eBay Success

We are now proud owners of a Berghaus Freeflow IV 30 backpack. We say proud because we won a brand new one on eBay for £28.80. These bags retail at £60.00 and after searching the Internet we only found them for £45 brand new, therefore we feel we got a bargain.

The Berghaus Freeflow IV 30 has some very good features which is why we sought one out:

• Capacity of 30 litres - a decent size for a day pack
• Freeflow back system - which helps against you feeling sweaty when carrying the bag
• Breathable shoulder straps
• Compression straps
• Additional compartment in the base
• Holders for walking poles
• Pocket for a hydration pack
• Raincover
• Adjustable chest harness
• Made from 600 denier polyester which is good for strength and low weight

Will serve us well.

Destinations Show 2010

We went to the Destinations show at the NEC in Birmingham on Saturday 6th March. We had excellent luck when we arrived as just as we were approaching the ticket counter, a lady came up to us and handed us a leaflet and said there was a free entry ticket in it for two. Sure enough there was and we got in free! Very nice person!

We've never been to this event before and our expectations were probably a lot higher. There seemed to be plenty of exhibitors, but the room still seemed like it had loads more space for loads more exhibitors. There were a few companies there which confused us to why as their product didn't seem to be travel related. There were a couple of clothing stands where we were able to pick up some discounted gear, a fleece each and a waterproof jacket each.

The show helps you choose and book a holiday with more 'off the beaten track' destinations. As we've already chosen our destination for this year we just gathered information for future destinations. We were entertained by some traditional Bhangra dancers, they were very good. Wanderlust magazine had their photo competition on display and some of the pictures were just simply brilliant.

There was a 'meet the experts theatre' and we were interested in hearing Simon Reeve speak. It was still 20 minutes to go so we went to the bar for a drink. After our drink we realised we should have started queueing a lot earlier! There were loads of people and we thought that we may not get in. Luckily we did but had to stand, but it was only for 30 minutes.

Simon Reeve works for the BBC and has made several travel programmes for them. Before the BBC Simon Reeve worked for a newspaper investigating terrorism, smuggling, arms-dealing etc... For the BBC, Simon travels more 'unknown' destinations.

In the theatre, Simon was interviewed by David Linstead from Wanderlust magazine. Simon talked about his current travel series travelling around the Tropic of Cancer. We saw clips of the series and Simon told us some of the difficulties him and his team experienced. They couldn't get into China at all, so had to take another route. They had to sneak into Burma because the Indian secret police were against them entering with Simon's wife leading the secret police off in a distraction tactic to allow Simon to get to the Burmese border.

Simon discussed the controversy surrounding Burma of should people still travel to the country because you could be supporting the dictatorship etc...

Simon discussed the one country he deemed as the most dangerous for him which he said was Somalia. He chose Somalia because he was protected by a gang on his travels through the country and while on the road they came under fire from a rival gang passing them on the road. He knew that there was nothing he could do himself to get out of that situation.

Simon chose Oman and Bangladesh as 'must see' countries to visit, maybe they will be on our own travels one day.

We'll be watching Simon's series on the Tropic of Cancer on BBC2 starting on Sunday 14th March at 8pm.

We left the show after the Simon Reeve interview.

Our verdict is that the show was good, but I can imagine that the Earls Court version in London was probably much better. More stalls needed at the NEC and maybe a bigger theatre for the experts as it would be a shame if you couldn't get to hear them. Interesting though and plenty of travel information available, Simon Reeve was the highlight.

Thriller Live

Not a great picture, but this was all we could get when we realised no photo's were allowed!

To finish off our trip to London and to end our first anniversary celebrations we went out for a lovely meal and to watch Thriller Live at the Lyric theatre. As massive MJ fans we of course loved the show, but we both agreed that even if you weren't fans but still enjoyed his music you would enjoy the show. The performers were top class and involved you in the story. At the end of the show they got you up out your seats and dancing, we had a brilliant night. They told the story of MJ from the Jackson Five through to his solo career.

We have made ourselves a mental note though to always get front row seats as it's quite annoying having someone constantly fidgeting and moving and spoiling your view. Despite this we thoroughly enjoyed the show and would definitely recommend it.

Thriller Live

Buckingham Palace

Although a quick visit, we couldn't go home unless we saw Buckingham Palace. We didn't go inside, but will definitely take a look next time.

We're always taken a back by the sheer size and grandeur of the palace. How amazing would it be to be able to explore every inch. The flag was flying therefore the Queen was at home when we went.

As you can imagine the place was very busy and as a result hard to take pictures. After taking in the palace we enjoyed a walk through Green Park and bought ourselves a hot dog.

Madame Tussauds

As Andy had never been to London before we had to include Madam Tussuad's Waxworks and the London Dungeons.

The dungeons were a bit of a disappointment, firstly we had to queue for over an hour at least! We had a money off voucher, so stuck with it. When we finally got in we were left to just aimlessly wonder round a mirror maze which we all figured out was just another ploy to keep us waiting longer. When we finally got to start the tour only a couple of the rooms were that good. You are guided by actors and actresses dressed up from the 1800's who each tell a different story, Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd, the Great Fire of London, etc..The best rooms were the court room as the actor and actress were hilarious and the surgery room as they really made you jump, the rest were ok. Interesting tales told though.

There is a small boat ride in the dark and a pretty decent ride at the end where the ride simulates hanging you. Overall, it's ok, good for kids, but we're glad we didn't pay full price. No pictures as it was far too dark.

Now Madam Tussuad's was better, we didn't have to queue and we could move around in our own time. The bad thing was that you literally had to fight to get anywhere near the waxworks, it was ridiculously busy! Again we had a money off voucher, so we got on with it. What we like about the waxworks is actually seeing how big celebs really are as the waxworks are life size. Madam Tussuad's redeemed itself for us when we opted for the scary old London street walk, children not allowed! To be fair we've never jumped or screamed so much! There was also lots of swearing from scared adults so I can understand why children were not allowed. Basically you just walk through a set from the black death days of London and actors in costume jump out at you and chase you! Scary!

Admission to the London Dungeons is £22.50 per adult

Admission to Madam Tussuad's is £25.54 per adult

Look out for Merlin 2 for 1 vouchers. These vouchers get you 2 for 1 entry to popular UK attractions.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum

Robert Ripley was a cartoonist, adventurer, explorer, etc... He came across many wonderful and weird things on his travels. Ripley collected many souvenirs and along with these and recreations of things he saw, drew and wrote, you will find in the Believe it or Not museums.

We came across objects such as a model of the Titanic made from matchsticks to shrunken heads. Being interested in travel (obviously!) we found the museum fascinating. What was good about this museum as well was that it was open until midnight. We went in about 8.30pm and enjoyed a crowd free, leisurely visit to the museum.

Just for fun, we opted to go in the mirror maze and felt like kids running round and bashing our heads against the mirrors! We also went across a bridge that had the room spinning so it felt like you were going to end up upside down, Steph felt a little woozy on that one while you couldn't get Andy off it!

We loved the life size model of the tallest man that ever lived, the giant chair, the mini cars and the portrait of the Queen made out of one penny pieces. There were also recreations of the strange and wonderful people Ripley met on his travels. Well as Ripley would say 'Believe it or not!'

Admission to Ripley's Believe it or not museum is £25 per adult

Tower of London

Our day had to include the Tower of London and the Crown Jewell's. We did the usual, queued to see the amazing crowns and accessories, can you believe the size of some of those gems! We went up the bloody tower and learnt the story of the two unfortunate young princes who were murdered by suffocation. The legend of the Ravens is interesting, apparently Britain is very paranoid because it is said that if the 6 resident Ravens leave the Tower of London then Britain will fall, so they have had a wing clipped to stop them leaving, even though some do leave anyway! They keep 7 Ravens there, having one spare!

Our feet were aching by the time we had wondered round so headed for the souvenir shop and the exit. We bought two magnets in the shape of Beefeater's for our fridge. On our way to catch a bus we wondered by this crowd that were all buying London scenes on canvas, they were very good. They were selling at £20 each which we thought was a little steep for what they were, as we were walking away the seller said we could have one for £10, so we bought one. We bought a black and white canvas with Big Ben and a black cab,with a bright red double decker bus on it, looks great in our kitchen.

Admission price for adults to the Tower of London are £17

HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast is a large and powerful light cruiser and the only surviving vessel of her type to have been active during the second world war. HMS Belfast served for 32 years playing important parts in the second world war, the Korean war and carrying out peace keeping duties. The ship is now part of the Imperial War Museum and is open to visitors. You can tour the ship with an audio guide at your own pace, following the arrows. There are staff to advise and help and many of them are veteran crew. They have waxworks on the ship that show you how each room would have been. We thought this was a really good museum and we think that you don't actually have to be too interested in naval history to enjoy this attraction.

Admission prices for Adults to HMS Belfast are £12.95

Walking Around Westminster

As you can see from the photo's it was a lovely day in London. We strolled around the Houses of Parliament, debating on whether to go inside or not. The queue was pretty massive and not moving very fast so we decided to give it a miss. We will visit London again, so maybe next time. We walked over the Thames and headed towards the London Eye. Steph has been on the London Eye a couple of times and Andy wasn't too keen and again there was a huge queue. We headed off in search of HMS Belfast.