From Bath to York

We had a wonderful time in Bath!  We saw Jane Austen country, such as the Circle:

Sandi was in heaven when we went to the fashion museum but I liked the architecture.  We had been blessed with good weather for most of our stay - the only rain had fallen at night in London and had very nicely held off during the day, so I was wondering where this horrible weather stuff came from!  We ran into that in Stonehenge when the (it seemed like) there were gale force winds and torrential downpours of rain.  Here is a picture of Sandi when we looked at the incredible stones:

The wind was so strong it broke my!umbrella  They had a very good museum that we highly recommend to anyone visiting Stonehenge; it's well worth your time.

After the inundation, we got back on the tour bus and went through some really charming little English villages.  The last one, Castle Coombs, was really impressive with the old church and buildings.

 We were really fortunate in that our guide, Chris, was actually retired but had been brought back for a short time to train a new driver/guide.  So, we had Chris' undivided attention and the knowledge he has of the area (Kevin was driving).  Since he was born there the knowledge was considerable.  Here's Chris in the back yard of his friend, Pat.  She had very nicely asked us all in and we got to see the memorial she has placed there in honor of those lost in 9/11.

That's the memorial beside Chris.  Sometimes I forget that other countries lost people on that awful day, too.  Pat had a dear friend killed.

After Bath, we got on the train to go to York.  That was an experience.  Of course, we chose to travel on a holiday weekend (bank holiday here in the UK on Monday) so, as one young man put it as we were standing from one town to another, "You'd think we were in India!" A lady responded, "At least we're not hanging off the outside yet!" The British sense of humor reigns supreme! We did eventually get to sit in our reserved seats and enjoyed the rest of the trip immensely.

Last night the true British weather again presented itself.  It had been raining off and on while we were on the train, but the sun came out again when we got to York.  Then back came the clouds.  We were looking for a restaurant that had been recommended when it started to downpour, so we ducked into an East Indian restaurant and decided to eat there.  One of those serendipitous moments.  The food was wonderful! We decided to that again today for lunch and again had a very happy experience.

We went to the Castle Museum today and were treated to a really fine display of life since the 17th century.  When they got up the 20th century it was a little bit daunting to see things behind glass that were a part of my life! Such as:

I have one just like it except in Orange! And then there was this, which is a lot like one I used back in the day:

After we did the walking around and then talked to a young lady who worked at the museum and was from Chicago, we went to the cafe and had a scone and (probably blasphemous) a diet Pepsi.  While there, we were treated to the sight of some goose families:

But, to end today's blog and to put a smile on your face, we were reminded of the simple joys in life...where there is a puddle, there is a child:.

On The Road Again!

Sandi and I are FINALLY off again.  It has been a long road since October 1, 2012 when Ed passed away when I was on my way home from Waxahachie, TX.  I, however, am the most fortunate of people - I have my sister.  Sandi has been the most wonderful person in the world, being my best friend as well as my sister.

I lived with Sandi until October 26, 2013 when I again moved into an apartment of my own.  Thank you David and Russ! You have been the best, moving me more times than you wanted to.  I am within 1 mile of Sandi so we still see each other frequently, usually going to the gym together 2 to 3 times a week.  Don't do much, but at least I do something!

Now, we are in ENGLAND!! This is the trip of a lifetime. We were chauffeured to Portland Airport by the wonderful Russ on May 15 and Sandi and I went inside to check in our luggage.  Well, I had purchased new luggage for this trip and it was a big suitcase...a really big suitcase.  Since we were going to London, then Bath, then York and finally to Scotland, it was difficult to know just what to pack weather-wise.  So, there were some long sleeved items, some short sleeved items and, after all, we're going for 3 whole weeks, so there were (all in all) WAY too many items! My suitcase weighed 59 pounds.  I was told I had to repack or pay a lot of money for over 50 pounds.  Sandi to the rescue.  I had some books in my case which were very heavy so Sandi put those in her really puny (weight-wise) suitcase and I passed.  Whew! That was a difficult moment.  

On we went, with a brief stop and change of planes in Vancouver BC, to Heathrow Airport, London, England.  We got on the tube at Heathrow and I threw myself on the mercy of gentlemen taking pity on a couple of ladies with almost white hair.  Actually, the people on the tube were very willing to give up their seats to us.  In fact, we met SO many nice people who were more than happy to help us with our luggage...such as when there was no lift (elevator) and only 3 floors of steps to go up because the escalator was under repair.  I must have had a pitiful look on my face as I stared from my HUGE suitcase to the stairs and back.  Wonderful people in this world.  When we got to the Kings Cross station we got off (had to yank my suitcase over a 5 inch gap between the train car and the platform) we made our way to the exit by following the "Way Out" signs.  Of course, we should have gone the other way because we ended up a block further from the street we needed...oh well, could have been worse.  Off we went.  Down the wrong road.  We stopped to rest at one point and had some pastry at a lovely little "to go" place, got some water and sat for a few minutes to catch our breath.  After that, Sandi realized that we were on the wrong street.  I hadn't seen anything resembling a street sign, so I was no help; it turns out that the street name is on the building on the corner.  So, I was optimistic and we turned the corner, walked about 3 more blocks and Voila! There was our hotel.  It was a very good thing because I was ready to drop onto the sidewalk and cry.  Again, wonderful, polite and helpful people.  We got into our room and crashed.  JET LAG!!!  

I am amazed at how powerful jet lag can be.  We arrived in London on Friday, May 16 and we just ate a little bit at the hotel and went to bed.  On Saturday, we took the tube to downtown, walked to Buckingham Palace (I said hello to the Queen - only in my mind - from all my friends) then walked to Westminster (it was closed) and went into the Jewel Tower.  Sandi lived in London for a year and didn't know about the Jewel Tower.  It was at one time where all the records were kept.  In fact, the steel door with the date 1621 is still there.  Of course the records are no longer there but it was fun seeing where they used to be.  We wandered around, found an adorable little place named The Albert where we had a diet pop (me) and cider (Sandi).  Then, we WALKED more, got back on the tube, back to Kings Cross, WALKED BACK to the hotel and once again, crashed.

On Sunday the 17th, we wanted to go to a couple of museums and Harrods, the huge department store in London.  Well, we made it to Harrods, got some inexpensive things (hard to find in London) and went back to the hotel.  We were so very, very tired! I told Sandi that it should have been our day of rest too since we didn't accomplish much.  However, I must admit that Harrods is incredible.  Take your favorite New Seasons and your favorite Nordstroms and your favorite whatever, put them together and multiply by 100.  There's Harrods.

On Monday we met a long time friend of Sandi's, Jane, and went to the TOWER OF LONDON!

This is only a small part of it.  It was really impressive and we had a wonderful Beef-eater guide named Kevin who delighted in telling us how many people were beheaded, hanged-drawn and quartered, and how many bodies were found under the chapel! He truly loved his job.  A good time was had by all and the time actually passed very quickly.  The Tower was a lot for my back and my feet to take in and Sandi was starting to fight the same virus I had 3 weeks ago, so we went back to the hotel and once again (you got it!) we crashed.

On Tuesday, we took the train from Paddington Station (yes it really exists!) to Bath and here we are today, Thursday.  We went on a walking tour yesterday all around Bath and saw the costume exhibit at the Assembly Hall.  It is so fun to see the buildings referred to in all those romance novels and Jane Austen books.  It's a really beautiful and very civilized city.  Here's a picture of the Abbey.

 Today has been a more relaxing day, allowing Sandi to fight her virus and get some strength.  Tomorrow, we are going on a trip to Stonehenge.  It will be all day long, leaving here at 8:30am and not returning until 5:30pm.  Should be REALLY good.  I'll let you know tomorrow.