Monday, 22 July 2019

Jour 5

Time to visit Canterbury.  For me it was a second visit, but for Marcel it is a first time.  It is a easy train ride of 30 minutes from Deal. Canterbury is a lively city very popular mostly for his magnificent cathedral, but also for his history, his beautiful architecture and gorgeous parks along Stour river.  It is one of the most-visited cities in the Uk.  We walk on the city walls to reach the city center.  We didn't enter the cathedral because there was a long line and it wasn't a priority for Marcel.  Just having a look at the outside was enough.  It still gives a good idea of the majesty of this cathedral.  Then we walk in the Westgate Parks where we saw a beautiful english garden  and some gondoliers on the river.  My foot is still hurting, so we walked slowly and we rested when it is necessary.  
After rest, we have been on the sea front.  There was still many people enjoying the beach.  Well many, dont mean a crowd.
There is some pictures of the day:
   

   
  
We notice tonight that people dont look at their cell phone in the restaurant.  They look at each other.  It is a change...

Sunday, 21 July 2019

Jour 4


Today we went for a long walk (10km). Our goal was to see the white cliffs of Dover. We walked to the seaside. In places, the path became private but it was allowed to pass anyway. We couldn’t refrain from stopping frequently to admire this bucolic landscape.
On the way back, we saw that the center of Deal had become a party for a regatta festival and a swimming competition. There were many people and several streets were closed to traffic.
We had a fish and chips to go and brought it to eat on our terrace. After lunch, we wanted to go for a walk among the festivities, but the more I went, the more difficult it was to put weight on my left foot. My Fitbit marked 17000 steps and it was 14h. We decided to go back home and take a break.
For our apero tonight, we went on the beach and sat on a banch in front the sea.
Our supper was at a very good restaurant rated with Michelin star: Victual and Co.  It was a very good experience.  It is amazing that a small place like Deal have so many good restaurants. I mean it is not what we expect in England.  Anyway, we were please with every meal we had so far, in all categories.  Tonight, we even had a nice chat with the owner of the restaurant. 
A funny anecdote: I sleep well because I remote my hearing aids but Marcel don"t because there is a concert of Seagulls all night long.  He will use ear plugs tonight hoping he will have a better night sleep.

My second coffee this morning

On our way to the white cliffs
    
apero tonight

Saturday, 20 July 2019

jour 3


Today we went to visit a village that is an hour's train ride from Deal: Faversham. It's market day, so busy as a place. I had heard of a stone bridge that was to be seen. We looked for it and even asked where it was, but no one knew what I was talking about. Whatever, it allowed us to discover a little pound quite charming.
After a break at our little house, we went for a stroll on the waterfront. Today, there were a lot of people on the beach. It must be said that the temperature is really extraordinary. It's sunny and about 20 or 22C. It is fabulous to see such a long virgin beach, with no commerce of any kind.   For dinner, we opted for the pub formula. We went to Bohemian. A very lively and rather quirky place. After dinner, as it was not too late, we ended this beautiful day with a walk on the dock. It is a real vacation feeling.  
First, pictures of Faversham:
  

And the waterfront:
  
the Bohemian:


Friday, 19 July 2019

Jour 2

Ah !!!! What a good night's sleep can give us energy! We slept more or less ten hours so we were ready to explore Deal. Rain was announced in pm so we decided to keep visiting the castle for the afternoon. This morning, we went on a pedestrian hike from the waterfront and take a wilder path to the Deal golf course. A hike of about 40 minutes for each part of the round trip. We met several people who were walking their dogs. I noticed on our way that we still see a lot of hollyhocks in this part of the country, when they have almost disappeared from our country. It was not yet midday and we had 12000 steps on the Fitbit. For lunch, we followed the recommendation of our host and ate at Hariette, a charming tea room. We then visited Deal Castle. A castle built for Henry VIII in 1540. It was a fortress to protect against a possible invasion of France. It has the peculiarity of being shaped like a rose with six petals. An interesting visit.
Tonight we went at a very good bistro: Three Compass. It is amazing that such a little place like Deal have so many good restaurants.  Marcel notice that there ain't no chain reataurants like Burger King, Mc Donald or Starbuck in the village.  A+ for Deal!!  As for the weather, the 90% chance of rain didn't hit us.  We were on the lucky 10% I guess. 
Some pictures of the day:
      

Thursday, 18 July 2019

Jour 1

Well, well, well! Jetlag getting harder and harder with age.  Fligth was ok.  Good service, comfort acceptable, but I couldn't sleep more then one hour.  Hopefully we go through Heathrow very very easy.  We didn't wait a minute for the immigration border and customs.  It was like a breeze.  So we arrived early for the train at St-Pancras.  It was very hard for Marcel to keep his eyes open as we were waiting for the train.  Wasn't easier in the train neither... 

As soon as we arrived to Deal we were conquered.  It is really charming.  It is a village that has kept its charms from the past. After being installed in our so cute Airbnb, we walk on the sea side and in the rustics little streets all around.  For supper, we went at a super pizza-pub.  Plenty of locals, but no tourists around except us. A very interesting experience. 
It is now 19h40 and I am ready to go to bed.  Goodnight!  I will do better for the blog tomorrow.
    




Wednesday, 3 July 2019

Here we go again

Bien oui, c’était prévisible...  j’y retourne!  Et si la tendance se maintient comme on dit, bien j’y retournerai encore et encore, tant que ce sera possible.  Mais soyez rassurés, j’alterne mes visites en Angleterre avec des visites ailleurs.  Je ne me sens pas trop limitée à l’Angleterre, puisque j’ai 22 pays visités au compteur.  Quand même!

Ce qui est spécial cette fois, c’est que j’ai loué la même maison qu’en 2017. Elle est trop bien cette maison.  Mais avant d’arriver à Londres, Marcel et moi ferons un séjour à Deal dans le Kent, histoire de voir un peu de la campagne anglaise.

Voici donc l’itinéraire prévu en bref:
17 juillet départ
18 au 24 juillet, Deal
24 juillet arrivée à Londres
25 juillet arrivée de Carole
26 juillet arrivée de José et Denis
27 juillet départ de Marcel
2 août départ de José et Dénis
3 août départ de Carole et arrivée de Marie-Josee, Hugo, Élise et Jane
10 août départ de Marie-Josee, Hugo, Élise et Jane.  Arrivée de Raymonde et Robert
13 août arrivée de Isabelle et Raymond
17 aout départ de Isabelle et Raymond
20 août Départ de Raymonde et Robert et retour pour moi

Vous pourrez lire dans le blogue le détail de chaque journée, au jour le jour.

Monday, 21 August 2017

Bilan 2017

Cela a pris du temps mais enfin...



Le bilan, Londres 2017

Ce fut toute une expérience!  Positive.  Je recommencerais à tous les étés.  J’ai aimé vivre dans une maison, dans un secteur résidentiel et prétendre être Londonienne. 
La maison était parfaite pour nos besoins.  Voici la revue que j’en ai fait sur Tripadvisor : https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d10642878-r513708711-Your_Family_Home_In_London-London_England.html#SHOW_USER_REVIEW

Je ne savais pas vraiment à quoi m’attendre en recevant à tour de rôle des amis dans cette maison. Certes,  je savais que j’aimerais m’y retrouver.  Aucun doute.  Mais y recevoir des amis, c’était une nouvelle formule.  J’ai adoré jouer à l’auberge espagnole. 

Chaque groupe était bien différent :
Les trois premières arrivées : José D., Irene et Julie, en étaient à leur premier voyage à Londres.  Alors avec elles, j’ai joué au guide touristique.  Un grand plaisir de présenter ma ville préférée.  Quelques jours après l’arrivée du premier groupe, Josée L, une amie, est venue se joindre à nous.  Ce n’était pas sa première visite à Londres, mais elle en a profité pour voir les attractions principales qu’elle n’avait pas vues les fois précédentes.  Quand le premier groupe est parti, le deuxième groupe est arrivé : Chantal et Raymond.  Ils en étaient à leur deuxième visite et avaient une bonne idée de ce qu’ils souhaitaient faire.  Donc pas besoin de guide pour eux.  J’ai donc fait des visites avec Josée L.  Josée L est partie le jour de l’arrivée du troisième groupe : Josée D., Pierrette et Guylaine.  Pour Josée D. et Pierrette, il s’agissait du deuxième visite et pour Guylaine d’une première fois.  Elles étaient déjà bien organisées.  Ce qui m’a laissé du temps juste à moi avant l’arrivée de Marcel quelques jours plus tard.  Marcel en était à sa sixième visite.  On en a profité pour faire des choses différentes et visiter Winchester. 

Voici des questions que l’on m’a posées :
As-tu eu assez de temps pour toi?  Mais oui!  J’ai eu beaucoup de temps pour moi.  Et juste le fait d’être à Londres me rend heureuse.
Tu n’as pas eu l’impression d’être envahie par tout ce monde?  Pas du tout.  J’ai trouvé que tout le monde était agréable.  Ça coulait.
As-tu fait tout ce que tu avais prévu? Non!  Et c’est tant mieux…  Je devrai y retourner.  ;-)
Est-ce qu’il y a quelque chose que tu as trouvé moins agréable?  Pas vraiment.  Seulement, peut-être un petit stress pour m’assurer du confort de tous.  C’était vraiment important pour moi.

En résumé…
J’ai des moments forts qui reviennent me faire sourire.  J’y vais dans le désordre comme ça se présente :
Au Cavern, à Liverpool avec Julie, José et Irene
L’exposition de Pink Floyd avec Josée D.
Le Red Lion pub avec Marcel.
Le souper au Duchess Pub avec Chantal, Raymond et Josée L.
Et deux autres lunchs avec Josée L : au Formosa Dining room et à Neal Yard.  Yummy! Et j’oubliais celui de Camden qui n’était pas mauvais non plus.
Le verre de vin sur les rives de la Tamise avec Josée D, Pierrette, Guylaine et Marcel : un moment magique!
Une visite vraiment intéressante : Churchill War Room, avec Josée L.
Les 32000 pas d’une super-belle journée avec José D, Irene et Julie.
Le dernier souper à la maison avec Chantal, Raymond et Marcel.
Le violoniste à Trafalgar Square avec Josée L.
L’apéro sur notre petite terrasse avec ceux qui étaient là au fil des jours; ce moment où  l’on se racontait nos journées. 
Voilà!  

Monday, 7 August 2017

jour 22

Well, this is it.  Last day.

This morning we went to Borough market to buy our last dinner in London.  We choose to go with the bus because it drove us by roads we haven't saw before.  

First we enjoyed a delicious latte at Monmouth.

At the market, we bought sausage, cheese, bread and some vegetables. It is always a pleasure to visit the market even if it was limited market on Monday and Tuesday.  That mean a small part of the kiosks are closed.  

We then came back at home to wait for Chantal and Raymond.  They arrived around 14h30.  It was very interesting to hear the review of their stay in Brighton, Bath and Stratford-Upon-Avon.  I am happy they enjoyed every places.  

At the end of the afternoon, Marcel and me went at Red Lion pub on Parliament Square, for a last goodbye to London.  It's been a long time since I wanted to go visit that pub.  The building is beautiful and the atmosphere very lively. 
   

Our last dinner was pleasant and cosy with our friends Chantal and Raymond.  

Bye London!  It's only a good bye...  I will be back.  

Cheers!

Sunday, 6 August 2017

jour 21

I had a good night of sleep so I was ready to go to Winchester today.

We took the train at Waterloo Station.  It was easy and we got lucky we didn't had to wait too long, the train was ready to go as we entered in.  The journey is about a 70 minutes pleasant ride.

Winchester is the Hampshire capital, situated south of England.
On Sunday, there was a big street market.  We walked and looked at the kiosks on High Street, while admiring the architecture.
 

  

Then we went to see the magnificent cathedral.  Since I have read The Pillars of the Earth, I am fascinated by the cathedrals.  Founded in 642, it is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, with the longest nave  and greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe.
  



As we were on our way to return to the train station, we saw the Winchester Castle.  We didn't visit it tho.


We came back at the end of the afternoon and stopped to have a look at the Sunday market near our place.  It was almost closed but what we saw didn't impress us.

Tonigh we went in a area I having visit yet this time: Sloane Square.  Some may call it a posh neiberhood. It is certainly not a working class neighborhood. We had dinner at Cote Brasserie on Sloane Square.   The service was exceptional and the food delicious.  We completed our meal with an excellent St-Emilion red wine.

We finished the evening with a last drink on our terrace.  What a perfect night in London!!

Saturday, 5 August 2017

Jour 20

As expected I didn't sleep a lot and was miserable in the morning.
Today, Josée, Pierrette and Guylaine left London for Bath.

After the departure of Pierrette, Guylaine and Josée we went in Covent Garden area. Hopefully my "colocs" are nurses and they help me found what would be a good medicine for me.
With the information, I went to the drugstore and they gave me what I need.

We walked on Neal St and the rain started. We gone for lunch on Neal Yard.  After the lunch, the rain stop for a while so we went to the Jubilee Market at Covent Garden.  We found what we were looking for: a souvenir for the baby Jessica and Gabriel expected for next September.

We came back home because I need a rest.  We sat in our cute little back yard, enjoying the sunny afternoon.


At night, we went near Victoria Station for a drink in a pub called: The Phoenix, just behind Cardinal Place.


We had dinner at Jamie Italian.  It was a first time for Marcel.

Friday, 4 August 2017

Jour 19

The end is near....

Marcel got a good night of sleep.  He slept for eleven hours straight.  I woke up with a cold, probably a consequence of having had feet wet last Wednesday.

This morning Josée, Pierrette and Guylaine went to Notting Hill as we went to Churchill War Room.

After the visit we walk to Trafalgar Square through St James Park, using a path I never walked before, along the Horse Guards Road.  We saw a beautiful garden.  
  

Arriving at Trafalgar Square, it was lunch time.  We saw a PRET, but it was full of customers.  With nostalgia, we passed in front the Sherlock Holmes Pub where Marcel had asked me to marry a second time. It was seven years ago.  We have been through an arch.  At the end of the arch, there was another PRET, but this one was for take out only.


We got on the Strand and it took about two minutes to found another PRET.  That is where we had lunch.

We stop at a drugstore to buy cold medicine and we got back at the house after a short stop at Sainsburys.

By then, it was mid afternoon and we had a rendez-vous with our friends at 16h for the apero at Oxo Tower.

We took the bus to Waterloo and walked on the South path, enjoying the lively ambiance. We arrived first a Oxo and sat inside, with a beautiful view.


Josée Pierrette and Guylaine joined us five minutes later.  They had a blast in Notting Hill.  They shopped and found treasures in small original shops.  They have seen many unknown designer pieces.

After our apero we walked about ten minutes to find The Founder Arms Pub.  It was a very noisy environment.  We would had preferred the restaurant section, but there was no more availability, so we sit in the bar.
  
No matter, after the lunch we got out with our glass and finish it looking at the Thames river.  Not bad at all.
 

We crossed via the Millennium Bridge to came back with Black Friars Tube.
What a beautiful last evening in London for Josée, Pierrette and Guylaine!


At that point my cold was at its peak.  It was time we arrived.  We all got to sleep early.

Thursday, 3 August 2017

jour 18

Marcel arrived today.

Pierrette, Guylaine and Josée had a very pleasant program for the day: British Museum, Harry Potter at King Cross and Regent Park.

For my part, I work on the blogue and did some shopping in the morning.  In the afternoon, I had a pleasant walk in the neighborhood and got back at 14h15 to check the information about Marcel landing.

His plane land at 14h30.  I calculated 30 minutes for passport check + 15 minutes to clam the luggage. Then he had to take the tube from the airport.  According to the website of TFL (transport for London), it is a journey of 55 minutes.  So I expected seeing him between 16h and 16h30.

I went at exit 4 of Vauxhall Station and wait for about 30 minutes before seeing Marcel arrived.
We walked to our home together.  Of course, he was tired of all the travelling, bvut we didn't stayed home long before going for a walk before dinner.

As we were on our way, we met Josée, Pierrette and Guylaine coming back from their day of visiting.
We came back, had a very pleasant apero in the back yard and a good meal of pizza.  Marcel went to bed a little bit before 21h30.  I think he was tough enough this time.

Good night!

Wednesday, 2 August 2017

jour 17

Pierrette and Guylaine went to Tower of London and St-Paul today. Because Josée D. had already visit both, we went together just to explore less touristy neighborhoods.  We saw some interesting street art on our way.


We took the tube to Russel Square and walked in the streets around.  I showed Josée a building where I rent a flat in 2010.  We then arrived inn front of St-Pancras Station.  What a beautiful architecture!!  It look more like a castle than a train station.  We decided to visit the British Library.
It is so impressive!!  All those books!


There was an exhibition about the life of homosexuals in London of the past until now, called: Gay UK:Love, Law and Liberty.  Since the arrest of Oscar Wilde in 1895, things have change, but very slowly.


After touring some rooms in the Library, we walk toward Tottenham Court Road to find a place call Ahi Poke for lunch.  We walked for about two minutes and it started pouring rain.  It wasn't very pleasant to walk with my sandals in such a deluge.  We never found the restaurant we were looking for.  We entered a PRET and it was perfect as always.

After the lunch, we went to see the Pink Floyd exhibition at Victoria and Albert Museum.  There was a crowd on the tube at South Kensington.  We could barely advance towards the exit.  And there was a crowd at the museum to see Pink Floyd.  We had to wait 45 minutes before accessing the exhibition. But it worth it. Pink Floyd were the precursors of what was done in underground and psychedelic music since then. They had a unique sound. The soundtrack that could be heard throughout the show was excellent.  It was interesting to heard the interview with Roger Walter and David Gilmore.

We were supposed to go out for dinner but with the rain always falling we choose to eat in the comfort of our sweet home in London.  It is fun to sit together after a day of sightseeing and tell each other that we have seen.  Pierrette and Guylaine were please to heard a choral in St-Paul.  They were at the right place on the right moment.

Josée make me notice something today about a particular mode in London. Women put a lot of make up on  their eyebrows so it is very wide and dark.  Is it a mode in Montreal?  I didn't notice.






Tuesday, 1 August 2017

jour 16

Today, we leave Liverpool.  Sigh...

Before leaving, we toured the Albert Dock and bought some souvenirs.



We arrived fairly right for the train. Approximately ten minutes before the boarding time.
José had difficulty following us with her suitcase.

The ride on the train was nice and easy. At Euston we took different paths. They went to Piccadilly line, toward Heathrow and I got back home in London.

I went to the grocery and worked on the blogue of the last two days.

At the end of the afternoon, my fellow travelers arrived with a meal of Indian food. What a great idea!!! Indian food is very popular in London.