J&B Travels

Our final day of this incredible journey. I didn’t sleep particularly well, but I eventually got up early, showered, and started the last round of packing. I popped out for a quick breakfast at the WatchHouse café before heading back to settle the hotel bill, vacate the room, and prepare for our journey home. The taxi arrived early, though the driver had a bit of trouble navigating the maze of Covent Garden — eventually finding his way out. Joe headed off to find himself some breakfast, then it was time for the final flight. Thankfully, everything ran smoothly. The flight was on time, and the lady sitting next to me kindly swapped seats so Joe could sit beside me. Club service was excellent, and we even landed early, which made Sam very happy as he was keen to get home to watch Spurs play. And then… just like that, we were home. Straight back into real life — unpacking, washing, making dinner, and getting everything ready for tomorrow: my first day back at work after three months awa...

After such a wonderful, deep sleep, we both woke feeling far more revived. I headed to the gym early and was delighted to find it blissfully empty — my favourite way to start the day. Afterwards, I showered and got ready while waiting for Gaby to arrive. We had planned to meet Filippa and Samuel for brunch and chose The Ivy in Covent Garden. Joe decided he would join us too, although he needed a bit more time as he was feeling a little unsteady on his feet today, which he blamed on the medication he’d taken for his back pain. Gaby went ahead to meet Filippa and Samuel while Joe and I followed on more slowly. It was really lovely to see Filippa and Samuel and catch up properly — fellow cruise lovers always make for easy, joyful conversation. After brunch, they kindly walked us back towards the hotel. Once back, we had a quiet moment to rest before heading out again to meet Claire and Harry at Bills in Covent Garden. Daniel was due to pick Joe up to take him to Dahlia’s, but he was ru...

I started the day gently, heading to the gym for some light stretching. Joe was feeling a little better and decided to get up and pop out to Boots to pick up a few things. We kept the morning calm and unhurried while he waited to meet Dahlia for lunch and a wander around Covent Garden. I stayed back at the hotel and got some of my recordings done, enjoying the quiet focus, before Gaby arrived. We shared a snack and a lovely catch-up, one of those easy conversations that feels grounding and familiar. Later in the afternoon, it was time to get ready for a real treat — Cirque du Soleil at the Royal Albert Hall . The show, OVO , is one of my absolute favourites, and I was so excited. Getting there was a bit of an adventure in itself; Ubers were in high demand and it took a while to secure one, but we made it just in time to meet Daniel, Joshua, and Natalie. I had booked a box, which turned out to be such a good decision. The view was perfect, and the whole experience felt special. The s...

I awoke early this morning, I think my body clock is still adjusting to the time difference. I headed down to the hotel gym. It is small, but thankfully not too busy, which made it a lovely space to ease myself back into movement. It felt good to reconnect with a routine again after a couple of quieter days. Afterwards, I grabbed a coffee while Joe slept a little longer. He is still not feeling 100%, a mix of jet lag, travel fatigue, and the cold weather. Once he was up, Joe decided he wanted to get out for a short while, so we headed to M&S for a few essentials. We then stopped so he could have some chicken soup, which felt like exactly what his body needed, before heading back to the hotel so he could rest properly ahead of the evening. I spent some time catching up on the blog and popped out briefly to pick up a few things. Thankfully, Joe started to feel a little better and decided he was up for joining friends for dinner. We met Phil, Dawn, Ian, Josh, and Natalie for a Thai ...