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Chelsea Flower Show Pics

Trip Over to London

Regent’s Canal – A Leisurely Walk in London

We had gone racing down to Westminster Pier in the hopes of catching the ferry out to Hampden Court Palace for the day. But once we arrived at the ticket office we found that the ferry wasn’t going that day because the tides up river on the Thames were too low…………..so a quick recalibration of the days plans was required.

The decision was made to go to Camden Town, then walk along Regent’s Canal.

From Westminster Pier it is a short walk along the riverside path to Embankment Underground Station, where we could catch the Northern Line to Camden Town. Emerging from the station we were swept into the colourful hustle and bustle of markets and amazing shopfronts. We had a wander around this area, the Chalk Farm Markets, the Stable Markets and Camden Town Markets. We found the statue of the wonderful Amy Winehouse, then walked up to Camden Lock to see where the walking path for the walk to Little Venice and the Paddington Basin begins.




There are various companies running trips on long boats down the Canal, but as it was a beautiful spring day the walk was more enticing. It takes anything from an hour to two, depending on the speed of your stroll, and how many times you stop to take photos, chat with other walkers or just look at all the things you come across along the way.

It was a lovely stroll, and it was definitely a stroll, possibly an amble, along what was once the tow path, where the big draft horses towed barges along the canal right up until the 1950s. Regents Canal opened in 1820 and was named after the Prince Regent, who later became King George lV.

Beautiful narrow boats are moored all along the canal, some look like they are permanent homes and others would be for leisurely summer jaunts along the English canals. There were people kayaking on the canal, a few stand up paddle boarders, the occasional tour boat and local bird life that lives along the canal.

After walking under Prince Albert Rd, look to your left. There is a bright red floating Chinese restaurant, the Feng Shang Princess, it looks very comfortable nestled in there, even if a little strangely out of place!

Continuing along the path, the London Zoo is on the other side of the canal, should you decide to visit the zoo, or head off into Regent’s Park, there are plenty of bridges to cross. We walked along the canal path working up a hunger, and thirst, so took a side excursion up the Maida Vale Rd for a nice pub lunch before heading back down to the canal for the last stretch to Little Venice.



Little Venice is an unbelievably pretty, watery little area, considering it is so close to Paddington Station. Surrounded by coffee shops, bars and restaurants, some on long boats it would be very nice to visit again one day.

After walking around to the Paddington Basin, rather than jump on the tube to go back to where we were staying in St James’s, we decided to keep on walking. Hyde Park wasn’t too far away, then as luck would have it – we found ourselves at the Dorchester having a couple of cocktails!!

While in London you might like to visit the beautiful Kew Gardens, or be part of London’s amazing history at the Tower of London. Or you if you are in Lndon at the right time of year, the Chelsea Flower Show is very inspirational, even for a non-gardener like me!

While in London you might like to be part of London’s amazing history at the Tower of London, or if you are in London at the right time of year, visiting the Chelsea Flower Show or Kew Gardens is very inspirational, even for a non-gardener like me!

If you feel like a long walk through London’s History or for a leisurely day out, catch a boat up the Thames to Hampton Court

Read the PostCards I wrote on my recent Trip Over to London, shorter stories and pictures of places I visited.

Book a tour on your Trip Over to London

On the walk around Cremorne Point cooling off after a hot day, beautiful gardens along the way...#cremornepoint #sydneyweekend #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneybythesea #sydneyaustralia #sydneynorthshore #sydneylocal #sydneyharbour #explorethecityyoulivein #sydneylocal #pinkflowers #boatsboatsboats #wildflowers #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme
The beautiful medieval city of Siena, one of my favourite places in Italy. It was the third place on my solo Italian adventure, I was made very welcome @relaisdegliangeli a lovely boutique hotel.....I could have stayed forever 💖#solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #madeinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict #siena #sienaduomo #piazzadelcamposiena #medievalcity #medievalitaly #italianarchitecture #italianadventure
Right in the centre of Taormina is this over grown 2000 year old Roman Baths, inhabited by stray cats. There is a sign pointing to it, but it's a bit of a mess.....then on the other side of the square is an old Roman theatre, also dating back to the 1st century..#romanbaths #romantheatre #taormina #taorminasicily #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinsicily
It's quite mesmerising watching the man in the clock resetting the time every minute, just outside Paddington Station, London. Sorry about all the camera movement as people wanted to get past me!! #manintheclock #Paddington #paddingtonstationlondon #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravelinlondon #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything
After a bit of window shopping and a long walk through Hyde Park to Kensington Garden, it rained, it was windy, the sun tried to come out, then it got really cold. I went to the 'Dress Code' exhibition at Kensington Palace, the Palace is in the middle of a major conservation project have all the sash windows replaced so the whole building is covered in scaffolding......#hydepark #hydeparklondon #kensingtonpalace #kensingtongardens #fortnums #oxfordstreet #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything
The public gardens in Taormina on land that was once owned by the same lady who owned Isola Bella in the late 1800s, Lady Florence Trevelyan, a distant relation of Queen Victoria who was exiled from England for having an affair with the future King Edward Vll (why wasn't he exiled for the same issue??) She moved to Taormina and bought Isola Bella, later marrying the Mayor of Taormina. Together they created the public gardens, which are beautifully looked after to encourage various plants and birds to live there..#oarcotreveltan #publicgardentaormina #taorminasicily #taormina #walkinthepark #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip #madeinitaly #madeinsicily #sicilytravel
More of beautiful Venice in Piazza San Marco and out on the Grand Canal💖#Venice #veniceitaly #grandcanal #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #madeinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict #italytrip #seeeverythingdoeverything
Up in the north western corner of Sicily, I visited an area called Segesta to see a temple built in 400BC, a Greek/Roman theatre (they're still working on the finer points of its beginnings!). Then to Trapani to see the salt pans, apparently they usually have pink flamingos, but it was too windy for them....We then went up to the medieval walled city or Erice, the views over the whole area from this vantage point being 800mtrs above sea level were incredible. There is a castle up there from the 1100s and all the other churches, walls, etc from the 1400s.#trapani #segesta #erice #Sicily #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Some of the stations I became familiar with on my solo Italian adventure. Siena had the biggest step up from the platform to the train, but by the time I left Siena I was quite good at handling my luggage so it wasn't a problem, and Pisa was the easiest and my visit to Pisa was a day trip from La Spezia, without any luggage!! Although I did have to change trains in Pisa a few days later on my way back through Florence to Venice....easy 🤩!!For more info on the art of solo travel by train in Italy, click the link to my website in the bio..#traintravelinitaly #pisa #siena #Florence #laspezia #italybytrain #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #neverstopexploring #madeinitaly #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #italytrip #italy #soloitalianadventure #solofemaletravel #solomidlifefemaletraveler #italiantrains #railwaystationsinitaly #traveltheworldworldwithme #traveladdict
Arriving in the beautiful medieval city of Siena, I checked into @relaisdegliangeli , a lovely boutique hotel. It felt like home 💖. Siena is definitely one of my favourite places in Italy, Made even better by this hotel, it is easy to get to from the railway station or the bus station, the staff are friendly and helpful, the breakfast is amazing!!Click the link to my website in the bio for more info on the hotels I stayed in on my Solo Italian adventure.I'm not an affiliate, this is just an honest recommendation.#siena #sienaitaly #sienatrip @relaisdegliangeli #italianhotels #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #italytrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #neverstoptravelling #solotrip #solofemaletravel #solomidlifefemaletraveler #boutiquehotelsoftheworld #italianadventure #relaisdegliangelisiena
Around 45 minutes on the train from Palermo, Cefalu is a pretty seaside resort town with old historic buildings, like the duomo that opened in 1240. The beaches are sandy here so in peak summer they must be packed. I wanted to walk up to the top of the rocky backdrop, but I got to the half way point and someone told me there were another 275 uneven steps to climb up from there, so I opted out, my knees were already feeling it!!.#cefalù #cefalubeach #cefalusicily #cefaluduomo #visitsicily #solotravel#solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring
Manoel Island, just next to Valletta in Malta, was the Royal Navy Base prior to 1964. Fort Manoel is apparently being renovated to make it safe to visit. But all the other buildings that were used by the Navy have just been left to fall apart. It is the strangest place, all the buildings would have been functional, but have just left derelict for the past 60 years..#manoelisland #Malta #derelictbuildings #valletta #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Today I set off on the #51 bus from Valletta to Mtarfa in central Malta, in search of the hospital my brother and I were born in. I had read is was now a college, but it seems to be all closed up behind locked gates. I climbed up on walls so I could get a photo of those magic words above the entrance, "David Bruce Royal Naval Hospital". A few days ago I found the house we lived in in Tarxien, not far from Valletta. We moved back to England when I was 6 weeks old, so memories are a bit sketchy!! .#malta #whereiwasborn #myfirsthome #mrarfa #royalnavalhospital #maltalife #neverstopexploring #backwhereitallbegan ##solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes ##traveltheworldwithme
The beautiful little island, Isola Bella, in the bay below Taormina once owned by Lady Florence Trevelyan after she was exiled from England. To get to it you need to walk through the water, only 20 to 30cm deep at low tide, more at high tide, but worth it for the views..#isolabella #isolabellataormina #taormina #taorminasicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring
I started the day by walking a couple of kms up the coast, then came back and walked all around the edge of Ortigia visiting castles and forts along the way. At least Syracuse and Ortigia are relatively flat!!! .#syracuse #ortigia #ortigiaisland #ortigiasiracusa #italianhistory #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #madeinitaly #traveladdict #italytrip
A short train trip from Syracuse, then a walk up the hill to Noto. A town with more churches per square inch than I've ever seen!!!!.#noto #notosicily #sicily #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
As the ferry leaves Mosman Bay as seen from the Cremorne Point walk, Sydney Harbour was sparkling all weekend🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞..#mosmanbay #cremornepoint #northshore #sydneyweekend #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneystyle #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #outonthewater #boatsboatsboats #sydneyferries #myhometown #sydneylocal
After climbing up hundreds of steps on a narrow stone spiral staircase, the views were amazing from the top of the magnificent, medieval Siena Duomo..#Siena #sienaduomo #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #madeinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #italytrip #seeeverythingdoeverything
First day in Syracuse, arrived early on the ferry from Malta, then a train from Pozzallo to Syracuse. My hotel room wasn't ready so I walked around Ortigia, had a coffee, checked out the markets, then my room was ready. I settled in then headed off to the archaeological park.....lots of ancient Greek arches, amphitheatres, and lots of modern bronze castings of ancient Greek things!!!.#syracuse #sicily #sicilytourism #sicilytravel #visitsyracuse #archaeology #ancientgreekhistory #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
When I was in Mdina a few days ago, I could see the giant domestic of the Mosta Rotunda off in the distance (have a look at that reel). So I caught the bus to Mosta! The Rotunda was built in the early 1800s, so quite modern by Maltese standards! I walked up 75 steps of the narrow stone spiral staircase into the dome, then back down to check out the WWll air raid shelter underneath, and the bomb that landed here but fortunately didn't explode..#mosta #mostarotunda #mostarotundachurch #maltalife #malta #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveladdict #exploretheworld #exploremalta
Went off into the countryside to the village of Shere in Surrey, just a short train trip from Waterloo Station, a fabulous pub lunch!!.#shere #englishcountryside #whitehorsepub #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #waterloostationclock #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #magnolias #sherechurch
Friday morning walk to North Sydney before the heat ramped up...#northsydney #walktowork #walkinthepark #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #purpleflowers #morninglight #palmtree #sydneylocal #fridayvibes #fridayfeeling #sydneylife #sydneystreets
Flying into London, it's been a while since I have flown in during daylight hours, without low cloud or fog to get a few pics from the air!! It would have been better with full sun 🌞 maybe next time....so lovely to walk through St James's Park🥰🌺🥂#London #Thames #riverthames #buckinghampalace🇬🇧 #kensingtonpalace #stjamespark #stjamesspalace #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #solotravelinlondon
This parade has been going up and down Cirdo Umberto in Taormina all afternoon!! Lots of drums, dancing and horses wearing more flowers than any horse is meant to!! I'm still not sure what it's all about - but is that important??.#taorminasicily #taormina #cittataormina #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme
In Westfield shopping centre in Sydney CBD, all sparkled up a ready for Santa 🎅🎄🥂!!#sydneyaustralia #sydneylife #sydneycbd #Sydney #sydneychristmas #sydneychristmaslights #shoppinginsydney #christmasinsydney #christmasready #westfieldsydney
Christmas is coming to The Stand Arcade in Sydney, same decorations every year, but they always look good here 🎄🎄🎄#strandarcade #strandarcadesydney #christmasatthestrand #christmasdecorations #christmasinsydney #decorationsup #shoppinginsydney #myhometown #sydneylife #sydneystyle #seeeverythingdoeverything #sydneyaustralia #sydneychristmas #sydneycbd
A big day of wandering all over Palermo. It's a grubby, gritty city, everything needs a good wash, but you get over that pretty quickly!! Easy to get around on buses and walking, the Ballaro Markets are quite an experience, all the vendors shouting, very crowded, seafood sitting out in the sun, cooking various gizzards to put on bread rolls (no thanks!!) Then I escaped to the calm of the botanical gardens....#Palermo #palermosicily #ballaromarket #mercatoballarò #botanicgardens #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme
The never ending parade in Taormina continues......#taorminasicily #taormina #sicilytravel #sicilytourism #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip
Caught the bus down to the seaside today, the pebbles were bigger than I've seen on any beach anywhere, it was like a rock quarry!! How people were sitting on it was a mystery! Then to top it off it was high tide and I was ill equipped to walk thigh deep through the water to get to Isola Bella. Now I know what to prepare for, I'll have another go later.......#taorminasicily #taormina #isolabella #isolabellataormina #sicilianbeach #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinsicily #downbytheseaside
Walking all around Valletta, so many steps to go up and down!! Sunrise across Grand Harbour....Upper Barrakka Gardens and all around that area. .#valletta #upperbarrakkagardens #tritonfountain #malta #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #maltalife
The things you see just ambling around Valletta, sometimes I take the long route around to avoid more really steep and uneven steps, but this always leads to finding more things to see..#valletta #vallettamalta #vallettastreets #malta #maltalife #streetsofvalletta #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
St Thomas' Bay in Marsaskala out on the east coast of Malta is really pretty, I walked all around the harbour and came across St Thomas' Tower built in the early 1600s to repel the invading Ottomans, they were sent packing once they saw what the Maltese were made of!! There were salt Pans along the way, and as usual for Malta, a lookout bunker on every headland..#marsaskala #stthomasbaymalta #stthomastower #maltascats #exploremalta #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #traveltomalta #visitmalta
A great hotel in Venice for Solo Travellers with luggage, @rialtohotelvenice is easy to get to from the railway station or the airport with the vaporetto stop right outside on the Grand Canal. The staff are all lovely and so helpful. The location is perfect, at Rialto Bridge, you will always be able to find your way back, just keep following signs to Rialto!! I had the best time there looking out over the Grand Canal, either from my room or up on the terrace, it would be so easy to spend all your time just watching all the goings ever changing happenings on the Canal.I have written a story on my website about all the hotels I stayed in on my recent solo Italian adventure, all easy to access from transport, safe, friendly and comfortable. Click the link to my website in the bio.Not an affiliate, just giving my honest recommendations..#hotelrialto #hotelrialtovenice #grandcanal #hotelsforsolotravelers #solofemaletravel #solomidlifefemaletraveler #solotravelinitaly #solotravel #italytrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict #neverstoptravelling #italytravel #rialtobridge #rialtobridgevenice
Flying into London at sunrise, we had to do a few laps before we could fit into the landing schedule. Then straight on to the Underground and into the cool London air, which was so good after the relentless heat and humidity in Sydney..#londoncalling #London #thamesriver #toweroflondon #ritzlondon #caviarhouse #qantas #qf1 #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldwithme #flyinghigh
I think this critter is a Water Dragon, apparently they live around Cremorne Point on Sydney Harbours North Shore. We just stared at each other for a while, then he ran off down into the bush towards the water...#waterdragon #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydneylife #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneybythesea #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyharbour #sydneyoperahouse #sydneywaterdragon #cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #pinkflowers #blueskyandsunshine
Strange weather, but at least we don't have a cyclone to contend with.......#sydney #sydneylocal #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneylife #sydneyweekend #nativeplants #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #outonthewater #sydneyharbour ##cremornepoint
The walled city of Mdina, the old capital of Malta, sitting high up on the hill looking out over the country.It was a bit like arriving in Disneyland at first, actors dressed up as whatever they thought medieval Maltese dressed like and whipping people in stocks, while the horse carriage drivers touted for business, but once you get through all that, it was very beautiful..#mdina #mdinamalta #mdinathesilentcity #mdinastreets #maltalife #malta #solotravel#solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring #exploretheworld
Having arrived in London really early, my hotel room wasn't ready, so I left my luggage there and went to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see the Naomi Campbell exhibition while I waited. Love it when a visit to London coincides with a great exhibition @vamuseum #naomicampbell #vanda #victoriaandalbertmuseum #London #londonfashion #londonstyle #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinlondon #traveltheworldwithme
My adventure begins!! Leaving Sydney for London, then Malta, then Sicily 🥂🌞🌞🌞.#Sydney #sydneyaurport #Qantas @qantas #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #nextadventure #traveltheworldwithme #londoncalling #upintheair
More from Hyde Park in Sydney on my lunchtime walk..#hydeparksydney #hydepark #archibaldfountain #westfieldtowersydney #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneycbd #sydney #explorethecityyoulivein
Taormina has to be one of the prettiest towns, there is a festival on that seems to involve a lot of flowers, and there are a few thousand more people here than I was hoping for, but we all seem to be getting along!!.#taormina #taorminasicily #visitsicily #flowers #italianhistory #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
Blue sky and sunshine, then 24 hours later all hell had broken loose. We had a massive storm, followed by lots of rain.......#stleonardspark #northsydney #blueskyandsunshine #raindrops #gumtree #walkinthepark #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneystorm #sydneyaustralia
All the wildlife came out to see the end of 2024, before their habitat gets taken over by human wildlife all looking for a fireworks watching spot for the big show at midnight on Sydney Harbour. Further around Cremorne Point the "No Alcohol" signs were all being put up, Porta loos were being put in place, home owners were putting up signs to ask people not to climb on the fences and garden walls - the price you pay to live in this beautiful area, one night of hell to start off every new year!!#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #seeeverythingdoeverything #sydneywildlife #sydneynorthshore #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal #sydneycoastalwalks #lizards #kookaburras #sydneybythesea #sydneyharbour #sydneyferries #boatsontheharbour
The Greek Theatre in Taormina built in 300BC, still standing and still showing plays and operas. The views from the top of the auditorium out over the sea and the town are amazing....I think I took about 200 photos!! Slightly excessive, but I couldn't stop 🥂🤩.#taorminasicily #taormina #greektheatretaormina #teatrogrecotaormina #sicilytravel #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
All the flowers are still looking fabulous on the walk around Cremorne Point on Sydney's North Shore..#pinkflowers #purpleflowers #yellowflowers #cremornepoint #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneyharbourwalks #sydney #walkinthepark #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Yesterday was perfect, not too hot, no humidity, a lovely walk through St Leonard's Park to the Metro, then today, foggy, drizzly, bad hair.....yuk!!..#stleonardspark #morningcommute #walkinthepark #northsydney #sydneycbd #sydneyharbourbridge #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #changeintheweather
I went all over the place today, 23,000 steps!! Walked down through St James's Park to the Jewel Tower behind Westminster Abbey, then caught the tube to Canary Wharf to look at the Whale made from waste. Then Elizabeth line to Paddington for lunch. Walked from there to Regent's Park, then down through Marylebone and Mayfair, and as it was now such a lovely sunny evening, I walked around St James's Park again.....now having a glass of wine looking over Green Park🥂💖#Paddington #paddingtonbear #jeweltower #canarywharf #regentspark #stjamessPark #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything#solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme
Moments in Venice, a few of my favourite things, from sunrise to cicchetti, and everything in between 🥂💖#Venice #cicchetti #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #madeinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict #italytrip #seeeverythingdoeverything

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Itinerary for my Trip Over to London

Flew from Sydney to London Heathrow via Singapore, with Qantas on QF1, then QF2 to come home.

Stayed at the Royal Overseas League in St James’s.

Picked up at Heathrow by Naz from Black Lane Limos.

Travelled around London using a Visitor Oyster Card.

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