Sailing, running... and sweltering in the heat in London! COMPLETED 8/23 - Page 5 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
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We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Saturday 14 July – part seven: that had to be someone in government or a minor Royal maybe.
It was still blistering hot outside, so we slowly made our way into Kensington Gardens, getting some photos of the palace on the way.
We had been planning to eat at Kensington Palace, but it was pretty packed in there, so we figured we’d head off for Wagamama instead, which we knew was nearby. It’s a Japanese restaurant that we like, but don’t often get to eat in these days. I don’t know, given there’s one in our town now. We also figured it would have air conditioning, which it did, but in all honesty, we couldn’t feel it as much as we’d have hoped.
When we walked in there, we weren’t sure it was open, as there were only two people in there, but there were and it filled up a lot more while we were in there.
While we were deciding what to eat, we heard a commotion in the road outside. As we were right by the window, we could see what was going on and there was a convoy with police motorbike riders and unmarked police cars. That had to be someone in government or a minor Royal maybe. Interesting to see…
Now I didn’t photograph anything here, so I’ll just briefly describe what we had. I know, epic fail on the photographing of food from me, but trust me, I did get the important bits later on…
We each got a couple of appetiser dishes, as we didn’t want to fill ourselves up too much, given we had afternoon tea in just a couple of hours’ time…
I tried a new dish on the menu, the crispy fried squid balls, drizzled with okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise, finished with aonori and bonito flakes. If you’re wondering what the sauce was, so was I, so I asked if it was hot. I was told it wasn’t, but the server couldn’t describe it. I decided to give it a go… and it was lovely.
Mark went for the bang bang cauliflower, which was crispy, wok fried cauliflower coated in firecracker sauce, mixed with red and spring onions, garnished with fresh ginger and coriander. When it arrived, he said I could try it, but I said I’d wait and see what he thought of it, as I’m not a spicy food person. He told me it was a bit “warm”, so I took that as a warning to steer well clear and I’m glad I did, as later on while he was eating it, his mouth was on fire and he was desperately asking for more Diet Coke. I think I had a lucky escape…
I also got a mixed mushroom and panko aubergine (eggplant to you guys) hirata steamed bun. A hirata steamed bun is two small, fluffy Asian buns served with coriander and mayonnaise and again, that was very nice.
Mark got another dish that neither of us can remember what it was now. Total epic fail on this meal for this report.
Once we were done, we headed out and grabbed a London double decker bus in the hope that it would be cooler than travelling on the Underground. Guess what? It wasn’t. Ugh.
We got off at the end of the road, which was Hyde Park Corner. Now remember we had planned to go to the Churchill War Rooms? Well, we realised that by the time we’d finished eating, we didn’t have time to do that with any meaning and then get to our afternoon tea on the Thames. It was a shame, but friends had told us that we needed to allow a fair amount of time for it, so I didn’t want to short change it. We can always go back another time…
So, instead we decided to go and visit a couple of English Heritage properties. We’re members thanks to the Civil Service Sports Club – see what I mean about it being great value?
Next: “thank you for being a member… well, sort of”
Lunch sounds very nice! Smart move not trying Mark's dish! Wagamama is on my mental list of places to try. We do have them here, although not as many as you guys have, I don't think.
Nice break with lunch. Ironic that you ran out of time for the Churchill war rooms! Oh well, maybe it would be too hot anyway.... As always, good to have a plan B. (I know you always do )
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Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Lunch sounds very nice! Smart move not trying Mark's dish! Wagamama is on my mental list of places to try. We do have them here, although not as many as you guys have, I don't think.
Sounds like a great meal with some very unique choices that the two of you enjoyed so much! Well, except when Mark's mouth was on fire! I guess you chose the right place! Too bad you couldn't fit in the Churchill rooms on your second try!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Saturday 14 July – part eight: “thank you for being a member… well, sort of”
You re-join us at Hyde Park Corner, where we decided to go and visit Apsley House. When we went in, we had quite a bit of attitude from one of the members of staff. I showed by Civil Service Sports Club membership and the woman said very sniffily “thank you for being a member… well, sort of.” I was so stunned, I didn’t have time to react, but that is not a great attitude.
It was originally designed and furnished by Robert Adam between 1771 and 1778, but much of this was swept away when Apsley remodelled it on a grand scale for the Duke of Wellington from 1819. What is here today is pretty much how it would’ve been in the Duke of Wellington’s time.
The Duke of Wellington served twice as our country’s Prime Minister, but it’s not for that that we remember him today. It’s his victory against Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 (yes, that’s what they were talking about in the ABBA song! ) that puts him into the history books here.
The first part of Apsley House we visited was called the Museum Room. It has been used as a museum since the 2nd Duke opened it to the public in 1853 to display the gifts bestowed on the 1st Duke of Wellington by grateful monarchs after he saved them from Napoleon. This was something that had just never occurred to me, that Kings would give gifts for ridding the continent of the threat of Napoleon. And my goodness, the things they gave were unbelievable. There were entire dining sets, models of the complexes in Egypt and so much more that I can’t remember now. It truly was a treasure trove and something I never expected to find here.
Unfortunately no photos were allowed in here, but I did manage to find a couple on the Internet to give you an idea of what it was like.
Then you head to the staircase and there you find the colossal marble statue of Napoleon, which is really something to see! It shows him as Mars the Peacemaker and, if I remember right from the audio tape, this was the only place they could put it, as it was too heavy to go anywhere else and I think the floor had to be reinforced. Anyway, the statue was made by Antonio Canova and given to the Duke of Wellington by the Prince Regent, who went on to become King George IV.
Then you go through a series of rooms upstairs, all of which can best be described as sumptuous. They were beautifully decorated and I lost count of the number of portraits in them. My only complaint here was that there didn’t seem to be a sensible way to navigate your way around these rooms. They were all centred around the main staircase in the middle, but the audio guide had them all numbered out of order, so you’d go to four, then you could go to seven or six off that. It was all a bit weird.
Elaborate plaster ceilings and friezes survive from Adam’s decorations in the Piccadilly Drawing Room, which I did find a photo of:
I also found a photo of the Waterloo Gallery, named because it was used to celebrate Wellington’s annual Waterloo Banquet from 1830 onwards.
Like just about everywhere else we’d been today, Apsley House was appallingly hot. It just felt as if there was never any respite from the heat and it was unbearable. I guess that’s the problem with visiting historic houses in the middle of summer. After all, they weren’t built with air conditioning.
Just getting caught up again! Great pictures of the jewels at Kensington Palace. Sorry it was so crowded. A snack at Wagamama sounded delish! Ansley House looks like a great place!
I think I would have been just as shocked as you at that comment. Who does she think she is, my goodness!
Glad you could find some pictures, because wow. I've never even heard of this place and it sounds and looks amazing!
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Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
I think I would have been just as shocked as you at that comment. Who does she think she is, my goodness!
Well, she obviously thought she was someone... she certainly didn't give a good impression to us though... I will remember her for all the wrong reasons.
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Glad you could find some pictures, because wow. I've never even heard of this place and it sounds and looks amazing!
It was really neat and it's just a shame that we couldn't take photos in there, as it was stunning.
Nice tour of Apsley house. I especially enjoyed the photos of the Drawing and Waterloo rooms as so beautiful. Too bad no photos were allowed inside. Must have been tough to deal with the oppressive heat inside!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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We also figured it would have air conditioning, which it did, but in all honesty, we couldn’t feel it as much as we’d have hoped. 
I think I had a lucky escape…
Ugh. 
Well, except when Mark's mouth was on fire! 
I guess you chose the right place! Too bad you couldn't fit in the Churchill rooms on your second try! 
It shows him as Mars the Peacemaker and, if I remember right from the audio tape, this was the only place they could put it, as it was too heavy to go anywhere else and I think the floor had to be reinforced. 
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