#femalesolotraveller – Page 4 – Over 50 Aussie female solo traveller USA road trip and beyond

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.

London

Wow!! How amazing to visit a city which has so much history and so much to see and do. I wanted to start with the most famous of all places, Buckingham Palace. I took a bus from Watford to Watford Junction, then the overground train to Euston and then the underground train to Green Park. It took a little over an hour from where I am staying, including walking time to the bus stop. The bus cost £4.80 ($AUD9.60) for a day pass. Then a day pass for London was £20.10 ($AUD40). Quite expensive although London is huge. I did not hesitate to take several trains to various places and still managed to do a phenomenal amount of walking. I am annoyed at myself for not taking my fitbit as I was going to use Strava to map my walking but did not think about how quickly my phone battery would deplete. Even with a backup battery it would not cover a day of adventure. I left Watford at 8:30am and got back to my airbnb at 10:30pm. Enjoy my day.

Buckingham Palace is a 7 minute walk from Green Park station.

The Queens’ Life Guard Dismount Parade also known as the “Four O’Clock Parade” and “Punishment Parade” was an unexpected surprise. In 1894 Queen Victoria found the entrie guard drinking and gambling while on duty so she ordered that they be inspected every day at 4pm by an officer for the next 100 years. That ended in 1994 but the parade continues as a tradition. I don’t think there is any fear of these guards drinking, they look like they are 12 years old.

obligatory pic with the local police (bobbies)

Covent Garden was another unexpected surprise where you will find top class “buskers”. I loved the classical buskers in the Covent Garden Market area. A snippet of the talent and this fabulous group and this from above.

And more exploring Chinatown, 10 Downing Street, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey. There is so much to see.

The fashion for a “bucks” night in London is very different to Sydney.

I ended my first night in London at a West End show, Choir of Man. What a wonderful way to end the evening. Must go and see these talented men. And you get free beer.

Tomorrow will be a rest day. What a great introduction to London. I have to thank a Tinder date, Howard, who offered to show me around London. I did not realise I would be doing so much in one day.

My first English Pub

Yesterday I was a bit ambitious thinking I would go to London today. It is only my 3rd day and jet lag is still slowing me down. I will need a lot more energy to explore London. Perhaps tomorrow.

Today I walked to the closest pub to where I am staying. A typical English drizzly cold 20 minute walk taking in the various styles of homes in Watford.

Google maps took me on a back muddy path at times I thought I was in the Hansel and Gretel woods.

And then I was at my first UK pub. The Royal Oak Watford Heath. It was perfect. Warm welcome by the locals. No open fire but lovely and warm.

I enjoyed a delicious bowl of potato and leek soup. Exactly what I needed to warm up.

Just down the road I popped into my second pub, 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.

Kimba South Australia

Driving back to Adelaide for New Years Eve I found a night stopover in Kimba. What a cute little town. It claims to be the the town in the Middle of the Australian east and west coasts. First had a rest stop in a place called Wirulla, population 104.

They have a “secret”. A dry jetty which was erected as a joke but is the 5th tee on the Nullabor Links golf course. Said to be the longest golf course along 1365 kilometres of the Eyre Highway across Western Australia and South Australia on the Nullabor Plain.

Wudinna is the home of a granite sculpture celebrating the spirit of farming life communities ” The Australian Farmer”. 17 years in the making by a father and son team Marijan and David Bekic represents the sun, grain crops, sheep farming and commemorates the early settlers.

Kimba from the aboriginal word for “bushfire”. Population around 600. Has “The Big Galah” which marks the halfway point between East and West coasts of Australia.

The town also provides low level Radioactive Waste storage. The facility provides 25 ongoing jobs for the community.

Lovely silo art.

Local art

Edward John Eyre was an English explorer, the first to cross Australia from Sydney to Swan River in Perth Western Australia. The sculptures located at Whites Knob Lookout represent Edward Eyre and his indigenous tracker Whylie.

Mallala has a population of around 900 and is home to an impressive World War 1 Memorial in the centre of town

It also has an international Motor Sport Park.

I arrived in Adelaide on 30 December and the previous evening I was notified the Masquerade Gala to be held in Glenelg was cancelled due to COVID19. So, after another marathon drive for 6 hours, I returned my hire car, went and had a rest at a friend’s home before getting an 8pm flight back to Sydney to celebrate New Years Eve in my home town. May 2022 bring the world some normalcy and better health.

Ceduna

What a pretty place!! A population of around 2000 friendly people. Great feed at the Ceduna Foreshore Hotel Motel Bistro. Lovely beach. Only problem is that it is soo windy at this time. I understand that it is not normally this windy. Walking along the jetty is very scary. There is a railing on only one side and down at the end, there is no railing at all and I was too worried I would be blown into the ocean. Taking photos I thought my phone would blow out of my hands. The water is so clear with changing colours.

Some indigenous pavement art

Fossiking for treasure for my daughterinlaw

What a sunset!!

Port Lincoln

3 days in Port Lincoln over Christmas with my son’s inlaws. They live in Point Boston, 20 minutes out of Port Lincoln. There is nothing here but a few locals and a private beach. The beach is 20metres from their home.