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?

Day 2, Oxford

We've arrived in Oxford!


We did a quick check in at the Bath Place Hotel on Holywell St. It was a perfect hotel (it's so hard to tell what you're going to get with online reservations). Our room was only one flight up a narrow, winding stairway and we had the requested bathroom. Imagine opening the bathroom door to find 2 steps down to the toilet and 2 steps back up to the shower, all in about 4' x 6' of space. Welcome to England!

We wanted to get our bearings so we headed right back out to look around and walked 3 blocks to the center of Oxford where Cornmarket Street, St. Aldates's, Queen Street and High Street come together. From my guide book "Rick Steves' England," I knew about a place with a great view. Carfax Tower is all that is left of a 13th century church and for 99 "easy" steps you can see all around the town from about 7 floors up.

You should know that the historic sights or bed & breakfasts do NOT have elevators and many b&b rooms share a bathroom down the hall (just like we all did growing up, except with strangers).These are not new buildings. (The history of the Bath Place Hotel says it was once a cluster of 17th century cottages built against the outside of the city walls.) Any remodeling to make "en suite' rooms has taken space from the bedroom and squeezed a toilet, sink and shower in the smallest space required for the fixtures (but not to South Florida Building Code standards says my builder husband). The rooms have just what you need--bed, bath, TV and an electric teapot with all the ingredients for tea (even cookies) but no extra space. Forget about handicap accessibility--no place we have stayed or visited in Europe could accommodate a handicapped person.

But 99 steps are not "easy" after traveling for 18 hours from home to hotel. I just had to put one foot in front of the other to get to the top of a tight, circular staircase; now and then stopping for a breathe while Don looked back to make sure I haven't fallen back down the steps. I knew it would be worth it and, WOW, it was!

Don does not like heights but I do so it was wonderful hanging on the railing, looking down at the main streets and just gazing out at the church spires and old buildings everywhere! I read that the University of Oxford was started in the 10th century, so old is good. It was also very cool and windy. I need more clothes! I took pictures from every angle. Of course, we didn't know what we were looking at but that really didn't matter. It was not south Florida!

We found a pub that looked good, ordered a couple of pints of local beer and "pub grub" (just good, basic food) for dinner. Students and locals were sitting all around us, studying, reading the paper or just talking. It was great! But it was an early night for us; jet lag was setting in and we had lots to do tomorrow.

Day 1, Here We Go!

Frank's Shuttle to the West Palm Beach airport was coming to pick us up at 3:30 p.m. but, thank goodness, arrived early. I would much rather sit at the airport than watch past episodes of "24". Just waiting around is work! We travel much better by leaving in the dark of early morning!

Because we had First Class Tickets (thanks to American Express Rewards) we got to take advantage of the Sky Miles Lounge which I had totally forgotten about. What a perk--Free WI-FI, newspapers, magazines, drinks and food. And it was so quiet away from the normal airport noise. But sometimes you have to give up one thing to get another--right? Our flight to Atlanta left late due to weather delays. When making a connecting flight is there ever too much time between flights?

We landed in Atlanta at 9:15 p.m. instead of 8:00 p.m. Of course, the terminal for International flights was Terminal 5 and we landed at Terminal 3. At the Atlanta Airport that means a long walk to the center of the arrival terminal, down a long escalator, catching the next train that runs between terminals, up a long escalator to that center, and a long walk to the gate for the continuing flight. On a good day, 60 minutes could even allow a drink and/or restroom break. Our cardiac training really paid off! We sprinted to our gate out of breath just as boarding started, walked right on and collapsed. Not a great way to start our 30 day adventure.

One of the great advantages of First Class is the food service on long flights. One of the disadvantages is dinner at midnight, Florida time! But how can my husband refuse appetizers, soup, salad, steak and 4 choices of wine. Yes, WE ate everything!! But it was hard to sleep after that meal and then breakfast came much too early for our stomachs--it was now 5:00 a.m. EDT, May 7.

WE ARRIVED--and are now on the National Express bus to Oxford. It is cool and overcast--a perfect English day. Jacket weather! What a fantastic change from the 90 degree Florida heat we just left. From landing, thru customs to the Heathrow Connect train to the Central Bus Station to the Oxford bus was only 60 minutes. And 70 minutes to Oxford, HURRAH!!

The countryside is SO green with spring trees and shrubs in bloom. There are some shrubs I remember from growing up in Ohio! I wonder if Mom remembers the name of them?

Don is trying out the Tom-Tom to make sure she (named Susan) really know we are in England. I was hoping for a really English accent but no luck on that so far. Since we only got the GPS 2 days ago the fact it really works is wonderful. And another good thing--Don hasn't had any trouble with the language so far (except for the announcements by the bus driver).

Notes for future trips: Bring in carry bag if possible--Hand lotion, hand sanitizer gel, makeup, dental floss, clothespins for car seat belt, zip lock bags. Make sure DS has his own ballpoint pen.