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Ivan and I had breakfast at the Gladwyn. It was a nice big breakfast. The two guys who ran the place were really nice. We walked down to the Eastbourne Pier.
It’s a small pier. The weather was overcast and windy. Ivan looked up my flight and it was delayed for 25 minutes. We took a train to Heathrow airport. I didn’t want to leave. I had the best time in England and Scotland with Ivan. I went to check my bag in. I had a flight with Air New Zealand to Los Angeles. I would then board a plane on United at 11:15 pm to Las Vegas. The lady at the counter said at 5:15 pm. The plane would start boarding at 4 pm. My stomach kept boiling. I was having stomach problems. I kept checking the screen to see if the gate would show up. I’m glad that I had my iPod and a book to read to pass the time. Then, it said at 5:30 pm that it would board at 6:30 pm. There was an announcement at 6 pm about where the gate would be for my flight. I have three and half hours in Los Angeles until my next flight to Vegas. I thought it would be enough time even though we were running late. Finally, everybody boarded the plane. I think I got on about 7 pm. We were waiting on the plane forever. Thank goodness we were allowed to watch the movies and tv shows. We finally left at 8:30 pm. There was problems with the plane that engineering had to fix before we took off. There was a lot of people going to a connecting flight to New Zealand. So, a lot of people on the plane had questions. I didn’t think I’d make it in time for my other flight. I talked to one of the flight attendants. He told me that there were a lot of people traveling to Las Vegas so I wouldn’t be alone. I told him my flight was booked separately from my flight to Los Angeles. He said that there would be represenatives in Los Angeles who could help me get another flight. The flight was 10 hours and 15 minutes long. I saw Be Kind Rewind. It was alright, not as funny as I thought it would be. I also saw The Golden Compass. This movie was an original movie. I liked it, but I have to wait to see what happens in the sequel. I slept like 4 hours on the plane. I watched Run Fat Boy Run. This movie was very funny. I enjoyed it a lot. We arrived in Los Angeles at 11 pm. Everybody on the plane had to go through Customs. So, I missed my flight already. I got my luggage and then was trying to find somebody from Air New Zealand to help me out. I asked the lady if I could get a flight to Vegas tonight. But, unfortunately there were no more flights for tonight. She said I could fly out at 9 am on Monday, July 7th. I was annoyed by this. I just wanted to go home and sleep in my bed. The airline did pay for my new flight and my hotel room for the night. I was staying at the Hilton LAX. I also got a free breakfast buffet. I got the dinner buffet too but I didn’t use it. The hotel was really nice. It was a big king sized bed on the 3rd floor. The bed was so soft. There was a door that led right to the pool area. I slept for a few hours. I got up around 6:45 am. I had a good breakfast at the buffet. I put my stuff through the x-ray machine and walked through. Then, they said I needed to step to the side. Great, I was randomly picked. Yah, I look like I have a bomb in my cell phone. How annoying. The guy took samples wiping a fabric onto the inside of my bags. Then, a lady patted me down. I went to go sit at the gate. My flight was on time. Thank goodness. The plane actually got there earlier than planned. My mom picked me up from the airport. It was good to find getting back to Vegas. It was so hot though. Ugh. I miss London weather already. I was so tired. I went to get my first TwinRex (Hepatitis A & B) shot at Immuvax.
On July 4th, Ivan and I went to eat lunch at Pret a Manger. It’s a sandwich place that makes wraps, salads and sandwiches. It’s really good food. I wish they had stores in Las Vegas. They have a great variety of delicious sandwiches at good prices. I had a tasty Italian baguette.
We went to the London Dungeons. There was Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper. The place has actors who tell you things or show you around. There’s a mirrored maze that we couldn’t find our way out of. Thank goodness one of the guides found everybody.
There’s also a boat ride and a free fall drop ride. I liked the Jack the Ripper part.
There was displays of the murders. Ivan and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t get scared though. The London Dungeons has a great gift shop.
Next, we walked to Vinopolis. Ivan purchased The Spirit of Vinopolis package. It included a Wine Tasting class, the Vinopolis tour, 5 wine tastings, 1 premium wine tasting, 2 whisky tastings, 2 absinthe tastings, 2 beer tastings, 1 Bombay Sapphire tasting and a Vinopolis Tasting Notebook. There was so many different wines from around the world to choose from. There were Carter’s crackers availabe to eat too. We went to the Brew Wharf to have the two beers. We also had a Selbach-Oster Reisling Kabinett 2002. It was really sweet wine. We were so pissed (drunk) at this point. It was so much alcohol. It was a fun place. I liked trying the different wines. We walked to the Borough Market. This market has a great selection of fresh foods and wine available to buy. We tried some bread and cheese samples here. Afterwards, we went to the Wine Wharf to have a drink. We went to the upstairs area and came upon a private party. We got a glass of champagne. Ivan felt weird, like people were staring at him. He felt like we didn’t belong there. We went downstairs to finish the drink.
We had dinner at wagamama. We shared the Ebi Gyoza (vegetable dumplings) and chicken skewers for our appetizers.
Ivan had the Yaki Udon for his main course.
I got the Yakisoba. It was really good, but a little salty. Ivan and I were walking around. I couldn’t even see straight. I guess it was all that alcohol and then the meal. We went to the park and lied down. We fell asleep for a little while. We were planning to do the Jack the Ripper tour. But, we were too tired to do the tour.
We walked over Tower Bridge. Then we walked down the River Thames. It’s such a great view. I got to see the London Eye and Big Ben at night.
Beautiful! I forgot it was 4th of July on this day. It’s a big holiday in the US. I had a great 4th of July in London.
I still needed to do more souvenir shopping on July 5th.
We headed to Carnaby Street.
We had lunch at Leon. The sign looks like an advertisement for the circus. Ivan got the Magic Mackerel and Hummus again.
I had the Free Range Grilled Chicken with Aioli Sauce. I also got a side order of Moroccan Meatballs. My chicken dish was really good. The meatballs were decent.
We were going to Eastbourne to see Lee Evans in the evening. We took the train to Brighton. It’s a nice seaside town. It was such a gorgeous day.
Ivan and I went to the Brighton Pier. The pier has an arcade and a funfair with rides. We rode a Haunted House ride. Ivan went on the Waltzer. See if you can find him in the video below!
Ivan on the Waltzer
It’s a really nice pier, although not as long as the Southend Pier. We took a train to Eastbourne.
We checked into the Bed n’ Breakfast, the Gladwyn. Our room was called Beijing.
It had great Chinese and Japanese decorations. It was so pretty. The whole place had beautiful artwork. It was such a lovely place. We had dinner at a cafe. We then walked to the Congress Theatre. We were going to see Lee Evans. He’s a hilarious comedian. This was my first time seeing him. The theatre was really hot. Lee is so funny. He was on stage for almost three hours with an intermission. It was a great show. I laughed so much.
Next up… my last day in England and the craziness of getting back to Vegas!
On the morning of June 29th Neal made a great big breakfast for Ivan and me. The meal consisted of scrambled eggs, vegetarian sausages, mushrooms, bread, cheddar cheese, tea and strawberry smoothies. It was the best home made breakfast I’ve had in years. Wow, it was really delicious!! It was such a sweet thing for him to wake up early and make everything for us.
We drove towards the pier and walked around Southend. There’s actually some places with Las Vegas names like the Circus Circus.
The places have games and arcade games right near the pier.
We went inside one place and played a game. It’s like bingo.. but you have to cover the numbers with a little black plastic thing that’s attached to all the numbers.
Numbers Game
I actually won once. It must have been beginner’s luck. There’s a free theme park right by the pier. It has cool rides and roller coasters. We didn’t ride anything.
I think Ivan really wanted to ride the big yellow roller coaster. Then we walked to the Southend Pier with Ivan’s parents. This pier is the longest in the world.
It’s 1.34 miles according to Wikipedia. Yes, we did walk down most of the pier and then took the train back to the beginning.
I am taller than Ivan for once!
It was a little cold and windy on the pier.
Denise & Ken
It was definitely good exercise! It was quite a walk.
My feet were hurting afterwards.
We went to the Cliffs Pavilion to have tea and a scone. It’s nice to have a cup of tea to just relax and talk.
I really enjoyed my time in Southend. It’s a nice place. There’s things to do that are different from London. Ivan’s family were all so welcoming and friendly. I see where Ivan gets his kindness from. Ivan’s mum Denise is so sweet. She’s just like any cool mom. She’s always willing to help you out. She told me if I needed anything I shouldn’t be shy and just ask. Ivan’s dad Ken is full of knowledge. He’s a little quiet but a nice guy. Neal, Ivan’s brother, is a funny and cool guy. He’s also a good cook. I wish we spent more time with Ivan’s family in Southend.
Ivan’s parents drove us to the train station. We took the train back to London. The ride is about an hour long. We dropped off our luggage at Ivan’s flat. We went down to the River Thames to walk around. It’s a great walk since there’s so much great things to see.
Tower of London
We walked past Tower of London and I took some pictures. We walked down Tower Bridge.
It’s a beautiful bridge.
We also walked past the HMS Belfast. It’s a big floating Naval museum. We walked a lot and got to see the Tower Bridge at night time.
What a great view! It’s really weird since it doesn’t get dark until like 10 pm in London. But, Ivan said in the winter it can get dark really early like 3 pm. It was a good day with a lot of beautiful sights.
That’s it for now! I’ll have another post up as soon as I can. It’s been a lot of editing of pictures. Also, I must head to the library to get internet access. I’ll have some Scotland pictures next time!
Ivan and I headed to get fish and chips at The Rock & Sole Plaice on June 25th. It’s London’s oldest fish & chips shop. Ivan got cod while I got the haddock. My dish was really good. The fish was delicious and not greasy. The fries were crunchy. Ivan liked my haddock better. He said it tasted sweeter than the cod.
We headed to Forbidden Planet. It’s a huge store with memorabilia, and tons of manga, comics, movies and anime. I could have bought so much here. The price of the mangas were about the same as in the U.S.
We headed to St. James Park and Green Park.
The parks are great areas to relax in. Ivan bought some bread at the store.
We fed the birds and ducks at the park. We also saw squirrels. They didn’t like bread only nuts.
That night, we headed to Hackney to see Madness at the Hackney Empire. Ivan said they’re the quintessential London band. The theatre was quite old. Ivan bought a Fez outside the theatre.
There were some guys and girls dressed up in old time London clothes. We were standing downstairs near the stage. The first half of the show was their new album. I didn’t find it as good as their older music. Everybody came to hear the classic stuff. I was waiting to hear Our House.
The band was good. The audience got really excited when the older stuff was being played. The people started dancing and pushing. It was a good show. I only knew some of their music.
Ivan saw on TripAdvisor about the Fat Tire Bike Tour. We went to take the tour on Thursday, June 26th.
We first biked down Kensington Road.
We stopped at many places like Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, Green Park and St. James Park. Our tour guide David was an American. He looked similiar to David from Real World: Seattle. He was very friendly and seemed to love his job. He told us history about the different sights we saw.
We stopped at a pub for lunch. I wanted to get the Bangers & Mash (in Violet’s honor hehe)… but they didn’t have it on the menu.
I had the Beef & Ale Pie. It came with mashed potatoes and vegetables. My pie was really tasty. The mashed potatoes didn’t have much flavor, but it tasted decent. Ivan had the Fish Pie. He ordered fries.
Ivan and I each had a organic cherry beer. It was cold and tasted sweet. It was a great tour.
I liked seeing the different locations and I got exercise too. It made me tired.
For dinner, we ate at Leon. I had the Moroccan Chicken Tangine. It came with chicken mixed with vegetables and rice. It also had some coleslaw. My dish was rather plain. We shared some hummus with bread. Ivan had the Magic Mackerel with Cous Cous. I was still hungry so I got a dessert. I ordered the Nectarine, Orange Blossom and Almond Pie. It was a nice and sweet pie. I’ve never had a dessert like that before.
We went to go watch Billy Elliott in the evening. It’s a story about a boy who is talented in ballet. It also shows the Miner’s strike that happens in County Durham. It’s a great musical. It’s funny and very entertaining.
We were going to catch a boat ride on the Thames Clipper but it was raining.
Sorry for the short update. It’s been hard to find time to actually edit pictures and put everything up online. I will be placing all pics on Flickr.. when I’m done editing them back in America. The next update will be about my trip to Southend with Ivan’s family.
I was thinking of sleeping early on the night of June 20th. Then I’d be really tired on the plane. But, I ended up getting like 6 hours sleep. I know I needed it since I haven’t been sleeping much lately. I woke up on Friday, June 21st. I went to get some last minute errands done. I had to buy my contacts. Then, I returned my library books. I came home and showered. I was ready to go after that. My mom and Dad drove me to the airport. I checked in my two bags at the airport. I got an aisle seat. I forgot that I could check-in online beforehand. I went to the gate area upstairs. I had a small pepperoni pizza at Pizza Hut. I didn’t have much food all day so I was hungry. It was taking forever to board the plane. They kept calling names to the counters. They actually called my name. I proceeded to the counter to see what was going on. The guy said how many bags did you check in. I told him two bags. Then the woman next to him said yes. Finally, we boarded the plane later on. The plane was a big 747. There was actually seats upstairs as well. Virgin Atlantic is a nice airline. We had some pretzels and a drink for a snack. Then a little while later we had dinner. I had chicken and rice. It came with a roll, cracker and cheese. I also had a red wine. The food was good. The airline gave us little bags filled with a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, a pen and a sleeping mask. There was a good selection of things to watch like movies and comedy channels. I was thinking of sleeping. I couldn’t get comfortable for some reason though. My butt seemed to hurt. I even played my Ocean Surf on my iPod. It usually is very relaxing and helps me sleep. I only rested for a few hours. But, I don’t think I got any proper sleep. I was too excited to get to England. We were close to landing. The captain got on the intercom to talk about the weather. He said that it was depressing weather. It was rainy. I laughed at this in the bathroom.
Finally, we landed in London at 10:05 am on June 21st. It was a delay of about 15 minutes. I went through Immigration. It went relatively quick considering there was a long line. The guard asked me who I was visiting. I told him my friend. He asked if my friend was from England. I said yes. He then asked if we met here or in the US. I told him the US. He asked how long I had known my friend. I told him a year. So, off I went to get my luggage. The display screens weren’t showing any information. So, I waited to see if my luggage was going to arrive. I was there for a few minutes. Finally, I went to find an information desk. I asked where the flight 44’s baggage was. She said it was on 7 but the luggage is now on the floor. I got my luggage and left. There was nobody in the Customs area so I exited. I was so tired at this point. There were many people waiting for people. I hoped that I would be able to find Ivan. I saw him. We were going to ride the train and then switch to another train. It seemed like a lot of walking. I think my tiredness just made it worse. We were staying at the Marriott Hotel in the West India Quay which is in the Docklands. It’s a great area. We had a view of the water.
It was a great hotel. It’s very pretty inside.
Ok, I think England is backwards. The escalators have people going up on the right and people going down on the left. Of course, they drive on the wrong side of the road and the driver’s seat is on the right side. I noticed that the bathroom light is outside of the bathroom. On the keyboard, the @ and ” have switched places on an English keyboard. The toilet seats don’t usually have a handle. There’s a button to press instead. I’m sure there’s other things as well.
We took it easy that Saturday. I slept around 5 hours that afternoon. That night, we went to a pub close by called The Cat and Canary. Ivan wanted to watch the football (soccer) match. It’s the Euro 2008. The match was Holland vs. Russia. It turned out to be a draw, so it went into overtime. I had half a pint of Fruli, which is a great fruity Strawberry beer.
Next, we walked to La Tasca. It’s a Spanish tapas restaurant. We had ordered a bunch of little dishes. We had potatoes with spicy tomato sauce, Spniash Manchego cheese, shrimp cooked in olive oil and garlic, white fish in a batter with a roasted garlic mayonnaise, arroz with broccoli and chicken skewers. It was really good!
Ivan and I went to Leicester Square since the West End Live event was on on June 22nd. We only caught the end of Jersey Boys. We did see the cast of Mama Mia. But, sadly they were lip syncing. It was filled with people. We then walked to Trafalgar Square. There was an Indian festival going on. The chariots were coming in as we got there. The square is really big.. it was packed with people. There were some Hare Krishna’s there. They were singing and dancing in a circle. Then, we walked to Covent Garden. We saw a street magician perform. They also have jugglers. It’s a nice area to walk around since they have lots of shops. Then, we went to an internet cafe. It’s cheap like $2 for an hour. We went to a backpack store. There’s so many outdoors stores in London. I’ve been looking for a great big backpack for our world trip. Las Vegas doesn’t have a good selection of backpacks. So, it was great to look at some backpacks in London. I tried out the North Face W Terra 40. I was thinking about the W Terra 40 or the Solaris. The W Terra is a nice size and is big enough to fit a lot of stuff. It’s more expensive in London. So, I’m definitely going to buy it online.
We went to a pub called Two Brewers where I had a half pint of Kronenberg.
That night, we ate at Busaba Eathai. We had some fish cakes. I really enjoyed the yellow curry. The red curry was a little too spicy. We went to The Comedy Store. It was some great comedians there. I really enjoyed it. It’s improv and similar to Who’s Line is it Anyway?
On June 23rd, we were going to take the Thames Clipper boat. For breakfast I had a ham, roast chicken, onion and olive oil pasta salad. It was good. I also had a Breakfast2Go smoothie from Kruger. Ivan suggested this smoothie. Although, it wasn’t as tasty as Ivan’s Famous Smoothies. The boat was pretty fast. It had great scenery all around. We saw Tower Bridge.
We went to St. Paul’s Cathedral.
It’s simply beautiful inside. Unfortunately, there was no picture taking in the cathedral. We walked across the Millennium Bridge. It’s a long bridge. We were headed to the Tate Modern. It’s a modern museum. Public museums in London are free.
They had a great exhibit called Street Art. The artwork inside was good. I saw a Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock. We walked back across the Millennium bridge. I was still jet lagged. I was just super tired. We went to go move into Ivan’s flat. It took forever for his roommates to read and sign the paperwork. It was a nice view from the agent’s office. I love looking at water. It’s relaxing and quiet in Ivan’s new neighborhood.
We were going to see a musical with Ivan’s family on June 24th. I was really nervous about meeting his family. I just don’t know what they’ll think of me. Will they like me? Ivan’s mum Denise and his brother Neal arrived at his flat. We then met his Dad and took the train. We went into London. His mum and dad were going shopping. Ivan, Neal and I walked to the Punch & Judy bar. We sat outside and had a drink. I don’t know what we had.. but the beer was really strong. Then, Neal got us more beer. I seemed to like the taste of the second beer better. Originally, we were going to all eat at a Greek restaurant. Ivan’s parents finished early with shopping and got to the restaurant early. We ended up eating at an Indian restaurant called Masala Zone.
They had these dolls hanging from the ceiling. It was really kewl. There was a special going on.
I had a chicken thali. It was delicious. We walked to the theater to meet Ivan’s parents. We were going to see We Will Rock You. It’s a musical with Queen songs. Oh my goodness.. it was just simply amazing! We were seated in the fourth row.
So, it was a great view and the sound was so loud. I loved it! It was a good night. I liked meeting Ivan’s family. They’re great people. His mom is really cute. She’s short like me.. a little taller though. His dad is nice. Ivan and Neal get their height from their dad, who’s 6 foot 2. Neal was very funny. I get to see them more this weekend. We’re going to Southend-on-Sea to stay at their house.
The weather’s actually been nice. It gets a little cold. But, I always have my jacket with me. It hasn’t really rained. I love the buildings.. they’re so old. London is a great city. We have been taking the tube a lot. I’m glad Ivan’s my host around the city. I’d get so lost without him. He knows London so well too.
