Hey all,
I'm sitting with mad Scottish Julie in an internet cafe near our hostel in beautiful downtown Budapest. The keyboard types like an Aussie/English one, but the letters are all in different places! it really makes you touch type properly!
Well, Budapest is great...and my net time is running out! Crap!
Just say we're OK physically...but cash wise not so good. Somehow I miscalculated and am 500 Aussie dollars in debt on my credit card, as opposed to being up about 300 bucks, which is what I thought. It means no more souvenirs for me!
Love nats
Sep 30, 2004
Sep 26, 2004
Edinbugger and Weegies etc
Hey all!
It's a fine Glasgow afternoon out there....a bit rainy, cloudy, very windy, and I'm overheating inside the EasyInternet cafe. They really turn the heating up in this country. 'Quick! It's dropped 2 degrees! Crank up the heating to 38!' Yet they all say they live here because they like the cold. And it's boiling hot inside. Not whinging, just a quirk I've noticed! ;)
The good news is my ear problem is clearing up nicely. Thursday was a write off, but on Friday I forced myself to get out of bed and onto the bus for Edinburgh. I was a bit dodgy on the bus and after, but walking around Edinburgh on such a beautiful day as Friday was, I couldn't help but rally.
Edinburgh is one of the prettiest cities in Britain. We stayed in a backpackers (Private room - I was so NOT dorming it in my state!) off the Royal Mile, which is the main street in Edinburgh. The big f***-off castle is up high on one end, and the street flows down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the other end.
The castle was great - huge, with big guns, an old chapel dedicated to St Margaret, old prisons, military barracks, and even a wedding taking place up on top! Well, the photos anyway! I think the bride quite enjoyed posing with Japanese tourists for photos!
Friday night we went on a ghost tour, which took us into Greyfriars prison, and into the 'Black Mausoleum' so called because it is reportedly the home of a poltergeist! Of course, being the most unmagical person I know, nothing happened! But a man did jump out at us, yelling 'Boo!@ quite loudly. Most of the people on the tour were young American girlies, so you get the idea of the scream that followed!
Saturday we couldn't get into Holyroodhouse - apparently because they had a royal visior. Holyrood is the official residence of the Queen in Scotland, despite the fact she stays at Balmoral. I was disappointed, as Holyrood is most famous as the home of Mary Queen of Scots. Mary wasn't the cleverest young monarch about, but the various exhibitions tend to skip over the dodgier parts of her life!
We went on another tour, this time into vaults under one of the town bridges, where merchants used to manufacture their goods for sale in their shops on the street above. You can just imagine the working conditions down there - with horse urine and dog poo used to work leather skins for example. The guide used the fab term 'an eclectic aromatic experience', which I thought was quite appropriate!
We wandered around some more - oh yeah, I should mentioned we've been shopping. I went a bit mad in H&M, a fabbo and fairly cheap clothing chain over here. And Greg bought himself a wonderful jacket - it's black and crushed velvet looking. It's very sexy.
I should mention it was Greg's birthday yesterday, so everyone say happy birthday! We bussed back to Glasgow last night and had dinner at Wagamama's with Debbie and Eoghann. Greg received a Warhammer computer game from Eoghann, who is also somewhat of a computer geek! We had to of course go back to his place and play it!!!
Today we've got the fun task of packing. We've picked up so much along the way, we have to somehow cram it into bags!
I realise i haven't mentioned much about the previous week on the road.
Here are some quick highlights!
Lake District - Wordsworth's house (one of them!) and a really bloody cool and interesting bobbin mill!
Peak District - caves! Caves with water in the bottom, so you have to go through them on a boat!
York - a really groovy ghost tour, and the so-bad-it's-good York Dungeon. York is also a gorgeous city.
Hadrian's Wall - it is very wall-y! Not as tall as it once was, but still impressive. We also saw two Roman forts built along the wall, which were impressive!
Going right back to Wales - geez - Beaumaris Castle, Conwy Castle, Cardiff Castle and Castell Kock (both built/refurbiushed) by the same mad Scotsman who was one of the world's richest men back in the 1800s and loved fairytales and bizarre architecture!)
That's about all....thanks to everyone who's been posting comments - really great to hear from Christen back at the news desk!
Love to all.....bring on Budapest! Nats
It's a fine Glasgow afternoon out there....a bit rainy, cloudy, very windy, and I'm overheating inside the EasyInternet cafe. They really turn the heating up in this country. 'Quick! It's dropped 2 degrees! Crank up the heating to 38!' Yet they all say they live here because they like the cold. And it's boiling hot inside. Not whinging, just a quirk I've noticed! ;)
The good news is my ear problem is clearing up nicely. Thursday was a write off, but on Friday I forced myself to get out of bed and onto the bus for Edinburgh. I was a bit dodgy on the bus and after, but walking around Edinburgh on such a beautiful day as Friday was, I couldn't help but rally.
Edinburgh is one of the prettiest cities in Britain. We stayed in a backpackers (Private room - I was so NOT dorming it in my state!) off the Royal Mile, which is the main street in Edinburgh. The big f***-off castle is up high on one end, and the street flows down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the other end.
The castle was great - huge, with big guns, an old chapel dedicated to St Margaret, old prisons, military barracks, and even a wedding taking place up on top! Well, the photos anyway! I think the bride quite enjoyed posing with Japanese tourists for photos!
Friday night we went on a ghost tour, which took us into Greyfriars prison, and into the 'Black Mausoleum' so called because it is reportedly the home of a poltergeist! Of course, being the most unmagical person I know, nothing happened! But a man did jump out at us, yelling 'Boo!@ quite loudly. Most of the people on the tour were young American girlies, so you get the idea of the scream that followed!
Saturday we couldn't get into Holyroodhouse - apparently because they had a royal visior. Holyrood is the official residence of the Queen in Scotland, despite the fact she stays at Balmoral. I was disappointed, as Holyrood is most famous as the home of Mary Queen of Scots. Mary wasn't the cleverest young monarch about, but the various exhibitions tend to skip over the dodgier parts of her life!
We went on another tour, this time into vaults under one of the town bridges, where merchants used to manufacture their goods for sale in their shops on the street above. You can just imagine the working conditions down there - with horse urine and dog poo used to work leather skins for example. The guide used the fab term 'an eclectic aromatic experience', which I thought was quite appropriate!
We wandered around some more - oh yeah, I should mentioned we've been shopping. I went a bit mad in H&M, a fabbo and fairly cheap clothing chain over here. And Greg bought himself a wonderful jacket - it's black and crushed velvet looking. It's very sexy.
I should mention it was Greg's birthday yesterday, so everyone say happy birthday! We bussed back to Glasgow last night and had dinner at Wagamama's with Debbie and Eoghann. Greg received a Warhammer computer game from Eoghann, who is also somewhat of a computer geek! We had to of course go back to his place and play it!!!
Today we've got the fun task of packing. We've picked up so much along the way, we have to somehow cram it into bags!
I realise i haven't mentioned much about the previous week on the road.
Here are some quick highlights!
Lake District - Wordsworth's house (one of them!) and a really bloody cool and interesting bobbin mill!
Peak District - caves! Caves with water in the bottom, so you have to go through them on a boat!
York - a really groovy ghost tour, and the so-bad-it's-good York Dungeon. York is also a gorgeous city.
Hadrian's Wall - it is very wall-y! Not as tall as it once was, but still impressive. We also saw two Roman forts built along the wall, which were impressive!
Going right back to Wales - geez - Beaumaris Castle, Conwy Castle, Cardiff Castle and Castell Kock (both built/refurbiushed) by the same mad Scotsman who was one of the world's richest men back in the 1800s and loved fairytales and bizarre architecture!)
That's about all....thanks to everyone who's been posting comments - really great to hear from Christen back at the news desk!
Love to all.....bring on Budapest! Nats
Sep 24, 2004
The Labyrinth that is my Brain
Ow.
What's the one thing you DON'T want happening when you're having a perfectly lovely overseas trip?
That's right, getting sick.
I've come down with 'Labyrinthitis', an inner-ear infection apparently. It's making my head all spinny and woozy and dizzy. It's not fun, because it's making everyting very hard to do, so I'm a big slowcoach at the moment.
Luckily Greg's been taking wonderful care of me - Debbie and Julie even gave him their local GP's number so he was able to book me in for an appointment. The doctor was lovely - turns out she worked in Brisbane for a year back in the late 90s. It's a small world. Anyway, she's given me pills, I didn't have to pay for the doctor's appointment thanks to the NHS 'Temporary Resident' laws, so hopefully I'll feel better soon. We're supposed to be heading off to Edinburgh tomorrow so fingers crossed.
I'm sorry I haven't written much, but net access hasn't been forthcoming much. The Orkneys were quite fun. We spent Saturday night at the Muir of Ord, on the Black Isle, with Eoghann's parents. (Eoghann is Debbie's boyfriend). They fed us marvellously, including wild boar! They also lent me a fleece jumper, because me being me, I left my jacket in Glasgow, and the Orkneys are not somewhere you want to be in T-Shirts.
We drove up to the pleasantly named town of Scrabster on Sunday evening, had a few hours sleep, then caught the 6am ferry to Stromness, on the Orkney mainland. The ferry was horrid, I was so sea-sick. Luckily I didn't vomit!
The Orkneys were windy and chilly. The wind was so bad it actually blew Debbie's car door back on itself, busting it. For three days we had to pile out of the passenger door!
My credit's running out! We saw Skara Brae, Maes Howe, the TOmb of the Eages, the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and much more.
Will try to write again soon!
What's the one thing you DON'T want happening when you're having a perfectly lovely overseas trip?
That's right, getting sick.
I've come down with 'Labyrinthitis', an inner-ear infection apparently. It's making my head all spinny and woozy and dizzy. It's not fun, because it's making everyting very hard to do, so I'm a big slowcoach at the moment.
Luckily Greg's been taking wonderful care of me - Debbie and Julie even gave him their local GP's number so he was able to book me in for an appointment. The doctor was lovely - turns out she worked in Brisbane for a year back in the late 90s. It's a small world. Anyway, she's given me pills, I didn't have to pay for the doctor's appointment thanks to the NHS 'Temporary Resident' laws, so hopefully I'll feel better soon. We're supposed to be heading off to Edinburgh tomorrow so fingers crossed.
I'm sorry I haven't written much, but net access hasn't been forthcoming much. The Orkneys were quite fun. We spent Saturday night at the Muir of Ord, on the Black Isle, with Eoghann's parents. (Eoghann is Debbie's boyfriend). They fed us marvellously, including wild boar! They also lent me a fleece jumper, because me being me, I left my jacket in Glasgow, and the Orkneys are not somewhere you want to be in T-Shirts.
We drove up to the pleasantly named town of Scrabster on Sunday evening, had a few hours sleep, then caught the 6am ferry to Stromness, on the Orkney mainland. The ferry was horrid, I was so sea-sick. Luckily I didn't vomit!
The Orkneys were windy and chilly. The wind was so bad it actually blew Debbie's car door back on itself, busting it. For three days we had to pile out of the passenger door!
My credit's running out! We saw Skara Brae, Maes Howe, the TOmb of the Eages, the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and much more.
Will try to write again soon!
Sep 18, 2004
An update - and go the mighty Lions!
Hey guys!
Sorry it's been so long between updates. We've been on the road seeing more castles and ancient monuments like Hadrian's Wall. I tell you, Greg is way too keen on Hadrian's wall. We stopped at one preserved fort on a hill called 'Housesteads' and Greg went running around the ruins yelling 'The Romans were so cool! Look at their toilet system!' (Mind you, it still wasn't as good as those Cardiff bogs!)
We're in Scotland now at Debbie and Julie's place. We're about to head off with Debbie's boyfriend Eoghann to his parents place up north. Then we're heading to the Orkney Islands, where I plan to slowly freeze to death!
Finally, Dad's been very good and sending me texts during the Lions/Cats game. Well done boys! I'm wearing my Lions scarf now - let's wallop the Power and go premiership number four!
Love to all, Nats!
Sorry it's been so long between updates. We've been on the road seeing more castles and ancient monuments like Hadrian's Wall. I tell you, Greg is way too keen on Hadrian's wall. We stopped at one preserved fort on a hill called 'Housesteads' and Greg went running around the ruins yelling 'The Romans were so cool! Look at their toilet system!' (Mind you, it still wasn't as good as those Cardiff bogs!)
We're in Scotland now at Debbie and Julie's place. We're about to head off with Debbie's boyfriend Eoghann to his parents place up north. Then we're heading to the Orkney Islands, where I plan to slowly freeze to death!
Finally, Dad's been very good and sending me texts during the Lions/Cats game. Well done boys! I'm wearing my Lions scarf now - let's wallop the Power and go premiership number four!
Love to all, Nats!
Sep 15, 2004
Quick! Quick!
Hey guys,
I just paid a pound for about 10 minutes of net time. Dodgy!
Just letting you know we're in a small town called Kendal on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Don't ask how we came to be here!
Tomorrow we head a bit more west and into the lake district. Should be lovely.
Came today from York (or Jorvik in Viking!) - you should all go if you're ever in England. It's a gorgeous town.
Crap on more later, Nats.
I just paid a pound for about 10 minutes of net time. Dodgy!
Just letting you know we're in a small town called Kendal on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Don't ask how we came to be here!
Tomorrow we head a bit more west and into the lake district. Should be lovely.
Came today from York (or Jorvik in Viking!) - you should all go if you're ever in England. It's a gorgeous town.
Crap on more later, Nats.
Sep 13, 2004
A castle a day keeps.....something.....away.
As Keanu Reeves once said......"Woah".
We have seen so many castles this week, I don't think I can go back to regular house living. I've decided I need drawbridges and portcullises, outer and inner walls, a great hall, servants' quarters, disgustingly opulent decorations and a garderobe. Castles all the way, baby!
Back to the beginning anyway.
TUESDAY
Jax, Greg and I loaded up the Punto and headed for Windsor Castle. (Greg, by the way, has christened the hire car "Flicker", because it has an abundance of lights that just start flickering on the dashboard, then go out before you can figure out what's wrong.) Windsor is the largest castle in Europe. Or maybe the largest lived-in castle. Or maybe just the largest castle in the UK. Either way, it's bloody huge and impressive. No wonder the Queen gets out there as often as possible.
We had a warden take us on a private tour, and while passing under the murder holes he cracked jokes about making any Australians who voted for a republic stand under them! We stayed quiet at this unexpected outburst of imperial pride. ;)
The Queen WASN'T in residence (such a pity, said the warden, she would have surely invited you in for cucumber sandwiches), so we got to see the back gardens and terrace, which are normally closed when Lizzie's at home. We then saw Queen Mary's doll house - like the castle but in miniature - more impressive in many ways! We also trodded through 26 state rooms, all gorgeous and worthy of a king, queen, president or even on the odd occasion, Australian prime minister!
We left Windsor and drove past Eton on the way home. You can see Eton Chapel from Windsor Castle - in fact one of the kings built the St George Chapel in Windsor Castle because he was jealous of how lovely the Eton one was! We saw a few of the Eton buildings, but didn't stop. We did take the mickey out of the English public school system while driving though!
We had a big stir-fry at home for dinner, then of course Greg and I forsook precious sleep to watch more of Jax's Sky television. It's so addictive!
WEDNESDAY
We said goodbye and thanks to Jax, Ben and Ollie, and started the big journey north. Well, actually, more south-west, as our first stop was the legendary Stonehenge. It was pretty awesome to come over a hill and BAM! there it is. Standing mysteriously and gracefully in the early morning sun. We got there about 10:30 and already there were loads of people strolling around it, taking pictures and oohing. When all is said and done it is actually very impressive. The stones are HUGE....and that's just from your point of view behind the fence about 10 to 15 metres away from the monument. I'd love to get in close, but I think I'd have to become a Druid to do so!
We left as masses more tourists arrived, and tacked north, heading towards another Neolithic monument - Avebury. This is a giant circle of standing stones about a mile in diameter. It actually encompasses part of the village of Avebury itself. There's even a big road through two of the stones! Still, it manages to deeply impress. We walked along the circle, then headed into the local museum, which had a bright and colourful display about Neolithic man etc. The question of "What the hell was Neolithic man doing hauling stones from miles away and yanking them upright?" can never really be answered completely - but Greg is still dead keen on them as astronomical tools. All the solstice alignment stuff tends to back that up.
After Avebury we drove to the nearby Silbury Hill, a much less well known monument. It's a earthen hill, but constructed entirely by man. It's wide and 40 metres high. It's bizarre. The Romans used to use it as a marker on the way to Bath. You can't walk on it because there are all sorts of plants growing on it not seen elsewhere. It's also bloody steep and slippery!
We also walked up to the West Kennet Long Barrow. It's one of those strange monuments that is phenomenally brilliant, but quite untouched. You have to want to get there to get there. You can't really miss Stonehenge, and as I said above, it's quite touristy. West Kennet is about half a mile off the road up a hill - and I'm SO not good with hills! But it was worth it. It's the longest barrow (burial chamber) in Europe, stretching 400 metres. You could only go in a small part on one end, but it was cool....a 10 metre long passage with chambers coming off the sides. It also had a good view from the top.
We then headed towards Bath, our stop for the night. We grabbed a nice room at the Bath YHA, which was a renovated old manor house on one of the hills surrounding the main town. We headed down the hill to take the "Bizarre Bath" comedy walk. This was only 5 pounds, but it was the most crowded tour we've been on. We reckon at least 150! The tour guide was great, cracking jokes and doing magic tricks etc. Afterwards we got a kebab and headed home to bed!
THURSDAY
Another lovely day - and a great one to see Bath. We took in the famous Roman Baths (which gave the town its name and are now responsible for the place being Britain's only World Heritage listed city). They're quite amazing - growing from just a hot spring initially used as a worship site by the Britons, then as a Roman town and temple, with the hot springs at its centre, then as a fashionable holiday site for the Victorians. We spent about 2 hours in there - I even drank some of the water, which supposedly has curative powers (I'm hoping my spots will clear up!). It was very hot and tasted like old dissolved aspirin from all the minerals. And the worst part was - the water gushes to the surface at a rate of 13 litres per SECOND, and they still made me pay 50p for a glass!
We also went into Bath Abbey, which has a nice plaque commemorating Captain Arthur Phillip, who died in the town after returning from his stint as first governor of Australia. We took in the town's lovely old Guild Hall, and had a look around the Assembly Rooms. For many people, Bath is Jane Austen, and she's hard to miss in the town. The assembly rooms are similar to what they would have been in her day. I didn't go into the Museum of Costume because it wasn't on our Heritage pass. So I bought the book instead!
We headed back to the car and started off for Wales. Cymru! It cost us almost 5 pounds to cross the Severn Bridge. That's about $12. Don't complain about the Gateway toll people! We headed north to see Tintern Abbey, the remains of a medieval Cistercian monastery. It was wonderful - so big! A dramatic site in a lovely valley. We wandered around pretending to be monks for a while, then drove back towards Chepstow, where we hoped we'd have enough time to see Chepstow Castle. Unfortunately they'd started locking up, so it was on to Cardiff for the night.
It was in Cardiff that we experienced the wondrous toilets of my last post. And that's all I'm going to write now because I'm stuffed, and we have to make arrangements for accommodation etc. We've been in Betws-y-coed now since Friday night, and it's during this time we've seen all the castles. So many castles! There's....wait for it.....SEVEN I have to describe to you. So I know you'll all be keen for my next post. Not. Actually, I'll be happy if people make it this far without falling asleep!
Love you all, Natalie
We have seen so many castles this week, I don't think I can go back to regular house living. I've decided I need drawbridges and portcullises, outer and inner walls, a great hall, servants' quarters, disgustingly opulent decorations and a garderobe. Castles all the way, baby!
Back to the beginning anyway.
TUESDAY
Jax, Greg and I loaded up the Punto and headed for Windsor Castle. (Greg, by the way, has christened the hire car "Flicker", because it has an abundance of lights that just start flickering on the dashboard, then go out before you can figure out what's wrong.) Windsor is the largest castle in Europe. Or maybe the largest lived-in castle. Or maybe just the largest castle in the UK. Either way, it's bloody huge and impressive. No wonder the Queen gets out there as often as possible.
We had a warden take us on a private tour, and while passing under the murder holes he cracked jokes about making any Australians who voted for a republic stand under them! We stayed quiet at this unexpected outburst of imperial pride. ;)
The Queen WASN'T in residence (such a pity, said the warden, she would have surely invited you in for cucumber sandwiches), so we got to see the back gardens and terrace, which are normally closed when Lizzie's at home. We then saw Queen Mary's doll house - like the castle but in miniature - more impressive in many ways! We also trodded through 26 state rooms, all gorgeous and worthy of a king, queen, president or even on the odd occasion, Australian prime minister!
We left Windsor and drove past Eton on the way home. You can see Eton Chapel from Windsor Castle - in fact one of the kings built the St George Chapel in Windsor Castle because he was jealous of how lovely the Eton one was! We saw a few of the Eton buildings, but didn't stop. We did take the mickey out of the English public school system while driving though!
We had a big stir-fry at home for dinner, then of course Greg and I forsook precious sleep to watch more of Jax's Sky television. It's so addictive!
WEDNESDAY
We said goodbye and thanks to Jax, Ben and Ollie, and started the big journey north. Well, actually, more south-west, as our first stop was the legendary Stonehenge. It was pretty awesome to come over a hill and BAM! there it is. Standing mysteriously and gracefully in the early morning sun. We got there about 10:30 and already there were loads of people strolling around it, taking pictures and oohing. When all is said and done it is actually very impressive. The stones are HUGE....and that's just from your point of view behind the fence about 10 to 15 metres away from the monument. I'd love to get in close, but I think I'd have to become a Druid to do so!
We left as masses more tourists arrived, and tacked north, heading towards another Neolithic monument - Avebury. This is a giant circle of standing stones about a mile in diameter. It actually encompasses part of the village of Avebury itself. There's even a big road through two of the stones! Still, it manages to deeply impress. We walked along the circle, then headed into the local museum, which had a bright and colourful display about Neolithic man etc. The question of "What the hell was Neolithic man doing hauling stones from miles away and yanking them upright?" can never really be answered completely - but Greg is still dead keen on them as astronomical tools. All the solstice alignment stuff tends to back that up.
After Avebury we drove to the nearby Silbury Hill, a much less well known monument. It's a earthen hill, but constructed entirely by man. It's wide and 40 metres high. It's bizarre. The Romans used to use it as a marker on the way to Bath. You can't walk on it because there are all sorts of plants growing on it not seen elsewhere. It's also bloody steep and slippery!
We also walked up to the West Kennet Long Barrow. It's one of those strange monuments that is phenomenally brilliant, but quite untouched. You have to want to get there to get there. You can't really miss Stonehenge, and as I said above, it's quite touristy. West Kennet is about half a mile off the road up a hill - and I'm SO not good with hills! But it was worth it. It's the longest barrow (burial chamber) in Europe, stretching 400 metres. You could only go in a small part on one end, but it was cool....a 10 metre long passage with chambers coming off the sides. It also had a good view from the top.
We then headed towards Bath, our stop for the night. We grabbed a nice room at the Bath YHA, which was a renovated old manor house on one of the hills surrounding the main town. We headed down the hill to take the "Bizarre Bath" comedy walk. This was only 5 pounds, but it was the most crowded tour we've been on. We reckon at least 150! The tour guide was great, cracking jokes and doing magic tricks etc. Afterwards we got a kebab and headed home to bed!
THURSDAY
Another lovely day - and a great one to see Bath. We took in the famous Roman Baths (which gave the town its name and are now responsible for the place being Britain's only World Heritage listed city). They're quite amazing - growing from just a hot spring initially used as a worship site by the Britons, then as a Roman town and temple, with the hot springs at its centre, then as a fashionable holiday site for the Victorians. We spent about 2 hours in there - I even drank some of the water, which supposedly has curative powers (I'm hoping my spots will clear up!). It was very hot and tasted like old dissolved aspirin from all the minerals. And the worst part was - the water gushes to the surface at a rate of 13 litres per SECOND, and they still made me pay 50p for a glass!
We also went into Bath Abbey, which has a nice plaque commemorating Captain Arthur Phillip, who died in the town after returning from his stint as first governor of Australia. We took in the town's lovely old Guild Hall, and had a look around the Assembly Rooms. For many people, Bath is Jane Austen, and she's hard to miss in the town. The assembly rooms are similar to what they would have been in her day. I didn't go into the Museum of Costume because it wasn't on our Heritage pass. So I bought the book instead!
We headed back to the car and started off for Wales. Cymru! It cost us almost 5 pounds to cross the Severn Bridge. That's about $12. Don't complain about the Gateway toll people! We headed north to see Tintern Abbey, the remains of a medieval Cistercian monastery. It was wonderful - so big! A dramatic site in a lovely valley. We wandered around pretending to be monks for a while, then drove back towards Chepstow, where we hoped we'd have enough time to see Chepstow Castle. Unfortunately they'd started locking up, so it was on to Cardiff for the night.
It was in Cardiff that we experienced the wondrous toilets of my last post. And that's all I'm going to write now because I'm stuffed, and we have to make arrangements for accommodation etc. We've been in Betws-y-coed now since Friday night, and it's during this time we've seen all the castles. So many castles! There's....wait for it.....SEVEN I have to describe to you. So I know you'll all be keen for my next post. Not. Actually, I'll be happy if people make it this far without falling asleep!
Love you all, Natalie
Sep 11, 2004
I want to live in a Cardiff toilet.
This is the first net access I've had since Monday. We're now in Betws-y-coed in northern Wales, having travelled from Reading, past Stonehenge and Avebury, into Bath, across to Cardiff and through Wales - seeing many wondrous things along the way.
But there has been nothing so gob-smackingly amazing, nothing that so inspired the soul.....as the ladies' toilets in the Wetherspoons on City Road in Cardiff.
Seriously people. These toilets were like the lost city of Atlantis. We'd just visited the Roman Baths in Bath earlier yesterday, and I tell you, these loos were more palatial!
We had dinner at Wetherspoons, which provides cheap meals in hundreds of pubs across the UK. A fairly run-of-the-mill trip to the bathroom took an eventful turn when I pushed through the doors. A large waiting room with comfy sofas welcomed me, and the bathroom itself was twice the length of Greg's flat, with a beautiful fountain marking the end of the passage. The toilets were located snugly within the walls, with sinks between each green-tiled walled-off cubicle. All it needed were rainforest sound effects.
Seriously, you could have a party in there. I told the waitrtsses they should advertise their amazing facilities. "Come in! If only for the Bogs!"might be one slogan.
Anyway, it's very late, and we have much to do tomorrow!
But there has been nothing so gob-smackingly amazing, nothing that so inspired the soul.....as the ladies' toilets in the Wetherspoons on City Road in Cardiff.
Seriously people. These toilets were like the lost city of Atlantis. We'd just visited the Roman Baths in Bath earlier yesterday, and I tell you, these loos were more palatial!
We had dinner at Wetherspoons, which provides cheap meals in hundreds of pubs across the UK. A fairly run-of-the-mill trip to the bathroom took an eventful turn when I pushed through the doors. A large waiting room with comfy sofas welcomed me, and the bathroom itself was twice the length of Greg's flat, with a beautiful fountain marking the end of the passage. The toilets were located snugly within the walls, with sinks between each green-tiled walled-off cubicle. All it needed were rainforest sound effects.
Seriously, you could have a party in there. I told the waitrtsses they should advertise their amazing facilities. "Come in! If only for the Bogs!"might be one slogan.
Anyway, it's very late, and we have much to do tomorrow!
Sep 7, 2004
Brighton
Ahoy-hoy!
We've been having a lovely time here with Jacqui in Reading. Very relaxed and chilled out. Sunday we all drove to a nearby village called Sonning, where apparently a lot of famous people have houses (Billy Connolly and Scary Spice, or so we've been told!). We sat by the Thames and Ben, Ollie and Jax actually went fishing! Don't mention this to anyone, as I believe you're supposed to have a permit! ;) They caught a few little perch fish (perches? fishes? who knows!), but nothing huge.
I sat happily reading my English gossip mag. I love the mags here. They're just so much nastier. The other day on the plane I sneaked a peek at the article the guy next to me was reading. It was about Wayne Rooney, the young soccer prodigy who's just been signed to Man U., but has been in trouble for apparently seeing prostitutes a bit-too-frequently, if you know wot I mean, guv'nor. The article mentioned some of the tabloid headlines about him, including my favourite ''Rooney had 60 hookers on 18-month whore binge''.
Ga?
Whore binge? Who goes on a whore binge? And do you have to PURGE, after you've been on a whore binge? Is Wayne Rooney some kind of sexual bulimic? Who knows? Anyway, the mags are full of stories about him and his penchant for the older ladies of the night, one of whom is apparently known as ''The Auld Slapper''. If only Australian politics was this nasty, I think a lot more people would be interested in the election!
Anyhoo, today Jax, Greg and I headed for Brighton, England's premier seaside resort for the posh. It's rather amusing to come all the way from Australia where I never go near a beach, to get to Brighton and go ''Whee! The ocean!!!''. But what's funnier is the fact that the beach is made of....pebbles. That's right, pebbles. Big rocks in fact - they hurt your feet!
We had fish and chips for lunch, and wandered across Brighton Pier, taking in a couple of rides. Greg and I went down a slide, built on the side of a mini lighthouse. All three of us went on the log ride. Luckily today was another sunny, warm day because we all got soaked!!! I also paid £3 to hook a bag containing a soft toy off a shelf. It was an easy prize, but I figured I could go the cheaper option of trying to throw balls into a milk churn, but I'd more than likely miss. So why not just buy the dang toy? We named it Brighton, and it's a blue and purple cross between a bear, a mouse, an anteater and a womble. Don't know whether I'll be able to bring him home though!!! ;)
Tomorow we're going to activate the heritage passes and start saving some money! We hope to visit Windsor Castle and maybe Eton. Greg and I will then leave on Wednesday and make for Bath, then a bit of Cornwall, then into Wales.
I'm sorry this post has been so long, but I'm taking advantage of the broadband connection here in Jax and Ben's house!
Love to all, Nats.
We've been having a lovely time here with Jacqui in Reading. Very relaxed and chilled out. Sunday we all drove to a nearby village called Sonning, where apparently a lot of famous people have houses (Billy Connolly and Scary Spice, or so we've been told!). We sat by the Thames and Ben, Ollie and Jax actually went fishing! Don't mention this to anyone, as I believe you're supposed to have a permit! ;) They caught a few little perch fish (perches? fishes? who knows!), but nothing huge.
I sat happily reading my English gossip mag. I love the mags here. They're just so much nastier. The other day on the plane I sneaked a peek at the article the guy next to me was reading. It was about Wayne Rooney, the young soccer prodigy who's just been signed to Man U., but has been in trouble for apparently seeing prostitutes a bit-too-frequently, if you know wot I mean, guv'nor. The article mentioned some of the tabloid headlines about him, including my favourite ''Rooney had 60 hookers on 18-month whore binge''.
Ga?
Whore binge? Who goes on a whore binge? And do you have to PURGE, after you've been on a whore binge? Is Wayne Rooney some kind of sexual bulimic? Who knows? Anyway, the mags are full of stories about him and his penchant for the older ladies of the night, one of whom is apparently known as ''The Auld Slapper''. If only Australian politics was this nasty, I think a lot more people would be interested in the election!
Anyhoo, today Jax, Greg and I headed for Brighton, England's premier seaside resort for the posh. It's rather amusing to come all the way from Australia where I never go near a beach, to get to Brighton and go ''Whee! The ocean!!!''. But what's funnier is the fact that the beach is made of....pebbles. That's right, pebbles. Big rocks in fact - they hurt your feet!
We had fish and chips for lunch, and wandered across Brighton Pier, taking in a couple of rides. Greg and I went down a slide, built on the side of a mini lighthouse. All three of us went on the log ride. Luckily today was another sunny, warm day because we all got soaked!!! I also paid £3 to hook a bag containing a soft toy off a shelf. It was an easy prize, but I figured I could go the cheaper option of trying to throw balls into a milk churn, but I'd more than likely miss. So why not just buy the dang toy? We named it Brighton, and it's a blue and purple cross between a bear, a mouse, an anteater and a womble. Don't know whether I'll be able to bring him home though!!! ;)
Tomorow we're going to activate the heritage passes and start saving some money! We hope to visit Windsor Castle and maybe Eton. Greg and I will then leave on Wednesday and make for Bath, then a bit of Cornwall, then into Wales.
I'm sorry this post has been so long, but I'm taking advantage of the broadband connection here in Jax and Ben's house!
Love to all, Nats.
Sep 6, 2004
That famous English sunshine
Hey all,
Well I'm a lot happier after finding out my last post actually DID get published - the connection in the Dublin net cafe was so bad I thought I'd lost the whole thing. So yippee.
We enjoyed some great food and music at ''The Brazen Head'', Ireland's oldest pub, on Friday night. It was reportedly first founded in 1198, and the present building dates back to the reign of Charles II in the late 1600s. It has been renovated since though!
We had to have an early night because of plane-catching the next day. We were at Dublin airport, which inside looks like a mall! I've never seen so many shops. Spent the last of my euros on tacky souvenirs! No point really in swapping 20 euros for pounds - you'd only get about 8.
We landed in Heathrow safely, then had to wait for a shuttle bus to pick us up and take us to the car rental place. It actually turned out to be a good thing, because we didn't have to negotiate our way out of the busiest airport in the world!
Greg was a bit worried about driving, but took to the manual gearstick like Donatella Versace takes to cocaine. (ie, very easily!). We filled up - £24 - OUCH! That's about $60 Australian. We really have nothing to complain about, even if we're paying a dollar a litre! We found our way to Reading, and the suburb of Woodley where Jax lives with her boyfriend Ben and his brother Ollie. They're lovely, and are happy to have us camp out on their floor for a few days!
Girls, Jax was really happy to get our scrapbook. Phew! She's sent you all a video message, which I'll play for you when I get back!
Ben and Ollie had to go to dinner with their parents, so Greg, Jax and I went across the road to an Indian/Thai restaurant. My mum and dad have been after me to eat Indian for ages, so they'll be nodding and saying ''I told you so'' when I say it was very nice! The chicken korma especially.
Now it's Sunday morning, and hot and sunny. It's 28 degrees here today. Once again, Greg is crowing about his ''Sun God'' powers. He reckons he brings the sun with him. And yet, Greg hates the sun. Hmmmm. ;) Today, I need to get to Tesco's and buy some better cleanser or something. My face has just been Spot City since I've been here. It could be a lot of the crap in the air, who knows. I'm certainly not blaming the Cheesy Wot-sits (yummy cheese snacks!)
Meanwhile, I hear the Lions are stampeding towards a fourth premiership - go you good things!!!! Keep me posted people!
Love Nats.
Well I'm a lot happier after finding out my last post actually DID get published - the connection in the Dublin net cafe was so bad I thought I'd lost the whole thing. So yippee.
We enjoyed some great food and music at ''The Brazen Head'', Ireland's oldest pub, on Friday night. It was reportedly first founded in 1198, and the present building dates back to the reign of Charles II in the late 1600s. It has been renovated since though!
We had to have an early night because of plane-catching the next day. We were at Dublin airport, which inside looks like a mall! I've never seen so many shops. Spent the last of my euros on tacky souvenirs! No point really in swapping 20 euros for pounds - you'd only get about 8.
We landed in Heathrow safely, then had to wait for a shuttle bus to pick us up and take us to the car rental place. It actually turned out to be a good thing, because we didn't have to negotiate our way out of the busiest airport in the world!
Greg was a bit worried about driving, but took to the manual gearstick like Donatella Versace takes to cocaine. (ie, very easily!). We filled up - £24 - OUCH! That's about $60 Australian. We really have nothing to complain about, even if we're paying a dollar a litre! We found our way to Reading, and the suburb of Woodley where Jax lives with her boyfriend Ben and his brother Ollie. They're lovely, and are happy to have us camp out on their floor for a few days!
Girls, Jax was really happy to get our scrapbook. Phew! She's sent you all a video message, which I'll play for you when I get back!
Ben and Ollie had to go to dinner with their parents, so Greg, Jax and I went across the road to an Indian/Thai restaurant. My mum and dad have been after me to eat Indian for ages, so they'll be nodding and saying ''I told you so'' when I say it was very nice! The chicken korma especially.
Now it's Sunday morning, and hot and sunny. It's 28 degrees here today. Once again, Greg is crowing about his ''Sun God'' powers. He reckons he brings the sun with him. And yet, Greg hates the sun. Hmmmm. ;) Today, I need to get to Tesco's and buy some better cleanser or something. My face has just been Spot City since I've been here. It could be a lot of the crap in the air, who knows. I'm certainly not blaming the Cheesy Wot-sits (yummy cheese snacks!)
Meanwhile, I hear the Lions are stampeding towards a fourth premiership - go you good things!!!! Keep me posted people!
Love Nats.
Sep 3, 2004
Dee-diddly-Dublin
Well, here we are, back in Dublin after our Shamrocker tour. We had to say goodbye to our driver Patricia (who we had last time and who accidently knocked a drunk woman as we drive back down Dublin's main street!) and our lovable rogue-ish guide John, who was just so gosh-darn cute! Told dreat dirty jokes and Irish legends, and like any good Irishman was always up for the craic.
Anyway, we've just been spending today here wandering around leisurely after a jam-packed tour of the North. I don't have much time left on this computer, so I might leave a lot of Northern Ireland stuff until I have more time. But safe to say, it's a gorgeous country, shame about the violence. It's really quite awful the extent of the conflict between Prostestants and Catholics, between Unionists and Republicans.
Yesterday (Thursday) we began with a Black Taxi tour of Belfast, where a mix of Catholic and Protestant guides took us around the black spots. We saw one of the 29 'peace walls' around the city, which divide the areas into Catholic and Protestant. The only thing I've seen that came close was the leftover bits of the Berlin Wall - and they managed to knock that down 15 years ago!
It really was insane and sad - and just to think of kids growing up surrounded by so much hate and violence. Hopefully with the peace agreement things will continue to get better. However on Wednesday night a bloke was shot in Belfast (he survived) and a bomb was defused in Dublin last night. Mad splinter groups are still causing a few problems, so who knows how it will go?
Anyway, we fly tomorrow to Heathrow and to Jackie's for a few days.
Now I just have a few comments about the posting, so things might be a bit clearer!
Mum and Dad: Thanks for your posts - you don't need to have a set name to post as you've no doubt realised!
Alisha: Well done! I'll link your blog to mine when I find out how!!!! But remember everyone can read your posts!
Abigail: Sorry I haven't replied to you! Didn't mean to be rude. Let me know what your schedule is and we can try to meet up!!!
Simon: I've already bought you some SHIT, but am looking for more SHIT for you cupboard!
Anyway, we've just been spending today here wandering around leisurely after a jam-packed tour of the North. I don't have much time left on this computer, so I might leave a lot of Northern Ireland stuff until I have more time. But safe to say, it's a gorgeous country, shame about the violence. It's really quite awful the extent of the conflict between Prostestants and Catholics, between Unionists and Republicans.
Yesterday (Thursday) we began with a Black Taxi tour of Belfast, where a mix of Catholic and Protestant guides took us around the black spots. We saw one of the 29 'peace walls' around the city, which divide the areas into Catholic and Protestant. The only thing I've seen that came close was the leftover bits of the Berlin Wall - and they managed to knock that down 15 years ago!
It really was insane and sad - and just to think of kids growing up surrounded by so much hate and violence. Hopefully with the peace agreement things will continue to get better. However on Wednesday night a bloke was shot in Belfast (he survived) and a bomb was defused in Dublin last night. Mad splinter groups are still causing a few problems, so who knows how it will go?
Anyway, we fly tomorrow to Heathrow and to Jackie's for a few days.
Now I just have a few comments about the posting, so things might be a bit clearer!
Mum and Dad: Thanks for your posts - you don't need to have a set name to post as you've no doubt realised!
Alisha: Well done! I'll link your blog to mine when I find out how!!!! But remember everyone can read your posts!
Abigail: Sorry I haven't replied to you! Didn't mean to be rude. Let me know what your schedule is and we can try to meet up!!!
Simon: I've already bought you some SHIT, but am looking for more SHIT for you cupboard!
Sep 1, 2004
Derry Stroke Londonderry
Well, here we are in Northern Ireland. They have a kind off stand-off-ish type peace here now, thanks to the 1998 Good Friday agreement, but it's bizarre to see the Protestant and Catholic areas of this city (to be politically correct we've been referring to it as 'Londonderry/Derry' - hence the 'stroke'!), and the murals commemorating the Bloody Sunday massacre which happened here on 30th January 1972.
It's been a fun couple of days - we've just come from county Donegal, which although in the North, is actually in the South. The Republic, that is. It's bizarre - very Irish, I guess you'd say.
At the very least I've resolved to talk more with my mum about the IRA and Unionists etc. She left the south while still young, so I think she missed a lot of the really bad stuff. But coming here in person has really made me understand a bit more about the issue. Well, not really, as it's incomprehensible a lot of the time. A whole load of bloodshed for no good reason sometimes!
If this post doesn't make sense, it's because we've been at the pub for the last two nights running talking bollocks. We've got a fairly small tour group, only 16, so we're all bonding well. In fact, there's a young Polish couple on board, so last night I proceeded to bombard them with the 'My name is Bochenski and my grandad was Polish' routine. They seemed to enjoy it - hmmm, I dunno.
Tomorrow it's off God-knows-where - we end up in Belfast at some point. Best be off, as the internet is free and my turn is pretty much up!
Love to all, Nats.
It's been a fun couple of days - we've just come from county Donegal, which although in the North, is actually in the South. The Republic, that is. It's bizarre - very Irish, I guess you'd say.
At the very least I've resolved to talk more with my mum about the IRA and Unionists etc. She left the south while still young, so I think she missed a lot of the really bad stuff. But coming here in person has really made me understand a bit more about the issue. Well, not really, as it's incomprehensible a lot of the time. A whole load of bloodshed for no good reason sometimes!
If this post doesn't make sense, it's because we've been at the pub for the last two nights running talking bollocks. We've got a fairly small tour group, only 16, so we're all bonding well. In fact, there's a young Polish couple on board, so last night I proceeded to bombard them with the 'My name is Bochenski and my grandad was Polish' routine. They seemed to enjoy it - hmmm, I dunno.
Tomorrow it's off God-knows-where - we end up in Belfast at some point. Best be off, as the internet is free and my turn is pretty much up!
Love to all, Nats.
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