9/16 to 9/20 - English Lake District and Home

9/16

The train to Penrith cuts a swath across the southern boundaries of Scotland and then forges downward to the lakes. We passed through Lockerbie, by the way. Very sad, the thought of what happened there.

At the station, I was met by Sandra and Neil again who had offered to chaperone me for most of the time I was in the Lake District. We drove back to the B&B (which was my favorite Goodwin House in the town of Keswick).



Keswick

We quickly made our way to the laundramat as it would be the only chance I’d have to do laundry that week. It took a relatively short time before we were done and on our way to Aira Force.


Neil and Sarn

Greg had taken me to this lovely waterfall many years before, and I was happy to be back trudging through the forests and uphill to catch the breathtaking view. I say uphill, but after Edinburgh, this was nothing! LOL


Aira Force

On the way up, we saw this very cool tree… isn’t it cool?


Cool Tree

Anyway, after the trip, we drove back to Keswick to rest up and agreed to meet later for pub and food.

The pub we went to had really great food, too! If you want a decent meal – for the most part pubs will give you more and better for your money. Whoohoo! We thought we might go pub crawling, but the entertainment at the second pub was so bad we decided to just call it a night.

9/17

The next day was our travel day. There were so many things I wanted to do, and we did them all. Our first stop was to the Wisconsin of England – which is Wensleydale. There, we visited the Wensleydale Creamery and Visitor’s Centre at Hawes.

If you go here, you can see part of the same video we watched at the Visitor’s Centre:

Wensleydale Creamery

After our tour, we bought fresh cheese at the gift shop (let me just say YUM, by the way).

We stopped by the Ropemaker’s (also in Hawes) to get Eric some rope samples (he makes rope). Then, we packed it in and drove to Thirsk. Along the way, I saw signs that said “Ripon 6”… which is where I used to live, but we didn’t have time to stop.

At Thirsk, we were looking for the James Herriot Museum, and it wasn’t long before it found us!





James Herriot Museum

The museum was very well done and even showed the stage set for the television series (which I thought was pretty neat).

By the end of our tour, we were getting hungry… should we eat in Thirsk or at our next stop, Kilburn. Hmmmm. We decided to shoot for Kilburn and off we went.

Kilburn is a tiny town in Yorkshire, but has several interesting sights. The first is the Sutton Bank Visitor’s Centre at the Great North Yorkshire Moors National Park (which we didn’t have time to visit).

The second is the White Horse Cliff:


White Horse Cliff

Neil, Sandra, and I hiked up to the top and had a breathtaking view of the surrounding areas:





Views from the White Horse Cliff

We even got to watch as a glider was hoisted into the air from the nearby airport. It was rather surreal in this remote part of Yorkshire.

Anyway, we made our way back down the hill and into the town of Kilburn. We were famished by then, but were unpleasantly surprised to find the local pub closed! Luckily, there was a little café open and we were able to get some sandwiches there. Across the street was our final destination…

The Mouseman. Robert Thompson was a phenomenal woodworker who hand crafted furniture (mainly for churches) in the early 1900s. His work goes on today and you’ll find nothing but the highest quality wood furniture with his signature “mouse” carved into it. I purchased a small pin dish and was delighted.

I think we’d all just about toured ourselves out, so it was back to Keswick and another night of great pub food. The pub we stopped at was a favorite of Neil and Sarn's, and we were HUNGRY. So, Neil ordered something called a "Cow Pie"...which, obviously, was made out of an entire cow!


Cow Pie

It was enough to make the quasi vegetarian in me quake in fear.

9/18

On Friday, we’d decided that I’d go off and do my own thing and we’d meet up for lunch at our favorite pub. So, off I went. I had some shopping to do, and was happy to find the Fellswalker lotion at The Soap Co. in Keswick (great for soothing tired tootsies). I also just walked around and peeked into shops as I found them interesting. At one point, I located a large Oxfam store (their version of Goodwill), and found some interesting souvenirs that didn’t cost very much.

I also wanted to go to the local liquor store and buy a gift for Neil and Sarn (which turned out to be an expensive bottle of Single Barrel Jack Daniels. After all that shopping, it was time for lunch! I had a lovely roast beef with peas and Yorkshire pudding (yum).

Neil and Sarn had some things they wanted to do on their way back to Manchester, and I was just enjoying the leisurely pace of the day, so we parted ways (sadly). It had been a great visit and thanks from the bottom of my heart, you two, for all you did for me!

In the afternoon, I was just sort of milling about and trying to figure out a plan of action. I decided at the last minute to purchase a ticket for the local lake tour. This is a boat that travels (almost like a ferry) from point to point along the lake line. I think many of the lakes in the region do something similar. Anyway, if you like, you can get off at one point and hike to the next. It’s a great way to get some walking in and still be able to catch a ride home.

Here’s a video of part of my walk down to the lake:



Heading back, I took some pictures at the local park (Hope Park).





Hope Park

Sadly, I headed back to my B&B to pack for the final leg of my journey to London.

9/19

Got a taxi very early in the morning as I had to be at the station in Penrith by 8 to catch my train. Marion, the owner of the B&B, graciously fixed me a large lunch and had it waiting on the front desk when I left.

I was lucky enough to find a seat next to two elderly Glasgowian ladies on their way to Blackpool. They were such a hoot! (When I could understand them.)

I got into London around noon, caught my train to Penge and realized that staying in Penge that last day was a mistake. There were no trains out of Penge the following morning until 8 am… much too late for me to catch my flight. Frances, the owner of Melrose House, kindly assisted me by ordering a taxi for the following morning to West Croydon which would then take me on to Gatwick.

I was too tired to do much that afternoon, so I hung around Penge and did a final walk around the area. The local church was having a barbecue, and the smells wafted throughout the street. It was perfect weather, and I just enjoyed the leisurely time soaking in the houses and gardens… and everything that IS England to me.

How can I describe what it feels like to feel a country in every pore of your body? From the shops in the villages to the footpaths, lakes, and mountains… from the kindness of strangers to the peaceful solitude of sitting on a park bench and just “being.”

I was so blessed to have this trip, and so lucky to have my good friends along the way to escort me through parts of it. And to have met new friends who I’ll cherish even if we never meet again.

9/20

It was an early day to the airport, but I got there in good time. Made my final purchase in duty free (my favorite Estee Lauder perfume, “Beautiful” and headed for the boarding area. I regretted having bought a round trip ticket.

I landed in Charlotte and easily caught my connection to Austin. Arrived on time and without incident. Tom was there to pick me up (THANKS TOM!). I do appreciate your making that effort.

I was whisked back to my house and my dogs and my daily grind. I’m glad for the moments of magic I had and the memories. I wondered if there would ever be a way for me, again, to live in England so that I could rectify all the times when I didn’t appreciate it so much when I lived there before. Ah well, only time will tell.

9/14 to 9/15 – Edinburgh

9/14

I love traveling by train. It’s a great way to enjoy the company of new people (some even interesting), see the countryside, and have someone else do the driving.

People in the states should really catch on to the idea of mass rail transit. It’s the way to go!

At any rate, I got into Edinburgh early, and my baggage and I went looking for the exit to the rail station.

Here’s what we found:



Waverly Station - Edinburgh

I was daunted, but determined to get out of there, so I hauled my bags up each and every step.

Then, it was across the main street (Princes) and down about half a mile to the B&B. I’d been warned that the B&B was up several flights of stairs, but just let me say…SEVENTY steps? OMG, I was horrified… but determined…

So, up I went. Only to find out that my room wasn’t yet ready! Oh well, time to sightsee a bit. That meant storing my bags at the B&B, going back down (SEVENTY) steps, and back the way I came. WHEW.

Princes Street hosts about a bazillion shops, so I had no problem locating many gifts for my friends back home. The bad part of all of this is that Edinburgh is undergoing some kind of mass transit renovation, and they’re laying tram tracks right down the center of Princes Street. Views were blocked in almost every direction. However, I was only shopping, so no biggie.

Went back to the B&B and up (SEVENTY) steps to my room.

The room was smallish (most UK “singles” are a twin bed in a small space). I had none of the wonderful views that the brochure had shown (wah!). But it was clean and comfortable – and the manager (Honor) and her husband were very gracious.

I was laying there napping and guilting myself because this was the only day I was going to have to tour Edinburgh. Tomorrow was my all-day tour of the Highlands and Distilleries! So, I got up, and hauled myself back down (SEVENTY) steps to Princes Street. From there, you have to cross over to another part of town passing by museum alley (or whatever it was). Then UP about 50 steps. This was the sight I saw:



Edinburgh Castle

Wow. It was so imposing and beautiful. But, to get there – I had to find the Royal Mile, which turned out to be… you guessed it…

Up Hill!

I will say this – I gained some muscle those two days in Edinburgh!
The Royal Mile is a lovely area of shops (both touristy and not), old buildings, churches, and history. For the timetable I was on, the history was going to have to slide a little. I walked (uphill) toward the castle. They had just had the Tattoo, so there was scaffolding everywhere being taken down. Not the most scenic time to visit the town!

But, I got my ticket and was then faced with… tadaaa….

MORE STEPS



Castle Steps

At least I didn’t have any baggage with me. Up the steps I went – and into the castle courtyards. Oh my how beautiful they were!

You could see for miles.



Castle Yards

I toured around a bit taking pictures and buying souvenirs before heading back to the Royal Mile and down to Holyrood Palace. Along the way, I found Royal Mile Whiskeys and was able to get three bottles of highly-recommended scotch shipped to my house. I alsolocated the tour company’s store front for my tour the following day, and made note. By the time I got to the end of the Royal Mile (which really is a mile), I was pretty tired. It was also late, so I didn’t go into Holyrood (I’d seen it before), and I caught a bus over to Princes Street (I couldn’t face all those steps again!). TGIFridays was right next to my B&B, so that’s where I had dinner. In fact, many of my meals, unfortunately, were handled by American restaurants.

Then, it was up (SEVENTY) steps to my room. Which was upstairs, by the way.

9/15

The breakfast served at the B&B was wonderful and I met an American couple there who were visiting from North Carolina. Marilyn and Jim. They were really sweet, and were finishing up a trip that had taken them to various parts of the UK. I believe Edinburgh was their last stop before going home. We discussed life and the existence of so many steps in one city, then it was time for me to go to my tour. I had 45 minutes… so as I crossed Princes Street and went up the wall of steps there, I decided to get a coke. Afterwards, looked at my watch, and I only had 15 minutes to get there! I fairly ran down the Royal Mile – huffing and puffing – and finally got to the tour company. In front of it was parked a bus with a lady driver… so I asked if this was the Rabbies tour. She said, “no, I think they meet at ___” and gave me an address several blocks UP the Royal Mile. I started off in a run, but by that time, running uphill was just beyond me and I was going to miss the tour. So, I caught a taxi for the few blocks to the area she had indicated. Got out and…

No tours!

I was desperate by then, so I phoned the tour company. Turns out, the tour had been back downhill where I was originally. Luckily, the tour left late that morning. We were off by around 10:30.

I don’t recall our tour guide’s name, but he was genial enough.
Our first stop was at the Forth Bridge – breathtaking views of the waterways that go through Edinburgh.


Forth Bridge

From there, we went to the small town of Dunkeld. I found out later that when the Norse marauders had demolished Catholic strongholds in outlying Scottish islands, the center of Catholicism had moved to Dunkeld. But we really had no historical briefing before landing in the town. I just enjoyed the small shops, and getting a hot tea!

Then, we were off again. This time to the Hermitage. It was a beautiful day, and the Hermitage is a lovely forest walk to a series of waterfalls that just took your breath away.



Falls at the Hermitage

I ran into a Canadian couple on the trip who were quite nice, but we were operating at different paces (she had severe fibromyalgia), so we just hung out as we could and did our own thing for the rest.

Our next stop was Pitlochry which was very near the highly-recommended whiskey distillery of Blair Athol. I didn’t get a chance to tour Blair Athol, but I did enjoy Pitlochry for its quaint shops. I got a small sandwich at a butcher’s shop before continuing back to the bus.

The weather had held up well the entire trip thus far, so I was excited to see the last half of our journey. Next on the stop was Queen’s View:




Queen’s View

The vistas were amazing and the air so clean and clear… I fell in love with Scotland in spite of all the steps.

Then, we were off again! This time to Aberfeldy and the Dewars Distillery tour. I’m not a huge Dewars fan, and the actual distillery was not in operation at the time. So, we were only able to do the museum tour – which was mildly interesting. I did find out what a Qaich was! I had seen these small bowls everywhere.



Qaich

This is pronounced “cake”, by the way. It’s used in welcoming and parting to share a wee dram of alcohol with your friends. Sort of like breaking bread. Of course, I got one.

I taste tested some of the Dewars, but stuck to my general opinion that it wasn’t my favorite. And, onward went the bus!

Our last stop of the day was in Killin. I could have stayed there a night or two, the town was just lovely with a river running through the middle of it!

There was an ill-fated clan called McNabb, many of whom emigrated to North America. (See http://www.perthshire-scotland.co.uk/clans-macnab.htm).



McNab Burial Grounds

Sadly, we had to leave Killin and make our way back to Edinburgh. The driver dropped me off at Princes Street – so half the uphill journey was avoided.

I stopped for a quick bite at a McDonalds (in Scotland – whee!), and made my way back up (SEVENTY) steps to my B&B.

I loved my trip to Edinburgh and the highlands. I’m hoping to go back someday (and build up more muscle mass). LOL

The next morning, it was up bright and early to catch my train to Penrith and the English Lake District!

9/12 to 9/14 - Reepham/Norfolk

9/12

Woke up to a wonderful breakfast by the talent that is Chef Greg. He’s vegetarian, but man can the guy cook!

Around 10 am, we took off for a leisurely drive to Norfolk. It was absolutely lovely. I had no idea that Norfolk had Dutch-like windmills. Evidently, they had similar issues to Holland with the land being mostly swamp, so they hired the Dutch to help them pump out all the extra water.



After a brief interval searching for a loo at a Dinosaur park, we arrived at Reepham (which is the town outside of Norfolk where Kim lives).



Kim and Greg had graciously booked me a room above the local pub, so I checked in and we had a small lunch. Reepham is a lovely little town complete with some very interesting shops.

We drove to one place - Kim, what was the name of it? It was a huge store full of all kinds of gifty things. I picked up a glass cat for my friend Petra, then went across the street to the cafe for tea and scones. It was a beautiful day out, the weather was perfect. :)

We went back into town and looked briefly at a few stores in the main marketplace area before retiring for a nap. The nap was required as we were going on our 1940s murder mystery steam train evening that night!



Us

Thanks very much to Kim who went to all the trouble of locating a costume for me! She's a keeper, Greg!

I did learn that Kim could very easily have taken up a career in housecleaning...



The following is one of two (or was it three) dead bodies along the train trip:



Dead Body


We went home that night, and I prepared to sleep... in this ancient room above the ancient pub where I'm sure at least one ghost was living. So, I kept the light on all night long and didn't sleep at all. Scary!

9/13

Ahhh Sunday Sunday... and didn't have to meet Greg and Kim til 9:30 which left me with tons of time to ramble around the marketplace alone. I went to the local off-license and bought a few souvenirs and such.

Took a picture of the local thatched house.



And generally hung out.

Kim and Greg showed up, and we headed out for Cromer on the coast by the North Sea.

It was quite cold and windy on the beach...



but amazingly fun. We went to the RNLI museum which is a fund raising museum for Britain's "coast guard" which is a volunteer-run organization! I found lots of goodies in Cromer for my friends and family. Then, we headed into Norwich.

Had lunch at a cafe - food was great and company even better. There's a shopping arcade which we hit with a vengeance and a castle that looks a bit like a large crate. (We didn't have time to go through it.)



Norwich Castle

Drove back to Reepham to get ready for the grand finale that night which was... tadaa... the Tim Minchinconcert! Tim stumbled a little in the beginning - but he's known for ticking off just about anyone at any given time and making fun of things like racism, prejudice, religion, and politics.

I loved it. :)

"Oh, I can have a dark side... if you want me to"... he sang, but couldn't quite get through it without a "Yippee" and a tour down jitterbug lane.

His encore is what really sold me. He did a rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Halleluja"... the best version of that song I think I've ever heard. It brought the audience to it's feet (me included) cheering spastically.

What fun!

Unfortunately it all came crashing down...

9/14

Sad sad... I have to leave Kim and Greg today. God bless Kim - she's mailing me a ton of stuff so I don't have to carry it around with me. AND, they got up in the wee hours just to drive me a few hours west to Peterborough to catch my train to Edinburgh. We actually made it an hour ahead of schedule, and I was able to take an earlier train.

Yippee! (As Tim Minchin would say.)

Bye dear friends... and thank you for everything!

UK Trip 9/8 through 9/11

9/8 to 9/9

I couldn’t sleep the night before the trip. It wasn’t so much excitement as it was… insomnia. So, by the time Eric picked me up at 7 am, and by the time I got to the airport at 7:30…

I was wiped out. Also, I’d gotten a kink in my lower back. I was hoping it would go away as I had these two bags to lug with me all the way to England (I didn’t check anything in). I noticed a chair massage station at the airport, I had 3 hours to kill… it was a no brainer. So, I got in the chair, and this woman (Genie) was a brilliant massage therapist. She worked and worked the area until I was a completely new person (after half an hour). Thank you Genie!!!

I had a light breakfast (breakfast taco) and sat around waiting for the plane.

The type of plane I boarded was one of those smaller commuter jets. You think they’re just too small to be owned by a major airline (well, airline partner, really). But there I was in seat 8G BY the window. My theory is – sit by the window if it’s a domestic flight. By the aisle if it’s not. Now, I may change that theory at any given moment. Because – while it’s nice to have the leg room and the exitability of an aisle seat on the international flights – you also give up the nice wall to rest your head next to. That will be one of those million dollar debates, I suppose. But, we made it into Charlotte on time, and I was there for a four-hour wait.

Now, Charlotte airport is not big enough to wait four hours in. Even with a book and money to burn. I ended up in a little bar with comfy chairs writing in my travel journal. After my tenth glass of water, I figured I had bugged the waitress enough, so I trudged over to my waiting area with two hours still to go. That’s when I met my first trip best friend, Mia.

Mia is a beautiful lady with dark hair, British accent, and dark tan. She’s also irreverent and humorous and I liked her instantly. Mia was on the way to her mother’s 80th birthday and her sister’s? neice’s? wedding. Mia worked as a baggage handler for Jet Blue I think it was. She was able to get discount tickets overseas (lucky girl) but time off was another thing altogether, so she only had five days to do all she needed to do. Well, we sat there and talked like we’d known each other forever. Swapped information before we boarded, and have since sent emails back and forth.

We boarded the plane and I had carefully chosen my seat (aisle, of course) and not in the middle section of the plane. Even so, it was not a comfortable flight. The crew didn’t seem all that concerned with our comfort. I know it’s a long flight, and it must be an awful job to have to serve 200+ people for 6 hours or so… but they kept waking us up. I was nearly asleep when one of the stewards came by for Duty Free. I raised my hand because I wanted to get a bottle of Jack Daniels for my friends Sandra and Neil. “We don’t have any more,” he told me. Then turned my reading light on, nearly blinding me. I’m not sure why he did that as I wasn’t going to order any duty free if they didn’t have the Jack Daniels. Now, I couldn’t get back to sleep.

My seat partner, Joe, was originally from the West Indies and was working on emigrating from the UK to the US. His wife was currently living in Charlotte. Joe was a great guy and talked about growing up in Montserrat http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Monestir_de_Montserrat_vista_Roca_de_St._Jaume.jpg. Joe slept most of the trip and I didn’t. I did dutifully take my no jet lag pills, though, and drank enough water to drown an elephant. No caffeine. I’m not sure what did it, but I had pretty much zero jet lag when I got to England. We arrived early in London – by about 45 minutes (about 7 am their time).

I was in the front of the plane (and I can be a pushy broad when I want to be), and I wanted to beat the 200+ passengers at immigration and customs. I needn’t have worried. We must have been the first plane to land, and there were NO lines and no people! The immigration hall which normally contains hundreds and hundreds of folks coming in from other countries was EMPTY! I zipped through! And with no baggage to claim and nothing to declare, I was through!

My good friend Mia got through customs about the same time I did, so we made our way to the trains. She helped me decipher the code that is the ticketing machine… but finally, I got tickets to get me to Croyden. My last view of dear Mia was seeing her on the opposite platform waiting for her train to Brighton.

Well, I was on my own again, it seemed on the train to Croyden. Closing my eyes, smelling the damp earth – uh… damp? The sun… oh my god, I’d landed in the wrong city! Sure enough, sunshine and warmth were to follow me my whole journey this visit. I got to Melrose House B&B around 8 am. Poor Frances (the owner) wasn’t quite ready for me, but very courteously asked if I’d like to have some breakfast with the others in the house. I sat for some tea and met the most delightful new friends, Roy and Yvonne. Both had a lovely Irish brogue that I could have listened to for days. They were just wonderful people – from Canada – and in the UK to visit their son who was going to dance school.



Melrose House B&B

Finally, I took my leave as Frances had my room ready. It was my favorite room! Number 2. The one with the huge bathroom across the hall. I immediately dropped my bags and made my way to the shower. You don’t know how ungodly you felt until you have one of those soul-cleansing showers. And, though I was not really jet lagging, I was tired. Too tired to catch the train into London today. So, I thought I’d experience what Penge (the little town I was in) had to offer.

Let’s see if I can describe… Penge is typical of any suburbs very close to a large city. There were some rough spots, but it wasn’t nearly as chaotic as staying in town. It has the air of the city about it, but still keeps the tree-lined streets, the well-kept gardens, the gothic churches with bells chiming. You can stand on the street in front of my B&B and breathe, in other words. Melrose House is a lovely place with several floors. In the few times I’ve stayed with Frances, I always end up in Room #2 (which is just fine with me). Room #2 overlooks Frances’ gorgeous back garden.



View of Back Garden from Room #2

Inside, she has a large breakfast area (around which I met Roy and Yvonne) and a lovely sun room. Her home always leaves me feeling like I’m *at* home! But, leaving Frances’ B&B and walking toward the High Street became my first adventure. It’s quite a walk to the High Street. Perhaps a mile each way. But the weather was absolutely lovely. Upon turning right on the High Street, I was almost immediately met with a nice little café. So, I took myself in and ordered a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. Then, sat out under an umbrella and watched the passersby.

Quite a mixture. I would say that Penge seems a bit like… hmmm… well, if you’re from the Houston area, Penge would have been like Pasadena. I finished up my sandwich and walked around a bit to find post cards. Ah! A post office loomed on my horizon, so I toodled off to see if they had any post cards.

Note: Many of the post offices in English towns are still located within convenience stores. Makes it kind of nice, really. I bought my cards and my stamps all in one fell swoop.

Then, I walked back along the street to Sainsburys (a chain grocery store) to see if I could pick up some Jack Daniels for Neil. Which I did. Two bottles’ worth! Of course, the English bottles were about half the size of the American ones. Took myself back to the B&B and rested while writing home of my adventures thus far (which had barely begun!). At any rate, I finished about half the post cards and decided to take a nap. Ah… glorious, glorious. To be able to leave the window open, feel the cool breeze, and have NO bugs bother me! It was heaven. Upon awaking, I noted the time and decided to hike back into the town. I dropped off half the post cards that I’d written into a post box (one of those big red ones with the ER on it for Elizabeth Rex). Then, went back to the Post Office to get a phone card.

Having done that, I cast my eyes about for a place to get something smallish for dinner. Sandy had talked to me of these things called Cornish pasties, and I saw one in a local bakery. So! Without further adieu, it became MY Cornish pasty and came home with me. The walk back was nice, and I went up to my room to eat and finish up the post cards. My Cornish pasty, by the way, was nothing to write home about. Basically, it was pureed meat, carrots, onions, and spices inside a pastry shell. Cornish miners used to take them into the mines for their lunches because they were so portable.



Cornish Pasty

I finished writing my post cards, and relaxed in front of the TV still smiling as the lovely cool breeze wafted across the bedroom. That was pretty much all there was to the first day. I had originally planned to go into London, but if I had, I would probably have ruined the lovely non-jet-lag I experienced on my trip.

9/10

I got up rather early, showered, and made my way to breakfast. There, I saw my good friends Roy and Yvonne and just spent a leisurely hour or so chatting with them (rather than rushing into town). They were wonderful people! I enjoyed talking with them very much. Anyway, I had to run and they did as well, so we parted ways.

I got from Penge to Victoria Station which was right across the street from the show I wanted to go see. So, I made my way there and got tickets to Billy Elliot from the box office. I had decided to go to the Winston Churchill museum and war rooms. Something about Churchill had recently grabbed my imagination, so off I went!

The museum, like so many tourist landmarks was within spitting distance of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and other notable edifices. It was also there that I met my newest hero… Boudica. For her story, read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudica. Her statue lies across the street from the Houses of Parliament and quite close to the London Eye (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_eye). Here’s her statue:



Boudicca

But, I hadn’t come to see any of these tourist attractions – I was off to find Winston Churchill! So, using my considerable cartographic skills, I ended up at Churchill’s statue. The War Rooms eluded me, however. So I continued across the street and over to some official looking building that ended up being their High Court. I should’ve guessed by the men with the ear pieces. So, this ditzy tourist walks in and says, “Where are the War Rooms?” Luckily one ear-piece borg guy knew – and I was on my way.

The Churchill Museum and War Rooms were quasi-interesting. I’m afraid that most museums tend to bore me. Does that seem weird for someone so into history? To me history isn’t an old typewriter with a plaque on it. It’s the mystery and adventure of the time, event, or person. It’s the little-known battles of the mind and heart. Let me touch something real – like the ruins of Middleham Castle or the floors of York Minster. Let me go to the Shambles and *see* what history is about. Don’t box it up and label it. I might as well read a book.

Having said that, the War Rooms were mildly interesting. You got to see where Churchill and his advisors planned their defensive and offensive moves during WWII. You got to see the bunkers where people lived and slept (hard to imagine), and to which place people retired during bombing attacks. It was amazing really. Then there were the exhibits (especially the huge touch screen in the middle of the floor that didn’t appear to work).

And, does *anyone* like those darn recording devices you have to carry around and listen to? I don’t. Bah. So, off I went in search of other adventures.

Across the street from the War Rooms is the most gorgeous city park (St. James). A little squirrel came right up to you and begged for food. Flowers were in bloom everywhere… pictures were just not enough. If I had more time, I’d take a picnic to St. James and enjoy a day of leisure.



St. James Park

Down the walk from St. James, I saw the London Horseguards (which I could’ve toured but didn’t). I decided to tube it over to Trafalgar Square and see if Lord Nelson was still around.

As it turns out, he was! But, when my camera ran out of battery power, I was forced to dive into a souvenir shop for replacements. Who should I find there but Roy and Yvonne! My dear friends. It’s a good thing too, because I got their email address. I left too early the next morning to have gotten it then. We laughed and talked… I took my pictures then headed for Picadilly Circus.

Got pictures there (all this was for you, dear reader). By this time, I was hungry and need to get going so I tubed it to Victoria Station again and headed to Garfunkels for lunch. Garfunkels is kinda like the English version of Dennys, I’ve determined. Not great, but not bad either. Then, I went to see my show across the street. That’s when I met my third best friend, Jeanie.

Jeanie sat next to me at the musical (how serendipitous). She was a lively lady from Johannesburg, South Africa. She was so much fun! She kept plying me with these red licorice type sweets and told me of her life in Jburg, and the son she had come to visit. Billy Elliott was a blast, and we both enjoyed the show. Afterward, I had no plans – so we decided to go to Victoria Station to look for a Buddhist shop she’d been told about.

That’s when we met George.

In the middle of the street is a pedestrian island. Around it is all the traffic for Victoria Palace and Victoria Station (lots of traffic). In the middle of the island, shuffling at the great rate of about 1 cm a minute and looking very confused was this little old man. I asked him if he needed help across the street and he offered that he did and that his name was George. George was going to the grocery store. As slowly as he walked, he’d never get across the street, so with Jeanie taking one arm and I the other, we said, “RUN!” hehehe… and fairly lifted George across the street. With a thanks and a fond adieu, we left him to shuffle to Sainsburys.

We then crossed the busy street again, spent 15 minutes looking for the non-existent Buddhist shop, and came back to the traffic island. From there, we could see that George had only progressed about 20 feet! We had no idea what to do or who to turn to. There were no cops about. So, we had to hope that George found his way home somehow.

Jeanie and I went into the little pub and had a few drinks while catching up on each others’ lives. What a cool person! I felt sad that I had to say goodbye, but I had to get home before dark. So, farewell it was and an amazing adventure for my second day in the UK.

9/11

A date that will live in infamy. But it was a glorious day in 2009 when I picked up the 6:40 train to Victoria Station. I was on my way to see Sarn for a day of shopping in Stoke-on-Trent!

Lugging baggage, I wondered if I'd make it to Euston Station (my departure point) on time, but somehow I found the connecting underground and was there in good order. The train ride to Stoke-on-Trent was gorgeous. I love the trains in Europe... it's the only way to travel (when there's no strike). I watched as towns and countryside whisked past, and ended up in SoT early! So, I hung around for a bit til Sarn showed up and we were OFF! (Mentally as well.) hehe.

Sarn is a lovely person with a heart as big as Texas. She drove me first to the Wedgewood museum. It was a very well done museum, but - again - boredom set in. You can only view so many plates! I did learn that there was a familial connection between the Wedgewoods and Charles Darwin. That was interesting.

We got a bite to eat at the Wedgewood cafe (I had a lovely fish and chips there), then we decided to go off and do the fun stuff (which was shopping at the china outlets). Whoohoo! We stopped first at the Portmeirion outlet, but didn't find anything. Then it was on to Wedgewood/Royal Doulton. There, I purchased my two lovely ladies! Here's are pictures:





We wondered how we'd spend the rest of our day, so we asked the lady at the Wedgewood shop who said we should see Trentham Estate. Never heard of it, but we went anyway and were pleasantly surprised!

Trentham Estate (http://www.trenthamleisure.co.uk)encompasses a lovely garden (which we didn't get to see) and a shopping village. The shopping village was a lovely boardwalk containing all sorts of little shops. The day was perfect, so Sarn and I popped into almost every shop.



With that, our day was at an end. Sarn dropped me off at the train station and I was on my way to Leicester to meet up with Kim and Greg. They picked me up in Leicester, drove me home, cooked me a meal that couldn’t be beat, and gave me the only bed in the house to sleep on (bless ya, dearies!). It had been a wonderful day.

I've Got Baggage!

Did I mention packing for the trip? I think I just about got everything I needed: Umbrella, outer jacket (weatherproof), inner jacket (fleece), long pants, socks, long-sleeved shirts, and one pair of shoes. Someone once asked me how I could travel for two weeks out of a piece of carry-on luggage. The answer is quite simply: necessity and laundramats. My mother will attest to our one trip to the UK carrying oversized American luggage up several flights of stairs, through city traffic, onto subways… it wasn’t a pretty sight. From that point on, it’s been a mission of mine to pack light. I did laundry twice while in the UK - once at Greg's and once in the Lakes. Neither took much time (and thanks to Greg and Kim/Sarn and Neil for their folding abilities!).

I had originally planned to take the Rick Steve’s backpack/carryon – but after attempting to pack what I’d need and trying it on… I looked a bit like an ant carrying a boulder. And, I’m not as young as I once was – I didn’t want to throw my back out on my trip!

Here are the two things similar to what I ended up taking:



The carry on held five days worth of clothes and my fleece jacket. The shoulder bag carried my outer jacket, books, papers, umbrella, and camera. Here I should note that the carry on is made by Skyway. Mine is a much older version, but it has held up over 3-4 of my overseas trips (and believe me, my bags come back BULGING). It also has a nice option of the horizontal or vertical carry handle. The tote handle pops out easily and has never fouled up on me.

The Eddie Bauer bag – get this – is the best thing I’ve done recently in my travels. It’s actually NOT a travel bag. It’s a diaper bag! Travel bags typically either cost too much or have those skinny notebook computer compartments I have no use for. Diaper bags came with LOTS of room and pockets. And even a baby changing pad if you need one.

It didn’t cost nearly what a luggage bag would have, and I was everso pleased with it. You can get them at Target.

With bags packed, I was dropped off at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA). They must call it international for a reason; however, there are no direct flights to the UK (more’s the pity).

The airlines… a lesson in humility

Well, I thought I was being smart when I read an article about how to get a US Airways RT to London Gatwick for very little cash. I signed up for two credit cards, and Voila! It was done.

Or was it?

The only flights US Airways had on the dates required were from Dallas, not Austin (my origination point). So, the original fees charged me for the credit cards (equaling about $140) were now having an additional $175 tacked on for a RT hop from Austin to Dallas.

The total ticketing was now $315. When I booked the tickets from Dallas, I was charged the taxes (around $150) for the international flight. This now brings the ticket total to $465. Still a deal… but, rather than a two leg trip (which I’m used to), this has now become a three-leg trip with stops at DFW, Charlotte, and London Gatwick.

Fast forward to today. A month prior to the trip. I realize now that both airlines have shifted schedules so much that I won’t be able to make my Austin connection on the way home. I called US Airways to see if I could get an earlier flight from Charlotte.

I can’t.

I must fork out $188 to American Airlines to get an earlier flight. The cost of my “free” ticket is now $653.

I think, “Perhaps I can get back some frequent flier miles from US Air.” I try that. Surprise! They not only can book me from Charlotte, but they can get me to Austin non-stop! Yay!

I call American back (within an hour of having made my reservation from Charlotte) to ask if they can stop the ticket purchase I had just made. With the US Airlines agent on the phone with me, telling me that US Air has a policy to refund if a change is made within 24 hours… the American agent refused. Bluntly. Not only did she refuse, but so did her supervisor.

I asked if American wanted my future business… and there was silence.

There is no phone number for AA customer relations, only an email. I’m sure they’ll receive my complaint tomorrow (Monday) by which time if they *could* have refunded my money, they wouldn’t.

This treatment angers me on so many different levels.
 Airlines shifting schedules so that it inconveniences customers to this extent.
 Incompetent agents not verifying schedules and giving incorrect information.
 Rude agents and impossible airline policies that won’t refund a ticket within 24 hours when there’s no reason not to.

I will probably fly US Airways again since the second agent was able to get me a round trip directly to Charlotte from Austin. However, American will never see me again.

Keepin' it Real...

Well, it’s rolling on down to time for my vacation! I’m so looking forward to this.

Kim and Greg called last weekend to confirm a few things and I sent them an updated schedule with train times.

Kim is going to tweak my schedule just a bit, herself, and when she does I’ll post it.

One of my most favorite things to do on vacation is buy presents. Which is odd, because it costs money and they can be very unwieldy to carry. However, be that as it may, I LOVE doing it. One of my most memorable trips was when I was in York and I located a ropemaker on the other side of the county. Well, I have a friend that makes rope and another friend that wanted sheep’s roving (which is the cleaned and processed wool of a sheep). I had NO idea how I was going to do this, but I got in my car, and headed out (on the LEFT side of the road) for Hawes – land of the ropemaker. Well, it was an interesting tour on how rope is made, and I was able to get a few samples and a book for my friend. Amazingly enough, we were at the heart of Wensleydale (sort of the Wisconsin of England). They had a country museum in Hawes, and it was THERE I was able to locate a sheep farm that sold roving! So, on my way back, I did a little side trip, and Voila. Sheep roving!

I liken my passion for finding gifties to hunting wild game in Africa. I love chasing down the exact right gift. It doesn’t always work out that way, and I know plenty of my friends are likely tired of key chains and post cards… but I do my best.

Thank goodness for my friend Russ who just comes right out and says, “I’d like a shot glass from…” or “something in tweed from Scotland”… those are the most efficient trips, I find.

Now, for myself? I usually do one or two really memorable things. Like in Dublin, I got myself a tshirt from the concert I attended and one from Trinity College.
I don’t know what I’ll be getting’ myself into this year.  Probably something from the distilleries I plan to visit in Scotland. I’ll be going back to the ropemakers for more samples for my friend as well. And I’ve run out of locations for sheep roving – unless you know of any!!!

That’s about it for this round. I’ll write more when I get the updated schedule.
Tirrah, me ducks!

Quick Trip to the Ozarks

7/3/09 to 7/8/09

I left home on the first leg of a trip to the Ozarks. On the way, I spent two nice (though extremely HOT) days in Livingston visiting the folks. We've gone through a nasty heat wave in Texas (maybe you've heard). But the heat has been in the hundreds. Anyway, I spent one day having lunch in the cafeteria with my parents and their friends. Then, most of the rest of the day inside in air conditioning. The second day was much the same - but included a failed attempt to go see Ice Age at the local antiquated movie theater. Which was also barely air conditioned. And - the folks just didn't seem into the movie (I wasn't either). So, we split. I had the dogs with me and needed to get back anyway. So, we came back, and I read and napped a bit. I left for the Ozarks WAY early in the morning. I was heading up 59 to 259 to 271... on to 40 to 540 and finally to Hwy 62 in Arkansas. The first bit took me through a tiny town called Pittsburg, TX. On the way in, I did a double-take. WHAT was that? I swear to God someone transplanted Versailles to Texas. There is a huge residence? on the edge of town that just blew my mind. Later, on the way out of town... I was amazed to see a gigantic Pilgrim head. THIS time, I had to turn around and take a picture for you. Turns out that Pittsburg, TX is headquarters for Pilgrim's Pride chicken. Who knew? LOL The trip was relatively easy, but long. The best part was that it was raining or overcast most of the way there which was a great reprieve from the heat. As the flatlands gave way to more and more hills, I found myself relaxing into the trip. Nothing connects me like nature, and the Ozarks are just beautiful. They were much shorter than mountains (though they call themselves mountains). They look a lot like the Texas hill country - except more lush and green. My friends Luis and Crystal had moved to Eureka Springs a year or two before, and their house was on the route into town. The girls and I stopped on the way in to see their digs. Well, it's beyond glorious - perched high on the rocky summit overlooking a gorge and swift-flowing White river. The house, itself, was pretty amazing. A huge 4,000 square foot edifice with large windows overlooking said scenery. My favorite parts of the home were the awesome view, the workout room, the kitchen, and the lovely art garden created by Crystal. I liked their dogs too: Wolfie and Foxy. Here's Crystal with Wolfie and Luis with Foxy: The girls and I left to go into Eureka Springs. We stayed at a lovely mom and pop hotel (the Days Inn). It was just what we were looking for: cheap and relatively tidy. Plus, the girls liked the bed. :) I absolutely adored Eureka Springs. It's an artist/writer colony type of place. Very laid back. We took the dogs to swim in the lake one morning:



Luis and Crystal then made me lunch and we went out on a boat cruise of Beaver Lake. It was lovely and cool on the lake (and the whole time I was in ES). Luis and I went to a horrible ghost tour on Saturday night (I do NOT recommend the Crescent Hotel ghost tour). The next morning, I went into town and spent time just taking some pictures of this lovely quaint place. I know I'll be coming back someday. Here are just a few of the pictures:



Finally, very early on the 8th, the girls and I bid a sad farewell to our newfound vacation spot. We left early enough that we made good time getting home, but just to give you an idea of what we saw as we left Arkansas:





We ran into some VERY nasty weather at the Texas/Oklahoma border (tornado-ish), but the rest of the way was typical Texas summer. HOT and sunny. Bye bye 60 degree temps. Hello rest of summer.

I'm SO looking forward to England in the Fall!