Today ended up being the most
stressful on of our holiday! We were up early for breakfast and then checked
out at 8am. Michael and I plus suitcases and hand luggage in tow then set off
for Paddington Station to start our journey to where we were to collect the
Motor Home from. Everyone had told us how easy it was to use the ‘Underground
Tube’ but given that we haven’t used trains for so many years it was a little
daunting. Especially as the station we needed did not actually appear on the
map! We were unable to get anyone to tell us which platform we actually needed
(the information booth people were useless) we finally took a plunge and hoped
that the train we got on was correct. Fortunately it was and we had to then
change over to another train to get to the next stop – not a problem except
with all our luggage, there were only stairs between stations! Let me tell you,
those bags are heavy when you have to lug them any great distance. The final
train we caught was like a V-Line train to Geelong, very comfortable and
smooth.
We finally arrived at the Hemel Hempstead station after 2 hours of
stressful traveling where we phoned the Motor Home Company for our courtesy
pick up. Apparently we were at the wrong station – we found out that they
usually advise people to go to Flamstead which is a much easier journey to get
to their depot! We will be looking for those directions on our return visit.
Once all the necessary paperwork
and inspection & instruction of the vehicle were complete we were finally
able to head off for this part of our holiday. The inside of the Motor Home is very compact with a tiny kitchen & living area and then a tiny bedroom with double bed and toilet & shower both of which again are tiny! Nothing like togetherness!
We hooked up Michael’s trusty
GPS programmed for Windsor and off we went. Michaels years behind the wheel as
a coach driver came back very quickly with him in charge of this vehicle, so
very lucky he knows what he is doing. The traffic wasn’t too bad as we headed
onto the Motorway so we arrived in Windsor a little after 1pm and found a Coach
Parking area to pull up in. This was in fact a 5 minute walk from High Street which
was the most gorgeous area. We stopped into one of the small cafes along here
and shared a Latte and Chocolate Eclair.
We then jumped aboard our City
Sightseeing Hop on Hop Off bus tour which as luck would have it was ready and
waiting as we arrived at the stop! This tour took us through the streets of Windsor
which is famous for its royal connections and is steeped in the pageantry and
history of the Royal Family. It is a lively town in a glorious riverside
location with great shopping, restaurants and Windsor Castle - one of the
Queen's official royal residences and the largest and oldest occupied castle in
the world. Then there's historic Eton College, where Princes William and Harry
went to school, and Frogmore House - the elegant property where Queen Victoria
and her husband Prince Albert are buried. We both decided very quickly how much
we liked this place in comparison to London, the slower pace along with fewer
tourists in your face. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and ended back at the
Statue of Queen Victoria situated outside Windsor Castle.
We found what looked like an
equivalent to a Target store and headed in looking specifically for a warmer
jacket for Michael along with some pants that won’t fall down as well as a warm
hat for me. The windblown tangled hair look after being on a couple of open top
buses is wearing a little thin, not to mention it is getting a little colder as
the journey goes on. Shopping completed we purchased a Cornish Pastie each to
take back to the Vehicle along with a few supplies needed for our fridge/pantry
then we headed off to the ‘Hurley Riverside Park’ where we are staying for the
next two nights. We checked in, unpacked a small amount of clothing and
generally sorted ourselves out into some sort of order! Our first meal was the
Cornish pasties which were re-heated in a pan – not too bad at all!
Once dinner was over, it was time
to settle down to catch up on blogging
and emails and then an early night after what had been a very interesting day.
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