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Friday, 13 May 2016

Portugal becomes UK

Our planned walk from Porto to Santiago de Compostela has taken a detour.  Due to an episode of hip bursitis, I am following physio's orders to abandon long walking for the time being.  We went ahead and paid for our flights to and from Heathrow, and now have 3 weeks in the UK and perhaps Europe to fill in.  Plan B is looking appealing!  So here it is.

Saturday 18th June    SQ 232  Dep Sydney 11:00. Arr Singapore 17:35
Sunday    19th June    SQ 308 Dep 09:05 Singapore. Arr London 15:40pm

Tuesday   12th July    SQ 305 Dep London 09:25. Arr Singapore 05:30
Thursday  14th July    SQ 231 Dep Singapore 00:45. Arr Sydney 10:25.

Times:
London           BST     UTC +  1   hour
Singapore       SGT     UTC +  8   hours
Sydney           AEST   UTC + 10 hours

Accommodation:
19th - 29th June: Endsleigh Court, 24 Upper Woburn Place, London,  WC1H 0HA, England.  Reception: +44(0)20 7878 5861. 
30th June - 5th July: Ramada Encore, 84-90 Charles Street, Leicester. +44 11 6366 0150.
5th-12th July: Endsleigh Court.

Plan B.
1. We have booked a walking tour with Marx Walks.  Sights plus stuff about Marx and his ideas.  His analysis of capitalism is proving particularly prescient, given the events in the world lately.  After all, Trump and Sanders are symptoms of the same thing.   www.marxwalks.com


2. I have tried to get a foundry visit to Whitechapel Bells in, where else, Whitechapel.  They are booked out till September, but you never know.  There is no online booking - bookings only made by phone, which suits me fine.  We are on the waiting list.



But I did successfully book a tour with John Taylor & Co, at Loughborough, Leicestershire - 30th May.  In 1852, Taylors cast the first 6 bells for Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney (where KM rings, and I learn).  I had to make several calls to contact Mary who organises the diary.  I do like companies where you have to talk to a person - non of this impersonal on-line stuff.  BTW, Mary is a ringer herself and has rung at CCSL in Sydney.





3. Our Raffles project. We had planned to a do trip around present day Malaysia, Indonesia, and also Singapore and UK following in the footsteps of Sir Stamford Raffles.  But we will do the UK bits - the beginning and the end of the Raffles story.  At least the weather will be better than in Indonesia.  He has a statue in Westminster Abbey and his last residence is Highwood House at Highwood Hill.  Now an aged care facility I think. 

Thumbnail 2 bed flat to rent in Highwood House, Highwood Hill, Mill Hill


4. Leicester to see the new resting place of Richard III, and visit one of Kin Mun's bell-ringing buddies who has returned to UK.
 


5. Worcester Cathedral to see the burial place of King John, of Magna Carta fame.
 King John's Tomb at Worcester Cathedral














6. Canterbury Cathedral, and York Minster (which has the largest manually rung bell in the UK).
 



7. British Museum and British Library, especially to see what we can see of stuff from Dunhuang's Magao Caves in China.  All nicked of course.



8. Basildon Church with its glass bellringing tower. Can see ringers and bells.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoOuWIxk1h4
 

9.  Enough Battle of Britain/aviation museums/memorials to keep me happy.  Not sure about KM!
Including a tour to the Battle of Britain bunker at Uxbridge for starters.



And certainly we hope to catch up with my niece at some stage!

Might have been less to do if we had gone walking.

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