Tuesday 6 September Stamford, Midlands

We awoke to a wet and windy morning and we weren't in a hurry to go out into so we had a leisurely breakfast in our apartment. The weather appeared to be clearing so we headed off to the town of Stamford, reported to be the best stone town in England It rained on the way but it had stopped when we arrived and we didn't get any more for the day. We were looking for a hotel called the Bull and Swan which was supposed to be attached to Burghley House, which is an Elizabethan mansion. They have used it in Upstairs Downstairs, DeVinci Code, Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth the Golden Age etc. We asked one of the ground staff about the hotel and he told us it was back a mile in the township but it is still on Burghley land (a big place). We found the old pub and had a great lunch of fish and chips with mushy peas in the snug. After lunch we went back to Burghley before walking around Stamford which lived up to it's reputation. There were winding streets, tiny lanes, numerous churches and pubs, and not a souvenir shop in sight. As we had eaten a large lunch we just had eggs and bacon for dinner at home.

Monday 5 September Rutland Waters

As we missed the supermarket yesterday and nothing else was open we went to the restaurant for breakfast. The buffet was excellent and very good value in a nice setting. We drove into Oakham and found Tesco again and got in our supplies. It has been threatening rain all day but it hasn't eventuated and in the afternoon the clouds disappeared although it was still a bit cool. We drove to a tiny village called Egleton parked the car and strolled through the winding lanes and admired the beautiful cottages many with thatched roofs, Occasionally we would come across a modern brick house that looked totally out of place. A short walk from the village was a bird watching centre with a hide and a store selling all the equipment a good twitcher needs, we felt a bit out of place but everyone was nice. We drove on to the village of Hambleton which was very similar to Egleton except that it had some very large houses and an old manor house that has been turned into the Hambleton Hall Hotel which has a Michelin rating. This area is very like the Cotswolds without the hoards of tourists and the souvenir shops. We ate a lovely dinner in the restaurant then watched a bit of local TV before bed. By staying here we are able to get half board for breakfast and dinner.

Sunday September 4 Rutland Waters

We had an early start this morning because our flight to London departed at 7:55am. Somehow we managed to check in under weight again and we flew out on time and landed at Heathrow at 8:30 UK time By the time we left Budget in our little Vauxhall it was 10:20. We brought the GPS from home and as usual I disagreed with it but once again Ken was right. We stopped in Huntingdon for lunch at the Bridge Hotel where we had been twelve years ago with the Trims, and it as good as ever. It started raining while we were in the hotel and didn't stop until we had almost reached our destination, Barnsdale Hall Hotel on Rutland Waters in the midlands. We are surrounded by the most beautiful villages which we are going to explore tomorrow.

Saturday 3 September Copenhagen Day 2

As the song says "Wonderful, Wonderful, Copenhagen" We woke early to a fine cool morning and decided to wait until we got into the city before we had breakfast. We caught the Metro minutes from the hotel to Kongens Nytorv in the heart of the city, a trip that took 12 minutes. There was a market being set up in the square which we had to check out, it was a mixture of antiques and craft with some beautiful things in both categories. Di bought a small dish with Hans Christian Anderson's Mermaid on and admired a chic hat. We walked down Nyhavn which is like an up class St Kilda looking for somewhere for breakfast and couldn't believe the drinkers and drunks so early in the morning. It was even too early for David. We found a place called Cap Horn serving a set brunch which was unbelievable, it consisted of yoghurt, muesli, a crepe, egg bacon and chipolatas, smoked salmon, cheese and tapanade, fresh fruit, with beautiful black and brown bread, and big cups of lovely coffee. (It sounds huge but it was just perfect) Next we went on a canal cruise which took us around the inner harbour and through some of the numerous canals that are such a major part of this city. After the cruise Di bought the hat she had admired earlier and we set off to walk the pedestrian shopping mall which is so much like many others in the world, everyone was happy and it was a wonderful atmosphere. We didn't buy much but we did find an Apple Store where we sort advice on our blog which didn't work I'm afraid to say. After a truly great day in Copenhagen we caught the train back to the Hilton, tired but relaxed. We will have a light, early dinner tonight as we have an early flight to England in the morning.

Friday 2 September Copenhagen

We woke up this morning tied up alongside the pier in Copenhagen, to a beautiful day. As we had packed last night and our cases had been removed during the night all we had to do was have a shower and have breakfast. We disembarked just after nine and had to pickup our cases on the dock and take a short walk to our tour bus. Our guides name was Christian who was a 65 year old teacher. We saw the mermaid statue on the water, the new opera house, the Royal Palaces including the one Mary and Fredrick live in. They were at home but didn't come out to greet us. We saw the changing of the guard and lots of other highlights - it was a very good overview. We will be catching the train in tomorrow and doing a cruise along the canals so now we will know where things are situated. We will eat in the hotel tonight.

Thursday 1 September (Last day at sea)

Tried a new restaurant for a light breakfast (Moderno) which had thinks like waffles and the usual pastries, fruit, cereal etc Spent some more expensive time putting photos on (it is sooo slow - I suppose because so many people are using the wifi). There are lots of bargains happening but strangely, for me, nothing appeals. We are meeting John and Judith for special Jazz lunch in the French Restaurant at 12 noon and have booked the Italian for dinner so perhaps we will not eat at all for the 2 weeks we are in the UK. We have to have our bags packed and outside our Stateroom door by 1am. The Australian girl on the desk told us about a woman who packed everything an in the morning had to go down in her nighty to get clothes out of her case. We have been extremely fortunate with the weather on this trip. We were told in St Petersburg that 2 days without rain is a miracle and we did - but 3 days without rain is a miracle which does not happen. The only rain we had was in Helsinki. It can be frozen over at the end of August so it is practically a heat wave here. You would not know you were on a ship - there is actually NO movement at all. It has been a wonderful cruise - but probably long enough or I would not fit through the door.

Wednesday 31 August Stockholm Sweden

Stockholm is 1/3 water, 1/3 greenbelt and 1/3 buildings. It is indeed a very beautiful city. 40 bridges link its 14 islands. We had to leave our ship by tender (rescue boats which hold 120) as the ship couldn't dock. We somehow picked the wrong tour and did a 4 hr "Stockholm Highlights" but missed going in to see the Vasa Museum (just passed by). The Vasa is a ship which took 3 years to build and on its maiden voyage sunk within 15 minutes of sailing - a record yet to be beaten. They bought the boat up in one piece. In the winter you can ski in the gardens and skate on the canals. Our elderly but very energetic guide Lillian said she could ski from her front door to work. We got back about 2pm had lunch and spent some expensive time on the blog. Booked a 4 hr tour of Copenhagen after which they will drop us and our luggage off at the Hilton. Had a well earned drink in the Sports Bar and went to dinner. Met up with John and Judith in Dazzles.