Stage Reports - H & J Stammel & J Griffin

Stage - Perth via Malaysia - UK

London

Sat/Sun 18.+19.Sept 2004	flying in from Perth [16:30] via Malaysia [23:20] + 1 day in London arrive Sunday 06:20am on flight MH020 - rest day !! Plane journey was as expected - long and boring :-) KL airports was a disappointment - large and disorganised / bad layout and hard to find information where to go etc. But we found the next gate in enough time. Food on the MAS flights was excellent - especially their Satay and their traditional "breakfast" dish Nasi Lemak - a spicy Sambel prawn dish with rice. Arrival at Heathrow was a full hour early - 05:17 instead of the announced 06:20 which after a short Taxi ride to Windsor (with a slightly disgruntelled Taxi Driver) for 25 pounds we arrived at the Clarence Hotel much too early to be able to raise anybody. So we sat in the early morning dawn (cold) until the first guests came out for a morning walk letting us in as far as the foyer. By 8 o'clock however the hospitality was in full force with an excellent English Breakfast and good "country" service by Pauline (more about her later again). Jim & Jacqui made their phone calls to get the Glass collection enhanced and we are still awake ...... Christine Bridge of Bridge Antiques came to see Jim and they had a fruiteful discussion which should lead to some further items for Jim's Glass collection. Nicola & Nic and their three kids - old friends of the family (Jacqui & Jim's) came to see us at the hotel. We all went and had cups of coffee etc and long chats - nice catching up with people from the past after all these years :-) That was about it for us three jet lag was setting and the bodies were screeming for some rest. .................. at .. Clarence Hotel - Windsor +44 01753 8644365 - where we choose
Mon-Wed 20.-22. Sept 2004	DAY 1 & 2 at WINDSOR & ETON - (map of Windsor / Eton to come) .. in the morning - do we need to mention the good English Breaksaft again(?): Walks through the shopping areas of Windsor - Antiques, Restaurants / Pubs, Speciality shops etc - very trendy little town ! - see www.windsor.gov.uk for more information Most of the afternoon was spent "doing the Eton Hight Street Shops" - This is one endless string of small Unique Speciality Shops (many Antiques and Art) and Restaurants - From Windsor Castle on one side of the River Thames to Eton College. - see www.eton.co.uk for more information on the history of Eton and the shops in the High Street. Jim found a box of his Pall Mall glassware at one the shops - unfortunately when we wanted to get it on our way back down the High street the owner had closed the shop. So he will have to go and see him tomorrow :-) Back to the hotel for some hot cups of coffee and tea once again happyly supplied by the extremely friendly and ever helpful Pauline - what a trooper and asset for the owner of the Clarence Hotel in Windsor - real British hospitality !!! at an Italian Restaurant - very good basic food, nice bottle of wine and excellent host - Next day (2) ..... feet up with a good book and resting time GOOD English evening meal the local Pub Toad in a Hole etc ....... DAY 1 & 2 LONDON - Camden Passage Antique Market etc - business, shopping & sights Train ride (~1 hour) from Windsor Riverside Station to Waterloo and than by the excellent London Underground to "Angel" (Northern Line) short walk to the one day a week antique markets. Many of the purveyors have permanent shops including Tony O'Loughlin where Jim had previously been able to get some of his glasses - and once again he was lucky and scored another big bag full of his collectable Pall Mall glasses - VERY HAPPY Jim :-) Lunch at the local Pub (old English cut Glass windows, Brass etc every where ...) Bangers & Mesh washed down with a glass of German Pils ... Happy Hans ;-) Returned back to Windsor via Tube and Train to rest the sore legs 'till we had another small but good meal at the little Italian Restaurant "Toscano"
Thur 23.Sept 2004	~ 9:30 leaving Windsor via Train for Waterloo - 1 hour Journey with all our belongings ... 12:09 (noon) leaving Waterloo Station via EuroStar for Paris (at 16:00) -»» Stage

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