Armchair Travel With Martha

2011 Eastlake Village Boat Parade Photos

2011-12-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

Our good friend Jim Benet took these photos of the boats from our patio at the party on Saturday! They are definately the work of a very good photographer....thanks for sharing Jim....they are fabulous shots!

2011 EASTLAKE CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE

2011-12-11T23:42:00.000-08:00

The Eastlake Boat Parade weekend is over...very successful! The weather was perfect...dry and crisp! As promised I've got some photos of a few of the fifty plus boats that were in the parade both Saturday and Sunday evenings. Enjoy....

Jim and I drove our boat this evening...our party was on Saturday...so while we were waiting for the parade to start; I took some photos of the decorated homes. Remember these were taken at night, without flash, from a moving boat!

2011 CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

2011-12-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

I thought you might enjoy photos that I took last night around our neighborhood. We live on a small lake and everyone decorates extensively for a boat parade that we have every year on the second weekend in December. Enjoy....

After the weekend I will post a second slideshow of the boats in the parade....

LONDON TO THE USA

2011-11-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 10, 2011

It was an eventful trip across the pond yesterday; we were almost placed into quarantine when we arrived in the USA. A woman became ill on the plane and we were told to stay seated with our seat belts fastened until further instructions; and if we didn't comply we could be quarantined automatically.

Midway on the flight there was a request for anyone who was a doctor to please come to the aft section of the airplane. We knew something was going on from that point forward. After landing, there were armed police officers and a medical team who boarded the airplane. After about ten minutes they left with the patient. After another ten minutes (or at least that was what it seemed like) we were told that they'd determined that it was not necessary to place all of the people on the airplane under quarantine. Big sigh of relief from everyone as we pulled out our hand luggage and headed for customs inspection.

Our flight didn't leave Heathrow Airport until 2:05 pm; giving us a leisurely morning to get things together before leaving in a taxi for the airport. Once there we all checked in and then headed for the Sky Lounge for some quality waiting time thanks to Barbara's Business Class ticket. Enjoyed a light lunch and then some last minute shopping with the benefit of lower prices because we didn't have to pay the VAT on what we purchased. I snapped a few photos of the Christmas decorations in the airport; they were very impressive. Notice even Harrods has a shop at the airport.

After a two hour layover in Minneapolis, Nancy headed for Chicago and Barbara and I traveled together to Los Angeles where Jim was waiting patiently to pick us up at 10 pm. Long drive home and then off to bed after being up for 25 hours straight. We lost eight hours on the trip home. It was a little over eight hours flying time from London to Minneapolis and then another four hours to Los Angeles.

Our journey included 1,407 miles driven over the two weeks that we had the car. We spent enough money that extra suitcases had to be purchased to bring it all home. But we did get everything home and as far as I know...nothing was broken or missing! It was a great three weeks and we enjoyed sharing our journey with you.

I'm taking a few months off from my blog for the Christmas Holidays. My next travel journey will begin next April when we head to France for two months. This trip will be a bit different as we've rented a studio apartment in Paris for the first twenty days! We'll live like Parisians and share the experience with you....see you in April.

WINDSOR CASTLE

2011-11-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 Heathrow

Awake about 7 am, I was ready to leave with Nancy at 8:30 am for our visit to Windsor Castle. Barbara decided to keep her feet up for the day to prepare for the journey home tomorrow.

We walked to the free bus stop that took us to Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 in the misting rain. Not heavy enough for the umbrellas but noticeable. Had to wait for the bus but it was an inexpensive way to reach the Airport and when we arrived there; another wait for the bus to Windsor Castle; not free but we did get the senior rate of 4.50 GBP each for one way.

Once we were settled in it was a very pleasant hour ride to the village of Windsor. There we walked up the hill to the castle; arriving just in time for the changing of the guard. It only happens every other day in the winter months. The white line that the soldiers stood behind to keep the tourist away has disappeared; I asked one of the guides and he said it has been gone for at least four years. Now tourist can go stand beside the guard for photos as long as they don’t touch the guard or talk to him.

We then went over to the Doll House and the State Rooms for the tour. I was doing really well taking a photo here and then and finally one of the guards saw me! She made me stand there and delete every photo I’d taken inside the house…darn…and I had some good ones. Oh well, I took a few after the tour from the book that I purchased for the blog.

St. George’s Church was another building to visit inside the Castle. All of the recent kings and queens are buried there. Small compared to some that we’ve seen on this trip but still impressive.

By the time we finished it was nearly 1 pm. We found the Crooked House Tea Room just outside the Castle gates and enjoyed delicious sandwiches. Gave Barbara a call from the owner of the shop’s cell phone and let her know we were getting ready to head into London. We’d established some rapport by telling her that we found the shop in the Rick Steves book. The day has continued to be overcast but at least it’s not raining. We enjoyed our walk as we shopped our way through Windsor village on the way to the train station.

The train ride into London took another hour but it was a beautiful train and very smooth. Arrived in Waterloo Station about 3:30 and decided that by the time we would go to London Tower it would be nearly closing. So, changed our plans and caught the tube directly to Harrods for some last minute shopping.

So glad we went as the Christmas decorations were fantastic. We enjoyed our visit to Harrods before heading back to the tube and the hour long ride back to Heathrow Terminal 5 and the end of our trip for the day.

It started to rain by the time we arrived at Heathrow; had a short wait for our free bus and then a ride back to the area of the hotel. The drop off was a bit further away than the stop where we caught the bus this morning but since we had our umbrellas it wasn’t all that bad.

We’re getting ready to join Barbara for some dinner in the hotel restaurant. Then it’s final packing and off to bed for our journey home tomorrow. Check back in a day or two and I’ll give you the final chapter in this journal about our trip home to the USA. Thanks for joining us on our adventure.

THE LONG ROAD NORTH

2011-11-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 07, 2011 London, Heathrow Airport Hotel

We all met in the dining room this morning at 8:30 am for breakfast before our long trips. It turned into a much longer meal than we’d intended as everyone hated to say goodbye. Our English friends had the day off and were not pushed for time as they were headed east towards their home while we had the long journey north to the Motorway and then west to Heathrow Airport.

It was nearly 10:30 before we finally hugged goodbye and got one last photo of Lavinia’s purple hair under her blond hair. It makes a very stylist statement as you catch a glimpse now and then when she swings her hair! Time was spent showing each other our rooms in the Inn; especially our room with the secret door. We did ask the desk clerk and she said that the Queen Mum did indeed “use” the room during her visit but she didn’t know if she actually slept there or maybe took a nap. For our story…let’s say she did. Nancy’s room was the smallest but one of the cutest with low ceilings and another beautiful four poster bed with a massive carving on the headboard.

I was itching to leave as I knew we had a long morning of country roads ahead of us. Lavinia was giving Barbara lessons on her GPS system and we just about left her!! Peter had turned it on to make suggestions for our route north to the Motorway. Off we went on two lane roads heading north and west. Check out the odd barns with a cone on top in the photos. In and out, up and down, stopping for directions occasionally and finally after over an hour we found the M20 just north of Maidstone. We had sprinklers all morning so it was constantly on and off with the wipers.

Stopped along the M20 for a couple of gallons of gas to get us to Heathrow and then drove in following the signs to Heathrow Airport. When we arrived the fun began figuring out how to get to the Ibis Hotel on Bath Road. Several different roads and finally some directions from a road crew working on the roads; we found the hotel….checked in and put all of our luggage in our rooms.

Back in the empty car we headed for the Rental Car Return down the road following directions from the hotel and on our map. Again…a few wrong turns and one illegal U turn and we were home! It was so nice to see the “Return Rental Car” sign. We were almost two hours late but as far as we know we are okay. No accidents or tickets that we know about! Always saw signs about hidden cameras on all of the roads so one never knows what might come in the mail. But, I think we’re okay.

We took the shuttle bus back to the Terminal at the airport and caught the Tube into Covent Garden in London. It was an hour’s ride but rather pleasant to let someone else do the driving!

We walked out of the Tube Station to huge red balls of varying sizes suspended above the street, a large green reindeer with a red nose and a large Christmas Tree in the center of the square. Christmas is really in the air!

Did some shopping for lunchmeat forks in the antique mall and then searched for a place to have dinner. We checked with Punch & Judy’s but they were out of lasagna already this evening. Then we found Crème de la Crepe that looked good. We each had a ham & cheese crepe with greens; very good and then shared a dessert crepe of snicker bars and bailey’s crème.

Our last items to purchase were extra suitcases to take home the shopping items. Finally found some duffel bags and then went over to listen to the musicians that had began to play. A large instrumental group entertained the crowds and they collected a sizable amount of coins as they had fun with the audience. Everyone was tired so it was back to the Tube for the hour ride back to the airport. Decided to take a taxi over to the hotel rather than wait for the bus. Good to be back at the hotel.

The plan tomorrow is to visit Windsor Castle in the morning and then head into the city for a last visit before we fly home on Wednesday.

SLEEPING IN THE QUEEN MUM’S BED

2011-11-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 06, 2011 Village of Rye

Well…not quite sure but there is a sign on our door that reads: “Honored by the visit of H.M. The Queen Mother on 9^th June 1982”. It is a huge room with a large double bed plus a single bed for the lady in waiting? It makes for a good story. The room has a fake bookcase that opens to a narrow twisting stairway that today can be used only as an emergency fire escape (per the sign on the wall of our room).

To quote from the Hotel brochure for The Mermaid Inn; “When you have partaken of a good meal and fine wine and it is time to retire, you will find the charm continues up the creaky staircases to the delightfully furnished bedrooms, with views through quaint windows to the ancient town of Rye. From a picturesque cobbled street, step back in time and experience the unique atmosphere of one of England’s oldest and liveliest inns.

Well frequented by smugglers over the centuries, and invaders from France – nowadays the Mermaid Inn caters for those who appreciate tradition and charm, coupled with the modern facilities required by today’s guest. The hotel has a wealth of old timbers and many of the character bedrooms have four-poster beds.” The Inn dates from 1156 and was rebuilt after a fire in 1420. Low timbered ceilings makes it interesting for tall people to navigate the Inn.

Our day began later than usual as we slept in under the watchful eyes of the cows and a few bulls that wandered the pasture underneath our bedroom window at The Lodge in Winchelsea. Arriving in the breakfast room about 9:30 am; we enjoyed the continental breakfast that was included with the room.

Soon we were back in the car and headed east towards the village of Rye; our destination for tonight that is less than ten miles away. Arrived in the village without a problem but then began the search for the best way to get into the old village center where we knew the church and our hotel were located. After once around we stopped at a gas station for directions as the map I’d copied from Google Maps was not helping us. They gave us a very good map and hi-lighted the directions for getting into the center via the one way roads. After four more times around the edge we finally stopped to ask a lady for help. She gave us instructions and then offered to get in the car with us as she was headed that way. What a blessing…she took us to a block from the Mermaid Inn; we had to go into the cobble stone streets. There we navigated the very narrow entrance into the parking lot for the hotel…very small and only hold’s a few cars. We’d been warned that we might not be able to park in the hotel lot when we made the reservations over a week ago. They had us double park and have kept the keys in case they need to get the other car out that we are blocking.

Off to the small Catholic Church called St. Anthony of Padua located within a block of the large Anglican Church of St. Mary’s. We arrived at the beginning of the sermon; the building is small and there were no seats to spare. It was a lovely Mass with the new changes that have just come into effect with the start of Advent. Spoke to the priest afterwards and he was delighted that we’d managed to find help in locating the church. Another visitor had been told that there was not a Catholic Church in Rye.

After Mass we visited the inside of St. Mary’s, the cemetery and several nearby streets. The cobblestones are very sharp and difficult to walk on. Thankfully they have paths along the side of them for walking. They are like walking barefoot on marbles! Arrived back at the Inn and it was still too early to check in…have to wait until 1 pm. So off to visit the antique shops; the girls were in their glory…I soon tired of shopping and since it was 1 pm, I headed back to the hotel and picked out the rooms for us with the help of the bell boy who carried in the big suitcases and I managed the smaller ones. There are many steps inside this hotel…but I finally found one that is easy for Barbara to get to but it does have a bathtub. I thought that was preferable to twisting and turning steps to navigate. It wasn’t until later that I discovered the secret door and the history of the room.

As I went downstairs, Barbara’s friends Peter and Livinia arrived. They settled in to their rooms while I went to find the shopping girls. Explored several shops and found them coming out of another one. They were hungry and so was I so we went into the Mermaid Tea Corner shop for a bite to eat. I had Cider and a Jacket Potato with cheese and onions. Delicious! By the time I finished Peter and Livinia had found us and I left them all enjoying dessert and headed back for the hotel. I’m not into shopping even if they are antiques!

Back at the Inn I finished repacking my luggage for our journey tomorrow to the hotel at the Heathrow Airport. The trick is to get everything back into our suitcases and have the breakables in the carryon luggage. We’ll have two more days to explore London before flying home but will do that by train from Heathrow. Then plugged in my computer and enjoyed some wifi time before the rest of them, tired of shopping, arrived at the hotel.

It’s after 6 pm now and we’re getting ready for dinner in the hotel; finally going to use those dress up clothes we’ve carried for the last three weeks. I’ll add the end after dinner.

THREE HOURS LATER:

We started our dinner with drinks in the bar; a delicious red Australian wine in front of a roaring fire in a fireplace that was big enough to stand in! Then into the dining room for a five star dinner. My selection was scallops for starters and Sea Bass for my dinner. Dessert was an apple tart with ice cream. You’ll see what the others enjoyed in the photos. After dinner we had our coffee in the lounge. Service was the best and it was a delightful three hour dinner. Off to bed now until breakfast then off to London to return the car. What a wonderful two weeks we’ve enjoyed as we roamed the carriageways of England.

FIREWORKS ON GUY FAWKES DAY

2011-11-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday, November 5^th, 2011 Winchelsea

Brightly colored fireworks exploded over our heads showering down bits of color this evening to our oohs and ahs as we watched the neighboring village of Ickelsham celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. Today is the day that celebrates the fact that Guy Fawkes was stopped in his action to burn down parliament some four hundred years ago.

Our day started early when I came down into the Library at our hotel in Canterbury to post the blog that I had written very late last night. By 9:30 we were all at breakfast and by 10:30 we were on the road heading southwest towards the English Channel. We suddenly spotted a sign about Antiques and there was an instant decision to stop and explore the shop. Bagham Barn was a treasure chest full of wonderful items that we’d love to purchase but the cost of shipping them home is unreal. I asked about the cost of shipping a beautiful writing desk; he said “if you pay $1,000.00 for the piece…to break even for a dealer in America he would have to sell it for $5,000.00.” WOW…so the purchases that were made were small enough to go into the suitcases for their trip to America!

An hour later we were back on the road, drove through Rye and on to the small village of Winchelsea, a seaside village on the English Channel. No rooms at the inn due to bonfires scheduled for tonight but we finally managed to obtain a room with three single beds at The Lodge on the outskirts of the village. Put our things into our room and then headed out for further explorations.

We headed in the direction of Hastings. I needed to read the map and pulled into a driveway to get off of the road. Decided to pull all the way in to turn the car around so we could get back on the highway safely; the owner of the house came out to give us some assistance…and I was sure to also check who was using his driveway without permission. Actually we found out that he was coming out to put up a chain across his driveway to prevent people from parking there during the bonfire celebration that evening in their village in a large field next to their home.

We soon found ourselves involved in a conversation with the gentlemen about California and the USA; before we left he invited us to return this evening to watch the festivities from his driveway. Then we were off to Hastings only about five more miles down the road.

We drove the length of the boardwalk that front all along the city between the main street and the English Channel. Heavy traffic and very few parking spaces; we turned around at the western edge of the town and headed back the way we’d just come. At the eastern end of town we found parking and I walked down to the beach to put my fingers into the cold waters of the English Channel before picking up a few stones to take home. Hastings is the site of the battle of Hastings in 1066 that put William the Conqueror on the throne of England when he defeated King Harold. This battle is the subject of the tapestries of Bayeux in France. We found a clever fellow with a sailor hat that let us take his picture and then invited us to do candid shots with him as he did the Popeye pose. Barbara was busy shopping and missed out on the fun!

Back to the hotel for dinner before heading out to see the fireworks and bonfire shows about 6:30 pm. We pulled into the driveway; and we’d hardly parked when the owner came out and invited us to join him and his wife on the rooftop for a better view of the show. We went into the house and up to the rooftop through a small window at the top of some steep and narrow stairs!

Nick and Barbara were wonderful hosts for the hour that we waited for the festivities to begin. It was very dark and VERY cold but everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. We could see the dark outline of the huge bonfire pyre in the field and people walking around with torches, both electric and many old fashioned torches that were on fire.

The program is sponsored by the local pub in Ickelsham called Robin Hood. Tickets are sold to raise funds for a charity event. In the very large field behind the pub they had built a bonfire pyre that appeared to be at least twenty feet tall; on the top was an effigy of Guy Fawkes in a chair. We’re told that sometimes they call the dummy by a politician’s name that is out of favor at the time. The people who do the bonfire are called “the bonfire boys”; most of the villagers are involved in the festivities, they dress in costume and we could hear the chanting and drums as they paraded around.

Suddenly the sky lit up and the fireworks show began….a shower of sparkling colors over our heads; at times it was like they were going to land on our heads but they always flickered out long before that could happen. The show went on and on; we couldn’t believe the length of the display. When the final sparkle died; they marched around the pyre torching it with their torches for a blaze that was so hot we could feel the heat from the flames.

We said goodbye to our new found friends and invited them to visit us on their next trip to the USA. People have continued to surprise us with their hospitality throughout out trip but this was truly above and beyond. We said no to the offer of refreshments and headed back to the hotel to warm our frozen toes!

And so we have ended another marvelous serendipity day of surprises. Tomorrow is a new adventure when we will meet Barbara’s friends for a night at the Mermaid Hotel in Rye; only about ten miles from our hotel tonight. The morning will probably be church services and antique shopping. Thanks for joining us for another day on our trip.

CONCERT IN THE CRYPT OF CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

2011-11-05T00:51:00.000-07:00

Late Friday evening, November 4^th, 2011 Canterbury

Music filled the air under the vaulted ceilings in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral tonight and Nancy and I were enthralled by the sounds. It’s nearly midnight as I sit in my attic room on the third floor of the old building with a view of the spires of the Cathedral outside my window. Nancy and Barbara are in the new main building tonight, much the same view, but being on the first floor of their building just doesn’t give them the same perspective that I’m enjoying.

Our day began early this morning when we met for breakfast in the dining room; the largest selection of food that we’ve seen on this entire trip all set out buffet style. The only thing that wasn’t perfect was the hot chocolate for the girls…it wasn’t on the menu and therefore wasn’t quite what they’d expected. My coffee was delicious!

About 10 am we all walked over to the Cathedral for our first view of the inside; the fee for entrance is included in our room fees. Nancy and I walked the length of the Cathedral…longer than any other we think…maybe not as wide but definitely longer. We’ve discovered that the Archbishop of Canterbury is actually like the Pope and head of the Anglican Church. He doesn’t have any part of running this particular church; most of his time is spent in London.

Back to the hotel to sort our laundry…yes…it’s laundry day finally! We dropped Barbara at the hairdressers and we walked to the Laundromat; about ten minutes away. Along the way we walked part of the wall that surrounds the old city. Doing three loads of laundry took twenty two pounds and a little over two hours but it sure is nice to have some clean clothes. A small dog (a Jack Russell I think) with his owner kept us entertained as we all did our laundry.

At three we all headed out of the church grounds (remember our hotel is located within the church grounds) and enjoyed a delicious late lunch at the Old Butter Market restaurant before having some fun in the Cooking Shop next door. Both of these are located in the square outside of the Church Gate. The Fudge Shop was next for some desserts and then Nancy and I hurried back to the Cathedral to finish our touring. We walked the Cloister, stopping in the Chapter House; and then finished the Crypt before leaving the Cathedral at the closing time of 4:30 pm. As we were leaving we saw a man who looked just like the Archbishop of Canterbury. I asked a clerk and she said possibly it could be him as he has been in town this week. We were very excited.

At 5:30 we were all back in the Cathedral for Evensong Service in the Quire of the church. It was a forty five minute service complete with a full choir of a dozen men and eighteen boys from ages 8 (or so) to probably fourteen. They were all decked out in their choir robes and it was so difficult not to sneak a photo but I was good and controlled by urges. Accompanied by the massive organ their voices soared up into the high vaulted ceilings. We did see our possible Archbishop again and on the way out Nancy spoke to him. Not the Archbishop we discovered; he’d grown his beard so that he would look like Brahms. Oh well….

Back to our rooms and then a quick trip to McDonalds that is about four blocks away for some fast dinners for all of us. Then back to the Cathedral for Nancy and myself; we decided to attend the Advent Concert in the Crypt this evening.

Hanging in the Crypt is the body of a man made of nails that were recovered during repair work in the original part of the Cathedral. Definitely square nails, handmade, and according to a parishioner next to us…traceable back to medieval times. The artist is Anthony Gormley and the piece was done in 2010 and is called Transport.

The Advent Concert tonight featured a young girl in her late teens that played the violin, the harp and sang like an angel. Her mother was the featured Soprano and there were two other singers with them plus the piano player. The program featured various selections from “The Marriage of Figaro”, “La Boheme” and other operas. The pianist played “Automne” as a solo. We had Christmas Carols and more. The program was a fund raiser for one of the churches charities and lasted about an hour and a half; a wonderful way to spend an evening.

An added touch of excitement happened just before the Intermission; we heard loud booming noises. We were told that they were fireworks being set off in the Cricket Field in honor of tomorrow, November 5^th, to celebrate the date that Guy Fawkes tried to burn down parliament hundreds of years ago. At Leeds Castle yesterday we saw them preparing for a fireworks display there so it must be happening all over England this weekend!

Now you can see why I didn’t rush to type this tonight. It was an exciting and wonderful day in Canterbury and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our special day. Tomorrow we move further south for our final “unplanned” day and then it’s Sunday in Rye at the Mermaid Hotel.

Will Be Posting Tomorrow!

2011-11-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

For my faithful readers...its been such a full day and has just ended at 10 pm that I'm going to post tomorrow morning. sorry for the delay but wanted to do justice to this wonderful day in Canterbury. Martha

LEEDS CASTLE & CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

2011-11-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

Thursday, November 3^rd, 2011 Canterbury

I forgot to mention yesterday that I was very proud of my parking...yes...it was I that got in and out of that spot with only a few extra moves! You probably wondered what in the world those photos were all about. We were only parked there for five minutes as we discovered we were in the wrong area of town for the Salisbury Cathedral and had to move the car...then found a parking lot that was very easy to park in as well as an easy walk to the Cathedral.

Back to today......

I shared a room with Barbara last night and we woke up about 8 am. Nancy, who’d had her own room last night complete with terrible smells (there were no other rooms), came up about 9 am and we went downstairs together to protest the bill that had been tucked under the door. First of all about 10:30 pm last night…the FIRE ALARM went off! False alarm and they apologized with a letter under the door within an hour; they said that someone was smoking in their room and that is what activated the alarm??

Then this morning’s bill charged us for the breakfast which had been promised to be complimentary because of the problems with the rooms last night. So, since I was getting those charges removed we decided to give it a go for some credits on Nancy’s room. They were very nice and gave us a 60% credit against the charge for her room because of the odors. So overall it turned out to be a reasonable price for what we got!

The breakfast was really wonderful and well worth the price. And, we had a wonderful room so I could recommend the hotel if you have occasion to stay at a Premier Inn. By 10:30 am we were in the car and on the road. Weather wise it is very cloudy but dry. During the day we had a few sprinklers but nothing serious. We had the hotel call Windsor Castle to make sure they were open today for touring; turns out the Queen was there this weekend and all of the state rooms are closed. So…change of plans and we’re heading for Canterbury.

Along the way we saw signs for Leeds Castle and Barbara said that it was really beautiful. Nancy, in the backseat for a change, did some reading in the books and decided that yes, it would be a good castle to see.

Arrived about 1:45 pm and really enjoyed our visit. We rode with Barbara in the Handicap Van to the castle; enjoyed the tour and then we walked back to the entrance while Barbara rode in the van back. The grounds were nearly as pretty as the inside of the castle. No one said a word so I took lots of photos you’ll enjoy. Notice the black swan on the lake; they were so beautiful, a nice change from the white swans.

While I think of it…Jim will enjoy knowing that we are listening to classical music as we drive; seems to come in better on the radio. Also, in Europe they have the ability to break into your radio programs with traffic information regularly. And, it’s about four times louder than whatever you’ve been listening to…can be very jarring!

Back on the road we missed the road that we wanted and ended up on about ten miles of road like we had last night in the rainstorm, but not nearly as bad in daylight and no rain. We came upon an accident just before we arrived at Canterbury. See the photo we snapped as we went around them.

Drove into Canterbury…still daylight…so nice…but ended up on a dead end street at the edge of the pedestrian way. Nancy said she’d stay in the car and off Barbara and I went in search of a hotel. Found the Tourist Information Center next to the Cathedral and first went to the Cathedral Gate Hotel….very old, winding twisting steps and the mattresses looked like they were made of straw. Prices were good and the clerk was wonderful but Barbara could not handle the tower type stairs. Back to the TI and they found some rooms at the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge. We got the last two rooms and tomorrow Nancy and I have to change rooms but we’ll be here for two nights! It’s within the Cathedral grounds…FANTASTIC.

I went back to find Nancy and the car; she was beginning to wonder where we were…the car alarm went off three times while she sat there. Not sure what caused it as she had the keys with her inside of the car. She was very happy to see me and then we backed the car out and found our way to the parking for our hotel which is also within the cathedral grounds. More photos tomorrow as it was dark by the time we had finished checking in.

Off for a walk and night shots of the Cathedral; by the way we all have fantastic views of the Cathedral which is lit at night with floodlights. They are repairing one section but that seems to be the norm in Europe. Decided on dinner at La Trappiste Restaurant and I enjoyed fish & chips with a pint of beer.

Right now I’m sitting in a wonderful paneled library on a soft leather couch with free wifi that works very well. Last night I had to pay three pounds for thirty six minutes. We’re looking forward to two days here in Canterbury; hope that you’ve enjoyed our day.

ROYAL CRESCENT AT BATH & SALISBURY CATHEDRAL

2011-11-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, November 2^nd, 2011 Andover…along the highway

This morning the weather was overcast and looked like rain all day; but it didn’t actually rain until evening. We were at breakfast by 9:30 this morning….the cut off for service. While I waited for the girls I signed on to the wifi and made reservations at the Ibis Hotel near Heathrow for our last two night.

Decided to drive the car to see the sites in Bath; the hotel recommended the city bus but we didn’t listen. We found the Royal Crescent rather easily and then began the search for the Roman Baths. The Royal Crescent is a famous building in the shape of a crescent; nearby is another similar building in a circle…yes…called the Circle. We always found ourselves back at these two buildings no matter which way we drove. Finally asked someone and they said best to park and walk or take a bus as the City Center is basically a walking only zone. So…we decided to forget the Roman ruins and headed out of the city of Bath.

Driving on beautiful country roads, awash in colors of red and gold, for an hour or so took us to the town of Salisbury. It is famous for the tallest steeple in England on the top of its Cathedral. A beautiful little town with a stream running through it; I think you’ll enjoy the photos of the stream and especially the swan.

The Cathedral was magnificent; huge and beautiful. While Nancy and I explored all the nooks and crannies; a Baptist Minister named Kevin who is in the military service and stationed nearby, sat down next to Barbara and they had a wonderful conversation about God, the church and life in general. We had the benefit of a docent who gave us several special pieces of information on the Cathedral. For example, there is no basement, only several feet of gravel. If the gravel becomes too dry…the Cathedral would start to sink. She showed us the special hole where they measure the water level each week. If it is too dry they tell the people who control the rivers leading into the town and more water is let in. She also pointed out the bend in the pillars that support the steeple. By the way; the movie Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson was filmed in Salisbury.

By four o’clock we’d finished the Cathedral and gift shop and then stopped at an Italian restaurant called Prezzo for a late lunch and early dinner. Then it was off to the Cooking Shop for some fun shopping for things to take home. Nancy and Barbara each found several things they’d been looking for on our journey.

By this time it was dark and raining harder and harder. We finally found a road number that we recognized and headed down a narrow, dark two lane road with the rain creating large puddles alongside the road that we had no choice but to drive through. Hairy stuff but we survived for about ten miles and then entered a dual carriageway…heaven! Now the cars could easily pass us instead of putting bright lights on to try to make us drive faster.

We decided to find a hotel as soon as possible. After several attempts we ended up getting the last two rooms at a roadside chain motel called Preimer Inn. Their computers were down all evening and they opened three different rooms for us before finding one that was actually empty. Nancy has the single room tonight and it is a wheelchair equipped room; completed with a fully handicapped bathroom…check the photos. There is one of Barbara standing in the hall with our luggage as we waited for them to try different rooms after we walked into one that had a computer set up on the desk. Fortunately the guest had left for some dinner.

They have given us free breakfast tomorrow for the inconvenience of the room mixup. But the good news is that we are off of the highway. Tomorrow we plan to go to Windsor to see the Queen’s castle. Maybe stay there or go on to Canterbury. We plan to spend at least two nights in Canterbury. It’s been an exciting journey with lots of twists and unexpected turns; but those are the things we’ll remember long after we’ve forgotten the best parts of our trip.

WEDGWOOD CHINA

2011-11-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, November 1^st, 2011 Bath

Woke up to bright sunshine at our Comfort Inn outside of Chester; couldn’t believe it was 8 am…wow…that’s the latest I’ve slept on the whole trip! Checked next door and the girls were up and moving so we were down to breakfast before the 9 am deadline. It was not a full English breakfast but an expanded Continental Style breakfast. We enjoyed the warm croissants with ham, cereal and fresh fruit.

Off to the south through the outskirts of Chester with a destination of Shrewsbury. It was only an hour away and the plan was to stay at least one night. Driving through Shrewsbury we decided to change again: Barbara suggested we’d like to see the Wedgwood Factory at Stoke on Trent this afternoon and then head south for Bath.

Stoke on Trent was about an hour north but all on Motorways; and, it was a glorious day for touring the countryside. We’ve decided that England is greener than Ireland. This is probably because of all the fields. Ireland has a rockier soil and less expansive fields. It looks like they’ve recently planted the winter crops and from a distance it looks like broad fields of green grass.

We arrived at Stoke on Trent about 1 pm and just as Barbara said; the posting of signs to the Wedgwood Factory was unbelievably good. Piece of cake! They had a wonderful Tea Room where we had a delicious lunch before heading over to the show rooms. No tour of the factory available but two showrooms and then the Outlet Shop. Wedgwood is owned by an American Company and they also own Waterford Crystal among several other fine china companies. So we had lots to look at in the shops.

After about an hour and a half we were back on the highway heading south to the M6 then the M5. The sky was getting darker as we headed further south. By 4 pm we were getting some rain. Barbara slept in the backseat and Nancy was my number one co-pilot. She did a super job getting me around the large cities and from one Motorway to the next.

We arrived outside of Bristol about 5:15 pm. With the time change last weekend it was dark by this time and we had to find A4 to Bath. WE GOT LOST BIG TIME! After many U Turns…some of them illegal; one road after another…we finally decided to get off the Motorway and find a gas station; we were down below a quarter of a tank.

Found the gas station and Barbara found a very nice gentleman who explained to us how to get to Bath. We were less than a quarter of a mile to the road we were looking for and it was clearly marked when we arrived. He was right; from that point on the signs were clearly marked to Bath.

But, after getting gas we decided to stop at a Pizza Hut for a great little dinner of pizza. Hit the spot after hours of driving. Heading to Bath was somewhat of a challenge because it was so dark. More wrong turns but we finally arrived and decided to stop at the first hotel we saw: Holiday Inn Express. Nice rooms and we can catch a bus here to go into Bath town center tomorrow to tour the Roman Baths, etc.

I must have gotten a bit testy towards the end of the day as both girls suggested I take the single room for a good night’s sleep. And that’s where I’m headed as soon as I finish posting my blog. Tomorrow’s another day and we’re not driving very far.

GRASMERE AND CHESTER

2011-10-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

October 31^st, 2011 Chester

Happy Halloween! I had an early morning chat with Barbara and then she went back to sleep and I got out my computer! I shared her twin room last night and Nancy had the single room. We were all in the breakfast room by 9 am for a wonderful English breakfast before heading out for the day’s journey.

Yes, we’re moving again. The weather was a soft rain all day. We headed further north in the Lake District for the town of Grasmere to visit the Beatrice Potter Island; one takes a ferry boat to reach the island. But, we found out that yesterday was their last day for the season. Drove by the ferry dock but didn’t go over. Then we stopped at Dove Cottage that was owned by the poet Wadsworth. You’ll love some of the photos that we snapped on our drive along the shores of the lake this morning.

While we were in town we stopped to visit the Gingersnap Shop of Sarah Nelson; purchased some gingersnap cookies and homemade fudge…there goes the diet today! But we really enjoyed the freshly made sweets. Had a bit of a scare when I was parking the car to go to the store; there was a small (low) picnic table in front of the building and I nicked it a bit as I was pulling in. Car is okay…bench is missing a fifty cent piece of wood.

Then back over the same narrow road along the lake until we reach Windermere and then headed south towards the M6 motorway. Nancy will be happy to never see a stone wall again (it’s her job to tell me when I’m too close to the wall) and I really scared her when I went through a big puddle and created a “rooster tail” spray on her side of the car. Reached the M6 and enjoyed the three lane highway that took us all the way to Chester; fast even with the rain but not nearly as pretty as yesterday’s scenic ride through the twisting roads.

We arrived in Chester about 3 pm; found the city center and stopped on a corner to let Barbara and Nancy out to check with the Tourist Information Office about hotels. Barbara stepped out with her pillow in her hand…no purse or coat; suddenly there was a huge bus about to crash into our car and I had to move immediately. Nancy was still in the car and off we went! Three blocks later we found parking and walked back to where we’d dropped Barbara; taking her purse and coat with us. There she was, rather sheepishly holding her pillow (it’s the size of an airplane pillow), in the drizzling rain waiting for us to return! Check out the photo! You’ll love it.

We then went into the Information Office and worked with them on Hotels. Nothing in the price range we wanted in the center so decided to try one by the train station. Before going back to the car we decided to tour the Chester Cathedral before leaving. Our plan was to check into the hotel and then drive back to the center for dinner. Good thing because we never made it back!

We got lost finding the hotel…finally did find it but didn’t like the area so we decided to go back to the outskirts of town where we’d seen a lot of B&B’s plus hotels on the way into town. Oh boy…we really got lost….we went by the Zoo at least four times; Barbara swears it was ten times…saw a magnificent double rainbow during all of this. We were in residential areas, commercial areas, etc. etc. etc. We finally decided to just head south, leave the Chester area and find something on the highway. About this time we realized we were in the right area and stopped at the Comfort Inn that we’d seen on the way in. Anything in a storm! It leaves a bit to be desired but it has wifi, clean sheets and walk in showers…it’s do for one night.

We walked across the street to the local Pub/sports’ bar and had a nice dinner. On the way back across the street we actually had two trick or treaters that stopped us for a treat; the girls gave them some coins. And so we’re tucked in again for another evening. Tomorrow we’re heading for Shrewsbury. We’re hearing fireworks; I guess they use them to celebrate Halloween.

CASTLE HOWARD

2011-10-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 30^th, 2011 Windermere

The time changed in England early this morning so when I woke at 7:30 am it was really 6:30 am. As the girls slept on; I worked on my computer in the dark. We’d gotten to bed by 10:30 pm last night so it was a good night’s sleep for all of us. Weather wise it started to rain lightly just after we checked in to the hotel; hopefully we have another nice day today. If not, we do have rain ponchos that we haven’t used yet! We always carry our umbrellas in our coat pockets. Sure glad that I was able to recover my coat from the airplane in Minneapolis….I’ve worn it constantly.

Breakfast was another wonderful English breakfast; this time there was also two bangers…English sausage. I ate one plus a slice of ham with my mushrooms, tomatoes, and scrambled eggs. It’s a big meal that gets one off to a good day!

Packed the car and headed out just before 11 am. We had about a ten minute drive to our destination: Castle Howard. This is the country estate of the Howard family; built in the middle of nowhere about fifteen miles north east of York. It was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh for the third Earl of Carlisle three hundred years ago. It’s located between Malton and Hemsley. We drove to Malton yesterday and spent the night very nearby. The family still lives in one wing of the castle with their young children. The castle is closed from the end of October until mid-March except for a brief period from Thanksgiving to Christmas when it is decorated for Christmas. Today was their last day.

The castle was severely damaged in 1940 from a fire; the large dome collapsed and the damage has not been completed repaired to this day. However, the film and miniseries called Brideshead Revisited have been filmed in this castle and two of the rooms that are still not finished were used as stages for production. The chapel in the castle was one of the largest ones that I’ve seen over my many visits to castles, chateaux and palaces.

The docents told us that when the house is closed the family uses all of the rooms and the wing that we are in is used for house guests. We asked about the beds and they said yes except they change the mattresses. Those on now are of straw and are replaced with modern mattresses for the guests.

It was a marvelous experience; the castle is far enough from the entrance that they had a small train for us to ride on…we could have walked but this was easier. After touring the castle we rode the train down to the lake and playground before returning to the entrance gift shops and farm store.

We had spent nearly three hours at the castle; it was after 2 pm before we started on the three hour journey on country roads North West to Windermere in the Lake District. Along the way we spotted the ruins of Castle Brough and stopped for some photos. There was an ice cream shop next to it and we decided to take a rest stop and have some ice cream so that we qualified for using the facilities.

We arrived about 5 pm and after a few stops found our nights lodging at Ellerthwaite Lodge on New Road. The season ended this weekend; it’s colder here and so we may or may not spend three days. We did make it to Mass just before the collection; it had started at 5:15 pm. When we talked to the priest after mass he was a bit miffed that we’d arrived so late in the service. But, better late than not at all; we thought we’d be here earlier. Best laid plans….

After Mass we went to the little grocery store down the street and picked up food for ham and cheese sandwiches at the hotel. Used Skype to call the husbands…cell phones still are not working very well. We need to go to a phone shop tomorrow among other things.

Hope you enjoy the photos of Castle Howard.

YORK MINSTER

2011-10-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 29^th, 2011 Malton country Inn

I woke up about 7 am and worked on my journal and organizing the receipts for the trip. By 8:30 the girls were awake and at 9:15 we headed down to the breakfast room. A full English breakfast was waiting for us. We had to pay cash for this B&B but everything was really great except for the fact that my computer did not work with their wifi.

The owner and clerk was Arthur, a Scottish gentleman who owns three B&B’s in York. We had fun with him this morning as we were one of the last guests in the breakfast room and he took time to chat with us.

Packed up the car and headed into the town centre; walking distance if we were staying another day. We circled around trying to get to the parking lot across from the York Minster; oops…suddenly we realized we were in a pedestrian only walkway. We were getting all sorts of looks as we slowly wound our way through block after block looking for a way out. Suddenly there was a knock on our window. A young female policewoman said we were going the wrong way on a one way street. She very nicely worked with us giving us written directions out and to a car park.

We all relaxed and were delighted to pay the seven pound fee for parking! We started walking to the York Minister, a fair distance away. We had fun in a store of miniatures. Crossed the bridge and then Barbara spotted an On/Off bus service. For only seven pounds each we had a wonderful ride all the way around the city with a live commentary as we went describing the sites. We passed the Merchants Adventure Hall…the early Guild… St. Deny’s Church, Clifford Tower…the only thing left of a huge castle…one of two in the city…nothing left of the other one. But there is a wall surrounding the city!

We passed the Jorvik Center which we had already decided not to tour. Out into the suburbs where we passed the empty Chocolate Factory. Notice the clock tower on the factory; it says Terry York instead of numbers. So whenever it was photographed it was an instant advertisement for the city of York.

The race course was empty except for a track meet that was happening with young people. We finally arrived at Stop 1 and hopped off to visit the York Minister about a block away from the stop. That block required lots of stopping for jewelry stores that lined the street. But, we finally made it into the York Minister and enjoyed walking through the huge church. Much older and larger than Westminster Abbey in London.

Walked towards Betty’s Tea Rooms…everyone we talked to say we must go there when we’re in York….more jewelry stores to pass and noticed the costumed people advertising for the Ghost walks this evening. If we were staying those are fun…especially this close to Halloween. We easily found Betty’s Tea Rooms and the line was over a block lone…we decided to brave the crowds at the nearby McDonalds and enjoy our lunch there. We finally arrived back at the bus stop after more window shopping and hopped on for our ride back to the starting place and our car park.

By 3 pm we were on the road and headed north east towards Malton; our destination for tonight. We are stopping here so that we’ll be ready to tour Castle Howard in the morning. The signs said fourteen miles but it seemed a lot longer. We stopped at one hotel but there was no room at the Inn. Such a shame as it was like a castle but there was a wedding that evening and they were fully booked. But they did call ahead for us to another place about ten minutes up the road.

Didn’t think we’d ever arrived but after one false turn we did. It’s a dot on the country road but charming and only 90 pounds for one room with three beds including breakfast. And it’s on the first floor. Actually, it’s like a motel in the back; made it easy to take all the luggage into the room and replenish the small bags. Nancy has the mattress on the floor…her choice…I told her I’d take the next one if we have to do it again. Beats paying for another room and we’re quite good together.

First thing was to go to the bar and use the wifi for sending yesterday’s journal. Then we had dinner at the Inn. It’s called Cresswell Arms. We all decided to have the chef’s lasagna with chips and salad. I splurged and had a pint of delicious beer since the driving is done for the night.

Tomorrow we headed for a three hour drive to the Lake District and staying in Windermere; no reservations but so far we’ve done well. It should be easier on a Monday night. Our plan is to stay there for three nights. This should give Barbara a nice rest also.

STRATFORD UPON AVON

2011-10-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 28, 2011 Written in York and posted next day…

Awake about 6 am…decided to get out my computer about 7 since I wasn’t going back to sleep. Looks like we’re going to have a nice, but cold, day today! No rain predicted!!!

Ate breakfast in our rooms from food we’d purchased yesterday and the day before. By 9:30 am we’d arranged for Barbara to stay in her room until 2 pm while Nancy and I went to see the historical Shakespeare houses. First on the tour was his parent’s home and birthplace…within a block of our hotel.

The weather is dry and cold this morning but foggy as you’ll see in the photos. It gave an eerie effect to the garden; perfect for Halloween! We then walked to the Nash house, his oldest daughter’s home. We spent most of the time there in the gardens which are extensive and beautiful. Over the last few years they have put in a sculpture trail by Greg Wyatt in the gardens. Each statue is based on a Shakespeare character; they are very unique rock sculptures and sometimes it was difficult to find the face.

Then we walked on to the Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare and his family are buried. He was baptized there but they’re not sure that he was married in this church.

Back towards the hotel we then went to the Hall House that belonged to his younger daughter. This house was much grander and had lots of furnishings. Outside we found another beautiful garden and the “dig” on the lot that was the site of the final home of Shakespeare. It was torn down by an owner who didn’t like Shakespeare.

We went back to the hotel and found that Barbara had gone to the hairdressers around the corner to get her hair down and then shopping at the stores near the Hotel. We all three then went to the weekly market across the street from the hotel and found wooden door stops that we all purchased for home. Finally about 2 pm we went to the Deli Café next door to the hotel for lunch. It was a little after 2:30 pm by the time we loaded the car and headed down the carriageway for York for our next adventure.

Traffic was a bear but then it was Friday afternoon and the kids are still on winter break. Our three hour estimated drive turned into a five plus hour drive. The signs on the highway that give traffic information kept saying that there were “Queues’” ahead indicating that there were lines of traffic and we’d be moving at less than thirty miles per hour. At times we were inching along the highway. We stopped at a service area for gas and to use the loos! Yes, we finally found that name on the doors to the toilets!

Arrived in York just after 8 pm…then the hunt began for a place to stay. The town is packed with all sorts of special events happening in the city. We’d stopped at five different places and they’d made calls for us without any luck. We were headed out of town and suddenly spotted a vacancy sign on a B&B. For 110 pounds including breakfast we have a family room in the attic! Beautiful full bathroom with a stall shower plus a tub. There are three single beds and a king but we’re each using a single bed.

There is a very nice television but all we could find was "not for children or old ladies"; finally had to get the clerk to come up and help us find the news channels. He didn't understand what we found objectionable about the show we had!!!

They have wifi but for some reason I’m not able to connect…something about the certificate so won’t be able to send this until tomorrow. We used the cell phones to call the husbands to let them know that we’d arrived in York. We’re at Clifton Bridge B&B. A ten minute walk to the town center along the riverside but I think we’ll probably drive into the center to visit everything tomorrow.

WARWICK CASTLE

2011-10-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

Thursday, October 27^th, 2011 Stratford Upon Avon

We slept until 8:15 am this morning….and just made it to breakfast by 8:30 am….our scheduled time! I was in the twin bedded room with Barbara and it’s the most hours that I’ve slept straight through since we arrived!

Breakfast was wonderful; the girls had a Continental Breakfast…bread, cheese and meats and I enjoyed the English breakfast with scrambled eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms. I did pass on the English Bacon. They enjoyed hot chocolate and I savored my black coffee.

By 10 am we were in the car…it’s raining steady…and after a stop at the cooking store in Broadway (I purchased some very tiny funnels for perfume bottles); we were on the road north to Stratford Upon Avon.

The towns in the Cotswolds are very close together so it was less than an hour by country roads. Arriving in Stratford Upon Avon is very confusing because of traffic mostly; it’s a very popular town for the tourists and the children are all on mid-term break right now so there are even more local people visiting. Barbara had a particular hotel in mind so we kept driving around the old center of the city until she spotted it! It’s called the White Swan Hotel. She and Nancy opened umbrellas and jumped out while I minded the car as we’d parked in a no parking zone.

Seemed like they were never coming back…but that’s a good sign and means that they probably got rooms and were checking them out. Sure enough…we’ve got parking in a lot plus two rooms (without breakfast) for 120 pounds that are close to each other; a twin bedded room and a single room. Tonight I have the single room. I have it toasty warm to dry out all my wet things this evening as I type my journal.

We were able to get into the rooms right away; unloaded our hand luggage and settled Barbara into her room so that she could elevate her legs and rest while we went to see Warwick Castle; about half an hour’s drive from our hotel. We turned on both of the cell phones and we called her when we arrived at the castle.

It was raining even harder when we arrived at Warwick Castle; but it didn’t seem to dampen the crowds. We found parking nearby with the dear cost of ten pounds; but with the weather it was worth it. Our tickets were about sixteen pounds each and they were selling special tickets to something else that we elected not to see. As we headed towards the drawbridge to enter the castle we noticed that there were extensive Halloween decorations. We soon realized that the castle was a massive Halloween Party! The State rooms were decorated and dark for the scary effects. I was able to take some flash photos in those rooms as we went through. Poor Nancy could hardly make out the interior decoration. So sad as it is normally a beautiful place to visit.

The basement was much as it always was but the upstairs was the Sceance Tour. Again, fun to do but not what we’d expected. However, we did climb up the hill at the back of the yard for the spectacular views over the river. Then Nancy said she wanted to climb the towers and walk the ramparts. Lots of steps that were very old, narrow twisting steps that went up and up. The views were great but we did three towers and the ramparts. There was an black iron railing to help in the towers; our hands were covered with orange rust when we finished!

By 3 pm we were ready to head home; the castle was not what we’d expected as I’d told her about my previous two visits and she was prepared for a totally different experience. But it was a fun day even with the rain.

We tried to call Barbara on the cell phone to let her know we were heading home but she must be asleep as she didn’t answer the phone. We need to go to a store to figure out how to increase the ringer volume. Home in about half an hour and then we had to find the car park but with two of us working together we finally found it.

Yes…Barbara was sound asleep when we opened the door to the room. We woke her up and then headed out for an early dinner. Ate at an Italian Restaurant around the corner called Bella Italia; we each enjoyed pizza. They had Margarita Pizzas and I had a vegetarian one with zucchini, artichokes, olives and lots of other good things along with goat cheese. I enjoyed every bite as it was the first food since breakfast!

During dinner my cell phone rang, I hadn’t turned it off….heard the ring and thought “oh, someone has the say ringtone as I do” and then realized it was my cell phone. Jim was calling to check on Barbara. Her husband wants her to go to the doctor and/or hospital for more tests. Jim was calling to see if we’d done it. But even though the bruises are terrible looking she seems to feel just fine except for soreness. To appease the husbands we did go to a Chemist (Pharmacist) after dinner and talk to him. He said if she had a blog clot her legs would be very hot. They’re not…he said elevation was important and to drink caffeine drinks which are a natural diuretic to reduce the swelling.

So I was a good kid and gave her my pillows for the night; actually I don’t use any pillows so it wasn’t that great a sacrifice! Tomorrow she is staying at the hotel with legs elevated while I take Nancy to see the Shakespeare House and other buildings here in town. We can easily walk to all of them.

We enjoyed our dessert in the girl’s room after we returned to the hotel; Barbara had a small toffee cake she’d purchased in Chipping Norton along with some Bailey’s Crème. A good way to end an evening on a good day! Hopefully, the weather will be clear tomorrow!

A note to travelers: the wifi system is fantastic; I haven’t had to pay for Internet Service since I arrived. All of the hotels seem to have it available if you have your own computer. I can’t believe the improvements since 2009.

BOURTON ON THE WATER

2011-10-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 26^th, 2011 Broadway

Awake at 5:30 am….it was an early morning. But I made good use of the time; about 8 am I ate my breakfast that I’d purchased at the grocery store last night. Coffee that was provided in the room; orange juice, roll, banana and dry cereal. By 10 am I had taken my cases to the car and went to help the girls. They’d slept in and were still putting their things together.

We were loaded and ready to leave by 11 am but we took a short walk to the local pharmacy for some cream and ice packs for Barbara’s bruises.

The weather is beautiful…cold…but the sun is shining and it’s a glorious day for exploring the Cotswolds. We drove through rolling hills with red, green and gold colors everywhere. The cold is snapping the trees into fall colors as we drive further north. I hope you enjoyed our rainbow in the photos yesterday.

By noon we’d arrived in a village called Bourton On The Water…a quaint little village that is a magnetic for tourists…they bring them in by the busload. There is a canal that runs through the town and creates a safe haven for ducks and sea gulls. We saw several artists with their sketch pads enjoying the scene. We enjoyed visiting the Dial Hotel where we stayed on our visit in 1996. No room at the Inn so it’s on to another village. We did stay for some shopping and a lunch at the Windrush Café.

After lunch Nancy and I strolled over the Model Village for a bird’s eye view of the village as it was in 1937. At that time a 1/9 scale model of the village was built by the owner of the New Old Inn and it eventually became an internationally known site for visitors from around the world. Barbara had seen it before so used the time for more shopping.

By 2:30 pm we were in the car and heading down the carriageway…only hitting the curb a few times…on our way to Broadway; a slightly larger but still small village to the North West. We had a short period of heavy rain but then the sun came out again before we arrived. On the way we went through the village of Bourton on the Hill…would be nice to know more about “Bourton”….and also had a very long downhill just before Broadway. The downhill was an unexpected surprise. The vistas are fabulous here in the Cotswolds. The scary part of driving is passing those large trucks on these small highways…and the country roads are nail bitting time!

We had another new challenge to find lodging for the night in a new town. After several unsuccessful inquiries…Nancy and Barbara went to the Tourist Office who arranged for us to stay at a B&B in a private home known as Southwold House. It’s only a five minute walk from the center of town and priced well for our budget. When we arrived the owners greeted us with tea and/or coffee before showing us our rooms. We’re up several flights (no elevators…but then we’ve not seen those since London) with a double room and a twin room with in suite baths. Very clean and owners are very nice. We’ll have breakfast here tomorrow before we leave; we filled out a form this evening about what we wanted for breakfast.

Settled in and then got back into the car for our trip into town for dinner about 5:30 pm. We decided on The Swan, a very popular restaurant…it was packed. Since we couldn’t get a table until six o’clock…enjoyed a drink before dinner…my first scotch of the trip!

I ordered French Onion Soup and then Fish and Chips…substituting a salad for the chips. Another flaky and delicious fish…Halibut instead of Cod…that melted in my mouth.

Home to the B&B before 8 am…Barbara and I are sharing the twin room tonight and Nancy has the single room. Switching every other night works well for roommates. Tomorrow we hope to see Stratford Upon Avon; would be nice to have another day like today weather wise. But…we’ll make the best of it; haven’t used our rain ponchos yet so it hasn’t been all that bad. Sure glad we packed smart for three days and haven’t had to move the big suitcases.

BLENHEIM PALACE

2011-10-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

October 25^th, 2011 Chipping Norton

Barbara and I woke up at 6:30 am…slept through the night after we took the quilt out of the duvet cover and she used just the cover as a sheet. I got up thinking it was 7:30 am and she went back to sleep. Since I was up I started working on my journal and photos from yesterday since I didn’t get anything done last night. By 8:15 am…I woke the girls and by 9:00 we were in the breakfast room…open until 9:30 am. At breakfast I finished writing my blog and suddenly Barbara said to add the trip to the hospital so it was added at the end of the journal.

We hadn’t called anyone so this evening we called her husband and found out that yes…they are reading the blog and were anxiously awaiting the details. The best news is that she was able to tour the palace today…stiff, sore and bruised but ready to continue our trip. And, I left out the fact that with the medical system here in England…everything was totally FREE….yes…even the ambulance ride. Had they found injuries and she had to be hospitalized; then costs would be incurred under their system. Interestingly, the Para-medic said “bring your cash”….we thought to pay fees…he meant for the taxi ride home! They didn’t know at that time that we had a car. All’s well that ends well. My first time driving on the left side of the road since 2009 was definitely a “baptism by fire!”

Back to today…by 11 am we were checked out of the hotel, in the car with me driving and headed towards Blenheim Palace. Blenheim Palace is located northwest of Oxford in the city of Woodstock and is the birthplace of Winston Churchill. It is the country estate of the Duke of Marlborough. The grounds plus the state rooms are open for touring. Not as extensive as many of the palaces and manor houses open to the public but still beautiful and fun to tour.

We left the palace about 2 pm and then stopped at the White House Pub in Woodstock for lunch. I enjoyed one of the best BLT’s I’ve had in a long time. Since I’m driving no beer…I’d had two small glasses with dinner last night so was extra careful with my driving to and from the hospital. By 3 pm it was raining quite hard and we were on the road to find a hotel for the night. We were headed for Broadway…or so we thought…about ten miles down the road we decided we were headed in the wrong direction…a small clue were the road signs for Oxford…located in the opposite direction. Soon we were turned around and on the right road.

We pulled into the town of Chipping Norton and decided to check out hotels as it was now 4 pm and raining very hard. I parked the car and sent the girls to check on the hotel as I’d done the driving! So out in the rain they went…we found reservations at The Fox Hotel….rooms over a pub…very old but rooms have recently been redone. We got them for 50 pounds /for a double bed … my room…and 75 pounds for the twins. Nancy is sharing the twin room with Barbara tonight.

The rain stopped as we were taking the luggage into the hotel and we had a beautiful rainbow. So nice…we all repacked our suitcases last night and we only had to bring in two small bags for the night. We’ve got enough for three days in the small bags.

Off to the market next door where we picked up food for this evening and tomorrow morning before taking a long walk around the town. Hope you enjoy our photos. It’s been nice to have a longer evening in the hotel…we’ve gotten lots of housekeeping details done with the extra time. Had problems turning on the fancy new showers…finally went down to the bar to ask the clerk/bartender how to do it; and one portly gentlemen at the bar told me that he’d gladly come scrub my back with his brush when he heard my conversation! Something simple…there was a switch outside the bathroom to turn the water on.

So with wifi fairly good we’ve been able to check in at home and get the journal posted this evening instead of tomorrow morning. I am directly over the bar and the sound is coming directly through the floor. Good that I’d used to noise when I go to sleep. But, sleeping in B&B’s over pubs was one of our planned experiences on this journey. Hopefully the weather will clear tomorrow…then more rain expected on Thursday.

ARRIVING IN THE COTSWOLDS

2011-10-25T01:52:00.000-07:00

October 24^th, 2011 Burford in the Cotswolds

I woke up at 5 am and decided to enjoy some quiet time in the dark with my computer. The wifi in the room is working well and it is now nearly 7 am. I think I’ll wake the girls about 7:30 am so we can have a more leisurely morning in the breakfast room. Its moving day and the car service will be picking us up at noon to take us to the National Car Rental at Heathrow Airport to pick up our car that we’ll be driving for the next two weeks. No reservations for tonight as we are foot loose and fancy free for the next two weeks so our agenda will change as we go…..

Woke the girls at 8 am and managed to get to the breakfast room just before 9 am. Not as crowded this morning. Yesterday was a zoo with every table full and people waiting. We’d purchased bananas yesterday and they were a nice addition to our cereal before the full breakfast. I was the only one to eat everything; Nancy prefers just cereal and toast, Barbara has the English Bacon…much like ham…and makes a sandwich and I have it all except on the odd day when they serve baked beans instead of tomato…I’d love to have the tomato every day! But…I do pass on the toast and jam. You have to be down before 8:30 to get the scrambled eggs that were so good the first day…it’s a fried egg after 8:30 but still tasty.

Finished our packing after breakfast and about 10 am we walked over to the Paddington Station…a major train station for London and also a Tube Station. Explored the shops in the station and the girls enjoyed Krispie Cream donuts and hot chocolate while we were there. Soon it was 11 am and time to take our luggage to the lobby to wait for our driver. I popped out during that hour and took some photos of the nearby Mews…a tunnel through between buildings with delightful and colorful apartments inside. I also added a snap of one of the Estate Agent’s flyers on rentals in the area for the blog photos.

Our driver Mike arrived right at noon and we were off towards Heathrow Airport to pick up our car at 1 pm. A very pleasant drive, Mike was a charmer, spoke excellent English and made the drive go fast.

We picked up our car at National Auto Rental outside of Heathrow; we’d pre-ordered one before we left home. They tried to talk us into upgrading to a Mercedes when they discovered that Barbara had one at home but we stuck with our original order at one third the price! We have a White, Vauxhall Insignia 2.0. Large sedan with a huge trunk that easily holds all our suitcases.

Barbara took the wheel and I was the co-pilot….I’m still getting into the wrong side of the car…we’re in the country with the driver on the right side of the car! Barbara and I both have experience driving in England…thankfully we have an automatic and don’t have to shift gears with our left hand as well as concentrating on driving down the left side of the road! The co-pilot not only has to read the signs but also regularly call out “curb” when the driver is getting too close to the edge of the road! Lots of fun.

Our destination today was Broadway so we headed in the direction of Oxford. Used the ring road to bypass the city of Oxford and headed further west. The road took us through the village of Burford and we were so enchanted we changed our itinerary and after finding parking…which took forever….we started checking the hotels. They were all full except for the very expensive but Joe at Bull Inn sent us up the street…a long way up the street and a hill to boot…to the Cotswold Gateway Hotel. He said to tell them that Joe said the rooms should be 75 pounds for the single and 85 pounds for the twins…and they gave them to us for that! Half the price of several of the other hotels.

Nancy left to walk back into the village to shop and Barbara & I repacked her suitcases so that we don’t have to take the big ones out of the trunk for three days! I tried to get her to walk into the village but we drove and found that the tourists were gone and there was plenty of parking. We did take our umbrellas.

Joe’s Hotel didn’t serve dinner until 7 pm so we walked across the street to the Mermaid, a pub, and they started serving at 6 pm. I had the special of the day: pork, apple and cider pie…delicious…looked like a soufflé when it arrived. Barbara had fish and chips and Nancy had a great ham and cheese plate with apples and salad. Two beers (short ones) for me and we were ready for home and bed.

As we walked to the car Barbara spotted a WW II jeep on a flatbed…you’ll enjoy the photos. Nice to have the car in town…it was beginning to rain as we left.

Nancy and I went to our room and Barbara to her room. She was to start her shower and I was coming back (we’re upstairs) with my computer to spend an hour with her. I had just returned to the room when I heard a crash in the bathroom; Barbara had slipped and fallen from the tub to the floor. Scared me to death! I couldn’t move her…she was on her back at an angle in a very narrow space. I called the front desk and they came and decided to call the para-medics. I heard her calling them and she told them that Barbara was about 50 years of age! She was shocked when I told her Barbara’s age. Anyway…the para-medics arrived in minutes…there were two of them and two RAF medics who got her out of the bathroom, on a back board and off we went to Oxford’s John Radcliff Hospital…about half an hour away. They were great and made sure we were following in the car all the way. It was raining and Nancy was a great co-pilot for me…yes…I was driving…amazing how fast it all comes back when you need it.

We were at the hospital for about two hours. The doctors checked her out…x-rayed her right hand and released her…bruised and sore but okay. It was a long drive home in the rain but we did it. It was very dark on country roads without street lights. But by midnight we were home and going to bed. I stayed with Barbara through the night in the double bed and slept until 6:30 am this morning. It was a long day. Today we’re headed for Broadway after visiting a castle.

EURCHRISTIC SERVICE AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY

2011-10-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

October 23^rd, 2011 London

I woke about 7 am and finished my journals before going down to breakfast. I took my laptop to breakfast and while we ate; uploaded the photos and then posted my blog. The wifi was working well with my computer this morning.

By 10:30 am Nancy and I were off to the park. Barbara is taking it easy this morning, going to the neighborhood beauty shop to get her hair and nails done while we’re gone. We’re to be back at the hotel about 3 pm. We found later that she’d actually started walking the neighborhood and had walked almost two hours on her own checking out prices on the various hotels in the Paddington area. She was napping by the time we returned.

Nancy and I walked from the hotel to the road that divides Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. We found a broad path that was on the Kensington side and strolled with the Sunday morning joggers, tourists and strollers through the beautiful and lush grounds. At one point we stopped to visit a training garden designed to teach people how to ecologically grow plants in small places; it was called The Allotment.

Soon we were at the bridge over The Serpentine Lake and crossed the road to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. This was my third visit and I still find it an emotional experience because of the story of her life they tell with the various flows of the water: rough, swift, noisy, so still you can hear your own breath and water so still it is hardly moving.

We continued walking through the park to the southern edge for a view of Queen Victoria’s memorial to her husband/consort Prince Albert. It is a glorious tribute with a golden Albert sitting on his throne.

Crossing Kensington we walked to the South Kensington Underground/Tube for a trip to St. James Station arriving at 11:15 am…we almost ran from the station to Westminster Abbey where we wanted to get into the 11:15 Communion Service. One of the ways to get into the Abbey on Sunday is to attend a service! We scooted in behind a group and said yes, we were with that group, when asked by the ushers.

We were seated in folding chairs in the Poet’s corner of the Abbey. It was a beautiful service complete with a marvelous choir composed of the Lay Vicars of Westminster Abbey accompanied by the organist…. the music of angels.

We were invited to participate in the communion service and it was interesting in that the entire service could have been in a catholic church except that a woman presided.

It was a truly marvelous experience for each of us. Afterwards we stayed as long as they would allow and saw many of the things that one would visit as a tourist. They don’t allow photos so the ones you see are illegal shots and not very good.

We started walking again toward Buckingham Palace by way of St. James’s Park. There were many families enjoying the park; a fence divided the path from the grass but people just stepped over it. As we crossed the bridge over the lake in the center of the park we had a view of Buckingham Palace on one end and many turrets and towers on the other end. Downing Street and government buildings are located there. We could also see the London Eye in the distance.

Continuing on we reached The Mall road and found the beginnings of a Military Parade….there is no changing of the guard today but this was even better. We decided we were really having a serendipity day!

After the parade passed we continued to Buckingham Palace; the Victoria Memorial in front of the Palace is under repairs and covered, disappointing but what can you do. We’ve found lots of that because of the preparation for the Olympics in 2012. Even Kensington Palace is undergoing a massive restoration and not worth visiting for the few things that you can see per the tour books.

Off towards Westminster Cathedral, the Catholic Cathedral in London, we walked in the wrong direction and ended back at Westminster Abbey! Oops…but we did find Victoria Street that eventually took us to the Cathedral; a beautiful and unusual Byzantine style built in from 1895 – 1903. A stark contrast to the extremely modern glass building across the street.

Our tootsies were tired and it was 2:30 … time to get back to the hotel. We walked to the Victoria Station and caught the Tube back to the hotel. There we found Miss Barbara sound asleep. Woke her up and off we went to the Victoria & Albert Museum…by TAXI…a treat by Barbara! We didn’t have much time but enjoyed about an hour and a half of the acres of displays. One of my favorites was a beautiful cross reliquary for a piece of the wooden Cross of Christ that was about the size of a postage stamp.

Caught the bus towards Marble Arch after leaving the Museum and decided to go to a pub called Taylor Walker that had an upstairs restaurant called Rose & Crown Restaurant. We enjoyed a wonderful meal that was slow in coming because of the rush of customers all at one time; but worth the wait.

Back on the bus we arrived at Paddington Station that is only a block from the Hotel; we found that it is about a block closer that the one we’d been using. Home about 8:30 pm we spent the evening planning our next two weeks. We don’t have any reservations so it’s an open book! We have booked the same car service that we used last Thursday so our trip to Heathrow to pick up our rental car tomorrow should be an easy morning. No wifi in the room tonight so I’ll send this at breakfast.