Days 32 & Onward

Dalek from the Doctor Who Exhibit in Cardiff

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Getting an Internet connection that is not dial up or that has a strong enough signal has been a problem for some time now.

Since leaving Ramsbury, we went to Barry, by way of Cardiff, where we checked off an important box for Elizabeth -- seeing the Doctor Who Exhibit. We then went on to Barry, checked into the Tadross Hotel (formerly my uncle Bob's local, the Bassett, but now considerably nicer and less rough.

Jeanette forgot when we were arriving, so when Nicholas and I arrived at the Seaview Labour Club and tapped her on the shoulder, she was genuinely shocked. We also saw Chris later that day, though he no longer keeps evening office hours at the Club.

Next day we visited, but also drove into Cardiff to do a little shopping and took a guided tour or Cardiff Castle. The day later, we drove up to revisit Caerphilly Castle.

After three nights in Barry, we drove up to Brecon to visit Florence -- well, to Llanddew, actually. .Nicholas and I stayed at the Wellington Hotel, in Brecon, as Florence's little cottage was a bit too small for all of us.

After this we drove down to Portsomouth, to break up the trip to Kent. Unfortunatel it was a little late to visit the Victory, but we did have a good wander around the Gunwhale Quays area -- a massive redevelopment next to the old naval docks.

Originally we planned to have a quick visit to the Victory, before driving on to Herne Bay. We wound up staying longer than expected at the Historic Naval Yards -- visiting the Warrior, the Victory and splitting into two groups to have Kathryn and Elizabeth visit the Mary Rose museum, while Nick and I went on a harbour cruise. We didn't set off from Portsmouth until 2 p.m.

Taking the coastal route was time consuming and our intended stop at Arundel did not come off because of an extreme downpour as we arrived. We finally arrived at Herne Bay in the early evening and went for dinner at the George and Dragon pub in Fordwich. The next day was a quiet one -- a sleep-in and a walk along the beach to Herne, Bay. before spending the evening with Bob and Ingrid.

An early start to our last day got us to Gatwick Airport shortly after 9 a.m., allowing us to check into the Marriott at the airport, return the car, and set off by train for a day in London by 10:30 a.m., arriving at London Victoria berore 11:00 a.m. Kathryn and Elizabeth went off into the East End to go to the Doctor Who store, then Kensington for tea at the Orangerie, and a further wander around Kensington. Nick and I went to the Monument (and got certificates proving we climbed the steps to the top), the Imperial War Museum, the Globe Theater, and a wander about the City. We all finished up with dinner at Garfunkels before returning to Gatwick to sleep.

Up at 5:00 a.m. and a flight lasting 12 hours finally brought us home.