Day 12, Glasgow Scotland

We stopped at Castlerigg Standing Stones outside of Keswick as we left the Lake District today. The directions looked pretty good but we did manage to drive by it 3 times before asking some walkers for help. Guess what, we were almost right beside the stones! Tourist signs are not big in the country. The stones were right in the middle of that sheep pasture!! We parked, opened the swing gate and walked "carefully" (it was a sheep pasture after all!!) about 200 feet to a ring of 38 upright stones about 90 feet across. It certainly wasn't Stonehedge but probably for the same purpose. And rather eerie to be standing inside something about 5,000 years old. I heard there is a fence around Stonehedge now because of all the tourist damage. (We saw grafitti at the top of St. Paul's Cathedral in Rome so no place is safe.)

Now we are on our way to Scotland! I am curious to see what Scotland looks like.Since we are already on the west side of England, just driving about 3 hours north takes us to Glasgow.

I just read that Scotland has its own paper money. I shouldn't have been surprised as there is still plenty of animosity between the English and the Scots. And it isn't just about the sports teams; just ask any one in Scotland! Scotland has its own parliment now and maybe will decide they don't really need England anymore!

From my reading about Glasgow this city should be a little different -- not known for all the history -- just a busy, working class city. There were a couple of sights that sounded interesting so Glasgow is a good next stop. The B&B is on SAUCHICHALL Street (that must be Scottish spelling) and looks pretty good. And the street is pronounced "Socky-hall"; what are all those extra letters about??

We set off for a walk around to get the feel of Glasgow by going to the huge Glasgow Cathedral across town. We walked through the big "city center" with all the shopping and restaurants with no touristy places but lots of career types and young people all around. No traffic in this area which was really pleasant!

We walked uphill another 30 minutes to the Cathedral which was started about 1230. This is a huge Gothic cathedral still blackened from the soot furnaces of the past. Many of the buildings around Glasgow have been cleaned within the last few years and really look good.

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Dinner was a great Italian restaurant where the pizza was fabulous and Don practiced his Italian with the owner. I wonder how an Italian ended up in Glasgow, Scotland with 3 very sucessful Italian restaurants? Maybe less competition in this town? We did talk with a family who drove south 3 hours from Aberdeen to Glasgow for an anniversity dinner at this restaurant so the food really must be excellent.

We walked 5.5 miles today and shouldn't even be tired!

Day 11 Around Keswick, The Lake District

We meet up with our "new English friend", Tim, for a guided drive around Lake Dewentwater. All his school vacations were spent in this area with his grandparents. Keswick was an important mining center early on, becoming a resort before the 1900s. Most of the local buildings are of Victorian vintage. This area of England is about 30 miles long by 30 miles wide and became the Lake District National Park about 1950 to protect the landscape from development. The first of many travel books was printed in 1698 before tourists discovered how beautiful this lake and mountain area had become because of the glaciers. Since then lots of literary people have become associated with The Lake District. Beatrix Potter had Peter Rabbit living here. She actually bought up many acres and left all of her property to the National Trust upon her death.

Sheep wander all over to keep the vegetation under control. Some of the lambs are born black and grow up as gray wooled sheep. Unfortunately, it costs more to shear the sheep now than the pelt is worth. Some of the sheep are sold to butchers because mutton is coming back into fashion. For many years mutton was a poor, working man's meat. Tim said it has to be cooked a long time but is much more flavorful than lamb. I haven't ever tasted either one so I took his word on it!

The view of Lake Dewentwater from high above was just beautiful! Ramblers, as the hikers are known, could be seen all around. The rainy weather was no deterrent and even so the sun came out now and then. We did a little hiking to get a view from one of the mountain tops (they are called "fells" in this area) and then had a stop for tea. There are lots of streams racing down the rocky mountains so I took lots of pictures. It will be nice to look at these photos again on the many not Florida days!

Even with all the driving around, we walked almost 8 miles today!!

We wish "best wishes" to Tim--he was going to propose to his girlfriend when she returned from her visit to the USA! Too bad we never even learned his last name!

Tomorrow we drive to Glasgow, Scotland (where some of Don's ancestors came from)!

Day 10 The Lake District

Friday, May 15--how can this be Day 10 already? Vacations should feel slow and easy! Well, perhaps not MY vacations. It is raining again or still, I'm not sure which. We left Chester this morning, heading for Keswick in the Lake District. We are bypassing Blackpool, England's "Coney Island," and Liverpool, home of John, Paul, George and Ringo. Maybe at some future visit we will relive my teen years at the birthplace of The Beatles.

Keswick is a 3 hour drive north on the M6, the fastest auto route north. The service plazas are great in this country. There are the usual fast foods but also a small grocery with take away foods and a big bookstore. The eating area has inside and outside areas with playgrounds. The restrooms even have showers! And surprise, a hotel on the grounds! I guess you could travel cross country and never leave the M's. It would be a pretty boring but fast driving route!

Hurrah, the rain is starting to let up. Now that we can really see the scenery there is lots of farm land, cows and, of course, sheep and now wind turbines. I wonder if the we, the USA, will ever get our act together? In Florida where we live, there was talk of building turbines, but locals were all in a "tiz" about killing birds! These blades seem to turn so slowly that birds could land on the blades and ride around.

Keswick is a lovely town, even damp with rain. Very outdoor exercise feel with hikers, bikers, equipment shops that rent and sell everything--bikes to rain gear to trail maps. One shop had an interesting sign --"no such thing as bad weather. . .only wrong clothing". The English are very serious about a little wander of 5-6 hours without regard to the weather. We already have our rain suits so we checked into our Victorian B & B and go explore the town.

Taking the Derwentwater Lake Cruise rather than the 9 mile, 4 hour walk around won out. The lake is very long and rather thin so we could see both sides through the light rain. Those tour books were right---- there are more rainy days than sunny days. Come prepared for "weather" in the Lake District.

We met up with Tim, from Cambridge, and his dog Nibs. They were tent camping outside of town. We all went to the Dog & Gun Pub for a pint of beer and conversation. His girlfriend was visiting her parents in the US so he was as interested in the US as we were in England! And we had a great time! He even volunteered to "show us the sites" tomorrow as his grandparents lived in Keswick and he spent many school holidays staying with them. What a lucky meeting!

Day 9 Chester

It is Thursday morning, May 14, so we are going for a "Walking Tour of Chester" to see and hear just what this town is all about. And it is drizzling. It was only us and 1 other couple on holiday from the Yorkshire area so we had plenty of time to talk as well as listen.


Chester began as a Roman fort, called Deva, next to the River Dee about 75 AD. Before 400 AD the fort was deserted, the village lost its patrons and most of the people dispersed. In 1929 a Roman amphitheatre, I think the only one found in Britain, was discovered during renovation of a local building.

The Saxons won this land from the Welsh, calling it, "a ceaster", meaning a group of Roman building, which over time became "Chester". King Alfred fought the Danes here and in 1349 the Black Death killed most of the people.

The Victorians made Chester into what you see today.
Most of the shops are "Tudor" style half timbered" black and white" buildings and it has became a busy tourist destination.

There are even some remains of Roman times under the shops that can be seen. The Walking Tour was well worth our time and money.











We had a late lunch in the Cathedral Cafe in the Refectory, built in the 13C. This was the original dining hall where 40 monks ate in silence while one monk read aloud from the little balcony directly above the dark haired man in the photo. The dining hall has been enlarged and today it is definately not silent; the Cafe seems to be filled with as many locals as tourists eating good soups, bread, salads and sandwiches.

This church has foundations from a 907 AD abbey and exists today from rebuilding in 1250. Henry VIII like the building so allowed it to remain as a cathedral of the Church of England.
After lunch we used the excellent audio guides to tour the Cathedral. It still houses the relics of St. Werburgh, a very early nun, since early 900 AD.



It is still raining so we stopped at McDonald's (yes, they are all over the world!) for the free WiFi for any important emails and some coffee. There was even time for a library visit since it was right next door; I looked at the local history books while Don read the local newspapers. We don't know anything about what is happening at home and only a little of Britain's news seen when passing a news shop. Maybe Don has been checking our local paper website when clearing out the emails?

Don picked a local pub, The Brewery Tap, for dinner tonight. It is built in the great hall of a house built in the 13C and rebuilt in the 17C before being remolded for current use. It was quite cosy and the local food was very good. Nice to sit down and just watch the rain outside. Don had a Ploughman's Sandwich--very English! And I love the fantastic English cheeses!

There was a big gathering of local farm producers trying to develop a "food map" for tourists--a dairy farm making non-pasteurized ice cream, dairy farms that make cheeses from their own milk, orchards, etc. Lots of local restaurants are promoting "local grown" products. Many people are looking for "local" produce, farmers markets etc. to reduce transportation costs and to support their own community. We hope it is a huge success as we got to sample the tasty snacks! I feel like we have gone back to the medieval farmers market days. We laughed on the walk home about that the group being just like our local Treasure Coast Builders Association meetings at home in Florida.

It was a 7 mile wander today.

Day 8 Wales

Do you remember "Faulty Towers", a British TV show? Our B&B in Chester has turned out to be a boarding house--college student residence hall--and B&B all mixed into one. After hearing various conversations in the lobby and breakfast room, it seems most of the adults "always" come here for holiday. And there were several resident male students from a nearby trade school using computers downstairs (the only place in the building with any computer access). Since we could not get the Internet to work AT ALL on our computer this was somewhat helpful--except they couldn't get it to work either. HELP!!!


Our room was tiny but adequate--all the required furniture, fixtures and plenty of hot water.


That is until midnight when this noisy ringing woke me up! I shook Don who was still sleeping soundly----and we both decided it was the FIRE ALARM!!!

On every B&B/hotel door is an evacuation plan--where you should meet, etc, in case of a fire so management can count noses. Fortunately, I had looked at it earlier! But what do you do first?? ----leave the room in your pj's and bare feet?? ----- get dressed? ---- where are my shoes?? ---- where were all the irreplaceable things like the money?? ----- AND THE PICTURES TAKEN SO FAR!! ----- Was it is a false alarm?? ------ The ringing continued!! So off we go, sort of dressed, to meet all the fellow residents outside the building on the sidewalk---where it is RAINING!

But only 8 showed up for this party! Where was everybody else? Is this a regular occurrence?

The night manager (also, sort of dressed) checkout the building--no fire after all so we all trooped back to bed. As we got to our room, the older lady next door comes into the hall to evacuate. She had heard the alarm but stayed put and kept calling the front desk---she didn't know if she should leave her room! I think we just failed Fire Safety 101! I think we need a "just in case" PLAN!

Morning came very fast after last night's uproar. The manager this morning thought one of the students had been smoking which set off the alarm! The fire system could pinpoint the area so heads were going to roll today. He also said that sadly the reaction by the lady was very common ---- what to do, what to do? etc., until it is too late!

Enough excitement--let's drive to Wales. Our plan was a drive along northern Wales to see a couple of castles built by Edward I as he battled for control of this independent land for 20 years in the 13th century. His castles became English islands in the middle of a very angry Wales. Since the United Kingdom is England, Scotland and Wales, the differences have been somewhat ironed out (depending

upon where and who you ask!).

Conwy Castle is dramatically situated on a rock overlooking the sea just as you drive into Conwy (the town). There are great medieval town walls and a quant fishing harbor.

The Castle is a ruin but we got to walk all around inside.

It was very windy but the views from the top were spectacular!

The town of Conway was a very busy slate port; by the 1900's, there were actually 48 pubs for all the sailors who loaded and transported slate to Europe where most buildings had slate tile roofs. Today it is a lazy, very Welsh, holiday place that loves tourists.

There is a tourist attraction, which we walked by, called the "Smallest House in Great Britain". It is about 10 feet tall by 6 feet wide, 1 room down and 1 up, and was really lived in by a local fisherman until 1900 when the town council declared it unfit for human habitation. Doesn't it make you wonder why someone would live where he couldn't even stand upright? He was 6 ft. 3 in.

Caernarfon Castle is our next stop. It wasn't only a castle for defense but a place where Ed I and the family could stay (a vacation with your enemies?) You can see from the model that the castle was right on the coast. That location was good for bringing supplies and more soldiers who then could march into the interior to subdue the locals.

Edward made a deal with the angry Welsh that they would submit to him if he presented a "prince, born in Wales, who spoke not a word of English". I'm sure they were not thinking that Edward's infant son, born in this castle fulfilled all the requirements! There has only been an "Investment Ceremony" for the last 2 of the 21 Princes of Wales.

Driving back to Chester was a rainy ordeal. The Welsh country side is rocky and desolate between small towns. We drove through some of Snowdonia National Park and really loved Betws-y-Coed. This town is the resort center for Snowdonia hiking; a picturesque town surrounded by woods. Add it to "the next time list!"

Day 7 Warwick to Chester

Leaving Wood Norton Hall was so sad. How could any B & B top it? But on to Warwick Castle and a little history. The original Norman mound of a 1068 wooden "motte-and-bailey" castle is now incorporated into the 12th - 15th century stone structure you see today. The Tussauds Group (the famous Madame Tussauds wax figures) bought Warwick Castle in 1978 and turned it into a "Castle Theme Park"!! Maybe they have the right idea for getting kids excited about history while saving an historic monument? There were several school groups in line with us to buy the expensive tickets. Tussauds have staged Warwick for an 1898 royal weekend party with an audio guide by the servants to match. I think this part was for the adults while the kids watched a bowman demonstrating archery, jousting and the trebucket show! I just don't think of "modern living" in a castle even though this one was turned into a country house in early 1600s. Castles should be dark, cold and very drafty with tapestries covering the stone walls! Certainly not with laundry rooms and bathtubs and carpet!!

We drove about 175 miles north to Chester which is near Liverpool on the border with Wales. This was supposed to be a very historic city which can be traced back to founding by the Romans about 70 AD. Until about 500 AD, it was a busy trading port when the River Dee silted up, trade stopped and Chester stagnated. First the Norman-Saxons settled this city and finally the Victorians rediscovered it and made this city into a great tourist area.




We walked 15 minutes into the historic city center and then about 3/4 of the way around historic Chester on the 2 miles long medieval wall looking down on the mostly Victorian era city which I learned was Daniel Craig's birthplace (The "new" James Bond). We noticed a restaurant with a great name--"Slug & Lettuce"! How bad could it be for a pint or two and dinner? In fact it was great! I hope it is a chain restaurant; I would order the very same thing.

By the time we walked back to the Brookside Hotel it was nearly bedtime and we had 5.7 miles of walking behind us today.


Tomorrow we will drive around Wales, saving the exploration of Chester for Thursday.

Day 6 Stratford Upon Avon

Today was our second day of the "Quick Cotswold 2 Day Driving Tour". We headed to Broadway, one of the most popular villages. Broadway was lovely, however, the only thing I wanted today was a sweater--it was chilly! I decided that 5 layers of cotton tee shirts from Florida just wasn't enough, even with a jacket, to keep me warm in England. And those gloves, safely at home for Colorado winter vacations, would have felt really good! Sweaters-no problem, but mid May is "out-of-season" for gloves.

By our mid morning tea break, we were in Morton-in-Marsh where Don had a great conversation about the "Boston Red Sox" with the locals at Martha's Coffee Shop. How do the English know we are from America? Do we really have an accent? We passed through Snowshill (with a 53 acre Lavender Farm), Blockley, Stow-on-the Wold, The Slaughters and Upper Swell and then Lower Swell. Don't these village names sound like a a perfect location for an English murder mystery? Maybe I should go to the library for a new book to read.

As we were driving around the countryside, we saw these vibrant yellow fields planted with something that looked to me like mustard flowers. We later learned this was the rape plant that is harvested for the seeds that yield canola oil and IT IS a member of the mustard family. Wow! My farm knowledge is still there!

Our last Cotswold village was Winchcombe, a village from Saxon times, with a lovely church built about 1450. A local, knowledgeable church member was waiting for any visitors to "show and tell" all about his church, St. Peter's. It was very interesting to get all the stories. There were various items including an altar cloth that supposedly was creweled (embroidery but with yarn) by Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's very first wife.

There was also a large memorial on the wall of St. Peter's Church of a wealthy husband who died before his wife. He left a nice spot for her to kneel beside him when she died--but I guess she decided to remarry instead and must have like husband #2 better as the memorial was never completed and he is still waiting.

Sudeley Castle was about 30 minute walk from St. Peter's so off we went. This was Crown property until Edward VI gave it to his uncle, Thomas Seymour who then married Katherine Parr, Henry VIII last and only surviving wife. We had a brisk walk but the castle was closing by the time we arrived so it goes on the list for the next visit to England.

We did walk passed the castle gatehouse which was as big as our own home and looked like someone actually lived there. Maybe the Castle caretaker?? A Castle gatehouse with a TV antenna looks a little strange!

We walked to the Castle on the Cotswold Way, public footpath that walkers use all over the United Kingdom. The British are famous for going for a walk of maybe 6-7 hours just because they can. And the weather doesn't seem to figure into the pasttime. I highly recommend Bill Bryson's book, "Notes from a Small Island." He writes a great travel book about his "good-by" walks all over England before moving back to the USA.

There are even special "ordnance" maps that show all the footpaths, with all the details of surveys, that cross public and private land. You just need to close any gates you pass through so the animals stay in the pasture. And have raingear with you!

Stratford Upon Avon was our last stop tonight to see the sights and have a good dinner at the local pub. All the tour buses and tourists had already left by the time we arrived. We had the whole town to our selves. So we walked by Will's birthplace, The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, built in 1879, burned down in 1926 and replaced in 1932 (under renovation until 2010) and through the touristy parts of town. This is a town that must survive on tourism as it was a rather lonely place.

Why is Shakespeare still so popular after 400 years? Was it really good PR or high school English teachers just passing on what they had to learn in high school??

Before leaving Stratford Upon Avon, we walked to the River Avon where swans, "the mascots of Stratford since 1623," came begging for food (probably not the original swans however!) and the riverside Holy Trinity Church where William Shakespeare is buried. It cost about $2.50 each to see his final resting place unless you were going to church. We just looked at the regular graves in the church yard and called that close enough.

We only walked 5.3 miles today but saw charming villages and historic towns before heading back for our last night at fabulous Wood Norton Hall. I forgot to mention that we had our own servants to serve our breakfast this morning. I wonder if someone had ironed the 3 newspapers we had to choose from? No wonder wealthy people get spoiled!

Day 5 The Cotswolds

As we were going to wander around the Cotswolds for a couple of days, first stop was the burial place of Winston Churchill. He was grandson of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and born at Blenheim Palace. It has 2100 beautiful acres of park-like grounds which we saw previously. On that prior trip I introduced Don to the habits of sheep. Ask him about that day!








After all the history we know about Churchill, his grave was at the small village church in Bladon. The tiny village was easy to find; the graveyard took us more time to find than to visit! I don't think the village really wanted visitors as the tiny brown sign pointed out the way. Only after finding someone to ask on early Sunday morning were we successful.


We continued driving around the Cotswold by getting lost numerous times. Susan, the GPS, kept saying "Turn around at your earliest convenience." I still believe I heard her muttering something about "stupid drivers" the 5th time. Rather than turning around, we just kept driving until she figured out another way from point A to point B, most times on unnamed "single lane" farm roads where one car must find a pull off place for the other car to pass. English drivers are SO courteous!


The Cotswolds are only 25-by-90 miles and all the guide books use "charming, enchanting and romantic" to describe the area. I have to agree--the scenery was so typically "English" with stone cottages, stone barns, stone fence rows and lots of sheep. (Too many BBC mysteries?) The villages were old fashioned but full of tourists. We looked as we drove around the block more than once and I took some photos on the fly. By the 12th century this area was very wealthy when wool was used all around Europe and Cotswold wool was considered the finest. But cotton and the Industrial Revolution changed all that. These small villages with their huge churches built with "wool money" just stagnated until 21st century tourists rediscovered the area.


Last stop for today was Gloucester Cathedral which started as an abbey church in early 1100. By 1216, the wealthy and powerful Abbey of St Peter had royal patronage; Henry III was crowned here and Edward II was buried here in 1327. Henry VIII ordered the monasteries be dissolved in his break with Catholic Rome but Gloucester's abbey buildings survived to become Gloucester Cathedral for the Bishop of Gloucester and the new Church of England.



Our hotel for this area was Wood Norton Hall in Evesham. I reserved a room in the former stables building where rates were reasonable. I think we were the only guests because we were put in the main house of a SPECTACULAR former hunting lodge built by a French nobleman with a claim to the throne of France! Our huge bedroom had oak paneled walls and ceiling, 2 wing backed chairs before an ornate fireplace, a wardrobe and a dressing table! Our bathroom had a claw foot tub AND EVEN A FIREPLACE!


After a walk around Evesham, The Swanne Inn was Don's choice for a pint and dinner. We waited 30 minutes for the server and finally ask the men at the next table. "You order at the bar with your table number and they bring it to you." Just like Wendy's with beer, table service and economical prices! This was a Weatherspoon pub, a chain all around the country. "Just look for the busy pub or ask a local--every town has one!" And the fish and chips were great!


We walked 4.2 miles today. It was time for bed.

Day 4 Winchester

I have learned not to trust mapquest.com.uk. I really thought I knew where we were to pickup the rental car but after walking back and forth at that address, trying to call Hertz with no luck, we finally asked a bus driver: "Oh, that's in the next town, about 15 miles down this road!" Well, I guess walking there was out of the question--time to find a taxi. Twenty pounds sterling ($33.00) and 30 minutes later got us to Hertz near the airport (I didn't even know that Oxford had an airport!) Next time I will get very specific directions from my travel agent. It was time to try out the GPS. England drives on the other side (left) of the road so GPS or not, I was nervous. Just memories of 15 years ago and near death experiences, I guess!!

For driving practice we were taking a day trip south to Winchester to meet up with friends of my sister/brother-in-law, Sara and Steve who moved from south FL to NC a few years ago. We don't get to see them very often now but when we can visit it is always such fun as they (usually Sara) collect very interesting friends!

So off to Winchester to meet Tina and Mike but first to have another look at Winchester Cathedral. I discovered that several of the early kings were buried there and I wanted another look. You really need to take the tours that are offered at the sites; there is too much to remember! So we saw the mortuary chests that hold the bones of some of the early kings (when England was divided into several small kingdoms): Egbert (802-39), Edward I, son of Alfred the Great (940-6); when the Vikings were in charge: Canute (1016-35) and his son, Hardicanute (1040-42); and after the Norman Conquest: William II, son of William the Conqueror ( 1087-1100).

The whole ruler/English history thing is so interesting to me that just seeing the tombs of these people leads me to more reading. And that is probably why I am having so much fun researching my own family tree as I have ancestors from the York area.

Don says I should have gotten a degree in English history. Is there still time?

We met up with Tina and Mike at the King Alfred statue then walked and talked all around the city center of Winchester. We had a wonderful time! And I am trying to figure out a way to live in England. I need to be closer to my research right? Maybe this week's lottery ticket will be the winner!

After returning to Oxford, we stopped at a museum that the tourist bureau recommended--Pitt Rivers Museum. This is a true collector's dream and a housekeeper's nightmare. It started with 20,000 objects that Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers donated to U of Oxford if a museum was built for the collection. Now there a more than half a million artifacts and growing. Everything from armour to jewellery to clothing from around the world. It actually was overwhelming!

Don and I walk a lot on "vacation" so the pedometer has recorded 10.33 miles for the past 2 days. We leave Oxford tomorrow for the Cotswolds, known in travel speak as the "unspoiled and 'quintessentially English'" countryside.

Day 3 Oxford

We got up early, as there is no resting on a KDS vacation, and tried the "breakfast" part of our b&b. Traditional English breakfast is eggs, bacon (our ham), tomatoes and toast. Cooked breakfast was extra so we were contented with juice, cereal, yogurt, "homemade" croissants, toast and fresh fruit. Along with the coffee and tea, our normal daily breakfast was so boring! Also there was a buffet of hard boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes, thin sliced ham and packaged cheddar cheeses. After eating, a few items dropped into my bag for lunch. It saves time later and is very economical. With bottled water, lunch is served on any park bench. We've done the same thing throughout Italy and France.

I wanted to see the Bodleian Library, the second largest library in the world! Rather that wait outside in the rain for the tour, we had a quick look at a special exhibition, "The British Choral Tradition." Stop rolling your eyes---it was better than getting wet! It was in a small room with glass cases that contained original choir music from the Middle Ages to the Handel's "Messiah" from 1741. Will any current music still be played in 250 years? Will any current "anything" still be around?

Time for the library tour. We first saw The Divinity School, one of the oldest (1450s) university buildings still in use and learned that the small walled town of Oxford started attracting many students in the 12th century when Henry II banned English scholars from the University of Paris. University of Oxford became the first university in the English speaking world. For Harry Potter fans, the Divinity School is used as Hogwarts infirmary!

Bodleian Library (started in 1613 by a former student) is not a lending library with rows and rows of books to read or just look at! A "member" (not even the general Oxford public) can read the more than 5 million books but only at one of the various reading rooms of the library system. Our guide said King Charles I was even refused permission to borrow a book! These are strict librarians!! This library has received a copy of every book printed in the UK for the last 400 years. Yes, they are going digital!! But we did get to see Duke Humfrey's Library (started about 1425) where the most valuable books are still chained backwards (spines in) to the bookcases. You can read it but not steal it. (See the b & w photo)

Duke Humfrey was the son of Henry IV, brother to Henry V and uncle to Henry VI; he donated more than 280 manuscripts to the University. So naming a library after him was just good PR. And the Potter films used Duke Humfrey's Library as Hogwart's Library. You might think we were taking the "Potter Tour" but the films just used great sights!

Next on the list was a walking tour of the city. We got a fast paced history lecture on Oxford and the University of (which was very confusing, not at all like USA universities). If you want more details check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Oxford . Don is still trying to figure it out.

As it was exam week when colleges are closed to visitors we only got to see the chapel at Exeter and a little of Christ Church College (largest). But Christ Church hall was used as inspiration for (again, sorry) Hogwart's dining hall. Overall, if one of my grandchildren was inspired to attend Oxford, I would have to go live with them just to be in those surroundings.

Dinner plans were for a pub that began in 1242 called "The Bear". The current building is newer (17th century) and the name comes from something about "a bear pit" on the original site. It was about as big as our living room with 7 foot ceilings and "Friday night" crowded so we tried a Thai restaurant down the street. Delicious!! What happened to the "bad" English food?