It’s been seriously hot today – over 30 which is unexpected. In my opinion early morning is the best.
So taking it slowly (tram comes in handy!) and enjoying the views.
Coffee, followed by beers
Lunch
And so on and so on.
– very touristy
– so much English spoken
– pretty cheap on the whole
– did I mention the hills
– surprising number of Americans here
– really nice feel to it, especially on warm evenings
Having concluded the hills are a bit, well, hilly we came up with another plan involving trams. They really don’t go fast (3 miles in about 20 minutes) but fun.
More bling – not really to our taste
And then much better a trundle along the river to the beach.
And then a decent view for lunch
Apparently one “delicacy” is a toasted cheese and steak sandwich in a Francesina sauce – an experience that was ok but probably never to be repeated!
Famous Harry Potter bookshop with a massive queue and an €8 entry fee (refundable if you buy a book) which we resisted.
Fabulous city, albeit as hilly as its reputation. But some great photos, starting first thing:
And some not so great …..
Main station first thing
and later on …
Stopped for a coffee
And some serious bling
Taxi wouldn’t take us home as it wasn’t far enough – probably true but seriously uphill in parts.
Bit more sightseeing later on
And ended up eating Korean (although we didn’t know what it was when we walked in, and hadn’t a clue what we ordered – it’s a longish story) for the first time which was great.
Knackered!
We had been thinking of this a couple of weeks ago but we’re a bit worried about heatwaves. So here we are in Porto for a few days before hiring a car and heading off .
All really smooth, and Stansted in midweek end of September is much nicer than in the peak holiday season.
Arrived in the apartment before 2.00
with a great terrace right on the edge of the old town.
Bit hilly, but we were expecting that. So had a lovely wander by the river.
Lots of English spoken, which will probably change when we head off next week.
And a bit of art?
Thanks, mum! 5 properties in 4 days, and a NT lunch every day.
Started at Bexhill ‘cus we liked it.
Nymans
Remembered that as visited just before lockdown in March 2020 – in fact the cafe closed that day.
And the house was open this time.
Gardens looking good.
Short and sweet, but great.
House ok, but parking a bit of a nightmare – doesn’t look it in the photo but it was.
Anyway, another good day.
Pett Level
On a clear day you can see Dungeness Nuclear Power Station.
… but such bad coffee.
Bodiam
Real essence of castle. Getting lots of flashbacks to COVID again.
Bexhill
A real find – helps that it’s looking its best.
And what a great way to spend a Monday.
My early morning foray took me to Pett Level – about an hour’s walk and only a few minutes in the car. So a good place to spend a few hours.
Sissinghurst
An old favourite. Last time we were here was during COVID, and significantly busier now but still fantastic. A bit hot still.
Rye
Another old favourite, including Lamb’s House which has previously been closed.
Evening walk on the beach – what’s not to like!
Whilst suffering/enjoying the September heatwave, we decided to head to the South Coast for a few days.
Stopped at Knole on the way, which is becoming a bit of a tradition but well worth it.
Last came here in August 2021 when we were beginning to escape from COVID. Felt much freer this time.
But it was sooooo hot all we could do was enjoy the shade.
Ventured to Hastings in the evening which was a bit depressing. Beach was fine though.
View from dinner at a reasonable Italian.
Wasn’t quite like that as lots of cars, but it was cooler outside and I really liked the pic!
Cloudy but still great.
Although not a patch on Iceland…
Stopping off to see Ralph, Frida and Sam on way home (plus new additions )
