Zentangle #4

I started this during my 2011 trip to London/Ireland and finished the last bits once I got home. It was a lifesaver – something to do that didn’t require much of my mind. I especially enjoyed working on it in airports and on planes. Working on this truly saved my sanity during the 10 hour flight from Heathrow to San Francisco.

It’s across two pages of a moleskine watercolor journal, all with Micron Pigma pens.

 

A Confession – and my secret obsession

When we were in the UK in 2010 I got sick and we stopped at a store to buy whatever over-the-counter medicines we could find.  And I found it…the best… ever… yes… it was… chapstick.  I bought a twin-pack and with a lot of rationing I’ve managed to make the two tubes last a year.

We wanted to return to the UK this year, 2011, but why?  Well, *I* had a good reason – I needed more chapstick! Trust me, this stuff is good!

Last time we’d bought the Tesco brand chapstick in a Tesco store – kind of a cross between a WalMart and a Target. There are Tesco stores *everywhere* but virtually all of them are “express” Tescos - more like a mini-mart – withOUT chapstick. What’s up with that? We looked high and low in London but had no luck.

Amber scouted things out on the Internet and found a huge Tesco between London and Stonehenge – we’d be driving right by!  So we got off the freeway and of course there was road construction, detours, we could not find the Tesco! We decided to give up and head back to the freeway, but Patrick would not give up. He persevered and we found the giant Tesco. And they had my chapstick!

Let’s just say that, with careful rationing, I should have enough for the next six years…

 

Just One More Time Through Security

Let’s go over today and the previous two days:

Friday, leave Cork, Ireland and go through security, they require that I dig out my umbrella and prove it’s a real umbrealla; land in London, Heathrow and somehow manage to skip customs and immigration.

Saturday, leave Heathrow and go through security; they randomly test my liquids. Land in San Francisco. Of course in SFO they not only ask me to remove my glasses so they can compare me to my passport photo, but they decide to randomly go through my luggage! I’m glad I had all my underwear  in a little zippered cube!

Sunday (today), leave San Jose and get to go through security one last time. I’m wondering what will happen this time? I’m beginning to think I’m flagged in some security system?

So for Friday through Sunday, these airports: Cork, Heathrow, Heathrow (again), San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle!

 

Flight Back to SFO

Luckily it was boring, but it was a long flight. We left Heathrow airport, London at about 1:00 pm London time. The flight was 10 hours long. Even if all we did was fly around in circles over Heathrow, that would make it 11:00 pm. Add in the time change as we fly with the sun back to San Francisco and we landed at 3:30 pm after being awake for 20 hours. It was kind of odd… I woke up in the London hotel at 5:30 a.m. London time and was in bed here near San Francisco at 5:30 pm.  

Thankfully Amber got us all aisle seats so we could get up and walk around a lot during the flight – we did not pay to have the fancy bed/seats on the return flight. And Amber signed us up for “premium economy” seats – not too bad! They served us something to eat constantly, there was room for my legs/feet and it really wasn’t too bad.

I thought that the flight was only 9 hours long… then I started kidding with the gentleman next to me that it was really only 6 hours and that after 3 hours we were already half way there. I think it kind of worked! I didn’t watch any TV but instead worked on some zentangles, played some games on my iPhone, edited some photos on the baby laptop – and honestly it really seemed much shorter than 10 hours.

I had also been getting a bit worried about the volcano situation. It looks like several non-stop flights from San Francisco to London were cancelled, but we’ve heard that flights from London to SFO were OK. In fact, I checked the Virgin Airlines blog on 5/27, and their lastest post was from 2 days earlier and read:

Whilst the eruption of Volcano Grimsvotn did not disrupt any of our flights the latest advice from UK National Air Traffic Services (NATS), the Civil Aviation Authority and the Met Office confirms the volcano has stopped erupting and the high concentration ash cloud is moving away from UK airspace. In view of this very positive news we foresee no disruption to our flying schedules over the coming days.

Also in the lucky category, Patrick and Amber live about 15 minutes from the airport – so the drive to their home was blissfully quick. Once home we ran out for some quick breakfast foods, a stop at Taco Bell and then…Ahhhhhhhhhh – a comfortable bed! Good tasting tap water! Real mochas! And sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I fly from San Jose (the other airport nearby) back to Seattle. It’ll be good to get home and crash in my own bed.

 

London’s Underground

We got a little confused when we left Heathrow after flying in from Cork today. We got on the correct Underground line, but got off a station early. We had to hoof it for a while (a whole 1.1 miles)  to get to our hotel for the night.  But, that lead me to look up some information on the London Underground – or “the tube”.  Our hotel is right near the Hounslow Central station, on the Picadilly line. Apparently this station opened in 1886! How is that possible? Wow…and as if that’s not enough, in 2009 3.8 MILLION people entered and exited this one tube station. Amazing.

Some general ”tube” facts:

• the oldest underground railway in the world, opening in 1863
• 270 stations
• 250 miles of tracks
• in 2007 over 1 billion passengers used the tube
• there is 1 fatal accident for every 300 million journeys

We spent a lot of time during our current trip on the Picadilly Line since it goes to Heathrow, our apartment, our current hotel, and connects to about every other line.  Some facts about just the Picadilly Line:

• 44 miles
• 53 stations
• about 1.8 million journeys a year

There are escalators in some Underground stations and these include some of the longest in Europe and all are custom-built. The longest escalator is at Angel Station, 197 ft long, with a vertical rise of 90 ft. They escalators run 20 hours a day, 364 days a year, with 95% of them operational at any one time and can handle 13,000 passengers per hour.

And don’t forget Harry Potter’s use of the London Underground - King’s Cross station is the starting point of the Hogwarts Express – on secret platform 9 3/4!

 

Aer Lingus

 

We left Ireland this morning and flew by Aer Lingus back to Heathrow, London. The flight was nice and uneventful and short – only about 1 hour. It’s basically take off, climb, then descend and land.

Aer Lingus is interesting though – or at least the flights I’ve been on have been. Patrick, Amber and I have used the same suitcases and same backpacks for our 2009, 2010 and now our 2011 trips. In 2009 we also flew Aer Lingus.

2009 flying from Heathrow to Dublin I was told that my carry-on suitcase was too heavy and would have to be checked, so it was. Patrick and Amber carried their suitcases on.

2009 flying from Dublin back to Heathrow, all of our carry-on suitcases were fine and none needed to be checked.

2011 flying from Heathrow to Cork we were told that all three of our carry-on suitcases were too big and would have to be checked, so we did.

2011 flying from Cork back to Heathrow, all of our carry-on suitcases were fine and none needed to be checked.

Where’s the consistency? Other than flying toward the east the rules are little more slack?

And, Aer Lingus charges for everything – even water during the flight. If I recall, it was 2.50 pounds (or was it Euros?) for a bottle of water. No thanks.

Here’s the view as we landed at Heathrow. Somehow we managed to get back into England without going through customs either – I hope that doesn’t come back to haunt us! LOL

And of course, an obligatory “ohhhhhhh, the clouds are so pretty when you fly so high” photo:

 

Suggestions for Next Time…

Just some random tips that I want to share – and to remember if there’s another trip in my future.

Things That Have Made Our Trip Nicer

• Don’t bring your best clothes. I have a white bra that’s gradually turned a nice shade of dark gray (I’m now calling it “silver”) with repeated washings.
• Learn to enjoy wrinkles. Doing your own wash? Expect lots of wrinkles. Worried about how your clothes will look in photos? Use lots of close-ups instead.
• Take comfortable clothes. We each packed 3 day’s worth of clothes for the entire trip. We wear the same things over and over again, so they’d better be easy on the body.
• Bring odor-eater shoe liners. Not necessarily that your feet will stink (but they might!), I’ve been replacing the liners in my shoes once a week. We do a lot of walking over here and ahhhhhhhhh – new squishy liners feel great.
• Plan what you’ll do, but don’t be rigid. The weather and special opportunities may cause changes in your plans. Enjoy them!
• Keep one camera ready at all times, set on “automatic”. Sometimes you just have to grab the camera and click.
• Bring a shopping bag that squishes into a small shape. Grocery stores here charge for cheap-o plastic shopping bags so it’s just easier to bring your own. I think in Dingle I was charged 0.16 euros, or about $.25 for one plastic bag. Our fabric shopping bag plus a backpack has worked for us every time.
• Be prepared for rain. Have a hood on your coat, have a way to dry off your camera lens.
• Know how to use your camera and practice before your trip. During your trip is not the time to miss a great shot because you were trying to figure out all the dials and gadgets. Even worse is if your camera’s settings get messed up and you cannot set them back to normal.
• Bring a small, collapsible insulated bag. We freeze water in a little plastic coke bottle overnight and throw that and perishable food in the little insulated bag so we’re ready for lunch on the road. We usually take our own cheese and water and buy fresh baked bread while we’re out.
• Bring a few sticky notes – you can tear them into strips and use them as bookmarks in your travel books and maps.
• Bring something small to do. I brought a little sketch book and pens and work on zentangles when it’s super early in the morning (like now – 6:00 a.m. and Patrick and Amber are still asleep). Patrick has games on his cell phone. Amber plans our route for the next day.
• Be prepared to walk – a lot. And be ready for stairs – a lot. Someone back home reminded me that ADA stands for the American Disabilities Act – and that it’s not a world-wide thing. So true, so true. We’ve seen very few people out and about with even canes, let alone walkers or wheelchairs. It seems like it’s “walk or stay home” around here. There are few curb cuts for wheelchairs, few elevators, no buttons to push to open doors, etc. In London if you use the underground – just remember that it’s often “underground” – which means flights of stairs and long walkways connecting one line with another. Wear comfortable shoes!
• And while I’m on the topic of shoes…if you’re planning on going out in the country and seeing the sites (highly recommended!) bring shoes with good grippy soles. You’ll be walking on gravel, dirt, pavement, rocks, etc. and usually they’re uneven and slippery.
• Look where you’re walking. Surfaces are very uneven and some stone staircases have been worn down to a slope after years of use. Staircases are often steep, narrow and have shallow steps too – my shoes often don’t fit well and I have to step down sideways. Concrete seems to be the walkway material of choice – and it’s hard on the ol’ feet.
• If you have a very strenuous/physical day planned, do it near the end of your trip. That way, if you overdo it and end up with blisters, strained muscles, sore knees, etc., it won’t affect the other important places you want to visit. As an example, we rearranged our trip so that we climbed the 500+ steps to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral near the end of our time in London, and only had walking around the British Museum (for the second time) left for the next day.

Food

• Try something new! I’ve been eating sushi, “double Gloucester” cheese, Irish brown soda bread, Amber and Patrick had Guinness stew last night.
• Eat lots of fresh fruit and veggies. It’s a little expensive, but still cheaper pound for pound that candy bars. There are so many sweets here it’s easy to end up with a grocery bag full of new kinds of chocolates, candy, pastry, etc. I don’t know how the folks over here stay so thin (well yeah, I do – everyone walks everywhere!). We’ve been eating lots of grapes, apples, bananas, and sometimes even strawberries or raspberries.  Tesco makes some great hummus – so I’ve been enjoying that with carrots, broccoli or cauliflower.
• If you can, cook some meals in. It’s expensive to eat out (15 euros for Guinness stew, or about $24.  My small bowl of soup and bread the other day was 4.50 euros – or $7.20).  Some of our favorite meals on this trip have been simple versions of soft tacos, spaghetti with garlic bread, fried egg on toast, eggs and refried beans on tortillas.
• Buy some familiar comfort food – I still buy Diet Coke over here and Amber and Patrick traditionally buy Pringles when they’re on the road (pricey here at $4.80 U.S. a can in the quicky marts!)
• If you’re a Splenda addict (who, me?), bring packs with you. While everywhere there seem to be packs of both white and brown sugar, often there’s no sugar-free options.

That’s it for now. I’ll add more things to this same post as I think of them.

 

Washing Clothes

One reason we rented an apartment while in London, and a townhouse while in Killarney is that it gives us a central location and “jumping-off” place for each day’s adventures – no packing and unpacking all the time. One other big reason is that both came with a washer/dryer.

Rick Steves says that launderettes in Ireland are usually not self-serve and instead you drop off your wash in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon, washed, dried and semi-folded.  It’s 10-12 euros per load ($16 or more).  I know Amber asked about washing 1 pair of jeans at our Holiday Inn near Stonehenge and it would take a day, and cost 10 pounds ($16).

Instead, we use the washer/dryer where we’re staying. It’s an odd arrangement though. First, who wants to lug a bunch of soap and dryer sheets with them while on vacation? Instead, we use Purex sheets that are like thick dryer sheets – but they’re both soap and dryer sheet combined. Don’t ask me how they work, but they do. And the washers here are very small so you can use ½ sheet for a load.

As for the washer/dryer – be ready if you plan on using one here. First, the controls are confusing, so it usually takes some experimentation to get them to work.  Second, it’s just 1 machine. Yup. The washer and dryer are the same appliance; there’s one machine that does both the washing and the drying. Third, it’s small. We’re doing wash every night. Fourth, it takes forever. A typical load, start to finish takes 3+ hours. And lastly, the clothes are never really dry. The instruction for our machine here in Killarney say that it dries clothes by condensation (?). I really don’t know what that means. When I think of condensation I think of beer ads that have condensation on the outside of the bottles. Every morning we take the clothes out of the machine and lay them all over the place – chairs, tables, over doors, (most places do have a drying rack) and by nightfall everything is finally dry. In other words, don’t plan on washing something and taking it right out of the machine and wearing it.

Did I mention that the washer/dryer always seems to be in the kitchen?

 

Saturday – not much new

We flew from London to Cork, Ireland today. Spent most of the day either at an airport, in the air, or driving to Killarney. No new pictures today.  But, we have at least (crappy) wi-fi at our townhouse – where we’ll be for the next few days .Of course, we have to go downstairs to the lobby to use the wi-fi…

Check out the previous posts which I wrote while we were in a Holiday Inn in Amesbury, near Stonehenge. They had FREE wi-fi at the Holiday Inn - but I use the term “free” loosely since you had to buy coffee or tea in the lounge/bar in order to get the “free” wi-fi. On principle alone I refused to use their “free” wi-fi.

 

Two Bothersome Pictures

The price of diesel over here… and please note, the price in the picture of PER LITRE… and it’s in POUNDS.  A quick approximation and conversion gives me: $9.15 a gallon.

And the second picture… does anything seem odd to you in this drive-thru for Kentucky Fried Chicken?