Christmas in the City

Linda’s birthday present was a trip up ‘the smoke’ to the see the lights. On  Wednesday we left home around 12.15 and caught the bus to the railway station and then the train to Londinium.  On arrival at Liverpool Street we caught the tube to Warwick Avenue  although Duffy sang ‘when I get to Warwick Avenue, we'll spend an hour but no more than two.....’ we were going to spend a couple of nights at the Colonnade Hotel. 

It  started life as two private Victorian houses in 1865 which were then converted into an all girls’ boarding school in 1880. Here, on the 23rd June 1912, Alan Turing was born, as recorded by a blue plaque on the outside of the hotel. In 1935, it was converted into a hotel and named The Esplanade Hotel. In 1938, was pleased to house Sigmund Freud, his wife and his youngest daughter Anna for the summer whilst their house in Hampstead was renovated. The Esplanade Hotel was then renamed The Colonnade Hotel in 1944.

The hotel lift is believed to one of the oldest operating, we wouldn’t know because we took the stairs every time to our room on the third floor. It was a nice room plenty of space and a couple of arm chairs to sit and talk, or watch the Downing Street briefing, its not the same now Sky’s Beth Rigby is not there to ask what I deem as silly questions!

After settling in, we decided to go for a walk, although Linda didn’t know where she was, so she just had to follow me. We wandered down to Paddington and had a look at the barges and shops in Paddington Basin before joining the Edgware Road and  walking down to Marble Arch. It was getting dark now so the Christmas lights were on  as we walked down Oxford Street, then disaster struck Linda saw Marks and Spencers and wanted to go in, I said it was very dangerous as it was obviously a Covid-19 hotspot - but she was prepared to in, so we masked up and ventured in. She  saw several things that she liked but didn’t like the price tag so we left empty handed. Selfridges had their Christmas windows displays all lit up and a queue to go in, so we just took some pictures and moved along. The Nike store was open and we had a wandered around, but I couldn’t afford anything.....

We then stopped for a coffee, which sounded easier than it was. You have to QR the menu and then add the order, but it doesn’t go anywhere as the waitress comes and reads your phone and does the order. You can’t pay online but have to go into the cafe, which defeats the object of sitting outside. The end result was good.

It was selfie time at All Souls Christmas tree and then a wander past the Kenyan embassy back to the main road and Baker Street tube station  -‘elementary my dear Watson!)

Although we had half board the restaurant in the hotel was closed and so it was delivered from another hotel. It was a Persian menu which didn’t please Linda. She has the vegetarian option which was Okra curry and was  actually nice. I had the lamb curry and it was good.

Breakfast is delivered to the room on Thursday morning and it was fine. We left the hotel just after 10 and went for a walk. LInda is still confused where she is, but improving. We were discovering parts of London we never had been to before. Our first stop was Abbey Road Studio made famous by the Beatles in 1969 and we saw the Zebra  crossing and walked across it several times, much to the annoyance of the traffic. We had to take a photograph of course (Linda took several!) 

Our next stop was the Home of Cricket, I can’t say much more as Linda made some comments which have given me the basis for the Christmas Day sermon - so if you want to know more join us then!

We walked along Prince Albert Road and Regents Park was on the right hand side. As Madness sang 

‘From the top of the hill

 There's a hell of a view 

Houses of Parliament and London Zoo

Those politicians all chatter

They trumpet and roar

That must be what those hyenas all

Are laughing for’

What hill? Primrose Hill of course and I walked Linda all the way to the top. It was a great view of London although slightly cloudy. However you could see all the landmarks. If you are the top you have to come down again and we did. William Blake wrote ‘I have conversed with the spiritual Sun. I saw him on Primrose Hill.’ - well there was no sun today!

The Regents Canal towpath led us to Camden Lock market. It is located in the historic former Pickford  stables built in the 18th century.  It is the fourth-most popular visitor attraction in London but not today. It is quite large and sold everything from old clothes to masks, to ornaments to rubbish. It had several food outlets who kept giving away their food for you to try, well it saved buying dinner. We did stop for a coffee and sat outside watching the world go by, or would have done but it was very quiet.

After our coffee and visiting a few shops we wandered back through the main streets to Regents Park and then strolled through the park and the main road. We dropped in to see Sherlock Holmes at 221B but he was closed. 

Linda was very excited to see the hospital where several royal babies were born, so excited that the picture she took (of the hospital not the baby) didn’t come out, so we had to go back again for a second visit.

Our hotel is in the area named by the poet Robert Browning as Little Venice, just hope it doesn’t flood here like it does in Big Venice. I have found a nice coffee shop opposite the hotel so there was time for a coffee before we returned to our room. 

There was more choice of food tonight, Linda had a pizza and I had lamb shank stew. Both were very nice, although its not so much fun eating in the room and the food isn’t always that hot. We have done just under 11 miles on my guided tour today.

On Friday we had different plans I was being super spiritual and visiting Westminster Abbey and Linda was going to see her brother for a walk round Clapham Common.  We both started on the same train, but I changed at Victoria and Linda continued towards the common.  She met her brother Rodney chatted for ages, had a hot drink and then walked.

Westminster Abbey has been the Coronation Chapel since 1066 and  the settings for 16 Royal weddings, plus a lot of people are buried there! These included several kings and queens (although the doors were locked to their area - perhaps to stop them getting out - don’t want them getting Covid-19 especially at their age....

I had a wander around saw the tomb of William Wilberforce, Sir Issac Newton, and the Unknown Soldier.  In the Nave I stopped for some private prayer. Then I wandered through the Quire to the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor and Henry VII’s lady chapel. There were loads of tomb stones - including Oliver Cromwell and various poets. 

Following the one way system I visited the Cloister area and had a seat to reflect. It was then back to look at the Coronation Chair used for every Coronation since 1306. - it did look a bit old. 

The weather was overcast but had stopped raining. I walked up Whitehall and loitered outside Downing Street, but PM didn’t invite me in for tea - probably too busy sorting out Brexit.  The National  Gallery was free so I went online  and got a ticket, Linda was still with her brother. I am not sure why I wanted to go in I don’t particularly like art, but perhaps because it was free! I had a wander around there were paintings by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, (I did recognise one of his), Reubens, Monet and a few others. The only one I liked was Belshazzar Feast by Rembrandt. It took me about half an hour to complete the tour, including the exhibition on sin.

Fortunately I had finished when Linda phoned to say she was at the Embankment station so we met up and went for a spot of lunch in St Martin in the Fields - we are being very religious today! 

We then had a walk along the Strand towards St Pauls. Linda had never been in the Temple area and didnt know about the barristers chambers so I showed her all around. At St Pauls we went in for private prayer and then I decided to have a look around.  It cost £20 to get in, I must be undercharging on a Sunday.

Plenty more tombs to see, Sir Christopher Wren, Nelson, Wellington and a few others in the crypt. Nelson it appeared issued a call for the nation to come to prayer. I went up to the Stone Gallery - not sure why as I don’t like heights. There were over 376 steps up and a similar number down. There was a one way system so you went up the old steps with narrow corridors and staircases till you got the top. Coming down was fine as it was the new steps which felt much safer.

Linda had been reading a book waiting for me. We caught a bus to Covent Garden to see the Christmas Tree but didn’t stay long as there were too many people. We walked to Piccadilly Circus where we caught the tube back to the hotel - just over 11 miles today.

On Saturday we caught the tube from Warwick Avenue to Waterloo and then had a walk along the South Bank towards Tower Bridge. It was quite cold and overcast.  However, the views were good and we got some good pictures.  Our first stop was Southwark Cathedral for a coffee and mince pie before we decided to have a look around. It was free but you had to pay £2 for a photo permit. I could introduce that at our church if people want to take photos during the service (when we  restart) it’s £2! 

The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie stands at the oldest crossing-point of the River Thames at what was for many centuries the only entrance to the City of London situated across the river. 

The lady started to tell me about the cathedral which had Gothic parts and Victorian architecture but she was talking to a Philistine - hopefully I nodded in the right places.  There was a plaque outside which said that people like Gower (the court poet not the cricketer) Chaucer, Shakespeare and a few other were associated with the cathedral, now they would be able to add Werrett to the list 😂😂

There were some different tombs and stained glass windows. The problem with having all these people buried in the church is that at the rapture, when the dead in Christ rise, it will mess up the architecture and there will be holes everywhere!

The cathedral had been there since around 606AD.  Lancelot Andrewes,  Bishop of Winchester was buried in the Cathedral in 1626. He was involved with overseeing the translation of the King James Bible and his tomb can be found by the High Altar.

After leaving the cathedral we walked to Tower Bridge and crossed over. It was quite windy on the bridge. Then we had a coffee outside The Tower of London before walking back to Liverpool Street and getting the train home - just over 6 miles today - slacking😎 

You can see some photos here

If you have seen one tree you have seen…..

 Kew Gardens social distanced 10k was the highlight of the weekend,

I was running and Linda was volunteering as a marshal and as a bonus you got a free entry to look round the gardens (in case you missed the tree) once the race had ended. The would save you £35 on the entry fee, but then I personally wouldn’t have spent that to go in, I feel in the need of seeing a tree I can go to Belfairs or Gusted Hall.

Linda wanted a weekend away, so we had decided to combine the two. The dogs went off on their holiday and we drove up to London and Kew. We had a hotel booked just over the road from Kew Gardens, which was fortunate as you had to be at the race to check in for just after 7am.

We were staying at the Coach and Horses in Kew and they had free car parking, so in this new covid-19 world we decided it was better to drive and leave the car there, then take a long train ride across London.

On Friday It took just under two hours to get there, pretty straightforward, A127, M25, M4 and then you were virtually there. We arrived just after two, plenty of parking spaces left and we checked in. It’s quite strange as you have to wear a mask when moving around the building. 

We have a nice ensuite room, with a view of the back car park! We decided to go for a walk and find out where we have to be on Saturday morning. It was a 10 minute walk to the Brentford Gate and we saw people getting the tents and toilets ready for the following morning. It is right on the Thames Path and you have beautiful views along the Thames.

We walked along the path in Kew, did some shopping and then stopped for a Costa. Quite a few shops are shut which is a shame. Kew Green is by our hotel and it has a cricket pitch, so we were able to sit in the sun and watch the cricket. Kew Cricket Club play here and were having a match, I did some commentary for Linda, they were either bowling from the Cricketers Pub end or the Graveyard end.

The Alarm went just after 6am on Saturday, and we had to get up. Linda had ordered her breakfast for 6.30am and was expecting it to be delivered to her room, but it was downstairs. This was soon sorted out and we we left.

It was slightly chilly and so we had a brisk walk to Kew Gardens, everyone was social distancing, sanitising their hands and being sensible. We were early but Linda had to go off to her Marshall post. I was left hanging around as my start time wasn’t till 8.15am. It was strange with no stalls to look around, no-one to talk to and everyone keeping their distance. We had to join a social distanced queue to the start line and then we were off. 

I ran at a steady space, with a finishing time of 54.29 and came 785 out of over 1900 people. Not my best time, but not my worst either! I was so focused that I didn’t actually see Linda when I was running round, even though she had waved at me, I ran straight past her.

I was finished by about 9.20am so went back to the hotel as breakfast was being served till 10am. I had a quick change and was back downstairs by 9.40. They were very busy and didn’t have enough staff. It took 15 minutes to take my order and then put it this way, I had run the 10k quicker than they delivered my breakfast!

  Fortunately I wasn’t in a hurry and Linda joined me for a cup of tea.

As we had free tickets for Kew Gardens we went back in, it is just a load of trees, very boring, but Linda seemed to enjoy it. We did go to the Royal Garden and Her Majesty has obviously been neglecting it. The plants were overgrown and the beds needed weeding, she needs to get back from Balmoral and get on with the weeding!

After this, we decided to go for a walk and walked along the Thames Path towards Putney, had a look at the National Archives (you can’t go in unless you have an appointment) and then found the local shopping area. I had a coffee in Costa while Linda wandered around the shops. We then walked back to the hotel area. They were playing cricket again and I later found out Jack Russell had been there to paint the scene.

In the evening we went for a walk to Kew Village where the tube station is, its about 10 minutes away. There is a Starbucks there and several restaurants where you could eat on the pavement. We stopped at one and I had a butternut curry and Linda a chicken burger. It was very nice.

Sunday morning we were up early for breakfast. They had more staff on duty today but weren’t much faster! As all the churches were closed or had services by appointment only we took the bus to Richmond Park to have a look around. It is a Royal Park and has been since the 17th century. Ian Drury used to walk there, and there is a bench with words from one of his hits ‘reasons to be cheerful.’ The views were great from the park and you could see St Pauls Cathedral in the distance - about 12 miles away.

King Henry’s mound is located in Pembroke Lodge Gardens, was traditionally the spot thought to be where King Henry VIII stood on 19 May 1536 to watch a rocket fired from the Tower of London.

This was the signal that his wife Anne Boleyn had been executed for treason and he would be able to marry Lady Jane Seymour. The story is unlikely to be true because Henry spent that evening in Wiltshire and its more likely it was a prehistoric burial chamber from the Bronze Age and later used as a viewpoint for hunting and falconry.  It now offers fabulous panoramic views of the Thames Valley to the west and distant view of St. Paul's Cathedral to the east. The St. Paul's view has been faithfully preserved by generations of landscapers who have created a tree-framed sightline from the mound to the dome. The view is now protected and no new building is allowed to impede it.

There are deer in the park and you have to social distance from them at 50m - we didn’t see any, so they were obviously being careful.

We then walked back up the hill to Richmond, had a look round and followed the Thames Path back to Kew. This was about 3-4 miles, we did see a Paddle Steamer go through Richmond Lock.

On arrival back at Kew, there was another game of cricket going on, so we got a coffee and sat in the sun watching the cricket, batsman number 3 got to 99 and would have got a century but he ran out of overs. 

In the evening we had a meal at the hotel, the food is really nice here and then watched England on TV beat Australia and Tottenham lose - as Ian Drury said ‘reasons to be cheerful!’

Monday, the sun was shining and after a big breakfast it was a walk to the tube station.  Kew is on the district line so it was about a half hour ride to Embankment. The trains were virtually empty and  everyone had their mask on.

We walked from Embankment to Trafalgar Square and was surprised how empty it was, very few people around, probably not even six!  We had a wander down Whitehall, stopped outside the gates to number 10, but didn’t get invited in for tea - rather rude I think as if Boris had stopped outside my house, I would have offered him coffee. We also had no luck at Buck House, but then as the flag wasn’t flying HM was probably out.

Parliament Square was very quiet, not much traffic. We did think about going in Westminster Abbey but for £18, decided we would just stay outside for free.  We then had a wander along St James Park and Linda was in her element with all the birds. Seen one bird seen them all…. It was really quiet outside Buckingham Palace, we saw a downsized  changing of the guard, just two guards. 

The we had a walk to the Girl Guiding Shop just round the corner but it was shut. We went in the HM Queens shop at Buckingham Palace, but it was very tacky, I had hoped to get some discounted Harry and Meghan goods - but there weren’t any. We went into another Royal shop and there was nothing worth buying so I was in and out very quickly. Linda did have a look and the sales lady said they had never had anyone come in and out as quick as me - so I now hold the record!

We stopped for coffee and sat looking at Buck House. After this we went for a walk to Sloane Square and Linda had a look around Peter Jones. It was then a slow amble along the Kings Road, looking in a couple of shops (well Linda did) and then we walked up the Fulham Road and popped into Stamford Bridge. It was empty so I treated Linda to a lunch in the cafe there, so she has sat and eaten where Super Frank has - what a claim to fame!

After lunch we wandered down to the Chelsea Harbour and there were some nice flats for sale overlooking The Thames and the Harbour - well if you have a £7 million spare.

We caught the train to Westfields, White City as Linda wanted to go to M & S and she managed to find something in there to buy she didn’t need! I just sat in the cafe and waited, and waited and waited…..

The BBC Television Centre, now apartments was on our way back to the tube station and our transport back to Kew.

An interesting day, it was surprising how empty London was and it meant we could enjoy the attractions without the crowds, get some good photos and perhaps go in shops that normally had queues.

Reasons to be cheerful - Chelsea’s victory over Brighton.

The photos are here……

‘……..as one small candle may light a thousand….’

Family Trees are always interesting, some of my distant relatives were deported on the Ship America  to Australia in April 1829 possibly for murder. The Pilgrim Fathers set sail for America in 1620 and had William  Mullins onboard. WIlliam Mullins came from Dorking, his house now a nice cafe and according to various searches American Presidents (Adams, Coolidge) were descended from his daughter Pricilla, also Marilyn Monroe.  Although William and his wife died a few months after landing in Plymouth, his legacy lived on. 

Dorking was also the place where John Wesley opened the Methodist Chapel in 1772 and preached there.  Both people sought to challenge the established church of the time and encourage freedom of worship, although by the 21st century true churches they started are not constrained by the same rules they sought to free them for - progress?

We hadn’t intended to have a weekend in Dorking, but we had a free weekend and I found a good offer on the internet so we left on Saturday morning. The dogs had gone to stay with our sitter. The M23 was closed for roadworks, which we didn’t need to use, but it had a knock on effect on the roads around the area.

We hadn’t planned to go to Dorking, but ended up there and it was a great place. Lovely little coffee shops, normal shops and some history to see. It also had an antique centre. We spend the afternoon wandering around the shops, Linda found a Marks and Spencer’s and used up her Christmas vouchers in the sales, I just sat by the door.

Our hotel was the Mercure at Box Hill frequented by Lord and Lady Nelson in their day, although it has changed slightly, I am not sure they had internet. We had a nice room with a balcony to sit on. 

There was a hill behind the hotel, so after unpacking, I decided it needed climbing, it was steep and muddy, it was ok going up, but coming down.... I survived. I needed to make room for our dinner at the hotel as it was part of the deal, and I did enjoy the steak.

On Sunday we had breakfast and then went to Polesden Lacey. As we are getting old we have joined the National Trust and started visiting a few properties. This was the home of the Greville families during the Edwardian era.

We had a walk around the grounds and the house. Linda was more interested in it than me, it was just a load of old fashioned furniture and paintings in my view - but the Queen Mother must have liked it as she said ‘this is a delicious house..’ It kept raining off and on, we did get wet a couple of times.

Next stop was Box Hill, but this time driving to the top. It was another National Trust place so we could park for free, need to get value for my subscription. There was a nice trail walk, which was meant to be circular, but Linda didn’t like the mud, so we had to come back another route she had identified (which turned out to be even muddier!). 

We saw Broadwood Tower and then the heavens opened and we had to wait under a tree until the rain ceased. It was wet!  However, we had brought our hiking boots so although it was muddy, it wasn’t too bad (well I didn’t think it was).

Late afternoon we went to the Hilton at Gatwick Airport as we were flying to Tenerife on the Monday. Traffic was very slow around Reigate but improved the nearer you got.  We parked the car in the car park and then caught the bus to the terminal, where the hotel is.

Having arrived at the hotel, Linda realised she had left her phone in the car. Fortunately, the car park is only a 10 minute walk away, so we had to walk back to the car and collect her phone, catch the bus back and then settled in the room. 

Linda watched her film Downton Abbey, while I went for a gentle workout in the gym.

Tenerife here we come

The alarm went off at 6am and we had to get ready, I had set a schedule for Linda so she knew where we had to be at certain times. I had to walk back to the car to put the overnight bag in. As I walk fast I was there and back before Linda was ready. 

It was then a short walk to check in, quickly through security and into the lounge for breakfast.

We have never been to Tenerife, Canary Islands before, so it will be a new experience. It is part of Spain and in the same time zone as the UK. The flight is 4 hours.  Hopefully it will be warm and dry - that will do for me.

It was mid 20’s when we arrived and we certainly didn’t need our jumpers. We collected our hire car and it was a 30 minute drive to the hotel. We are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel and we have Rock Royalty status, which means we get VIP treatment. We have to check in on the 13th floor and then are shown to our rooms. It is a studio not a room, with a jacuzzi, sofa, balcony and a nice work area. There is a lounge on the next floor where we can get drinks and snacks during the day. We had a walk around the hotel, there is a spa, several swimming pools and lots of restaurants. Our room is on the 14th floor and we have a great view out to sea.

On Tuesday I was up at 7.30am to go for a run, its a lovely location here  at Para Paraiso but as it is at the bottom of the hill, the only way is up! I ran on the pavement and it was a mile up the hill to the top, but the good news it was also a mile down the hill, I then added a bit on to complete 5k. The only challenge is being on the 14th floor - its a long way to run up. It was starting to get warm, Linda was still asleep when I got back, obviously needed her beauty sleep.

After a shower, as I was slightly sweaty we went to the Lounge for our breakfast. We have a personal chef who cooks the egg for you. It was a lovely breakfast and then we came back to the room to sit on the balcony.

We have free entrance to the Spa as Rock Royalty. The Spa has a sauna, snow room, jacuzzi and a big pool with beds that spurt water out when you use the button. I tried the sauna and then the snow room - but Linda turned her nose up at the snow room. We sat on the sun beds and relaxed, it was warm today. I got a little burnt as I didn’t realise how hot it was.

We returned to our lounge for afternoon snacks and then went to the adult pool. Linda went for a swim and I just relaxed.  Later on Linda relaxed and I went for a work out in the gym and again tried running up 14 flights of stairs. I need to work off all this great food we are eating.

In the evening we had tapas in the lounge. So far I have read about six books including an interesting one by Danielle Strickland on women in leadership. I also have the required reading set by the Prime Minister for the cabinet on High Output Management by Andrew Grove, it does  provide some good ideas on leadership.

On Wednesday we went for a walk along the cliff path to the next village where we had a coffee. It is still warm here. We then walked back and Linda saw a Gecko and was very excited, she would have taken a picture of it, but was too slow. However, I found several more for her to look at. In the afternoon we went to the pool, this time making sure we had plenty of sun cream on and didn’t get burnt. The Tapas was nice tonight and I had plenty of it, I needed it after a session in the gym, I would like to say Linda joined me - but she didn’t.

Friday was an interesting day and our plans didn’t work out. Our friends were on a cruise and they were calling into the port at Santa Cruz and we had planned to meet them for coffee and a local tour. We were up early and had a nice breakfast, just got in the car where we received a text, they weren’t being allowed off the boat - not good news.

However, there was nothing we could do about it, we decided that we might as well still go out for the day. Vilaflor is about 5000 feet above sea level and near the national park and Mount Teide. It seemed a good idea to go there, until we got about 2/3 of the way and the road started to get challenging, several hairpin bends, climbing steeply, not great for someone who doesn’t like heights in a car where everything is on the wrong side! However, we made it to the top and the village. It has been there since the 16th century and we had a look around at the Church of Santo Hermano Pedro and next door was a Covent where the Bethlehem order used to reside. 

We also found the Peckham Springs of Tenerife, the Fuente Alta as Vilaflor is known for its water richness since 16th century.  There is a water fountain there where the animals used to drink, the women would wash their clothes and also their children.  Having travelled all this way we did stop for a coffee and fortunately the toilet facilities were 21st century and not 16th :)

The trip down hill wasn’t so bad, although Linda wanted me to stop for some photos, although there were no good stopping places. We finally made it back to the motorway and then went to Santa Cruz, about 60km away. We found an underground car park and then had a walk around. We saw the Mercado Nuestra Señora de Africa, which seemed to be a fish market (or smelt like it). We had a wander down to the port and gave our friends a wave on their ship and then went for a coffee before driving back. We stopped at Siam Mall on the way back, it is a shopping mall with Thai-influenced architecture and a Zen like vibe, basically a load of shops (think Lakeside but a lot warmer!). We had a look around but didn’t buy anything.

We were going to have coffee in Starbucks, but as we were only 20 mins away from our hotel we decided to come back as we could have free coffee and cake here! It has been slightly overcast today but still warm.

Saturday was overcast, both for the weather and ourselves. We have been watching the news and Spain was going into a state of emergency, Jet2 had turned back its planes and BA had cancelled some flights. We were concerned whether we would be flying back on Sunday. However, we did the online check in, but won’t really know till Sunday morning when we go to the airport.

I was up reasonably early and went for a run, in the other direction this time. It was still really hilly, the downside of being on the beach. Linda was just wakening when I returned and we went for breakfast (after I had a shower). Linda then wanted to go for a walk, so we went for a walk, then she complained it was all up hill, I did say ‘I told you so…..and we are only walking, I ran up these hills).  We stopped for a coffee before walking back, she was happy now it was down hill!

In the afternoon we went to the pool and Linda had a swim while I read my book. We had one last visit to the Spa, swimming in the whirlpool, and I did use the Sauna and Snow room - Linda sat on her chair and enjoyed the sunshine.

In the evening I managed to fit a session in at the gym.

I did try some of the hand cream, very disappointing, it said anti-aging, but obviously hasn’t worked as I am a week older than when I got here :) 

On Sunday  we were up early and had breakfast at 8am. We then finished the packing and decided to go to the airport. If we are there then we can just wait. It appears that Spain is going not lockdown from Monday, so we are escaping just in time. Linda wants to go home - I would have been happy to stay in the sun! As I can work remotely.

We dropped the car back off and the bus was ready to take us to the airport. On arrival at check-in we found our flight was delayed by at least two hours, but we checked in and then just sat in the lounge.

What I don’t understand, there are less planes flying, less people travelling so surely it should be easier to keep to schedules and be on time.

You can see some photos here