Singapore to Melbourne

We got back to the hotel and picked up our things before catching our last taxi to the airport once again. Once we got in we checked it with no dramas (thankfully) and walked through into the duty-free section where we headed up to where we remembered Burger King was.

After filling ourselves up on delicious junk and catching a glimpse of the Butterfly House inside the airport our gate was finally opened and we could head to catch our flight. Once again I had to take my shoes off as I went through, but this time did not have to unpack my bag. We filled out our custom forms for Australia as we waited, before eventually boarding.

After a very slight nap there was more airport food, more listening to music and more watching movies with turbulence until finally we saw the red Australian sunrise creep its way into the plane. We landed, picked up my duty-free alcohol from December and went to pick our bags up. After waiting for ages until they came around, Justine got stuck in customs while I walked straight out, heading in the wrong direction so I had to find my own welcome party, rather than the other way around.

There they all were, just as we'd left them. As Justine got out of customs we were home again, with our families (slightly fewer than who had seen us off) and ready for bed. Driving back home it felt surreal. It almost doesn't feel like we were even gone at all, but everything is so alien because I haven't seen it for so long.

And every so often the Eiffel Tower or Colosseum, relatives or theme parks will pop into my head and I'll remember. Yes, we did that. The HughMac Adventure is over.

For now.

Singapore

We both struggled with staying asleep this morning due to heat, cold, the light actually coming through the window in the morning or the fact that it should have been 8 hours earlier. I managed to fall asleep again in the morning while Justine went down to have breakfast then plan our day.

We checked out of the hostel where they were kind enough to keep our luggage in storage for the day, before wandering through the streets of Singapore to Little India station. It was quite bizarre sweating in shorts and singlet tops and wearing sunglasses having just spent the last two months rugged up and cold. We caught the train which stopped at Vivo Shopping Centre, where we wandered around buying ice cream and juice and soaking up the lovely views of Sentosa Island opposite. Justine was in heaven, there was a Ben & Jerry's AND a Häagen Dazs!

We caught the bus over to Sentosa after realising that the cable car didn't go where we need it to, before stopping off at Resorts World where we headed into Universal Studios. The atmosphere was amazing, with everything looking like a movie set and quite epic music playing as we entered the park. It could have been the heat or just the atmosphere, but we were very excited.

Our first stop after walking through Hollywood and New York City was Sci-Fi City where we automatically went to ride on Battlestar Gallatica, the world's tallest pair of dueling Rollercoaster’s. After riding in the front as Humans we walked through as Cylons and screamed and laughed as we soared over and through water and mist. It was amazing. Next up was the Accelerator, which was similar to the Tea Cups at Disneyland. And like the Tea Cups, didn't spin nearly fast enough.

We headed over to Ancient Egypt next and had a look at the theme park all spread out before us. Then it was onto Revenge of the Mummy, which as fans of the first two Mummy films, Justine and I completely loved. But then it was time to go into what I'd been looking forward to the entire day; The Lost World.

Being a Jurassic Park fan from when I was little it was just too cool to walk through the great wooden gates into Jurassic Park. Our first stop was the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, where the warning tags that "you will get wet, possibly soaked!" Indeed, as our raft propelled itself through the broken electric fence we were splashed around raptors and into a dark tunnel where the fate of the T-Rex awaited us. All to escape down a sliding water hatch and be showered. We were lucky we had put our bags in a poncho another rider had so generously left. Then it was onto Dino-Soarin' as we floated above the park and were able to see over all of The Lost World.

Next up we ventured into Far Far Away where we hopped onto Enchanted Airways and were taken on a spin by Dragon. Then it was into Madagascar to move it move it on King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round. Having rounded the park once we walked slower to explore the pier in New York City and decide just what type of merchandise we wanted to buy.

As we were in The Lost World again I tried sitting on the egg in the middle of the on-off fountain, but was completely soaked as it turned on again. But it didn't really matter as the black clouds above started heaving torrential rain on us and we decided that we might as well walk through it. With just a few minutes left we headed back onto Battlestar Gallatica as both Humans and Cylons in the first row this time, realising just how painful rain and rollercoaster’s can be. Then we rushed onto Revenge of the Mummy one last time before heading out of the park and back to the hotel to catch our flight. It was such an amazing day we could almost forget we'd have to spend the next eight hours on a plane.

London to Singapore

It felt a bit strange going through the airport motions again. Our bags managed to get themselves under the weight, while I also had to take all my electronics (including camera and chords) out of my hand luggage because it was interfering with the scanner. Justine's was fine!

We got through customs and into the waiting area before boarding our third Airbus of the trip. We haven't been seated upstairs yet, but were in the back for this one. Then it was time for the 12 hour flight of trying to sleep, watching movies, listening to music, airplane food, going numb, myself tiredly dipping my headphones into my water, and more trying to sleep.

We eventually arrived in Singapore the Monday after, having skipped an entire day. It almost feels like we've wasted the day because we've lost about 8 hours. As it's longer than 48 hours from having our bags board the plane, they can't be carried through onto our Melbourne flight which is a pain. But we managed to pick them up and get through customs before catching a taxi to our hotel where all we wish to do is shower and sleep.

The Last Day

As we woke up this morning, Nicola warned us that in a few minutes her nearly 2-year-old nephew George, and 4-year-old niece Isabelle were coming to visit, and would have jumped on us if we weren't out of bed. So we hurried to get ready before meeting my third cousins, and last set of relatives for this trip. Unfortunately, Spencer (Nicola's brother) was sick so I didn't get to meet him or his wife Bec.

We set off grocery shopping in Isabelle's store before making some scones. Justine and I had realised the day before that we hadn't had any scones while in England, so Nicola let us loose with Isabelle in the kitchen to do some baking. Somehow Justine managed not to get her hands dirty, being Chief 'Recipe Reader'. Into the oven they went and before long we were chowing down on delicious piles of cream, jam and scone.

Next up was nurse time, and clumsy Justine managed to have quiet a few sores that needed patching up! Once she'd escaped from her mummification, we set about finishing the last of our packing while Nicola and Carol began making us a Sunday Roast Chicken. It was a great meal to finish up on, all sitting around the table (Page underneath) eating roast followed by Banoffi pie.

But all good things must come to an end so we said goodbye to Isabelle and George and an hour later Justine and I were pulling our suitcases into the boot of the car. Nicola had kindly offered to drive us up to the airport, with Carol and Page sharing the front passenger seat so we were lucky enough to be seen off properly. There were hugs, kisses and pats as well, but I've got that surreal feeling coming back again. It just doesn't feel like it's already been 8 weeks.

Arundel

We had a bit of a slow start this morning due to some problems with the plumbing, but were eventually able to get out of the house and go to Arundel in the afternoon. It’s a Laughton tradition to visit Arundel, particularly the Antique shops there, so Nicola, Justine and I decided it was safer to go with the flow than face the wrath of breaking tradition!

We parked and made our way up the main street towards the castle and cathedral, stopping at an antique store on the way. We had a look at St Nicholas’ church to see the division of the building between Catholic and Church of England. We entered through the Church of England side and were able to look through the screen as it has only been opened a handful of times, the last time in 1995.

We stopped to have a look at the castle from afar, before heading up to Arundel Cathedral and were treated to being able to hear some of the choir practicing. We then headed through the side streets to another antique store where Justine bought herself a silver ring for only six pound. There were quite a few quirky shops around, but eventually we made it back to the first antique store where I bought some Wade Whimsies; a boxer and a Bambi. Then it was off to the supermarket to buy some delicious Hula Hoops, which I can’t believe we’ve only discovered in the past day; quite possibly a good thing actually.

We picked up Carol on the way back to Nicola’s, had a rest then headed to the Harvester for dinner. After a drink while we waited for our table we ordered our meals and were able to have free reign at the salad bar. Added to this, I actually had real vegetables, I couldn’t believe how healthy it was! We drove back via the coast to see the pier all lit up before seeing a fox as we dropped Carol back. A bit later she was back with Page and we sat and relaxed for our last night in England.

Worthing Post Office

Although we didn’t wake up as early as we’d planned this morning, it didn’t really hinder our events for the day. Carol was kind enough to be our chauffeur and drove us to the pharmacy so we could see how accurate her scales were in comparison to the ones there. Carol’s scales are two kilograms light, which does not work very well when trying to accurately measure a bag to get under airline restrictions. The whole weighing trip was especially dreaded after the food we’ve eaten over the past two months.

We went to the post office to buy more boxes and Carol dropped us off at Nicola’s while we rearranged again. Eventually, we were able to have lunch after I’d filled 4kg and Justine about 12. Carol came back and we were off to the post office again, this time filling out customs declarations, taping boxes and trying to get the smaller packages down to 2kg each to make them lighter. After about an hour, we were able to free Carol of her duties and arrived back at Nicola’s house in the late afternoon.

With nothing much else to do we watched television until Nicola came home. Then it was a girl’s night in with her friend Joy, who also got to try some rocket fuel, and actually enjoyed it! We spoke of traveling and adventures and it was amazing to be able to recount different experiences with her, while some of them were in the same international city! It’s true what she says; a trip isn’t just a holiday, it’s a complete experience.

Worthing

We had another rest day today; they’re becoming quite frequent! While Justine slept, I continued reading Anne Frank’s diaries; then while I slept again she went on the computer. Eventually we were both up at the same time and walked to the post office to find out the damage of sending things home.

When we walked back Carol picked us up and we headed towards the town of Worthing. We took Page down to the seafront and walked along the pebbled beach. It was actually softer than I imagined, with the rocks actually squishing down beneath our feet. I wasn’t expecting the ground underneath to be soft, but then again I was wearing my boots. Page was having a great time, prancing around and chasing rocks when we threw them for her. We passed the pier and walked up to the ice skating rink, before looping down to McDonald’s where Carol bought us both an ice cream. Then it was back into the car and to Nicola’s.

This time it was Justine unpacking her suitcase and organizing what could and couldn’t go in the post. The cheapest way to do it is sea mail in packages under 2kg each, which unfortunately means she’ll get home before some of her things. I’m hoping I don’t have to send anything home, but we’ll see what happens when I weigh my case, as Carol thinks her scales might be inaccurate.

We settled in for some stew made by Carol before a lemon meringue pie made by Waitrose. Then it was time for Carol and Nicola to try some rocket fuel, which had generally the same reaction as everyone else. It was a night in, with Nicola having work tomorrow and Justine and I still trying to rearrange our cases. Only three days to go now.

Codsall Wood to Worthing

We had to struggle down the stairs again this morning. The stairs in Kerry’s cottage are thin, winding, and the doorways are so small you have to duck. Well, I don’t, but Justine and Kerry do. So it was a bit of a task getting our two large and heavy cases down them this morning, all while trying to hurry to get Kerry to work on time. After a goodbye to Presley Peter, Kerry took us to work this morning so we could finally see The Next Door Bar. It has a pretty café style and was quite nice to sit in during the course of the morning, as we were delivered out full English breakfasts. We walked up to the Post Office where I finally sent my postcards, before having a quick peek in the charity shop across the road. Kerry then drove us to Albrighton station and it was time to say goodbye until next time.

We changed trains at Wolverhampton before heading into London Euston. When booking the tickets, we’d decided to pay the extra 11 pound not to have to go into London and change over on the tube. When we booked the tickets, it changed the route. So not only did we have to pay extra, but we still had to go on the tube. It wasn’t too bad from Euston and getting down via elevator and escalator, but London Victoria does not have either to get you up to the National Rail line. And with several bags, it’s not too easy. Luckily, some Good Samaritan young men came to our rescue as we began to struggle up the stairs with our cases. Thank you!

We had lunch at the station before catching our train back down to Worthing where Carol met us at the station, with great hysterics over our increased amount of luggage. She dropped us off at Nicola’s and I promptly started to repack my entire bag, having everything across Nicola’s living room. Although there had been an accident with the Sangria and it ended up in my hand luggage. When Carol came back with Page I decided it was time to clear up, so it was thrown back in the bag and we ate dinner in peace. Nicola had choir practice again tonight so we were left to watch television and relax before eventually making our way to bed. It’s good not having a day sheet to wake us up at ridiculous times of the morning.

Ironbridge

This morning we drove past Boscobel house and the Oak tree where King Charles II hid after a reward was put on his capture. It’s not too far from Kerry’s house which meant that we didn’t go out of our way while on our way to Ironbridge. Ironbridge, as its name suggests, is where the world’s first iron bridge was built and still stands.

Our first stop was into Bears on the Square as Kerry wanted to show us all the different types of Steiff Bears on display and for sale. It’s amazing the different characters and figures we saw, but it’s also amazing how expensive one tiny teddy bear can be. We stopped off at a charity shop before heading over to look at the actual Iron Bridge. We bought sausage rolls in the bakery and also found Irn Bru! So we sipped our Scottish soft drink as we walked around the quirky museum gift shop before making our way to Bridgnorth for a quick photo stop.

Next up we went to visit Joan, who is my Great Great Aunty. The sister of my Great Grandmother, who passed away nearly four years ago, Aunty Joan reminds Kerry of what Gran-nan used to be like. I could see the similarities too, but being younger when Gran-nan was that age, I feel I missed out on a large part of the comparison. It was fantastic to finally meet her, and when we left Aunty Joan gave me chocolates and some much needed socks.

We then met Nick, who is a cousin of some sort but related through my Great Grandmother Rachel. I’m not sure I can really organize the connection, but we had dinner with him, his daughters and the boyfriend of the eldest, at The Crooked House. As the whole pub slants, there’s a trick where you can roll a marble down the inside ledge and it looks like it’s rolling upwards. I was very intrigued.

Eventually it was time to say goodbye so we headed back into Codsall Wood. As we stopped for petrol, Kerry decided it was time I have a turn driving the car. So I drove in the back streets to her house, in another country. I was just glad I haven’t forgotten how to drive considering how long it’s been!

Warwick Castle

We were a little bit better at getting out of bed today and Kerry ushered us into the car for a visit to Warwick Castle, though our first stop was back to The Oaken Arms as my jacket had decided to stay the night. Warwick is the second castle we’ve been to, and probably the first we’ve actually gone inside properly. Fortunately the weather was a lot better than yesterday so we were able to wander through the castle grounds without too much worry. What we were concerned about were the couples, as it was Valentines Day and none of us were too pleased at the thought of suddenly bumping into an exceedingly mushy couple.

We needn’t have feared as there were quite a few tourists at the castle but none of them were over the top. We walked through the halls and spoke to one of the ‘musicians’ before seeing King Henry VIII and his six wives. Our next stop was the castle dungeon, as entry was free for that specific day. To walk around in the dark isn’t that bad, but some of the performances included being sprayed with a ‘full’ bladder, being sprayed with the blood from a ‘beheading’ and myself being selected to walk into a dark room by myself and walk towards the light at the end. It wasn’t all that pleasant, especially as someone jumped out at me in a later room and I nearly jumped out of my skin! But it was a great experience and really well done.

We passed through the Kingmaker exhibition before having our turn at pulling out Excalibur. Then we spent the next portion of our day climbing up one of the towers and back down to walk on the wall. We missed our first exit out, because then we had to climb up and down two more towers before we were eventually able to escape from the 500+ stairs. My legs hadn’t had such a workout since Notre Dame.

We left the castle and proceeded to head towards Stratford, but as it was getting late, and the Tom Tom decided to confuse the direction it was going in, we decided to have a break for food and go back to the cottage. Kerry thought she’d take us on the scenic route, which the navigator now seemed fine with and we ended up passing through Stratford regardless!

For a romantic Valentines Day evening we ate homemade white chocolate mousse and champagne cheesecakes, as Justine was educated by watching the BBC Pride and Prejudice for the first time. Although we didn’t think we’d make it, Justine and I stayed up and managed to get all six episodes into the one night. And what a night it was.

Codsall Wood and Shrewsbury

It was a lovely feeling this morning not to have to worry about waking up at any time, or having to get out of the house to go anywhere. As a result we weren’t in Shrewsbury until after 3pm and found it a bit hard to find somewhere to eat a late lunch. It didn’t matter though as the town was so picturesque and filled with black and white vintage buildings that it was beautiful just to wander around. Although the whole starving thing came into play eventually, so we sat down at Mad Jack’s to have a proper meal.

On the way back, Kerry took us to her favourite pub The Oaken Arms, previously known as the Foaming Jug. There Justine and I tasted our first cider, which was surprisingly good. We headed back to the cottage where Justine and Kerry made a beautiful fire. It didn’t last very long but it was good while it did!

We sat together and watched ‘Did You Hear About The Morgans?’ and while Kerry and Presley went to bed, Justine and I stayed up to watch ‘Bridget Jones Diary: The Edge of Reason’. I have a feeling that the two of us have missed just sitting down and watching TV.

Day Eight: Liverpool to London

On the last day, we managed not to be last on the bus again, hooray! We cruised out of merry Liverpool and had our first stop off at the Roman town of Chester. It was a pretty town with a lot of old fashioned buildings lining the streets. I had a pasty, we managed to go into the Disney shop without buying anything, and just wandered the streets to see what we could find. We also saw the ruins of the amphitheatre before getting on the bus for the long trip back into London.

After one service stop, we managed to arrive in London just after 4pm. Anna had warned us that depending on traffic, we might not even get in until 7pm so we had booked our train tickets for the evening late. A good thing, as we spent the next hour and a half taking our other baggage out of storage at the Contiki basement and trying to repack it into our bags. I managed to get everything back in, other than my clothes. Justine, having a larger case, had much better luck. We ate dinner at Blooms Pizza below the Royal National Hotel, then took it in turns popping into the London pub to say goodbye to everyone as there was no hope we had of getting our luggage inside. Instead we caught a taxi to Euston station and got ready for our train to Wolverhampton to meet Aunty Kerry.   

We arrived in Wolverhampton at about 10.30pm where Kerry met us and drove us back to her cottage in Codsall Wood. She’d made the bed up beautifully for us, and we finally got to meet Presley Peter. We sat up to watch Shaun of the Dead, again, before heading off to a much needed sleep in on Sunday morning.

Day Seven: Glasgow to Liverpool

Today, we weren’t only the last ones on the bus, but we were late too. Anna hurried us onto the coach as we began the journey out of Scotland and back into England. But not before visiting Greta Green, where under 21’s ran to marry in the 17^th century after the British marriage laws changed. Half a mile away from the border of England, it is also where, as we later realized, Lydia and Wickham are heading to elope after their stint in Brighton. But our couple to be married was Adwin and Irene, with Geordie as the father with the shotgun and Anna as the sobbing mother. The rest of the group was the wedding party, and so our group photo is immortalized to be sent to us back home.

We had a look at the museum, then one last look at the different types of tartan, hairy cows and grabbed one last Irn Bru before hopping on the coach and making our way out of Scotland. We passed the fringes of Lake Country before having a service stop, and then arriving in Liverpool that afternoon. We said goodbye to Ben who was leaving the tour early and had a quick look in the Beatles Story shop before Jacqui hopped on the coach to give us our driven tour of Liverpool, Beatles style.

We passed the Liverpool One complex, not far from where we were staying, Cavern Club,

Penny Lane

, Strawberry Field and John Lennon’s house while being treated to trivia and the music of the Beatles. We even learnt about the conflict between the Liverpool (red) and Everton (blue) football clubs, thus making the garbage bins purple. We had drinks in our room after the tour, making Cam, Ash, James and Anna (not the tour manager) try some of the Viennese rocket fuel. It’s still going strong, and they thought so too. We walked to a pub and had a last meal before James also had to leave the tour early as well. Then it was off to the Cavern Club for the rest of us to enjoy our last night.

The atmosphere was amazing, with a John Lennon and Paul McCartney tribute band filling the cavern with the music like the 296 shows the Beatles once played there. The sound engineer looked at me like I was an idiot when I requested the Ringo Star song “Yellow Submarine”, but they got another tribute group up and five of them played the song together, as had never been done before, dedicating it to Contiki. It was a pretty amazing night as we saw the Beatles faces on the wall and stood in their red phone booth. But eventually it was time to return to the hotel, so passing the John Lennon memorial in Liverpool One we headed back to the hotel and crashed exhausted into our beds. It was a good way to finish the tour.

Day Six: Aviemore to Glasgow

It was our first really sunny day of the tour today, and Justine and I were last on the bus. But Nessie was in her element as we were heading towards Loch Ness for a cruise on the vast mass of land. Nessie’s were everywhere in the shop, and we couldn’t go out without getting her some more friends. Next up was our cruise as we drifted through the wind across the glorious loch. We saw the ruins of Urquhart castle but didn’t manage to see a larger Nessie than the ones we had. We didn’t even catch a glimmer of her on the giant fish/Loch Ness Monster finder!

It was a spectacular drive through the loch district. Every ten or so minutes we’d stop for a photo opportunity from the amazing scenery. As the lochs run low and flat, there were fighter jets training above us and roaring so much it sounded like we were going to get bombed. We stopped at Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK and Anna told us it was the first time in the last three tours she’d done that she had actually been able to see the top of the mountain. We were very lucky.

We had a lunch stop at Fort William, where I raided the supermarket and definitely got value for money, before we continued heading towards Glasgow. We passed Glen Coe where the infamous slaughter of the MacDonald family took place and passed some more spectacular mountains I definitely plan to return to and hike up. Eventually we got into Glasgow for the night and were treated to our first free internet since beginning the England and Scotland tour.

We were dropped off for a walkabout dinner tonight, and coincidentally ate at the Walkabout chain with Rosa and Graham. I was able to have a Chicken Parmigiana. Although it did have tomato salsa instead of tomato paste it was close enough to the real thing. The rest of the group joined us as we had booked the VIP room, but before leaving Anna insisted we try a Gas Chamber shot. This consisted of setting fire to Sambuca, catching the smoke in a glass, taking a shot of the Sambuca, breathing in the fumes, then snorting the rest of the shot for good measure. I’ve found a good way to clear my nose out if I get another cold!

A small group of us then headed to a club called The Garage. At first it was a bit strange seeing people in pajamas walking around, but we then saw the advertisements of pajama night and understood a bit better. The capes I still don’t get. It was quite a good dance club, but as the two of us are turning into nanas we didn’t stay out too long and opted to go back to the hotel and spend the rest of the night on the internet. Remember, it was free!

Day Five: Edinburgh to Aviemore

We weren’t the last people on the bus today, which was a nice change. Off the bus went to St Andrews, our first stop for the day. We were dropped off at the cathedral and walked down to the dock. There was a beach with actual gold sand! As it was just a short stop we strolled through the university and golfing town, had a look in the golfing museum shop then got back onto the bus to head towards our lunch stop.

We got to Pitlochry and walked to have lunch at the pub. I had a delicious Chicken Tikka Masala, which was a lot better than I’d thought. Justine was a little worried about me having curry because she was sitting next to me on the bus, but needn’t have worried. We then headed to the Bell’s Whisky Distillery where we had a tour of the factory and storage rooms. It is unbelievable that some whisky has to mature for 12 years before anyone can open it, and before we left we were able to test some of the 12-year-old single malt. Not being a whisky fan, I thought I would have preferred it blended, but appreciated the 4.5 litre bottle of it on display regardless. Nessie did too.  

It was back on the bus again and towards the MacDonald Aviemore Ski Resort which is where we were staying the night. Myself and some others headed off to the swimming pool where we’d spotted a giant waterslide. Unfortunately it was closed, so we contented ourselves with the pool, spa, sauna and steam room. It was a surreal feeling looking at the snow outside while standing in the singlet and shorts, seeing as I didn’t anticipate needing bathers on a winter tour of the UK.

Our dinner that night was the best included meal we’d had; we got to choose our own meals rather than just being presented with the same as everyone else. I had Chinese Spring Rolls, a fancy Meat Pie and meringue for dessert, while Justine had the apple crumble; it was absolutely divine. We headed for a night in, relaxing and watching the TV while seeing the end of the Matrix Revolutions. I think there’s a reason I haven’t watched the sequels to those films.

Day Four: Edinburgh

Despite Justine and my good intentions of leaving with the group at 9.30 this morning, we didn’t manage to get out of the hotel until half past twelve. This was partially due to another ring-around with the internet, which still wouldn’t work. So we left the hotel with the hope of actually getting something done and headed towards Edinburgh castle.

First stop was McDonald’s for a brunch break, before we walked it off by walking in the gardens below the cliff face where the castle stands. The gardens used to be the moat, so we dragged ourselves up the hill and were nearly to the top when we came across the “path blocked” sign and had to make our way back down the hill to the street. We then walked back up the street to get to the castle, as the renovations on the street had made it impossible to go in the other direction.

Eventually we walked through the gates and into the castle. The views were spectacular down to the river and across to Arthur’s seat. The canons were lined up against the walls and we walked into one of the regiment exhibitions to learn more about how the soldiers and army operate. Next up was the war memorial, which lists all those lost in the first and second world wars, from soldiers to women to civilians. It was a beautiful memorial building and to flick through the book of civilians, who all died in the same street on the same day, was both horrific and moving.

Next up we headed in to see the Scottish Crown Jewels, laid out in all their glory. While the exhibition was beautiful and strictly secure, there’s always that little thought that says “I wonder how many people have tried to steal these?” I wasn’t going to try and add my name to the count.

We headed out of the castle and down the main shopping street, the Royal Mile. Justine bought herself a Celtic ring and we managed to find ourselves a much needed post office before deciding that the day was nearing its end. As we walked back up the street we caught up with James who had been very energetic and climbed up Arthur’s seat, before we all caught the public bus back to the hotel. It was an included dinner at the hotel before Justine and I called the internet company, to no avail. Eventually, I went to reception and we got our 15 pound back. Nessie enjoyed some Irn Bru, then it was a night in.

Day Three: York to Edinburgh

We were a bit late getting on the bus this morning, but apologized to Geordie, especially seeing as it’s his birthday today! Off we went on the bus before stopping off at Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman-made division between England and Scotland, which isn’t the actual border. It was freezing as we got off the bus, the wind was going everywhere and the rain was basically horizontal. We pushed ourselves up the hill to the fort, saw it, and then ran back down in to the warmth of the shop. The weather was just too horrendous to stay outside.

It got worse as the day progressed. As we drove into Scotland it started snowing the most we’ve seen it while we’ve been here. Although it was only sleet, it quite hurt to run out of the bus for our photos with the ‘Scotland/England’ rock barrier. By the time we’d reached our lunch break the weather had cleared up and we were able to walk from bus to building without being attacked. We entered the woolen mill and spent half our service stop looking at the different types of tartan specific to each of the clans; it’s just amazing how many different types for each different family name there are!

We hopped back onto the bus and headed towards Edinburgh where we saw wind turbines spinning through the layers of snow on the hills. We drove into Edinburgh and Anna took us on a driven tour of the city, which even included a closed road that Geordie had to do a reverse three-point turn in the bus! Once we checked into our hotel we had about an hour to organize ourselves; I did some washing and we got ready to go out. Justine and I tried to buy internet, which didn’t work, before heading off to our optional Scottish dinner that evening.

First course was some haggis, which I surprisingly ate and enjoyed. This was probably due to the fact that it wasn’t presented as traditional haggis, but rather flooded by mashed potato and parsnip; a good option I thought. Main course was chicken, Justine tried some of the popular soft drink Irn Bru while for dessert we both sampled the traditional Scottish Cranachan. Our after dinner entertainment was Andrew the bagpiper who had us all in fits of laughter with his crude but hilarious jokes.

For our night of clubbing Anna took us to the Walkabout, an Australian bar chain in the UK! I set my way about trying all the shots on the menu and also mixing my Malibu with Irn Bru. The bartenders gave our whole group straw cowboy hats, which we took with us on the long and painful walk to Lu Lu’s, a club. Our supply of hats dwindled as other people in the club suddenly popped up wearing them, before Justine and I thought it was time for bed. Not before trying our paid internet, which still didn’t work. I was too tired to argue it, so we went to bed to try tomorrow. 

Day Two: Bristol to York

We managed to get on the bus just on time this morning as I’d synced my watch with the bus, which is a few minutes fast. Then we were on our way to York. When we arrived Geordie couldn’t park the coach as the bus parking was actually flooded, so we did a suspicious drop off and crossed the road to Clifford’s tower

Anna took us through the streets of York, down The Shambles and towards York Abbey where we finished our walk. Ash, Cam, Justine and I then headed off to buy some Cornish Pastry’s for lunch, meeting up with Jeremy and Ben before heading to the wall of York. We walked around the wall, finishing up at the opposite side of York Abbey, before heading into a pub so the others could try some ale tasting. Our next stop was going to be York Cathedral, but as it was a Sunday we couldn’t climb the tower and decided against it. I think we’ve seen a lot of churches at this stage so we’re not too bummed if we miss one.

Instead we wandered around York where we found a Peter Rabbit store, and another Disney store. As we’d walked the whole day with Justine telling me I should have bought the giant Simba we’d seen in Bath the day before, I walked out carrying an enormous Disney box. Now I have a friend for the plane. We headed down to look at the Viking Jorvik centre and shop, where there were some spectacular horns. If they weren’t made out of real horn I may have had a hope of getting one back to Australia. I didn’t want to push my luck.

With about an hour before we had to meet with the group for dinner we sat in a pub where we found Graham and Rosa, and Ash, Jeremy, Ben and Cam had another ale tasting. We then met up with the group to visit another pub on the river where we were eating our dinner that evening. With all the rain from the past few days the river was flooded right up to the doorway and we had to enter the pub from the kitchen quarters. We were eating upstairs, so that wasn’t a worry, and were treated to a roast with some Yorkshire pudding. Delicious, but being a bias I still think Mum’s is better.  

We left the pub and headed to today’s optional activity, a ghost tour of the town of York. To be walking around any vintage British town at night is eerie, but to be told about the haunted buildings and windows, and standing in alleyways that give you tingles, is not really my cup of tea. Justine was willing the ghosts to appear, I was about to crap myself. It didn’t help that we hadn’t checked into the hotel yet and had to drive half an hour into the middle of nowhere before we could settle into our room. This did not help my nerves in the slightest.  

Contiki Two: Day One - London to Bristol

We’re going to have to get used to these early Contiki mornings again, though we did manage to get down to the courtyard of the Royal National Hotel at 6.45am. At least this time we didn’t have to try and get a taxi as well. Our bags weighed under the 20kg (thank you storage!) and we were able to get onto our lovely orange Contiki bus and be away.

First up, Anna took us on a driven tour of London where we once again saw Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square Harrods and the Hard Rock Café. But we were also able to see some other sights we hadn’t had a chance to catch earlier, such as St Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. It was good to at least have a glimpse of them even if we don’t have time to go back and explore.

After some driving our next stop was Stonehenge. We were each given an audio guide, and in the spitting and windy weather wandered our way around the superstitious gathering. While some of the information was interesting, and the rock formations amazing considering how many of the stones were brought into England, the weather dampened our spirits a bit and we found ourselves longing for the comfort of the bus again. After a quick stint in the shop and a hot chocolate we were in the coach and thawing out once more.

Next up was Bath, a few more hours down the road. The limestone buildings are really beautiful to behold, especially as we came in from the hill. We headed off to Sally Lunn’s for lunch, where Justine and I had a romantic meal in the Jane Austen room and each ate one of the renowned Sally Lunn buns. Though, seeing as neither of us drink tea, going for High Tea seemed slightly off. We had a quick look at the kitchen museum downstairs before heading off to find the Jane Austen centre. Although we didn’t have the chance to go into the museum there, I did manage to buy myself an “I Love Darcy” keychain. Although “I Love Colin Firth” could have been equally apt.

Our next stop was the Roman Baths which we had entry into as one of our optional activities. We wandered around the large baths, though we weren’t allowed to touch them due to the Roman’s use of lead piping. No wonder people died younger in those days. We walked through the museum and saw the different statues and devices they used to use in the baths, before exiting to navigate our way to some of the old fashion sweet shops we’d seen earlier.

Once back on the bus we headed towards Bristol, our final stop for the day. There we had a rest in the hotel before walking to our included dinner, a restaurant on the canal. It was quite a beautiful view as swans floated past, but also offered an opportunity for us to meet some of the people on our tour. We then headed towards a 17^th century pub, where Justine tried some Hobgoblin, but failed to finish her glass.