June 2, 2017 Cotswolds and Bath all day tour

 

Today we are going on the all day tour arranged by the cruise line.

We went down to the buffet for our breakfast and were amazed at the variety of offerings- there were even pancakes and waffles. 

We boarded the bus at 8:30 am and our first stop was scheduled for Burford.

https://www.cotswolds.com/plan-your-trip/towns-and-villages/burford-p720323

Leaving London we passed the Ritz Hotel, Hyde Park, Harrods and then on the outskirts we saw Windsor Castle in the distance.  We passed some phone booths and the driver said they are not used as everyone has a cell phone.

We arrived in Burford at approximately 11AM, a 2 1/2 hour drive. We had 20 minutes to walk around or use the bathrooms. The driver gave out 20 Pence coins to pay the entrance to the restrooms.

There was another stop at Bibury where we got off the bus and the guide let us for a walk in the town and to see the quaint cottages. It was very pretty.

https://www.cotswolds.com/plan-your-trip/towns-and-villages/bibury-p670023.

Our next stop was at Bath. The driver took us past some very interesting homes at the Circus  and then parked near the Woods Restaurant. Our lunch consisted of chicken with brown sauce, carrots and broccoli, wine and coffee and panacotta for dessert. The meal was very delicious and tasty and service outstanding.

The Circus

It was raining on our drive to the Roman Baths. The bus stopped a few blocks away and we walked down a pedestrian street to the entrance. We had about an hour in the baths. We toured the different areas of the building and of course took photos.

At 5 PM we boarded the bus for the trip back to London. We arrived at the hotel at 8:10 PM. We went to the French cafe (Cafe Rouge)  next door for dinner.

It was a very nice day and enjoyed our visit to Bath.

British Isles cruise on Celebrity Equinox June 1-18, 2017

 

We were looking to take a cruise to a place we never have been and would like to explore.  When we were on our last cruise in the Caribbean the on board sales rep recommended this one. Since we booked on board we got extra perks and since the fare was so reasonable we booked a mini suite.

The main attraction of this cruise was that is was a French Open Cruise with an overnight in Le Havre which allowed guests to travel on an excursion to the French Open or to Versailles.  Little did I know what port in England was a great surprise and we really enjoyed seeing the city. More later on in the blog.

Since we missed visiting Versailles when we were in Paris we jumped on this opportunity. I went online when  we got home from our cruise to book this excursion.

Celebrity was offering a pre cruise stay for 3 nights with a half day tour and a full day tour, pickup at the airport and transfer to the hotel. It looked good and we took this offer.

We flew to London from San Francisco on May 31, 2017 in business class with British Airways on a 747. The 747 at the time was great plane to go on long trips.

June 1 we arrived at Heathrow Airport, cleared customs, got our bags and looked for our driver who took us to our hotel, the Grange St. Pauls. 

It looks like the hotel is now being managed by another operator.  https://www.jurysinns.com/hotels/london/leonardo-st-pauls?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local

We checked in and after some unpacking went to explore the hotel and the local area.  

Across the main street from the hotel were lots of shops. I needed a new journal because I forgot mine at home. Luckily there was a stationary shop where I bought a journal and pen to keep notes on this trip.

April 20, 2019 We leave Tokyo for home

 

 

 

I can't remember what we did in the morning other than we had our breakfast buffet. I think we arranged to have a taxi pick us up around 10:30 am to take us to Narita Airport.

 Bakao was our aide/hostess during out two stays at the Hotel Asakusa. She was so sweet. The day of our departure she slipped a little gift under our door.

When we went to the lobby we searched her out and gave her a small gift and we said our goodbyes. She saw us off when we left in the taxi. All the concierge staff were great but Bakao was the best.

 

 

We had a 5:10 pm flight on All Nippon Airways. 

We arrived at the airport in about an hour and checked our bags and then explored the terminal. The departure area after security was huge- lots of souvenir and clothing stalls. 

 

 

 

The 2020 Olympics were scheduled for Aug 2020 but cancelled due to Covid

Since we got to the airport we stopped her and got lunch

We wandered around a while and then went to the United business class lounge to get a snack and wait for our flight.

The lounge was spacious and there were different Japanese food stations as well as a buffet. I tried the Japanese noodles and they were delicious.

 

We used the WiFi to check email and Facebook.

 

 

When the time came we were allowed to board the aircraft and find our seats and put our carryons in the over head bins.

Tokyo

Arriving in San Francisco

 

We had a smooth flight, good food and were able to rest and watch movies. The service on ANA was terrific. Originally we wanted to fly both ways on ANA but our travel agent could not find a direct flight on them to Shanghai. United was very good in business class and we were comfortable on the flight to Shanghai.

We arrived in San Francisco at 10:35 am.

Our Asian adventure came to an end.