Mini TR for another Boston Road Trip - updated Nov 22

img_4948-jpeg.401428

This is so great!

They take you there and store your luggage, and then you get a robe and slippers and a smoothie and a face mask while you lounge around in the hot springs. It was just perfect after getting off a long flight.

Perfection!! I love it!!
 
OK so...it's not letting me post any more pictures...sigh...I tried, really! You'll have to make do with my written monologue. Anyway...

We saw the volcano which was super cool and had a lake at the bottom which you could walk down to. I didn't go all the way down because I knew I'd have to walk back up and I'm lazy that way! Also the view was better from the top anyway!

The next day our short Iceland stopover came to an end and we flew another 2 1/2 hours to London. My mom has some family there so that is where we were headed first. My mom's brother lives in Kingston which is kind of a London suburb. We went to his and his partner's flat that night and spend the next day exploring their adorable neighbourhood. We took a little boat cruise to Hampton Court which is a castle actually and strolled around the town. Then that afternoon, Heather (mom's brother's partner) drove us to their place in the country and it was like a scene out of Downton Abbey. They have this adorable house in Emsworth which took about 2 hours to drive to. It's a stone's throw from the ocean and so adorable. They gave us a lovely tour of the area the next day, and took us to their golf club which is called the Kennels and is all dog themed!! Being a dog lover I just thought this was amazing. They even have personalized dog bowls for the members that have dogs, and the dogs are welcome in the club house and even on the golf course. When members bring their dogs they get their bowl out and give them water beside the table. The decor is all dog themed too and if you get coffee the mugs have dogs on them! We had a lovely BBQ dinner at their house and a great evening.

We then headed out on the train to Brighton. This is somewhere my mom and I had both wanted to see. It actually reminded me a lot of Coney Island. They had a pier with rides and stuff on it and a lot of lights and kitchy decor. Really cute. The town was adorable and we had a nice afternoon/evening there. That was enough to see the sights there though, so the next morning we took a train back into London where we would stay for the next few days.

London as always is amazing!! Some of the highlights...went to Greenwich and saw the Royal Observatory. This is a fun little museum with everything about the prime meridien and how the world's clocks and time system evolved and was put into practice. It's on a beautiful site in a park at the top of a hill with a great view. I have been there several times and make a point of visiting whenever in London. We of course went to Picadilly Circus and all the "circusses" which aren't really circus lol Just busy roundabout type things with statues and such but they are fun to see. We had afternoon tea at a hotel that served Peter Rabbit themed treats...if you follow me on FB or IG I posted pics of the adorable edibles. We went to the Shard which is the tallest building in London and had dinner there which was pretty cool. We did some shopping as well and rode the tube. I also went to Kew Gardens where they have a Dale Chihuly exhibit going on - he does these amazing glass sculptures and there they mixed them in with the gardens which was just stunning.

I will try to post some more pics maybe tomorrow it will let me one at a time lol...

Now it's time to get more into the California trip planning...Disneyland still won't let me book a Dessert party for July 8 so I don't know what's going on there because it's not that far out...but I will keep trying!
 
My mom has some family there so that is where we were headed first. My mom's brother lives in Kingston which is kind of a London suburb. We went to his and his partner's flat that night and spend the next day exploring their adorable neighbourhood.

How nice to have family there to show you the ropes and have a place to be!

We then headed out on the train to Brighton. This is somewhere my mom and I had both wanted to see. It actually reminded me a lot of Coney Island. They had a pier with rides and stuff on it and a lot of lights and kitchy decor. Really cute. The town was adorable and we had a nice afternoon/evening there. That was enough to see the sights there though, so the next morning we took a train back into London where we would stay for the next few days.

Sounds like you packed a TON in. You saw a LOT of sights and from your photos on FB it looked like so much fun. :)

I also went to Kew Gardens where they have a Dale Chihuly exhibit going on - he does these amazing glass sculptures and there they mixed them in with the gardens which was just stunning.

I adore Chihuly work. I'll bet this was every bit as good as the exhibit in Seattle!
 
I adore Chihuly work. I'll bet this was every bit as good as the exhibit in Seattle!

Yes I love his work too. I've seen it in the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas too. The funny thing is when he had his exhibit on here in Toronto, I couldn't get tickets!! But I've seen his work a few places elsewhere and it never disappoints!
 


in case anyone is following along..and hasn't caught up on FB lol..

Still following!
And... while I seldom comment, I did see your adventures on FB. :)

I got back yesterday from my Europe trip with my parents. It was epic indeed, but in a different way!!

Great!

It was a lot of fun and I feel fortunate to be able to travel with my parents at this stage.

I think my travels with my folks might be done. There's a miniscule chance mom will do an Alaskan cruise... and a small chance Dad will make one last trip to Germany...….

And that isn't sunscreen lol it's a face mask that is supposed to take years off your skin lol

View attachment 401428

You both look years younger! Magic!
 
They take you there and store your luggage, and then you get a robe and slippers and a smoothie and a face mask while you lounge around in the hot springs.

That sounds perfect. :cloud9:

I found this seafood shack actually that was reputed to have the best soup around. Iceland is ridiculously expensive, but the seafood is amazing and plentiful for obvious reasons. I got some amazing lobster soup that came with bread and some veggies and that was just the perfect dinner. We crashed pretty early that night...except....note to self - or anyone going to Iceland - make sure your accommodations have decent black out curtains. In May it doesn't even start to get dark until 10pm!!

Yum! Sounds delicious and just what I'd order.
I'm very familiar with the late sun. When I lived farther north, it didn't even really get dark all night long. It was dusk-like from around 1am - 4am, that's it.

Our bus driver joked that they have no bugs in Iceland, and the only thing that will bite you is the prices!

:laughing:

The next day, we took the Golden Circle Tour. It takes you to the main highlights around Iceland. There was an amazing waterfall and a few locations that were used in Game of Thrones for those that watch. Then they took us to a Geysir that erupts every five minutes and spews steaming hot water into the air. It was pretty cool to watch! Then they took us to a place to get some lunch, kind of a classy cafeteria with a side of gift shop. Even that was pretty expensive but they had some pretty good sandwiches. After lunch they took us to a volcano which I will try to post a picture of...still having some issues but at least I got one posted!

That all sounds amazing!
 
We saw the volcano which was super cool and had a lake at the bottom which you could walk down to

Cool! I'd like to see that.

We took a little boat cruise to Hampton Court which is a castle actually and strolled around the town.

Sounds really nice. :)

their golf club which is called the Kennels and is all dog themed!! Being a dog lover I just thought this was amazing. They even have personalized dog bowls for the members that have dogs, and the dogs are welcome in the club house and even on the golf course. When members bring their dogs they get their bowl out and give them water beside the table. The decor is all dog themed too and if you get coffee the mugs have dogs on them!

No way! I love that! (As long as they pick up after their pups.)

We then headed out on the train to Brighton. This is somewhere my mom and I had both wanted to see. It actually reminded me a lot of Coney Island. They had a pier with rides and stuff on it and a lot of lights and kitchy decor. Really cute. The town was adorable and we had a nice afternoon/evening there.

Sounds fun. Had no idea.

went to Greenwich and saw the Royal Observatory.

That's cool! I'd love to see that too. I use GMT (now called UTC, Coordinated Universal Time) all the time at work.

We of course went to Picadilly Circus and all the "circusses" which aren't really circus lol Just busy roundabout type things with statues and such but they are fun to see

I've been... but it's been a while... about 40 years, in fact.

I also went to Kew Gardens where they have a Dale Chihuly exhibit going on

Love his work!
 


I think my travels with my folks might be done. There's a miniscule chance mom will do an Alaskan cruise... and a small chance Dad will make one last trip to Germany...….

Do it if you can!! Cruising is a great way to see Alaska...and everyone can go at their own pace too on the ship...which is great for travelling with older folks...I guess that's why cruises appeal to them so much lol

I'm very familiar with the late sun. When I lived farther north, it didn't even really get dark all night long. It was dusk-like from around 1am - 4am, that's it.

Man how did you ever get an sleep? I guess you must get used to it, but it was strange.

That's cool! I'd love to see that too. I use GMT (now called UTC, Coordinated Universal Time) all the time at work.

You would definitely enjoy this museum then. It was very interesting and had all the stuff about how they devised the system for longitude and time zones and such. I could have spent all day there but had to limit to a couple of hours to catch up with my mom for lunch.

Silver lining of travelling at a slower pace - a bit more relaxing for you. Your pictures look great, and how nice to have a lay over in Iceland and a shorter flight to London. If I can ever drag DH over to Europe I might have to copy this idea. And of course get myself one of the miracle face masks too!

Yes, this was indeed a good stop on the way to Europe to start adjusting to the time change and such, and see some amazing scenery and face mask of course!
 
Do it if you can!!

I will. I have done that with my Dad before (Go to Germany). That was... about 15 years ago now. It's a very fond memory of mine.

Cruising is a great way to see Alaska...and everyone can go at their own pace too on the ship...which is great for travelling with older folks...I guess that's why cruises appeal to them so much lol

I haven't talked to my mom again. Her health isn't as good as it was even a year ago, so... not sure. But I will talk to her about it. I just talked to my Dad yesterday. He seemed pretty excited that I might go with him.

Man how did you ever get an sleep? I guess you must get used to it, but it was strange.

Dark curtains for sure.
One of my favorite memories when I worked at night in the summer was watching the sun go down in the Northwest and then you could see where it was just below the horizon and track it until it popped up in the Northeast.

You would definitely enjoy this museum then. It was very interesting and had all the stuff about how they devised the system for longitude and time zones and such. I could have spent all day there but had to limit to a couple of hours to catch up with my mom for lunch.

Yep. I'd like that alright!
 
Hi all, I have to admit it's taking me some getting used to with the new look here at the DIS! Thrown off a bit, trying to catch up and get re-oriented!

I can't believe it's June!! Time to get cracking on the fine tuning of my July California trip which of course includes 2 park days at DL and DCA. I had sort of resigned myself to the fact that SWGE might be too crowded to even think about trying to get in while there, but seeing all the pics from the opening makes me really want to see it. To be honest because as you know I'm such a ride wimp, I don't even care about the rides, I just want to check out the theming and the food and merch of the area and soak it in, if that's possible. Problem is, I'm going with a couple people who really don't care about it, and have also never been to DL and DCA and will have enough just trying to see what they can of that in 2 park days.

Anyway...we will see what's doable. I'm still debating trying for tickets to the World of Color dessert party at DCA because that seems to be the only way to get actual reserved space AND SEATING - which after so much walking that can't be avoided at Disney...I think we will appreciate come night time. We did get Maxpass, but of course that is stressing me out because it means we have to RD so we can begin booking FP's once IN the park, and again, I'm with people who probably won't really get the importance of that! I will have to convince them somehow that it's worth getting up at the butt crack of dawn for this.

Other than that, trying to fine tune the plan for the rest of the trip. Considering an extension of the LA portion of our trip to go up to Sequoia National Park. It's a bit of a hike (drive) to get to from LA, but they say it's worth it. The only crappy part is that that part I would be just with my 13 year old daughter which would mean I'd have to do all the driving. That gives me some anxiety, as I don't do a lot of highway driving around home (because @pkondz as you know I live in the centre of the universe) where we have public transit and I'm not required to do that much driving! But I think I'm going to have to suck it up and do it if I want so see natural wonders like this. I did find a tour that if we can get ourselves to Three Rivers, a town near Sequoia, will take us around the park to the hot spots to see there, so I'm considering booking that so I don't have to do all the driving there as well!

That's about all for now folks!! Trying to go catch up on all the TR's!
 
Hi all, I have to admit it's taking me some getting used to with the new look here at the DIS! Thrown off a bit, trying to catch up and get re-oriented!
Hi Kathy!
Don't worry. You'll have the hang of it in now time. :)
Time to get cracking on the fine tuning of my July California trip which of course includes 2 park days at DL and DCA.
I would think so! Coming up fast!
To be honest because as you know I'm such a ride wimp, I don't even care about the rides, I just want to check out the theming and the food and merch of the area and soak it in, if that's possible.
I'm kinda with you on this. While I will (try to) ride... I'm very interested in just looking around.
We did get Maxpass, but of course that is stressing me out because it means we have to RD so we can begin booking FP's once IN the park,
Interesting. I didn't know how it worked.
Considering an extension of the LA portion of our trip to go up to Sequoia National Park. It's a bit of a hike (drive) to get to from LA, but they say it's worth it.
Cool!
(because @pkondz as you know I live in the centre of the universe)
And yet... I've driven quite a bit there! :laughing:
 
SWGE might be too crowded to even think about trying to get in while there, but seeing all the pics from the opening makes me really want to see it.

I know! Me too! I thought, yeah, no way we'll even try, but the more I see, the more I wanna get in!

Considering an extension of the LA portion of our trip to go up to Sequoia National Park. It's a bit of a hike (drive) to get to from LA, but they say it's worth it. T

It is worth it for sure! @Flossbolna did a TR on her trip there a few years back. Might be worth checking it out.
 
Since @Steppesister conjured me up, here is a link to the trip report, right where we leave Anaheim to go up to Sequoia: https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...pdate-and-final-thoughts-11-8.3449335/page-12

The pics are on photobucket and the free account has a tiny viewing limit now. They seem to be visible right now, but that might be because it’s early in the month. If you can’t see them, but want to see them, let me know and I can put them on smugmug.

I loved Sequoia! Those trees are just amazing! It has less of that scenic grandeur of Yosemite. But I didn’t miss that because it is grand in it’s own way. Standing in front of those massive trees that are over a thousand years old gives you a totally new perspective.
 
You never know, if later in the day some of your group want to do some more daring rides for a while, maybe that will free up some of your time to sneak over and see SWGE on your own for a while.

Hey this is a brilliant idea, I hadn't thought of it!! Thanks!!

Interesting. I didn't know how it worked.

Yeah me neither. Trying to get a handle on that now!

I know! Me too! I thought, yeah, no way we'll even try, but the more I see, the more I wanna get in!

Yeah same. I love that it looks so immersive.

It is worth it for sure! @Flossbolna did a TR on her trip there a few years back. Might be worth checking it out.

Thanks!! Great tip!

I loved Sequoia! Those trees are just amazing! It has less of that scenic grandeur of Yosemite. But I didn’t miss that because it is grand in it’s own way. Standing in front of those massive trees that are over a thousand years old gives you a totally new perspective.

Hey thanks for sharing! I will check out your TR! I do want to see those massive trees! I've seen some other national parks that (I think) might have similar scenery to Yosemite but I think that Sequoia would be different. That's why I want to go.
 
@Flossbolna and @Steppesister thanks for steering me over to @Flossbolna 's TR from a few years ago all about Sequoia! I enjoyed reading about your trip and also some good ideas. I had actually really wanted to book a room at one of the places inside the park like you guys stayed at, but they were all booked for my dates, so we ended up booking a room in Three Rivers. I will share more in my update on that!! I am going to look at a map though and see how far away Tulare is and if it's on the way from LA, because that might be a good rest stop on our drive from LA to Three Rivers. Your pics are amazing, I can't wait to see the treeees!!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top