviously not great.
Had a bath and watched tv.
Tomorrow we fly to Iceland.

Day 9 - Heathrow and back

Got up at 03:00 (yes, 03:00, I thought I was on holiday) to pick Song up from the airport, my brother Pete also getting up to drive because I'm not insured for the cars. Also, he knows the way and it's just as well.
A storm came through overnight and the conditions were really bad - dark, raining heavily and stong winds all the way down. Got on to the M25 and saw a sign that said it was partially closed, and a few minutes later we hit a tailback of trucks that wasn't moving. After about 5 minutes it started to move but we were diverted off and my brother had to navigate around the back roads to bypass the closure and rejoin the main road. All the time I was checking the flight to see where it was and it was going to be close.
Fortunately we got there just after the plane landed and had about a 30 minute wait while Song cleared immigration and customs. She said the immigration officer asked her about 20 questions because she didn't know where she was staying because she was being picked up. He asked her what she did in Australia, why was she only staying 2 days in England, what work did I do, where was she going after England, who was left at home and so on. He just might have been bored and wanted someone to talk to.
The drive back was uneventful, although the weather was still bad and the Orwell bridge was closed so we had to go the long way round.
Song didn't sleep we were meeting the rest of the family again before my older brother and his wife and daughter had to drive back to Scotland - an 8-9 hour drive.
Went back and both of us slept for a couple of hours, then out to dinner. Song had sausages, I had lamb. My lamb was under cooked for my liking. I also had chocolate ice cream.
Tomorrow we're heading up to London and staying overnight. We fly to Iceland at 13:00ish Wednesday but didn't want to worry about getting from Ipswich to Gatwick in the morning.

Day 8 - Kesgrave

Easter Sunday, nothing open so stayed in with the family, but went out for dinner.
I said there wouldn't be much happening.
Spoke to Song, she's now on her way, we chatted when she was in Hong Kong and about to board the flight which will arrive tomorrow at 06:00 in the morning. Me and my brother are getting up at about 03:00 to drive to Heathrow to pick her up - it's Easter Monday and the trains will be disrupted with engineering works. My brother is off work but does shift work so is used to getting up at all hours, and I'm on holiday so we should be fine. Plus the roads will be quiet that time of the day.

Day 7 - Kesgrave

Woke up again early, around 06:30 and watched a bit of TV, then out for coffee and a ham sandwich with my dad because mum wasn't feeling well.
Dad has been asking me all kinds of technical questions because I know stuff about technology and he has just about mastered the TV remote control.
He's after a new laptop so we went to the local PC World to pick one out. He only uses it for email and Skype so I picked a cheap Acer. The assistant went off to find it and was gone for ages. He eventually came back with one but I could tell that there was going to be a 'but...' . Sure enough, he said they couldn't find a new one, but he had one that was the same model that had been opened and set up that they usually charge 35 pounds for but he would let us have it for just 25 pounds. I asked what the set-up entails, and he said "We turn it on...". After I'd finished laughing he continued - "we set up a user account and we back up the settings to a USB drive that you get to keep". I said take the USB drive back and we'll take the laptop for the advertised price, and did you really say that you charge 35 pounds to turn it on? He said he couldn't do that so I said he could either sell it to us for the advertised price of 280 pounds or we'd just go to another shop, because I am not going to pay 25 pounds for a set up that includes 'turning it on'. He went to consult his manager and came back and said it was fine, and I told him if I needed help turning it on I'd come back and pay him the 25 pounds.
Got it home, managed to find the 'on' button and spent 30 minutes uninstalling all the bloatware that they had installed as part of the setup. We also got to keep the USB drive.
Out for dinner with my brothers and family.

Day 6 - Kesgrave

Woke up around 06:30. It's Good Friday. There won't be much to talk about over the next few days because I'm just catching up with family, so go and watch some cat videos on You Tube. Oh, I did upload a couple of photos from London.

Day 5 - London

Woke up around 06:30, watched tv for a while and then checked out. Breakfast wasn't included and I'd passed a Paul's bakery in my meanderings last night so headed there. Paul's is a French chain we discovered in Paris a few years ago and it's become our go-to place for breakfast or a snack if we find one. Similar to Laurent in Australia.
Got to the station to find there was a strike on the Piccadilly line and no trains were running - ah, this is the England I remember. It wasn't a big deal because I could get another line that was close. As I walked along the road I noticed it was very quiet - it was 8 o'clock but there were remarkably few people around, and the buses were practically empty. I don't know why.
Sat down with my coffee and croque Monsieur which is basically a toasted cheese and ham sandwich but with the cheese on the outside - oh, those cheeky French.
Left the cafe at about 09:00 and discovered that the English are just lazy and don't start work till late because now there were lots of people around and the tube was packed. I'd decided to go to the science museum because I haven't been since a school trip about 40 years ago and I think there have been some advances since then so they should have some new stuff. It's also next to the natural history museum so I can pop in there as well. Free admission!
The first thing I see is the James Watt engine - which was still in the same place it was 40 years ago and will probably still be there 40 years from now. I was surprised how many of the exhibits were the same - a mock up of the lunar lander, the Apollo 10 capsule and various aircraft, but I suppose it's hard to replace this stuff.
There were some new things, including a history of communication including the internet. They had the computer that Sir Tim Berners-Lee wrote html on and developed the web. The actual computer, an Apple Next.
I spent a couple of hours walking around till the hordes of kids made me decide to leave. Popped to a cafe - decided to skip lunch because I had breakfast and was meeting up with some ex work colleagues for dinner so just had a coffee.
Got on the tube back to Tottenham Court Road and walked around marvelling at how much had changed - mind you, it has been 20 years. It started to rain so I did what any sensible person would and went into a pub for a beer. I had a pint of bitter, and you can't get more English than that. Headed out again and it was still raining, but had a look around Covent Garden - into Neal's Yard, along Neal's Road and Long Acre where all the trendy shops are. I had a few hours to kill so decided to go to the movies and saw High Rise. It was weird and strange and the worst film I have ever seen. I read a review that said it was good but I think the critic was on drugs because it was appallingly bad. I was glad to step outside into the cold and rain, it was much more cheery than the film.
I headed over to the pizza place where I was meeting my friends.
I used to work with them about 20 years ago; there was drinking and talk of the good old days and we all politely didn’t mention how we were all much older and fatter.
Got the train back to Ipswich.

Day 4 - London calling

Up early to get the train to London. I had an off peak ticket which meant I could only get certain trains and hopped on the first one I was allowed on and then hopped off again because it was a rural one that stopped at every station between Ipswich and London. The proper train was 15 minutes later so got that and it only stopped twice. The train was comfortable and took about an hour and 10 minutes. It brought back memories because I used to commute from Ipswich to London every week day for about 3 years. 2 hours door to door each way, so 4 hours of every day spent travelling. What a waste of time.
Bought a daily tube ticket (the tube is the name of the underground) because a ticket to the stop I wanted was £4.30, but a daily was £12.25 and gave me more flexibility. The current exchange rate is about double - so the ticket cost about $24 aud.
Entered the station to announcements that the Central and Piccadilly lines were experiencing delays, but the tube is amazing - trains run every minute. As soon as one leaves the station it isn't long before another appears. I'd decided to get off at Tottenham Court Road, an old stamping ground, but there was another announcement that the station was closed. What a lot of people don't realise is how compact the centre of London is. I got off at Oxford Circus instead and walked down Regent Street, into Piccadilly Circus and from there to Leicester Square and Covent Garden. Trafalgar Square is just around the corner. The weather was overcast and a bit cold, about 10c.
Stopped off for a beer at a pub called The Punch and Judy, one of the many London pubs where I spent more time (and money) than I should have when I worked here.
Feeling a bit hungry I headed for a burger place called Byron (I told you there would be more burgers), a small chain that was getting rave reviews. I have to say they were decent enough but not spectacular.
Just about managed to fit through the door on the way out and went for a walk around.
Down a lane past the Savoy Hotel to the Thames, along the embankment towards the Houses of Parliament, took some photos of Big Ben (did you know Big Ben is the name of the bell, not the clock?). Carried on walking past Downing Street where the Prime minister lives. There were a bunch of protesters exercising their inalienable right to chant, wave banners and shout about an issue that, frankly, nobody else really cares about. These were farmers protesting about the smell of cows or something.
Carried along the road and found myself in Trafalgar Square, just down the road from Covent Garden where I'd started. Feeling a bit weary, decided to get to the hotel - The Union Jack Club, a place set up for British servicemen. My Dad was in the Royal Navy and family can stay there. The prices are cheap for London and it's probably about the equivalent of a 3 or 4 star hotel. Decided to chill out, recharge the literal and metaphorical batteries and head out later to experience London by night.
Left around 18:00, took the tube to Tottenham Court Road which was open now and emerged into a sea of people. I didn't recognise it - they've levelled a huge amount of land and are rebuilding.
Walked along Oxford Street for a bit and then down through Soho and into Piccadilly Circus, then past Fortnum and Masons to The Ritz. Stared at the rich people for a while then took another tube back to Leicester Square.
I forgot to mention - there are quite a few people in London. Every restaurant was packed, the pubs had people standing outside drinking, some places had people queuing to get in. And this was a Wednesday night.
I decided I didn't need dinner so just went into a cafe for a hot chocolate. I was thinking of a beer but wanted somewhere quiet and I doubted I could find a quiet pub so headed back to the hotel.
Spoke to Song again and we've decided we will go to Belgium. We won't let the terrorists win! Actually we just can't be bothered to change the plans, plus we're travelling in France and staying in Paris - the chances of getting caught up in something is slim and the alternative is to stay home and lock the doors and never go anywhere.
Not sure what to do tomorrow - I fancy a museum but can't decide between the British Museum, the Natural History, the Science or the Victoria and Albert.

Day 3 - Kesgrave

Woke up to the news of the bombings in Brussels which is a worry because we're going there in 3 weeks. I spoke to Song who said we should be ok but we'll see what happens. Now thinking about skipping Belgium and going directly to Luxembourg.
Anyway - sun is shining, a bit chilly, picked up my brother from his hotel and went for coffee. Sat for a while, had lunch (chicken and bacon sandwich - note that this is not the gourmet part of the trip), then went back home to chat.
Went to dinner at a place called The Unruly Pig - recently rebuilt after a fire - that had got good reviews.
It was very good - nice atmosphere, good staff. I had the unruly burger (I like burgers, there will be more).
Spoke to Song and we're probably going to skip staying overnight in Belgium and head straight to Luxembourg.
I'm off to London tomorrow to catch up with some people I used to work with and have a look around, I've not been back for a long time.

Day 2 - Kesgrave and Ipswich

Woke up after 11 hours of sleep - but still felt a bit tired. Didn't do much - went for a walk to the local shops, went into Ipswich to have a look around and then to a cafe for lunch (toasted cheese and ham sandwich). On the way into Ipswich we drove past some of the pubs where I spent a lot of my misspent youth, I was surprised at how many I remembered visiting in the past.
Picked up my older brother from the station who had come up from London where he was working, he lives in Edinburgh. This is the first time the family has been together sine about 2007 so lots to catch up on.
Went for a meal at a local hotel (http://www.milsomhotels.com/kesgrave-hall/) which was very nice, I had sausages and mash - tasted better than it sounds. Also had a nice bottle of Italian wine (we shared it, I didn't drink it all).
Got home, spoke to Song on Skype (she's coming over next Monday), jealous of the weather in Melbourne where it's 25 and sunny, it's been 12C and overcast all day.

Not sure what's on the cards for tomorrow.

Day 1 - Bit of a nightmare flight

Got onto the plane at Melbourne on time at 15:25, flight to Hong Kong was uneventful although I think the seats in economy get smaller each year.
Arrived at Hong Kong at 21:45 local time and the flight to London was leaving at 01:40 so had 4 hours to kill. I'd deliberately not slept on the way because I wanted to be tired for the long leg to London, and was also well fed on the plane so didn't need to eat. 4 hours is just too long - I watched some stuff on the tablet, wandered around the airport and poked around in a few shops but didn't buy anything and generally got bored. At least there were plenty of charging places for the gadgets, and free wifi.
Eventually boarded the plane, it was full up and no opportunity to grab some empty seats.
Settled in and started to snooze. Woke up and wondered why we still hadn't moved, and it was 30 minutes after the scheduled time, and lots of people were standing up. This didn't look good. No announcement until about an hour had passed. The captain said a mother and child had boarded and the child was sick and vomiting. The pilot contacted the duty manager who contacted the company medical officer who said he shouldn't fly with the sick kid. The problem was that the mother refused to get off. She was surrounded by cabin crew trying to persuade her that the flight couldn't leave with her and the kid on board, but she refused. Eventually the Hong Kong police were called and persuaded her to leave.
We took off an hour late, and I put in some ear plugs, put on an eye mask, reclined the seat and settled in again. By the way, the airline definition of the word 'recline' does not mean the same as my definition.The plane taxied so long I thought we might be driving to London.
Anyway, with all the preparation done I closed my eyes and spent the next 12 hours wide awake. I never sleep well on flights but this was particularly bad - there was a 10 year old girl next to me who insisted on elbowing and kicking me every half hour, plus the regular turbulence which was like someone shaking me awake just as I was about to drift off.
I watched movies and TV shows instead so arrived pretty tired and an hour and a bit late.
Just as I thought it couldn't get much worse, the pilot said the temperature was 5 degrees. Oh, and we were not at an air bridge so we had to walk outside and get on a bus. But wait, it gets better - the steps that the ground crew delivered with typical British efficiency were the wrong ones, so we had to wait another 15  minutes while they got the right ones delivered. And there was only 1 set so deplaning would take longer than normal. Welcome to England! 

Trudged through the airport in a daze and met a huge queue at immigration, signs proclaiming that e-passport readers were 'coming soon!'. Thankfully the queue kept moving and it wasn't too long before I was through, then onto customs. I always go through the 'nothing to declare' channel because I always have nothing to declare - but I always feel as if I have half a kilo of heroin on me and will get stopped. This time I had nothing to worry about because the customs staff were doing a stand-up job of defending the realm by all being on a tea break or something because it was empty. 

Went outside to be greeted by my brother who had very generously got up at 05:00 and driven for 90 minutes to pick me up, waited around while I was delayed and then drove me back to my parents' house. The weather was dull, overcast, rainy and about 8C.

Finally arrived at my parents' house about 30 hours after leaving Melbourne and was greeted with the traditional cup of tea. Decided to go out for a coffee to get a bit of fresh air and also had lunch (chicken sandwich)
.I managed to stay awake until around 20:00 through dinner with my mum, dad, brother, sister-in-law and niece but then finally had to admit defeat and went to bed.
Not sure what's happening tomorrow.

And so it begins...

Finished up at work, so I'm officially on holiday.

My flight leaves at 15:25 on the 19th for Hong Kong, then onto London, arriving on the 20th.

You can track it here : https://flightaware.com/live/flight/CPA104

Then Hong Kong to London : https://flightaware.com/live/flight/CPA237

I'm being picked up at Heathrow by my brother whom I haven't seen for a while so hopefully he recognises me and doesn't pick up someone else.

I'm travelling on my own, Song will be joining me next week. Done the online check-in, all I have to do is turn up at the airport, drop off my bag and relax for the next 2 and a half months.