London - New York

I was in London at the time of the recent bomb scare, and joined the line up to get to the Art Gallery, St Martins in the Field is undergoing renovation










Had a sandwich sitting in this park after I had finished at the gallery









I went searching for my Preston ancestors and this is the church in Hampstead where they were baptised. John Constable is buried in the church grounds as well as other notable writers and artists.










Not sure where the Prestons lived in Hampstead, but I found them on the 1811 census, they were sharing a house with another family and had other children as well. I walked around the steets and had a meal at a Pub before I returned to my hotel in Earls Court.

Next day I flew out of Heathrow to New York

Stockholm to London

Only on holidays would I have this for breakfast, actually Milton had the strawberry tart. I'm over Stockholm, too many smokers and too expensive. Would come back to visit Gotland Island. Flew to London for a couple of days before my flight back to New York





Went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. This is the largest wine cooler I have ever seen.




So many beautiful things to see, spent hours there and thought I had finished and found more





Also went to Tate Britain and then for a walk along the Thames. My ancestor would have been here at Milburn prison

Getting Over Stockholm

We decided on another boat trip to a different part of the archipelago, the weather was better so could be outside on the boat.




I did say the weather was better but it was still grey skies. Small islands everywhere.








An interesting building walking back from the boat dock. We walked through a park and Ikea had a display of lounges for people to sit in, not sure what they did when it rained later that day.






A shop window display.





Took this photo about 9.30 at night and the sun was still shining.

Food was very expensive and bottled water is more expensive than light beer.

Sigtuna

We would have gone by ferry to this place but the ferry service hadn't started for the summer so we went by train and bus The bicycle parking at Matura station





The town is very old and how this building is still standing I don't know




This original rune stone was standing in the street outside a small museum of history of the area




Every day we went to the fruit and veggie market to buy fruit. Cherries are normally sold by the 100 gram, when we would say we wanted a kilo the man at the stall questioned us. They were beautiful cherries







I had a long walk to Mellquist to get a good coffee, worth the walk along a waterway, and up dozens of steps to a different neighbourhood with locals

Still more of Stockholm

We had wanted to go to the outer archipelago the day before but the hotel girl didn't book us in time. It was pouring rain all the way but a great trip through a very narrow canal to Stromham. We realised it would not have been nice walking around Stockholm in the rain




We didn't see all the 24,000 islands but lost count how many we did see. Interesting rocks and clear water. In some parts the boat only just fitted through the canal



A boaters petrol station, our voyage took over 2 hours each way and on the way back there were boats buying fuel




A bridge has to raised to allow the boat through, causing great lines of traffic for the poor motorist









The Swedes are boat mad and love the water, these boat plant holders were where we had lunch

more Stockholm

Loved these Swedish horses but they were too expensive so decided a photo would do, also less weight in my luggage




Not a real tent but a building painted to look like a tent in the summer palace grounds at Drottingham







Went down in this lift, below is a view from the top of the hill, I walked up an easier way.















The gold room in the City Hall, they used 7kgs of gold in the tiles. Also at the city hall is the blue room, (not really blue) where they hold the Nobel Peace Prize dinner.
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London to Sockholm

I flew from Stansted to Vaseteras Sweden with Ryanair. Getting on to the plane is like a cattle stampede as there are no allocated seats. Some people do pay extra to get on the plane first, what a money maker.






Walking in the Stockholm streets found Mums underwear shop, couldn't resist a photo of Milton outside. No, its not my mum who owns this shop









Sitting on the lion in one of the mall streets, not so many locals around as we arrived on a public holiday weekend and the shops all shut at 2pm on the Friday.













A 'must do' when you visit Stockholm is the Vasta museum. The Vasta was built in 1633 and didn't have enough ballast for the height and weight of the ship. It was to have been the pride of the Swedish navy but sank a short distance from launching. It was raised last century and now on display. This photo shows some of the decorations on the side of the ship. Amazingly they have made life models of some of the skeletons found on the ship.



A change from skinny models in shop windows. Stockholm does have a major obesity problem as well.











The Royal Palace in the old city. Had just finished a tour of the Royal apartments and saw the changing of the guard

Cardiff to London

I flew from Dublin to Cardiff to do some more family history and as it was Sunday went for a drive to Swansea and found the more beautiful coastline on the way back to Cardiff










Unusual stones on the beach front

















The street in Pills (Newport) where my great grandmother was born in 1850. Got her birth certificate from the records office, also visited Goytre where her mother was born, but it was pouring rain and didn't get out of the car.

Day 15 Newry to Dublin (Swords)

Loved the stone bridges everywhere I drove







This stone was moved miles to Newgrange by people in 5000BC and carved with symbols





The tomb was built before the pyramids. The stones weigh from 1 to 5 tons. The sun comes into the chamber through the hole at the top of the entrance at the solstice time. The small rocks have been replaced during research but the large ones are original and inside the chamber is original and has never leaked. Look up Newgrange on the net for more information




Also had time to visit the Hills of Tara, great circles made long before I was born.




I stayed at a place called Swords on the outskirts of Dublin as my trip had ended and I had an early plane to catch. I have seen so much but also still have so much I want to see so it looks as if Ireland is in my plans for next year

Day 14 Belfast to Newry

What wonderful builders the Irish were







View from the ferry as we crossed the loch. I had 4 ferry trips which saved a lot of driving around water






Not a nice day but always lots of water views







More castle ruins and more water.

Day 13 Derry to Belfast

It had been raining and waterfalls were falling from the hills as I drove










Saw these amazing white cliffs with a black cliff behind when I pulled up at a tiny space on the side of the road.




Loved the Giants Causeway. These are the organ pipe rocks a short walk from the main rocks





Earlier in the day a lady had told me this suspension bridge was closed because of the wind, but when I got there the wind had eased and I could walk across to an island. My lucky day



Found these interesting rocks on a beach, they looked like cracked ceramics. Another beach had a mix of black and white stones.