Amsterdam & United Kingdom - 2015

Yr ydym wedi ei gwneud yn ac mae'r gemau a hwyl yn mynd rhagddo'n dda.

Okay, by now you’re probably wondering what the heck are they on about so let me explain.  Had been searching for inspiration to kick off this ‘edition’ of the Geripacker’s meanderings and it came whilst we were sitting in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

So now you know we’re in the UK and if you know anything about the Millennium Stadium, you may have also worked out, we are enjoying the excitement and fun provided by the Rugby World Cup 2015, especially when masses of Welsh spectators launch into song.  The game in Cardiff was Australia’s first match against Fiji in this 45 day long competition.

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

So the heading and first sentence for this post is in Welsh and simply says, ‘Welcome to the Rugby World Cup everyone’, followed by, ‘We have made it and the games and fun is well underway’.

On our way towards the UK aboard Cathay airlines, we had a stopover in Amsterdam, which gave us time to learn a little about this lovely pushbike dominated city. We’re heading there again for a few days on our way back home and apart from thousands of pushbikes, the numerous canals were also a delight to stroll along.

scenery in Amsterdam

Our flight from Amsterdam to London Heathrow on British Airways however did present us with a small lesson in life when we arrived for our check-in at the airport.  

We were very politely advised Rob had been waitlisted but I was okay to fly!!  The reason given for this was very simple, “you had not checked in online, so because the flight is 10% oversold, one of you is waitlisted and the other one of you can fly, do you want to take all the bags with you if only one of you is flying?”.  

Apart from the simple fact that there was nothing on anything from British Airways advising we must check in online, what a bizarre decision to split us up. They are now well aware politely of our feelings about their lack of communication, lack of service and very weird decision making.  Rob did end up getting on the same flight BUT that’s not the point.

So moving on, we have been having a great time staying with our son and daughter in-law, joined also by our daughter who had flown in from Melbourne. As a group, we bought all our tickets for this impressive event over 10 months ago. 

snubbing near Brighton Pier

Our first game was an absolute beauty down in Brighton between South Africa & Japan, with the underdogs Japan just winning after full time, a real upset and one the crowd was fully engaged in.

The other games attended so far, apart from the Australia match, has been New Zealand vs. Argentina at London’s Wembley Stadium which also included setting a world attendance record for rugby.  Other games we have tickets for include Australia vs. Uruguay in Birmingham, Australia vs. Wales in Twickenham and a quarter final late in October.

World record attendance for rugby at Wembley Stadium

With both the length of the World Cup and the timing of the matches we managed to get tickets for, there are two blocks of 2 weeks of ‘free time’ to go and explore places not visited before.  So our plan is in place for these destinations and we will share all of this in future posts.

London however, a bustling city we’re very familiar with, continues to provide numerous new and very enjoyable experiences.  For example, our son and daughter in-law surprised us with a ‘Hint Hunt’ escape game experience involving all 5 of us.  We were all locked in a room and using only the clues and items within the room(s), our communication and teamwork, the challenge being to try and escape within 60 minutes.  We thankfully managed to get out in 57 minutes,

Piccadilly Circus, London

Our daughter and ourselves also attended a matinee play called ‘The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time’ in the West End at the Gielgud Theatre near Piccadilly Circus.  

It was a fabulous and well presented show and after it, we enjoyed some wine with cheese underground in the oldest wine bar in London called Gordon’s Wine Bar, established in 1890.

undergrond in Gordon's Wine Bar

So stay tuned as we go well beyond London to explore and experience a few new things, interspersed with the intensity of the Rugby World Cup.  The approach with this and future posts is to provide a few photos with each and then some links to a limited selection of other pictures after the trip has been completed.

good night from the London Eye, the Thames River and Big Ben!

Well… keep having fun everyone!