We had a last swim in the hotel pool this morning before checking out. I have to confess to leaving the hotel with a slight bad taste in my mouth having been charged for the morning paper that we were offered. On the way back to Fishbourne we stopped off at Bembridge Down to stretch our legs. It turned out to be a fairly morbid trip. There was a car crash just before the turn for the down and, once there, we came across a small group dispensing ashes in to the wind.
Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
Last thoughts
Friday, March 23rd, 2007Grey day at Osborne House
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007
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Sunny break
Wednesday, March 21st, 2007
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Britannia redeem themselves
Tuesday, March 13th, 2007
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Watery end
Sunday, March 11th, 2007Having not got much exercise last week I attempted to sneak out for a run this morning. I set off south from Kidlington down the canal towards Oxford. At Dukes Lock I noted the branch off to the right for the Thames and concluded that I might be able to make a loop. I therefore continued along the canal to Port Meadow and then turned right through Wolvercote. I then turned north again up the Isis (Thames). Unfortunately, unlike canals, rivers have a nasty habit of branching and it wasn’t long before I found myself paddling across some flooded field not entirely sure where I was going. Eventually I ended up at the ring road but mistakenly turned right again, ending up back at Wolvercote. Looking at the map this evening I realise that the footpath that I had seen turn off never crosses the river and therefore my cunning route was always doomed to failure. Still, my 45 minute run ended up being twice that!
Blenheim Palace
Sunday, March 11th, 2007Rain stops tourism
Friday, March 9th, 2007I’ve spent the past four days in Turku, Finland, on work. Unfortunately there are no direct flights which meant changing in Helsinki and 7 hours travel time door-to-door on the way out and nearly 10 on the way back. I arrived mid-afternoon on Monday to blue skies and a snow covered landscape. Sadly, by the time I came to think about exploring the city the following evening, the skies had turned grey and the snow was rapidly disappearing from the streets under continual rain. The combination of cold and rain was enough to confine me to my hotel room.
Things didn’t improve a great deal on Wednesday either. Only when it was time to leave on Thursday did the sun deign to show its face again. It was by then too late to visit the cathedral and renowned castle. Nor, despite being closer than our last Finnish trip to Salo, did I make it to Moominworld!
Narrow escape
Friday, February 9th, 2007I was meant to spend the second half of this week up in the Midlands on work. Fortunately, on two grounds, I was only up there for Wednesday morning. Firstly, it meant I was safely back home before the snow arrived. Although the couple of centimetres we had here were gone by Thursday lunchtime it sounds like things were a lot more different further North. Secondly, it meant only having to stay one night in the Britannia Hotel Coventry. The hotel itself is pretty decrepit and the blurb seems to major on its proximity to the cathedral, conveniently not mentioning that the other end of the building is perched on top of the bus station with the road passing underneath. One to avoid in future!
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