HONG KONG - TUESDAY

Having heard from Alan and Angela (our son-in-law's aunt and uncle) late on Monday night that they would meet us for lunch, this became our focus for the day. So we  had a late breakfast and cruised the shops looking for some gift ideas and now with a view to find someone to make a suit for Glenys. We were amazed at how different the local area looks in the morning to the way it appears in the evening when the markets are open till late and the neon signs are blazing.

We were delighted to catch up with Alan, Angela and even more so to discover that their daughter, Anna and grandson Brian (the star page boy at Rachel and David's wedding) were also having yum cha with us. They call lunch "Dim Sum" which is the total package "Yum Cha" is about drinking tea, which by the way, helps the digestion we are told. Either way the meal was delicious and we were very full - "up to pussy's bow".

After lunch we made our way via the tube (MTR) to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) where the public pier is located and of course lots more shops. We left Alan and co. there and enjoyed a harbour cruise on the Aqua Luna which is an old wooden Chinese boat with a modern diesel engine under the deck these days. It was pleasant weather though a little hazy, we suspect this might be the case weatherwise most of the time. It was a good opportunity to take a few harbour photos.

The Aqua Luna on Hong Kong harbour

The rest of the day we spent enjoying the shops and organising for Glenys to be fitted with her new suit.  We returned to the hotel in the early evening and after a refreshing cuppa we made one final assault on the Ladies Market at Mong Kok (nearby). We hardly needed any food but Ray tackled a bag of octopus fried and we both enjoyed an ice-cream before turning in the for the night.

Our last full day in Hong Kong. Tomorrow we pack and head for the airport and home.

HONG KONG - Monday

Sunday went in a blur. We spent most of the day in the air and lost time as we traversed the continent of Asia. We enjoyed our first flight on an A380 from London to Dubai. We arrived in Hong Kong around  10pm and finally checked into the Stanford Hotel just before midnight. We needed a good shower and a long sleep - our wish was granted.

We have had lots of great advice about making the most of the time in Hong Kong - our grateful thanks to all who have contributed ideas.  We had fun on the subway (MTR), the Ferry to Hong Kong Island and the tram to the Peak.  What a great view from the top of Hong Kong island. We had lunch at a Chinese Restaurant looking out across the harbour, through the rain.

We are staying in Mong Kok - not far from the area that daily becomes the "Ladies Market". We ended our day browsing the stalls but encountered a tropical thunderstorm and spent much time dodging the rain and puddles. This storm eventually drove us into a local restaurant for a very nice dinner while the rain eased - only slightly.

There were lots of highlights in the day - the great lunch at the Peak, discovery of Hong Kong Park - a real gem - and meeting the Dean elect on our visit to the Cathedral - to name a few.

When we eventually gave up shopping in the street market - by chance - we discovered we were only minutes away from our hotel and a hot powerful shower .. bliss!

WINDSOR & HEATHROW - Saturday

Steve booked a "Zip'  car from midday - so we had time to do the Friday blog whilst still humming the great songs from "Matilda".

Windsor is not far from Chiswick so we were soon roaming the historical and famous village/city - among the myriad of tourists and looking for an English style pub for a traditional lunch (the quid pro quo - our shout, S & E are paying for the car).

We settled into the "Duchess of Cambridge" pub, very nice too!  We picked a busy scene opposite the castle - lunch took a while.  Our main target for the day was to visit the castle - there's much to see: St George's Chapel, 22 State Rooms, the surrounds and gardens just to mention a few things. We did the Chapel visit and were interested to hear that Evensong was at 5-15pm. We agreed this was do-able, but Steve would have to extend the car time - so easy via his Iphone - what a wiz!

We visited some of the State rooms - a bit rushed and perhaps they are better seen with the use of the audio tour ... next time.

We attended the beautiful regular Saturday Evensong with Choir Chapel Service and our "tech" guides advised us that it was already Sunday in Australia. This was good news given we will be in the air for much of the next 16-18 hours as we head to Hong Kong via Dubai, with a couple of hours in the UAE.

Steve and Eryn dropped us at Heathrow about 7 pm - we were sad to leave them they have been great hosts and we know we will miss them and their lively company - both in coming days and until we catch up with them again.

They are soon to relocate to an apartment closer to central London in the suburb of Hammersmith.

For Ray & Glenys we look forward to seeing Hong Kong for the first time and enjoying the last days of our leave.

LONDON-GREENWICH - Friday September 21

Another day back in London - easy start and more writing and blogging, we hope our readers are enjoying it. (Nearly 2000 page views - somebody is looking!)

We set off for Greenwich - base for Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum and The Observatory - with the "mean-time line".  We stood each side of the line and were photographed by some very nice Americans and vice versa (yes we are nice Aussies!).

Half a world apart at Greenwich

The Observatory is a lesson in clocks, time and in the way the British conquered "the longitude puzzle". Well done to the Rev John Flamsteed who spent all his time at the telescope - hardly ever visited his parish in Surrey - oh well, I'm sure they were proud of him (and they could choose their own hymns?)

We had a lovely lunch at "The King's Arms" in the centre of the Village and then visited St Alfege's Church. What a delightful surprise. So much history in that parish: Henry VIII baptised there, many of the great sea-farers worshipped there including Captain Cook. Thomas Tallis was the one time parish organist.

We had a quick visit to the National Maritime Museum - another terrific free British Museum. There was so much to see and we only had a few minutes before they closed at 5pm.

We went back to St Alfege's to sketch for a few minutes and then caught the fast ferry back to the Embankment. We had enjoyed the river ferry so much on the way out that we decided to return the same way.

This must be London:  the return from Greenwich

However, time got away, it started to rain, it was suddenly dark and we were supposed to meet Steve & Eryn at Cambridge Theatre in the West End for pre-show drinks - we had tickets to see Matilda (a second time for S&E).  After a few moments of wondering if we could find each other we eventually made the rendezvous and enjoyed antipasto and wine.

The show was fantastic - based on the Roald Dahl book - it was witty, clever and so entertaining. The kids who perform in it are fantastic and Tim Minchin's musical score is great. We loved it and feel inclined to re-read the book.

Don't miss this show when it comes to Melbourne

The trip home via the tube was quick but we enjoyed the walk through London Theatre district at 10:30pm on Friday night - so vibrant.

Tomorrow we begin our homeward bound journey. But not until late - we plan a trip to Windsor in the afternoon and the kids will drop us at Heathrow on the way back to Chiswick Park. Next blog might be in a few days.

PARIS Musee, Orangerie and the Tuileries - Thursday

Having arranged for a late check out in readiness for our 5:43pm trip back to London on Eurostar, we had virtually another full day in Paris.

We decided to visit Musee Orangerie, at the Tuileries. After some indecision about form of transport - Metro or bus - we opted for the latter. A good decision as above ground you get to see the sights of Paris. What a beautiful, organised and busy city it is.

The exhibition features Monet's momentous paintings "The Nympheos" or Waterlilies and painted on a colossal scale towards the end of his life. These paintings fill two very large oval shaped rooms that are naturally lit. Monet hoped that these works would help the viewer have peace in their life. The lower level of the gallery features an array of works by the top Impressionists of the late 19th Century and early 20th century:  Renoir, Picasso, Mogliano, Deslain, Gaugin and others. We loved this exhibition and we left inspired to paint something ourselves.

The Louvre and the Tuileries:  this must be Paris!

We managed to find a ham roll (jambon baguette) Glen's desire, and chicken for Ray and then sat eating and sketching in a shaded place in the gardens overlooking the Louvre.

Time to do a little city window shopping and then back to Gare du Nord to collect our luggage, immigration and passport check.

We couldn't leave Paris however, without a Nutella Crepe - yum!

We have just two days now in London then homeward bound.

MONT ST MICHEL - Wednesday 19 September

We were picked up outside our Hotel at 6:30am by the "Paris Vision" travel company and taken to the depot on Rue Villiers (St Joan of Arc's statue) to begin our journey to Mont St Michel. The coach was almost full - very comfortable. We had two guides and two drivers - a sign of a full day. The commentary was delightful - our guide spoke English and Italian (on the bus); we later learned he had another 3 languages up his sleeve and the other guide Japanese.

The explanation of the history of Normandy from the 10th Century to World War II took a fair chunk of the time on our journey (repeated in 3 languages). We learned a lot and it was good also to have a French perspective on history, especially the Battle of Hastings.

We caught sight eventually of the Mont some miles away - it is mysterious and amazing. We had to cool our walking shoes as the bus load enjoyed a very pleasant lunch (part of the tour) in a restaurant with a panoramic view of the mountain/island.

Magical Mont Saint Michel

The guide provided us with audio headsets and so proceeded to take us on a wonderful exploration of buildings - predominantly a medieval Benedictine monastery - built to house monks and nuns and a vast array of their activities - chapels, the main church, but also halls, refectory, scriptorium, hospital and guest accommodation, a courtyard with cloister, pulley room for hauling heavy loads up the steep precipice.

Cloister at Mont Saint Michel

Like other incredible monastic sites (Meteora and Montserrat to name a couple) you wonder at the energy and the expertise involved in creating these buildings.

Mont St Michel has no great claims - theologically or spiritually. It does not seem to have given rise to any great church figures - yet it is incredibly appealing. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands of tourists on the mount and it's probably like that every day. Naturally, the souvenir and gift shops do a roaring trade as you snake your way back down the hill to catch the shuttle on time. Then begins the long trip back to Paris - we were back at Hotel Maubeuge by 10pm; a quick hot chocolate and off to bed - what a wonderful day!

PARIS - Tuesday 18 September

Leaving London on the 9:17am Eurostar meant we were up and about at Chiswick quite early.

Our early start was rewarded with a large chunk of the day in Paris. Staying near the Gare du Nord and not so far from Montmartre we soon gravitated to the mount famous for Sacre Coeur and many artists.

The Artist in Montmartre

We visited Musee Montmartre and an exhibit that joined more dots, "Chat Noir", the symbol for much of the republican protest that came to a head in the storming of the Bastille. The other dot was attending the performance of Les Miserables at West End last week.

We had lunch and dinner on the mount - spending our time watching artists at work and the crowds going by. We were captivated by an acrobatic street performer who balanced a soccer ball  on his feet and juggled it while performing all sorts of feats high up at the top of a lamp post at the top of the very high stairs on the hill of Sacre Coeur.

We have another early morning start and long journey tomorrow - so we returned to Hotel Maubeuge and try to get some sleep with the background noise of a busy city just outside our window.