England 2023

It had been a long five years since we had visited London and my relatives, so we took advantage of a 3 day business trip to bracket vacation time on either side. Staying at the Amherst Chateau is always a treat and now that the Elizabeth Line (CrossRail) is in place, most convenient! In fact, we were able to make it to Ealing Broadway in just about a hour after landing, a trip that usually takes 2-3 hours in the past. It was great to catch up with relatives and to delve into the 'other' parts of London we had not been before.

Thames by Boat
To start, we decided to head east along the Elizabeth line to Woolwhich and catch the 'commuter ferry' back into the heart of London @ Westminster. The service is run by Uber Boat so was not expecting much and even then it disappointed. Boat did not show up when scheduled, the first one that arrived was going in the wrong direction, the boat deck handler was a mean old gruff and it was crowded with no real good place to sit and take in the sights. Of course, it is a commuter boat so somewhat understandable. Even so, we maneuvered around to get a good seat and had a nice ride up the Thames seeing sights from a different angle. Even got to meet a drone following the boat!

Canary Wharf Walkaround
My cousin Rob came down from Cambridge for the weekend and we took a walking trip starting at Canary wharf, ending up at the Naval College via Mud Chute park. We covered a lot of ground and would be tested even more in the coming days!

South Downs National Park
Our next walking test was with Rob & Emma at Seven Sisters Country Park. A beautiful setting on the south coast as we dodged sone rain while completing a loop trail and viewing the Litlington White Horse! Fortunately, for us the rain started in earnest as we finished the trail, however, our clothes were soaked from bushwhacking.

Cambridge
The very next day we took the train to Cambridge with Rob to see the sights. As he is a Cambridge chemistry teacher, we were lucky to get access to inner courtyards and his intimate knowledge of this famous college town. A lot of walking that day but we got a real feel for the city!

Walk along the Thames & Chiswick House Park
For our last few days, my aunt Monika was kind enuf to take us around London to visit more local places that we had not yet seen. We started with a walk along the Thames in Ham Lands Nature Reserve and then on to Chiswick House & Gardens. Highly recommend both if you want to get away from the hustle & bustle and take in 2 fine examples of London's landscape.

Until we travel again ~