Normal service will be resumed......

I'm interrupting my London 2013 posts to tell you that today I booked our next big holiday!   It's quite soon, September 15th, which means I can get excited about it straight away.  The map below shows the route we will be taking on the Rocky Mountain Railtour.

 

Here's our itinerary.

Day 1 London - Calgary - Banff

Titan’s VIP Home Departure Service® transports you from your front door to London’s Heathrow Airport and your scheduled Air Canada flight to Calgary. On arrival our coach transports you to Banff, set in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and our hotel the Banff International.

Day 2 Banff - Lake Louise - Banff

Today we tour the surrounds of Banff and also visit famous lake Louise. Take a stroll by the lakeside and visit the Chateau, a luxury hotel, with cafes and bars to enjoy. This is Canada’s best known lake, renowned for its beautiful setting and magical view of the Victoria Glacier. Returning to Banff and our hotel, we are free this evening to discover some of the town’s nightlife that includes a good selection of restaurants.

Day 3 Banff - Columbia - Icefield Jasper

This morning we take the Icefields Parkway from Banff National Park. This stunningly scenic road links these two great parks, and for over 140 miles takes us through jagged mountain peaks and high forested valleys, passing emerald lakes and mountain fed streams, waterfalls and rivers. The halfway point is the spectacular Columbia Icefield, one of the biggest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Artic Circle. Here we take an included Ice Explorer ride on to the surface of the Athabasca Glacier( subject to favourable weather conditions). Your journey is lead by an experienced driverguide, who shares a wealth of fascinating information about glaciers, icefields and their impact on our environment. There is also the opportunity to safely step out onto the glacier and stand on this powerful ancient ice. Turning west we enter Jasper National Park; 4,200 acres of alpine forests, natural hot springs, white – water rivers, tranquil valleys and jagged snow-capped mountains. We drive to the centre of Jasper town and our hotel for the next two nights, the Chateau Jasper.

Day 4 Jasper

Today we enjoy an unforgettable journey to Maligne Canyon and then to one of the most photographed spots in the world, the breathtaking Maligne Lake. Here we may have the opportunity for an optional cruise to Spirit Island. We return to Jasper where time is free to relax and enjoy the town. This evening we have included a dinner.

Day 5 Jasper - Kamloops

This morning we have an early start to board the Rocky Mountaineer train for what has been called the most spectacular train journey in the world. Your journey offers an exhilarating range of scenery as you pass by Mount Robson, the expansive glaciers of the Albreda Icefields and the Pyramid Falls. Travel through the snowy peaks of the Monashee Mountains and then follow the Thompson River before arriving into historic Kamloops, the gateway to the Interior of British Columbia. Your accommodation in Kamloops is arranged by Rocky Mountaineer.

Day 6 Kamloops - Vancouver

Our second day aboard the Rocky Mountaineer and another exciting journey of stunning vistas awaits us. You will see dramatic changes in scenery, from the desert- like environment of the interior, through winding river canyons and forests surrounded by peaks of the Coast and Cascade Mountains, to the lush green fields of the Fraser River Valley. Highlights include the steep slopes and rock sheds along the Thompson River and the rushing waters of Hell’s Gate in the Fraser Canyon. As the end of our journey draws near, the skyline of Vancouver is soon in sight. On arrival our coach awaits to transfer us to our hotel, the Coast Coal Harbour.

Day 7 Vancouver

This morning we have arranged a short orientation tour of Vancouver. After this you are free to explore at your leisure or join our optional excursion to Grouse Mountain and Capilano Suspension Bridge. In quaint Gastown you will find many interesting shops, cafés and restaurants. Chinatown is well worth a visit to experience the bustle of this always exciting area of the city.

Day 8 Vancouver - Victoria

This morning we drive to Tsawwassen, to take the ferry through the glorious Gulf Islands region with towering Douglas Fir trees climbing the hills on all sides to Swartz Bay. We continue to the world famous Butchart Gardens, reclaimed from a limestone quarry in 1904 and now a riot of colour and fragrance covering over 30 acres. These beautiful gardens have long been one of Vancouver Island’s premier attractions and include Rose, Japanese, and Italian gardens. Later this afternoon we continue to the Victoria, provincial capital of British Columbia and our hotel the Executive House Hotel.

Day 9 Victoria

Today is free for you to enjoy and explore Victoria and its many attractions, shops and perhaps some of its colonial heritage, such as the Legislative Building and the Empress Hotel for afternoon tea. The evening offers a chance to sample the range of fine restaurants around the harbour.

Day 10 Victoria - Vancouver - London

This morning we leave Victoria behind and drive to Nanaimo, where we take the spectacular ferry crossing through the Strait of Georgia to Horseshoe Bay. There may be some time for last minute shopping in Vancouver before transferring to the airport, for your Air Canada scheduled flight to London Heathrow.

Day 11 London

Arrival at London Heathrow Airport where our staff will greet and transfer you to Titan transport for the journey home.


The tour company we have booked with, Titan, pick us up from our front door to take us to the airport and on our return they collect us from the airport and return us to our front door.  We have booked The Gold Leaf Service for the Rocky Mountaineer, for that extra comfort and luxury, you can see the details here.

We have read numerous reviews, which are all really good, especially the ones about Gold Leaf Service.   It's an expensive trip but it is one that MWM particularly wants to do (you know how much he loves trains) and as it's his 65th birthday this year I let him choose - aren't I kind?

So now we are waiting for all the paperwork, oh and we are waiting for our renewed passports, our passports were valid until February 2014 but as we have to have six months on them to travel we had to renew them.

If any of you have actually done this trip I'd love to hear your thoughts on it and if you happen to live in any of the places we will be visiting maybe we could meet up.   Any tips on what the weather may be like and what clothes would be suitable to take with us would be appreciated.

I'm excited!

London 2013 Part 1........

We had a fabulous time in London last weekend!   We travelled down by train from Manchester First Class for the 2 hour 12 minute journey to Euston Station.

We got a taxi from Euston Station to our hotel (The Caring Hotel) in Bayswater, our base for three nights, where we quickly unpacked.    After getting settled in we walked the short way to the nearest tube station (Queensway) to catch the tube to Oxford Circus to have a walk around and find our destination for that evening.  On the way to the tube on Leinster Gardens, just round the corner from our hotel, we noticed a terrace of houses that seemed a bit odd.

It's maybe hard to tell from the photos but on number 23 and 24 the windows and doors are blanked out, this is because they are literally just a facade.   When the underground railway route of the line between Paddington and Bayswater (opened in 1868) it necessitated the demolition of 23 and 24 Leinster Gardens, situated on a long, upmarket terrace of five story houses, and it was decided to build a 5ft-thick facade which matched the houses either side of the break, hence the facades.  You can read more about them and see photographs of the backs here.



When we got to the city centre the first place of interest we found was

and some Hare Krishna devotees dancing and chanting.

Our next stop was St. James' Tavern for some liquid refreshment, we didn't want to eat as we had already booked dinner at a restaurant but the food they were serving looked really good and very popular.

We finished our drinks and made our way to Grace Bar at 6 p.m. for a pre-theatre dinner, which we had booked as part of a package which included tickets to see Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward Theatre.   Our two course meal was delicious, I had a starter and a main and MWM had a main and a dessert - you can tell who has the sweet tooth. 

 Inside Grace Bar

We thought we had got a really good deal on the tickets for the show and the pre-theatre meal at £44 each, though the seats for the show were 'up in the gods'.  However when we arrived at the theatre they were offering upgrades on our tickets for £10 each to seats in the stalls, which we jumped at and ended up with the best seats in the house which should have cost £84 each!

 The stage at Prince Edward Theatre from where we were sitting.

 I can honestly say the show was F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C.!  The actor playing Frankie Valli sounded exactly like the man himself, the scene changes were effortless and amazing and the whole cast were superb!   If the show ever comes to Manchester we would definitely go to see it again, even MWM, who went to see the show for my benefit said he would like to see it again, it was that good.

Once the show had finished we had to catch the tube back to Bayswater but we called in a little pub not far from our hotel (The Leinster Arms)  for a nightcap, before retiring for the night.

Join me next time for sightseeing in London 2013 Part 2.

Signs....

 Sign  over a Gynecologist's Office:  "Dr.  Jones, at your cervix." 

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   In a  Podiatrist's office: "Time  wounds all heels."  

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 In  a Vets waiting room:  "Be  back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"  

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In  a Restaurant window:  "Don't  stand there and be hungry; come on in and get  fed up." 

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In  the front yard of a Funeral Home:  "Drive  carefully. We'll wait."  

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And  don't forget the sign at a  RADIATOR  SHOP: "Best  place in town to take a leak." 

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Sign  on the back of yet another 
Septic  Tank Truck: "Caution  - This Truck is full of Political  Promises"  

On a  Septic Tank Truck: Yesterday's  Meals on Wheels 

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On  a Plumber's  truck:  "We  repair what your husband fixed."  

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 On  another Plumber's truck:  "Don't  sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."  

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On  a Church's Bill board:  "7  days without God makes one weak."

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At  a Tyre Store  "Invite  us to your next blowout."  

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On  an Electrician's truck:  "Let  us remove your shorts."

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In  a Non-smoking Area:  "If  we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and  take appropriate action.."  

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 On  a Maternity Room door:  "Push.  Push. Push." 

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At  an Optometrist's Office:  "If  you don't see what you're looking for, you've  come to the right place."  

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  On a  Taxidermist's window:  "We  really know our stuff." 

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 On  a Fence: "Salesmen  welcome! Dog food is expensive!"

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 At  a Car Dealership: "The  best way to get back on your feet - miss a car  payment." 

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 Outside  a Car Exhaust Store:  "No  appointment necessary. We hear you  coming." 

Off to London to see The Queen.....

We're off on our trip to London today, back on Sunday.  We have so many things planned starting with the theatre tonight to seeThe Jersey Boys.  We will be taking lots of photos whilst sightseeing of cours and  I will tell you all about what we do and see in the coming weeks.   We found out it's Trouping The Colour on Saturday, which we didn't realise when we booked the trip, so Saturday morning will find us with the throngs on The Mall and hopefully we will see the Queen!

See you soon.

Friday 55 Flash Fiction #218 Urgent.....

Jumping in the car he sped off.

Time was of the essence, Helen needed him.

He'd always been a careful driver but urgency made him reckless.

Oblivious of the red light, he heard the siren.

"Have you been drinking Sir?  Breathe into the machine please".

He'd forgotten about his liquid lunch, until the policeman spoke.

Friday 55 Flash Fiction is brought to you by G-man (Mr Knowitall). The idea is you write a story in exactly 55 words. If you want to take part pop over and let G-man know when you've posted your 55.

Change of plan......

We really wanted to see the new British Museum Exhibition: Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum, so we booked a trip to London for June, Friday to Sunday, which included transport and two nights B&B in the Hilton Hotel on Canary Wharf, then got online and booked tickets to see the exhibiton on the Friday afternoon that we arrive in London.  

Imagine how disappointed we were last Monday to receive a letter from the coach company saying due to lack of interest they were having to cancel the trip!    As we had already booked tickets for the exhibition we decided to arrange transport and accommodation ourselves.    MWM checked online and found First Class  return rail tickets on the Thursday for £76 each, which will include lunch and drinky poos on the way down, and I found a small hotel in Bayswater, with great customer reviews, offering B&B at a reasonable rate, so for approx £150 more than the original trip we have an extra day in London travelling First Class.    

We also wanted to see The Jersey Boys at Prince Edward Theatre whilst we we're in London and I looked for tickets for the Saturday evening; the cheapest tickets I could find were in the Grand Circle and priced at £48 each,  but as we we're now going a day earlier I looked for tickets for the Thursday evening and found a great deal - two Grand Circle seats including a two course meal at a nearby restaurant, Grace Bar, for £45 each! 

Besides seeing the British Museum exhibition we also have plans to do a tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre,  see St Paul's Cathedral, a trip up The Shard (maybe) and, if weather permits, we may also visit Kew Gardens.   

Everything organised now, we just need the weather to be kind to us, keep your fingers crossed for 13th - 16th June 2013 please. 

Friday 55 Flash Fiction #217 Moving again...

I don't want to move again.

Every flaming year you insist I move.

I like it here, I'm comfortable and I've done well, leave me be!

Only a couple of months ago you said I was 'blooming'!

"You'll do much better over there by the greenhouse next year" 

said the gardener to the rose bush. 

Friday 55 Flash Fiction is brought to you by G-man (Mr Knowitall). The idea is you write a story in exactly 55 words. If you want to take part pop over and let G-man know when you've posted your 55.

Ponderisms.....

These, received in an email, made me ponder.....

I used to eat a lot of natural foods, until I learned that most people die from natural causes.


There are two kinds of pedestrians – the quick and the dead.


Life is sexually transmitted.


Healthy is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
 
The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
 
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
 
Have you noticed since everyone has a cell phone these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?
 
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
 
All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
 
How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
 
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out'? Hmmmmm, How about eggs ? . . .
 
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
 
Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?
 
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?


Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?


 
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
 
Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Friday 55 Flash Fiction #216 Hiding Place......

"I'll hide them in the plantpots" she thought "they will be safe in there."

She quickly planted the first one, carefully covering it with the soil

Repeating the sequence she secreted a second, third and fourth in different pots.

"Now I just have to remember where I've hidden them when winter arrives" thought the squirrel.

Friday 55 Flash Fiction is brought to you by G-man (Mr Knowitall). The idea is you write a story in exactly 55 words. If you want to take part pop over and let G-man know when you've posted your 55.

The wisdom of 6year olds......

A 1st grade school teacher had twenty-six students in her class. She presented each child in her classroom the 1st half of a well-known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you.. While reading, keep in mind that these are first-graders, 6-year-olds, because the last one is a classic!

 

1.	Don't change horses	until they stop running.
2.	Strike while the	bug is close.
3.	It's always darkest before	Daylight Saving Time.
4.	Never underestimate the power of	termites.
5.	You can lead a horse to water but	how?
6.	Don't bite the hand that	looks dirty.
7.	No news is	impossible.
8.	A miss is as good as a	Mr.
9.	You can't teach an old dog new	math.
10.	If you lie down with dogs, you'll	stink in the morning.
11.	Love all, trust	me.
12.	The pen is mightier than the	pigs.
13.	An idle mind is	the best way to relax.
14.	Where there's smoke there's	pollution.
15.	Happy the bride who	gets all the presents.
16.	A penny saved is	not much.
17.	Two's company, three's	the Musketeers.
18.	Don't put off till tomorrow what	you put on to go to bed.
19.	Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and	you have to blow your nose.
20.	There are none so blind as	Stevie Wonder.
21.	Children should be seen and not	spanked or grounded.
22.	If at first you don't succeed	get new batteries.
23.	You get out of something only what you	see in the picture on the box.
24.	When the blind lead the blind	get out of the way.
25.	A bird in the hand	is going to poop on you.
And the WINNER and last one!
26.	Better late than	pregnant.

IOW Part 4.......

Thursday morning, after breakfast, found us on the coach going back to Cowes to catch a boat, which would take us across The Solent to Portsmouth habour.

Portsmouth with the Spinnaker Tower in the distance.

Spinnaker Tower is a 170 metre (560ft) landmark tower in Portsmouth.  It is the centrepiece of the redevelopment of Portsmouth Harbour,   its shape was chosen by Portsmouth residents from a selection.  The tower, designed by a local firm of architects reflects Portsmouth's maritime history by its being modelled after a sail.  The tower was opened on 18th October 2005.

Fort Blockhouse

Fort Blockhouse was first built on the Gosport side of Portsmouth harbour in 1495 with 5 guns.  Henry VIII ordered it replaced with an 8 gun battery as part of his Device Forts in 1539.  This had probably vanished by 1667 when Bernard de Gomme installed a 21 gun battery for Charles II. In 1708 the fort was rebuilt on an irregular trave.  Upgrading was done at the turn of the 19th century, and again in  1845 from which time most remains date.  The site was considered obsolete by the Royal commission, and it was turned over to the Navy, where as HMS Dolphin, it has been the home of the submarine service for years.

Passing a ferry on The Solent.

In this next picture you can see three of the four Solent's Forts - Horse-Sands, No Man's Land, St. Helens and Spitbank.  They were never used in anger and have become known locally as "Palmerston's Follies" after the Prime Minister of the time.

The middle fort, just behind the Hovercraft,  is roughly the area where Henry VIII's warship The Mary Rose was raised from the sea bed.  After serving for 33 years in several wars against France, Scotland and Brittany and after being substantially rebuilt in 1536, she saw her last action on 19 July 1545. While leading the attack on the galleys of a French invasion fleet, she sank in the Solent. The wreck  was rediscovered in 1971 and salvaged in 1982 by the Mary Rose Trust in one of the most complex and expensive projects in the history of maritime archaeology. The finds include weapons, sailing equipment, naval supplies and a wide array of objects used by the crew. Many of the artefacts are unique to the Mary Rose and have provided insights into topics ranging from naval warfare to the history of musical instruments. Since the mid-1980s, while undergoing conservation, the remains of the hull have been on display at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and an extensive collection of well-preserved artefacts is on display at the nearby Mary Rose Museum.   Unfortunately we didn't have time to go to see the remains of the hull or visit the Mary Rose Museum.

The Spice Island Inn, overlooking Portsmouth Harbour,

was, apparently, at the centre of the red light district in times gone by, and the place where drunken sailors last remember being when they awoke, having been press ganged onto one of His Majesty's ships.

As we sailed into Portsmouth Dockyard the first ship we saw was HMS Warrior, one of two armoured frigates built for the Royal Navy in 1859–61. She and her sister ship HMS Black Prince were the first armour-plated, iron-hulled warships.

The next ship we saw was HMS Edinburgh (D97) which had just arrived that morning.

Edinburgh was built by Cammell Laird of Birkenhead and was launched on 14 April 1983 and commissioned on the 17 December 1985. The largest of the Type 42 destroyers, Edinburgh is known as the "Fortress of the Sea", she will be the last Type 42 destroyer to serve in the Royal Navy and is scheduled to be decommissioned in June, after a tour of the British Isles.  As we sailed by, some of the crew and visitors waved to us, and our captain played "Land Of Hope & Glory" over the PA system which brought tears to everyone's eyes.

We were very lucky that day that so many of the British fleet were in dock for one reason or another, here are some of them.

HMS Illustrious (R06),  is the second of three Incincible-class light aircradt carriers built for the Royal Navy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and is affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty" .

HMS Defender (D36)  is the fifth Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the Royal Navy.   She is the eighth ship to bear the name.

In the next photo, in the background between the two newer ships, is HMS Victory, famous as Lord Nelson's Flagship at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805.  She is 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765.

HMS Lancaster (F229) is a 'Duke' class Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy.  She is known as "The Queen's Frigate",  the Duke of Lancaster being an honorary title of the Sovereign. She is also known as The Red Rose Frigate, after the emblem of Lancashire.

HMS Duncan (D37), Seven Royal Navy ships have been named HMS Duncan, after Admiral Adam Duncan, hero of the Battle of Camperdown.

HMS Dauntless (D33) and Diamond (34), Type 45 or Daring-class air defence destroyers.

HMS Bristol (D23), a Type 82 destroyer, the only vessel of her class to be built for the Royal Navy.  Originally intended as the first of a class of new large destroyers to escort the CVA-01 aircraft carriers projected to come into service in the early 1970s, Bristol turned out to be a unique ship. The rest of the class were cancelled when the CVA-01 carriers fell victim to the 1966 Strategic Defence Review.

HMS Endurance (A171), MV Polar Circle was built in Norway in 1990, chartered by the Royal Navy as HMS Polar Circle, and finally purchased as HMS Endurance. She is a former Antarctic ice patrol ship, and is a class 1A1 icebreaker.

HMS Richmond (F239) is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy.   She was launched on 6 April 1993 by Lady Hill-Norton, wife of the late Admiral of the Fleet the Lord Hill-Norton,  and was the last warship to be built by Swan Hunter shipbuilders.  The ship behind the Richmond is HMS St Albans (F83), another Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is the sixth ship to bear the name and is the sixteenth and final ship in the 'Duke' class of frigates. She is based in Portsmouth. I don't know the name of the third ship in the line up.

HMS Westminster (F237), a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, and the second ship to bear the name. She was launched on 4 February 1992. Westminster was used for the interior shots in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies in three different roles - as HMS Chester, HMS Devonshire and HMS Bedford. For the exterior shots a model was constructed.

HMS Ark Royal  a decommissioned light aircraft carrier and former flagship of the Royal Navy She was the third and final vessel of Invincible-class. Affectionately known as The Mighty Ark, she is the fifth Royal Navy ship to have borne the name of the 1587 flagship that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588. Originally intended to be named Indomitable to match the rest of the class, this was changed due to the public reaction to the loss of the Ark Royal name after the scrapping of the previous Ark Royal in 1980, after 30 years' service.

The Araguari (P122) The Brazilian Navy's third and final BAE Systems-built Amazonas-class ocean patrol vessel (OPV).

A Fyffes Banana boat.   Fyffes Line was the name given to the fleet of passenger-carrying banana boats owned and operated by the UK banana importer Elders & Fyffes Limited.

This next shot shows where Commander Lionel Kenneth (Buster) Crabb OBE, GM (28th January 1909 - presumed dead 19th April 1956), who was a British Royal Navy frogman and MI6 diver who vanished during a reconnaissance mission around a Soviet cruiser berthed at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1956.  Apparently he was diving round the Soviet cruiser and never surfaced.  A headless and handless corpse was found some time later which couldn't be identified but someone recognised a distinguishing feature on the corpse so it was presumed to be Crabb. The ship berthed there in this photo is the Illustrious.

I had a sobering thought whilst touring the dockyards - if some foreign leader had decided to bomb Portsmouth dockyards that day they would have destroyed half our fleet!

As we headed out of the dockyard we saw Domus Dei, now also known as the Royal Garrison Church, it was an almshouse and hospice established in 1212 in Portsmouth and is an English Heritage property and a listed Ancient Monument.  On 10 January 1941 the buildings of Domus Dei were partially destroyed in an attack by German bombers. The Garrison church remains, albeit roofless, as a popular tourist attraction.  It was also used as the set for Horatio Hornblower's wedding in Hornblower:Duty, 2003.

Sailing back to the IOW we spotted Norris Castle, located on the Isle of Wight it can be seen from the Solent, standing on the northeast point of East Cowes. The castle was designed by James Wyatt for Lord Henry Seymour. It has a galleted facade with crenellations, but all of this is for show as the castle has no defensive fortifications. The building's original function was entertaining. Despite its size, it has only four bedrooms. The illusion of size is created by the fact that most of the building is occupied by only one room, and a passageway.  Wyatt also designed the farmyard buildings that are further inland. They have the same design.King George IV visited the castle in 1819, and the future Queen Victoria with her mother the Duchess of Kent in 1831. Queen Victoria later purchased Osborne House, which is the next estate to the east.   In the second half of the twentieth century the castle was opened to the public; it is now closed.

We also spotted Osbourne House, the former royal residence of Queen Victoria.   Queen Victoria died at Osborne House in January 1901. Following her death, the house became surplus to royal requirements and was given to the state with a few rooms retained as a private royal museum dedicated to Queen Victoria. From 1903 until 1921 it was used as a junior officer training college for the Royal Navy known as the Royal Naval College, Osbourne. Today it is fully open to the public, unfortunately for us it didn't open to the public this year until the day after we left the IOW or we would have taken a tour of it.

We got back to our hotel about 1.30 p.m. and had a quick lunch in a cafe before having a walk around Sandown, when we found, yes you've guessed it, a nice pub (The Castle), with a real roaring log fire,  where we enjoyed a pint of real ale.

We enjoyed another delicious dinner at the hotel and some good entertainment then it was time to retire for the night, as we had an early start the next morning to catch the 9.30 a.m. ferry from Fishboure for our journey home.

We thoroughly enjoyed our few days in the IOW and would like to go back in the summer to enjoy the beaches and see the Mary Rose Museum and Osbourne House.

I hope you've enjoyed our IOW tour.