Day Thirty Two - Lisbon

Maria woke us up with tea in bed at around 6am, we had some cereal before finishing packing and doing a double check of our things. We also decided to leave the rucksacks in favours of wheely suitcases we borrowed! The rucksacks we decided are a pain in the arse to carry as well as looking ridiculous. Dad and Maria dropped us at Heathrow Terminal 3 around 7.45am for our flight, we checked in online so we only had to drop bags and wait.

We got a coffee and a newspaper to pass away some time. I also bought a book for the trip (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), hopefully to read on the beach or something. The BA flight to Lisbon was pretty good, only 2.5hours and ran pretty much to schedule. We arrived to good weather and we took a short cab ride to the hotel, only 6 euro ($10)!

After sorting ourselves out and dropping off bags we grabbed a map from reception and worked out we needed to get the metro into town. The system worked really well and we both got a return ticket for around 4 euro. We spent a few hours getting familiar with Lisbon mixed in with some shopping! The city is a little strange, very spread out with no real centre to speak of.

Typical street in Lisbon - real problem with graffiti here

You can't love it or hate it but just enjoy it for what it is. Our hotel is a little out of the city but not in a bad location, it's only a few mintues walk to the metro and just a little more to the main train station that we can use to get to Sintra and also down to the Algarve in a few days time. It's also by the big Bull fighting stadium in Lisbon (Campo Pequeno) but don't worry, apparently in Portuguese bull fighting they don't actually kill the bull unlike the Spanish.

Not walking up that hill

Our shopping trip was pretty successful - it's been a running joke so far about the lack of shorts available during summertime in Europe. Honestly, there is NOTHING unless you want denim shorts. But I managed to find a single pair in my size in some random shop that were also on sale. Some might say it was fate, but I bought them. Jo got a really nice skirt too that I think she'll wear all the time as it is hot here.

Dinner - Yum

We found a little spot in tourist central for dinner, we had grilled salmon with vegetables. Very nice too, it was basic but fresh and tasted very home cooked. Fish is the main thing on the menu in Portugal so it would be a shame not to try it and we weren't disappointed, even for a tourist restaurant.

Day Thirty One - Hampton Court

Our last full day in the UK, we decided to take a trip to Hampton Court Palace. Poor little Harvey had to be left at home but we packed up a picnic and all set off in search of some history and culture.

Dad and I outside the Palace

The Palace is huge and beautiful, so well preserved and taking the audio tour and exploring the Tudor kitchens and parts of the palace you really get a better sense of what life may have been like in the time of Henry VIII in the 16th Century. Entire rooms designed for the roasting of meat, a full real blazing fire with massive spits in front of them and lots of pies where on show. The pie case, apparently was used purely as a cheap container for cooking meat. Made out of flour and water it was thrown away after the meaty contents had been scooped out. Such a waste!

Hampton Court Palace - Base Court

It is obviously a very popular destination for London schools and lots of kids in uniforms were being trailed by bedraggled teachers desperately “shhhh-ing” as they went. Still, it was fun to see the kids so engaged with the experience, particularly the many Tudor characters in full costume that roamed the Palace.

The amazing gardens

Dad and I popped back to the car to get the picnic whilst Jo and Maria found the perfect spot in the amazing gardens. We enjoyed some sandwiches, salt & pepper kettle chips and cheese with crackers in another indulgent meal. We could see the gardens being set up for the Hampton Court Flower Show that starts next week, hopefully the good weather will continue until then.

We walked around the gardens for a while before tackling the famous Maze. We were quite impressed as we found the centre first time in around 5 minutes! The average is apparently 20 minutes! Finding out way out was a bit harder though. We took a few wrong turns and ended back at the middle again! I looked at Jo as I wondered what time our flight is tomorrow but thankfully Jo and Maria lead us to safety – in and out in about 15 minutes!

Proof! The centre of the Maze in record time

I’d called Steven in the morning to ask if he’d like to come over for dinner, so he arrived punctually at about 6.30pm. Looking as tall as ever he arrived with CD and DVD in hand. The CD of Nickel Creek I’m looking forward to listening to however the DVD (of our holiday to Canada 11 years ago) I’m not so looking forward to! I can just imagine me captured on film in my 21-year-old-slighly-fat-glory. I might have to proof view it before it sees the light of day with anyone else.

Steve & Me

Jo and Maria banished everyone from the kitchen to whip up a great baked teriyaki salmon on sesame noodles with snap peas. Yum! Clear plates all round and success for the two chefs. Varuni arrived, just in time for dessert I may add, so we all sat around the dining table chatting. It was so great to catch up with Steven after so long and it was like we saw each other yesterday as we joked and giggled as usual. It was great to finally meet Varuni too after all this time – we’ll try to plan a dinner or something with them both when we’re back in August.

We hit the sack at about 11.30pm after a long but brilliant day – up at 6am

Day Thirty - London

Today was our designated shopping day in London. We had breakfast around 9am – we’ve been enjoying this yummy Nestle cereal with almonds everyday – before being dropped to the Tube around 10am to avoid the commuter rush and post 9.30 cheaper tickets.

We used the pre-paid Oyster Cards we got for our birthday to hop on the tube at Ickenham, a train arrived just as we got to the platform so the Metropolitan line took us all the way to Baker St in around 35 minutes.

We walked to Oxford Street and started to have a look around, no shopping was to occur before we went on a hunt for a good coffee. We couldn’t find the few on our recommended list but we did find Fernandes & Wells near Carnaby St and we weren’t disappointed. Arguably the best coffee of the trip so far.

The Liberty Building - Love it

Now, let me tell you something. New York has nothing on London for the average shopper. New York is great if you’re super rich and your budget extends to Armani, Prada, Louis Vuitton etc but London just has so much more choice for regular people. We went up and down Oxford Street, down Regent St, into Soho and then into Covent Garden in the sunny afternoon to watch the street performers and enjoy the atmosphere. Shopping-wise we didn’t do brilliantly. As our budget is limited we’ve become incredibly fussy so only a pair of Miss 60 Jeans, a Miss 60 top and some swimmers made it through the tough criteria today. Still, very happy with all the purchases. We shopped hard, from around 11am until 6.30pm with only a short stop for a Pret Duck & Hoi-Sin wrap for lunch (very yummy).

Shopping!!

We stumbled across a coffee recommendation place at around 6pm (Monmouth St near Covent Garden) so we had to have another – also really really good. All the pastries looked amazing too but we had to hold back as I think we have had dessert every day in the UK!

The tube took us home and Maria made a delicious dinner – Chicken breast stuffed with goats cheese and tapenade with a spinach salad. We could really get used to be this spoilt all the time!

Day Twenty Nine - Nirvana

We were completely spoilt today (more than usual) as Maria had arranged for us all to go to a Day Spa. Maria is a member at the Nirvana Day Spa near Wokingham, not far from Reading. After about an hour’s drive we arrived at the sprawling posh facility and picked up our towels and white fluffy robes from reception.

After getting changed into swimmers and the robe, we explored the Spa starting with a coffee in the Garden Café that overlooks one of the many pools. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a Day Spa. I’ve had massages etc and then had a spa bath afterwards but the idea of spending an entire 8hr “workday” at the place? What would you do all day? Well we soon found out.

After a coffee we headed for the Hydrotherapy Spa pool – massive and filled with many jets at different strengths and heights we relaxed for a while. Both Jo and Maria tried the freezing plunge pool, whilst I stayed in the warm! After that we enjoyed the steam room for a while, sat by another pool and read the paper. Then it was time for lunch – a full salad bar for us all to pick, as we liked.

Maria had booked us in for a “Celestial Floatation Pool” experience after lunch. What is that I hear you ask – well, not the claustrophobic tank thingy that might have popped into your head – it’s a huge circular pool filled with tonnes of salt from the Dead Sea – about 30% salt! You even have an induction to get used to it! As we slowly entered, I could feel a sting as I foolishly shaved my legs that morning (not advised) and you duck down so your shoulders are under the water and then tip back and float. Then it was time to enter the real pool, one by one (the pool takes a maximum of 6 people) we floated in for 40 mins of peaceful, tranquil floating looking up a the twinkling ceiling. Magic. You drift around as there is a slight current the water, very occasionally brushing past someone else but it’s incredibly relaxing and the water is just amazing as it supports you effortlessly.

After that, we had another few dips in the pool, followed by a cup of tea and a few short lengths to finish the day around 5pm. Thank you again Maria!

We were home in an hour, not bad for rush hour on the M25 to have a relaxing evening at home. More relaxing in the garden was followed by watching Wimbledon and the amusing Mary Queen of Shops on BBC2. Fantastic day.

Germany 4 - 1 England

Pah.

F*&^! England *&^+ !"$£ "%^&"$$ and Rooney is £"$%! England always looked outclassed and couldn't pass for (&£$^.

The passing was *&^% and the Ref was even more *&(*%^%$. Unbelivable that Lampard's goal wasn't given and the *&^%*^% linesman must be &^*%$$ blind. Germany always looked dangerous and our back four couldn't organise a *&^* up in a brewery.

Three Lions my *&%$, every four years this happens.

Let us never discuss this again.

Other than that, we were all up for a hot breakfast in the morning and to take little spoilt pooch Harvey for his Sunday walk and swim.

Wet dog

We drove to a spot nearby and parked and watched Harvey as he found his favourite swimming spot, he was so cute fetching a stick from the water and even cuter when he needed his ears wringing out as they were soaking!

Awwww - Harvey having his ears dried after a swim

After his swim we wandered around as it was such a beautiful day and I took some shots of the area by the canal and the locks.

Beautiful English summer day

Day Twenty Seven - Dad & Maria

Maria picked us up around midday and we ended up taking the scenic route back as we were all chatting so much we missed our turn off the A1! We ended up going back via Radlett and missed the M25 but it wasn't that much longer and probably cut out some motorway traffic. Maria brought Harvey (the spaniel) along and he was a good boy in the car.

The day we really relaxed as we unpacked a bit and just enjoyed the warm sunny afternoon. Dad was home from work around 2.30 which was lovely so we could spend the afternoon together.

Dad made a magnificent paella for dinner - filled with chicken, prawns, calamari and mussels. Perfectly cooked, Jo and I dived in to get the crusty rice from the bottom of the pan - yum! After we thought we couldn't eat anymore (it was served with yummy olive bread too) Dad brings out a huge cup filled with home-made Chocolate mousse! He made it last night and it was done with Orange Liquer, Pistachios and a hint of Chilli. Well, it was a battle to finish it be we both did! Felt slightly ill afterwards from eating so much but it was all so good we couldn't leave any!

Day Twenty Six - Royston

We were a bit hung over today from the night before - I was supposed to go shopping with my Mum and visit my Nan but I was still in bed!

Jo and I surfaced around 10.30 and did nothing for the most of the day. Around 2.30 we got off our lazy bums and walked the half an hour to my Nan's to pop in and say hello. After about an hour, we walked into Royston for the first time and bought some lunch from Morrisons and a couple of bottles of wine for Justin & Kim tonight and for Mum & Barry as a thank you for looking after us so much.

The evening was spent with Justin & Kim. We arrived about 5.30 so we could have some time with Noah before his bath and bedtime. It was lovely to spend some time with them all and Noah was so cute playing with his toys. He had a little cry after his bath and when put to bed but all in all he was good - after he went to bed Justin popped out and got some Chinese takeaway.

Jo and I had been craving Chicken Chow Mein (English-Chinese style) and Cripsy Shredded Beef so they were definitely on the list! Justin and Kim picked Chicken with Cashew Nut and a Prawn dish - yum. The Prawn Crackers were awesome too! We had a lovely evening around the dinner table chatting and enjoying the food. Jo and I were off alcohol tonight so Justin had a few Ciders and Kim a few wines - we had water.

Home by 10.30 and in bed soon after - looking forward to visiting Dad & Maria tomorrow.

Day Twenty Five - My Birthday!

It's my birthday today! We both managed another good nights sleep and a lay in until around 9.30am before having some breakfast and opening some cards. We took a trip to St Ives for the afternoon, only about 40 minutes drive from Royston.

Another lovely old town, we explored the town centre and popped into a few shops. Over the bridge by the river we stopped in at a pub for some lunch. Two toasted panini's and diet cokes later, we watched a wedding in preparation complete with men in kilts and full Scottish regalia.

After lunch and a t-shirt purchase by Barry later we drove back into Royston and began to get ready for my birthday dinner. We started with a glass of champagne in the garden before the taxi arrived to take us to the King William in Heydon not far from home.

Enjoying the garden on my birthday

We arrived just after Justin & Kim and Dad & Maria and so the eight of us sat in the pub garden this time for a drink, a chat and a look at the menu. After opening some more cards for Jo's belated birthday and some presents (both completely spoilt!) we took some pictures including this great group shot taken by a lady who was enjoying a drink with her husband!

Birthday dinner at the King William

Dinner was superb. Jo and I had crispy duck with an oriental salad to start, I then had a pork tenderloin and Jo had teriaki salmon with noodles - both divine. There were clean plates all round, but not clean shirts. Even after Barry was clingwrapped to his chair to protect his shirt from the bbq ribs there was still a spot of sauce post unwrapping!

Barry being wrapped by the waitress - beware ordering BBQ ribs!

We said goodbye to Dad & Maria who we'll see again on Saturday for a few days and Justin & Kim who we see tomorrow night for dinner and headed home. We ended up staying awake with a nightcap or two going through old photos of me as a baby until about 3am!! Brilliant birthday!

Day Twenty Four - Lavenham

Barry thought it would be nice to see some of real England so we all took a drive to Suffolk and to Lavenham - a beautiful old village filled with picturesque buildings and streets.

Relaxing in the Gardens at Chilford Hall

Before we got there, we made a few stops. First at Chilford Hall, an English Winery - yes Winery! We tasted a few white wines and Barry bought one! We then stopped off at at Long Melford for a cold drink and a bit to eat at a little Tea Room on the main street there.

Beautiful old town of Lavenham

Lavenham was a gorgeous place, only enhanced by the blue sky on another warm and sunny summer day in England - we have been very lucky with the weather so far! Some of the buildings there are from 1340!! They made for some good postcard pictures - you wonder how they are still standing and are in the condition that they are after all those years.

The Crooked House at Lavenham

After the drive home we relaxed in the conservatory for a little while before enjoying a family dinner.

Day Twenty Three - Cambridge

Today was a trip into Cambridge - It's been 4 years since Jo and I were here and it was another stunningly sunny day in England so it sounded like a good plan. We must've brought the good weather with us like last time.

Cambridge in the sun

Barry drove us girls in and let us lose for some shopping while he parked the car. Not much has changed but the shopping area certainly has! The new (well, new for us) Lion Yard is now much bigger with new shops including G-Star :) Jo and I both spent most of our birthday money in here - Jo on two tops and me on a skirt and top.

Corpus Christi looking magnificent

Cambridge really is a lovely city, it's not until you go away and come back you realise just how picturesque the place is, especially in summer. We got asked twice if we wanted to go punting (we went last time) and there were plenty of people out enjoying the water and the parks. Including the cows that were roaming around on the walk in - Jo tried to be friendly and say hello but the cow was a bit grumpy.

Me and Mum by the river

We wandered around the usual places like Marks & Spencer before going home via Mum & Barry's allotment to pick some fresh rhubarb for dessert and some onions. Yum! There were a few strawberries left too so we nibbled on a few of those too.

Jo after some successful shopping!

After that, we popped in to say hello to my Nan and see how she's doing - she turns 90 this year and is looking well. It was lovely to see her again after all this time. We then did our last stop of the day to see my brother and Kim and my little nephew for the first time.

Awwww! Little Noah and his favourite plastic cups

Little Noah didn't fail to impress us all with his skills stacking little plastic cups and is too cute for words! Looking forward to catching up with Justin & Kim later in the week and see the cutey again.

Day Twenty Two - Home Sweet Home

The flight wasn't too bad, I amused myself with Night at the Museum and Jo watched Valentine's Day. Not a wink of sleep though but the spinach & ricotta lasagna for dinner was surprisingly OK.

Relaxing in Dad & Mia's kitchen with Mum & Barry

We arrived in London and had to get a bus from the plane to the terminal! It took about 15 minutes then we finally got through immigration before seeing Mum & Barry and Dad & Maria waiting patiently for us to appear.

With my Mum

It was a great reunion after nearly 4 years since we've seen Dad & Maria and nearly 2 1/2 for Mum & Barry - we all hopped in cars and went back to Dad's place for some champagne and a light lunch. We were all greeted warmly by Harvey (the dog) who was happy to have everyone round to make a fuss of him.

Mum & Dad pose for a pic

After a few hours we made the drive back to Royston to relax and try to get so sleep - we managed until about 9.30pm with only a short nap in the afternoon, not too bad I thought!

Day Twenty One - Travel to the UK

Our last day in New York was fairly uneventful, mostly killing time waiting for our flight at 9.30pm. We asked for a late check out from the hotel and they said the latest we could have was 1pm, which worked well for us.

We spent most of the morning watching some TV and packing up our bags for the last time in the US. At 1pm, we checked out and left our bags with reception and set off for yet more walking. We trudged up to Macy's around 34th St, got a drink and some lunch. We attracted the attention of an 82 year old in Pret who spotted our map of Manhattan. After asking us if we needed any help he gave us some tips (get the free ferry to Staten Island to get the view of the Statue of Liberty and take a trip to Jones Beach for some sun and relaxation), told us some old stories of traveling Europe in his youth and reminded us not to smoke as we said farewell. Bless.

We walked around some more and I managed to find a nice pair of Tigers for $65 :) Much cheaper than Australia. We picked up our bags around 5pm and after what was one of the hottest days in NY we sat with the laptop in McDonalds to sponge their free Wi-Fi and Air Con and to check the best Subway line for the airport.

We found that we could get on right at 28th St where we were! Excellent! We went three stops to change to the E line and discovered that the line was shut for track work! Not excellent! We bumbled around with another lost American girl for a while before getting on an A train that went the long way round but got us to Howard Beach Station and our connection to the AirTrain.

Some more uneventful time at the airport before hopping on our BA flight 15 mins late for a 6 hr flight to London.....

Day Twenty - Jo's Birthday in NYC

It's our last full day in NYC and it's also Jo's birthday today! As it was another beautiful sunny and warm day we logged on to the internet and booked some bikes so we could explore Central Park a bit more - 50% discount for booking online!

We decided to make the most of the day and walked the 30 or so blocks from 28th St to 57th and 9th. We tried out another coffee shop, this time on 38th St and two very respectable cappuccino's. So we weren't rushed we booked the bikes for 1pm. We walked with the bikes 2 blocks to the south west end of the park and then took off to explore.

Lou on the groovy rental bike

The bikes were pretty good and fun to ride - as Central Park is so huge it really is the best way to get around and see it all. It would take hours and hours to walk it but in about 30 mins we had cycled up to the north end and part way down again - just in time to have some lunch by a lake in the shade.

Relaxing in sunny Central Park

The park is an oasis in this city, it contains baseball pitches, several lakes, a zoo, playgrounds and heaps more and it was completely packed being a Saturday. There is one line divided for walking/cycling and two lanes for traffic - this must translate in American as "go wherever you like" as there seemed to be no order to it at all! Bikes on the road, cars in the other lanes, people walking everywhere. We managed to get around twice without hitting anyone or anything and dropped off the bikes around 3pm.

We were being cheap again so we walked 30 blocks home (via buying some new jeans for Jo - hey, it's her birthday!) to rest for a bit.

We booked the Mercer Kitchen for Jo's birthday dinner on the recommendation of Carolyn - it was a great choice! We started with crispy squid with a chilli-lime mayo, Jo enjoyed a slow baked salmon and I was a total pig and had confit duck. We also tucked into a warm chocolate fondant cake with vanilla bean ice-cream and the best cheesecake we've ever had - with cherries and a cherry sorbet. Delicious!

Very good cheesecake - what's left of it!

A few days ago we were accosted in Times Sq by a guy selling tickets to a comedy store on the Upper West Side - we got two tickets for $5 each so we decided to get the subway there and check it out. When we arrived, we didn't realised you needed to call and reserve prior so they put us on the waiting list. We managed to get a seat (very lucky) and laughed our asses off for the next 2 hours with 5 great comedians taking the stage.

Amusing ourselves waiting for the subway

The subway home at around 1am and then to bed - checking out tomorrow and then more traveling to the UK to see family and friends....

Day Nineteen - Brooklyn Bridge

We slept better in our new comfy bed than that last few nights so it was nice to have a lay in. I popped out into the sunny and warm morning to get some milk and some free coffee from the hotel so we could have some cereal and fresh strawberries in our room. We didn't really have any plans for the day other than a trip to Macy's as a refund that was supposed to come back onto our Cash Passport hadn't as yet.

We took a walk up to 34th Street and the hugest Macy's you've ever seen. It was packed as it's sale season it seems and a browse around turned out to be fruitless with endless floors of sale crap stacked high. We found Customer Service and told them about our non-refund and we got directed to the Shoe Dept. Several people in the shoe dept we asked obviously thought this was a challenge beyond their meagre skills and told us to look for someone with a "red name tag" which denoted a Manager. We found Roger, the red-name-tagged-manager who was helpful and sorted it out for us after about half an hour on the phone with the San Francisco store - one thing sorted for today.

The Brooklyn Bridge

In the half an hour wait, Jo managed to find some shoes to spend our refund on and a pair for me too both in the sale. The only thing was, one of my shoes was in the box, the other was *somewhere* on the sale stand. Now picture this....a shoe department the size of Greece, 25,000 neatly stacked shoe racks, all sorted into sizes in and orderly fashion. Now picture a F5 tornado going through the area and about 500 sale-hungry women all buzzing around like vultures. Do you think there is anyway to find the missing shoe? Not a snowflake chance in hell. I wasn't Cinderella today but as Jo was paying I did manage to find another pair, in my exact size, just what I was looking for next to the register! Meant to be? I thought so too.

The Manhattan Bridge from the Brooklyn Bridge

By then, it was time for lunch so off to Pret again for one of their yummy hot wraps. We wanted to walk the Brooklyn Bridge today so we caught the Subway across to Brooklyn and took a stroll around, taking in the views of Manhattan from the Promenade before making our way to the bridge and walking across. You do get great views, especially on a day like today and the crowds were out as people battled with cyclists for a lane. The pedestrian walkway is above the cars and was flooded with tourists and locals alike.

Manhattan from the Brooklyn Promenade

After this, we took another walk around Soho and the village area popping in and out of shops that looked interesting and different. I bought a top and Jo almost bought some jeans but today it wasn't to be. We were exhausted with all the walking again today so when we found a great little noodle house we took our chance and stopped in for some dinner before catching the subway home and to relax for the evening. Only one more sleep until Jo's birthday tomorrow so it will be an early to bed for us tonight.

Day Eighteen - Empire State Building

It was Kathryn's last day in New York before she heads home so we wanted to go up the road a few blocks and to the top of the Empire State Building.

Before we went thought Jo & I packed up our prison cell at the Latham "Hotel" and gladly checked out 3 nights early. We walked 2 mins to the glorious saviour of the MAve Hotel on Madison Avenue. They stored our bags whilst we went for breakfast.

Jo and I at the top of the Empire State Building

After some food and coffee, we walked up to 34th Street and the Empire State. It was $20 each to get in and to be honest I was sceptical about value for money here but once up the top on the 88th floor the views really are spectacular.

Looking North from the Observation Deck

We waited until today as the weather forecast was good and we had blue skies but it was windy up there! I wouldn't bother paying the extra $15 to get to the 102nd floor but we got some excellent photos of all Manhattan, New Jersey, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx from the observation deck.

Looking down at the bustling city of Manhattan

It was hard to get a good spot but some jostling for position all three of us managed to get some good shots of us and the view.

Once down on ground level around 1pm we headed up on the subway to Central Park for walk around and some more exploring of the city. We wandered around in search of food and Pret a Manger came to the rescue in the overpriced tourist area of the city. After a great toasted wrap, our feet were still too tired to walk so we all agreed that a cup of tea and a chocolate brownie would do the trick and also keep us seated for a bit longer.

Waiting for the 6 to take us south on the Subway

We took another subway back 'home' and Jo and I finally checked into our hotel - it's fantastic! Very modern and funky, the bed is super comfy (unlike the spring laden crap at the old place) and very clean. Absolutely perfect and absolute heaven!

Looking South down towards Wall St and south Manhattan

After downloading some photos for Kathryn we walked her to the subway and said goodbye :( It's been 2 years since I last saw her and not sure when we'll all catch up again but it was so great see her again and spend some time together I hope it's not too long before our next time.

Kathryn posing for pics at the Empire State Building

Jo and I had the afternoon to ourselves and it was pretty uneventful - I spent most of it at the laundry place washing and drying our clothes whilst Jo picked up some food and went back to our hotel to unpack.

It's so nice to be in a decent hotel room again that we stayed in, had a cheap bagel for dinner and enjoyed a few cold beers with the footy! Heaven!

Day Seventeen - Statue of Liberty

About 2 months ago I bought three tickets to the Statue of Liberty but still couldn't get Crown Access - it was sold out until September. September!! We all made our way downtown on the Subway to near City Hall & the Brooklyn Bridge and walked over the the Ground Zero site.

The last time I was here in NY about 8 years ago, all you could see at Ground Zero was a huge hole in the ground but now the design for the Sept 11 memorial has been decided and construction is underway. It now just looks like a building site and life goes on as normal. We found a nice local cafe to enjoy oatmeal (Jo), pancakes (Kathryn) and eggs/bagel (me) for breakfast - very good it was too.

Getting up and close with Miss Liberty

It wasn't a long walk down to Battery Park at the south end of Manhattan to pick up our tickets and catch the ferry to Liberty Island. We hopped on with about a million other tourists to see Miss Liberty. She is an awesome sight from any distance and close up even better - it was great to wander around and get a few good pics. Originally a gift from the French to celebrate America's 100th anniversary of independence she is now a symbol of freedom to all Americans and perhaps the world.

The most famous sight in NY

The weather wasn't that great today and after all the walking yesterday and today we decided to skip Ellis Island (original Immigration centre for America - nearly 12m Americans entered through this island) and went back to Manhattan.

We got the subway uptown to 59th & 5th Ave and took a walk around FAO Schwartz made famous in the move BIG with Tom Hanks - yes the Big Piano is still there. You can have a go if you take your shoes off and you can buy it for a mere $250,000! We needed to get on at Grand Central Station so we took the opportunity to take some shots and have a look around what must be the nicest and most beautiful train station in the world!

The beautiful Grand Central Terminal in the heart of Manhattan

We stopped in a few shops here and there but had no luck so we headed back to the hotel & prison to have a shower and get changed for dinner. After we managed to get the shower taps back on and another subway ride uptown we took a stroll around Times Sq at night - tacky and full of tourists but still lots of fun and makes for great quintessential NY photos.

Relaxing in Times Square

Kathryn's iPhone lead us to 'Restaurant Row' and we finally selected a nice Italian place for dinner. The spaghetti meatballs were great and the wine even better! By the time we finished it was about 9.30 so we go the bill and gave our moody awful waitress a $2 tip on a $75 bill haha. The usual is around 18%-20% so I bet she wasn't happy! Still, I don't care...she was crap but the food was good.

Posing at dinner

We had planned before leaving Australia that we'd go see Sex and the City 2 in NY - and we did :) It was strange watching Carrie & Co on the big screen in NY when we were sitting in the middle of Manhattan too. We all really enjoyed the movie and laughed our way through it until 1am!

The buzz of Times Square at dusk

The subway home got us back safely but not before it absolutely bucketed it down as soon as we got to 28th Street! Thank god it was our last night in hell hole too, tomorrow we switch hotels to the awesome MAve hotel just around the corner. Can't wait!