So, we got back from holiday last night.

What a week! And not all of it good!

When we got to London, I found out that my English debit card was blocked, Saturday afternoon... I had left the joint account card in Germany and my German account was empty. Bloody Santander! Luckily my English credit card was working, so it wasn't a total balls-up.

We stayed at the Indigo hotel in the Minories, just up the road from Tower Hill (about half way between Aldgate and Tower Hill). We checked in and then went for a walk down to the Tower and Tower Bridge, before wandering over to St Catherines Dock for lunch.

I had told them about The Dickens Inn, which used to be a wonderful pub/restaurant and that you couldn't get much more traditional English than Dickens... Only now it is an Indian restaurant and Pizzeria! (It still has an semi-English part as well.) On top of that, there was not a single waiter who could speak fluent English!

Our room in the hotel was lovely (we got comped an upgrade), but the girls' room was on the top floor, facing south west, so it got the worst of the sun and the A/C couldn't cope. After 2 attempts to regulate the A/C in the girls room, they also upgraded the girls to a better room. The staff are very friendly and the service is excellent - just don't stay on the 6th floor in the middle of an English heat-wave.

We saw a fair amount of London, including doing a sightseeing tour with the bus (expensive). They loved the sights in London, but it was too crowded and too hectic to really enjoy. Even if you are on holiday, the constant running around and racing from point-to-point is infectious and ruins the atmosphere.

The youngest had her birthday on Tuesday and we went to Harrods and I bought her a top. That was also the only day we had any bad weather, but it rained every time we were in a building and at worst it was spitting, when we went from building to building.

Eating in London is extortionate! At least around EC where we were.

We went to Portobello Road Market on Sunday. What a disappointment. I had been there about 10 years ago and it was a bustling, colourful market full of character. This time, there were 3 stalls and a few shops open. We made up for it with the bus tour, which (although pricey) was very good and we saw many of the sights that they wanted to see, so that saved us a lot of trecking around later.

We also visited the National Gallery and Covent Garden. Both excellent and my girlfriend said that Covent Garden was a much better market experience than Portobello Road.

We then moved on to Mordor (Brighton). That was much better, although the hotel was a big let-down. Although relatively new, the Jurys Inn was dirty and in a bad state of repair - we had to move rooms because the bathroom was unusable (extractor not working and the shower door handle missing on the inside, so you couldn't close the door from the inside, meaning the whole bathroom was flooded once you had showered).

We went to Browns, which was a childhood memory for me, but, although the restaurant itself hasn't changed much, the menu unfortunately has. Gone is the best Bolognese this side of Bolognia, as is the Peasant's Pot and the hot chocolate fudge cake. The fudge brownie is very good, but the hcfc was better. The food was excellent, I was just disappointed, I couldn't get my childhood favourites.

Our best meal of the week came from the little Italian restaurant on the corned, just past Browns, going into the lanes. The food was a gastronomic delight, and it was also the cheapest meal we ate all week!

We visited my aunt and my cousin and his family on Thursday, which was a really great day, ending up at a little India restaurant, which was 10 times better than the one in the Minories, but a third of the price!

We enjoyed rambling through the lanes, looking at the Pavilion and the other touristy things. My girlfriend doesn't really like the constant traipsing around, mainly because the girls wanted to see everything, so it wasn't relaxing, as we were constantly going from one attraction to the next.

I rented a car for one day, but that was enough! The driving around Brighton and along the South Coast wasn't fun. It used to be relaxing and fun, but today, there is so much more traffic and so many cameras, that it was just stress.

The journey back home was a complete nightmare! We got up early and had a quick breakfast, in order to get the 08:43 train to London, only to find it had been cancelled. So we had to wait for the next one, messing up our timetable and putting extra pressure on us. Then, when we got to London, the Circle Line wasn't running, so we tried to get a taxi, very few taxis, and none available, they all had fares. So we headed towards Liverpool Street on foot, looking for a bus or taxi. We were in sight of Liverpool Street, before we saw the first bus heading for it!

Then the Stanstead Express was also cancelled! Luckily there was an extra bus service and we made it to the airport 10 minutes before boarding started! Luckily we got through security relatively quickly, but the girls were all in a foul mood by then!

To be honest, the time in Brighton was great, but I'm glad to be home again!

I was offered a free holiday to that London, I instantly refused, rotten place

I know the place but can never remember its name. Piccalo I think. Run by Iranians actually.

Welcome to British public transport.

Portobello market is still going strong. I haven't been to it since Feb but have been several times in the last year and there were definitely more than 3 stalls.

Buses in London are generally ok, however if I have a problem it is generally around Liverpool street.

Can't help think you missed Portobello by a day. I seem to recall Saturday was the big market day.

I'm sure I've been there on a Sunday. Oh well.

The general opinion of the girls (girlfriend and daughters) is London is pretty, they've seen the sights, so thank goodness they never have to go back there. I tend to share their opinion, but it is a big shame that such a prestigious city like London has such a negative effect on visitors.

Brighton on the other hand was great, they all said, they would have rather spent the whole week on the coast, doing the bus tour would probably been enough for them.

I must admit, I was very tense and stressed and that melted away, once I got to Brighton. It came back again, once I got the hire car. And getting from the Jurys Inn over to Hove was a nightmare, the signs for Hove send you back in the direction of the hotel, but there aren't any, once it sends you back up the hill to the hotel, so I ended up fighting through traffic and going past the hotel 3 times, before I gave up and down to the seafront and then along the coast to Queen's Road and then around the front of the station.

Hertz are also a bunch of comedians. They said that the rental depot was right next to the station, so we set off on foot... It was about a quater of an hours walk, with luggage! We were hot, sweaty and pissed off, by the time we got there!

If you try to book online from Hertz Marble Arch they charge an airport fee, even if you walk in. Needless to say I didn't proceed with them.

Could you not have left the luggage with the ladies, collected the car and then picked them up?

If I had known, then yes, or taken a taxi... But the rep said that it was right next to the station, our hotel was the other side of the station (200M), so we decided to walk... It turned into a long walk. And I was wearing new shoes, so I ended up with a blister.

Indeed, Portobello market's on Saturday.

Well it is on the map, a 250,000:1 version.

A fact for which I am sure the people of London will be eternally grateful.

How many times have you been? I guess at least once for you to have formed your opinion.

Bratty strikes me as the kind of person who wouldn't go out of principle. He hates anything below the border, hence surely the capital must be epicentre of all he hates?