Got the bus to Dorchester and Sheila picked me up. We had tea and breakfast at a nice cafe and then headed back to Bridport and got to see the doggies. Took them for a walk but it started bucketing down. Later on we went into charmouth to the salon where I got to see David and we both had our hair done. Walked to the pub for a couple of drinks before yummy homemade fish and chips at home.
David and Sheila off up to Luton today so dropped me at the bus station and I headed to Bournemouth where Val picked me up. Went back to hers and I got to see Malcolm and sonny the dog. Had a little nap and then went on a little drive around lymington where we walked around with sonny and then had a drink at the pub. The heavens opened so headed back and ended up falling asleep before dinner. We watched a movie before bed.
Had a nice sleep in and breakfast with val and Malcolm taking in the endless news about the EU brexit vote. Lydia came and picked me up and we went to lunch at highcliffe castle. Had a meal and then a cream tea each! There was a jazz band playing and lots of people were there with their picnic rugs and chairs enjoying the brief glimpses of sun and music. Lydia dropped me off and just got the bus in time to get to Heathrow.
David and Sheila off up to Luton today so dropped me at the bus station and I headed to Bournemouth where Val picked me up. Went back to hers and I got to see Malcolm and sonny the dog. Had a little nap and then went on a little drive around lymington where we walked around with sonny and then had a drink at the pub. The heavens opened so headed back and ended up falling asleep before dinner. We watched a movie before bed.
Had a nice sleep in and breakfast with val and Malcolm taking in the endless news about the EU brexit vote. Lydia came and picked me up and we went to lunch at highcliffe castle. Had a meal and then a cream tea each! There was a jazz band playing and lots of people were there with their picnic rugs and chairs enjoying the brief glimpses of sun and music. Lydia dropped me off and just got the bus in time to get to Heathrow.
How many more things could go wrong on this trip do you ask? A lot more apparently. Woke to an email saying my flight to Bristol had been cancelled due to a French strike or something? Was meant to be picked up by David and Sheila and spend the night with them in Dorset. Scurried to find another flight for today - the airline was offering a make up flight but another wasn't going until the end of the week. Had to pay out $400 for a new flight in the afternoon. Bought a bus ticket to Poole for that night (arriving at 11pm) and an Airbnb for the night near the bus station. Will get another bus to Dorchester early in the morning where David and Sheila will pick me up. I tell you what, I've gone with the same insurance company for every trip and have never made a claim - if I don't get loads of money back for all this extra I've had to fork out for I will NOT be happy.
Had to pay for the hotel on my Australian bank card as travel card declined (as no way of checking how much I have on it!) so god know what horrendous foreign transaction fee I would have gotten for that! Ordered an uber which took half an hour to arrive - it was the drivers first day and he had gotten lost finding me. Set off and he got a call from his boss to say he hadn't accepted the journey properly so I had to order it again (although I was already in the car?). I didn't have any internet at this point so had to explain to him that I needed to use his phone to turn his hotspot on so I could use the wifi from it to order the uber again. Anyway. Got to the airport in the end and my flight delayed an hour and a half. Of course. I missed my bus to Poole so had to pay again for the later one which I had to wait an hour for. Got to my Airbnb which was right next to the bus station and got to bed about 1.30 in the morning
Headed off early and walked to the Quinta da Regaleria which was only twenty minutes walk from my hotel. I was one of the first ones there and I headed straight for initiation well in hopes for getting some good pictures with no one else in them. It was right on the other side of the park so I headed for one of the underground tunnels that lead to it thinking it would be quicker. I got to the opening of the eastern grotto and greeted by lovely cool air from the cool stone of the underground. The tunnels were only partially lit and as I went to go through it I was to scared too!! Found the unfinished well on my way (above ground) to the initiation well. There was no one there either so found that a bit creepy too. There were only a couple of other people at the invitation well so got lots of pictures. Climbed down to the bottom - very dark and damp, and again very scary! When I got down to the bottom I was no longer a big wuss and went through the tunnels and found caves and waterfalls and stepping tones underneath rock bridges. Seriously reminded me of the cave they find at the end of the goonies. Such a fun place to explore - defiantly my favourite place in Sintra. When I thought I had explored everywhere in the gardens I headed back to the entrance to look through the house and found even more grottos and tunnels on the way! Headed back to my hotel at about 2pm after being there all morning. Another lovely swim and relax by the pool.
A late start to the day before heading off to get the tourist bus that took you right to the coast. I had packed my bathers and towel in the hopes of going for a swim and relax on the beach but by the time we got there the weather had turned and it wasn't a nice beach day. Enjoyed the bus right back through the national park - a lot of areas similar to Australia with rock and paperbarks. But mostly lush and green. Had a massage at the hotel which was well deserved and spent the evening repacking my suitcase.
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