Ireland: Whisky in the Jar...

Well, we've entered the final countdown. 5 days till take off.

All the hostels are booked, as is the car hire. We've also reserved a starlight kayak trip near Cork and are looking at whale watching and horse riding. Those two we're holding off on booking for now until we've got a better idea of what the weather might do. I'm not entirely averse to rain but the idea of spending two hours on horseback in pouring rain does not appeal.

It will be amazing, I know this

On Friday night after work I'm catching a train to Manchester, meeting up with Gemma and then crashing at my mum's before we head to the airport on Saturday morning. After that it's a lunch time flight into Dublin where we'll meet up with Claire who's flying from Birmingham.

Just a few little bits left to sort out. Got my euros yesterday, my travel insurance is sorted and I think I have everything I need to take with me. Got to decide how we're paying the balance on the hostels. When we went to New Zealand last year, Claire and my sister paid me in what they owed for hostels and then I paid the hostels, just to save all us faffing around trying to get the right cash out. We'll probably end up doing similar this time, but we still haven't sorted it... should probably do that...

Also need to make sure everything we need fits in the available luggage space. We're only one checked bag between us because you have to pay extra for checked bags with Ryanair. So I need my big rucksack to weigh less than 15kg. Considering I only took 11kg for a 3 week trip to New Zealand, I think this is doable, even including the (likely) 2 pairs of walking boots that'll be going in.

On which note, I'm using this trip for a sort of trial run of the One Bag Challenge. Not sure if this is already a thing or if I've just made it up... More info on this in a post next week, but the idea is that I'm trying to cut down on all the stuff that goes on holiday with me in preparation for The Grand Tour. After all, do I really need so many spare t-shirts when I can just take 3 or 4 and wash them regularly?

So, I may be taking a checked bag, but I want to put as little of my stuff in it as possible. I'll wear my walking boots for the flight, as always. And probably get stopped by the metal detectors, as always. Everything I need, as far as possible, needs to fit into my carry on bag. It's a 25 litre backpack. It lasted me a week in Wales. Pretty sure it can last me for 2 weeks in Ireland. Look.

We shall see... 5 DAYS TO GO!

Travel with Dogs

After my trip to Wales with my mum, sister and my mum's dogs, I got to wondering what impact travelling with animals has on what you can do on a holiday.

The simple conclusion is that it really doesn't need to have much impact, providing you take a couple of things into account.

Point 1: You're probably going to be outside most of the day. Unless you can find a dog friendly shopping centre, museum or other attraction, you're going to have to find outdoor things to do.

Such things include the obvious: walking. Dogs love walking, right? My mum's definitely do - considering how short their legs are, they'll quite happily do 5 miles or more. And all that walking's good for you too. Grab yourself a good pair of walking boots and get out there.

Point 2: If it rains, you could end up stuck inside all day. Obviously, this depends how tolerant you and your dogs are of bad weather. Me, I'll go for a walk in the rain, at least for a while, without too much bother. Mum's dogs on the other hand... well, they won't even go outside to do their business if it's drizzling.

I've been on two holidays with Mum and the dogs now and they've been brilliant. We've had lovely long walks in the morning (when the weather's been good) and then a nice relaxed late afternoon/evening once we're all tired out.

Good for exercise, going on holiday with dogs. No choice but to get out walking because a) the dogs need it and b) there aren't many other options.

You get to see some gorgeous views, too. Aside from the cute dogs, obviously! And quite honestly, there are few more relaxing things than taking a nice long walk and then collapsing on the sofa afterwards with a sleepy dog curled up next to you.

Point 3: Consider your destination carefully. I think we can safely say that city breaks aren't suited for dogs for anything much more than a couple of days. Where are you going to take them? I doubt you're going to find much in the way of dog-friendly shops and museums. Parks are a good option, I suppose, but personally I'll take the open countryside over a park most days.

You're going to want to find dog-friendly accommodation too. Some providers like Forest Holidays (who we stayed with in November) have cabins especially for those with dogs and many holiday lets will allow well-behaved pets. Our cottage in Wales, on a little farm called Berth Fedw, was through Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottages, but there's plenty of other providers.

Basically, to end this slightly rambling post, having dogs with you shouldn't stop you from going away. Find a nice place to stay and enjoy the surroundings. Seriously, check out this view from Berth Fedw above Talgarth.

I think the ultimate sign of a good holiday with dogs is the fact that the dogs clearly enjoyed themselves. Even if they were knackered when we got back...

Wales: Sunburn and hill forts

Back on with the Wales recap! If you're interested in the first one (which covers Brecon and Hay-on-Wye) you can find it HERE.

Tuesday, our third day in the Brecon Beacons, started with a bit of a mishap in misreading the map and heading towards Abergavenny instead of the Brecon Beacons National Park Visitor Centre. A very scenic detour it was, though, and we got there eventually.

The Visitor Centre is located at Mynydd Illtyd, an area of common land with great views of Pen y Fan, the tallest mountain in the Beacons. Grabbed a drink and a slice of millionaires shortbread from the cafe and basked in the sunshine for a bit before getting some tips from the very helpful ladies in the shop regarding good walks.

We were pointed in the direction of the Twyn y Gaer hill fort at the northern end of the common with the promise of brilliant 360 degree views. It had, by this point, turned into quite a hot, clear day and the dogs were already struggling a bit in the heat. Kept pouring water on them to keep them a bit cooler.

It was an easy walk up to the fort, of which there is very little left. You can see why it was chosen though - the views, as promised, are amazing. Pen y Fan, off to the east.

Views north up the valley towards Brecon.

And more of the Beacons to the west.

The dogs loved it. Indeed, Henry was so relaxed (and maybe just a little bit tired and warm) that he laid down for a quick snooze.

Oh, and there were some sheep. I really want to get a shot of the sheep that seemed to be creeping up on us through the bracken, but she ran away before I could get my camera out. Here they are enjoying the shade under this old tree instead.

Anyways, we lounged around at the fort for an hour, forgetting how clear it was and then headed back down to the Visitor Centre, where we ate our packed lunch outside the cafe. My sister treated us to ice cream and even the dogs got a little bit - licking out the empty tubs. It must have been good - they were giving me the gooey eyes even after they'd had their faces in my tub.

Then it was back to the cottage for a nice relaxed evening and the realisation that we'd all got sunburnt. Oops.

The next day dawned with tender shoulders where we'd all caught the sun and another directional mishap on our way to the Waterfalls Centre on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Turns out the mishap wasn't much of a mishap and probably took us a much more scenic route than the one my mum had planned on taking.

It took us up over the top of the Beacons towards Penderyn, through beautiful uplands dotted with sheep and the occasional mountain pony. I also spotted some sort of bird of prey, but I'm still struggling to identify what it was - grey, possibly with a black tipped tail. I think I've got it down to a peregrine, goshawk or (highly unlikely) hen harrier. Will never know.

Brief stop at Penderyn to check we were heading the right way (which we were) and then onwards to Pontneddfechan and the Waterfall Centre. Ended up not going into the centre, but headed straight up the River Neath to see the waterfalls. After the hot sun the day before, it was lovely to be able to walk in the shade for a while. Really peaceful and occasionally hilarious watching the dogs trying to avoid the puddles.

First of the falls was Sgwd Gwladys. Plenty of people enjoying the water, but I imagine it must be amazing when it's quieter.

And then onwards up a narrowing path to the next set of falls. The path up to Sgwd Gwladys is a bit uneven but probably accessible with a pushchair. After that, the path gets riddled with tree roots, narrow and quite steep and/or muddy in places. Very pretty though.

Made it up to the next falls, which are showing up as Horseshoe Falls on GoogleMaps, but I seem to recall them having a Welsh name too... Anyway, there were quite a few people enjoying the sun there too - there's a big chunk of bare rock next to the river that was catching all the heat.

Nice view up the river towards the next falls too. We decided against going up to those - the dogs were getting tired from all the scrambling their little legs were having to do and we were in need of a drink.

Headed instead back the way we came and then to the Angel Inn for a drink and something to eat. Lovely blueberry muffins that we then had to defend from some very persistent wasps. The dogs enjoyed themselves - they got fussed over by a couple of slightly tipsy Welshmen who seemed to be fascinated by them.

Refreshed, we started heading back to the cottage for the evening but found ourselves making a quick detour to Garwnant Visitor Centre for a cuppa. Some gorgeous views from there as well, none of which I managed to snap. So there's this one instead. Sun! In Wales! For the second day on the trot!

Yeah, I was impressed.

The day came to a glorious end with my first ever sighting of the Perseid meteor shower. The Brecon Beacons are a Dark Sky Reserve, so combined with the weather being clear and the moon being new, the views were amazing. Standing outside at 11pm staring at the sky shouldn't be so amazing, but seeing those meteors streak across the sky is one hell of an experience.

Find part 1 of my Wales trip here: Cake, sun and travelling with dogs

Destination Daydreams: Birthday Daydreams

It was my birthday yesterday (happy birthday to me and all that). So I figured I'd make a list of everywhere I would go if a) I could afford it and b) security wasn't an issue.

Top of the list is volunteering with orangutans in Borneo or Sumatra. My parents actually offered to pay for me to go for my 21st but I figured I wanted to do something as a family so we went to Euro Disney instead. Such fun, but I really do want to see the orangs.

I'd also love to see the Amazon and the Pantanal on more than just a flying visit. I'd like to actually trek into the forest, maybe volunteer somewhere.

If I had a driving license I'd road trip across Australia from Adelaide to Darwin, maybe taking in some of the tracks on the way. Y'know, just drive out into the outback.

Hmm... what else? I'd love to do an epic trip to see all the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (or sites thereof) in one go. So Greece (Statue of Zeus, Colossus of Rhodes), Egypt (Pharos of Alexandria, Pyramids at Giza), Turkey (Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus) and Iraq (Hanging Gardens of Babylon). That'd be an awesome trip.

I also fancy a trip round the Pacific - Japan, Hawaii, some of the islands in the South Pacific, Easter Island and the Galapagos. Actually, Galapagos could be one trip in itself. Oh yeah. Wildlife, culture, history. What more could you ask for?

Antarctica's also on the list - penguins, seals, whales? Definitely my cup of tea. And those landscapes... wow. And there's always the possiblity of the Southern Lights. So gorgeous. On which note...

The Northern Lights. Nowhere specific - I sort of just want to head up north - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Canada or Iceland, I don't mind where - and just sit around and wait until the Lights show up. Just sit back, relax and sky watch for days.

I want to climb a mountain. I've done Snowdon in Wales, but it's somehow not quite as awesome as the thought of tackling one of the really big peaks. I'm thinking maybe Kilimanjaro? Everest would be cool but... I don't know... Kilimanjaro has more pull. Imagine the views you could get of the savannah.

I want to swim with Whale Sharks. I love sharks and much as the idea of cage diving with Great Whites in South Africa sounds amazing, the thought of swimming with giant (relatively) non-threatening sharks in lovely warm(ish) waters sounds even better. Maybe I'll add it to the Grand Tour - there's Whale Sharks around the Ningaloo Marine Reserve in Australia.

Oooh, historical things - I want to see the Great Wall of China up close, take those cliched pictures at the Taj Mahal and visit a whole array of pre-Columbian sites in Mesoamerica. Things like Chichen Itza, Tikal and Teotihuacan. While I'm there, I also want to visit the cenotes (limestone sinkholes) around the coast of the Yucatan - firstly because they're interesting in their own right and secondly because they're possibly the clearest above-ground indicator of the impact that wiped out the dinosaurs: evolution and geology all in one go!

And then there's all the museums... oh, the museums. Top of the list at this moment in time is the Smithsonian. Huge, varied and considered one of the best museums on the planet. Yep, that's a must. I could probably spend a few days there, even a week given the opportunity.

I'd love to see Lake Maracaibo for the amazing lightning storms it experiences. It's not completely understood why, but it happens regularly and to see it firsthand would be magical.

Uh, magical. What an awful word.

Safari would be cool, too. At least a week, though, maybe two. The three days I had in Kruger National Park were amazing but nowhere near enough to satisfy. I want to see big cats. And more than that, I want to see the migrations. Hey, I grew up watching BBC Natural History Unit documentaries - the image of thousands of wildebeest and zebra (among others) marching across the savannah has stuck with me and damnit, I want to watch it.

So many things... anything else?

Oh, so many things. So. Many. Things. But, y'know, I think this post is long enough for now. I'm sure the others will crop up at some future date or other.

Wales: Cake, sun and travelling with dogs...

First holiday of the summer: Wales with my mum, sister and my mum's two adorable dachshunds.

It started... not badly, but, well, getting stuck at Hopwood Services for an hour while Mum was stuck in traffic on the M6 is not the ideal start to a holiday. Worse for Mum, bless her, trapped on the motorway with two fidgetty dogs in the back.

Got going eventually though and after a nice scenic drive into Wales, we made our way up the narrow winding road to our cottage at Berth Fedw Farm in the hills above Talgarth. Gorgeous views across the valley and some lovely sheep in the field at the back, which Poppy (the older dachshund) promptly tried to say hello to by squeezing through the fence. Good job I hadn't let her off the lead...

Holiday proper started with a super lazy morning and then a short drive to Brecon, a lovely little market town. It was rather damp, but having the dogs with us it was a bit difficult to find anywhere we could go inside. So instead, the rain having stopped, we sat outside Cariad Cakes and had a lovely cup of tea and a very yummy cupcake each.

Most delicious. The weather still wasn't looking great, but we decided to try for a walk along the Brecon-Monmouth Canal anyway.

Of course, at that point it decided to rain on us so we turned back towards the car park. Passed these lovely little canal-side cottages on the way.

Brightened up again, typically, as we reached the car park so we decided to brave it again and this time head out along the river. Turns out the riverside path opens out into a nice little parkland and the dogs got the chance to run around off the lead for a bit. Snapped this spooky looking old house while the pups made friends with another dog.

And then it was back to the cottage, up the winding roads for a lazy evening.

On the Monday we headed in the other direction to Hay-on-Wye, the town famous for its secondhand book shops. It piddled down for a large part of the morning, which we spent sheltering in the old Butter Market and Cheese Market Halls (recently restored, I'll have you know) and poking around in some of the lovely bookshops. This got even better when we found out the dogs were allowed in most of the bookshops as long as they behaved. Which they did, fortunately. Of course, Poppy then decided that since she was allowed in the bookshops, she must be allowed in all the shops...

Had lunch at Kilvert's pub - really nice, reasonably priced food. Drinks seemed a bit overpriced to me (£3.10 for a pint of Pepsi?!), but totally made up for with the grub. Plus the dogs were quite happy to sit outside with us and bark at anyone who went into the pub.

After lunch we had a little wander around the rest of the town centre and had a quick walk in the park behind Hay Castle.

Raided tourist information for a map and then toddled off down to the river for a nice little afternoon walk. Got a bit excited for a moment when I thought I'd seen a Red Kite, but it turned out to be a buzzard on closer inspection. Damnit. Gorgeous walk, though.

And then we returned to the cottage for the evening. Obviously.

Took the dogs out for a walk in the field and Poppy promptly rolled in some sort of shit. She loved it. Mum was not so impressed. Henry, the younger dog, was quite happy to just run around pretending he's still a puppy.

Must have been tired though, our Henry. He decided to play dead on the sofa when it was time to go to bed...

Language Barriers: Cupla focal...

Oh dear.

The Spanish learning is going so well that I decided to try Welsh as well. Not because I'm currently in Hay-on-Wye and fighting off hordes of Welsh (yeah, right). More because it's an interesting language and it'd be nice to be able to work out what some of the road signs say.

Of course, me being me and not quite thinking this through, I made a start on my Welsh language learning adventure in a lunch break at work. Sure I must have pulled some weird faces because I was trying not to repeat the phrases aloud. At least with my Spanish lessons I've been listening to them at home so only my dad and sister have to put up with my slightly mangled pronunciation. Indeed, my dad's still amused that the tutor on Coffee Break Spanish is a Scot.

Wait till he hears the Welsh lessons I've found...

The Welsh course is (helpfully) by actual Welsh people. Which is great. But the course itself is a sort of "learn by repetition" sort of thing. It's very dry compared to the fun of Coffee Break Spanish, but it seems to be building vocabulary quite quickly.

That said, it's not holding my attention so I've moved on for now. Instead I'm making a start on Irish. As you may have gathered from other posts, I'm heading out to Ireland for a couple of weeks with friends in September and given that a lot of our route goes through Irish-speaking areas (Gaeltacht), I thought it would be cool to be able to say a few words.

Cupla focal...

I'm enjoying my Spanish lessons loads so I had a poke around the Radio Lingua Network website and discovered that they do a short course in Irish, helpfully called One Minute Irish. It only covers the very basic and unlike the basic podcasts for Spanish, German, French and Italian, it's not free (£7.50 for the 10 lessons). However, in keeping with Coffee Break Spanish, it's turning out to be good fun and I'm beginning to get my head round some basic phrases.

Dia duit!

It might be One Minute Irish, but the actual podcasts tend to last 3-4 minutes; enough time to go through the phrases a couple of times and get your tongue round the slightly weirder parts of Irish pronunciation. Someone explain to me why dia duit, meaning "good day", is pronounced almost jia ditch?

The lessons themselves are great and rely on repetition, but if you want to know how the phrase is actually spelled the podcasts come with synchronised flash cards so the words come up as they're spoken. Personally, I found it easier to listen to the lessons first and then go back through and see how everything was spelled. Best not to confuse myself with counter-intuitive spelling!

It's pretty good fun. Not sure I'll be brave enough to actually try it out on real Irish speaking people though. I feel funny looks might be the only response... We'll see.

Best Souvenirs: Trinkets or Memories

My favourite necklace broke a few weeks ago. It's a little pounamu (jade) pendant of a Maori spirit called a Manaia, strung on a black cord. The pendant is the same sort of design as this.

The Manaia is fine, but the cord, thanks to me wearing it all but a couple of days since we got back from New Zealand last August, finally gave up and snapped.

This was awful. I found myself going to fiddle with it and finding it wasn't there. It's oddly upsetting. I had to order some more cord but until it arrived I fell back on another old favourite - a little pewter tablet with the Ogham script for the letter M embossed on it. I bought it from Killarney National Park, I think - it came from somewhere around there at least. Back then I was still in my slightly hippie phase and was very much into magic and runes and all that. I bought it more for its slightly mystical feel than for the fact that Ogham is an interesting old script. Still, it's a nice little reminder of my university field trip to Ireland.

And that got me thinking. What are the best souvenirs? Little trinkets like my Manaia and Ogham necklaces? Or the beautiful scarf my mum brought me back from Morocco?

Or is it the memories? The sort of things my New Zealand posts are filled with? Silly things like my sister having to scrape ice from the rental car with a tiny piece of wood because we didn't have a proper scraper. And when I fell in the sea at the very end of our kayaking trip. Claire getting dive bombed by a seagull trying to steal her chips. My mum being used as a portable branch by the squirrel monkeys at IPR.

But wait, there's more - what about the postcards written home? My sister and I have developed this little tradition where we write one a day to our parents and, depending on where we are, either post them all in batches or hang onto them until we get back and then hand them over. They're great fun and they're a great way of jotting down the silly things that happen that sometimes we've forgotten by the time we get home.

There's the photos too. I took over 3000 photos just on our 3 week trip to New Zealand. Some of them I know I'll look at in future and go "what the hell was going on there?" And then I'll remember and it'll be brilliant. Like this one where we're all drenched and soggy from when we decided to take a walk in Tongariro National Park and got attacked by ice rain.

Or this one where we went to Hobbiton and I won a leaf from Bilbo's tree (and Amy and Claire pinched some).

I've only just realised that those pictures show us going from Mordor to the Shire. Oh yeah.

Anyway, I think I've come to the conclusion - the inevitable conclusion - that the memories are the best bit (obviously), closely followed by the photos and the journals/blogs/random scribblings. But those little trinkets... well, I'm still amazed how lost I initially felt without my Manaia. It's a tangible link with New Zealand. The only thing that really counts against such things is how much they weigh and where they come from. By which I mean I would never buy anything huge, because luggage allowance and where possible I'd want to buy something made in the country I was visiting. What's the point in buying something as a reminder of a trip if it's made in (for the sake of argument) China?

...at which point I realise that the little fluffy puffin I brought back from Iceland was made in China. It's cute though. I named him Sigi after our unhinged Northern Lights guide.

Destination Daydreams: Peru

Been looking at Peru this week. Let's get the obvious thing out of the way first: yes, I want to go to Machu Picchu. It's been on my bucket list for years, so I'm going to see it, no matter how touristy and over-hyped it might be.

But what else to do in Peru? Well, Cusco seems to be the gateway to Machu Picchu and there's a whole host of other archaeological sites in the area, so that seems to be a good place to start. I could fly into Lima and then on to Cusco and then explore around there for a week or so.

I'm setting aside a week for this because of the altitude. I fully expect, having read other people's experiences, to spend the first few days feeling a bit rotten and weird. A friend who went out there a while back has helpfully recommended somewhere for breakfast (cheers, James). So I figure a few days in Cusco getting used to the altitude and then on to Machu Picchu by either train or bus.

The train could be more relaxing, potentially. I can go straight to Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu, visit the site and any others nearby and then catch the train or a bus back to Ollantaytambo, which seems to be highly recommended by others and has some awesome looking archaeological sites of its own. Also, outside of the tourist rush hour heading to Cusco, it looks like it might be rather quieter and more laid back than Cusco and therefore might be a nice place to take it slower for a few days.

When I initially started planning The Grand Tour, my Peru ideas only involved going to Machu Picchu. Of course, a few days ago, I suddenly remembered Lake Titicaca and its floating islands. Like Machu Picchu, I've loved the idea of it for years, but I suppose I thought it would be awkward to access. A quick look proves I'm wrong and I could do it by bus (cheaper and faster) or train (more expensive but more chance to view the scenery?). A flight is also an option, but this seems to go from Cusco to Juliaca and Juliaca sounds like a place I don't want to go...

Anyways, I can get from Cusco to Puno on the lakeshore fairly easily. From these I can take a boat trip out onto the lake and maybe visit one of more of the floating islands. Sounds like a bloody good idea to me.

Lima itself, the captial of Peru, has been mostly discounted. I've read too many things about crime rates and such (and yes, I know the rest of Peru is hardly crime free) and then the same friend who recommended a cafe for breakfast in Cusco suggested I wouldn't need much time in Lima, so I think that supports my instinctive reaction.

So, what else to do in Peru? The only other major thing I'd like to see if I get the chance is the Nazca Lines. There's no access on foot, so the only option is a scenic flight which I'm guessing would be just a little bit expensive... maybe that will have to wait until another trip.

Just got to find some advice on dealing with altitude. Don't fancy spending my entire time in Peru feeling grotty...

Until next time!

Snapshots: Flamborough Head

Took a nice little trip up to Flamborough Head at the weekend. Went for a walk along the cliff top from South Landing round to the lighthouse. Not much really to say about it, so I thought I'd just share some of the photos I took. Gloriously sunny day, mediocre photos. Woo.

I love the motion of wind through cereals. It's like the sea.

Random local history!

We parked at South Landing, which has a Pay & Display car park. You can walk down to the beach from there, where there's a little RNLI shop (well worth donating to) or follow the cliff path round to the lighthouse and, if you're feeling fit, on to North Landing where there's caves and other geological fun.

Bournemouth & London: Fish, cuneiform and freaking out on the Tube

My final day in Bournemouth was wet. Soggy as anything. In search of somewhere dry to spend the day we headed to the Oceanarium on the seafront, stopping to coo over a group of ducklings on the way.

Can't resist cute fluffy ducklings. Anyhoo, we made it to the Oceanarium only to find that everyone else had had the same idea and the queue was out of the front doors. We'd booked our tickets online that morning but not knowing where the fast lane was, we didn't really want to push.

We toddled off round the corner instead, away from the sideways rain and wind to find somewhere to have a cuppa while the queue or the weather calmed down. Settled down in a nice little cafe/restaurant called West Beach, just round the corner from the Oceanarium. Amazing deluxe hot chocolate and, at least when we went in, friendly staff.

So far, so good. We blithered about in the cafe for a while before deciding to brave the rain again. Neither weather nor queue had really changed, but we stuck it out and eventually made it into the Oceanarium.

It was RAMMED. Mostly folks with kids who didn't understand the concept of not banging on the glass. Ugh. The actual content of the Oceanarium itself was pretty good, especially considering it's not a very big place. It includes such things as otters...

A new exhibit of penguins, which very few people seemed to have discovered...

A pair of Green Sea Turtles, called Friday and Crusoe...

An assortment of small (out of focus) sharks...

A group of African Dwarf Crocodiles that look like weird garden ornaments, they're that little...

Nautilus, which are super cool, if a little bit dim, photowise...

There's also a pair of Loggerhead Turtles, but I've got no even vaguely decent photos of them. And of course the obligatory tanks of tropical fish, without which no aquarium is complete. Oh, and seahorses. Cute seahorses.

Basically, the Oceanarium is pretty good. You get in cheaper if you book in advance online.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in Wetherspoons with a nice pint of cider while it rained some more outside. And then I had a go at Limbo because Claire thought I should have another go at a video game while I was staying with her. Let's just say I'm not so great with gaming. Limbo's pretty cool though.

The next morning was an early start again to catch the train back to Grimsby. I stopped off in London on the way to break up the otherwise 6 hour train journey. I'd intended to visit the Hunterian Museum so headed off from Waterloo Station on foot, across the Thames, along the Strand and then up Kingsway. Found my way there just fine, only to find that it doesn't open on Mondays, so it'll have to wait for another trip.

Instead I found a bench in Lincoln's Inn Fields, the little park that the museum faces, and ate my breakfast. Saw a rat. Had a quick look on Google Maps for something else nearby that I could check out. Settled on the British Museum, just up the road.

A short walk later, during which someone asked me for directions to the British Museum (do I look like a non-tourist?), I went to dump my bag and coat at the cloakroom. Apparently it's £1.50 per item and given how short I was on change, I opted to just leave my bag and carry my coat. If I'd thought about it, I probably could have fit my coat inside the bag. I'll remember that next time.

I'd intended originally just to spend a couple of hours there and then find another place to check out. I ended up spending all day there. Good thing, really - there's so much to see that you need a good few hours to get the most out of it.

Managed to see quite a big chunk of the collections, which makes a change from previous visits. Some really fascinating objects, like this case full of cuneiform tablets.

Cuneiform is one of the earliest forms of writing, used in the ancient Middle East. It's awesome. And then there's this little tablet from Babylon, which is potentially the oldest map of the world (c. 500BC).

It's hard to tell from this photo, so here's a diagram of it from Wikipedia. The little spikes around the outside are islands of some sort and are partly why it's considered a map of the world and not just of the region around Babylon.

There's also a whole room about pre-Roman Italy, which is really interesting and an area I don't know much about. It includes these funky little figures. Look quite modern to me.

Also these beautiful pieces from the ship burial at Sutton Hoo. All intricate enamel, glass, stones and gold.

For any Time Team fans there's this case full of Samian Ware from Roman era Britain.

These little beads from an ancient burial that look like they belong in Mario Kart.

I also made sure to check out the Assyrian galleries. I hadn't realised how much Assyrian art and sculpture they had before. Things like these iconic gate guardians.

And these enormous gates.

There's also some pieces from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. Pretty cool. These two statues are thought to be of Mausolos and his wife Artemisia (also his sister, ew).

There's a temporary exhibition on at the moment about Indigenous Australia. I lived out there for a year, so I figured I'd check it out (£10 entry). Not much that I hadn't already seen similar of in Australia, but interesting nonetheless. Intriguing to see how the Museum justifies its continued possession of Indigenous artefacts that their traditional owners feel should be returned. Even better to see that there was a reasonably large coverage of Tasmania, which sometimes seems to get a bit forgotten. Tasmania is awesome. No photos from this exhibition because of a request from the traditional owners that no photos be taken of the objects.

Aside from all of the above interesting things, there's a great display of Chinese jade that I'd not noticed before, some fascinating cases of Mesoamerican objects and a whole gallery of Egyptian artefacts that I completely bypassed because it's always heaving and I've seen it before. Just had to nip back upstairs when I thought I was almost finished because I'd forgotten to find the Lewis Chessmen. Shame I didn't get a picture of the little berserker pieces biting their shields, but here you go.

If you're heading to the British Museum soon, there's some cool exhibitions coming up - Celts I think? Yup - Celts: Art & Identity, opens 24th September. Only thing to note, and it's probably obvious - food inside the Museum is expensive. Either bring your own or pop out and explore the surrounding streets for better value grub.

Finally left the museum just before 4 in an attempt to avoid rush hour on the Tube. Which I sort of half managed - Russell Square Station was empty but the actual train was busy. Have I mentioned how the Tube freaks me out? Yeah... so the train apparently stalling twice in the few seconds after we pulled away from the platform wasn't fun. Totally thought we were going to be stuck in the tunnel. Then the driver comes over the tannoy: "Can you please keep away from the doors, ladies and gentlemen?" Think the guy next to me was a bit worried by my almost silent mantra of "It's only 1 stop. It's only 1 stop. It's only 1 stop." Sorry, dude.

Basically, I had a great weekend. Really wish I'd managed to get into the Hunterian Museum though...