Today will be my last big adventure for the trip, so I’m up early at 0500. I plan to head south to Füssen ad then visit the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. But I have a dilemma. The website says to not bring rucksacks and that photography in the castle is not allowed. So I have two choices: 1) go on a tour of the castle and don’t take my good camera or 2) take my good camera and forgo the tour. I decide on that latter. To be honest, I’m more interested in the outside of the castle and the iPhone is not so good for distance photography.

At 0727 I catch the U3 from Marienplatz to the Hauptbahnhof, arriving at 0730.

At 0752 BRB62703 departs Munich calling at: München-Parsing, Geltendorf, Kaufering, Buchloe, Kaufbeuren, Biessenhofen, Ebenhofen, Martktoberdorf, Leuterschach, Lengenwang, Seeg and Weizern-Hopferau.

It’s a long trip. At 0955 we arrive in Füssen. The snow has been getting thicker on the ground as we have progressed. Füssen appears to have had fresh falls and looks magical.

Next I need to get to Hohenschwangau. There is a bus service that I guess normal people would take and I see most of the people from the train head there. But google tells me it’s only a 40 min walk so I decide to give that a go. I have no idea whether it will be suitable for walking though. I head out and find that there is a good walking/bike track connecting the two towns and it’s been cleared recently. The walk is easy and takes me right past massive white fields and forests of snow dusted pine. Good choice Ian!

I get to Hohenschwangau around 1115. It took me a bit longer than 40 min but there were frequent photo stops. On the approach I get a glimpse of grey Neuschwanstein Castle perched on one side and the slightly less glamorous ochre Hohenschwangau Castle perched on the other. The town is all about the castles and there are people buzzing around. I start the 30 min winding walk up to the castle. Interestingly, for me the castle becomes less enchanting the closer I get to it. It was built in the mid 19th century, so in some ways it’s not a “real” castle. This shows in the tidy ness of the block work. Plus, they are doing restoration on the entrance which is covered. This does spoil the fairytale a little. In the end, I prefer the distance images. There are some great views of the surrounding area from the castle though.

I descend and walk back to Füssen. It’s been a good workout; about 6 km round trip not including the walk up the mountain.

As I reach Füssen, I notice that it appears to have a pretty old town but I’m just too tired to explore. Then as I approach the station I glance down to see a glorious street scene and I just have to look a little.

We depart Füssen at 1412. I’m exhausted. I keep starting to doze off, only to be startled by the loud train announcements. I get back to the hotel at about 1640. It’s been a long but great day.

(Title translation: There are castles in the mountains) 

Hohenschwangau Castle. 

Neuschwanstein Castle. 

Back in Füssen. 

It’s Thursday and it’s a toss up between going to Innsbruck or Salzburg. Both are just over the border in Austria. I decide on Salzburg because it‘s closer and I have left it a bit late for Innsbruck. But also, there is a big ski jump tournament happening in Innsbruck today and tomorrow; I expect the trains and the city would be busy.

I walk to Munich Hauptbahnhof. It looks like it snowed a little overnight, but not much. I get to the station at 0822 and buy my ticket. Although the Bayern-ticket does cover across the border into Salzburg, it’s not valid until 0900 and my train leaves at 0856. I don‘t want to risk it. As I‘m still early I buy a delicious Rosinschnecke (raisin snail shaped pastry).

The train departs on time at 0856, calling at München Ost, Rosenheim, Bad Endorf, Prien am Chiemsee, Burnau am Chiemsee, Übersee, Bergen, Traunstein, Teisendorf and Freilassing. From Rosenheim there is a lovely old lady sitting next to me who tells me about where to go in Salzburg.

The train arrives at Salzburg at 1042. I decide to make my way to the river. It’s been snowing and the footpaths and roads are icy. It‘s quite treacherous and I have to watch my step and slow down. I don’t have specific plans other than visiting the large fortress on a hill in the town. Everywhere is quite crowded with tourists so I decide to head straight for the fortress. There is a long queue for the funicular railway up the side of the hill, so I decide to walk. It only takes about 15 minutes.

I walk around the fortress. It‘s very interesting, but I‘m mainly there for the views. After a long wait, I get my turn to walk around the insides and up to the tower. The view is spectacular, but the wind is icy cold. I have left my gloves off to take photos and they are freezing. But it‘s worth it. I take my time taking in the panoramic views and taking quite a few photos.

After a bit more walking it’s time to head home. This time there isn‘t a queue for the funicular railway so I take the very quick ride down. I make my way back to the station through some more lovely streets. The train departs at 1415. I‘m feeling quite sleepy now and doze off for a couple of stations. As we get nearer to Munich the cloud cover is breaking a little and I get to see the snow dusted fields in better light

0500 I was dozing off in front of the TV by 0800 last night. Then I slept really well and could probably have slept longer but I’m keen to get started early as usual. There is rain on the window but it’s clear at the moment.

0630 It’s quiet at breakfast again. I start reading one of the books I bought yesterday: 50 Ways to Improve Your German. 

0730 After checking train timetables I head to the station. Today I want to visit Norwich. The weather outside is clear and crisp. I buy an off-peak ticket. It’s not that easy knowing which tickets are allowed but the ticket has a website address which I check and I think it’s OK. (It is.) 

0809 We depart Cambridge, stopping at Cambridge North, Ely, Brandon, Thetford, Attleborough, Wymondham and Norwich. On the way I see canals, fields, woods and forests; a bit of everything. I need to keep reminding myself that I‘m here and on holiday. It‘s too easy to take it for granted. I remember imagining these moments when I was back home. Well, here they are!

0938 We arrive at Norwich and I walk along the river walk which takes me past some lovely scenery and the Cow Tower. I head towards Elm Hill. The street is full of Elizabethan buildings. Next I head to Norwich Cathedral. I don‘t go in; not that interested. But it‘s good to see up close and see the differences with the other cathedrals I have visited. It appears less gothic?

Next I wander to Norwich Castle. Again, not quite like other castles I have seen. The stonework is less pitted. At first I thought it must be much more recent but it dates back to Norman times. Maybe it‘s made of different stone. 

There are markets. They‘re very organised and a bit commercial, but I wander and get a nice roast beef roll for lunch. There‘s a loud protest going on outside the town hall. I can‘t work out what it‘s about, but the crowd seems well behaved, if very noisy. 

When it‘s time to make my way back to the station I walk through a number of quaint narrow streets. 

1240 I‘m returning to Cambridge early because of something I want to do this evening. It‘s overcast now and I semi-snooze on the train. 

1400 We arrive back in Cambridge. 

I want to head in to London to visit The Tower Remembers, which is a torchlight installation around the Tower of London to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. Tonight is the last night, so my only opportunity. The weather report seems OK, so I give it a go. 

1520 I head to the station and there is a heavy downpour. I head back to my room to get my umbrella. I‘m not sure of the exact train ticket so I go to the ticket office. I get my ticket just in time.

1544 I‘m on a direct train to London Kings Cross and it‘s packed. Maybe lot‘s of people are going to the same place? The rain clears a bit as we leave Cambridge. 

1633 We arrive at Kings Cross and I make my way to the tube station. There is a long wait for the train (by tube standards). 

1703 I catch the Circle line to Tower Hill.  

1718 Just about the whole train alights at Tower Hill along with numerous other trains. It‘s jam packed. I have underestimated this event. As we reach ground level I can see it is bucketing down. I‘m so glad I wore my rain coat and brought my umbrella. We begin a directed shuffle to the Tower that will take just under 2 hours. At times I think about bailing, but I remember why I‘m there. It feels disrespectful (and un-British) to let a little rain put me off. The mood is orderly and people are in good spirits. I get the sense that this is a significant event. 

 1900 I finally get to the Tower. It‘s still raining, but the installation (sight and sound) is moving. But it‘s hard to stay and ponder for too long. The installation consists of 10,000 torches lit around the Tower and quite somber music. You can read more about it here: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/explore/the-tower-remembers/#gs.ggmhxsQ

Afterwards, I decide to avoid Tower Hill station and make a dash for Aldgate station instead. 

1930 I catch a CIrcle Line train back to Kings Cross. I have very soggy feet! I‘m so glad I left my camera and back pack in the hotel. It would have been a nightmare trying to navigate with them and to protect them. 

2005 After a wrong turn, I make it back to Kings Cross train station and on a train back to Cambridge. Settled in, I eat the sandwich I had bought on the way through the station. 

2035 We depart London. 

2140 We arrive in Cambridge. I make the short dash to the hotel, dry off and straight to bed. 

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After Conwy Castle, next stop was Caernarfon Castle. I walked 15min back to Llandudno Junction before catching the 12:54pm train to Bangor. It had started spotting rain a little so I whipped out my jacket. It didn't last long though. 

Arriva are the train company in Wales and I've noticed that the wi-fi on their trains is always reliable and all of their trains have a catering trolley. 

At Bangor I took the 5C bus from the train station to Caernarfon as the train doesn't go there. There was some beautiful scenery on the way, some of which I managed to capture on the way back.

I arrived at Caernarfon at 1:15pm. It was only a few minute's walk to the castle but I stopped for some lunch on the way.

The castle looks small from this angle but this is the view at one end.

Like Conwy, the castle is largely ruin with a large open area in the middle.  And once again, you could access most areas and towers.

However, compared with Conwy Castle, there were a larger number of enclosed rooms and passage ways which gave you a greater sense of what it might have been like to live in one of these places.

Both Caernarfon and Conwy castles had treacherous spiral staircases with very narrow steps and only rope to hold on to. They were definitely the most dangerous I've come across this trip.

Of course, I had to climb them though. 

I noticed numerous outcrops of wildflowers embeded in the barren castle rock. A testiment to resilience.

This gull seemed to think he was king of the castle. 

A number of the towers housed exhibitions. This one traced all of the Princes of Wales. 

I didn't realise, but the weekend coincided with Castell02, which was an art project consisting of exhibitions and installations around parts of the castle. It was a showcase of 16 artists and their work produced in response to Caernarfon, the castle, its stories and people. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get to see all of them.

This was part of an installation in the well tower. It consisted of a series of crocheted water buckets joined with crocheted water coming out of the well. The hands were cast from people currently associated with the castle - workers and artisans.  Unfortunately it was too dark to get a good shot of the entire installation and I think it's probably better close up. It was lovely talking to the artist - she was so excited about the exhibition.

Another involved a guy playing very dreamlike washes of electric guitar in one of the other towers. I'm sure the installation had more to it than just that, but I thought that ambient sound made a perfect soundtrack to wandering around the castle. I think it would be great to have it all the time and was a huge contrast from the constant "pomp and ceremony" soundtrack they played at Warwick Castle.

You can read more about the exhibition at  http://www.stamp.cymru/en/project/castell-en/.

After spending another 3 hours exploring the innards of the castle it was time to move on and I wanted to get a better picture of the outside. On the water side you could see the town wall.

Getting a good picture of the entire side of the castle proved more difficult than expected. I started by crossing over the river but then I figured my wide angled lens would have worked just as well on the castle side. I was wrong and the only pictures I could get included cars in the car park. By the time I realised that the other side of the river would have been the best option it was too late to go back. 

In order to get back to Llandudno at a reasonable time I had to make my way back to the bus. I caught the 5C bus at 4:42pm back to Bangor. This bus route was really cool because there was a screen and voice announcement for every bus stop which made it super easy to work out where I was and when to request a stop.

There I had a little wait before catching the 5:58pm train to Llandudno Junction. This time I managed to get some shots of the scenery on the way.

The land on the other side of the water is Anglesey, an island on the north west tip of Wales.

As I was framing some shots on the train the man in the seat in front spoke to me hazarding a guess at the shutter speed and ISO I was going to need. As it turned out I was managing slightly lower ISO but he was close. Turns out he was a professional landscape photographer and we had a nice chat about travel photography. It was a nice interruption. He have me some tips for photographing around Llandudno too. 

Finally I caught the 6:24pm bus back to Llandudno. 

The public transport went really well today. Everything worked easy and I felt confident and not too worried about missing a connection. I had helped that I'd done my homework thoroughly before heading out. 

I didn't really feel like rushing about to catch trains and buses today but the forecast was for really good weather so I felt I shouldn't waste it. After spending a bit of time researching, I found a way I could easily get to visit both Conwy and Caernarfon castles in the one day. I have a number of travel apps and planners for the UK but recently I've found that directions in Google Maps provides the best results. They have all the UK public transport information and provide really easy to follow plans. 

When I left the hotel the sky was perfect blue but the wind still had a bite to it. Having said that, it was the first day this trip I felt able to head out without my big coat. A jumper and spray jacket should suffice (and they did). 

Even though it was a Sunday morning, there were plenty of buses to chose from to get to my first destination. Conwy is very close to Llandudno Junction but too far to walk. I caught the number 13 bus at 9:55am which would take me to within 15min walking distance of the castle.  

The castle looked spectacular on approach. 

Beside it is the walled town of Conwy. 

The castle was pretty much a ruin with information placed at points of interest. Still, it was well preserved and you were able to walk just about anywhere, including nearly all of the towers. 

As you'd expect, the towers gave a great view of the surrounding area. 

There were some internal areas still enclosed.

You could tell where the floors would have been inside the cavernous towers. 

It was a great experience and certainly would have been an impressive structure in its heyday. Speaking of which, the castle was one of a series of castles built by Edward I to suppress the Welsh after England invaded.

I spent about 3 hours walking around the castle which was just enough. After that it was time to move on to the next one. 

After yesterday's trek I was seriously concerned that I wouldn't be able to walk today. Luckily, when I woke up I was feeling really good. All the same, I decided it would be smart to have an easy day today before attempting another trek tomorrow. 

Warwick Castle was on my "to see" list and seemed like the best option. Since I didn't have the energy to write yesterday's blog last night, I did that first before heading to catch the 10:15am train to Banbury. From there I changed to the 10:43am train to Warwick. 

The castle is 15min walk from the station. The part of town I walked through had a lot of tudor buildings. 

The main entrance way to the castle appears to have been excavated into the rock in places. 

The castle is more or less intact, thanks to a number of restorations over the years. 

Soon after arriving I realised that this would be different to the other castles I have visited. It definitely had a "castle theme park" feel without being too tacky. It certainly didn't distract me from the history and interest of the place.

From the top of the walls I got a great view of the surrounding countryside. 

On the grounds outside the castle there is a peacock garden with a number of fine specimens making their presence known. 

Inside the castle there were a number of themed displays as well as restored state rooms. The Taussad Group bought the castle in 1978 and you can see their influence in the figures used to bring some of the rooms to life. 

The library contained a massive library of what appeared to be genuine books. Quite a collection. 

A number of the ceilings were exceptionally ornate. 

In the afternoon there was a "birds of prey" demonstration. Various types and sizes of birds swooped over the heads of the crowd. I tried to capture some shots, but it was incredibly tricky. 

This one was a baby condor. 

The final demonstration for the day was the "firing" of an actual trebuchet. This one fired a projectile nearly 300m. 

On the way out I visited the mill pond and this ruined bridge. 

I walked back to the station to catch the 4:42pm train to Leamington Spa. The plan was to change there for the Oxford train. While waiting on the platform I was getting a little anxious that my ticket might no longer be valid. It was an off peak ticket and it was getting late. In Adelaide you can't use off peak tickets past a certain time in the afternoon but I haven't been able to find out if the same applies here. I decided to check. Unfortunately, by the time I was able to check with the ticket office, the 5:00pm train had left. I had to catch the 5:38pm train instead but at least I put my mind at ease. 

Today was a very relaxed kind of day. Especially after yesterday where I felt under a degree of pressure to get to each destination by a certain time. 

I took the train to Hastings. On the final approach to the station we passed hills of 3-4 story houses perched up high. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a photo. I need to get to Hastings in order to catch a bus to Bodiam where there is a ruined castle I wanted to visit. I think castles will be a major feature of this trip.

As I waited for the 349 bus I noticed that everyone getting on the other buses were using contactless cards. I didn't see anyone pay by cash. This made me a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to get a ticket so I asked someone and they confirmed that you can pay by cash. Phew! When the 349 bus arrived I purchased a return ticket to Bodiam.  The bus took about an hour with 1/2 of the trip travelling along narrow roads edged with hedgerows. 

When I arrived, the castle was peeking through the trees. After purchasing my ticket from an extremely friendly assistant I started to explore the grounds and the castle. 

Bodiam is quite distinctive in its compact design and intact moat. 

You can walk up the stairs inside the towers, though the steps were ridiculously high. The top gave a great view of the Kent countryside. 

They also gave a good view of the ruins inside the castle. Unlike Dover, there were hardly any intact spaces. 

I started to get a little fixated by photographing the outside world through the empty windows, gaping holes and doorways.

Walking back across the bridge to the castle, another visitor noticed the very unattractive fish in the moat. 

I had a while to wait before the bus back to Hastings, so wandered around the tiny town on Bodiam and the beautiful surrounding Kent countryside. 

I started to worry when the bus was over 10 min late. They don't run very frequently. Just as I was trying to figure out what I'd do if it didn't turn up, it arrived and took me back to Hastings before a final train trip back to Ashford station.  

The walk back to the hotel was grey and very cold. I even needed to get out my hat and gloves for the first time to keep me warm. But, once again, that's not really a complaint. I don't mind a bit of cold.

It was another fun day of adventure in beautiful countryside.

I've been wanting to visit Dover Castle for a while but didn't get to it on previous trips. I can vaguely visiting the castle as a child and I've been curious to see if any of it is familiar. From the train station it was about 1/2 hour walk to the castle. As you can see, the castle is high up on a hill. 

It was quite a steep walk in places. 

After breathlessly purchasing my entry ticket I began to walk around the grounds. There are numerous towers and walls dotted around the site in various degrees of decay. 

Eventually I made it to the main castle walls and the square keep inside.

Build circa 1181-88 - that's what I call a historical building. 

Inside the keep you can walk up stairways to check out the various floors and make it to the roof. 

There are a surprising number of stairways, passages, nooks and halls. I suppose I'd expected it to be one hollow space. 

I don't remember what was inside, so I'm not sure how recent these furnishings are. But they certainly bring the space to life.  

Along with a blazing fire in one of the rooms, it was surprisingly warm and cosy inside. 

One small room was the King's chapel. The stained glass created an incredibly vibrant pattern on the floor. 

The view from the top was spectacular. In particular, there is a saxon church also on the site within the grounds that looked perfect perched on the hillside.

And it was a long way down. 

When I reached the Constable's Gate I had my first real sense of recognition. I don't know if it was from a personal memory or from reading the souvenir guide mum and dad used to have, but I definitely remembered this part of the castle. 

Along the outer wall of the castle was the moat, now inhabited by grazing sheep. 

Inside, there were more walls. 

After wandering around the castle and stopping for some cake and coffee I headed to the edge of the site with a great view of the English Channel. Unfortunately, it was too hazy to see France. 

On the edge of the site was my last stop - the tunnels. Under and around the castle there are miles of tunnels on 3 levels. They were first built at the time of the Napoleonic wars and then used extensively in WWII. Finally, they were prepared for use as a nuclear fallout shelter which was thankfully never required.

The tunnels are now used to house a multimedia exhibition on the evacuation from Dunkirk. It was tremendously well done and took us deep into the tunnels, going more than 26 metres deep at one stage. 

The tour finished at 5:17 and the train back to Ashford left Dover Priory station at 5:58. I wasn't exactly how long it had taken me to walk to the castle but I didn't want to miss the train so I power walked back down the hill. Fortunately, I made it in plenty of time. 

By the time I made it back to the hotel my feet and legs were killing me. So I had a quiet dinner while working on my blog and resting those legs. 

And as expected, the weather had greatly improved from the grey overcast morning. In the middle of the day it had been sunny, though still fresh. 

I woke up after one of the best sleeps I've had on this holiday. It's was early, but I felt refreshed. After breakfast my first plan was to have one last go at photographing some of the older buildings in the city and then explore some more of the wall. 

Capturing the feel of the buildings is challenging. The streets are so narrow its often difficult to fit the whole building in and the streets are so dark that the contrast created by any light makes getting the right light balance tedious. I got some shots that I think will come out all right in post processing, but these two are OK as they are. The second one is meant to show just how ramshackle some of the buildings are. 

I picked up the wall from the eastern side and followed it around. It was still early in the morning and there were some great views. The wall is fascinating to walk and it's punctuated by gates and towers.

It was a beautiful clear morning and by the time I'd walked around the wall I was getting warm so I popped back to the apartment to change into lighter clothes. Then it was back to visit the Merchants Hall I had seen on my wall walk. It was built in the 1400s and was a guild hall for merchants. 

Somewhere on my walks I came across these cute goslings. There are quite a few geese in the rivers of York. I'm not fond of geese so I always make sure to keep my distance. 

From the Merchant Hall I made my way to Clifford's Tower. This used to be part of a castle. 

After grabbing some lunch I made my way to the main destination for the day - the National Railway Museum. 

They have a series of Royal carriages. This was the setting inside one of them.  Luxury.

They even have an authentic bullet train from Japan.

And some historic British trains. 

Probably the most fascinating was this cutaway steam train. I never realised that the round tank at the front contained all those pipes. I'd assumed it was just hollow. 

I spent quite a few hours wandering around before buying some great things from the shop. One is a book of transit system maps from around the world. It may sound a bit boring but I think some of these maps are mini works of art. I've always been a fan.

After popping back to the apartment again to drop of my purchases I walked my aching feet to one last destination - the York Museum. I had considered giving it a miss but I figure tomorrow is a train day and my feet can rest then. 

The museum was really well presented and gave a great insight into the history of York from prehistory, to Roman, Viking, Anglo and Norman. I took a photo of this tile because of the stamp. It just made it a whole lot more personal and real to think that someone placed that stamp there 2,000 years ago. 

That was a jam packed day. My feet aren't talking to me right now but I will rest them. Tomorrow I head on to the Lake District. 

Yesterday I visited Rosenborg Slot (castle) but was too late to look around. So today's plan was to go back. As well as walking around the various state rooms you can see the Crown Jewels. 

This tree in the castle grounds reminded me of an old man looking out for danger. 

In the castle they had a very civilised attitude to photography, so I was able to take pictures everywhere.  It was a really impressive collection of rooms with some amazing art works and tapestries.

Last stop for the day would be the Danish Design Museum. 

Today I leave London for my little Scandinavian adventure. The sky in London is beautiful and blue this morning. Would have been great for photos. Oh well.  I'll be back. I got myself organised fairly quickly. My plan was to get a taxi to St Pancras station then the train to Luton Airport for my flight.

Once again, the taxi driver was very amiable and talkative. Such a nice experience. My primary reason for catching he train was for the scenery. If I took a taxi all the way I figured I'd probably only see motorway. Once at the station it took a bit of figuring out but I got to the platform and boarded my train. At first the view was just the usual inner city landscape, but then it opened up to wide fields and small towns. 

At Luton Airport Parkway we needed to change to a shuttle bus to get to the airport. Trying to get my back onto the luggage rack in the bus was a challenge but I got there with a little help. At the bag drop counter I discovered my bag was just on 20kg which is my limit for these short flights. The books I've bought already have really added to the weight.  

I was at the airport early so had just about an hour to wait. I'd rather be at the airport early than have to worry about missing a flight. But it did remind me that flying in the middle of the day wastes so much of the day. If I had flown later I would have been able to do something in London in the morning.  While waiting for my flight I reflected on how I was about to immerse myself in non-English speaking lands again. I haven't done that for an extended period since my trip in 2013.

The flight up was a bit bumpy. The plane was an A319 and its noises were unfamiliar to me. I have to confess it was a bit unnerving. But eventually it settled down and I got a good view of some rain in the distance then some English countryside.

Somewhere around the North Sea or Denmark we crossed these islands. 

Before crossing the island where Copenhagen is. 

The airport is huge and I took ages just to walk to the exit and through passport check. As with leaving Australia and entering the UK I seemed to draw some extra attention that warranted a little "interrogation". Just specific questions about what I was planning to do and why I was there. Not everyone appeared to get these questions. I guess a middle aged man travelling all that way on his own on holiday might not be common?

Eventually I was reunited with my bag and any lingering concerns about flying with easyJet were dispelled. Despite some bad ratings I've had a great experience with them both times.

As with London, I decided to catch the train into central Copenhagen and then a taxi to the apartment hotel. Of course this time was trickier due to language but I made it without hitch. The trains seem much roomier than the English trains and very new. It only took about 15 minutes and before long I was in a taxi. I managed to communicate the address to the driver successfully only to discover his English was as good as mine.  Another very amiable and talkative driver too. I had been told that most people here speak English well and that certainly seems to be the case so far.

I'm staying in an apartment hotel which means I've got a bit more space and facilities to make my own breakfast and meals if I want. But there's also a restaurant and bar too. 

The weather in Copenhagen was grey, about 6 degrees and damp. By this time it was around 4:30 so after checking in I rushed to get some warmer clothes on and head out to explore.

Right next to the hotel is Kastallet which appears to have been an old fortification but is now mainly a public space with barracks in the centre. 

As in London, I came across trees in blossom. 

After exploring the grounds I walked towards some docks and came across this incredibly intricate sculpture.  

Nearby I noticed dragons at the top of the light poles. Later, at dinner, I would notice dragons in a different design on other light poles. Must have some significance. I will investigate.

By now it was nearly 6:30pm and I was starting to get hungry. So I headed back. On the way, I came across this family. 

There's a supermarket on the corner of the hotel's block so I popped in for breakfast supplies. With a little guesswork I (hopefully) managed to work out the fat and sugar content labels in order to make some healthy choices (and I successfully resisted the muesli with chocolate pieces)

Dinner in the hotel restaurant was in order before a relatively early night. 

As expected, I was in bed early last night, before 9:00pm. But I desperately needed the sleep and I think the rest has helped me to shake off the last of the jet lag. I still woke up early, but that's just me. 

The initial plan for today was to meet a friend for coffee in Camden and then maybe wander around the markets. The forecast wasn't too bright so I thought this was a wise move. However, as the sun came up it was looking better than I expected so I changed plans. I was also feeling a little anxious that I hadn't done any of my day trips yet and didn't want to leave them all until my return. So I decided to make my apologies to my friend and head to Windsor Castle. At first I was thinking a grey day might be bad for photographing castles but then I figured it might be more dramatic.

I took the tube to Paddington. The trusses in the station ceiling have this ornate pattern.

From Paddington I caught the train to Windsor. On the way we went through Southall which curiously had the station name in an Indian looking script as well as English. I assume it was to embrace the cultural identity of the area. Nice one.

I had to change trains at Slough. Speaking of Slough, all my guesses at pronunciation were wrong. It's pronounced sl-ow as in "cow" - go figure. 

While waiting at Slough for the Windsor train I noticed this building. Seemed a little out of place actually.

Also while at Slough an express train belted past. It was incredibly fast!

Once at Windsor I made my way to the castle. It must be odd for the town to be in the shadow of this massive structure. I wandered around taking some shots. It's an impressive place. 

And what's a castle without a gargoyle or dragon or two?

It started to spot with rain so it was time to move inside and do the tour of the state apartments. As you'd expect they are very grand, if a bit dark and gloomy. But only the Queen's reception room had some serious Royal bling to it. As you'd expect, you're not allowed to take photos inside, so nothing to show you.  

I saw this odd style of clock on the side of the chapel. I've seen some others like it in London. 

And the chapel was equally as impressive. 

One really obvious thing you notice as soon as you get to the castle is the air traffic. The castle must be close to right on a main flight path. Lucky those castle walls are thick. I checked my flight path app and this was the traffic going on. 

When I left the castle it was raining to I dashed to find somewhere for lunch before heading back into the city. At the end of the day I had a booking to visit Dennis Severs' house.  

It's hard to describe what you encounter when you enter this unassuming door.  If you're interested I suggest you read for yourself on the website.  http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/ It was a great experience, though I didn't figure out all of the story. It would be worth going back a second time - I'm sure I'd discover more.

Near the house I came across this sculpture.  I had to look a couple of times to decide whether it was a sculpture or some maintenance work.

The tube back to the hotel was packed, I guess it was still rush hour. But I made it back intact. I ended the evening sitting in the hotel bar writing this blog and sipping on a martini (or two). 

The weather today has been superb; clear blue skies and warm. I awoke early after a broken sleep feeling the steam roller effects of jet lag. All the same, it was too nice to stay in bed so I got myself organised and fed and out the door. The plan was to walk to the Thames and visit a couple of places on my "to see" list.

Down the stairs first.

Marchmont Street is near the apartment. The buildings caught my attention. 

The roads to the Thames were still familiar from my trip last year and before long I was there. I've walked under Blackfriars Bridge before, but today I really noticed the geometry.

One destination was the Design Museum. But when I got there they told me that some floors were closed until Wednesday. I decided to come back later in the week. Along the way I paused to take in more buildings.

And it seemed like everywhere I went, The Shard was just hiding around the corner.

Another destination on my list was The Tower of London to see the poppy installation to commemorate the start of WWI. I'd seen some pictures but it was still breathtaking and moving. Each is a ceramic poppy mounted on a metal stake. There will be over 800,000 representing the British soldiers killed in the war. Such a fitting way to remember.

After some lunch the last stop was the Barbican to attend the Digital Revolution exhibition. It contained examples of digital art and entertainment from the very beginnings to some amazing new projects and installations.

From an old legend ... 

To a new rendering of me (taking the photo) ...

To an amazing space where people's movement triggered some fantastic real time graphics.

After all that I was exhausted and took the tube back to the apartment. Had diner in the apartment so I can grab an early night. Tomorrow night is Kate date #1 and I want to be bright eyed and bushy tailed.

I know I'm not likely to get any sympathy on this, but since the first few days of arriving in London the "pinch me" moments have been happening less frequently. Maybe I've been getting used to being over here. Anyway, this afternoon was a glorious sunny t-shirt day, best since I've been on holidays. I decided to go walking and photo taking. For the first time in a while I listened to my iPod at the same time and that somehow did the trick. Maybe it was the juxtaposition of familiar music with unfamiliar surroundings but I well and truly got that "pinch me" feeling! In my earlier post I forgot to show you this dragon sculpture by the castle. Every 5-10 minutes it "breaths" real flames.

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And these are some of my favourite pics from this afternoon.

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Tonight is the first Unsound performance and opening party. I'm all tagged, ticketed, ID-ed, merchandised and ready to go!

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