We are flying back today. We are at Heathrow at tad bit early because we had to drop off Max 4 hours before we take off. Poor guy is going to have to cross his legs for over 12 hours.
Luckily we have Lounge access. The lady that checked us in suggested that United lounge in Heathrow was better that the Luftsansa lounge. No — I do not think so. It is ok, and better than most, but the premium Luftanasa lounge is a bit better.
We will land in EWR mid afternoon, and then either crash in hotel near EWR or if I am awake start driving home. The hotel we have booked will allow us to cancel up until 6pm (11pm UK time). So we have flexibility.
We leave for Los Angeles and then on to Hawaii on Wednesday Oct 26th.
We left Settle, UK a couple of days early than we originally planned because we received invitations to Buckingham place to meet Prince William. Although we knew about this over a year in advance, my invitation was not guaranteed. My invitation only came about a month ahead of time. We received the invitations because of Kate’s involvement in the Kennedy trust. The Kennedy trust is an organization setup by the British people after the death of President John F Kennedy. I feel lucky just to have gotten an invite as the were very limited spots.
Invitation to Buckingham PalaceRainbow over the Carlisle Settle railway at the Settle Station on our way to leeds to get a rental car.
First about Max. Max went to the vet on Wednesday. He needed to get check up and a “fit to fly letter”. He passed with flying colors and did not need to get violated. He will need another fit to fly letter when arrive back in the States so can fly to Hawaii. While at the Vet in Settle we also picked up some “Milk Protein” capsules that are supposed to help keep him calm. It is supposed to work like a warm glass of milk. We also bought a scented spray (that is quite vile) to spray in his carrier. We tried both for our trip down to London, and boy does that spray stink. However it all seemed to work quite well he was very quiet on the trip down from London (5 hour car ride).
Getting Ready to go to Buckingham Palace.
We checked in the Novatel in Hammersmith, about 15-20 mins from the Palace. Kate got us upgraded because she told the front desk staff that we were going to the Palace to visit the Prince. The locals know that the palace is closed this time of year and it only open for invited guests. We got ready and put on our finest clothes to go meet the Prince.
Originally it was going to be the Queen and not prince William, but it seems as though the prince is taking over some of her work load. We set off to the Palace. There were strict rules about having our entry passes, and a special pass to allow the black Cab into the Palace yard. We saw a line of black cabs out front of the hotel and thought it would be easy. When we got there, they were all off duty and empty. We went to front desk to call a black cab an it was going to take 10 mins. 15 mins later the cab had not shown up but luckily we saw a random black cab driver pass by, so we took his cab and left the other one to wonder what happened to us. We were now a bit late, although if traffic cooperated we would still make it before the Prince arrived. The traffic did not cooperate. It is disheartening to see people walking faster than the cab. We eventually arrived in front of the palace, and they removed the barriers to let us on the road in front of the palace, and then to front gate. At the front gate (as far as most people can get) the Taxi driver was asked to leave the cab, and the cab was searched. They checked under the bonnet (hood), they searched the boot (trunk). They used mirrors to look under the car. We had to show ID and our special purple passes. It was quite thorough but very efficient. After we were all cleared we drove into the Palace, past the the Queen’s guards. We were dropped off at the front entrance. There were lots of “attendents” to make sure we did not wonder off. We had to leave our phones and other accessories behind. The reception was in the Picture Gallery (part of the normal summer time tour). It has some very nice art work. All of the corridors were nicely decorated. We got to see parts of the palace that the public never gets to see.
The reception was nice. The canapés and hor dourves were all unique and delicious. They also had real Champagne and it was free flowing. Sadly the prince had limited time and we did not actually get chat with him, but he walked right past us. He was getting escorted around the room. I have to say, I was quite impressed with him. I believe he will be good King. I think that he will continue to transform the Crown to be for the people of the United Kingdom. He is very humble, down to earth, and a big heart. I think he has a lot of his mom in him. He gave a nice speech on behalf of his grandma (his words not mine) and then took his leave to go home to be with Kate and the kids. His Kate, not mine. However, some reports suggest that Kate (my Kate) had one too many glasses of Champagne. This of course was not her first time having a bit too much
In the courtyard of Buckingham Palace, wit the Palace’s front doors behind us.
champagne at Buckingham Palace in the presence of royalty. She has also met the Queen. Just kidding about Kate having too much Champagne, but this was real, proper Champagne and it was quite nice and even the best of us could have easily gotten out of hand. There was no attempt at rationing it.
It was an experience of a lifetime. It was a bit overwhelming. There was a lot to take in. We are now in London at a nicely priced Air BnB place a couple of blocks from Kate’s parents. Max is doing fine, in his third new place this week. He seems to adapt quicker and quicker each time. He seems to figure it all out very quickly. We do wonder what his two brain cells (the left one and the right one) think about it all. Through it all he is the same old energetic, lovable Max, that still likes to get up at 4am regardless of where he is in the world.
The exit from the courtyard to the area in front of the palace that most people see.Kate, Max and Mike after Buckingham Palace. Maybe I am the one that had too much Champagne.
We recently headed over to Amsterdam. The city of tulips, canals, dykes, windmills, weed, and prostitutes. We took an overnight ferry from New Castle to the port city of Ijumuiden and then a bus into the heart of Amsterdam in the Canal district.
We took a 3-4 hour train ride over to Newcastle. Which is always pretty relaxing.
The Ferry ride over was quite pleasant. It was a fifteen hour journey. We had a simple cabin with an ensuite bathroom and shower on DFDS ferry. We were able to experience both of their ships. It was like a mini cruise almost. There was live entertainment. The restaurants and service were great. We had dinner and breakfast on board and a few cocktails. It was quite civilized way to travel. It was cheaper than flying and no hassle at the airport. In the future I would consider adding and overnight ferry again to a trip.
Windmills off the coast of the Netherlands.
The city was pretty amazing. The canals made the city feel less dense. We did not part take in any of the debauchery that goes on but we did walk through the red light district. The highlight was visiting the Van Gogh museum. Thankfully we got there before it got busy and the queue (line) spilled out the door. We were able to enjoy about half of the museum in relative peace and quiet.
The Waag – Part of the Original city wall and defense
On the way back into the UK, we were stopped for the second time entering the UK and they really put through the paces. Something that we are saying is raising a red flag. On the way back from Athens and now Amsterdam we were really put through the paces. We were not prepared for it. Seems like it would be a good idea to travel with all of my bank statement and copies of my entire journey. Both times the Border Force Agent took extensive notes as to what I was telling her. Although I was let in, it left us with an uneasy feeling. In the future I will be traveling with more documentation. We think it is combination of the duration of my stay, the fact that I am associated with UK national and have no legal status in the country. Seems as though it raises a red flag about whether I will leave or not. It might also have been an issue, that as we got off the boat in the Netherlands, they were not checking passports. They started just after me. There was no record of me leaving. Port security, Immigration and customs was pretty light compared to an airport.
The Church of Saint Nicholas (Front)Church of Saint Nicholas (Back)The Old ChurchCentral Station – The main train station in central AmsterdamTypical Canal Street. Notice the building are not quite straight.Fall day in Amsterdam.
We recently visited the town of Skipton, UK. It is the largest major town in the area we are staying. In other words it is the closest McDonalds to us. It is about at $25 cab ride each way or about $10 round trip on the train. There are about eight or nine trains per day and about the same number of busses in each direction. Having good public transportation is a very odd thing for having grown up in the USA. Right now we are solely relying on it. We are about 2-3 mins from the bus stop and about 4-5 mins to train station. The station is part of the pretty famous, historic Settle to Carlisle rail, with Settle, UK being where we are located.
Settle Station
And there is a bridge that connects the North and South bound platforms.
Settle Pedestrian Bridge
The Settle Carlisle Rail iwas an engineering marvel in its day including the Ribblehead viaduct locate in Ribblehead, UK.
Ribblehead Viaduct that was recently refurbished.
While in Skipton is a very cute and quaint town. We walked around the Skipton castle. The wind is pretty strong in this part of the country and on top of the viaduct it has been known to stop steam locomotives.
We explored the Leeds to Liverpool Canal system that was very important like the Erie canal was in Central New York. The canal has many old features including a manually operated “draw bridge” that is manually operated by the passengers on the canal boats.
It was quite fascinating to watch many boats pass through the through the bridges. The “narrow boats” as they are called are able to be rented (hired) by the day or by the week for a vacation (holiday).
On a separate trip to Skipton we stayed overnight there, because there was no train back to settle after we had Dinner in Leeds. We decided to walk back from Skipton to Long Preston and then catch the bus back to Settle. It was a long day, and we got to Long Preston just before it really started to pour. It was a 14 mile walk across beautiful Yorkshire countryside. We wandered through a few very small towns along the way.
We saw a line of black cabs out front of the hotel and thought it would be easy. When we got there, they were all off duty and empty. We went to front desk to call a black cab an it was going to take 10 mins. 15 mins later the cab had not shown up but luckily we saw a random black cab driver pass by, so we took his cab and left the other one to wonder what happened to us. We were now a bit late, although if traffic cooperated we would still make it 
before the Prince arrived. The traffic did not cooperate. It is disheartening to see people walking faster than the cab. We eventually arrived in front of the palace, and they removed the barriers to let us on the road in front of the palace, and then to front gate. At the front gate (as far as most people can get) the Taxi driver was asked to leave the cab, and the cab was searched. They checked under the bonnet (hood), they searched the boot (trunk). They used mirrors to look under the car. We had to show ID and our special purple passes. It was quite thorough but very efficient. After we were all cleared we drove into the Palace, past the the Queen’s guards. We were dropped off at the front
entrance. There were lots of “attendents” to make sure we did not wonder off. We had to leave our phones and other accessories behind. The reception was in the Picture Gallery (part of the normal summer time tour). It has some very nice art work. All of the corridors were nicely decorated. We got to see parts of the palace that the public never gets to see.
