Tim's Travel Journal

Sunday, April 6 – transit from Victoria Falls to Kasane, Botswana

The group is hitting the road this morning. Destination: Botswana. We’re not departing super early though, so first…

…a nice (English) breakfast at the hotel.

Following our arrival in Kasane later today, we’ll be going on a sunset river cruise. There will be no food or drink provided, so we’re going to stop and pick up those things while we’re in transit. Fortunately our tour leader, Shadwell (Shaddie), was aware of the fact that the liquor stores in Botswana are closed on Sundays. Can you say Victoria Falls booze run?!?

Our ride to the border took about 90 minutes, and there was basically no waiting to get through immigration control (Sunday factor?). Citizens of the U.S. are able to enter Botswana without a visa. Sadly, foot and mouth disease is endemic here, so each of us also went through a shoe cleaning process (and at subsequent check points throughout our travels in the country). The tire treads on our bus were also cleaned.

(Photography was not allowed at the border control station)

A half hour later we were in the town of Kasane. Here we stopped at a little shopping center to pick up snacks for tonight’s cruise. Shaddie also suggested that we each buy a 5 liter bottle of drinking water, which would last us throughout the trip. This was also where we obtained some local currency, most of us via an ATM, but there was also a money exchange office in the shopping center. (I was able to use my credit card at the grocery store)

1 USD = 14 BWP (Botswana Pula)

Travel Note: While I’m thinking of it, kudos to both my credit card and debit/ATM card companies (Fidelity and Schwab, respectively). I had no issue using either of these cards at any stop on this south African journey. I provided each company with a detailed travel itinerary though; no doubt that was a factor in the success. I did have to make phone calls to clear a couple fraud alerts on my credit card, but that occurred when I was attempting to make online purchases (plane tickets and Namibian visa).

Our lodging for the night.

A nice little hotel.

Travel Note: You may have noticed the mosquito netting in my hotel rooms on this trip. Malaria is a concern in this part of the world, especially as we’re just coming out of the rainy season. I’ve taken anti-malaria pills in the past, but have not liked the side effects (nausea, fatigue). Therefore, on this trip I’ve just been vigilant in using insect repellent and clothing to prevent bites. And (spoiler alert) I’m happy to report that I was only bitten twice during the two week journey (ankle and knuckle)!

Our cruise this evening is on the Chobe River. Its origin is in Angola, where it is called the Cuando River. It then flows through Namibia’s Caprivi Strip and into the Linyanti Swamp on the northern border of Botswana. Below the swamp, the river is called the Linyanti, and further east, the Chobe, before it ultimately flows into the Zambezi River (the location of my hotel in Zambia, which feeds Victoria Falls).

We had a lot of space on our boat, which was nice.

A few elephants in the area…

You’ll notice that we weren’t the only boat on this part of the river.

Matt was my gin & tonic drinking buddy (throughout the trip!)! He’s a patent lawyer from east London. Nice guy.

Due to the sensitivity of their skin to the sun, hippos will stay in the water all day. Coming out only at night to feed.

Five more hippos lurking about.

Sidenote: Hippos are known to kill more humans than any other land animal in Africa, including in Botswana. Estimates suggest they cause around 500 human deaths annually. This is due to their territoriality and aggressive behavior, especially when protecting their young or when they feel threatened. They are known to charge boats and cause them to capsize, leading to drownings. Wait, what?!? (Fortunately. I think our boat is a little too large for that to happen…)

I typically don’t have much of anything worthwhile to say; Francisco (also from London) must be feigning interest to make me feel better!

This is a Puku, which can only be found here along the Chobe River near Kasane. They are one of Botswana’s protected animals.

A local guide joined us on the cruise.

Beautiful.

Here’s a photo of our boat.

Wait, how did I get this picture? Am I standing in the river (with the hippos!)? Hardly! I took this from another boat. And why am I on another boat? Because ours has run aground! Ugh!

We spent about a half an hour trying to maneuver out, but to no avail. Then another boat made its way over to try and tow us out. No go. All of our group eventually transferred over to this other boat (exact same type as the one we were just on, from the same tour company).

Our new craft had quite a few passengers already onboard; made for tight quarters on the remainder of the cruise. I felt bad for this other group, as they wasted time trying to tow us out, and then we invaded their space. It all worked out though, and we ended up sharing our alcohol and snacks with them!

Hippos lit by the setting sun.

Buffalo ahead…

Pretty late afternoon glow.

A photo of our group (and the boat operator, the one who didn’t run aground!) with the sunset as a backdrop.

Very enjoyable, despite hitting the sandbar!

Following the cruise, our group reconvened at the hotel for dinner.

I went with bream fillet (again), with a bottle of cider, and…

…ice cream (with sprinkles)! Cost of dinner: 215 BWP ($15). This was good, but the bream fillet at my Zambian hotel was better!

A fun day; this is a good group of people! (whew!)

It wasn’t a late night, as we’ll be departing at 5:45am tomorrow for a Safari in Chobe National Park. Can’t wait!

Thursday, April 3 – transit from Livingstone to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

I’m heading to Zimbabwe this morning. My route will be as follows:

• Taxi to the Zambia Border Station (very close to the entrance to the Zambian Victoria Falls, 150 ZMW)
• Walk across the Victoria Falls Bridge to the Zimbabwe Border Station
• Continue the walk to my hotel

The Zambian Border Control Station. There was no wait here; just a quick interaction with the immigration officer. Not too difficult to leave a country (well, usually!)!

Trucks lined up, waiting to cross into Zimbabwe.

The bungee jumping location on the bridge.

View of the falls from the bridge (Boiling Pot to the right).

Close up of Boiling Pot.

Welcome to Zimbabwe!

The Zimbabwe Border Control Station. It was about a 30 minute walk between the two border posts. I could have taken a taxi, but you know, that cheapness thing! Plus, it probably wouldn’t have been much quicker, as traffic on the bridge was pretty ugly.

There was a little bit of a line to enter the station, but it was mainly populated by locals. I was the only one in the queue who needed to acquire a visa. That went pretty quickly though; took 15 minutes and cost $30 for a single entry visa. And I had a nice conversation with the immigration officer as my visa was being processed!

And continuing my anti-taxi attitude, I decided to walk to my hotel. That took about an hour, which included a few rest stops (and navigation checks) along the way (I was carrying my luggage, after all!).

The high temperatures in this region were consistently in the upper 80s. I worked up a little bit of a sweat during the walk!

The Drift Inn is located in a quiet area outside of the Victoria Falls city center, which I liked. It abuts the Victoria Falls National Park; but unlike my stay in Zambia, it was alright to walk outside of the compound. Well, during daylight hours only!

Kind of cool that I was assigned the Botswana room, since that will be the next stop on my trip!

$105/night (including breakfast)

The hotel and the grounds are lovely.

I hit the pool soon after check-in! (That’s a bar and lounge area in the background)

Travel Note: The US dollar is the preferred currency in Victoria Falls, which is convenient. And credit cards are readily accepted. Even better!

Friday, April 4 – Victoria Falls

I have a singular focus today: Victoria Falls. But first…

…a hearty English breakfast. Very good!

A couple from Switzerland sat with me at breakfast. They’re on a 5 month driving trip through southern Africa. Wow! She’s on a 6 month furlough from her job with the International Olympic Committee, and he’ll be looking for a new job when they get back. Very adventurous!

On my way to the falls…

Understood!

It was a 40 minute walk to the falls. The entrance fee is $50 (compared to $19 on the Zambian side!).

There are 16 different viewpoints of the falls within the park. Let’s get to it!

A rather overcast (and misty!) day. Not very picturesque unfortunately, but at least the cloud cover makes it a little cooler!

It hasn’t been raining. That’s spray/mist from the falls!

This is interesting…

…I like the jury-rigged support!

Are those blue skies I see in the distance?

Dr. Livingstone, I presume? (he’s everywhere!)

More blue skies. I’m hopeful!

I did not spend much time at this viewpoint. I was getting soaked very quickly!

Like on the Zambian side, I didn’t venture far on the paths here that were basically getting rained upon. Not my idea of fun! Loser! I know…

Clearing up. Worth the wait!

Wow!

Rainbows everywhere. I love it!

My favorite photo from the time in the park.

(In fact, tomorrow I’ll be joining a tour group as I venture into Botswana. When I showed the photo above to the group, one of them pulled out a postcard with the exact same picture. Nice!)

I ended up spending over 4 hours in the park. And I’m obviously happy that I did! This is a perfect example of why I do not like to be on a schedule; I was able to wait out the overcast sky conditions.

So, which side of the falls did I prefer, Zambia or Zimbabwe? Probably kind of obvious that it was Zimbabwe. But I’m happy that I did both. The hike to Boiling Pot was fun. And it’s so easy to navigate between the two countries that it seems like it would be a waste to travel all this way and not see both sides.

Travel Note: I became aware of The Seven Natural Wonders of the World upon my visit to the park today. Are you familiar with the list? Here it is…

• Aurora Borealis, aka The Northern Lights
• Grand Canyon, United States (been there)
• Great Barrier Reef, Oceania (been there, with Holly!)
• Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Mount Everest, Nepal and Tibet (been there, kind of, via a flyover)
• Parícutin, Mexico
• Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe (been there, both sides)

So, four out of seven; guess I have some work to do!

Saturday, April 5 – Victoria Falls

I’m switching hotels today because I’m joining a tour group this evening that will take me into Botswana tomorrow.

Shearwater Explorers Village is a large complex located close to the Victoria Falls entrance. Some might think the proximity to the falls is a good thing, but I didn’t. That’s due to the fact that sightseeing helicopters were constantly flying overhead. The noise was a little annoying!

I much preferred the solitude and intimacy of the Drift Inn. Oh well, it’s only one night!

Entrance to the resort.

My bungalow.

The room was included in the cost of the tour. (I paid extra for the single supplement)

Dining/Bar area.

Our group was getting together this evening for an orientation and dinner. So I spent the rest of the afternoon roaming around the town of Victoria Falls.

A sculpture garden located near the entrance to the falls.

I was going to grab a drink at The Lookout Cafe, known for it’s view of the Batoka Gorge (downstream of the falls and bridge); but all of the seats with the view were occupied. Oh well…

A view of the gorge from the cafe.

I thought I had brought all of the plug adapters I needed with me, but no! This oddball is the configuration used in this part of southern Africa. Fortunately these first hotels I’ve stayed at had plugs that allowed for varying types of configurations (including U.S.). I’m not confident that that will be the case in Botswana though, so I picked this up at an electronics store for $3.

The only issue was that it’s an adapter for a U.K. plug. Doh! No problem; I’ll just plug my U.K.-to-U.S. adapter into this!

As you have probably surmised, there wasn’t very much to see in the town of Victoria Falls.

The tour I booked is through G Adventures, and covers 8 days, 6 of those in Botswana. But in reality, it’s basically a 6 day tour, because day 1 is just a meetup in Victoria Falls (today), and day 8 is the departure from Windhoek, Namibia. And if you want to break it down even further, there are only 5 days of activities – day 7 consists of an 8 hour road trip from Botswana into Namibia.

Our group consisted of 11 people – one couple and 9 solo travelers. That ratio surprised me! It’s a wide age range too – the lone couple is a little older than me, but the solos are mostly in their 30s and 40s (one is in his 50s). There were 5 solo women and 4 solo men. The breakdown by country is:

• Canada – 3
• United Kingdom – 3
• United States – 2 (both of us from Wisconsin. Crazy!)
• Germany – 1
• South Africa – 1 (currently living in Seattle)
• Switzerland – 1

Our group leader/guide and driver were both locals, from Zimbabwe and Namibia, respectively.

After our orientation meeting at the hotel, we all went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The place chosen was very touristy, with all of the diners that I could see being westerners. Seriously! Not off to a good start. I’ll keep you posted!

Travel Note: I typically avoid going on group tours, preferring to set my own itinerary and schedule. There are certain instances though when it seems like the best option (like here in southern Africa). Below is a list of the other tours I’ve been a part of:

• Costa Rica
• Kruger National Park
• Peru / Machu Picchu
• Egypt (incl a Nile river cruise)
• Galapagos Islands

I will say that for each of the above tours, my time with the groups has been very enjoyable. We all got along well. In fact, I’m still in touch with one person from the Costa Rica trip that was 25 years ago. Maybe the comradery is due to the fact that we all are of a similar (travel) mindset. Hopefully my experience on this tour will be similar. Fingers crossed!

Okay, I’m back in Madison! And as I struggle with jet lag (must be an old age thing…), it’s time to (finally!) finish up the trip with the Entries from my southern Africa adventure. Let’s do this!

Monday, March 31 – transit from London to Nairobi, Kenya

My flight on Kenya Airways departs at 6:30 tonight out of Heathrow Terminal 4. That makes it a little inconvenient to take the SL9 bus, but I’m stubborn (and cheap!). So, my path to Terminal 4 was as follows:

• SL9 bus to Heathrow Central Bus Station
• Piccadilly Line train back towards Central London,
• Exit at the Hatton Cross station in order to transfer to the Piccadilly train that will take me back to Terminal 4 (train rides are free when transferring between Heathrow terminals)

Ninety minutes after leaving Byron House I arrived at Terminal 4. Not the most efficient (I had the time), but inexpensive!

While waiting for my flight, I was lucky to witness this massive BA A380 on takeoff. Always amazed to see these massive beasts defy gravity!

Kenya Airways boards their flights by row number, starting from the back of the plane. Brilliant!

The 8 hour flight aboard the 787 (Dreamliner) was full. I had a window seat and was able to sleep a little. I sat next to a man from Johannesburg who is studying Computer Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Impressive! However, he is currently enjoying a semester abroad at the University of Edinburgh. Doubly impressive! He was taking advantage of a break in the term to make a return visit to Johannesburg.

Tuesday, April 1 – transit from Nairobi to Livingstone, Zambia

We arrived in Nairobi around 5am, and the layover for my Livingstone connection was 2 1/2 hours. That flight was on a full 737 and lasted 3 hours. The plane continued on to Cape Town, and it surprised me that probably 80% of the passengers stayed onboard. I assumed that Livingstone was a more popular destination. The cost of my one-way flight from London was £498 ($621); purchased at the end of January. (most likely could have saved money if I had my act together and purchased it further in advance!)

On the tarmac in Livingstone.

I must say that the Zambian immigration and customs officers were very friendly. Kind of a rare occurrence!

The taxi ride from the airport to my hotel took about 20 minutes and cost 550 Zambian Kwacha – ZMW ($20).

I’m beat! This was a long travel day(s). I left Byron House around 2pm (Livingstone time) yesterday, and arrived at the hotel around noon.

Travel Note: The African continent is HUGE! I incurred 11 hours of flying time, heading due south from London to Livingstone, and there is still another 3 hours of flying to reach the southern tip in Cape Town. I’m not sure the size of Africa is fully understood. This is likely due to the fact that the world map most of us are familiar with is the Mercator projection, which depicts the Earth’s surface onto a flat plane, preserving angles and shapes. However, it distorts the size of landmasses, especially as you move away from the equator.

As an alternate, there is the Peters Projection map that accurately represents the relative sizes of countries while distorting their shapes.

Kind of blows your mind, right? It did me!

For those of you interested in geography/cartography, I encourage you to watch an entertaining 4 minute clip from The West Wing that covers this topic. The link is here.

The Victoria Falls Waterfront Hotel. It is located on the northern bank of the Zambezi River, within the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. Because the hotel is located inside the park, there was no walking allowed outside of the compound’s walls, as it was deemed too dangerous (animal attacks). I took this picture just outside the gate, and there was a guard standing by while I was doing so (probably overkill, but I wasn’t complaining!).

Hotel Reception

Noted!

My room is on the left.

$104/night (including breakfast).

Nice pool area.

Dining/Bar area.

There’s a little pool in the dining area.

After roaming around the property and relaxing in my room, I was ready for some dinner…

I led off with a Caipirinha (Mainstay, Sugar & Lemon). 60 ZMW ($2).

Dinner was a Whole Zambezi Bream with onion rings and vegetables. 330 ZMW ($12). It was very good. The waitress said that typically the entire fish is eaten, including the head and tail, but I just stuck to the midsection!

Finished the meal with a Mojito. 140 ZMW ($5).

A beautiful end to the day!

Sidenote: Livingstone is named after famed Scottish explorer David Livingstone, the first European to view Victoria Falls. (“Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”)

Travel Note: As I was researching this trip last fall, I reviewed the recommendations on the CDC website for the various countries I anticipated visiting. Noted for Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana was an outbreak of polio. I therefore chose to get a booster dose of the polio vaccine. I originally checked with my private health insurance provider in December to see whether or not the shot was covered. It wasn’t, and the cost would be $100. However, since I would be transitioning to Medicare on January 1st, I decided to wait and see if they would cover it. Success! Fully covered. One (of the few) advantage(s) of getting old!

Wednesday, April 2 – Livingstone

I slept great last night – 10 hours of solid sleep! That’s good, because I have a busy day planned: a visit to Victoria Falls and the Livingstone City Center.

A view from the hotel dining area at breakfast. Those aren’t smoke plumes, it is mist from Victoria Falls!

It’s a 15 minute drive to the Falls from the hotel. The cost of the taxi was 150 ZMW ($5). You know I typically prefer to avoid taxis, but in this case there was no option (no walking outside of the hotel grounds). I ended up using the same driver throughout the day (hotel to falls, falls to city center, city center to hotel). That was the recommendation by the hotel staff, as sometimes taxis are difficult to find. And it worked out well, the driver was nice and dependable. The only part I didn’t like was having to set a schedule with the driver. I gave myself plenty of time at each location though, so no issues.

Victoria Falls are a mile wide, spanning the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe and dropping 360 feet, roughly twice the height of Niagara. David Livingstone named the falls in 1855 in honor of Queen Victoria. The view of the falls from Zimbabwe is generally considered better than that from Zambia. I’ll be checking it out from both sides over the next few days, and will let you know if I concur!

The entry fee to the Falls is 540 ZMW ($19).

Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

My first activity was a hike down to the Boiling Pot, a whirlpool located in the gorge beneath the falls.

It was a moderately steep trail, through a lush tropical forest.

This view made the hike worth it!

Although it got a little misty at times!

A bungee jumper from Victoria Falls Bridge. No thanks!

I’ll be crossing that bridge tomorrow as I make my way to Zimbabwe (the Zambezi River serves as the border between the two countries).

Making my way back up the trail…

Spotted along the path!

It got pretty steep at times. It actually wore me out a bit. That surprised me, considering all of the walking I’ve been doing. Maybe it’s jet lag? Yeah, definitely jet lag!

I was planning on taking a break on this bench on the way back up, but it was sadly occupied. And didn’t think attempting to share would be a good idea!

A view of the falls from the rim of the gorge. In the foreground is Knife Edge Bridge (more about that later).

Another view from the gorge rim. Boiling Point can be seen in the lower right. Knife Edge Bridge is on the right, and the Zimbabwean portion of the falls in the center left.

I was once again wearing my UW baseball cap today, and as I walked along the rim I encountered a couple from Minnesota who recognized the motion W logo. Fun!

The Victoria Falls Bridge.

I’ve now made my way closer to Knife Edge Bridge and other viewing points.

More moisture! This probably isn’t the best time of year to be visiting the falls. The region is just coming out of their rainy season, so the falls are at full force, generating a significant mist (basically a light rain). I had a poncho and umbrella with me; I used the latter, but not the former.

These two hearty souls are making their way across Knife Edge Bridge. I passed. I know, I’m a wimp! I just didn’t think getting soaked would be all that much fun.

Some views of the Zambezi River feeding the falls…

This was fun! Very impressed by Victoria Falls. Will the Zimbabwe side be better? We’ll find out in a couple days…

My driver was waiting for me as I exited the park. Time to check out the city of Livingstone. The ride to the city center took 15 minutes and cost 150 ZMW ($5).

The Livingstone Museum. I didn’t go in.

Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

Cathedral of St. Theresa

I like this mural!

So, there is a museum in Livingstone that intrigued me. It is a combination Railway Museum and…

…Jewish Museum. Really?

Well, as I approached I could see that it was pretty run down. And the entry fee is $15. Seriously? To see the falls was only $19; no way I’m paying $15 for this.

As I made my way back to town I came across this outdoor art gallery. I spoke to one of the artists, and the prices were reasonable. Something to think about…

The styles seemed unique, until…

…I stopped by this curio market and saw many of the same types of artwork here. Oh well!

I did a fair amount of walking around in Livingstone, but there really wasn’t much to see. I’m happy I checked it out though.

Fuel Price Check: 34.98 ZMW/liter = 4.75 USD/gallon.

Once again, my driver was waiting for me at the appointed time and place. Thank you! The ride back to the hotel took another 15 minutes, and once again cost 150 ZMW.

Travel Note: Like in the Caribbean, the taxis here are used mini vans imported from Japan. Both countries drive on the left with RHD vehicles. I can tell the vans are from the Japan by the script on their display panels. Kind of interesting where these vehicles end up.

Dinner tonight was once again at the hotel, overlooking the Zambezi River…

I started with the Sunset Cocktail (Malibu, Strawberry Liqueur, Fresh Orange Juice). Had to, right? 160 ZMW ($6).

I chose the Bream again for dinner, but went with the fillet tonight instead of the whole fish. Probably the better call. 390 ZMW ($14). Tasty! The glass of wine was 70 ZMW ($2.50).

This was a good day in Zambia!

Travel Note: I forgot to take a picture of my Zambian money! Here’s a photo I downloaded…

Tuesday, April 22 – Harrow on the Hill

Today will be my last trip into Central London before I travel back to Madison on Thursday. And it’s a lovely day, so my plan is to visit some parks. Let’s go!

My first stop will be a return to Holland Park in Kensington. I was there on Saturday, but it was so jammed with visitors that I spent very little time there. Will today be less crowded? Fingers crossed…

On the way to the Park, I came across a couple interesting homes…

8 Melbury Road – The Marcus Stone House (ca. 1875)

The Tower House, 29 Melbury Road (ca. 1881). The current owner of the house is Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, who bought the house in 1972, outbidding David Bowie.

Holland Park is spread across 54 acres of what used to be the grounds of Cope Castle, a large Jacobean mansion built it in the early 17th century.

And thankfully, there were few visitors to the park this morning…

The Kyoto Garden was built to commemorate the friendship between Japan and Great Britain. It was erected for a Japanese festival in 1991.

As I made my way to Kensington Gardens (via Embassy Row), here are a few more sights that interested me…

The rest of my walk took me through Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park, and St. James’s Park. I’ve pretty much photographed those areas to death over the years, so I’ll save you the agony, and post just a few more…

A shame Kensington Palace is covered in scaffolding!

Something seems amiss here!

This was a wonderful final walk around the Capital parks!

Hello! Been away, haven’t seen you in a while, how’ve you been? The African adventure was pretty cool. Amazing actually! I’m in the process of going through 30+ pages of notes and over 1,000 photos. Uff da! This is a trip that I need to document properly, so no rushing. As such, the Journal Entries for the trip won’t be posted until after I’m back in Madison (return April 24th). Sorry about that, but hopefully it will be worth the wait! In the meantime, I’ll be uploading the final London Entries as my time here sadly comes to an end.

Thursday, April 17 – Harrow on the Hill

It’s a lovely spring day, so I’m heading to north London to check out The Parkland Walk. The walk is a 4.5 mile pedestrian and cycle route which follows the course of the railway line that used to run between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace. The Parkland Walk opened in 1984, and was declared a local nature reserve in 1990.

Highgate Wood is a 70 acre area of ancient woodland. It was originally part of the Forest of Middlesex which covered much of London, Hertfordshire and Essex and was mentioned in the Domesday Book.

There used to be a railway station at Cranley Gardens; however, it was closed for passengers in 1954 and for freight in 1957. Nothing remains of the station today, and its site is now occupied by housing and a school.

Alexandra Park covers 200 acres and is located on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. The park and palace were named in 1863, the year of the marriage of Alexandra of Denmark to the Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VII.

Queen’s Wood covers 52 acres, and like Highgate Wood, it was originally part of the ancient Forest of Middlesex, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book.

This memory tree located along the Parkland Walk is called the “Baby Loss Tree”…

…it is dedicated to babies lost during, or shortly after pregnancy.

That was fun!

The walk ended in Finsbury Park, which happens to be close to the Banksy mural that was revealed last March when I was in London. I decided to take the opportunity to revisit the site and see what has changed in the past year…

And today. The blooming of the tree definitely takes away from the impact of the mural. Not that that’s a bad thing!

This was an enjoyable day of walking – 29k steps!

Sidenote:

I’ve worn out my shoe!! I guess it’s kind of comical, but in reality I’m annoyed! This is supposed to be a quality product. In any event…

Footnote: There’s been a little drama involving The Who following their recent two-night gig at The Royal Albert Hall. It was announced yesterday that their longtime drummer, Zak Starkey, has been fired! I attended the first show at the Hall last month. Apparently at the second performance, Roger Daltrey became annoyed with the drum playing, and stopped singing mid-song. Whoa! And this sacking was the result.

I went into the (very) interesting Zak Starkey backstory in my journal entry following last year’s The Who concert. A quick recap: Zak is the son of Ringo Starr. He is the godson of The Who’s original drummer, the late Keith Moon, who gave Zak his first drum kit. So how fitting is it that he has been The Who’s drummer for the last 29 years?!? And so sad that it had to end this way…

Good Friday, April 18 – Harrow on the Hill

I’m in the mood for more outdoor activities. Today’s mission is a walking tour around Kew Gardens. Directions will be courtesy of the 50 Walks in London book on loan to me from Tony.

Oh Oh! The path has been washed out! So much for this walking tour. I guess I’ll have to revert to Plan B, which I have yet to figure out!

Kew Gardens is located along the Thames, to the west of Central London. I’ve walked this route along the river a few times in the past (including earlier this year), but always along the north bank. Today, I’ll stay on the south bank and make my way downstream towards the city. Let’s check out the views…

The day didn’t go as planned, but it turned into a relaxing walk along the Thames. I enjoyed the views from the opposite bank! And there were no crowds at all. Perfect.

Today’s step count: 27k.

Sidenote: I’m alone in the house at the moment, as Mary and Tony are at their place up north for a few days. Well, I was awakened around 2:30 this morning by some noise outside. And it continued, so I decided to head downstairs and take a look out my living room window.

What I witnessed was a fox in the courtyard, attempting to jump on to the top of the trash bins shown in the picture above. It’s mission was to access the smaller black compost bins, purposely placed on top of the other bins so as to be out of a fox’s reach! The fox eventually made the jump, opened the compost bin (overriding the large stone placed on its cover), and made off with the bag of food scraps that was inside. Crazy!

Saturday, April 19 – Harrow on the Hill

I had grand ideas for today, as my time in London comes to an end.

I was going to start in Regent’s Park, make my way to Covent Garden, then over to Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens, and finish up at Holland Park. And I did all of that. But man, choosing this holiday weekend to do it was a mistake, as the Capital was packed with people. Maybe that’s a sign that the timing is right for me to head back to Madison!

Regent’s Park was not very crowded, but once I hit Covent Garden, the masses were in place. So below are just a few pictures from my day – all around Regent’s Park. Enjoy!

Besides Regent’s Park, there were a couple highlights from the day:

• Two more “Go Badgers / On Wisconsin” shout outs as I wore my UW baseball cap around Central London. Always appreciated! (I need to go back and count how many times this has happened thoroughout my travels in Europe and Africa this winter)
• I logged 31k steps today! (And that’s saying something, considering the swarms of people I had to navigate through along the way!)

Sidenote: You may have noticed that I’ve put in a LOT of steps over the last three days. Of course, I like the walking, but there’s also a little method to my madness. I’ll reveal that at a later date (you can probably figure it out). And it turns out that the reason is probably rather stupid; but then, stupidity is kind of my M.O.!

Footnote: Zak Starkey has been reinstated by The Who! Sanity prevails! You can read all about it here.

Easter Sunday, April 20 – Harrow on the Hill

A little more walking is planned for this morning. But I’m avoiding the holiday chaos of the city and staying close to home. I’ll be roaming the Harrow School grounds and areas further west around Northwick Park.

The spires of the Harrow School Chapel and St. Mary’s Church on view from the Harrow School Rugby Pitch. The HS Tennis Courts are in the lower section of the photo.

I’m very excited to be heading into the Capital this evening to share an Easter dinner with Kathy & Ray! They are just finishing up a one month tour of Iceland and the British Isles, concluding in London. Perfect! Can’t wait to hear all about it.

Dinner was at The Blue Boar Pub, in the Conrad London St. James Hotel, where Kathy & Ray are staying.

What a wonderful evening. Thank you Kathy & Ray for making this a memorable Easter!

Saturday, March 22 – Harrow on the Hill

I’m heading into the Capital tonight to attend a concert at St. Martin in the Fields.

Concerts are regularly held here, and I’ve been to a few in the past. In fact, one of my favorite memories from my time living in London is attending a performance here with Linda & Chuck when they were visiting. That was a fun evening…

A beautiful setting. Tonight’s concert is a Mozart Requiem, performed by St. Martin’s Chamber Orchestra and Voices (choral group).

I was in a side box with a semi-obstructed view. It was perfectly fine though, and the concert was wonderful. The cost of the ticket was £16. (It was fully attended by the way. I was just early, as usual.)

I have to say it seems really busy in the city tonight. It’s the weekend though, and it is getting warmer. I’m guessing it’s just a case where the number of tourists are increasing as the weather improves.

Tuesday, March 25 – Harrow on the Hill

Tonight’s event will be another concert, this one taking place here on the Hill, in the Harrow School Speech Room.

I attended the concert with Mary & Tony, and a few of their friends. And prior to that we gathered at Byron House for drinks. Thank you!

This was a special performance, because it included not only the boys from the Harrow School, but also guest soloists, guest orchestra members, and the girl choirs from schools in London. As such, this was the rare occasion when a Harrow School performance charged an admission (£12). But it was well worth it. An enjoyable evening!

Wednesday, March 26 – Harrow on the Hill

It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day, so I have an ambitious walk planned. I’m going to head east along the south bank of the Thames out to Greenwich. Once there, I’m going to do a walking tour, using the book that Tony loaned me.

I ended up taking the tube to the Bermondsey Station, which is just east of the Tower Bridge. I wanted to start the walk on that side of the bridge because it’s away from the tourists! (It probably seems odd that I keep denigrating tourists, when I’m actually one myself! I don’t really feel like one though. But maybe I’m just delusional!)

I’ve done the walk out to Greenwich a few times in the past, the last time being during my visit in 2020. And I actually have a journal entry from that trip describing it. So I won’t post a lot of pictures from the walk this time.

Situated on the bank of the Thames, the present Angel Pub building dates back to the 1850s, but the original inn was built in the 15th century by monks at the nearby Bermondsey Priory for use as a guesthouse called the Salutation. After the Reformation, it was renamed the Angel in honor of the local lord of the manor.

St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe (ca. 1747)

Sidenote: It was from Rotherhithe that the Mayflower sailed in 1620 on the first stage of her epic voyage to (what was to become) the United States.

Across the road from the church is the Rotherhithe Free School, founded in 1613 to educate the sons of seafarers. Still displaying a pair of weathered figures of schoolchildren, this schoolhouse dates to 1797.

To the right is a 19th century Watch House. Here a watchman would be stationed to guard against body snatchers. Corpses were regularly stolen from the adjoining former burial ground for medical research at a nearby hospital.

Approaching my destination…the Cutty Sark and the Old Royal Naval College can be seen in the distance. The walk took about 2 hours, but was at a very deliberate pace!

The walking tour starts here, at the Cutty Sark. Originally a 19th century clipper ship, it is now a museum.

Amazing view of Central London from Greenwich Park. To the immediate left is the Old Royal Observatory. Down below is the Queen’s House and the National Maritime Museum. Along the river is the Old Royal Naval College.

The Shepherd Gate Clock at the entrance to the Royal Observatory. It displays Greenwich Mean Time all year round.

Sidenote: I’m wearing my UW baseball cap again today, and received two more “Go Badgers” while walking around Greenwich! I should be keeping track…

29k steps for the day. Not bad!

Thursday, March 27 – Harrow on the Hill

It’s déjà vu! In a repeat from last year, I’ll be at The Royal Albert Hall tonight to attend a concert by The Who in support of The Teenage Cancer Trust. This will be fun!

It was a beautiful day. I arrived in the city a little early and did some walking around Kensington Gardens.

This year’s concert posters (1 for each night of their 2 night gig). They’re nice…

…but I like last year’s pair better. In fact, I ended up buying one (not on the night of the concert though; later via The Teenage Cancer Trust website), and Chuck generously framed it up for me.

Another great performance! I think I went on and on about it last year, so I’ll spare you this time. I will say that Roger Daltrey is amazing. He turned 81 this month, and his voice still booms! He and Pete Townshend were pretty funny; they had a lot of interaction with the audience, which I liked.

If forced to choose, I’d say last year’s performance was a little better. (Roger admitted during tonight’s show that they only had 4 days of rehearsal; maybe that prejudiced my decision!)

They pretty much stuck to the schedule, and I was back at Byron House around midnight.

Friday, March 28 – Harrow on the Hill

My trip is now 75% complete, so let’s do a…

Steps Update: I’m currently averaging 16.7k steps per day. That’s World Record pace people! (Well, personal best anyway!) My previous best was 16.2k steps per day while in Hawaii during 2022. Technically though, I feel like I’ve already broken the record. That’s because the Hawaii trip only lasted 66 days, while I’m already on day 82 here. Will I be able to maintain the pace for the final 4 week stretch? Watch this space…

Sunday, March 30 – Harrow on the Hill

This year marks The London Eye’s 25th Anniversary (first passengers in March of 2000). To honor the occasion, here are some fun Eye Facts:

• On a clear day, the visibility is 24 miles
• There are 32 pods on the Eye, one for each of London’s boroughs
• The Eye weighs 2,100 tons; equivalent to 1,272 London black taxis
• Who holds the celebrity record for most trips on the Eye? Jessica Alba with 31!
• With a height of 443 feet, the Eye is the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel
• The Eye travels at 0.6 mph; so slow that it never has to stop to let people on and off

Monday, March 31 – Harrow on the Hill

I’m traveling today to central Africa. I’ll be visiting Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia over a period of two weeks; returning to London on April 14. Eight days of the trip will be on a group tour. I generally try to avoid those, but it seemed like a good option in this case.

No laptop again, so the Journal will be dark for a while. Devastating, I know! In fact, I’m guessing I won’t be uploading any Africa-related Entries until after I return to Madison on April 24. Sorry about that. But it is a good excuse for me to drag this thing out a little longer!

I’ll be back in touch in a couple weeks…

Friday, March 7 – transit from Calpe to Valencia

I’m traveling up the coast today to Valencia. But before I depart Calpe, I big thank you to Mary & Tony for their generosity and hospitality. I had a wonderful stay in their beautiful apartment (with the well-stocked refrigerator!). Muchas gracias!

I’ll be taking the bus to Valencia, with a 10:30am departure from the Calpe bus terminal.

It was a 40 minute walk from the apartment to the bus terminal.

The trip took about 3 hours. It was a very relaxing and rather scenic ride, with 5 stops in mostly small towns along the way. And the bus was basically empty until our final stop prior to Valencia. The seat next to me was never occupied. The cost of the trip was €15.

The bus made a stop at the Valencia North Train Station, and I exited there, as my hotel was only a 15 minute walk away.

After getting settled in, I did a little walking around the area. Nothing significant though, just getting my bearings. I’m still not feeling 100%, so it was an early night.

Saturday, March 8 – Valencia

My mission today is to walk the Jardín del Turia (Turia Garden). Founded in 1986, decades after the Great Valencia Flood of 1957, the garden was established by diverting the Turia River away from the city center. The original plan was to transform the riverbed into a transportation corridor. Congratulations to the city planners though for ultimately choosing instead to create a beautiful green space for leisure and nature.

I’m going to start at the east end of the park and work my way west. The total length of the park is about 9km. It was a half hour walk from the hotel to my starting point in the park.

At this end of the park is the stunning Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. It’s mostly the work of world-famous, and locally born, architect Santiago Calatrava. He’s a controversial figure for many Valencians though, who complain about the expense, and various design flaws that have necessitated major repairs to the complex. Originally budgeted at €300 million in 1991 for three structures, the final cost for the the project was triple that (although additional buildings were added).

Sidenote: An FYI for you Wisconsinites, Santiago Calatrava is the designer of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

This is L’Agora (ca. 2009), a covered plaza in which concerts and sporting events are held. In the background is Assut de l’Or Bridge (ca. 2008), a cable-stayed bridge sustained by a curved pylon, which crosses the Turia riverbed. The pylon of the bridge, at 125 meters, is the highest point in the city.

Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe (ca. 2000) is an interactive museum of science that resembles the skeleton of a whale. The building is about 450k sq ft, of which 280k sq ft is exhibition space, making it the largest in Spain. It has 215k sq ft of glass, 2 million cu ft of concrete, and 14,000 tons of steel. The building stands 720 ft long, 260 ft wide and 180 ft high.

In the foreground is L’Hemisferic (ca. 1998). Its design resembles an eyelid that opens to access the surrounding water pool. It was the first building completed in the complex.

This is Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (ca. 2005), an opera house and performing arts center.

Two laminated steel shells cover the building, weighing over 3,000 tons.

Puente del Mar – this stone Renaissance bridge was commissioned in 1591 to replace a wooden span that had been swept away by flooding.

Pavilions on the bridge house statues of the Virgin Mary and St Pascual Baylon, a 16th-century friar and mystic.

Approaching Torres de Serranos from Pont dels Serrans. It is one of the 12 gates that formed part of the ancient city wall of Valencia It was built in Gothic style at the end of the 14th century.

Baseball in Spain! Also along the riverbed I passed by games of football (soccer) and rugby. There is a swimming complex too.

This was a fun walk! The weather cooperated (dry, with temps is the upper 50s), and I ended up logging 25k steps. I’m happy with the result, considering my health still is not back to 100%.

2024 Spanish Floods

On October 29, 2024, torrential rain brought over a year’s worth of precipitation to several areas in eastern Spain, including the Valencia region. The resulting floodwaters caused the deaths of over 230 people, and substantial property damage. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in Spanish history. By comparison, the 1957 flood that I referenced earlier resulted in 81 fatalities.

The diversion of the Turia River that resulted in the riverbed park that I visited today ultimately served its purpose, as the Valencia city proper was protected from major damage.

Sunday, March 9 – Valencia

It’s a beautiful day (sunny, temps in the mid 60s)! Yes! Let’s walk around the city center of Valencia.

Plaza de Toros de Valencia (ca. 1859). I’m not a fan of bullfighting, but I do like this arena.

I’m now in the Plaza de la Reina, with the Miguelete Tower and Valencia Cathedral in front of me. Construction of the tower began in 1381 and was completed in 1429. Originally it was separate from the Cathedral, but was joined at the end of the 15th century when the central nave was extended.

Most of Valencia Cathedral was built between the 13th century and the 15th century, and its style was mainly Gothic. However, its construction went on for centuries. As a consequence, there is a mixture of artistic styles, ranging from the early Romanesque, Valencian Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical.

Lonja de la Seda (built between 1482 and 1533) was originally Valencia’s silk and commodity exchange. In 1996 UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site. The listing states that “the site is of outstanding universal value as it is a wholly exceptional example of a secular building in late Gothic style, which dramatically illustrates the power and wealth of one of the great Mediterranean mercantile cities.”

It was such a beautiful day, I ended up taking a seat on the Plaza steps and relaxing here for over an hour. Once again, I was wearing my Wisconsin baseball cap; and wouldn’t you know it, as I was taking in the Plaza scenery, someone walked by with a “Go Badgers” shout out. Crazy!

In the background on the right is the top of the Miguelete Tower. I’ve circled my around to the back of the Tower/Cathedral.

This is the city-side view of Torres de Serranos, which I visited yesterday from the park.

It was such a beautiful day, I had to go back to the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias to get some pictures…

Monday, March 10 – transit from Valencia to London

My British Airways flight doesn’t depart until 1:30pm, so I had a leisurely morning around the hotel (still working on getting my health back!).

Public transport to the airport. I love it! The walk from my hotel to the metro station took 15 minutes, and the train ride to the airport was another half hour. The cost of the metro ticket was €5.80.

When I was checking in for the flight, the ticket agent asked to see a copy of my UK Visa. That’s a first! I wasn’t queried about it when I returned from Paris or Tunis. I have a copy of the confirmation email on my phone; no issues.

The 2 1/2 hour, non-stop flight on the A320 was pretty full. However, I had a exit row window seat, with no one in the middle. Nice! And the crazy part is that I went with the super-cheap fare; I didn’t choose the the seat, it was automatically assigned to me by BA! The cost of the ticket was €66.

We arrived at Heathrow Terminal 3, so I was on the SL9 bus back to South Harrow.

This was a wonderful week in Spain. The weather wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t wet either. That was the important part! And after the wonderful two weeks of weather I had in Gibraltar & North Africa, I have no complaints!

Many thanks again to Mary & Tony, I probably wouldn’t have made this trip without their generosity.

Okay, I’m finally caught up with the North Africa posts, time to move on to my visit to the coast of Spain…

Tuesday, March 4 – transit from London to Calpe

I’m flying on British Airways out of Gatwick this morning; a little more of a journey than going to Heathrow. I ended up taking the Met line to St. Pancras, and connecting there using the Thameslink to Gatwick. The Gatwick Express would have been quicker, but more expensive (and you know that doesn’t work for me!). I left the flat at 7:15am, and arrived at Gatwick at 9:15am for my 11:30am departure. Probably a little earlier than necessary (no checked bag), but that’s alright.

My non-stop flight is to Alicante, a little bit south of my destination – Calpe. The 3 hour flight on the A320 was about 3/4 full, and fortunately the middle seat next to me was empty (I was on the window). The cost of the flight was £58.

From Alicante I booked a shuttle bus (in advance, thanks for the tip Mary) to Calpe. I had about a half hour wait at the airport until all of the shuttle passengers arrived (there were 4 of us). The one hour trip cost €24.

My stay in Calpe will be compliments of Mary and Tony – at their beautiful coastal apartment. So generous. Thank you very much!

Mary & Tony had stayed in the apartment just prior to my arrival, and Mary graciously left me a refrigerator stocked with food. Wow! More thanks to you both!

It was early evening by the time I got settled into the apartment, and I was still feeling a little under the weather; I’m in for the night.

Wednesday, March 5 – Calpe

The advance weather forecast for my stay was rather bleak – rain for the entire duration. Ugh! But I woke up to a dry morning, and it appeared like it might stay that way for the day. Fingers crossed!

So, what should I do today? Do you even need to ask? Let’s roam!

Up ahead is Penyal d’Ifac Natural Park; my destination. Rising to over 1,000 ft, Penyal d’Ifac is a striking limestone feature of the Mediterranean coastline. Historically it was known to the Phoenicians as the Northern Rock, to distinguish it from its southern counterpart, the Rock of Gibraltar.

With an area of 110 acres, it is the smallest natural park in Spain.

Looking back down the beach towards the location of Mary & Tony’s apartment. (there is one determined boy on the beach!).

My unconventional entrance to the park eventually led me to this more conventional one!

These medieval ruins on Penyal d’Ifac date to the 13th century. The perfect lookout spot!

I’m now making my way down the west side of Penyal d’Ifac, looking at the Calpe Port and the Bay of Calpe.

The headland jutting out up ahead is Morro de Toix.

This would be packed with people during the summertime. I’m happy I’m here in the off season!

This turned out to be a fun day! I was worried about the weather, but it remained dry, which was key.

Thursday, March 6 – Calpe

More exploring of Calpe is in store for today. Mainly the Old Town.

A little bit of a cloud cover on the Rock this morning. But like yesterday, it’s dry; I’ll take it! And it’s even a little warmer, and less windy, than yesterday. I think I’ll be bringing out the shorts today!

As I was making my way to the Old Town, I came across this. Now, Calpe is a little hilly, but a moving sidewalk? Are you kidding me? Let’s get some exercise people! What a waste of money!

One of the more curious corners in the Old Town is the Forat de la Mar, a side-street that was created between the building walls to allow sailors to check sea conditions.

Llavador de la Font is a century-old open-air laundry system set at the edge of Calpe’s Old Town.

This is the Torreo de la Peça, a defensive bastion that forms part of the old walled town of Calpe. In the background is the bell tower of the Old Church.

The old town wall and the bell tower of the Old Church. The Old Church was built in the early 15th century, atop an old chapel from the Christian conquest. This fortified Gothic building originally combined religious and defensive functions, since it was a place of refuge when the community was under attack.

I’m now making my way back to the apartment (in the background). In the foreground is Salines de Calp (Calpe Salt Flats). Two million years ago this lagoon was a bay open to the sea. Penyal d’Ifac was an island that protected the bay from wind and ocean currents while facilitating the slow accumulation of sand, which would end up closing the bay.

The salt flats have great historical significance, eventually supplying over 40 municipalities. Its decline began however at the end of the 18th century, when it became the focus as the source of infections that caused fevers among the population. Later, there were various attempts to once again make the flats operational, but eventually ended in the late 1980s.

Today Las Salinas de Calp is a protected nature reserve; home to more than 170 bird species.

I saw many cyclists in Calpe (which was awesome!). To be expected, considering the popularity of the sport in Spain, and the hilly topography of the region. And the motorists were very respectful of the riders. What a concept!

Sunday, February 23 – Tunis

It’s a another beautiful day, with temperatures in the upper 60s. I’m going to walk around a bit and ultimately make my way to the national museum.

I’ve accumulated a few coins over the last couple days. It’s nice to have some for things like the bus, but this is a little out of hand! Hopefully I can unload most of them when I pay the entry fee at the museum.

It was about a one hour walk from my hotel to the museum. Here are a couple photos from along the way…

The Bardo National Museum is one of the most important museums in the Mediterranean region, and of those on the African continent, is considered to trail only the Egyptian Museum of Cairo in terms of prestige. The museum houses one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world.

In the center of the room is a stuccoed mausoleum discovered in Carthage. It dates to the 1st / 2nd century.

A mosaic dating to the 3rd century.

This is a 5th century mosaic illustrating daily life around Lake Hippo Diarrhythus.

Wow! I was very impressed with this museum. Not something I was expecting to find in Tunis (and that’s a reflection on my lack of knowledge, not on the city of Tunis).

Here are a couple more city views on my way back to the hotel…

The city zoo is located near my hotel. I was thinking of stopping by for a visit. But after reading the online reviews describing the poor living conditions for the animals, I decided to pass.

There is a restaurant near the hotel that is open today (being Sunday, many are closed); dinner? Ah, another check of the reviews made me think otherwise.

Instead, I made a grocery run. Picked up bread, cheese, a pre-made salad, and ginger ale (I think). All for less than $3!

A Few Observations

• Tunis (and Marrakech) could be described (by me) as filthy. A lot of littering. A shame…
• There are many stray cats in Morocco and Tunisia. A hotel staff member told me that the locals like that, because they help control the rat population, and they are a clean animal (my comment: not so great for the bird population though…). This is in contrast to South and Central America, where there are a lot of stray dogs!
• There is a proliferation of people wearing NY Yankee caps in Morocco and Tunisia. The worldwide popularity of the brand (or the logo) is staggering. I wonder if the wearers even know anything about the team? Doubtful (I should have asked someone, “How gutted are you by Soto leaving to sign with the crosstown Mets?”).

Monday, February 24 – Tunis

I’m still a little under the weather, but it’s my last day in Tunis, and there’s more to see. Toughen up!

I’m going to brave another bus trip to Carthage today; however, I’m taking it all the way to the end of the line this time – to the city of La Marsa (getting the most out of my 1 dinar fare!). So no worries about the driver not letting me off at my requested stop! The ride took about 40 minutes.

La Marsa is a coastal city with a population of around 100,000 people. The city is known for its beaches, upscale residential areas, and lively atmosphere, with numerous restaurants, cafes, and shops.

I spent most of my time walking along the Mediterranean coast…

This was a pretty walk. And it’s not over! I continued walking southeast along the coast to the town of Sidi Bou Said. The town itself is kind of a tourist attraction (but I went anyway!), and is known for its extensive use of blue and white (like Chefchaouen in Morocco!).

Another fun walk! And a beautiful day for it. I would say Sidi Bou Said is definitely less touristy than Chefchaouen, but also less picturesque. Tradeoffs…

I’m beat! Not feeling well is undoubtedly a factor. I think it’s time to head back to the hotel.

And luckily I came across an easily identifiable bus stop as I made my way out of Sidi Bou Said. And I even remember which bus to catch back to Tunis. Brilliant! (the bus wasn’t nearly as crowded as Saturday; maybe it has to do with it being a weekday, or the time of day?)

Tuesday, February 25 – transit from Tunis to London

I had some leftover dinars, so prior to checking out I asked the staff at hotel reception if they could exchange it to dollars (or pounds, or euros) for me. They said they couldn’t; were only allowed to perform exchanges in the opposite direction (foreign currency to dinars). They told me though that I could easily make the exchange at the airport, with one proviso: that I have the original receipt from when I converted dollars to dinars. Mmmmm…that could be a problem. When I arrived at the Tunis airport, I used an ATM to get some cash. Well, I requested a receipt during the process, but never received one. That’s convenient! Do I smell a little scam going on here?

I didn’t have a huge amount of money leftover (around $30 equivalent), and didn’t feel like fighting about the receipt issue with the currency exchange folks at the airport, so I ended up just leaving it for the hotel housekeeping staff.

Travel Note: I exchanged my leftover Moroccan dirhams for U.S. dollars at the Casablanca airport, with no issues; receipts not required. Just sayin’…

My flight is scheduled to depart at 1:45pm, and Tunisair recommends arriving at the airport 3 hours early. Not a problem. I had booked a ride in advance through the hotel for 45 dinars. I probably overpaid, but it was convenient. And I paid the hotel for the ride yesterday with my credit card. If I’d known about this money exchange scam then, I would have paid by cash!

All went smoothly at the airport. The flight was about an hour late departing, but no big deal. It was direct to Heathrow on an A320, took about 3 hours, and it was full. Like on Royal Air Moroc, a nice meal was provided. This time it was grilled chicken. The cost of the flight was $159.

Unlike the flight from Casablanca a few days ago, I had no issues clearing my ears during the decent today. I guess that means I’m getting better?

We arrived at Heathrow Terminal 4. And you know that I’m normally all about taking the SL9 bus back to South Harrow. However, the Terminal 4 factor kind of messes that up because, in order to catch the bus, I need to take the tube to Terminal 3. So instead, in this case I just stayed on the Piccadilly line train to South Harrow station (with a change at Acton Town). More expensive than the SL9, but laziness overruled my cheapness (plus, I was sick and tired – literally!)!

I got back to Byron House around 7pm, and was in bed soon after!

Tunisia Facts

• Drive on the right (LHD vehicles)
• I did not drink the tap water
• Languages I encountered were Arabic and French; with English spoken by those in the tourist industry
• As previously noted, the currency is the Tunisian Dinar

Trip Notes

• It’s a tough call, but I would say Tangier was my favorite of the places visited on this trip. Less tourists, less expensive, nice dining options, fairly clean, and a picturesque Medina.
• I got lucky with the weather. Never had to use my umbrella. The only significant rainfall occurred on one overnight in Marrakech.
• I had no digestive issues throughout the trip (more luck!)
• I averaged 19k steps/day for the 15 day trip
• This one’s kind of (very) geeky: The three non-stop flights I took on this trip form an equilateral triangle (if you ignore the gap between Gibraltar and Casablanca!). Side 1) London-Gibraltar: 1,085 miles; Side 2) Casablanca-Tunis: 1,036 miles; Side 3): Tunis-London: 1,138 miles.

The only souvenirs from my trip: a) a fragment of my wristband from the Gibraltar Nature Reserve; b) a Chefchaouen key chain I received from the tour company that I used for that day trip; and c) a hand-painted bowl I received from my hotel in Tunis.

I talked previously regarding my attitude towards buying anything from the various markets I visited. A little too touristy, and a lack of confidence in my knowledge of prices and quality. Plus, I’m basically in old-age minimalist mode. I’m trying to get rid of stuff, not acquire more!

This was a great trip! I’m very happy I made the journey. I hope you enjoyed following along. Sorry it took a while to get these Entries posted. Next, on to my Spain updates…

Monday, March 17 – Harrow on the Hill

I’m heading into the city this evening to attend a West End play.

Retrograde is based on a true event in the life of Sidney Poitier; a key moment in his career during a time of rising McCarthyism in 1950s Hollywood. The play delves into Poitier’s friendship with left-leaning Black actors like Paul Robeson, which made producers wary of hiring him. In this instance, the studio required Poitier to sign a loyalty oath in order to land a role, but ultimately he refused.

The view from seat H16 in the stalls. The entire one-act play took place in this studio head’s office.

I really enjoyed this. And like the story of Lee Miller, it is a part of history of which I was completely unaware (of course I have knowledge of McCarthyism, but not Sidney Poitier’s personal confrontation with it).

Sidenote: Five years ago today I was in Salta, Argentina, and pretty much clueless as to what was going on in the world. Thankfully, I was messaged by family and friends, alerting me to the fact that airports around the global were shutting down, and I may want to think about getting my behind back to the U.S.! What followed was a crazy few days of scrambling for flights, being placed in quarantine, and navigating deserted airports and roadways. It was rather stressful at the time, but looking back, I feel like it was something I’m grateful to have experienced (sounds weird, I know). If you’d like to relive my odyssey, here’s a link to the Entry in my Journal that begins the narrative.

Tuesday, March 18 – Harrow on the Hill

Thanks to another tip from Mary, I’ve booked a tour today at nearby Headstone Manor.

Built in 1310, the moated manor house known as Headstone Manor is the earliest surviving timber-framed building in Middlesex. The land on which Headstone Manor stands belonged to Wulfred, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 825 AD. It remained in the ownership of the Archbishops until 1546, when it was surrendered to Henry VIII. Soon after, he sold it to one of his court favorites, Edward North, and it remained in private ownership for almost four centuries.

Over time, Headstone Manor fell into a state of disrepair, and much of its surrounding land was sold off. In 1925 Hendon Rural District Council bought the site. It then passed into the control of the London Borough of Harrow after local government reorganization. After years of increasing dilapidation, the decision was made to turn the site into the home of Harrow Museum, which opened in 1986. The first stage of restoration at Headstone Manor began in of 2004, with the most recent work completed in 2017.

From Byron House, it was a 45 minute walk to the Manor.

The moat that surrounds the Manor. On the left is the Small Barn (now the Museum), and the chimney of the Manor can be seen on the right.

Entering the grounds of the Manor. On the left is the Granary (ca. late 18th century), and on the right is the Great Barn (ca. 1506).

The Buttery (a cold storeroom for keeping food fresh). This space has changed the least since the house was built in 1310.

The guided tour lasted an hour and cost £4. (there were about a dozen people taking the tour) This was a fun visit on a beautiful day!

I saw this sign by the moat. I did not know this, did you? We would always take bread for feeding when visiting the duck pond in Madison.

Thursday, March 20 – Harrow on the Hill

It’s another beautiful day, and I have a couple events booked in the Capital, so let’s go!

Before grabbing the train, I stopped at the Wenzel’s in the Harrow on the Hill station to buy a baguette sandwich. This will be my lunch as I lounge in one of the London parks.

Sidenote: I have come across no Wenzel’s bread/sandwhich shops in Central London. Curious. I’ve only found them in the outlying areas; typically close to a tube station. Must be their strategy – avoid the high real estate costs of London. Anyway, I digress…

I settled in Upper Grovesnor Park, where this impressive sculpture is located. Seems like odd subject matter for a London park though, right? Entitled Lioness and Lesser Kudu, it was created by Jonathan Kenworthy, who had been commissioned by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to produce an animal art piece for Eaton Hall in 1998. However, it was subsequently decided that it should be moved to Grovesnor Park for the enjoyment of the general public, where it has remained since 2000. There you go!

I have a 1pm timed entry ticket (£17) to visit The Royal Mews.

The Royal Mews is a collection of equestrian stables that are part of the British royal family. In London, these stables and stable-hands’ quarters have been located within the grounds of Buckingham Palace since the 1820s.

For the visit, on display are royal carriages, a royal vehicle, and even a couple horses! The Royal Mews is also a working part of the palace, where horses and people live and work, and where carriages and cars are in daily use, supporting the work of the monarch as head of state.

My next event isn’t until 7:30pm. It’s such a beautiful day, I think I’m just going to walk around the city.

My venue this evening is in east London, so I ended up walking from the Mews down to the river, crossing the Chelsea Bridge (at Battersea Park) and heading east along the south bank. I’ve posted a lot of pictures from this walk previously; here are a couple favorites from today…

Sidenote: I was wearing my Wisconsin baseball cap again today, and received two “Go Badgers” shoutouts during my walk – one on the south bank, and one while crossing the Tower Bridge. Very cool!

Tonight I’m attending a Gresham College lecture. These events are free, but require a ticket because they usually sellout. Thanks to (another) tip from Mary, I first attended a couple of the Gresham lectures when I was in London last year.

Tonight’s talk focused on the work of Jimi Hendrix; specifically the technical aspects of his guitar playing. Some of it was over my head, but still very interesting (and entertaining)! It just further reinforced my belief (and pretty much everyone else’s) that he was the greatest of the rock guitarists (apologies Mr. Clapton!).

If you’re interested in viewing the video of the lecture, it’s available here.

I knew I did a fair amount of walking today, but didn’t think it was massive. I was wrong! 31k steps!

Friday, March 21 – Harrow on the Hill

I woke up this morning to the news that Heathrow will be shut down for at least 24 hours due to a power outage. Yikes! Thankfully, I have no immediate upcoming travel scheduled.