From 29 October to 15 November 2015, we’ve been on holiday to the UK once again. Here’s our itinerary: Thursday 29 October 2015: We’re off to the UK! Friday 30 October 2015: First day in London Saturday 31 October 2015: Bach, Chopin, Shakespeare Sunday, 1 November 2015: London Transport Museum and Covent Garden Monday 2 November 2015: Selfridges and Oxford Street Tuesday 3 November 2015: [Weiterlesen]

As for every trip to the UK, this one ends with eating the donuts we’ve brought along at Gabi’s mother’s house. Photos: before / after. (My workmates at the office got two boxes as well.)

We leave our hotel at 9.30 am and head to the nearest Pret-à-Manger to get some food for our journey. We then drive eastbound and through Blackwall Tunnel underneath the Thames out of the city. It’s Sunday morning and the roads are almost empty so we make very good progress. We arrive at the Eurotunnel’s Folkestone terminal on time. Check-in and border controls are a [Weiterlesen]

In the evening, we headed to Tower Pier. The City Swiss Club London has invited us to a river cruise on the Thames with dinner and dance in celebration of the new Lord Mayor. The party takes place on the replica of a Mississippi steamboat. Roughly 200 people, many of them Swiss citizens living in the UK, participate in it. It’s quite strange that over [Weiterlesen]

The Lord Mayor of London is the City of London’s mayor, not to be confused with the mayor of greater London. He’s an important figure and is only subordinate to the Queen. Each year, a new Lord Mayor is elected and inaugurated with a parade, the so-called Lord Mayor’s Show. This year, the 800th of these shows takes place and we’ve got tickets for the [Weiterlesen]

We allow ourselves a slow start in Bristol, get up late and have pancakes and bacon for breakfast at Frankie & Benny’s. Afterwards, we drive around the university area where Gabi got her master’s diploma as a translator. There are mostly normal-sized buildings in Bristol and the uni resp. the School of Modern Languages is no exception. We drive over a suspension bridge that is [Weiterlesen]

In Cardiff in Wales, we visit the Doctor Who Experience. Doctor Who is a British Science Fiction series more or less unknown in Switzerland. The experience starts with a show in which our group helps to land the Tardis and find energy crystals in different Doctor Who set-ups to save the Earth. Then, it’s the museum part with lots of screen-used costumes, Daleks and other [Weiterlesen]

Today, Jess and her father are showing us Liverpool. The city belongs to the Unesco world heritage as has a lot to offer. In the old town, there are lots of huge old buildings – museums, art galleries, theatres. It’s Remembrance Day today and people are gathering in front of St. George’s Hall (the first and second photo) for two minutes of silence in honour [Weiterlesen]

The Trafford Centre in Manchester is the UK’s second largest shopping mall as far as retail space is concerned. We’re here to verify. 😉 And are a bit taken aback by the kitschy Rokkoko decorations in the inside. But, as time goes by, we must admit: They really made an effort to offer their customers a versatile shopping experience. Especially the food court area looks [Weiterlesen]

In the afternoon, it’s getting wilder! We’ve booked a Land Rover driving experience, in a Defender of course. Marc, our instructor, is a real hard core guy. He’s travelling all over the world to test and show off Land Rovers. We was in Norway recently to drive one on a frozen lake. He’d be taking us where other instructors don’t dare to go and, no [Weiterlesen]