We finished packing this morning and had breakfast with Ed and Meg before leaving. King’s Crossing Station is a downhill walk from their flat, but with our huge suitcases, I offered to spring for a cab instead of dragging luggage around. And, by getting a ride to the main station, we’d be close to the lift that would enable us to get to the Piccadilly Line level without having to drag suitcases down flights of stairs.
So Meg found a cab while we got the luggage to the street level and we were off. I’d had a few concerns about managing all our stuff in the Underground, but it ended up working out fine. Aside from blocking one escalator (so people couldn’t pass us on the left), we managed well. The train was jammed until we reached the outside edge of Zone 2, but then we had seats and places right next to us for our suitcases.
We got to Heathrow about Since August, security in British airports has been ramped up. You’re now limited to one carry-on (purse counts as that) and they’re making people take off shoes and remove laptops from bags. The last time we came through Heathrow, none of those measures were in place. Anyway, now we’re in the BA lounge, waiting to board our flight.
Another great flight on British Airways and we know that our luggage made it at least to O'Hare because we had to pick it up and take it through customs before handing it off to the airline again. Sure hope it makes it the rest of the way!
We hung out in the Delta Lounge while waiting for our next flight. It's right across from the gate Alaska uses at O'Hare. Our flight left an hour late. I slept most of the way. Now we're at Seatac waiting in the Alaska Board Room for our final flight to Vancouver, It will be really good to be back at the apartment.
I have some finishing touches I want to add to this blog, but since our trip is over, this will probably become primarily an archive. I'll post my thoughts about using Vox on my Web 2.0 and School Administrators blog. Aside from the ads here, I have found this to be a very easy tool to use for posting photos and blogging on the fly. Haven't played around much with other features, which may bring me back.
Photo credit: King's Cross Underground by dmytton 3-10-07. Accessed 5-4-07 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmytton/416579523/.
Although Steve lived here as a graduate student, this was my first actual visit to England (I'd spent the night once when flying home from Italy). We were extremely fortunate to have friends we could stay with because London is outrageously expensive. While we were here, the U.S. dollar was the weakest it's been against the pound in decades. So, I learned quickly that it's very important to remember that ₤25 is really $50.
My understanding is that high costs are also tough on Londoners. I heard a lot of concern about the high cost of real estate, the unemployment rate (currently 21%), increased crime, and decreases in public services. For example, in several areas garbage is now picked up just every 2 weeks (the council leaders suggest that constituents get over it and freeze food scraps to avoid smells!). A newspaper report I saw yesterday suggested that this new practice is actually costing more than the weekly pick-ups because extra help has been hired to increase street cleaning now that much more trash is ending up there. In many respects I see parallels to our current situation in the U.S.
People here were very friendly and treated us well. I was a bit concerned about anti-Americanism, but it didn't impact any of our interchanges with folks in London or on the canals.
On much less important notes, London has the longest escalators I've ever seen, especially in the Underground and at the Tate Modern. I'm also surprised that walking up and down escalators is encouraged. Stand to the right, walk to the left.
I don't think I'll ever figure out which way to look before crossing a street here. Thank goodness most crosswalks have the words 'Look Right' or 'Look Left' clearly painted on the pavement.
The Underground is easy to figure out and use, but it kept me from developing an accurate mental map of the city. Buses were a little more difficult to sort out, but worth riding to see more. In either case, the pay-as-you-go Oyster card worked well for us because we had a total of 8 days in London and we have friends we can pass the cards along to for future use,
London has the best Indian food I've ever eaten. Now I'll need to spend a little more time scouting for good Indian food in Vancouver.
The Tower of London was the most moving place we visited (for me) and the Tudor portraits in the National Portrait Gallery ran a close second.
I loved Prince Albert Hall, but don't ever plan to sit in the top row again. It was a great view, but extremely unnerving.
Cambios offered better exchange rates than the banks.
McVitie's Biscuits are great! I especially like the Ginger Nuts and the Chocolate. Fox's Butter Crunch Crinkles are also a favorite. I think they're available in Vancouver. Have to see, but am taking a couple of packs home, just in case.
Although the canal boat was fun, it was nice to sleep in a bed that was on dry land! Today was our last chance to try to hit a couple of things we'd missed so far. So we set out about 9:30 a.m. to walk to Sir John Soane's Museum. He was one of England's greatest architects. In 1833 he established his house as a museum open to the public stipulating that it should always be kept (as much as possible) the way he left it. He was quite a collector! The basement is filled with bits and pieces of things he picked up in Egypt, Rome, and other spots. There are several rooms where it's possible to view parts of his art collection. Quite a hodge-podge of stuff.
We left there and had coffee, then headed for the Underground to go to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. We knew we weren't going to have much time, but I wanted to see the Italian Renaissance collection--purported to be the best outside Italy. Then we stopped for lunch at a Caffe Nero. After panini and coffee, it was time to head out to Fortnum & Mason to find a thank you gift for Ed and Meg. What an amazing store! Every imaginable kind of jam, biscuit, honey, tea, etc. Very crowded because of the weekend, but we found what we needed.
On the way back to Trafalgar Square we stopped at the St. James Church/Piccadilly Market. This outdoor market is for antique dealers on Tuesdays and then crafts and souvenirs Wednesdays through Saturdays. Then we walked through an arcade with some really pricey shops and went along the side of the St. James' Palace complex and tried to get into the Banqueting House one more time. Unfortunately, it was closed again! This time because the Antiques Roadshow will be taped there tomorrow. Wouldn't you know it!
Oh well, back to the Underground to get to the flat in time to pick up our laundry to get ready for tomorrow's flight. A long day ahead...
Update for yesterday:
We got ourselves sorted out with laundry and some packing and then went with Ed and Meg for a final dinner out. This time we made our way to a Chinese restaurant just on the edge of Chinatown (didn’t get the name of the restaurant). Dinner was quite good, but I think it was overpriced even by London standards. We started with seafood lettuce parcels on through prawns with cashew nut, some kind of lamb, a spicy chicken dish, and a vegetable that involved split pods of some sort. How’s that for not having much of a grasp of what was ordered?
After a fairly lengthy meal we walked through Chinatown and then into Leicester Square. Being Saturday night, the square was very crowded. We bought some gelato and strolled around (saw a huge police presence and also a mobile sign warning of crime in the area) and then went to see Piccadilly Circus at night. Jumped on a bus from there and headed back to Islington.
Up bright and early again today as we had to have the boat back to Bunbury by 9 a.m. We did get there right on time, even with the last set of staircase locks being especially difficult to work. As suspected, the people at the marina were not willing to reimburse for the pump out. That would make me hesitate to book with Anglo-Welsh again. However, other than that, they were very nice.
We called for a cab and were picked up by a very nice woman who is transitioning her family's dairy farm into a bed and breakfast (dairy farms in England are dying quickly) and is driving a cab to help support the shift. She also makes a school run. It seems that in England a city council can decide to contract with a cab service rather than provide a school bus. In rural areas, where a run might consist of 4-6 kids, it makes perfect sense! So our ride back to Crewe was quite interesting.
When we got there, we had four hours to kill before our train. We weren't able to shift to an earlier train because Ed and Meg's tickets weren't valid for earlier. We left our bags at the Crewe Arms Hotel and headed off into town. A couple of miles later (really) we found ourselves in a pedestrian mall area. We grabbed coffee at a Costa Coffee, and then set out to wander around. The shops in the pedestrian mall were all modern and either department stores or big box chains. We walked further and discovered an open air market with a pork seller who was advertising his 'specials' over a mike! There was a large number of stalls with different goods on offer- indoors and outside.
We spent some time there and then walked to the church in the center of town (see photos). Finally, we headed back to the hotel for a quick pub lunch and walk back to the train station. The train was late, so we had plenty of time at the train station. Luckily we were on the quiet car again, and except for the woman who sat behind me and spoke on her cell phone several times (loudly) it was quiet and we were able to sleep.
We got back into London about 4:45 p.m. and were back in the flat by 5:15. I spent a little time catching up on email and this blog. We headed out for dinner about 7:45 and went to a place on Chapel Market called Angel Curry Centre. It's a tiny restaurant, but the food is wonderful!
Up bright and early this morning and headed toward Wrenbury, where we want to stop for lunch. Between going with the current and getting much better at working locks, it took very little time to actually get here—less than 2 hours. So, we’re moored up and just going to hang out for a couple of hours so we can have another lunch at the Dusty Miller.
Nine locks this afternoon and then on to Barbridge Junction
and the Jolly Tar pub!
Bit of a grumpy day here on the ! You’d think that a need as universal as pumping out the commode tank would be easily met, but not! We missed the pumping time last night in Chirk by 15 minutes. We got up early and headed for the Maestermyn Marina. Arrived there a little after and the place was locked up tighter than a drum! No sign giving the open hours. There was a phone number, which we called, but no one answered. So, we headed for the next marina, a couple more hours away in Ellesmere.
The day was pretty gray. We had some cloud breaks, but the wind was pretty stiff, so it was best to stay in as much as possible. Ed and Steve did most of the piloting and I used some of the time to get caught up on reviewing what we’d seen in to plan our upcoming last 1 ½ days there.
We got to the marina in Ellesmere about Steve talked with the people there who said it would be 2 hours before we could be helped—for a 15 minute job! So we decided to use their facilities and press on. Someone at this marina said they thought it was about 4 hours to Grindley Brook Locks where there is a self-pumping station. We decided to go for it, rather than wait the 2 hours in Ellesmere.
So, back on the canal for quite a while. No locks along this stretch, but there are lift bridges. The pedestrian bridges aren’t too heavy, but the car bridges can be a real pain. I think there’s a photo of one near the Aqueduct Inn in yesterday’s collection. Great wait to build upper body strength!
We were much farther from Grindley Brook than estimated and pubs quit serving lunch anywhere from to , so we stopped again at the Waggoner Inn, where we’d had lunch on Sunday. Had a little more Shropshire Gold and a really good roast beef sandwich on a crusty baguette. The owner of the pub remembered us from Sunday and dropped by to talk with us a few minutes as we were leaving.
Back on the boat, we pressed on again toward a pump. Right by the turn-off to Whitchurch, there’s a Viking Afloat Marina and those folks are our new heroes. They were open and they had the entire job done in under 15 minutes. They also suggested that Anglo-Welsh should reimburse the pump out fee (₤15), saying that if it was one of their boats, there would be a refund. We’ll see, but I don’t think Anglo-Welsh is going to go for it.
We went on to Grindley Brook where there’s water, a small shop, Internet access, and the staircase locks. The Internet access point is a bit weird. Nice people, but this is where they charged ₤1 for 15 minutes online and ₤1 to plug in my laptop. Every other place we’ve stopped (generally a pub) has allowed me to charge my battery while we ate, with no talk about an extra fee! Anyway, it was nearly closing time and I had just enough time to get online, check and deal with a couple of important emails and leave the rest for when we get back to London. No time for blog or photo posting.
The staircase locks are strange enough that they have printed directions for how to use them and a lock keeper who is on duty from to each day. Of course, we just missed him, but figured it out. Going down is different from coming up and all three locks need to have water at the correct levels before you begin. Otherwise you can get stuck on a cill (a ledge at the back of the lock when going down) and end up nose down in the lock, high and dry!
We got through those and the three locks just below the staircase and decided to moor near a pub we’d seen on the way up. That meant one more lock, but I’d heard all about how part of the canal boat experience includes mooring in the evening near a canalside pub so you can talk to other boaters and have a nightcap and I wanted to try it just once. The pub we stayed near is the Willeymoor Lock Tavern. Very nice!
An update on English press on the Virginia Tech massacre. Here’s an excerpt from an editorial by Mick Hume in yesterday’s Times entitled ‘One madman loses it- and 300m lose their freedom.’ “We have heard far too many simplistic theories and pat solutions…all seem to agree that the problem is too much freedom.” “Once ’s legal system was seen as a global beacon of freedom. Now the world is offered the alternative model of new Labour’s authoritarian Mental Health Bill, granting the authorities the power to lock up those deemed to have a personality disorder even if they have committed no offence. Just as passing draconian anti-terror laws marks a victory for the bombers, so accepting the post-Virginia view of ‘too much’ liberty would be a defeat for democracy.” “Why should the lives and liberties of 300 m in be altered thanks to the isolated actions of one individual?”
Rested well last night and slept in since many businesses don’t open before or Had a breakfast of porridge and Eccles cakes and then walked into Llangollen to find a padlock. Llangollen is an ancient town. It was founded by St. Collen in the 7th century and today is a major tourist venue in . One of its most famous events is the Musical Eisteddfod which attracts performers from around the world.
We walked into the town and found the hardware store. Once we purchased a new padlock, we wandered around and found St. Collen’s Church. We were able to walk through the churchyard, but the building itself was locked up tighter than a drum. I was surprised. I thought Anglican churches were always open. Oh well. Today’s photo collection had pics of the outside.
We decided to do some fairly major shopping to cover dinners on the way back down since this is the largest town we see and we also have a good refrigerator on the boat. So we hit the butcher, the baker, the produce shop, and finally the grocery store. Bought an enormous amount of stuff! We hauled many sacks back to the boat. On the way we stopped and had coffee at the Llanglon wharf, where they also cheerfully allowed me to plug in and charge my laptop battery while we had our coffee. Steve went into the little shop there and found a nice print of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
We left the boat basin a little before and started heading back south; an easy trip to Trevor and across the aqueduct. We stopped at the Aqueduct Inn for a late lunch, but they had quit serving, so we decided to fix BLTs and keep going. We headed toward the Whitehouse Tunnel. Just before the tunnel, we pulled to the side to let 2 northbound boats come through the tunnel. As they passed, we started up the motor and it became very clear that we had a problem. Every time we tried to accelerate past dead slow, the whole boat shook! We were too close to the tunnel to back up, so we went through and then pulled off to the side. Luckily Meg and Ed had a cell phone. We called the Anglo-Welsh office and explained what was happening.
Fortunately there’s an Anglo-Welsh marina in Trevor, so a mechanic wasn’t far away. The illusion of being in a very remote place was shattered when it took him 15 minutes to reach us (it took us an hour to get that far south of Trevor). He assessed the problem, took a hammer to it, removed a part and said he’d return. About 45 minutes later he did, and within another 30 minutes, we were ready to go again. Sadly, in the meantime, we had discovered that the toilet system we had been assured was more than adequate for a week was, in fact, adequate for 4 days and our time was up.
We headed directly for the Chirk marina and their pumping station, but were 15 minutes too late. Our options were to wait in Chirk until morning or press on and rough it this evening. With the distance we needed to cover by Friday morning, we decided to keep going. While sorting thing out in Chirk, we were passed by the louts. This filled us with dread. But luckily, we passed them later parked at the last pub before a long, dry stretch.
So, here we are moored about an hour away from the next pumping station in Maestermyn marina. It began to rain right before the only locks we needed to get through today. We decided to keep going and though we’re all quite damp at this point, I think we’ll be glad in the morning that we went ahead.
Also have included a few shots of the interior of the canal boat in this collection.
Up very early this morning. Steve really wanted to make it
to Llangollen before we need to turn around tomorrow and start heading back, so
we were up a little after 6 and on our way by It was raining fairly steadily when we first woke up. Luckily
it let up right before we got underway. Lindsay, if you're reading this, be sure to look at today's photo collection- there's one there especially for you!
We went through our last 2 locks for the trip up fairly early this morning. There’s a boat we’ve encountered every day on this trip. We’ve taken to referring to the group of people on the boat as ‘the louts.’ They go very slowly, they’re quite loud, and they have a habit of mooring and then cutting in front of other boats when reentering the canal (us 2-3 times). Sure enough, they appeared again today and cut in front of us right before the locks and then later again, just about the time we got to . Each time they cut in and then went dead slow. Canals aren’t like highways, so once someone like that is ahead of you, you’re stuck.
We crossed 2 aqueducts and went through 2 more tunnels today. The first aqueduct, the Chirk, is interesting because there is a railway viaduct that runs alongside it. At the end of the aqueduct, you immediately enter the Chirk tunnel (459 yds.)…quite long! There’s a second tunnel, called the Whitehouse tunnel (191 yds.) a bit further along the way. At this point, you’re in . The canal becomes more narrow and twisty. I ran the boat (except in tunnels and on aqueducts) for a couple of hours until it got really difficult to maneuver.
About we made it to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. It’s amazing: 126 feet above the River Dee and 1007 ft. long! The towpath side is fenced, but the boat side is not. Designed by Thomas Telford, it’s one of the most famous landmarks on the canal system.
After crossing the aqueduct, we stopped at the Telford Inn for lunch. The owners are charming and the food was good. We made it to Llangollen about There’s a mooring fee here, but there’s also a water hook-up and electricity at each spot. It’s a bit of a hike into the town, but once you’re there, a lot’s on offer. Hopefully we’ll get the padlock replaced in the morning!
Well, we didn’t make it to church this morning. I had hoped to as I’d really like to attend an English mass, but it looks as though that’s not in the cards. Oh well. The reason we didn’t get there was two-fold. First, we slept much later today than yesterday (until ) and then we needed to get through 3 locks right off. Steve thought this would be a great time for me to learn how to maneuver the boat through locks. Unfortunately, all three of these had weirs off to the left, so the approach was very treacherous, with a strong current shoving the front of the boat every which way. Steve did have to come to the rescue, but at one point he was on shore, Ed and Meg were off tending to the locks, and I was on my own. We did make it through, but it was not a lot of fun!!!
After we cleared those locks, we came to the Grindley Brook staircase locks…very interesting and somewhat complicated. There’s a lock keeper here and that was very helpful. After we navigated the locks, we stopped to fill the water tank and visit the Lockside store. There was Internet access, so I paid ₤1 for 15 minutes online to check email and then another ₤1 to charge my battery for about 30 minutes while we shopped and had coffee.
On returning to the boat, we realized that the keys had been locked inside the boat. Luckily, a passing boater had a hacksaw, so he cut the padlock and we were on our way. Will need to replace that right away though! There aren’t many pubs along this stretch of the canal, so we decided to stop at the Waggoner Inn for lunch. The owner was very friendly and sat with us for a while. He’d lived in both and , so we had lots to talk about. We had soup for lunch followed by biscuits and some very amazing local cheeses…stilton with chives, brie, and a couple of different cheddars. Delicious!
Our afternoon continued to hold some adventures including nearly colliding with a freshly painted boat moored at the end of a curve. Somehow a large stick got jammed in our propeller and the engine stopped cold. Good for the engine (to have stopped) but not good for attempting to steer, Fortunately Ed and Meg were up front and able to push us away from the other boat before we hit. And, once the other boat owner saw the stick, he went from nasty to understanding in a flash.
After that little adventure, we pressed on to just passed Ellesmere. On the way, we went through our first tunnel, 87 yds. Long (just enough to begin to make it interesting). The spot where we moored was fairly isolated, but it was late and we were all whipped.
Up early this morning and a quick breakfast of Welsh cakes and coffee, then off to the locks. With three of us to open and close paddles and gates, it didn’t take as long to get through the four locks as it might have. We’re now headed north, eventually into Wales!
Much lock practice this morning. Most are easy to operate with double gates at the bottom and a single gate at the top. We reached Wrenbury about noon and moored by a lift bridge that had a path leading into the village. We walked through the churchyard of St. Margaret’s where parishioners have been buried since at least the 17th century. The church was originally built in the 14th century of red sandstone. The west tower is 15th century and the chancel and pulpit are early 17th century. Apparently two local families, the Cottons and the Starkeys, had an ongoing feud related to ownership of land and rights to church pews. This little tiff went on more than 400 years! Finally, an arbitrator allocated the south side of the church to the Cottons and the north side to the Starkeys. Also, near the door is the ‘dog-whipper’s pew.’ The dog-whipper (or Beadle) had the job of keeping dogs out of the church and waking up dozing parishioners. This post was filled until 1879! Pictures in today’s collection.
We walked on to a small market and got a recommendation for lunch. We actually ended up walking back to the canal and going to the Dusty Miller where we had sandwiches and I had my first ½ pint of ale (Unicorn). We walked back to the market, shopped, and then headed back to the boat.
A couple of hours later we came to Marbury, a gorgeous village (it’s actually won awards) with a wonderful church called St. Michael’s. This church was first mentioned in 1299 and the building today dates back to the 15th century. The outside of the building features gargoyles and inside the pulpit is the 2nd oldest in . You can wander through the churchyard and sit on benches in the church’s garden to relax while viewing the Little Mere (lake). We walked to the church, but it was getting late, so after visiting St. Michael’s, we went back to the boat.
At some point during the day, Meg and I both tried our hand at driving the boat. It reminded me a lot of the Storybook Canal ride at Disneyland and made me want to put on a Swiss Miss costume and point out Toad Hall on the canal bank!
We ending up mooring for the night right before the Grindley Brook Locks. Quick dinner and off to bed!
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rachel said:
Check out the London theme (look under My Vox - Design) look for cityscapes! read more
on Getting ready to go...
Great trip read more
on On the Canals: 4-21-07