Entries about palace

We had originally planned to visit on the Saturday, but for the first time in years, the middle weekend of July had atrocious weather - Friday being a complete washout, and Saturday even having a weather warning for extremely gusty wind, so we cancelled our trip. It was only on Saturday itself that we decided to resurrect our plans and go the following day instead.

The benefit of going on a Sunday was that we could see the Changing of the Guard, which I'd always missed before, as I'm never there at the right times.

We made sure we got an early train so that we'd be in London in time. After swapping to the Underground, we arrived at Victoria, and had a quick look at Westminster Cathedral.

This is the mother church for English & Welsh Catholicism, and arriving just after 10am, a service was in progress. The building has a very unique design, and inside had a very dark ceiling. Quite bizarre for an English building.

We then made our way around the corner to Buckingham Palace, which was already packed. Changing of The Guard wasn't for another 40 minutes, but already we had to make do with standing behind several people.

The weather was nice, a little too hot when the sun did come out, but cooled by the passing clouds. It didn't take too long before the preparations for the parade started in advance of the actual ceremony

The guardsmen came over from St. James' Palace, marching to music and then performed a ceremony at the very front of Buckingham Palace. It was interesting to watch, but with the additional 45 minutes needed to get a pot to view it makes it quite a long time to stand in one space. Nice to see it but I wouldn't rush back to see again!

Our next activity was to go inside the palace itself. We'd managed to book some tickets for 11am, and the entrance was just around the corner. We headed over, went through the security search, picked up our audio guide and then were inside.

The palace is only open in the summer months when the royals are in Scotland, and this year featured a fascinating additional display of the outfits and items involved in May's Coronation.

We took a look at those, as well as the beautifully decorated rooms. The most shocking thing is just how small the palace actually is. We got to look at around half of the back of the palace, and yet we were only inside for around 90 minutes.

We headed out into the garden, and after popping into the gift shop, walked through the Palace Gardens, exiting through the back entrance.

We then caught a bus from Victoria and headed across the river to Battersea, where we walked over to the Power Station. This art deco building was constructed in 1929, and powered up to a fifth of London before it was eventually closed in 1983. Due to the architectural value, it was Grade II listed, despite no one knowing what to do with it.

After many years of hopeless proposals, in October 2022 it was finally reopened, this time as a mixed use development of flats and an entertainment complex. We took a look around the vast space, both outside and in, before getting on the newly constructed Battersea Power Station tube station, and heading north towards to Archway.

I normally spend all my time in Central London, having seen places like Tower Bridge, Covent Garden and Westminster loads of times. But rarely if ever have I seen any of the sights just outside.

Once we arrived at Archway, we took a bus up the hill and walked through Waterlow Park before arriving at Highgate Cemetery. This cemetery is the final resting place of many famous people, and is separated into two different sides.

We started at the older and quite landscaped West side. It's quite hilly, and as we walked through the trees, we passed George Michael and Alexander Litvinenko's graves.

We then arrived at the Egyptian Avenue - a vaulted gateway, which leads on to the grand Circle of Lebanon, a circular sunken tomb complex.

Having looked around this side, we then made our way back to the East side, the newer and more structured part, which bizarrely includes the Tomb of Karl Marx. The tomb is also many times larger than those around looking completely out of place!

By now it had been quite a long day, so we decided to head back to King's Cross to grab some dinner, before we then made our way home.

With many more places in London to still see - particularly on the south side of the river, I'm sure there'll be another visit sooner or later!

I've been to Spain many times, but only on a few occasions gone to see more of the culture. This would be an opportunity to see some of the beautiful places in Western Andalucia. But frustratingly, with just two flights a week and a bank holiday coming up, we were limited to which flights we could book and how long we could be away, in order to avoid the severe summer heat in this part of the world. With 4 cities to see over two and half days, this was going to be a busy trip!

Bizarrely, despite being the end of May, the weather in the whole of Southern Europe was currently terrible - literally raining all the time. Meanwhile all of Northern Europe was basking in glorious sunshine - so we'd need to take raincoats with us everywhere...

For the first time, I flew out on my new Irish passport, and when we landed in the airport I was able to fly through the non-Brexit queue. We grabbed our onward tickets and then boarded the next bus headed for the city.

By this time it was already getting late and we eventually arrived it was almost 11pm. We were staying in a hotel themed on Seville's most famous export - Oranges.

The hotel was a short walk from the station, and after breakfast the following morning we headed over to catch the train to Cádiz. As we were pressed for time, all our transport connections had already been booked, and I'd made sure this first morning wasn't too early given our late arrival.

Cádiz sits on a spit jutting out into the Atlantic, and is also the port for Seville. Just around the corner from the station are the docks where the huge cruise ships pull in. We only had just over an hour to look around, so we only made a quick stop in the main square before continuing around the corner to the winding pedestrianised streets.

It didn't take long to arrive outside the Cathedral, and just behind it were the huge seawalls. From here there were lovely views of the domes of the cathedral surrounded by the city.

We then walked along the southern coast of the city, before finally arriving at the city beach - well it's a shame not to visit a beach in Spain.

We didn't have long to hang around though, with just half an hour before our train was leaving. We made a quick dash back along the same route and back to the station in just enough time.

The train headed back inland, crossing the isthmus to the mainland, and then through some beautiful Moorish train stations, such as Jerez - the city made famous by the fortified wine, Sherry.

We arrived back in Seville by early afternoon, and had tickets booked for entry to the Alcazar. With a bit of time yet, we got off a station early and made our way over to the iconic Plaza de España - a huge public square built for the Ibero-American Expo of 1929.

It's a beautiful semi-circular building full of baroque and renaissance architecture decorated in a Moorish style, overlooking a huge plaza surrounded by a moat.

It was pretty hot here with blazing sun, so we didn't hang around too long. We made our way towards the city centre, towards the gate for entry to the Alcazar. We were a bit early, so went for a short walk around the area - past the Cathedral, and to see the La Adriática Building, a beautiful building not unlike the Flatiron building in New York or the Metropolis Building in Madrid.

Finishing our loop around the cathedral we took a brief look at the enclosed Plaza del Cabildo

We then finally joined the queue to enter the Alcazar. This former royal palace is like the other sights in the area built in the Mudéjar Moorish style, and features some unique sights.

We took a look around the palace, and then headed down below to the beautiful baths that collect the rainwater.

The gardens of the Alcazar were beautifully landscaped and we enjoyed this lovely cooler area, away from the heat of the city squares.

By now it was getting very hot and we'd seen an awful lot. We headed towards the riverside, saw the Torre del Oro before grabbing food.

Enjoying our sit down, we then made the half hour walk back through the city centre, down some of the winding streets of the Jewish Quarter passing numerous Orange trees.

We then walked past the remaining parts of the Aqueduct, before heading into the supermarket for our first opportunity to buy some supplies - thankfully the hotel had free water fountains so we'd not been too desperate for drinks at least!

Finally arriving back at the hotel after a busy day around two cities, we took a quick look up on the hotel roof where there were lounging sofas and a pool to dip our feet whilst overlooking views of the station and cityscape.

After a busy day in the centre of Berlin, today we were going outside the city to Potsdam, home of the Prussian Kings, and capital of the German province of Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin. Unlike the rest of the trip, which was mostly to places I had seen on previous trips to Berlin, the journey to Potsdam was a new experience for me.

We began by heading down to the Glienicke Bridge on the border of Berlin and Brandenburg. This bridge was closed during the Cold War, and used for the transfer of spies. Now reopened, we were able to walk into the former East Germany.

We then got on a tram and arrived in the centre of Potsdam, walking down the main shopping street, stopping for ice cream, before making our way into the Sanssouci Park, where the palaces of the city are located.

We began by walking firstly towards the impressive Sanssouci Palace, overlooking the park above terraces and a water fountain, before continuing along the central path towards the New Palace

This park was huge, but also cool and shady, and whilst walking through every few minutes the view of another palace came into view.

After reaching the New Palace we headed north to the bus stop to make our way back to Berlin. Annoyingly there were construction works on the train line, and so we had to get a replacement bus from Potsdam to Wannsee, which was a bit of a nightmare to find, but eventually we were on our way back to the city.

With it being mid-afternoon, we decided to make our way back to the hotel via the Olympic Stadium, built for the 1936 Olympics. We had originally planned to go inside, but as our feet were aching, and only guided tours permitted (due to the imminent hosting of the European Athletics Championships) we decided to head back to the hotel instead after viewing from outside.

By now we were very tired, but with another full day yet to come we spent the rest of the evening chilling in the hotel and claiming another free drink from the bar!

Leaving our very excitable host in Kyoto, we made our way over to the station to catch the bullet train I had reserved the day before, bound for Tokyo. The Japanese capital would in fact be the last of our bases on this trip, staying here for the final four nights of this East Asian adventure.

Sitting in the reserved part of the train, we had a bit more room around us for bags which made the trip more comfortable, even if it was only for a few hours. The one thing I didn't get to do last time I was in Tokyo, was see Mount Fuji. Unfortunately, the humid summer air meant seeing it from the city was too difficult. This time we had more opportunities, and our first would be on our way to Tokyo - through the city of Fuji.

Seeing the mountain is always difficult, as the weather conditions need to be just right. Having researched when we would be able to gain a view, as we headed through the last hill before the city, we got up and headed towards the window at the door (all of the seats on this side were already booked when I requested our seats the night before). However our luck was not in, and the unseasonably warm humid air blocked the view, with us just managing to catch a glimpse of the snow peak through the haze. Never mind, there would be more opportunities!

Not long after, we arrived in the heart of Tokyo city. With our Japanese rail passes still valid for a few more days, and a good network of local rail in the city, it wasn't even necessary for us to use the metro initially. We got on a local train and headed to our hotel - the same one I had stayed in 4.5 years earlier. After dropping off our bags, we headed back into the city, deciding to visit the central sights, beginning with the Pokemon shop inside the station.

After taking a look inside the shop, we headed outside the station and made our way around the corner to the Imperial Gardens. It was yet another beautiful hot and sunny day in Japan, and we enjoyed a walk around this idyll in the middle of metropolis.

After a lot of travelling already, and ample time in the city, we headed to get some food before making our way back to our hotel for a break. Once it got dark we then headed back out and made our way to the Senso-ji Shrine in Asakusa. By day this a bustling shopping street and active shrine, but by night it's a more peaceful and lit up attraction.

After enjoying views of the beautiful complex, we headed back for our first night's sleep in the city.

The following morning the weather had changed completely - after a week and a half of warm summer weather, it was now down 10˚C, feeling much more like early April.

Having not been able to see Mount Fuji very well on the train to Tokyo, we planned to visit the Fuji Five Lakes area for a better view. With our Japan Rail passes ending the following day - giving us free travel on most of the trains to this area, we were trying to make the most of it, as well as using the weather forecasts in order get the best views of the mountain. Annoyingly as the weather had changed, clouds were coming in making the opportunity to view Mt Fuji even more limited.

It now looked very iffy we would get to see the mountain at all, but tomorrow looked more promising and so we gambled and spent today in the city. After having a lie in, we headed out to view some of the sights outside the centre centre - starting with the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese war dead (including war criminals from WWII) are commemorated.

Yasukuni Shrine

Takeshita Street

We then headed over to the Harajuku area, heading straight out of the station and down Takeshita Street, a popular shopping street full of novelty and small gifts. After buying a few keyrings and doing a loop of the area, we then headed into Yoyogi park and towards the Imperial Meiji Jingu Shrine.

Heading back out of the park we then walked south towards Shibuya, and the bustling crossing in the heart of the area. We stopped at the Starbucks that looks over the crossing and sat watching the huge amount of people crossing in all directions every minute.

Shibuya Crossing

Tokyo Tower overlooking Zojo-ji Shrine

Our last sight for the day was the Tokyo Tower, from the Zojo-ii Shrine, where upon arrival we found a service was being carried out.

After watching part of the service, we then headed to Tokyo Bay, for views over the port area.

We then headed back to our hotel for a rest before we headed out for dinner. Originally we had planned to go for Ramen, and with us wanting to head to Shinjuku we found a few places to visit. However as suspected, even early there were long long queues, and with it being quite chilly, we decided to scrap that and eat at Burger King. We can always have Ramen at home!

After eating, we took a tour around the Kabukicho area, which is famous for it's LED lights and billboards, before heading back to the hotel for some well earned sleep.

The following morning we got up early and headed to Shinjuku station for our trip outside the city, to the Fuji Five Lakes area. The weather still looked iffy, but there was a better chance of seeing the mountain earlier. Using our Japan Rail passes for the last day, we spent an hour or so on the train heading outside the city before changing at Otsuki to a private line, that would take us the final journey to Fujiyoshida. As we headed up the valley it became clear that we would see Mount Fuji, as the huge mountain dominated the backdrop.

We got off at a small local station, that was clearly a tourist draw, as signs led us all the way to the Chureito Pagoda. Making the most of the views, which could be scuppered at any moment by the ominous clouds, we headed up the steep hillside towards the top. Chris paused halfway whilst I continued, in what was one of the biggest struggles I've ever faced! Two weeks of exhaustion against the strong winds in a rush against time almost seemed impossible.

Nevertheless I made it, and the views were worth it. As Cherry Blossom had come early this year, it meant that although there was nothing left in Tokyo, this area was full! Approximately two weeks earlier than normal. It meant we got to see one of the most picture perfect views that are in many of the tourist guidebooks. Our luck clearly was in! And after taking some photos, Chris had also made it to the top and we took in some of the breathtaking views.

We then headed back down to the train station, and eventually back to the city. It was a lot of faffing about, spending about 6 hours getting there and back just for 10 minutes of views, but it was worth it.

Our last thing to do in the city, was head back to the Senso-ji shrine, this time during the day, and grab some souvenirs. After grabbing some dinner we then got some sleep before our last full day on this long trip.

Having overestimated how much time we needed, we had already seen everything in the city, with a day to spare. Therefore we decided to spend out last day at Tokyo Disneyland. It had been years since either of us had been to Disneyland, and so this was a nice experience. With the sun shining, we headed out early to the park early to try and beat some of the weekend rush.

Starting with Westernland, we headed onto Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise before the queues got so long. Whilst we waited in the queue for Thunder Mountain however, the sunshine was masked by clouds, not to be seen again. The wind was picking up, as were the length of the queues.

We continued around, heading inside the Haunted Mansion and the Snow White ride, before we headed over to Tomorrowland. Japan is generally quite warm, and so the park is not built to break the wind - despite this being on a reclaimed island in Tokyo Bay, and with long queues, it meant for a freezing experience, for which we certainly weren't dressed accordingly.

After waiting over an hour and a half for the Buzz Lightyear ride, we went inside the gift shops to warm up and wait for the parade. However just before it was due to start, there was an announcement that because of the wind this would not take place - hardly surprising, but a real shame. We headed back to the Star Tours ride, luckily most of the queue here being inside, before cutting out losses and heading back to our hotel.

After two busy weeks it had been an amazing adventure, we were thoroughly exhausted and now just had the ridiculously long journey back.

With this being the peak time to visit Japan, flights were not cheap. There were two flights each from Tokyo to Beijing and Beijing to London, but taking the combination with just 4 hours to transfer was twice as expensive as that with 7. We therefore took the cheaper option, even if this did mean we would be travelling for 24 hours.

Getting up at 3am in Japan, we headed on the first train to the airport, eventually leaving Japan at 7:20am. We flew west, heading right over Mount Fuji, getting great aerial views of the iconic mountain.

Eventually, after circling the city for ages, over three hours later we had arrived in Beijing. Originally it was possible that we may leave some things in the city for this return leg, and use the 5 hours to sit about, to explore the city. However having seen everything we wanted two weeks ago, as knowing how much time would be wasted to get down there, we instead decided to stay in the airport.

Transferring for over four hours meant we also got free access to an airport lounge, which although wasn't the best, did give us free food and drinks. Despite not being able to connect to most of the internet, time went by quite quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to board our final flight of the trip, the long 10 hours back to London.

Having exhausted not only the entertainment, but also ourselves - despite not being able to sleep for fear of worsening our jetlag, this was a tough journey. By the end of the flight eating was a struggle, and so was staying awake. I even napped for an hour with Chris unable to wake me back up.

Arriving back in London was a relief, but having been awake for over 24 hours, also a struggle. Waiting for ages to get our bag back evetually we made it out, to find my dad who picked us up and took us home. Eventually we made it to bed - but only after having been awake for 28 hours!

Nevertheless, even with all these struggles the trip was amazing, fascinating and totally worth it!

With yet another early morning flight, we checked out of our hotel early and began heading to Seoul's Incheon airport. This was our only flight not with Air China, being with Asiana Airways, and after a short pleasant flight we arrived in the city of Fukuoka, Japan.

We flew via Fukuoka, as it had the best connections to get to Hiroshima, and after getting through immigration, we boarded the short bus transfer to the station, and got hold of our Japan Rail Passes which we would be using for the next week. With everywhere being so busy, it was several hours after we had landed that we finally boarded our bullet train to Hiroshima, but nevertheless we made the train we wanted and got to enjoy the journey on this legendary train.

Bullet trains look so futuristic, and felt also very strange, as although travelling exceptionally fast they pivot and thus don't feel particularly faster than regular fast train travel, except the noticeable sensation of ears popping. After just over an hour, we arrived at Hiroshima station, and after buying a few snacks, we headed to our hotel to leave our bags.

Our time in Hiroshima was limited to just one night, and this afternoon was our opportunity to explore the city. We began by heading to Hiroshima castle, before making our way to see the sights that are connected to what the city of Hiroshima is most famous for - the atomic bombing in 1945. Starting at the plaque marking the hypocentre of the bomb, we walked around the corner to see the A-bomb Dome, the closest building to survive the bomb, and symbol of the event, surrounded by cherry blossom.

The trip had been scheduled to coincide with the Cherry Blossom Season. However as time was limited, and the cherry blossom takes place in just a few weeks, it was unsure where we would actually get to see it. If it came late, we would catch it in Tokyo just before we left, whilst if it came early we would catch it in Hiroshima as we arrived. This year it came over a week early, and Hiroshima was already at the peak of the blooming.

The immediate surrounding area of the A-bomb dome is now a peace park, with monuments and landscaped gardens alongside a couple of museums, which contain artefacts from the bombing as well as other items, such a clock counting the days since the bomb, as well as the last nuclear test.

Having taken a brief look around the city, we headed back towards the station to grab food, from a food court on the 11th floor of a department store overlooking the surrounding area, before checking into our room at the hotel.

The hotel itself had its own Onsen, and after having a bit of a rest, I headed up there to enjoy the heated baths. Although as it was traditionally Japanese, this did mean having to go in naked!

After a soothing bath, it was finally time to sleep before the next day's adventure. However in the morning Chris had not slept well and was exhausted from the week's travel so far. Therefore I left him to get some rest, whilst I headed outside the city towards Miyajima Island.

Taking the train south for half an hour, upon arrival almost everyone got off - evidently full of tourists doing the same, and after a quick walk across the small village I boarded the ferry that would cross the small channel to the island. Upon arrival it was clear the traditional fishing village had now become a tourist magnet, being full of little shops and cafés.

A five minute walk later and I arrived at the magnet of the island, the Itsukushima Shrine and it's torii gate. I had deliberately timed the visit this morning to coincide with high tide, when the gate appears to float in the water.

And with the local area also in full Cherry Blossom bloom, it made this one of the most pretty on the trip so far. After popping in the shops, and observing the local pagoda, I headed back to the ferry port and eventually the hotel to collect our bits.

Having rested this morning Chris now felt a bit better, and we headed back to the station to continue our journey, now headed for the city of Himeji. Himeji is not exciting enough to warrant a stay here overnight, but it does have one of the most important and beautiful castles in the country. And being just ten minutes from the station we decided to take a look.

Arriving at the palace, surrounded in cherry blossom, it was packed full of tourists, but not feeling completely better, Chris stayed outside with the bags, whilst I took a look inside. However the queues inside were long, and it took ages to get around the complex. Queuing to enter the palace took an hour, and I ended up skipping some of the sections altogether. Nevertheless it was an interesting place to visit and did look beautiful.

Relying on the trains, if we headed back to the station quickly we could make the next train, or otherwise we would have quite a long wait. We therefore decided to hurry and not long later we were back on the bullet train headed for the next city of destination - Kyoto.