over 50 female – Page 3 – Over 50 Aussie female solo traveller USA road trip and beyond

Tower of London

What a magnificient historical palace. There is so much to see and learn about this palace which dates back to 1078.

So much gruesome history which many of know about the beheading of queens such as Anne Boleyn. Strange standing in the spots where these people’s lives came to a tragic end.

The Crown Jewels are the highlight. What amazing jewels and unfortunately you cannot photograph them but this is a link to what you see. Crown Jewels. The diamonds are so big they look fake. The collection is valued at around 5 billion pounds ($AUD9 billion). The sceptre diamond on its own is worth 400million pounds ($AUD700 million)

You must do the tour with one of the Beefeaters or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London. Did you know that to be a Beefeater you have to have served at least 22 years in the armed forces, be a former warrant officer or senior non commissioned, plus hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal and when accepted the whole family lives in the grounds of the Tower of London! Clive was our tour guide. Very entertaining but he is not “just” a tour guide. This is a part of the role of a Beefeater.

The moat around the Tower of London is being prepared for a sea of flowers, well 20 million seeds will be planted, for the Superbloom Platinum Jubilee celebration.

White Cliffs of Dover and Dover Castle

A short 45 minute bus ride from Canterbury is the town of Dover famous for their White Cliffs. A further 35 minutes by car is a view of the cliffs along the coast which I did not get a chance to experience, although I think the photos below the Dover Castle are quite epic. Can you see the Dover Castle lookouts in the cliff?

The walk along the shore front of Dover

The Dover Castle looks majestically over the town. The view from the hill is pretty spectacular, looking out to Calais in the distance some 27 nautical miles across the English Channel. I didn’t get to see much of the castle as you need at least 6 hours to do it right. However, I did the secret tunnels of the castle which were importantly used during WWII. Unfortunately you are not permitted to photograph anything in the tunnels so you will have to take my word for it that I went.

A few pics around town and St Mary’s Church.

London

London reminds me of New York but with older buildings. Lots of people, lots of restaurants, pubs, so much to see. The photos do not do the place justice. I did a London Ghost Walk and Spooky River Thames boat ride. These tours are a great way to see London and to learn some of this city’s history.

Tottenham Court/Oxford Street

Met up with Jo whom I met on a South Pacific Cruise a few years ago. She showed me around where she grew up in the Oxford Street area and took me to a lovely pub lunch. The Jack Horner is a traditional English pub in the West End. Jo is my first UK cruise buddy catch up.

Little Venice/Camden/Jack The Ripper

Today is a lovely sunny day in London. 15°C!!! After -1C a few days ago, this is heaven. My hotel Park Plaza is so lovely and warm, the shower hot and great pressure. I feel great after the last week of freezing I was feeling very grumpy. I chose a beautiful day to start off in Little Venice. Did you even know there was such a place in London? I took the tube to Royal Oak and then walked to Little Venice. Look at these homes!!

Pretty Little Venice.

I took the Little Venice Regent’s Canal Water Bus to Camden tour which is a unique perspective of life along the canals of London. The tour takes you along the London Zoo and you get to see many beautiful mansions owned by various entertainment industry celebrities.

the only and oldest Chinese restaurant on the canal

On arrival to Camden you may be greeted with the pungent smell of marijuana which lets you know you have arrived to a bohemian area. Marijuana is illegal in London, although as in many parts of the world, I expect a smoking offence is not worth the police work involved. The market is buzzing with stalls of food and colourful shops to cater to the eclectic mix of patrons.

Then I took a bit of a walk to St Pancras Old Church. This has been a worship site since the 4th century.

I found The Hardy Tree on Atlas Obscura which intrigued me so I added this to my list of quirky to do. The Hardy Tree has headstones which were moved by author Thomas Hardy. My photo doesn’t do it justice but click on the link above for a clearer picture and history.

I then realised I was close to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station. I could not go to London without visiting.

Last but not least for today I went on a Jack the Ripper Tour. Ripperologist Tom took us through the historical part of Whitechapel and the sites of the gruesome murders. He was very informative and entertaining and included some very graphic photos. He had a good balance of humour and seriousness sharing the life of Whitechapel during that period and information of the victims with utmost respect. Thank you Tom. I look forward to the Haunted tour of London.

From Watford to Vauxhall

My day started with a lovely breakfast made by my airbnb host, to sustain me for my next train trip with my luggage. The host kindly dropped me off at Bushey Station thinking it had a lift. I felt so daunted by the stairs I was to lug my luggage up by hand, I took an Uber to the next station which had a lift. I had to psyche myself up for the train changes at Euston which doesn’t have a lift but an escalator, and a staff member insisted on helping me. On the way so many people asked advice and he was so very patient and assisted everyone. I then got to Green Park station changed for the Picadilly line to Park Royal station. All those trains were very easy getting on at the accessibility carriage. The trains are so good that they provide step free access and was very helpful for me with “too much” luggage. Except when I got to Park Royal and there were stairs I nearly cried. There was a lovely Jamaican woman who came straight up to me and took one of my bags up the stairs. I have found nothing but helpful people in London. The train system is complex but so far everything is working fine. I am staying at the Park Plaza hotel. Very trendy, in an industrial area but easy to get around.
After a rest I found a Meet Up group going to a comedy show at the Vauxhall Winter Gardens. I tried to contact them but decided I would try and take my chance and just turn up.

I had dinner in the winter garden and spoke with the comedy organiser who said the event was free but if you pay £5 for a ticket it would get you a free drink. I wasn’t drinking alcohol so I decided to just enjoy the show. I found the Meet Up group organiser and she stated that I could not join the Meet Up group attending the comedy as I didn’t pay the £10 fee. I was quite confused as I didn’t understand what the fee was for if entry was £5 for a drink. Well I found my first inhospitable person in London. She told me I couldn’t sit with the group as I didn’t pay £10. I realised later that she had made money from all 12 people attending. Needless to say I won’t be attending any of those group events.
But, things happen for a reason. As I was feeling a little sorry for myself, I made my way to the comedy show and someone came up to me and asked if I wanted to go to a drag bingo show. I love drag bingo and go often in Sydney. I was given a free ticket and the host was an Australian, Sheila Simmonds and she is a friend of my Sydney drag friend Miss Prada Clutch. What a fabulous night!!

Sheila sent a message to Prada which was a hoot.

I was at table with a lovely couple Victoria and Simon and I am trying to work out a way to gatecrash their wedding in Wales in June. I love attending gay areas around the world and didn’t realise that London’s is Vauxhall. Another unexpected spontaneous fun night in London.

Bletchley Park

I took a 30 minute train ride from Watford to Bletchley.

I had watched a fictional series called “Bletchley Circle” and discovered it was based on a real place called Bletchley Park. Bletchley Park was a top secret home where World War II codebreakers worked, 8000 of them. The work they did effectively reduced the term of the War by 2 to 4 years. Fascinating place, particularly if you are interested in mathematics, coding and decoding messages not only in English but German and Japanese. The story of how they recruited the coders, engaged fake spies and developed the machinery to fast track the decoding. This place would be of interest if you are a computer nerd, a mathematician, have an interest in World War II, appreciate a beautiful house built in 1883 and see how it all came together.

Memorial to the Polish mathematicians who cracked the German Enigma code

To finish off my day and my final night in Watford I went back to the Load of Hay for a final drink and a game of bingo. I was one off three times. However, once again I experienced warm hospitality from the staff and patrons. When in Watford, pop in for a drink. Thanks Load of Hay.

Watford

The weather has been soooo cold I decided to take it easier today and explore Watford a little more. Do you feel the crispness in these photos? Even the locals have said it is cold. I cannot cope with cold below 20degrees Celsius. Today it got down to zero.

Watford is the home of Watford Football Club (The Hornets) which was owned by Elton John.

The sculpture of a Hornet is in High Street.

The roads are so narrow in places cars have to park partially on the footpath.

I planned my walk to conclude at the Load of Hay Pub for dinner. It was a lovely surprise to find they had free beef stew for patrons. It was so lovely to have a home cooked meal. The hospitality of the staff and patrons is exactly what I had heard to expect from UK pubs. Thank you Load of Hay.

Day 1 United Kingdom – Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio

I imagine most people would choose something very different for their first day in the UK. But, I am a little different. I took the Number 8 bus down the road from my airbnb, into Watford Junction (£3 one way and found out later that I can get an all day pass for £4), where a Harry Potter shuttle bus takes you to the studios.

Entry is £49.95 and seems a little steep, although the sets are very elaborate.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the people who dressed up in their favourite characters. Their joy at being at the studio was a pleasure to experience.

This gentleman oozed delight at being here

I spent 4 hours enjoying all the displays. It is fascinating to see how much work is involved to produce something like Harry Potter. Some of the memories of Harry Potter brought on tears. I remember going to the first movie with my friend Sue Biber. We were worried that the movie would not live up to the book. When the doors of the Great Hall opened, tears started in my eyes as they had captured the Hall exactly as I had expected. Today, walking into that Hall brought on those tears of joy once again.

This scared a few children

The photos do not do it justice. If you get a chance, go.

I got the Harry Potter shuttle back to Watford Junction where I purchased a day bus ticket and went exploring Watford High Street.

Is it just me or does an old English style building look wrong for a Taco Bell?

I am happy to ease myself into this culture but tomorrow I will go into London and see what history I can find.

United Kingdom

I left Sydney with some apprehension. The Russian war on Ukraine is worrying and the East coast of Australia is being ravaged by floods. I am a volunteer for the Red Cross Emergency Services and had received requests to assist in evacuation centres or in the Public Information Centre and felt guilty I was going away on a “holiday” while people are suffering. I don’t think my travel insurance will cover my guilt though. So with a couple of farewell dinners with the too much Sambucca I kissed my family and dear friends goodbye for 6 months.

My Singapore Airlines flight included a 2.5 hour stopover in Changi. The 8 hour flight was comfortable. After a 14 hour second flight, I arrived in London on 2 March 2022 for the first time. Had a giggle when propositioned by an airport worker who thought I was an American. Getting through border control was quite easy although it took 40 minutes. I was expecting Covid to have made it difficult but completing the passenger locator form before flying made the process of entering the UK very efficient.

To get to my airbnb at Watford, I had the choice to take an Uber or start my adventure testing my skills with the public transport system. Adventure won and I walked to Heathrow Central to get the 724 bus to Watford Junction at a cost of £12. Unfortunately my UK SIM card did not yet work and I didn’t have any wifi to get an Uber from Watford Juntion to the airbnb so I took a cab for £9. I did pretty alright. An Uber from Heathrow to Watford would have cost £67 and although 20 minutes longer, the bus and taxi trip saved me £46 or $AUD92. I think I will be ok with UK public transport.

Airbnb – my home for the first 7 days to get my bearings

I chose this place in Watford as it was well priced, had a separate granny flat with a garden in case I got Covid I didn’t want to be stuck in a hotel room in London with no window. Watford is known for Elton John purchasing their football team many years ago and the Harry Potter Studio which I am going to tomorrow.