We started our visit to London with the hop on hop off tour and today we ended with the Ducktour trip. We travelled in an amphibious vehicle (used in the D-Day Landings in 1944) around central London and then entered the River Thames by MI6. We had a very entertaining guide who pretty much talked non stop for the whole 75minutes of the tour! Most of what he was saying matched up with what we heard on the earlier tour but I'm sure that there is plenty of fabrication mixed in too!
As we were right by Waterloo, we took the opportunity to go to the Sealife Aquarium (London Aquarium). It really is fantastic. We saw loads of fish, sharks and rays. Plus exotic species from around the world. The penguins were really popular with the kids. The kids got to feed the rays, which involved touching stinky fish and prawns and stuff.
After today we have just 3 days left in England. We are going to spend the weekend with Katrina and Mike in Chipstead (outer London) and then on Monday we are going to pop down to visit Louise in Haywards Heath (about an hour out of London). It will be Tuesday before we know it and we'll be beginning our journey home. We leave here on Tuesday and head straight home but because of the date line we don't get home till Thursday the 16th. We'll then have Friday, Saturday and Sunday to get over our jet lag and I'm back at work on Monday the 20th. Finn's school has decided to add in a teacher only day on the 20th so he'll have to wait to the 21st to catch up with his class.
Last night I got to chat to my class. It was fantastic to hear their happy voices. You're the best Room 3! Have a great time at our school Olympics. I'll see you in a weeks time and I can't wait to hear all your stories.
Oh - we nearly forgot to tell you about something very special that we got to do yesterday. We got to hold the Olympic torch that went all through Great Britain before lighting the caldron at the Olympic Stadium. We got some photos. I'm just waiting for them to be released online and then I'll post them on our blog.
We have had the most amazing holiday but we are ready to come home too. There is still heaps for us to do in London but we'll save it for our next trip. It's fabulous to go away and great to go home. See you soon :-)
We will endeavor to add another post or two before we head home.
Love to you all,
Deborah and Finn
You both must be having a mixture of feelings with your adventure quickly coming to an end . There is still lots of friends and activities to see and do. Will be nice to be home though.
ReplyDeleteThe aquarium sounds interesting - how do they manage the exotic fish? Finn did you fed the rays?
Wow to have held the Olympic torch and know that so many people have run, walked with it through many nations on its way to the UK. Your hand prints will go forth to the next games. That is if nobody cleans the torch.
The ducktour vehicles sound the same as Rotorua has. They even gave us duck whistles to use.
Keep enjoying the magic of the moment.
Loads of love Mum
Hi Deb & Finn,
ReplyDeleteWe watched the women's cross-country mountain biking race last night (Saturday night, down-under time), live. Its at a farm venue outside of London somewhere. It was quite a tough course for a cross-country race. I doubt that I would be able to ride all parts of it, even going slow. I would be taking the longer chicken-chute options in quite a few sections.
The NZ woman in it placed about the centre of the field. They had a nice sunny day for it.
We have had heavy rain over night, and still going. Was to be an MTB Club social ride on the Waikato River Trails today (Maraetai - Waipapa - Mangakino), but that had to be called off on account of the heavy rain.
We hope all goes well for your remaining few days in the UK.
Love to you both,
Len & Judy
Hi Deb & Finn,
ReplyDeleteWee Zara Phillips, along with mum and dad Yvonne and Malcolm, are world famous in NZ!
There is a nice family photo and article about them on page 2 of the "Herald on Sunday" newspaper today (Sunday 12 August).
How about that.
Love to you both,
Len & Judy
Hi Deb & Finn,
ReplyDeleteMust be such a strange feeling, the last few weeks of holiday must have felt like they have disappeared so quickly. The home coming is looming so close. It'll be great to have you back on this side of the hemisphere :-) can't wait till things have settled down a bit so we can come and visit and hear all about your holiday and see all the pictures... Hopefully by the time I get there you won't be over talking about it!
Enjoy your last couple of days. Hope your trip home is uneventful, and goes smoothly.
Lots of love xoxo