visits with friends near London

Instead of doing the Eurostar to the UK, I explored Brittany and Normandy in France before taking the ferry to England and visiting friends in the south then headed to Norwich to visit more friends.\r

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Sunday 10 April (same day as Paris Marathon)\r

Paris via Rennes to St Malo on train\r

1005 Depart Paris Montparnasse TGV 8715\r

1213 Arrive Rennes\r

1223 Depart Rennes SNCF 54405\r

1318 Arrive St Malo \r

Roamed the old walled city of St Malo with its fortresses and was able to walk out to the Fort Nation because of the low tide...many other islands with forts in the distance. St Malo is really a much more beautiful city than I imagined. Also confirmed my ferry on Brittany ferries to Portsmouth. Stayed at great Auberge l'Hermine near the train station and close to hire car pickup.\r

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Monday 11 April - Friday 15 April\r

Hire car in St Malo at 48 Blvd de la Republique\r

M-F 8-12,2-7; Sat 8-12,2-6; Sun closed\r

Visit Mont St Michel, Dinan, Dinard, maybe Normandie beaches.\r

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11 April \r

Picked up car early morning although they were having computer problems so took awhile. Enjoying Brittany and Normandie but will have limited access to internet. Mont St Michel is great and now heading to Normandie beaches via route de baie. Visited the Cimetiere Allemand at Mont de Hiusnes. Overnite at Auberge Les Oiseaux de la Mer on coast east of st michel with bed and breakfast and even a small kitchen. Great weather but back to french keyboard.....\r

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12 April\r

Early morning start to drive out to Mont St Michel to watch tide come in and also to be there when no one else around...heaps of fog though. Then drove to Brittany American cemetery near St James and talked to the American caretaker Gerald Arseneault who is retired from the Army. Then on highway to Bayeaux(about 100km from Pontorson) via Forbes castle at Beyrolles. Rushed to get to Bayeaux before tourist office closed at noon. Saw the tapestry and enjoyed film on its history. Then headed to northern Normandie beaches which were much more crowded. Had great sunny day on the northern Normandie coast visiting the American cemetery near Colleville Mer but too many noisy young folks. Stayed at a wonderful chateau in the top bedroom in turret with views of the sea. Met american couple from CT and bicyclists from Wisconsin. Great breakfast with homemade bread and eggs from the chickens in the barn.\r

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13 April - Rain....drove slowly drive back to St Malo via Carentan and Coutance and Granville. Stayed in wonderful old villa...Hotel des Bains... on the sea in Saint Jean le Thomas with view of Mont St Michel...although a bit limited due to rain.\r

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14 April\r

More rain but lovely drive along the backroads on the coast overlooking Mont St Michel then motorway to Dinan where the rain has stopped for my walk around the walled city on the river with great morning market. Only 20 km from St Malo/Dinard from where I take the ferry tomorrow.\r

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Friday 15 April \r

Brittany Ferry Val de Loire from St Malo to Portsmouth\r

1045 - 1830\r

Sunny day on the ferry and hung out on the back deck to get some sunshine. Only 350 folks on and the maximum is 2200. \r

Managed to lug my bags the half mile to the Travelodge for my overnite in Portsmouth.\r

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Saturday 16 April \r

Southern line train Portsmouth to Lewes via Brighton\r

Portsmouth Harbour 08:10 Train Southern\r

Brighton Station 09:40 09:54 Train Southern \r

Arrive Lewes 10:09 \r

Duration: 1:59 \r

Met an older man on the train from the area and he pointed out all the sites of interest as he used to work on the railroad....he was meeting a friend to see a show on model rail cars. Also met a woman from IBM Hungary doing work in Portsmouth. Eric picked me up at the train station and we wandered the old town of Lewes before going to their cottage near East Hoathly. He and Brendan and I did a wonderful walk through the countryside admiring the old houses and farms and beautiful gardens (the English bluebells are now blooming as are the fields of rape seed).\r

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Sunday 17 April (day of the London marathon)\r

Eric and Brendan and I drove to sea near Beachy Heads and walked out to the beach and enjoyed the sunshine and huge chalk cliffs. This area is known as the Southern Downs with its green rolling hills. We also passed the artwork of the Wilmington Long Man and the White Horse. \r

//www.hows.org.uk/personal/hillfigs/lmw/lmw.htm\r

Dinner of lamb at Kings Head pub in East Hoathly.\r

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Monday 18 April\r

Eric dropped me in Brighton to do a walkabout while he worked at his office out of his home. Rain last evening but a gorgeous day today. Walked the Palace Pier and roamed through the small lanes and shops. Had a great tour of the Royal Pavilion built by George IV in the 1800's. \r

http://www.royalpavilion.org.uk/\r

Eric picked me up at 5:30 then we all had dinner at Black Boys pub in the village of Black Boys.\r

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Tuesday 19 April\r

0900-1016 Lewes to Victoria Station\r

on Circle line tube to Liverpool Street\r

1130-1327 Liverpool St to Norwich\r

1345-1411 Norwich to North Walsham\r

Traveled via Southern train from Lewes to Victoria Station in London then tube to Liverpool Street and then OneRailway to Norwich and transferred to train to North Walsham. Polly and Peter picked me up at the station and we drove to their wonderful house on sixty acre farm where we watched the pheasant roaming around their gardens.\r

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Wednesday 20 April\r

Explored the village of North Walsham and visited the Parish Church of St Nicholas. Polly and Peter and I drove around the countryside visiting the villages of Edingthorpe (where Polly and Peter are working to restore the All Saints Church there), Bacton, Walcott, Suttons Staithe (where Peter grew up as child at the Broadside Cottage), Hickling Broad (large waterway surrounded by reeds and where you can hire a wherry and explore the waterways), Happisburgh (where the sea is taking away the land...beautiful lighthouse). We had a wonderful dinner at The Hill House in Happisburgh (pronounced Hasboro) and chatted witht the proprieter Clive Stockton. \r

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Thursday 21 April\r

Sunny day with plans to drive to Norwich to pick up Aunt Helen at the hospital. Peter dropped me in Norwich and enjoyed walking the old town, visiting the castle and the cathedral and the Forum an many shops....but the Starbucks is closed for renovation. Returned to North Walsham by train and walked back to the Bowles farm after picking Gelatelli ice cream at Lidls. Also visited the local motorcycle museum which is so full of bikes that you can barely get in the door. A neighbour Chris was visiting and we sat in the sun with snacks and chatted...a lovely afternoon.\r

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Friday 22 April\r

Another sunny day on Muckle Hill Farm! Went for countryside walk along Paston Way to Pigney's Wood in the Knapton Parish. Many public paths here along the canals but some end at a road and have no path on the other side....so I just went through the fields and found my way back. We had dinner with friends Judith (retired vet and now doing beautiful bookbinding), Bill (retired Army linguist), his wife Hillary (still working for in the vet office) and had wonderful homemade bread pudding for dessert.\r

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Saturday 23 April\r

0913-0940 North Walsham to Norwich\r

1000-1154 Norwich to Liverpool St\r

tube to Victoria\r

Return train to London to stay with Julian and Mike. Julian met me at the Liverpool Street station where I enjoyed a mocha at Starbucks waiting for him. A bit overcast and drizzle in London. We joined several folks from our Africa trip for dinner at Pico's Bar and Grill Portuguese restaurant near where he and Mike live near Vauxhall station. You can hear the trains rumbling overhead!\r

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/restaurants/view.php?venueid=417\r

There was Mike, Julian, Jodie and Nigel, Pete and his friend Chris, Frank and his girlfriend Jane, Renata, Amy and her friend Kelly.\r

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Sunday 24 April\r

A sunny day in London so went for walkabout. Since there was no queue at the London Eye wheel, I paid my 12.50 GBP and rode for the thirty minute view of London from the air thanks to British Airways. Also did the kitschy thing and bought the photo of me that they take as you are descending. Road to 134 bus to Highgate Cemetery but they only allowed 12 people in on the tour for the west side and too many were in the queue for the 2pm tour and they also charged for the east side where Karl Marx is buried so wandered the outside peeking in....very overgrown! Wandered back down to Archway via the Waterlow Park and saw the Dick Whittington Stone Hill memorial with his cat then took the 17 bus to London Bridge via various sites. Wanted to take the tube back to Julian's but the Circle, District, Jubilee, Metropolitan and Waterloo lines were down so walked back to St Paul's to take the Central to Victoria line at Oxford Circus for ride to Vauxhall, near where Julian and Mike live....that is about half of the train lines not operating! Julian cooked fajitas for dinner and we watched Withnail and I film although we were all so tired that we did not finish it!\r

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Monday 25 April\r

A very rainy day in London and got soaked as I walked to Trafalgar to use Easy Internet. Walked to Victoria Station to catch a bus to do the cheap tour with my travelcard. As I walked via Buckingham Palace, there was still a crowd at 1150 even though the changing of the guard is scheduled for 1130. I found from another woman that it had been delayed so decided to hang out and see it....and then the Queen drove by....what a treat!!!\r

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Tuesday 26 April (record locator XF1RZ1)\r

0800 - depart LHR London Heathrow UA 923\r

1125 - arrive IAD Washington Dulles \r

Arrived in sunny Virginia and now at the public library in Centerville for free internet.\r

Hired a car and plan to stay with college friends in Opal for two nights and then stay with a high school friend in Arlington for one night. I will then drop off the hire car at Amtrak on Saturday even though they are closed! \r

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Wednesday 27 April\r

Ron and Trish Swanson (next page)\r

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Thursday 28 April\r

Christine Dewald (next page)\r

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Friday 29 April\r

Christine Dewald (next page)\r

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Saturday 30 April\r

probably no internet for a few days as I ride the train.....\r

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changes in email from amtrak:\r

29 C WAS-CHI 355P SA 30APR 825A 01MAY EB 007 2900 \r

5 C CHI-EMY 150P SU 01MAY 449P 03MAY EA 005 0532 \r

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1720 now 1555 depart Washington DC Union Station for Chicago on the Amtrak Capitol Limited #29. \r

Sunday 1 May \r

1019 now 0825 arrive Chicago\r

1420 now 1350 depart Chicago for Emeryville on the California Zephyr #5. \r

Tuesday 3 May \r

1709 now 1649 arrive Emeryville California! \r

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Monday 9 May \r

1644 Depart SF on AS #387 \r

1846 Arrive Seattle\r

1950 Depart Seattle AS #79 \r

2117 Arrive Juneau\r

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www.nationalrail.co.uk