Our Travels: 2010

Monday, July 26, 2010

Flight Cancellation July 23, 2010

I guess it was inevitable that there would be some kind of transportation problem. Our flight that was scheduled to depart at 5:05pm on Friday July 23 was delayed until 10:35pm and then cancelled altogether. We spent the morning enjoying the lovely garden at the Jesmond (see view) and then headed to the airport to find out what Delta was providing passengers affected by the cancellation. A new flight was created for July 24 at 8am. Delta put us all up at the Park Inn Heathrow hotel and gave us dinner vouchers but we had to get up at 4am Saturday morning to catch the coach to the airport for our flight home. Luckily that flight was uneventful but traffic into the Bronx at noon was horrible! The crazy flying time exhausted us and wreaked havoc on our internal clocks for the rest of the weekend. All in all, a whirlwind tour of London!

London, July 19-23, 2010

We stayed at the Jesmond Hotel in Bloomsbury, another great value B&B. Spent 3 full days exploring London on foot! Walked though Charing Cross and many, many book stores, the National Art Gallery and National Portrait Gallery and then on to Westminister Abbey and Big Ben, across the Westminster Bridge (view of London Eye) to the Imperial War Museum, across the Waterloo Bridge and back to Bloomsbury the first day. The second day it was off to Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, the Natural History Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum (my favorite!!), and then back to Bloomsbury via Piccadilly. The third day we ventured through Covent Garden then across the Black Friars Bridge and all along the south side of the Thames- saw Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (nice tour with viewing of Anne Boleyn rehearsal), The Golden Hind, HMS Belfast,- crossed the Tower Bridge and walked along the north side of the Thames, back up through Charing Cross for more book shopping and then on through Oxford and Regent Streets for more shopping before heading to Pescatori on Charlotte Street for a lovely seafood dinner.

Herm

Here is a pretty view from Belvoir Bay to Shell Beach.

Guernsey, UK July 13-19, 2010

Well we never made it to Saint Malo, France, but we did see much of beautiful Guernsey and Herm. Our stay at St. Georges Hotel was wonderful- a delicious breakfast everyday that energized us for many hours of walking in St. Peter Port (right) and more distant parts of the island. A bus right in front of the hotel helped us to venture to Pembroke Bay and prehistoric burial sites, Fort Grey Shipwreck Museum, and The Occupation Museum. The Travel Trident Ferry right in St. Peter Port took us to Herm and our feet took us all over St. Peter Port- The Guernsey Museum, Castle Cornet, La Vallette (underground museum), and Victor Hugo's House. Temperatures in the 60's- a wonderful summer vacation spot to escape the heat and humidity of New York City!