Day 15 - Goodbyes and Airports

We have certainly experienced a few airports during our little trips. And one of the things I like about airports is that it is a place of true joy for those reuniting and sadness for those parting. There is always an exciting energy and I like watching others trying to guess who they are meeting or where they are going.

On a side note, the day we had our gong show airport experience to fly from Palma to Barcelona there was a girl that was on our flight with us. She was all dolled up in pink 3.5" stiletto shoes, skinny white jeans, a pink shirt with a white jacket, pink purse and a cute little black and white hat. As we were needing to drag our stuff from gate to gate the girl was looking like she was regretting her shoe choice. By the time we were walking out to the plane on the tarmac and climbing the stairs, she was barely shuffling along. But when we arrived in Barcelona, we knew why she had made the choice she did!!! She was meeting her boyfriend. We hear a little shriek and see her running into his waiting arms for lots of hugs and kisses!! Too fun!!! Crazy the pain we put up with to look hot for our dates.

And alas, it was our turn to part ways after two weeks of fabulous days. I was checking two suitcases to accommodate our purchases and lighten Jimmy's load for his last week. As such, the thought of trying to navigate the tube by myself for my afternoon flight for the sake of an extra couple hours of sleep was more than I wanted to endure. So 5:30 am wake up call it was.

Got to Jimmy's terminal with more than enough time to get him checked in and ensure that he wasn't overweight on his suitcase. Too fun for him that he is now off to Ireland for some more adventures. And I don't doubt that the Guiness party is going to be unbelievable as we are seeing nothing but contests to go to it and advertisements for similar parties at local establishments.

Than it was off to Terminal 3 for me. The two suitcases were kinda heavy so I thought that pushing around a little trolley would be easier!! Mercies I'm a gong show most days - i ran over more small toes, jackets, bags and heels. The sad thing is that of that list - 99% of them were my toes, jackets, bags and heels. I know talented I am - really!! But alas I managed to fill up my time while I waited, enjoyed a little 'Quick English Breakfast' which is more like our regular full breakfast back home - 2 eggs, 4 big pieces of bacon, toast and potatoes (certainly would hate to see their full breakfast), enjoyed many cups of coffee and soon was boarding the flight for Calgary.

With all that time and watching people coming and going to so many other locations, I will admit that the idea of buying a last minute ticket to somewhere else and calling in sick to work was tempting. I do promise you that sometime in my life I will do a last minute trip to somewhere but I did exercise self control and came home!

The flight was brilliant as the English would say. Brenda came and picked me up. It was soooo fun to catch up with her and grab a quick bite. All too soon I was starting to zone out in our conversation and so home I came, unpacked, called mom and dad and was soon crawling into bed.

And for all of you out there . . . I received a couple notes from Jimmy last night. He made it safe and sound. Says he is being treated like a King with his own 'personal driver' and an amazing hotel. I am certainly glad he is experiencing this after our vacation or we would have never wanted to slum it in the 4 star hotels we stayed at. LOL!!!

Stay tuned as I am going through the pics and promise to post a couple of links to our pics soon.

Day 14 - Viewing London from new Heights

Our final day to explore London proved to be a busy one on the
streets. The concierge pointed us in the right direction for the
London eye and we were off. After coffee at the hotel of course.

We started on our foray and found ourselves in the theatre district.
It was fashion week and they must have various fashion shows in the
theatres as well since we saw many a feather strutting down the street.

The interesting thing about London fashion which I have discovered is
that as long as it's bold or quirky and you walk with confidence you
seem to be considered high fashion. And they stretch their summer
wardrobe into fall by merely adding tights or leggings. However when
Jimmy tried the leopard print leggings under his plaid shorts it
didn't seem to work quite as well. Guess we will transition to pants
and light sweaters instead!!!

In the midst of pink sateen, chunky necklaces, black and white
stilettos and high top runners, we found a little Australian
restaurant to get a bite to eat and check our emails. Interesting fact
is that free wifi is available at most British pubs. It's a great
opportunity to check our emails, weather and of course the sports
scores on my little iPhone. I seriously think this is the greatest
invention for a traveller!!!

Once we hit the river walkways everything was incredibly busy. We
wound our way down to the London eye and quickly got into one of the
pods to take us a gazillion feet above the ground. Beautiful sights
from up there. We noticed so much construction around the city and
have heard rumblings that the majority of it is in preparation for the
2012 Olympics. I can only imagine how much crazies it will be over the
next two summers.

Back safely on the ground we strolled further along the river and came
upon a Great Britain cycling tour race being held in London that day.
Our timing was perfect as the cyclists were on the home stretch with
two laps remaining. As we walked along the route we were able to see
the last two laps just seconds from the finishing line. I have never
witnessed a cycling race and there was a neat energy as complete
strangers pounded the metal fences, waved flags and cheered the racers
across the line.

We walked along Trafalgar square and took in a giant chess game. We
strolled up to Piccadilly circus which Jimmy renamed Piccadilly zoo.
Between the pedestrian and vehicle traffic both competing for the
right to be in the intersection it was crazy. More horn honking during
those 10 blocks than our entire holiday!! Lol!!! (although we did spot
our first Tim Horton's so I am sure Jimmy at visions of double doubles
dancing through his head last night) And finally found our way back to
the hotel.

We rested for an hour or two and then headed out for one last dinner.
Italian was the choice and it was delightful. Yummy salad, pasta and
of course dessert.

The rest of the evening found us rearranging Jimmy for the next week
in Ireland and prepping for my flight home.

What a delightful vacation it was. I barely thought about work at all.
And girls you would be so proud... I didn't check my email once. Not
once. Although i am already dreading how many emails I will need to
work through upon my return.

Day 13 - And there was more

I got so caught up on our travel gong shows specifically the stuffed
cat couple and the cranky British couple that I forgot to tell you
about the rest of our day. After the long travel we finally arrived at
the last hotel on my journey. Kingsway hall. It's gorgeous. Another
hot wire find. And again a great location for the last day in London.
Right in the heart of Holborn and Covent garden. A short walking
distance to the river Thames and house of parliaments. Near all the
theatres and great shopping.

Since we were exhausted we decided to stick close and have dinner at
the hotel. Trev you would have loved the meal... It came with mushed
peas!!!! I even took a pic so I can make it for you the next time you
come to visit!!!

We wandered around discovering the near vicinity area and decided the
remaining adventures would still be waiting tomorrow!!!!

Day 13 - Adventures of Traveling back to London

I think the stars align in my life to ensure I have enough adventure. And if one day is lacking in it (that would be the yesterday we had at the beach) the next few days surely make up for it. And I am also certain that these adventures are meant to be shared as they are certainly worth a giggle or two. So without further adieu I will share with you our today...

By 5:53 the cab has arrived and we are ready to head to the airport. We timed our morning such that we could allow for the 40 - 45 minute cab ride to catch our 8:40 flight. After all, this was how long the cab to our hotel was. And within 17 minutes we are pulling up in front of the airport.

Wow, really??? And of course this sparks the barrage of teasing about lady cab drivers verses the much more competent male driver we had this morning. And the feeling of injustice that we were had the first time around with no opportunity for recourse. Oh well. As has been my motto thus far...better early than late.

We check in to our flight. Find our way through security and spot a coffee shop. After a couple cups of java each the day is just a little brighter. Or maybe that was because the sun was finally rising!! And to make things even better our gate was posted right next to the coffee shop. Ahhhh this travel is going to be a breeze.

Well to make a long story short ....

•they changed our gate to one down the hall
•we got the last seats available at the gate
•they changed the gate board to display Madrid but didn't update the departure board with a new gate
• finally 10 minutes after our flight was supposed to leave an attendant personally came around to tell us our new gate 7 minute walk away
•we arrive there and see our flight posted only for 15 minutes later for them to change it to a Munich flight
•we wait
•another lady arrives to tell the Munich passengers of a change in their gate
•we board and have a peaceful flight into Barcelona
•we wait extra long for our luggage and go in search of our next airline
•apparently as couples many of us missed the memo indicating that to show our true affections for each other we should have matching full sized stuffed animals with merely their heads poking out of our bags as that was the couple also waiting for their language who started to get quite annoyed by the delays
•in half Spanish half English we learn that they haven't moved over to their posted terminal yet so we need to transfer to the other terminal
•the second airline is a total gong show as they don't have a continuous queue and so they keep taking people behind us in line to the new queues they are opening up
•my carry on is far too heavy but we have no available weight in the suitcases so I give my breeziest expression as I 'casually' lift all 50 pounds of it up to the agent to tag as carry on all while not breathing for fear it will sound more like a grunt - whew, did it
•by now the 5 hours between our flights have dwindled to an hour and a half
• we do our best to get seats together in EasyJets rush seating policy which translates more literally to 'take no prisoners'
•as we settle in Jimmy overhears the couple ahead of us complaining that I am kicking her seat ...does she not realize that my 36" legs include thigh bones longer than the average person (on a side note that is another reason why I know I was meant to be rich and take my private jet. Even first class cannot accommodate my thigh bone!!!!)
•the gentlemen in front us lamented how fed up he was with the euro and all that goes with it and how glad he was to come home to the land of the pound
• we then witness a fight between the couple in front of us and this girl about my age who was sitting on the aisle regarding the fact that she neglected to turn her iPod off when requested to for landing and that could have caused us to crash

By the time we were settled in to the hotel the day had done us in. Over 15 hours of travel for 3 hours worth of flights. I have a feeling tonight might be an early one. Lol.

Day 3 - Seeing the Seedier side of London

Gorgeous day in the city of London. In fact a perfect day to drive around in a convertible bus learning more tidbits on London. Like how queen Victoria sabotaged her very own gate which she hated by buying a carriage that was too big to fit through, or where Madonna lives or seeing the most expensive monopoly property, the queens residence, how many people have been hanged in this city, the most expensive hotel room: £8800 per night not including breakfast, or the Aston Martin show room where James Bond buys his car, Wil Smith's fave hotel, that people actually think Sherlock Holmes exists and a boat cruise along the river Thames.

But one of the highlights was following around a tour guide that shared all about Jack the Ripper. In fact, he knows a little too much about Jack the Ripper and took us back to a neighborhood quite close to our hotel to share the grand finale. Crazy story and even crazier that many of the buildings are still standing.

Culminate all of these events with a delightful cheese platter and excellent dinner conversation and you have the perfect London day.

Not going to lie though, quite excited about Barcelona...

Cheerio!!!

Day 2 - Experiencing the Tower of London

Mercies my little feet are tired after that busy day. But a fantastic day it was!!

Starting with the delightful sleep in a cozy bed without being awoken by beverage service every hour. And then the night before as we were out and about we spotted a creperie in the area. Of course I could not resist!!!! Yum!!!

After that is off to see the Tower of London. I had no idea it was so big with so many options of things to do... Guided tours, walking tours, King Henry VIII exhibit, torture chambers, prisons, museums, shopping, tea and of course the most delightful of all -wandering through the vault checking out the crown jewels!!! I thought it would be a1 1/2 hour stop but to my amazement, four hours later we were still walking and deciding what not to do. Nor did i have any clue it was 1000 years old!!! Kind of makes you chuckle thinking how we consider a home built in 1910 to be a historic building in Canada. Another fact I was amazed to learn: people actually live within the tower walls still. As we walked a short stretch of the tall wall we noticed laundry on the line, box gardens and BBQs. (as an aside, I don't think being locked within the walls every night is for me... What if you are craving pizza at midnight???) I truly think our brains grew three sizes today!!!

By that point we were ready for a bit of a break so we rested our weary feet on the hop on hop off as we learned all about the tidbits of London before grabbing an evening bite and taking some night shots on our walk back.

Quite excited for tomorrows agenda which includes a cruise on the river Thames, the Jack the ripper tour, another delightful cafe and the London Eye among many others.

Day 1 - We Arrive in London

Wow. It's hard to believe we are actually here. So let me tell you a few highlights of what we encountered along the way.

First up ... The 8 + hour plane ride. Which of course was delayed cause we were flying with Air Canada. I think this was the worst time I have had trying to sleep on the plane. But at last we had landed and were ready to be on our way.

Due to the lack of sleep, the idea of being brave and navigating the tube was more than we could bare. As such we grabbed a taxi and headed to our hotel. The driver was pleasant enough but he had made the most awkward fashion statement I have seen thus far: sunglasses in which he only had one lens. After noticing this the potential reasons were abundant... Illegal to drive wearing sunglasses, his right eye was a glass eye, just had laser surgery on the left eye, Michael Jackson's influence extended beyond the white glove ... Regardless, I think Jimmy should test out that same fashion statement tomorrow.

The third highlight of the day was the delightful nap once we were all checked in. Zzzzzzz the hotel beds are quite comfy.

Rejuvenated and hungry we were off. Found a little place along the way to sample the finest of London appetizers. Saw some fantastic architecture that blends the old with the new. Made a plan to buy Jimmy some skinny jeans to round off his fashion statement. And stumbled upon the middle eastern equivalent to china town.

Wow the smells were amazing. All these little restaurants serving their curries and tandoori. As you walk along, each restaurant has an employee standing out on the street to entice people in. You can imagine their intensity as every 20 feet you are in front of a new restaurant. Free drinks. 25% off the bill. Best curry in town. After carefully selecting the restaurant we anxiously anticipated the mouth watering dishes everyone around us was dining on. Majah paneer. Chili chicken masala. Roti. Saffron rice. It was all soooo yummy.

The walk back proved the area was as interesting at night as it was during the daylight. The crowds spilled onto the street from various pubs as the patrons had no problems grabbing a seat on the dirty side walk. Men unpacking their suitcases to display all their 'new' or 'new to you' wares for sale. (don't worry we double checked to make sure none of our suitcases were on the sidewalk). And these cute little sidewalk cafes.

It truly was a delightful first day.

The final details . . .

Well, I just booked our rooms in London. After much debate and cross referencing and becoming so overwhelmed, we decided to worry about the hotels in London at a later date. But with the trip 9 sleeps and counting, later was a little closer to now . . . and of course, the trip wouldn't be complete without a little hotwire action.

The crazy thing about this site is it tells you just enough to know that it could turn out really good but not enough to know if the hotel will turn out really poorly. So after a few text messages to make sure we were all okay with these choices and a couple of calls for reassurance, I booked the hotels.

As much as it is crazy, the fun thing about this site is that you are gambling on a few details and then anxiously awaiting for the payment to be approved so you can find out where you are staying!!!!

And drum roll please . . .

So the first few days in London, we want to be close to all the touristy things, and of course the hop on hop off . . .

Crowne Plaza
http://www.crowneplaza.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/LONSD?&sitrackingid=76107698&sicreative=3436377830&dp=true&sicontent=0&siclientid=1863&cm_mmc=Google-PS-CrownePlaza-_-G+B-EMEA-Mkt-GBR-_-GBR-London-Shoreditch-LONSD-_-crowne+plaza+london+shoreditch%7C-%7C100000000000178540738&cm_guid=1-_-100000000000178540738-_-3436377830&gclid=COi1werSxZwCFSUsawodwAaAJQ

And then, once we are back from our spanish adventures, we are going to be staying in the heart of London's city life . . .

Kingsway Hall Hotel (doesn't it look positively delightful)

http://www.kingswayhall.co.uk/

It will be soooo delightful.

After that, we will part ways . . . heading off to Ireland or making the long trek home!

So here's to hoping that Hotwire still remains my best friend once we actually see the rooms in person and Thanks to all for having the faith in my Hotwire gambling!!

Less than a month away

Well as I sit here frantically thinking about all I have to do before I embark on my vacation season, I wanted to share with you the exciting places I will soon be seeing:

First stop - London!! I loved London when I was there a couple of years ago. I loved the people, the beautiful architecture, the window shopping and the fabulous Indian food!! I cannot wait to experience all of that again.

This time around we have added the London eye, Camden market and the Tower of London!! Oooh - I could squeal right now!

One thing that I will not be partaking in again . . . White Pepper (in case anyone was wondering)

Next on the Agenda - fabulous Barcelona. After watching Viky Christina Barcelona I was so excited to visit. Then when Jillian Harris visted there with all her boys, I knew it was fate.

Check out the movie trailer if you have never seen it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwT2fPy7nsY

It looks like the hotel is going to be amazing:
http://www.expohotelbarcelona.com/en/

And finally some photos of sites we will be seeing!













And then . . . before we head back to London for the weekend, we wanted to have a little beach time. So why not Mallorca! The island looks absolutely amazing . . .

And in case you were wondering about the beaches . . . check out our little hotel:

http://www.barcelo-albatros.com/