McLays in Europe

Arriving at Berkhamsted station we were met by Alison's cousin John who had moved to London almost 30 years ago. We had last seen John in Melbourne when we were all packed up to shift to Alice Springs in 1985 when he was home for a visit. John and his partner Alison have a new baby Robert who is very cute.
The first day we took it easy and in the afternoon we went into the nearby town of Chesham for a look around the local area. We walked to the old church and along the historic church street.
As there was still plenty to see in London we headed of the following day with our sights set on Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. The gods were smiling and it was the sunny day we had hoped for, cold but the cold is ok, just throw another jacket on. When we reached the station we decided to catch a bus rather than the underground so we could see more of the sights. After being nabbed for 80p to save the children (or more like save the Gypsy) we boarded the bus for the Towers. There were all of the attractions we had only heard about. "Oh look Alison cried! Trafalgar Square" Snap snap. Tower bridge grew closer and before we knew it we were walking on it and enjoying the history of its construction amid controversy in the community at that time. It must have been spectacular in those days with the steam driven equipment to raise the bridge. Of course now it has all been modernised to electricity.
The Tower of London was next and quickly we joined a tour. A Beefeater guide was telling yarns 'Any Australians around here?' Surprisingly quite a few put their hands up and then he pointed to the gaol section and said 'Welcome home'. He took us around the site and explained a lot of the history and tried to scare some of the young kids with gruesome stories of beheadings. We visited the Tower where Royals and others were held until either they were freed or beheaded and saw the Crown Jewels. We also visited the chapel. He informed us that servicemen who have worked for at least 22 years in the armed forces can apply to be Beefeaters and that they have recently employed the first female. They live on site with their families and are allowed to use the chapel for things such as christenings or weddings. The jewels were spectacular and in one section you stand on a conveyer belt as it takes you past cabinets full of crowns etc.
We had an arranged meeting with a collegue friend of Alison and so took off to Liverpool station to meet in front of Starbucks. Walking around this place made Ian feel like he was on a monopoly board. However by 10 past 6 we wondered if we had it right. As it turns out Sally & Andrew were standing at another Starbucks which are everywhere. We contacted by mobile and soon met. We followed them to Brick Row, the place of Indian restaurants and Sally negotiated with a representative of one for free half pint of beer each and pappadoms. So in we went and sat down to chat over supper.
Alison and Sally had worked together in the Territory and so had much to catch up on and Ian was happy to meet someone finally who could say more than 5 words about the AFL. Sally and Andrew have been living in London for around 6 months. In fact Andrew was a sport fanatic and both he and Ian got on well. Andrew followed the Tigers but had much to say about the greatest team of all - Geelong!.
Getting back to John & Alison's place was a cold journey by train and then cab but they were up when we got there rocking their beautiful little baby son and so we sat and chatted for a while before retiring to bed.
Next day was another sleep in (well we are on holidays!) and then we went to Berkhampton for the afternoon. We visited the ruins of a castle of William the Conqueror and walked along the canels dropping in at some pubs for a meal and a drink. It was sunny but very cold with the frost staying on the grass all day in parts where the sun did not reach.
Next day we walked into Chesham and shopped for some meat and vegies so that we could cook a roast for supper. John was out tonight at Morris Dance practice - a form of traditional folk dance of England. Tomorrow we head off from England and catch plane to Madrid where we will pick up our Trafalgar Tour through Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

We left Great Yarmouth with assistance from Ken & Judy who kindly dropped us of at Norwich railway station. Stepping off at Waterloo Station before catching final leg to Surbiton found us heading into a Thai Cafe for a feed of noodles. This cold weather makes you hungry! (says Ian all the time). We were not so sure of the French Mussels which had been promised by our exchange hosts. Neither of us liked the sound of them and we had already managed to avoid snails whilst in Paris. Just as the plate of noodles arrived, the mobile rang. "We are back early from France and remember you are expected for supper." Well our fate with French Mussels was set, so off we headed to find the correct train. The London rail network was much more complex than any we had encountered to date. Geoff was at the station to meet us and taxied us to his home where we were greeted by his wife Mia. The house was a large Tudor style house with a surprisingly modern ground floor. It had recently been flooded from a broken water pipe nearby and renovations were just completed. Mia was of Italian decent and such a friendly and warm person we felt immediately at home.
After sitting down at the table, a large dish of French Mussels appeared before each of us. There were bottles of wine to help with the digestion process but nonetheless we were very hesitant. The mussels were actually quite delicious and Geoff showed how to suck out the inside and then chuck the empty shells in a large bowl placed in the middle of the table. The discussion soon moved to politics and national problems shared by both countries. Geoff and Mia had been self made people and knew the value of working hard. Geoff although now retired had managed an international scaffolding company and Mia had worked as an interpreter. They had both been members of the local council. Mia had also held a political seat some years ago and was keen to discuss politics at every chance. All of this added to a great evening. Geoff had also been a Rugby player representing his country and travelled to South Africa when there was the aparthied controversy. They have a daughter living in Sydney and therefore knew quite a bit about Australia and were very keen to exchange with us so they could visit Ayers Rock later next year.
Next day we were dropped at the nearby station and travelled to Westminster in London to see the sights. The weather was pretty awful with rain and the accompanying umbrellas spoiled our view of the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. We visited Westminster Cathedral and travelled up the lift to the viewing platform for a cold glimpse of the London skyline. We then visited Westminster Abbey where we stayed for Evensong service which was a great experience (apart from a really annoying little man who was seating everyone and calling out across the Abbey 'excuse me, you must sit together, no gaps!'). The Abbey is a magnificent structure and with a beautiful choir and organ music, it was something else. Our visit coincided with the birthday of Mary Queen of Scots who is buried in the Abbey. It was dark when we left the Abbey and we headed for the Churchill Museum, where true to our form we got kicked out at closing time. It is situated below ground in the War Cabinet Rooms where the British response to the Second World War had taken place. We then set out to find 10 Downing Street to see Mr Brown (but he didn't answer our knock!) Mind you Mr Brown is getting his share of knocks in the press at the moment. We finished our day in London with a West End Show in the Dominion Theatre, 'We Will Rock You' which was terrific. We had only bought our tickets that morning and had to sit apart but we didn't mind as it was quite cheap compared to other options. We caught the last train home and there was Mia waiting up like a worried mother. She greeted us with a hot cuppa and for Ian two warm mince pies. (Alison hates them).
Next day was Sunday and Geoff and Mia had a working bee at their allotment to build a shed. They were very keen to have their allotment to enable them to grow fresh vegies for the family. We were invited to lunch with their friends and relatives after the working bee but managed to escape the work and went to Hampton Court to see the palace that Henry V111 made famous which was within walking distance from the house. Many of the staff were in period dress and the guides acted in character. Henry was 6' 2" and apparently the envy of Europe in his younger days but as time went on he grew wider and no wonder with what he ate - apparently 75% meat diet. But you have to hand it to Henry; he befriended the Lord who originally developed Hampton Court and then gave him the choice of either giving Henry the palace or his head. He gave him the palace and then eventually his head, although the head was given reluctantly!
The Tudor kitchens were incredible and Alison enjoyed finding out about all of the food processes back then. Ian was a little bored with this, as he is more interested in eating food (he should learn from Henry what can happen if you eat too much) and as it was freezing found comfort standing next to the large roaring fire. This fire turned out to be of great interest too as it was where they cooked large spits of meat to feed the courtiers, and in such volumes Ian became ill thinking about it. Whenever Henry travelled he had 600 courtiers with him, and they all needed to be fed.
We found our way back to the house just in time for the start of lunch where we sat around a large dining table with about a dozen friends and relatives. Geoff, a rather gregarious character at times, shouted 'Mia put one Australian at each end of the table'. A beautiful lunch was served with good quality wine and the conversation drifted between British current affairs and Australian life and times. "Our prisons are too full, oh well why don't we send a few more over to Aus??" Ha Ha. "The immigrants are taking over this country!" "How far is Ayers Rock from Alice Springs?" " Who is this Rudd bloke?"
Alison was surrounded by blokes; Geoff, the Managing Director of a company that provided sleepers for the Alice to Darwin rail and an International Banker who had lived all over the world. Ian sat next to the banker's wife and Mia's sister who was a hostess with British Airlines in her younger days and used to have stopovers in Darwin before Cyclone Tracy.
4.30 came around too quickly and we had to leave. Stay another night says Geoff half filling our glasses again with wine but we finally broke away and hitched a ride with some other guests. We were off to our next stop - Chartridge in Buckinghamshire.