We're having another slow start today after another hot day doing lots and a late night.
Meg went off to work while we surfaced and pottered around here, finally leaving at about 10.30 to catch some breakfast in Surbiton before training into Waterloo. We wandered along the Thames Path to the Tate Modern, but before we got there we checked out a gallery of Pink Floyd Album Prints.
We went into the Tate and paid 10GBP! to view a photographic display entitled Street and Studio which “explored the urban photographic portrait through the parallel development of its two important sites: the street and the studio.” It was great. And i had the nicest espresso since leaving home.
We then successfully navigated the subway system to arrive near Hyde Park. We walked along Piccadilly to view the very impressive New Zealand and Australian memorials there. Both good, but ours better.
We then wandered through Hyde Park and scoffed a hot dog while lying in the shade. It was another scorcher!
We then wrestled our way down Oxford St, caught the tube and went to Vinopolis.
At Vinopolis we got a 20 minute tutorial on how to taste wine and then a self guided tour around the venue which describes the history of wine and the different regions around the world. While you are doing this you can taste up to 5 wines, but I got 6 because Leigh was a bit slow. I tried Italian and Spanish to prepare for the next stage of the trip, but the best was a Waipara Dog Paddock Bordeaux style wine. The tour finished with a Bombay Sapphire Cocktail. Thankfully we couldn't afford the full tour which also included tastings of beer, rum, whiskey, champagne and absinthe.
We found our way to a train where we met Meg and her work mate, Julie. After a couple of train trips (very packed) and a bus trip we arrived at Kevin's for a BBQ. It was great to see him again. He had just returned that day from a work trip to Nashville.
He cooked up some hamburgers and sausages while receiving lots of advice and we knocked back quite a few beers. I had bought some Czech beers to continue my education after having drunk an Indian red wine earlier at Vinapolis (not a Red Indian wine!).
We then had a spectacular thunder and lightning show and the heavens opened so we headed inside and had a couple of very nice whiskeys. I especially liked the Jura. At about 2.00am we decided to stumble home in the rain.
This morning we were planning to visit Hatfield House because Meg has always wanted to visit there. This is the house where Liz 1 was when she found out she was to be Queen. We've just found out it is closed on Tuesday's! We're now planning.
Sam & Lucy are worried about your frequent grog stops - the pair of you. I remember the hotdog I ate in Hyde Park 26 years ago. It was a very long one, & just as I was about to take a bite a pigeon flew up & landed on the other end. I was on the bones of my bum at the time, so I had to eat the the pigeon as well.
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