After checking in we decided to get our bearings and go for a stroll through the old town. The first port of call, as always, was somewhere selling a map. Prague was crowded with tourists – like every other place we have been so far, the price for travelling in the summer peak period. However the winding streets and beautiful architecture were still interesting. We found a lovely restaurant for tea, and collapsed in our room at about 10.30pm.

We decided to get a relatively early start and try to see something of the old town before the crowds decended at about 10am (which appears to be the magic time for tourists, particularly day trippers on coaches). At 11 am we joined a walking tour we decided to do. We found the brochure in our hotel, and the walks sounded really interesting. We chose a 3 hour walk that took in the main features of the old town. They advertised that they took only small groups, and we were pleased to discover that this was accurate. Our group had only 8 people in it: ourselves, plus two other Australians (Shaun from Sydney, and a Perth girl who had been working in Melbourne, managing a chain of Witchery stores), and four English tourists (three students and an elderly woman ‘addicted to travel’). Our guide, George, was really interesting and a lot of fun. It turned out that his English teacher had been an Australian man, who was also a musician and had played in a band which was a side project of Rob Hirst, a member of Midnight Oil. As a result, George had become a huge Midnight Oil fan, and had attended their last ever concert! We got along really well together, and most of us ended up having a very late lunch together.

When Jan and I left the group, we made our way to the train station to book our tickets to Krakow in Poland. This done, we did some last minute shopping (I allowed myself a wooden marionnette puppet of a bird) then had tea (I had a lovely grilled whole trout – and managed to remember how to eat it without getting any bones, thanks to my training at Lucindale Area School, which has an aquaculture department!).

On our last morning, I rose early to try to get some photos of the Charles Bridge and the old town without any tourists in it. Of course, at least another 30 tourists had the same idea, and I didn’t quite manage as many photos as I would have liked. Our train didn’t leave until 11am so we had a leisurely breakfast (did I mention how good those breakfasts were?) then stopped at the post ffice on the way to try to send a package of things I had bought to my mum and dad. Unfortunately their computer system was having problems, so I still have the parcel with me – will try to send it tomorrow from Krakow!

But for now you will have to be patient with me! I leave this afternoon for my two-week holiday to Ireland. I am driving to Holyhead today and catch the ferry to Dublin tomorrow morning. I will spend a couple of days in Dublin, a day in Mountmellick, two days in Galway and then will spend a day visiting St Joseph’s Secondary School in Spanish Point, Clare, which is my school’s (Clare High School) sister school. From there I will drive to Kilarney to join my Peregrine walking tour through the Ring of Kerry. It does look like I will get to use the waterproof pants which were in the ‘Very Important’ part of the recommended gear list! Oh joy!

I promise all will be updated soon after my return!

I began my journey north, and enjoyed wandering slowly along the twisty ‘B’ roads. The sweetest thing I cam across was a little rickety wooden toll bridge! It cost me the princely sum of 50p, collected by a little old man, for the privilege of having just crossed his bridge – a little cheaper than the Dartford Crossing!

As I was driving along I came across a sign advertising a nearby castle managed by English Heritage. Not holding our much hope that it would be open in February, I turned off and made my way to the car park. To my pleasant surprise it was opened and I made the first use of my English Heritage membership to get in for free. Stokesay Castle was very small and virtually ruined, but enough of the interior woodwork remained to make it really interested. It was snowing lightly which made it pretty cold (enough of the numb ears for heaven’s sake!). The nearby church was open and I quite enjoyed wandering through it.

I arrived in Chester late in the afternoon and again made my way to the tourist information centre to find a map. Chester was the hardest of the places I visited to navigate, but I found my way to my guesthouse eventually. I hadn’t really planned to see much of Chester as I was really only here so I could pop up to Liverpool on the train the next morning so I could see a performance of Dr Faustus at the Liverpool Playhouse.

I left Bath late in the morning and headed towards Wales. Hay-on-Wye is in England, but is very close to the Welsh border, and the most direct and interesting route was through the Black Mountains. This town had attracted my attention because it is full of second-hand bookshops! Richard Booth, who proclaimed himself ‘King of Hay’ and is the owner of Hay Castle, set up the first bookshop in 1961. He claims it is the largest second-hand bookshop in the world. Now there are over 30 bookshops, plus a few antique and craft shops. I really enjoyed wandering through the winding streets, but didn’t buy anything as I had well and truly blown my book-buying budget in Bath at the Jane Austen Centre!

I stayed in a really comfortable and beautifully decorated B&B called Clifton House with very welcoming owners. It was situated in the centre of town right near the clock tower that let me know what time it was every 15 minutes… all through the night!

My B&B, Coombe House, was very pleasant, and the hosts lovely and interesting people. Hugh’s comments in their little introductory folder were very entertaining! I stayed for two nights, as I wanted to have a full day to wander about the town.

My main reason for choosing to visit Lyme Regis rather than any other adorable seas-side village was because it was one of the settings for my favourite Jane Austen novel, Persuasion. I had read that Austen visited the place with her family, and really loved the place. I had also enjoyed the film adaptation starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. I wanted to see the places that featured in both the novel and the film.

I spent the day wandering along the seashore, making my way slowly to the Cobb, the protective wall that enables the bay to be used as a port. In spite of the fact it was winter, and it was snowing wildly throughout most of the rest of England, it was a perfect day, with a clear blue sky and sunshine. The beach was pebbled, and I loved the swish the water made on the smooth rocks. I walked along the Cobb until I found the steps Louisa was supposed to have fallen down. The steps Jane Austen had in mine are called ‘Granny’s Teeth’, and were a little too precarious to tempt me to walk down them. A little way further along were another, more stable, set of steps that were used in the film adaptation.

I returned to the town to wander up the high street – a very steep climb to the top! The town seems largely unspoiled by tacky tourism, and there were some charming shops. I found a sweet little second-hand bookshop at which I found a copy of Baedeker about Italy. I had always wanted to see this book since I had read A Room With a View. I couldn’t resist buying it, although at 25 pounds, I have no immediate intention of flinging it into the Arno when I visit Florence! It came in quite cold in the late afternoon, and even began to snow a little.

I left the following morning well satisfied with my visit to Lyme Regis. I really did fall in love with the place and should love to visit again some day. My B&B host encouraged me to visit one of the local charity shops to buy the copy of Persuasion she had seen there for only a pound, particularly as I was now heading to Bath. I am glad I took her up on the suggestion as I devoured it in two weeks – being able to picture the places Austen writes about really does bring the novel alive!

In February I had my first Half-term break. One glorious week to potter about the English countryside! I decided that the focus of this first opportunity to travel should be my Jane Austen pilgrimage. So I planned an itinerary that included Winchester, Lyme Regis and Bath. From there I travelled to Hay-on-Wye on the Welsh border, because I had heard of all the secondhand bookstores there. After a day there, I drove to Chester, mainly so I could get to Liverpool to see a performance of Dr Faustus.

I left early on Saturday morning, ready to tackle the M25 for the first time. I had heard many horror stories about traffic jams (apparantly it has the reputation for being the biggest car park in the northern hemisphere) however today was my lucky day and the trip was very quick.

I arrived in Winchester at about midday and immediately found the tourist information centre and a handy map to negotiate my way around the town. This became my habit in every new place, and I can recommend it – although the towns in England are so well signposted it is generally very easy to find train stations, car parks and tourist attractions.

As my purpose was to begin my Jane Austen pilgrimage, I began at the end, as it were, by visiting her tomb in Winchester Cathedral. The cathedral is quite lovely, and I was able to take photos of her tombstone and the plaque on the wall that mentions her skills as an author (the inscription on her tombstone mentions nothing of her writing).

From the cathedral, it was a short walk around the corner to the house where Jane spent the final few weeks of her life. It is a private home and was painted an unfortunate apricot colour…

There were many other things to see in this elegant city. I wondered along the water meadows where Keats was supposedly inspired to write ‘Ode to Autumn’. Couldn’t see it myself, but then it was a bleak, cold winter’s day – I will have to return in October! I enjoyed walking along the river back into town and past Wolvesey Castle – they have landscaped this area beautifully. Unfortunately castle was not yet open. Many attractions do not open until April – one of the perils of travelling through the UK in the winter. After lunch I wandered up to the Westgate, the remainder of the wall that once surrounded the city, and then to the Great Hall, the last remaining part of Winchester Castle. This contains King Arthur’s Round Table, but don’t get too excited – its a 14th Century forgery! Nevertheless it is beautiful and fascinating!

By this stage it was getting dark, so I decided to find my B&B accomodation for the night. This was to be my first B&B experience in the UK, and I have to say I love it! For a start it is one of the cheapest forms of accomodation – only youth hostels are cheaper. In addition you are usually staying with really interesting people in lovely homes. In Winchester I stayed at the home of Stephanie Boden, the recently widowed wife of an artist whose paintings covered the walls of the home. She lived just around the corner from the local cinema, so I popped around to see The Magic Roundabout, which was as surreal as I remembered it as a child! After the film, I had my first experience of eating alone in a restaurant – not my favourite part of travelling alone! Thank goodness for a good book. In the morning, over chunky slices of homemade bread and tea, Stephanie told me that Colin Firth (aka Mr Darcy) lived near Winchester, and that his parents lived ‘just up the road’. Hmmm… Could have been tempted to do some stalking, but I rose above the impulse and headed off for the next leg of my journey – the drive to Lyme Regis.

My friends Beth and Vish and their small son Sebastian live in a small terrace house in St Albans. Beth and I were friends during our uni days. They have been living in England for about 6 years.

On Friday night Vish offered to stay at home with Sebastian, allowing Beth and I to go to the local cinema to see Ocean’s Twelve, a mildly entertaining, very indulgent film! Ah well, at least I got to see Brad Pitt in a very nicely fitted shirt! The next morning after a bit of a sleep-in (or a lie-in as they say here), Beth and I walked into town to see the sights. We walked into the market place which was full (but not seething, as it sometimes can be) of people selling and buying fish, vegetables, and clothes of indifferent quality. A battle during the War of the Roses was supposed to have occured near here, but it was hard to imagine it… From there we walked past a medieval clock tower and a Tudor inn that some dead queen’s body stayed at over night on her way to be buried in London!

Of course, the feature of St Albans is its cathedral. The church dates from 1077, but a Benedictine abbey was founded on the site in the 8th century. It is named for Alban, a Roman soldier, who was martyred for sheltering a priest in 209. The cathedral grew over time, and you can see each stage clearly as different building materials (including Roman bricks) were used. An interesting feature were the murals from the 13th century painted on the columns. They had been whitewashed during the Reformation and were not rediscovered until 1862 when they were very nearly cleaned right off! The choir ceiling was amazing; it was decorated with the red and white roses of the houses of Lancaster and York. Just beautiful. Could have almost lain right down on the (beautifully) tiled floors and stared for hours… if it hadn’t been so cold! I did take loads of photos, until my batteries ran out, but hope to get back to take more.

From there Beth and I walked past a lake, where there was a section of a Roman wall, and on to a small cosy cafe where we ate waffles. I have to say, I love waffles! Very tasty. We also wandered past reputedly the oldest pub in England, although it is not the only one to claim to be so. It also claims that Oliver Cromwell once spent the night!

Beth and Vish graciously drove me home. It only took about 45 minutes (a far cry from my 120 minute train trip) so now that I have done it once in day light I will drive next time!

I am in the middle of planning for my half term holiday which begins in a week. I am planning to go to Winchester, Lyme Regis, Bath (all of which are a part of my Jane Austen pilgrimage), Hay-on-Wye (which is apparently full of second hand book stores – can I resist?), and then on to Liverpool, mainly to see a performance of Dr Faustus starring an obscure British actor I quite fancy! I am really looking forward to my first trip away.

This weekend, I will spend most of the time going through the coursework folders of my Year 11 GCSE English class. The poor darlings have been a little neglected through many changes of teachers, so I am hoping to help them out and improve their grades. I am beginning to feel like I am connecting with them which is nice. It makes life so much easier. So it will be a quiet weekend, probably with not much to write about next weekend!

I went to see a matinee performance of ‘Journey’s End’ a play written by a veteran of World War I, based on his experiences. It was set in the two days leading up to a major offensive by the Germans and the only set was a bunker where a group of English soldiers were living only fifty metres from the front line. It was quite a powerful performance. Of course, they allowed us to get to know the characters, and sympathise with them, then… well I won’t give away the ending! However the most remarkable thing was the sound effects used at the final scene. They completely darkened the set and audience, and assaulted us with bomb blasts to the point where the floor vibrated. For the first time I was able to glimpse what it might have been like to have been a soldier on the front. It left me quite shaken…

On Sunday afternoon I went for my first drive out in the countryside. Yes people, I finally escaped the confines of Basildon by car! And it wasn’t anywhere near as scary as I had feared! A bit like driving in the Adelaide Hills! I am getting used to the English love affair with roundabouts (honestly can’t remember a single intersection with traffic lights…). I aimed for the medieval town of Saffron Walden. I didn’t spend much time there as it was getting late and I was anxious about getting home before dark, but intend going back to have a good look around and take some photos. I also drove through a tiny village called Thaxted. The houses were extraordinary – terraces all different shapes and sizes squashed together and in lolly pastel colours! All crooked doors and leaning walls! I will make sure I return to take photos here too!

This weekend I am off to St Albans to visit an old uni friend and her family. I am really looking forward to spending time with some Australians, and once again being a tourist!

We were asked to be in the central lobby by 11.15am so we could see the procession of the Speaker to the parliament, a quaint by fascinating ceremony. On our arrival we had to pass through security (scan and body search). We walked through the top end of Westminster Hall which was being prepared for the memorial service to remember the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. As we departed we were able to see the London Philharmonic orchestra rehearse for the ceremony, which was held the day after (I videoed it last night – very moving).

After the arrival of the Speaker we moved up to the Strangers Gallery, passing through another scan and body search – the security was much tougher than for an international flight!

As we were seated (behind glass – no opportunity for throwing eggs…) the Session involving Welsh members was in process. Right on time, the Prime Miinster and leader for the opposition (Michael Howard – Tory leader) got into action! It really was very entertaining! The only time everyone was composed and listened politely was when Tony Blair updated the latest figures for the British citizens killed by the Tsunami: 53 confirmed, 249 in total, 260 unaccounted for). However once that was finished the gloves were off and the repartee was most entertaining! Angela Smith was gracious enough to send me a copy of the Hansard for the session I attended so I now have a word for word record of what was said, complete with ‘Hear, hear!’. I was hoping they would discuss Howard’s proposal that the UK follows Australia’s lead and sets up off-shore processing centres for asylum seekers, and I was rewarded – it was the first point brought up for dicussion! The biggest point of contention seemed to be where these centres would actually be set up – there being an apparent lack of isolated Pacific islands nearby…

We stayed for the statement on ‘Measures to Combat Terrorism’ presented by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Charles Clarke. This was quite controversial and made it on the news that night (which I videoed). I am looking forward to reading the statement more closely in the light of how it was reported.

All in all it was an amazing experience I can recommend to others. Unfortunately, while it does seem relatively easy to view parliament in session in other parts of the day, getting tickets for the Prime Minister’s question time is very hard to do – you really need to ‘know’ someone (time to get to know your local British MP). I am hoping to find a way to incorporate my visit into future Australian Studies units!

I don’t know what I will do this weekend. I still have my cold, and it has come with a really horrible cough, which cold air does nothing for! I may go for a drive somewhere… Will examine my map tonight!

From Westminster Abbey, I walked to Regent St via Buckingham Palace, which frankly, was a little ordinary! Certainly attracts the crowds though, even on cold windy days! In Regent St I did some shopping, particularly for my cousin who recently gave birth to twins.

This past weekend I wanted to buy some books for school (I am really missing my resources). Two staff members at school recommended visiting Oxford St. Waterstone’s was one shop they recommended, and as it was the first one I found, that is where I went! I spent a lovely 45 minutes browsing, and found the books I wanted, in addition to one or two I hadn’t planned on buying…

From there I walked down to Covent Garden, to the Savoy Theatre. I had been browsing the Theatre section of the paper the day before and had discovered all these theatrical delights! Penelope Keith was starring in Blithe Spirit at the Savoy, so I thought I would wander there about a half hour before it began to see if I could get a ticket for the matinee. I succeeded and spent a lovely afternoon cacking myself laughing! Aden Gillet was also in it, and I had seen him before in the films The Winslow Boy and Under the Lighthouse Dancing, both of which I had really enjoyed.

It is so convenient to see theatre so I think I will go often! I haven’t decided what I will do next weekend; there are a lot of choices, so I will see what I am in the mood for at the end of the week.