DAY 3- London with a beer in hand!

Our first day in London- we were so dead tired but could only sleep for 3 hours at a time last night, despite the most incredibly comfy bed. You are right Cath- the room is small but the one we are staying in when we come back to London next week is apparently the biggest of the 4 apartments. It is very quiet too being at the top
(4th floor)

We walked a couple of mins round the corner to the hotel part that has the rooms (not apartments) and the brekky is included- a full english breakfast that is truly full - y.u.m.m.y, thick bacon, sausages, mushrooms, eggs, tomato, toast, cereal and fruit- Good find!! Set us up for the day and now at 5pm we have only had a biscuit all day cos we were full!!

We decided to try and use the buses this time as much as possible since we used the underground all the time last trip- and this way you see more. Jumped on and off 5 buses today - their public tranport is superb as you can get off and on for 1 pound, which makes it easy even if the bus isnt a direct one- there are always more that can get you to where you want to go.
Went past buckingham palace for a lookee and wandered thru the park with the deck chairs in- lovely old oak trees and sycamores- texted Sam and Mum (are you getting our txts Mum?).

We followed a map that had tourist places on, and then realised when we got across town that we should have been looking at the blue route numbers, not the red and we were in the wrong place haha!! No stress tho to get over to St Pauls cathedral- is that where Princess di's funeral was?? It was really good and even tho there was no photography I managed to get lots of pics (Gray just couldnt being himself to take any cos he Cannot do anything illegal!! - I only got told off once too)!

We climbed over 750 steps to get to the top of the dome as far as you could go and man are our calves telling us! Got jelly legs, so had to go recover with a iced chocolate (me) and a beer corona (Graeme)!

Then wandered around London- Cath the pic of the wellies is for you, we thought of you straight away. There was also a faux fur wellington 'muff'! cover that went over the top of any gummies that you would have loved!!

Made our way over the british musuem and went thru there again- great exhibits, really love the egyptian and greek rooms- see the photo of the "bloody old" (Graeme ) claw handled glasses from 100 AD.

Feeling a bit numb, we went to a sainsburys and got indian and naan bread to heat up for our tea and 2 large bottles of heineken (for 3 pounds- at half price it said) then back to our apartment- soooore feet but a great day where we saw heaps.

Sitting here with a beer and lovely dinner, free wi-fi internet, its pretty good!!

PS. we are answering your posts on the day you posted them!!

PPS. forgot to add that the first familiar face I see this morning outside Victoria station is David Bain! Knew he was over here after the trial and thought about going up and saying hi, but decided that it was a naff idea cos it would be awful to have strangers approach you and act like they know you well!!

DAY 2- THE REST OF IT!!

Phew- what a day and now we sit here on the other side of the world than all our nearest and dearest. Miss you all, family and friends already, but onwards and upwards!

We had a great, great flight this leg- modern updated plane with all the bells and whistles, so more comfy and we are in the zone so to speak now! The flight time flew and only watched 2 movies this time, "The proposal" with Sandra Bullock and "the Hangover", both very funny.

We both spent a few hours with eyes shut happily, if not sleeping then peeking out the window at Russia and Mongolia- vast vast plains of land. The secret too is not to look at your watch for as long as you can, I lasted 7 hours haha!

Funny for the day, Graeme opened his salad dressing for his salad and had a whoopsee and spilt it on his favourite F1 t-shirt- down the bottom right. So he squeezes into the miniscule toilet and takes it off and washes it best he can. He comes back out and I couldnt stop laughing (somewhat manically I notice, so maybe Im tired??) The water had run all over the top of the t shirt and he's now got it back on- look at the photo added- he was soaked!!!! Moral of the story- dont take your spare shirt out of your backpack lol!! I did offer him my spare t shirt that reads "define naughty"!

Having said all that, Graeme has discovered a new love- korean food, very spicy and lots of flavours. He had this stuff called bibimbab I think it was, lots of flavours with rice and chilli and seasame oil and some new veges we dont know!

We arrived at heathrow about 4 or 5 am NZ time and went thru the jungle of passages- thank god for the fast track express cards they gave us (become an E.U national and the line was even faster) then found the national express coach place where a fairly unhelpful lady and I got thru transport tickets- things have changed since 2007. Funny we were both speaking the same language but I could hardly understand her and vice versa!!

Anyhow got to the bus- really easy and the london one goes straight to victoria station for 5 pounds pp. Asked the driver if he would tell us where to get off and he cracked a big smile , hesitated and said "Yes of course madam" Duh, guess if did sound double ended!

45 mins to the station then spent the next half hour wandering around semi knowledably, Gray trying to get his bearings- be warned google maps arent always correct!! but it was just getting dark so wasnt too bad and we got there after walking in the complete wrong direction for a bit- asking a Bobby cop and then we finally got there- after being asked for directions by a polish man- blind leading the blind.

But no stress really. I dont know how we did it last time tho- new to it all and with a child and 3 suitcases?! Danni was obviously fantastic from memory.

The apartment is tiny by NZ standards, right up the top on the 4th floor (very steep stairs and no lift- was interesting to watch us lugging the bags I bet) but very clean and comtemporarily modern. Photos enclosed today- cya

DAY 2 - KOREA -> LONDON

We got to bed about midnight NZ time last night- after checking for emails from home and posting the blog for family. Feel like I have had my breath denied if I cant get access haha!! Pity it costs about $13 an hour, but hey thats the price it is and actually last time if was often alot more than that, but with having our own laptop and one now that is so small and lightweight, it is so easy.

The Hyatt regency hotel was great, really clean.Take a look at the photo of their glassed wine cellar- it is huge. Graeme would have loved to have sat in there with a bottle or two!
Rooms were great too- Bed VERY hard but strangely not uncomfortable and we slept until 3am (6am NZ time) but went back to sleep. Was SO great to lie flat and have showers. Dont know how those that go straight through do it for 24 + hours. Both our heads feel like they want to explode (well not quite that bad) but getting off and into the fresh air is great, coupled with a break in between- then we land nice and fresh not shattered. Maybe our heads feel the pressure more cos we are so brainy??!! haha

We went out for a walk around the hotel- vast areas of nothing out by the airport, but we werent near Incheon city to be fair and there is a shopping mall but shut before 10am. Think the develpoment all came about after the world cup soccer and the olympics. Wasnt anywhere near as humid or muggy as Malaysia was either, which was good.

Now taking advantage of the free internet access in their prestige class lounge, while we can before boarding for London in 1 1/2 hours, then 12 hour flight, bus to Victoria station maybe 40 mins and a few mins walk to the hotel!

Day 1 -Incheon, Seoul Korea

We are on a 777-200 plane on the first leg of our trip and had read a review last night on the Korean business class seats, where a guy on a long haul flight to Korea said that you got the old style bus. Seats and the only entertainment was a tv screen at the front of the cabin. Thought “hope not”!
Anyhow, get on board today and yes the seats are the old lazy-boy style but wethink that’s ok, they are softer than the newer lie flat ones, and OMG! There is only a miniscule tv screen at the front!**!!!*!!*!

Was thinking of having a little hyperventilation attack at the thought of 12 hours and no tv (What?? In business class we’re thinking?) but then discovered there were personal screens in the arms of our seats- phew! That reviewer must not have found his!!

Now relaxed and happy, we are fed a 5 course meal for lunch – how do people eat all that?? and watched the new star trek movie and night at the museum 2.
Korean definitely isn’t as up to date with technology like Malaysian airlines were in 2007 when we flew, but Im not complaining.
If you ask you get toothbrush/paste, comb, mouthwash, slippers, eye patches and my favourite- little cans of atomized water to spray on your face (just like in the movie ‘the castle’, where this amazed them on a trip to Bali!!) By the way, has anyone ever noticed how hairy your face looks under the lights in those airplane toilets??? Scary!

Walked down thru economy for a wander and see no personal tvs at all- bummer, but at least half the seats are empty so there’s heaps of room for people to spread out. Probably half the bus. class section is empty too I notice.
It was still daylight outside (12.30pm) but everyone is in the dark going to sleep. I gave Graeme fucidin cream to put up his nose (nurses will understand why!), so he gets me back by putting both his fingers up his nose at once- to at least the 2nd joints lol! Boys………

Landed 20 mins early at 8.50pm NZ time- loooong flight at the time, but kept reminding myself that Dad always soaks up the excitement of travel and never complains about the time spent in planes- so I wont either!

We were transferred to the Hyatt Regency hotel for the night (very nice) - given dinner, breakfast and lunch vouchers for tomorrow! We have gone back 3 hours here, so its 8pm Korean time but we are almost ready for bed!

First half of the plane long haul down! yay, the plane was SO hot in the cabin, you didnt have any air vents and in the end they turned it down to 22C ! No wonder we were feeling hot and headachy!! Tomorrow we are on a new style plane with the lie flat seats and movies we can control individually, games etc.

PS/ I open the internet in our room to post this blog and see that my favourite actor Patrick Swayze has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer- sob.....

We really are off now!

Day 1 Auckland->Seoul Korea

Hi everyone,
well the day is here at last! Well actually it kind of crept up on us in a hurry and now we are off! Having been so busy with the organistion of Sammys 21st, we werent focused on this trip so much, so a nice surprise to hear the alarm at 4.30 AM !! (Thanks Korean for changing the flight to leave 2 hours earlier !?@#!)

We decided to walk down our driveway in the pitch dark to wait for the shuttle as he rang and was running 10 mins late.
We looked so funny-it really was pitch black and the suitcases didnt particularly like the gravel all the way down, and they were so eager to go that they almost pushed you over going down the hill! was funny. I have a photo of Graeme leading the way- will post it later when I can!

We were very lucky to have the whole big transit van shuttle to ourselves at a cost the driver tells us,is half the price of hiring it exclusively- so that was a nice start. Very chatty guy and a quick trip up to the airport.

We werent so spoiled this time to walk past a huge queue at check in like last time- the economy queue was tiny too!!

Now in the koru club and had a great breakfast- Gray had 4 croissants with his eggs!!
He is now chomping at the bit "boarding in 5 mins Wee's, finish up" Yes Dad- Im off then and will post somewhere in Seoul hopefully in about 12-15 hours!!

Cya :-)

We're off (Almost)!

For those who we didnt have email addresses for:
please leave us comments anytime cos they are great to receive when you are so far away!!
Remember the blog works chronologically, so start from the bottom and work up- newest posts on the top.
Our itinerary is listed below.

To post a comment click on the blue "comments" icon under the days post.
Type your comments in the box provided then choose an identity.
If you dont have a google email account you can just click on 'anonymous' and remember to put your name at the end of the comment so we know who it is!

When we answer peoples posts, we will put it under the same days comments as you have posted on, so just click on 'comments' again to see any replies from us.

You can also click on the photos individually to blow them up (unless we end up condensing them if they take too long to upload overseas!).

Anyhow, Looking forward to hearing from everyone over the next 2 months- cya when we get back! Cya Denise & Graeme

The Europe Itinerary

• We fly out on the 15th sept to:
  
  London via Seoul Korea
  few days in London
  To Worcester (where the sauce is made) to see friends
  Back to London for 2 nights
  Do a 16 day Trafalgar coach tour of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
  Back to London for a night
  Fly to Genoa Italy to start a MSC Cruise of Spain, Portugal, Gibraltor
  End in Barcelona for a night
  Fly to Rhodes, Greece for 4 nights
  Fly to Madrid for 1 night en route to
  Casablanca Morocco where we do a 9 day Morocco tour with Insight tours
  Fly to Barcelona for 2 nights
  Start a MCS Cruise of the Med- Tuniscia, Malta, Italy, France
  Fly to Madrid for 4 nights
  Fly Madrid/Amsterdam to Seoul Korea overnight
  Fly Seoul- NZ arrive 16th Nov home again
  
  Phew!

The last counter went wonky, so trying again!

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Butterflies

A few changes! Have posted some photos of our trip to Butterfly Creek in Auckland today- some great coloured butterfly's!

Countdown to the big Europe trip!

Hi everyone- Graeme thought it was time to start the countdown for our trip overseas! and we see now that it is only 38 days away! Eeeekkk. We are flat out getting our property all tidy and the outside ready for the party the week before we fly out. Wise or not?! (we will find out as the time comes close!)

We are having a "5 in 1" party to celebrate Sammys 21st, Graemes 46th, Danni's 13th birthdays plus a house warming and pre-europe party ALL rolled into one!

We will also send out an email just before we go overseas to remind people how to post on the blog once we hit the other side of the world- those comments last trip
2 1/2 years ago, came to be something we really looked forward to each day.

The itinerary for the trip is a bit manic- so much to see and you want to make the most of it! Even so it had to be pruned back country wise.
We fly out on the 15th sept to:

London via Seoul Korea
few days in London
To Worcester (where the sauce is made) to see friends
Back to London
Do a 16 day Trafalgar coach tour of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
Back to London for a night
Fly to Genoa Italy to start a MSC Cruise of Spain, Portugal, Gibraltor
End in Barcelona for a night
Fly to RHodes, Greece for 4 nights
Fly to Madrid for 1 night en route to
Casablanca Morocco where we do a 9 day Morocco tour with insight tours
Fly to Barcelona for 2 nights
Start a MCS Cruise of the Med- Tuniscia, Malta, Italy, France
Fly to Madrid for 4 nights
Fly Madrid/Amsterdam to Seoul Korea overnight
Fly Seoul- NZ arrive 16th Nov home again

Phew!

Around Home

Yay we have finished the pool and the renovations of the master bedroom and are enjoying having such a big room!! Have also had solar tubes put in the hallway and toilet roofs which makes a huge difference to the light coming in.

The pool fence is now in the midst of going up, then the lawn and pool gardens are next- Getting there!

4 months till our trip to Europe- lots to organise and look forward too

our travel map- where we've been & where we're going

1. Agia Pelagia, Greece


2. Crete, Greece


3. Yasawa Island, Fiji


4. Kusadasi, Turkey


5. Hinton, United Kingdom


6. Nice, France


7. Cassino, Italy


8. Chania, Greece


9. Lourdes, France

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• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Travel Info at TripAdvisor

Lots to Do at the new property!

We are getting there, in the 2 months since we moved in we have got the pool (mainly) in, the builder booked for Jan to alter the master bedroom, the gorse booked to be sprayed, a new tv, new bbq and new computer- (Graeme is a happy boy after waiting several years for all those!)
The animals have settled in well, Elvis (cat) is loving not having to be locked in every night to keep him away from neighbours avaries ?!@#!!! and Shylah, although 12 years old, half blind and more than half deaf now, is very happy here now she has stopped being disorientated and walking in to the windows!!

The trip to europe is all booked too-now later in the year due to me knee but YAY..... My knee is not what it was by a long shot after my accident in Vanuatu but at least it looks better healed so heres to a healthier and less stressful 2009!!!

Our new home is in a really good spot that is so perfect for entertaining friends and family and once we get the outside tidied up and landscaped it will be great!

We had a great new years with Gary and Claire over as well- a very relaxed and civilised 4 course meal affair- lots of laughs and great company to see in 2009!

We have moved!

Yay! We have moved into our new home and 30 acres this week- what a mission!!!

However, with the suberb skills of the removal company driver, they managed to get up the steep curvy driveway with a 40 foot truck!! And we are in, somewhat chaotically- but we are in.

Beautiful views as far as you can see and a resident chook who turned up on the front lawn!!!

Now getting quotes from builders for house alterations and pool builders are coming in too as it is a bit of a drive to any community pools!!

Have done a couple of walks over the 30 acres and can now downsize the gorse estimate from 20 of those acres to about 15 acres tops?!!! Thats another quote to get in, for the professionals to come in and spray!!!!

A productive week anyway, we are all very content here already, even Danni with her broken leg is managing the hills well.!

Post note

Had to laugh- we went back to Nadi as planned to shop in town. Knowing what the salesmen are like there, we warned the girls:

- To be aware of Fijian men who approach you and ask what your name is while being very friendly it seems. Next thing they whip out a piece of wood and carve your name in it then charge you. So dont tell anyone your name.

- Not to let any 'hawkers' take them to "The only genuine Fijian shop in Nadi"

-Dont accept any drink from any of the men that may approach them.

So what happens?? A Fijian man approaches them when they are on their own, comes out into the middle of the road when they are crossing and introduces himself while shaking their hands- asks them their names (mistake No1! )

Then they let him take them to his 'genuine fijian family run store' (mistake No2! )

Then they are suddenly dressed in grass skirts and sat down in the store (mistake No3! ) and told that they are going to be honoured guests at a traditional ceremony. Next a bowl of kava is produced and given to them (mistake No4! ) and a ceremony to give them good luck for their flight home is performed.

By this time Sam has told them her name, that she is from NZ, and that No she has no boyfriend - so no need to carve her name into a love statue the man wants to carve for her (correct action No1! ).

From the time he has shaken their hands in the middle of the street and asked their names, poor Ambers heart starts pounding and she's thinking "Denise told us not to do that.....and that.....and that !!)

At least they escaped quite ok thank goodness, but alas- no good luck, our flight ends up being delayed for over an hour and the airport air conditioning is broken down!!@##@!!!!!!!! This is to top off the money that is stolen from our hotel room while we are down in the pool!

However got home safe and sound as the shuttle man waited for us - home at 3am!
Still a great break away, without the pressure of an unsold house to come home to.

Now onto the packing!