London -> Portsmouth -> Ryde -> Winford -> Alum Bay -> Ryde -> Portsmouth -> London
Highlight
- Slokky didn’t know the way so we went on a big walk around Portsmouth Harbour looking for the ferry, which was actually right at the station.
- At least we got to check out the discount outlets and Gunwharf Pier. Will need to “do” Portsmouth one day.
- The ferry ride was very quick. We managed to get w for 1 ticket, so wasn’t too expensive.
- The sun was out, but disappeared very soon after we arrived in Ryde.
- Had a quick walk around Ryde, lovely small town, visited the farmers market for really yummy unpasteurised milk blue cheese.
- Caught the Open Top touring bus to the Garlic Festival. It was very windy and bumpy and cold, we couldn’t really hear the commentary, but it was fun nevertheless.
- I didn’t expect the Garlic Festival to be so popular…it was really a country fair afterall, but it seemed like all the locals were out enjoying the day.
- We watched a dog show, some bad fire eaters, a boring cooking demo and some mediocre bands.
- The highlight had to be the food. All the garlic-themed food was fun, if not always successful, the ice-cream was definitely the standout.
- We managed to spend 2 hours looking at everything, then caught a bus to Newport for another bus ride to The Needle. The bus took a long time, but The Needle was definitely worth it. Fringed by chalk cliffs and spectacular views. If only the grey clouds didn’t decided to come over at that minute, and if only it wasn’t so cold.
- Because of that, we pretty much headed off after having a quick look at an old rocket launch site and a rocket exhibition.
- We walked to Needles Park, had a look at the carnival and stalls set up there, before another bus back to Newport, listened to a very dumb lady read out loud.
- Had very disappointing fish and chips (we didn’t have time to have a sit down meal) before jumping on the ferry for the crossing back.
- We actually got home quite early. Because the bus rides were so long, we didn’t really have enough time to do the whole island. We will come back again, probably when another festival is on.
Food
- Garlic festival:
- garlic bread (£2)
- garlic beer(£2)
- garlic caramel fudge (£1)
- garlic ice cream (£2)
- Minghella chocolate chilli and garlic ice cream (£2)
- garlic soup (£1.50)
- bbq corn with garlic butter (£2)
- bbq corn with garlic butter (£1.80)
- taste test garlic relishes, cake, smoked goods, tomatoes, cheese
- cod and chips (£4.30)
Hull -> Humbler -> Lincoln -> Ely -> Mistley -> London
Highlight
- Just when I could sleep, I got woken up very early with the constant announcements over the loudspeakers.
- Had to endure a long wait and the usual grilling at immigration.
- Had a quick look around Hull. There were a few stately buildings, a nice enough harbour, but nothing was opened so we left.
- At least the weather was sunny (to start with anyway), but it was so cold it snowed.
- Crossed the Humbler bridge and went to the observation area, which was fun.
- Lincoln – a very picturesque town with charming building. I really liked Steep St, (it was steep!), filled with lots of charming tea shops.
- Lincoln Cathedral was spectacular, looking a lot like York Minster actually.
- Lincoln Castle, joined a few tours. There were some nice views from the wall. They have a prison, execution and one of only 4 copies of the Magna Carta, so I guess it was worth the money.
- Got some chocolate from a shop but it was not good.
- Was going to Spalding to look at flower fields, but because of the cold, they had not bloomed yet.
- Decided to visit Ely purely for the name, but the cathedral was magnificent.
- It started snowing again, so it was decided it was time to move on, so we drove to Mistley for an early dinner.
- The swans and the sunset by the river occupied our times for a little while, before we had a lovely dinner, and was very stuffed before heading back to the traffic jam of London.
Food
- cardamom cake
- Brunch at Cafe Zoot:
- lattes (£2.30 large)
- Mushroom Omelette (£3.95)
- Toasted Teacake (£1.50)
- chilli truffle
- dark chocolate truffle
- Mistley Torn dinner:
- Grilled whole sardines in garlic butter (£6.95)
- Saffron and Glove Artichoke Risotto with Parmesan Cheese (£6.95)
- Colchester Native Oysters served raw with ginger shallot mignonette (£1.75 each)
- Mersea Island Rock Oysters served raw with ginger shallot mignonette
- Roast Rack of Lamb in a Herb Crust with Wholegrain Mustard Mash, Mint Vinaigrette & Seasonal Vegetables
- Grilled Skate with Caramelised garlic, Smoked Paprika, A Mano Olive Oil, Local New Potatoes & Alison's Organic salad Leaves (£13.95)
- Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream
Rotterdam
Highlight
- The boat arrived late, and I couldn’t sleep because of the noise as we were really close to the stairs and the lifts, and every time the lifts arrive, it makes a big “ding” sound.
- The coach for Rotterdam only left at 9:40, most of the people went to Amsterdam, it only took 30 minutes to get to the city centre.
- Rotterdam surprised me. It was very pretty, with nice architecture. The sun was not but it was very cold, and certainly not many people out and about on Easter Sunday.
- The tourist info was very good, we picked up a few guides.
- Dropped by ALL the Maccas, there seems to be one on every block, just to get warm.
- Looked at an old church, but it wasn’t opened.
- The highlight was the funky cube house, which reflected the forward thinking nature of their architecture.
- Took a walk along the harbour, really nice and peaceful.
- Couldn’t find any place open for lunch.
- Cheered on riders of some bike race with big foam hands.
- We wanted to go to this restaurant for apple pie and afternoon tea, but it was booked out, so we got chips instead.
- We thought we would find stuff open in Chinatown, but I was disappointed. Only a few places were opened, and they were all doing a roaring trade. Who knew there was such a huge Asian community in Rotterdam? It seemed like every single Asian has come out for yum cha, as we couldn’t get a table at all.
- As it was already 1:40, and I was anxious to get to the museums, we left Shan & Aileen, and headed to the Architecture Institute (NAI).
- It was nearly 2pm when we got there, and Slokky had already made me mad.
- The display though was very interestingly presented. The highlight was definite the Schov house, a 1930s house that was way ahead of its time.
- Back to Chinatown for takeaway noodles before boarding the boat.
- More cards and chocolate before dinner, which tasted very bad and not because we were prejudiced either.
- More cards, cocktails and a good piano player at the lounge before bed.
Food
- cardamom cake
- tomato baguette (£.49)
- chocolate and cream waffle (€2.50)
- McDonalds bitenballen
- chips with tomato and mayo
- Japanese udon fried with seafood (€12.50)
- Fried beef noodles (€10)
- P&O dinner:
- bread roll
- Field mushrooms with bacon & Lancashire cheese
- Char-grilled rib-eye steak, Bearnaise sauce
- Sea Breeze cocktail: vodka, cranberry, grapefruit
- Fruit Paradise cocktail: Malibu, pineapple, orange, Chambord
London -> Cambridge -> Hull
Highlight
- Weather was very bad, it was actually hailing.
- The car hire people were so dumb, it took us ages to get our car.
- Arrived at Cambridge when the sun was out, so took advantage of it to try to see some sites.
- Very similar to Oxford in terms of architecture and the people, I guess university towns are always similar.
- St Mary the Great. All students have to attend here when they first come to study.
- Market Square, a very boring market.
- Toured a free college... could be Corpus Christi College.
- Looked at Senate Hall and the gate.
- The tourist information was bad, you have to pay for a map of the town, which we did as we had no choice as Slokky couldn’t find his way around on the GPS.
- We were going to go in Kings College, but it was too cold and we didn’t have enough time to make it before lunch, and seeing the weather was just not fit for walking around, we decided that we needed to come back to Cambridge another day anyway.
- Walked to The Backs briefly, but the rain and wind meant that everything was gray and so we didn’t bother.
- We ran through the hailstorm to Midsummer House, where we were welcomed with warm tea and tranquility.
- Everything was beautifully and painstakingly executed. The food itself was not as nice as Le Gavouche, but very innovative and interesting in its own way. Read the reviews here.
- Stayed there for 3 hours, watching the alternate sun and rain play out before us through the huge bay windows.
- We were very glad to be able to jump in the car and go after that. We will have to do Cambridge another time.
- A very long drive to Hull. The check in was pretty easy, then went to check out the ship.
- The ship was much better than I expected.
- Spent the evening just snacking and played cards.
- Lots of people dressed up and was making a big occasion out of it too.
- The resident band was very bad.
Food
- Midsummer House lunch:
- cheese stick
- balsamic vinegar foam and crisps
- green olives
- foccacia
- brown bread
- Grapefruit and Champagne foam
- Tiger Prawn, Cucumber and Cauliflower
- Langoustine and King Crab
- Piquillo Pepper Cannelloni
- Sauteed Scallop, Bay Leaf, Pigs Trotter
- Risotto of Parsley, Garlic Snail, Yeast Foam
- Roast Zander, Red Wine and Nettles
- Pousse Café
- Bourbon Smoked Pigeon, Iceberg Lettuce, Sweet Potato
- Camomile, Lemon and Ginger
- Pear, Black Olive and Fennel
- Coffee, Chocolate and Passion Fruit
- Baignet with crème anglais and plum sauce
- chocolate – mandarin, pineapple, green pepper, dark
