h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

More holidays coming up. On Saturday, we're going to a christening near London. It's my nephew's daughter - the first of the next generation.

While we're in the area we'll drive around a bit, perhaps visit Avebury Stone Circle, the Brighton Royal Pavilion, and see a Pinter play starring Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.

Have a nice time!

That's a fair amount of driving, but both are well worth seeing.

At Avebury, don't miss West Kennet Long Barrow and SIlbury Hill.

Brighton Pavilion really is a highlight. And if I remember rightly, there are some jolly good fish and chips to be had on Brighton Pier.

I also recommend the Uffington White Horse (north-east of Avebury)

We have guide entries on many of these, I'm sure.

Ah, welcome to the older generation, G!

Here's song about the younger generation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4KojKaQQxE

[I wrote a parody that had the words
We're the older generation,
And we're all on medication]

What wonderful plans! Hope you enjoy them all and do give my regards to the Captain if you get to meet him

Well that was an interesting long weekend:

Day 1: Saturday. Flight to London Gatwick. Drive to Avebury - traffic heavy around the M25 and it rained much of the way so it was a long journey. Avebury - stone circle and henge. Food and drinks in the Red Lion. Drive to Amersham arriving late. The end of H's birthday party.

Day 2: Sunday. A wander around Amersham High Street. C's Christening in Chesham. 'Sparkling' afternoon tea on the lawn at A's house. Back to Amersham. Chats and prosecco with D and L at their 'townhouse'.

Day 3: Monday. Hampton Court Palace, including Henry VIII's Kitchen, William III's Apartments, the Georgian section, Real Tennis court, quick tour of gardens. Drive to Lancing near Brighton.

Day 4: Tuesday. Brighton - the Pier; the Pavilion; the Play: Pinter - No Man's Land, with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in the lead roles.

Day 5: Wednesday. Hottest day of year (30 degrees). White cliffs at Beachy Head. Herstmonceux Castle Gardens ('Hurce-mon-soo'). Home from Gatwick.

The girls have gone off to Disneyland Paris for a few days. Iz was supposed to go out to China when El was living there, but she didn't fancy all that travel on her own, and she would have been on her own during the week as well, as El only had weekends free. It's quite daunting to be in a place where you can't even read the signs, never mind speak the language, and nobody speaks English.

So she decided not to go, and she and El are going to Disneyland instead. I dropped them to the airport early this morning.

"It's quite daunting to be in a place where you can't even read the signs, never mind speak the language, and nobody speaks English." [Gnomon]

That would depend on the area. Beijing made the taxi drivers learn English during the Olympics. I don't even need to mention Hong Kong.

It can be daunting even where you do speak the language.

I went to Egypt for work when I was only 26 - I lived there for about 8 weeks - and got used to figuring out what was going on with minimal clues. I had no real problem in China - it was just a bit slow translating all the signs. But Iz isn't used to it.

I had problems when I first went to Shanghai, but that was nearly 30 years ago and I taught a lot of them (including the market stallholders)English. Things changed a lot BUT they are now talking of removing English from the road signs - back to square one.
(There's a Disneyland in Hong Kong and a more recent one has opened in Shanghai, but I think even this sinophile would prefer Paris)

Actually it was 31 years ago!

This weekend, Mrs G and I are going to do some cycling. I haven't cycled in many years - probably 30. We're going to drive up to Newport in the northwest of Ireland and we'll be provided with bikes to cycle along the "Great Western Greenway", a cycle track along the coast of Clew Bay.

http://www.greenway.ie/?wb48617274=2A554173

It looks nice.

30 years + 42km = rediscovery of long forgotten muscles.

At least it doesn't look to hilly and it's not a race. Just don't expect to do a lot of walking or hiking the following day.

This letter fell off the previous post. --> o

Given the shape, I'd say it rolled off.

The Green Way is brilliant! It has been the saving of Newport which now bustles merrily.

We did it a few years ago, hiring bikes. The renters were total cowboys, the kind that tighten nuts with pliers

The Greenway was a great weekend!

Our next holiday is a trip to Corfu at the end of the month. We'll stay in the old Venetian town of Corfu for the first couple of nights, then hire a car and go to the northwest coast for some nice sunsets, ending with a week in an Air BnB on the southeast coast.