London to Cardiff and ready for the big game

Thursday 4th October (London)

The usual gentlemen’s hours with breakfast at 9.30am and out touring by 11.00am. Today we decided to catch the London Hop On Hop Off red bus to have a trip round London. We started at Marble Arch and had a great cockney guide who had a great sense of humour and knowledge of the city. In fact it is two cities. The City of London and the City of Westminster. Every entrance into the city of London has a gargoyle on each side of the road to show you are entering or leaving the city. When we got to St. Thomas Hospital the guide mentioned that it contained the Florence Nightingale museum so we got off and spent a couple of hours here as Pam has a particular interest with this history. One of my relatives (Pam typing) was a lady called Bessie (Simpson) nee Chant who was one of Florence Nightingale’s probationers in the U.K. She came to Sydney Hospital as one of the original Nightingale nurses to ever set foot in Australia and this initial group of nurses were based at Sydney Hospital. I’ve purchased an interesting book from the Nightingale Museum which is all about the original group and the problems, squalor, infection & disease they encountered. Apparently this relative was the only one of the original group who did not have a bad temper, but I get the impression she was a little more than friendly with one of her patients, whom she eventually married after becoming pregnant! Fascinating museum especially as Nightingale was extremely well bred & educated, had plenty of money and was supposed to have married a nobleman! She had a great deal of trouble convincing her family that she wanted to nurse and because of the families connections with member of Parliament she was able to affect change very well. Even in those days she was interested in management and efficiencies! Remarkable lady who spent all of the last years of her life in bed due to ill health, writing articles and submissions about architectural layout etc. Fascinating! Called into Harrods for a little look – amazing store and then walked back to our hotel via the park and the Serpentine which was lovely as the sun was just setting. Cool and fresh but wonderful.
Had tea at another pub and after tea Pam managed a bit more of Oxford Street shopping and Paul caught the underground to meet a mate who he had not seen since high school days and had caught up with via an internet site called Old Friends. He had a very interesting night it was resolved that they should not wait another 40 years.

Friday 5th October (London to Cardiff)

A reasonable start time with a 10.30am “be at the bus with your bags”. A bit of consternation on the part of the bus driver as he tried to get all the bags in the coach. This is not a backbackers tour and every one has at least one big suitcase and a reasonable pull along. Trying to fit 47 large and 40 odd small cases in a coach is not an easy task but we did make it and then off to Cardiff for the long awaited quarter final between Australia and England (which we will watch on TV and NZ and France which we will watch at Millennium Stadium. Lunch at a motorway services which was notable only for the bad service and very average food. To go from quaint French village food to England motorway services is really from the sublime to the ridiculous. We arrive in Cardiff about 3.00pm and after checking into our fairly average room especially after our lovely room at The Thistle in London. Off to check out the shops and a bank as we are a bit low on “Poonds”.