Great Britain Part 2 - 2018

Whitby, United Kingdom

Mon, 20 Aug 2018 07:30:00 +0100

Today was the day we promised the boys they could set the agenda. The first thing they wanted was to sleep in a bit, so Steve and I took advantage and took an early morning stroll on the Cleveland Way. The Cleveland Way is 109 mile hike around the North York Moors National Park (we only went about 2 miles), it runs along cliff tops, over the moors and through pastures filled with cows and sheep. I loved seeing all the private gardens of the homes along the path. Back at The Victoria Inn the boys were up and ready to go swimming. We had seen a great beach just past Whitby, with what looked like a strong surf - so we got in the car and headed in that direction. The beach was perfect and just what the boys wanted - well maybe they didn’t want the water to be 54F, but they sucked it up and went in. They had a lot of fun playing in the surf for about an hour before they were forced to get out and warm up. Walking back to the car we stopped at a local shop, I was immediately drawn to some handmade dog figures. The owner told me the local man who made them had been a puppet maker for Jim Henson for years. Of course, I bought one. Next on the boys’ agenda was visiting the arcade in Whitby and get fish and chips from the local street vendors. Steve and I said we would gladly drop them at the boardwalk and come back in a few hours. I want to like Whitby, I really do. In theory it sounds amazing: quaint fishing village with beautiful beaches. A gorgeous Abbey Ruin that looks over the town and inspired Brahm Stoker’s Dracula. Other literary and historical connections, including Lewis Carroll and Captain Cook. It is the Twin City to Anchorage, Alaska. It has it all. But the fact is, as soon as I get there I want to leave. The sheer volume of people crowding the streets is overwhelming. They are loud, rude and wearing down coats (seriously, who wears a down coat to the beach in August?). There is no room to breathe or even stop and look at the quaintness - you are just pushed along with the throngs of people. And the litter is everywhere - it seems as if no one even tries to put it in the bin. Later tonight, at dinner, we heard a local say to his companion, “The best thing about Whitby is leaving.” Sadly we couldn’t agree more. Regardless of how Steve and I felt about being there, the boys had a blast and we were glad to give them a day. Once they ran out of money we met back up and headed back to RHB. The final activity of the day was to beach comb in RHB. They wanted to go crabbing and look for fossils, sea coal and jet. The coastline all along this area is known for all three things. Jet is a gemstone made from fossilized wood - when you scrape it on a light colored stone it leaves a brown or ginger mark. Sea Coal leaves a black mark. We were fortunate enough to find all everything we were looking for (the crabs we let go - the ret we are bringing home). Steve and I took our time strolling through the village when we were done and told the boys to meet us at the hotel pub later for dinner.

Whitby, United Kingdom

Sun, 19 Aug 2018 07:30:00 +0100

Steve got up very early and took a walk through Durham - bringing me back some much needed coffee. Then we went back out together. It was Sunday morning so no one was around and stores were not open. I love seeing the cities like this - empty streets and quiet. Our first stop was the cathedral and we met a very nice steward outside who filled us in on lots of goings on. He was 86 years old and had lived within Durham’s boarders his whole life. He told us he was actually in the cathedral choir as a child (and they had to live there), but when he turned 9 his voice broke so he was dismissed from the choir, moved back home with his family and started school. The cathedral is one of the oldest, largest and most beautiful Norman Cathedrals in the world. St. Cuthbert’s remains are here as well. It is also in need of renovations so the Bishop allows it to be used for movies (for a hefty fee). Some of the early Harry Potter movies filmed parts here and the new Avengers movie just recently finished filming. He pointed out some new, modern stain glass windows and said some people complain but the Bishop insists that the cathedral is not a museum, but a living, active parish that says mass daily. Because of that they need to embrace new things while respecting it’s history - plus no one complained when they tore up the floors to install underfloor heating. Mass wasn’t for an hour yet, but the choir was practicing and it was beautiful - I tried to sneak some video and got politely scolded. Across the courtyard from the Cathedral is Durham Castle. The Norman's chose this location because it was the only side of the city not bordered by a river. According to our friend they needed the protection because “Those Scots kept attacking with tree branches and stones. How they thought they could go up against the Great British Army and win is beyond me, but they kept coming with their sticks and stones” The castle now serves as dorms for the University students and people are only allowed in as part of a guided tour in the summer. The university has a good reputation and the 4 colleges that make it up are spread around the city. Having seen the small, walkable city we headed back to the hotel and packed up to head south along the coast. The boys wanted a beach so we headed east and stopped at the first beach we came to - Crimdon. Beautiful sand, big dunes and freezing cold water. They got their feet wet, but decided they didn’t want to swim. We decided to try again in Staithes. Several people had mentioned Staithes to us as a cute seaside town that was not to miss. Almost there was stopped at a local village farm store for drinks and a snack and told the owner our plans. he immediately told us to skip Staithes (it’s pretty but completely over run with tourists). he said to go past it and then take a small road down to a different village called Runswick Bay. According to him it was much prettier, and virtually unknown - only locals will be there. We decided to listen to him and boy were we glad we did. Our first view of Runswick Bay was breathtaking. The water was so blue it looked like the Caribbean (there are also palm trees in this area). The bay seemed to be full of sailboats. The village was small and nestled into the surrounding cliffs. It had a long, sandy beach and life guards on duty - although the water was 54F so not many people were swimming. Quinn and Cole attempted to go in, but the cool air coupled with the freezing water made it too hard. So we walked on the beach and had tea and then headed for our final destination: Robin Hood’s Bay. Last year we found Robin Hood’s Bay because I Googled “Seaside villages between London and Edinburgh” and I liked the images of Robin Hood’s Bay best. We immediately fell in love with the small village and were looking forward to returning this year. Coming back to someplace familiar is always nice and the views as we drove into the village did not disappoint. Settled into the same rooms we had last year, at The Victoria Inn, we wasted no time heading down hill. You could see the rain coming in from the ocean, but we had time and the beach was full of people in the tide pools and looking for jet and fossils. We joined them, until the rain started then it was back to the hotel pub for dinner. BY then the rain had stopped and Steve and I enjoyed a pint in the beer garden until it was time for bed.

Durham

Durham Cathedral

Durham University Library

Durham Castle - dorms for University students

Durham Castle/University dorms

Durham Castle/University

Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral Close (Where Harry Potter was filmed)

Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral Close

Durham

Durham Cathedral

Durham

Durham Cathedral

Durham

Runswick Bay

Durham, United Kingdom

Sat, 18 Aug 2018 07:30:00 +0100

As usual, Steve and I were up hours before the teenagers and there was no more denying that we HAD to do laundry. So we drove back into Perth and found a laundromat. Thankfully, we also found the beautiful section of the city and took a walk down through the River Gardens and the pedestrian shopping area. We had coffee, scones and read the Daily Mail while waiting for our laundry to finish. Today’s plan was to meander down the coastline back into England. Back at the hotel we woke the boys and headed out. Our first stop was an adorable fishing village in the boarder town of Dunbar (we later found out it was still in Scotland). We walked down to the harbor to see the castle ruins and find out some history. We found out that Dunbar has quite a lot of history: it is home to the second oldest Lifeboat station in Scotland, John Muir - naturalist and explorer was born there and it’s castle (ruins) dates back to the 14th century and had seen many battles by the Vikings and English over the centuries. Our next stop was Bramburgh Castle (and beach). The Castle was originally the location of a Celtic fort - back in 420 - 547. It passed back and forth between the Britons and Anglo-Saxons a few times, but was then totally destroyed by Vikings in 993. The Normans later built a new Castle on the grounds that forms the core of the castle standing today. It finally became the property of the English Monarchy in 1095. It then went into decay until the Armstrong family bought it in the late 19th century and restored it. The family still owns it today. The castle was beautiful, but the ocean and large sand dunes proved to be a bigger draw. We happily spent time walking and enjoying them. Our next stop was about 30 minutes down the coast - We had reservations in a town called Craster, which is supposedly renown for it’s beautiful beaches and coastal walks. The town was small, charming and overflowing with beautiful gardens. The pub attached to the hotel was very old and English - and had ceilings low enough that both Steve and Quinn could not stand up straight in it. That was not a good sign. We were brought to our rooms which each had a bedroom and sitting room area, complete with stone hearth and wood stove. The bathrooms were modern and luxurious, and then there were the beds. Hobbit beds - only as wide as a double and shorter than twin beds - and having massive head and foot boards. There was no way Quinn or Steve were going to fit in these beds alone - never mind Steve and I having to share one. Thankfully, the manager was intelligent and offered us our money back if we did not want to try and squeeze into them. Sadly we put our things back in the car and headed out to find a new hotel for the night. Easier said than done - there was nothing available anywhere in the area - and the boys were crushed because they had wanted to spend time on the beach. We finally conceded that we would have to head to a bigger town and set our sites on Durham (about another hour south). We had heard many good things about Durham, but hadn’t planned on going there - wanting to make this trip centered around small towns. A historic town, it houses one of the largest and most beautiful Norman Cathedrals in Europe. It is also home to Durham Castle, and University of Durham. Thankfully we were able to get the last two rooms at The Marriott and settled in, having a late dinner in their pub. After dinner Steve and I took a quick walk around the city. It was bustling with lots of pubs and people about. We wanted to have a pint at a pub on the river, but the people were very loud and obnoxious - and in the midst of getting thrown out by the owner - so we passed on that and went back to the hotel pub. We said we would get up early and see the rest of the city.

Craster Arms Hotel

Craster Arms Beer Garden

Craster Arms Hotel

Dunbar

Huntington Tower Hotel, Perth

Perth

Queensferry Crossing and Forth Road Bridge

Dunbar

Durham

Saint Andrews, United Kingdom

Fri, 17 Aug 2018 07:30:00 +0100

This morning we were up early to check out of The Sheraton and say good-bye to Edinburgh (we asked several locals how to pronounce it and it’s Ed-in-bruh), something we always find hard. We were heading north once again - over the Firth of Forth and into the Kingdom of Fife. As you cross the Firth of Forth there are three bridges: The Forth Rail Bridge, The Forth Road Bridge and the new Queensferry Crossing. We went over the Queensferry Crossing, which is a cable bridge resembling the Zakim Bridge in Boston, and only opened last Fall. It was officially opened By Queen Elizabeth II on September 4, 2017 - 53 years to the day that she opened the adjacent Forth Road Bridge. Our set destination was Saint Andrews. St. Andrews is known as the birthplace of golf and houses a cathedral, a castle and a university. We visited all but the golf club. The cathedral ruins are large and spectacular - overlooking the ocean and beach (where the opening scene from Chariots of Fire was filmed). Even in ruins the history of the cathedral lives on as the stones were pillaged to build the town. Just down the beach from the cathedral is the castle ruins. Once the kids had enough of walking around piles of stones we headed back into town (the town has 3 “main” streets all running parallel to each other and lined with businesses.) and got them lunch - today’s pick was a grilled Mac ‘n Cheese sandwich - seriously. The Brits will put anything between slices of buttered bread. University of St. Andrews was next. Founded in 1410 it is the third oldest university in the English-speaking world. What a beautiful campus! We walked around the courtyard and campus a bit - even peeked into some classrooms. There were 2 girls there who were having their pictures taken in the quad - with their acceptance letters - and they looked so excited. We have talked to Quinn about the possibility of going there and he seemed interested enough to buy some swag from the bookstore. Originally the plan for the day had been to drive an hour north the the ruins of Dunottar Castle and then back south to Perth for the night, but my body was still hurting from the day before and we all knew I couldn’t do the hike to the Dunottar Ruins, so we decided to not add an extra 2 hours of driving to our day and just head to Perth. For the first time on our trip we encountered traffic - and lots of it! It was an awful drive through Dundee (which may have the impressive Tay Bridge, but is NOT a pretty city). There was the sheer volume of cars and seemingly endless detours due to construction. Let’s stop and take a minute to talk about Britain’s round-abouts. There is one every 200 yards or so. And some of them have multiple sets of traffic lights in them!! So you merge into the round-about and immediately have to slam on your brakes because there is a red light. Then you start going around again - only to have to stop for another traffic light. It’s mind boggling. We finally got to our hotel in Perth, which was an old Tudor Country Manor, with large, lush gardens. It was charming and easy to see why it is a popular spot for weddings. We settled in an then drove into the city - planning to do some laundry and walk around, what we had been told was a beautiful city. Right off the bat, it probably makes sense that most laundromats are not in the scenic part of town, but the ones in Perth were down right sketchy. We ditched that plan and went to the Black Watch museum - where the famous Black Watch Regiment (similar to our Army Rangers) are honored. Then back to the hotel where we had dinner, took a riverside walk (where we saw some deer) and relaxed until it was time for bed.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 07:30:00 +0100

This morning Steve and I woke up and decided to head out for walk while most of the city was still sleeping. First we made our wt down to Princes St Gardens. The gardens separate the two halves of New Town and Old Town. New Town is mostly residential and shopping and food. Old Town has most of the significant historical buildings (the castle, St. Gile’s Cathedral, Grass Market etc...). The names are a bit deceiving though - New Town was built in the 18th century. Old Town has a medieval past (there has been a defensive “castle” in the same spot for 3,500 years and there are still very old buildings), but many of the buildings were so old and decrepit that they were rebuilt in the late 18th and Daly 19th centuries. Anyway, Princes Street Gardens are a valley between the two “towns” of the city and are gorgeous. We wandered through the length of the gardens and to Sir Walter Scott’s Memorial. His memorial is the largest monument for a writer in the world. His writings really rebranded Scotland and produced the romantic image that most people in the world hold today. Leaving the gardens we back tracked down Princes Street stopping in some of the stores (Marks and Spencer, Top Shop, The Edinburgh Book Store). Back at the end we decided we didn’t want to go back to the hotel yet and that I was still feeling good. Last year we had heard about a small village in the city that was peaceful and beautiful, but never got over to see it. Looking at a map we saw it was a 15 minute walk from where we were. So we headed over to Dean Village along the Leith River. The village was every bit as beautiful and peaceful as we had heard - hard to believe it is so close to the hustle and bustle of the city. We followed the Leith River walk for a bit, enjoying the greenery, and made our way to St. Bernard’s Well: one of Edinburgh’s best kept secrets. The well is by a mineral spring, said to cure all types of ailments. Marking the spot is the Greek Goddess of Health, Hygeia. She is protected by eight towering pillars and has been there for 230 years. By this time I was very tired and getting sore so we walked back to the hotel through New Town, looking at various flats we would like to own. It was 10:30, by the time we got back and I had already done 11,000 steps. We also had a walking tour scheduled for the afternoon. Steve took the boys out to explore and eat and I stayed behind with ice and Advil. At 2:00 we met Gareth. We had found him on Trip Advisor and cannot recommend him highly enough. We booked him for a private 2 hour walking tour. The beauty of this tour, besides it being just the 5 of us, was that it was completely personalized for us. It was our choice where we wanted to go and hear about. The boys wanted to hear more about the history of Old Town, but avoid the massive crowds of the Fringe and The Royal Mile. Gareth was only too happy to provide. Some of the more interesting things we learned include the following: - Invading armies had to give their opponents 4 weeks notice before attacking so both parties could have time to prepare and to pick a time and place for the battle (you couldn’t just have 2 huge armies wandering around hoping to bump into each other). If this wasn’t followed it wasn’t considered an honorable or fair victory. - There was a man who grew up in Edinburgh and every day he would see the castle from his home. As a young man he emigrated to America and eventually became the head designer for MGM. In 1939 he designed The Emerald City for the movie The Wizard of Oz. He based his design of the city on Edinburgh Castle. - There are 3 walls that formed the barrier walling in the city of Edinburgh. They were built at different times and look very different for a few reasons. The stones used were from different quarries so they are different colors. Also the wall of Flodden had significantly smaller stones used to build it. This is because it was built by women, children and elders after all their men (17,000) were killed by the British in the Battle of Flodden. - The story of Grayfriar’s Bobby (as told by Disney) is sugarcoated. The Disney story tells of a guard at Grayfriar’s Kirkyard who had a sky terrier (Bobby) who loved him so much that after the guard died Bobby slept on his grave every night for 14 years. There is a pub and statue named after Bobby and constantly flocked by tourists and the pup was finally buried in the Kirkyard when he died. The true story is that when the guard died, Bobby hung around the Kirkyard because it was surrounded by the pubs and that was how he was fed. He also hid there to escape being thrown in the river since he was now an unlicensed stray. The mayor realized that people were coming to Edinburgh to see the pup and thus spending money in the town. He granted Bobby a license “in perpetuity” so he wouldn’t be drowned in the river. Also, at this time sky terriers had a lifespan of about 6 or 7 years and Bobby was already 3 or 4 when his owner died - so in the 14 years that Bobby mourned his owner there were actually, at least, 3 Bobby’s. - Silent disco tours are the new rage and utterly ridiculous. We saw (and laughed at) at least 3 large groups participating in them. Everyone wearing headphones and dancing and clapping as they walked around the city. After we said goodbye to Gareth we decided to stop at The Red Squirrel for dinner and then the boys headed back to their room at the hotel. Steve and I (probably stupidly) decided to head to Grass Market and Victoria Street Terrace to get a pint and do some window shopping. Walking back to the hotel my foot locked and refused to let me walk another step. So even though we were only about 3 blocks from the hotel we got a cab (that took about 20 minutes to drive the 3 blocks). We realized that Steve had done 30,000 steps (about 15 miles) and I had done 24,000 steps (about 12 miles) over the course of the day. We all went up and used the roof top hydrotherapy pool for awhile and then called it a night.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Wed, 15 Aug 2018 07:30:00 +0100

We woke up to fog and rain which effectively killed the plan to go up to the top of Latrigg Mountain, which is well known for having spectacular views of the area. (You can either hike up the 2,000ft mountain or drive almost all the way to the top and follow a handicapped accessible trail to the lookout.) oh well, now we have another reason to come back here. At breakfast we had to stifle our laughter as we listened to a grandfather telling his grandson about how he once saw a red squirrel - 25 years ago- and has been looking for another ever since. Another time a couple stopped talking to us in the middle of a sentence because they needed to point out a squirrel they saw and were so excited by it, they were not amused when we told them that Piper hunts squirrels and they are considered a nuisance in NH. Getting away with the British fascination with squirrels we talked to another couple who told us about a stone circle that was only a few miles away - “You can drive right up to it and then walk amongst the stones.” The idea of walking around a stone circle in the fog and mist appealed to me and I badgered Steve into going......Let’s pause for a moment and remember the last time we took a local’s advice about Warwick Castle....... Regardless we put the directions into the sat nav and set off on the narrow, curvy, hedgerow lined country lanes. First we drove by the turnoff 3 times because there was no way in hell that tiny path could be an actual road....but it was. Just barely wide enough for the car, completely lined with high hedgerows you couldn’t see over and full of blind turns (and remember very misty and raining)......We were both terrified and praying that A) we wouldn’t meet a car coming the other way, B) that this came out somewhere and we wouldn’t have to back out several miles and C) that the car behind us would please slow down and get off our bumper. Eventually it did pop out to a main road - right in the center of town. Too rattled to try and keep looking we went back to the hotel without seeing the stone circle. We checked out of Mary Mount Hotel and turned the car north, once again. The ride to Edinburgh was mostly the motorway and not very scenic - especially in the rain. The boys worked on getting their summer reading done for most of the ride. The rain cleared as we hit Scotland and we got off the motorway to go see historic Rosslyn Chapel. Rosslyn Chapel is beautiful and fascinating. Built in 1456 and covered in carvings and details. The intricacies and beauty of of the carvings themselves make it worth the visit, but the history and conspiracy theories surrounding them is what really draws people to the very small catholic chapel. There are symbols of pagan gods, Norse mythology, flora and fauna native to North America (corn) and carvings depicting murder and other stories. Theories abound, revolving around The Knights Templar and Freemasons (Dan Brown and The Di Vinci Code made these theories wildly popular), aliens, prophecy and more - the following link explains the 5 most common ones. Whatever motivations or mysteries surround Rosslyn Chapel it is worth the visit. https://www.rabbies.com/en/blog/5-things-you-never-knew-about-rosslyn-chapel Edinburgh is a short 15 minute drive from the chapel and we easily found our way to our hotel in Old Town. The Sheraton Grand Spa and Resort is our luxury splurge of the trip. Amazing large rooms, with views of the castle and every possible amenity - including a rooftop thermal pool and a “club” section that offers free food and drink all day (joke is on them as the boys will be able to eat the cost of their room in free food). We all love Edinburgh and feel very comfortable in the city. It is small and familiar, even if it is overrun with people at the moment (The Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world is here in August). As soon as we settled in Quinn and I headed over to Princes St so he could do some shopping and Cole and Steve headed towards Cowgate to a comic book store he wanted to see. We met back at the BrewDog Pub, right outside the hotel, for dinner. There was a comedy show going on there as well. After dinner the boys went back to the hotel to swim and Steve and I headed for Grass Market. We wanted to go to The White Heart Inn, which is the oldest pub in Edinburgh - established in 1516 and often has live local music. We spent an enjoyable time there and then walked back to the hotel in time to see the fireworks over the castle.

Rosslyn Chapel

Keswick, United Kingdom

Tue, 14 Aug 2018 07:30:00 +0100

Steve and I woke up very early this morning and decided to take a walk to see the sunrise and the city without crowds. It was worth it, as the sunrise was gorgeous and walking the ramparts and The Rows without anyone else was peaceful and allowed me to take some great pictures. We were also reminded of a hard lesson we apparently didn’t learn last year.....no coffee shops are open at 6:00am, why would there be? No one wants coffee at 6:00am..... just saying. We slowly made our way back to the hotel, hoping it would take until 7:00, which is when we would be able to get coffee. We had breakfast (with lots of coffee) and then went to wake the boys and start packing up the room. We then hit the road (in the rain of course) for the Lake District. When we first started planning our trip I was resistant to going to the Lake District - after all, we have lived our whole lives in one, always surrounded by lakes and mountains, why would I want to see the same thing on vacation. I very quickly changed my mind. These mountains aren’t as tall as ours (the tallest being about 2,000 feet) and the lakes aren’t as big, but they are nothing like home. The mountains and lakes are interspersed with green rolling hills full of sheep, horses, cows and stone walls. The mountains are above tree line so they are not tree covered, but resemble the mountains of Alaska (on a smaller scale) and the roads are true country lanes - narrow, winding and lined with high hedgerows (not at all fun for the driver, but beautiful to see). The homes and villages are stone buildings with a quaint charm we just can’t seem to replicate. The land around the lakes is owned by the government so there are almost no homes on the lake - keeping them more natural and quiet. There are several lakes in the district and our research had told us that Windermere and Ambleside were the busier and more touristy lakes/towns. That was where Beatrix Potter lived and many other literary figures have summered. They have more commercial boating and swimming as well as zip lines, 4-wheeling tours and fairs. 10 miles North lies Keswick on Lake Derwentwater. It is supposedly quieter, and caters more to hikers, mountain climbers, canoeing and kayaking and the downtown area is full of EMS type stores. Honestly, the whole area was CROWDED. Driving through the towns of Windermere and Ambleside was the first time we encountered actual traffic jams and cars not moving. There were people everywhere; hiking, cycling, shopping and just randomly stopping in the middle of the roads. Downtown Keswick was no better - it was the largest crowds we have seen since our arrival. We decided to head to our hotel to get a lay of the land.... we then drove the most narrow road ever, we all watched how Steve’s knuckles turned intense shade of white. We made it to the hotel, early hoping we could use the laundry service for our ever increasing pile....we were kindly informed there was no laundry facilities at the hotel, but there was a laundromat in town. So it was another white knuckled drive for Steve, complete with an oncoming tour bus and semi. While waiting for the laundry the boys did some shopping (and eating, of course) Laundry done, it was back to the hotel for a walk down to and around the Lake. Because of the now downpouring rain and time we weren’t able to take out any of the kayaks or paddle boards. Tomorrow we want to do a hike up to Latrigg Point before heading a few hours North to Edinburgh, where we will slow down our pace and stay for a few days.

Chester, United Kingdom

Mon, 13 Aug 2018 07:30:00 +0100

Steve and I were up before the boys and during breakfast asked our waitress what were some good local walks we could take. She recommended heading into nearby Warwick and walking round the castle grounds (they won’t let you in the castle, but you can walk around the grounds for free). We decided this would be the perfect way to spend an hour or 2. We should have realized something was off as soon as they demanded $10 from us to park the car, but we paid and then headed up to towards the castle. Warwick Castle is a large, well preserved castle - owned by Merlin Entertainment and often equated to Disney World (which should have been another clue for what was in store). Marketed for young families and selling season passes, and weekend packages it boasts jousting tournaments, haunted dungeons, falconry exhibitions, a working trebuchet, garden mazes, a princess tower, dragon quest for young knights and live action shows. We reached the front gate a full 2 hours before it was set to open - and the workers actually laughed when we asked if we could just walk around the grounds. We could pay our $75 and wait in line for it to open though (yep, families with whining kids were already waiting in line)....ummmm......no thanks. And like Disney they were not giving anything away for free - the hedgerows, trees, walls, fences and barbed wire surrounding the perimeter of the castle make it almost impossible to view without paying your money. By crawling through brush we did manage to find a few breaks and take a few pictures. Then, feeling like outlaws, we headed back to Stratford Manor to rouse the boys and start the day. Our destination for today was the old Roman walled city of Chester - about 2 1/2 hours North. Of course based on the advice of Trip Advisor we knew we should not even attempt such a ride all at once, so we decided to break it up and stop in Ironbridge first. Ironbridge is a town on the River Severn and takes its name from the 100ft Iron Bridge that crosses the river. Opened in 1781, it was the first bridge in the world to be made of cast iron and is regarded as a great engineering feat. We had seen pictures of the bridge and wanted to see it in person and walk along the river. When we got there, however, it was completely covered in scaffolding and tarps, while being renovated. We were allowed to walk along some of the scaffolding to peak at the work being done. Even without the bridge Ironbridge is a lovely town to stroll through and we had delicious fish and chips while overlooking the river. Back in our car we once more headed North for Chester. Chester was founded as a Roman Fortress in 79AD. It’s known for having the most complete set of walls of any city in Britain. It also boasts a Roman amphitheater with ongoing archeological excavations and The Rows: a shopping district made of mostly Tudor style timber buildings. We found our hotel - The Boathouse and Riverside Inn set on the Dee River. It immediately became our favorite hotel. The rooms are clean with unique, nautical decor and great bathrooms. The restaurant/pub is in an old building, right on the river and comes complete with a floating beer garden. Most of the river area is pedestrian only. After checking in we walked along the river and then up to the old part of the city. We toured the Roman Gardens, saw the amphitheater and walked the ramparts. We then strolled through The Rows and did some shopping. After walking back to the hotel we had dinner in the beer garden and enjoyed watching the sun set on the river. Tomorrow we head north another 2 hours to The Lake District.

Hotel Room

Warwick Castle

Pathway around perimeter of Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle

Grounds of Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle Grounds

Iron Bridge all covered up

River Severn

Ironbridge

Some of the repaired and still broken parts of the bridge

Ironbridge

War memorial in Ironbridge

Our hotel

Hotel

River Dee

Roman Gardens

Chester

My loves

Ramparts in Chester

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 07:30:00 +0100

Everyone got a good 8 hours sleep and started the day refreshed and jet lag free. Steve went and got the rental car and then it was time to leave greater London and head west for The Cotswolds and Shakespeare Country. Because it’s us it was gray and rainy, but judging by how brown the scenery looked the rain was very welcome. After about 40 minutes on the road (during which both boys were doing their summer reading) we stopped at “Services” (a rest area) so we could fill the perpetually empty stomachs of our young. The area was massive and resembled a food court at a mall, except for the ‘Gaming” section, where you could take a rest from driving and play the slot machines (I wonder how long until that takes off over here), and the women’s rest rooms. Inside the rest rooms there were 2 rows of 8 stalls, with a burly man standing in between “directing” the line of women where to go: “M’am number 3 is open, please go down to number 3...Next, use 8...M’am, 12 is now available....”. To be totally honest there were about 30 women in front of me in line and it was the quickest moving bathroom line I have ever been in. Back on the road we got off the motorway to take the scenic route through the villages in the Cotswolds. These are quintessential English Market Towns with thatched roofs and beautiful gardens. The English call them Chocolate Box Villages meaning they are sentimentally pretty in a conventional way. In this area the buildings are mostly honey colored and the towns filled with tourists. We were advised that driving through them would be a nightmare with traffic backed up for miles, but we were determined to not leave England without seeing a few. Maybe it was the rain, or maybe it was because the advice came from the same people who thought we were insane for driving 2 hours away in one day but there were no traffic jams or delays at all. The first town we drove through was Burford - and it was pretty busy - and charming. We had previously decided that the town we wanted to stop in was Chipping Campden - supposedly one of the most beautiful (and busy) villages and where the movie War Horse had been filmed. We also drove through Stow-on-the-Wold and a few others with equally charming names. Then we reached Chipping Campden and it was perfect. As soon as we got there the rain stopped and miracle of miracles there was hardly anyone else there. We spent 2 absolutely lovely hours strolling through the village, window shopping and getting ice cream for the boys (have I mentioned they are ALWAYS hungry?). Our final destination for the day, however, was Stratford-upon-Avon: the town where Shakespeare (and his wife) was born, lived and died in. Set on the Avon River, it’s full of old timber and Tudor buildings and oozes English Charm. We parked and began walking through the town. We saw where Shakespeare was born, Where his wife was born and the Holy Trinity Church and Kirk Yard, where he is buried. We saw hotels and pubs that had been established in the 1400’s. We browsed in souvenir shops (bought nothing) and had “Tea”. There were definitely tourists, but it was not too crowded as we walked and enjoyed the atmosphere. We also walked along the river, catching the very end of a production in the park (Quinn made friends with a swan) and finally strolled through a Farmer’s Market. When we had had our fill we headed for our hotel. Stratford Manor Hotel is just 3 miles out of the center of town. It sits on lots of acreage with trails to walk, tennis courts, and a falconry. It also has a beautiful pool and weight room - which the boys are making good use of. Tomorrow we are heading 2 hours north to the old Roman city of Chester.

Stratford Manor Hotel

Straford-upon-Avon

Driving into Burford

Someone’s front door - the owner actually walked out as we were taking the picture. Even he had to duck a little

They trim the bush so people can walk under it - but not quite enough for Steve or Quinn

Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare’s birth place

Stratford-upon-Avon

Some of the trees are MASSIVE

Boats for hire on the Avon -all named after female characters of Shakespeare

Chestnut tree

Quinn’s friend

London

Sat, 11 Aug 2018 07:30:00 +0100

We woke up bright and early in Boston, ready for our flight to Heathrow. It did not start off well as we went to check out and handed the clerk our $500 Hilton Gift Card to pay for the rooms - and they rejected it!! Let that sink in - you pay $500 to buy a Hilton Gift card and the Hilton will not let you use it to pay for your rooms!!! Not having time to fight them we blew our budget and paid for the room - but will deal with it later and make sure to give them an appropriate review on Trip Advisor. We checked in and made our way to the British Airways Lounge. We spent the next hour enjoying unlimited coffee (it was 6:00am), a delicious buffet and comfortable lounge, while we waited to board - directly from the lounge. Our business class pods were luxurious and comfortable (the poor boys will go into shock when they are on their own and actually have to fly coach some day). The flight was smooth and fast - we landed almost an hour ahead of schedule and breezed through passport control thanks to the fast pass option that comes with the seats. Our immigration officer asked about our itinerary and told us he was jealous and would love to do a trip like ours some day (“I have heard it’s beautiful countryside”). We quickly found a taxi and headed for our hotel. Our driver also told us he was envious of our trip - “I have never been to Chester or York and have always wanted to go. I hear they are just beautiful” (each location is about 3 hours from London). Remember, all the “experts” on Trip Advisor told us we were insane to drive 2 hours in a day, so I am sensing a theme here.... Last year we stayed at the Marriott at Heathrow and it was one of our favorite hotels, with large comfortable rooms and a great pub. Cole, especially, has been dreaming of the burger he had here last year. We walked in and did a double take - it had been COMPLETELY renovated - nothing looked the same and the pub was gone - to be replaced with a “gourmet” Italian Restaurant. Thankfully the rooms are still large and comfortable. Steve and I went down to the bar for dinner (butternut squash ravioli’s) and ordered Domino’s Pizza to be delivered for the boys. The bar tender told us how many people have been complaining about the pub being gone. We also had a conversation about tipping. He told us most people in Britain do not tip for anything because they pay their servers a decent living wage, as a matter of fact, if restaurants add a ‘service charge” to your bill you can ask for it to be removed. That said, contrary to the advisors on Trip Advisor, people do not actually get offended if you do tip (“Why would someone get offended by you offering them money?”). We liked him so we left him a tip. Then it was back to the room and to bed - tomorrow we pick up the car and head to Stratford-Upon-Avon - home of Shakespeare.