The UK Part V: Along the Seashore

Saturday 5 July 2014

After a misty morning, the sun is out today!! We headed into town to do laundry at a little place tucked amongst the row houses. It seems a very working class district. The Middle Eastern Laundromat owner was very friendly and helpful. We got a quick breakfast of sandwiches while we washed and dried.

We decided to take a drive-passing back through the town center. It was so amiable with lots of activities and people out on a Saturday. There are beautiful parks and a big castle.

Still slacking on the picture taking!!

We continued out along the coast. There was a lovely walking/biking path and the tide was very low. We followed the coastline down to a surf beach. It was very busy, but a little chilly for me. The waves were small, so Preston opted out of surfing. We ordered lemonades and enjoyed the views instead.

The panorama messed up, but this is close enough :P

We drove back through a rolling and rustic countryside with unbelievably narrow roads.

We got dinner near the hotel at a chain sort of restaurant along the water and turned in for the night.

Sunday 6 July 2014

We got a quick snack at McDonalds (I KNOW, but it was RIGHT next to our hotel) and headed back into England.

Back across the bridge

Departing from the motorway, we followed country roads to Stonehenge. I’d been here before in 2009 and boy has it changed!! Just 5 years ago, you parked across the street and just kind of meandered over to the rock structures.

Now-it’s a HUGE complex. The parking alone costs 5£. I couldn’t even figure out where we were in relation to the ancient monument, because you couldn’t SEE it.

We paid the (gulp) 28£ entrance fees and were issued tickets to an exhibit and tram ride.

The museum had a lot of info and speculation about the early people of the region and the making of Stonehenge. It was SO crowded, which made it difficult to actually read anything. Outside, there were replicas of the huts where the ancient people would have lived.

We skipped the huge cafeteria and boarded the tram for the 5 min ride up to the circle of stones.

As before, Stonehenge filled me (and Pres) with a sense of awe. It’s a very spiritual place and despite the crowds, there is a peaceful feeling there.

We took our time walking the perimeter (you can’t get close to the stones) and 
taking pictures.

The crowds!!

Deciding to skip the tram ride back, we walked the ½ mile or so back to the parking through open fields and a wood.

Our 5£ parking fee was waived with our entrance fee, but I think you could easily JUST pay to park and walk on your own up to the monument. It seemed to me that the astronomical entrance fee was just for the exhibit and tram ride. ? Who knows :P

Back in the car, we headed south to the seaside town of Bournemouth. I chose Bournemouth because I have family here. My grandmother’s 2^nd husband’s daughter (still following?) Debbie lives in Bournemouth with her husband John and daughter Tiffany.

Since we weren’t meeting with them until later, Pres and I found our cute and small motel and then walked towards the beach.

There is a lot of activity here in Bournemouth. It seems very much a vacation destination. They are even constructing an artificial reef to increase the waves.

We got dinners of salads at a surfer themed restaurant with a view.

Back at the hotel, we met Tiffany for a drink and a chat. Tiffany was as sweet as ever. Later, we were joined by John, but Debbie was sick and unable to make it. It was lovely to see them and kind of them to make time for us. I’m glad for them to meet Preston too.

Tiffy and I share the same birthday :) 

 Tomorrow we head to one of my favorite cities in the world-LONDON!!

The UK Part IV: O De Lally

Thursday 3 July 2014

The breakfast at our hotel had the option of veggie sausage, which I thought was pretty cool. Sausage is full of so much junk anyway-that the soy version tastes about the same. Now, veggie bacon? Do yourself a favor and NEVER try this ;)

We left York and headed towards Nottingham (!!!!). I’m a HUGE Robin Hood fan and I could NOT have been more excited. One of my first crushes was on that (actual) fox in the cartoon. Swoon :P

As one might expect, on the way to Nottingham is…SHERWOOD FOREST :) :) :) :)

The forest is not as dense as the stories would have you believe, but rather patches of dense trees dispersed amongst pastureland.

Nonetheless..there is an ACTUAL Sherwood Forest and we went there!! :D :D :D :D

The city (Sheriff) of Nottingham provided free parking-maybe he’s not such a bad guy?? ;)-for the day to the forest.

That Sheriff of Nottingham is surely a stand up guy!! No? 

We went to the Visitor’s Center and watched a film on the History of the area, which is much bigger than just the Robin Hood story.

What? I LOVE bats!! This place is PERFECT!!

Outside, there was a statue of Robin Hood and Little John.

We followed a path through the forest. It was amazingly serene, despite all the school children. I felt so at peace there. It is such an old forest and you can feel the wisdom of its age.

We arrived at an ancient tree in the middle of the wood. It is told that this tree acted as the hiding place for Robin and his Merry Men. The tree is over 1000 years old and is hollow. While there’s no concrete evidence that ANY part of the Robin Hood tale is true…I DEFINITELY think this is the hideout of the Merry Men ;)

There's a Merry Man there ;)

The tree is so old that it cannot support itself anymore and is propped up by dozens of metal poles and looked after by ‘tree doctors’. I guess trees get old…just like people.

It was a spiritual place and we spent a good amount of time reading the signage and absorbing it all.

We followed the path back to the car and headed towards Stratford-Upon-Avon for lunch. Stratford-Upon-Avon is William Shakespeare’s hometown. England is full of WONDERS!!

We parked just outside of town in a parking garage and wandered along the river. It was a delightful day-terrific weather, lots of flowers, and swans!! We didn’t do any of the Shakespeare attractions, because things were pricey, but we explored the town a bit. We got sandwiches from one of the many café barges. After enjoying our sandwiches in the warm sun (Preston got a yummy cranberry and brie-his new favorite),  we hopped back in the car and headed towards The Cotswolds.

The Cotswolds is a fairytale like section of the English countryside known for its series of little villages and thatch roofed cottages. Charming doesn’t even being to describe it. Of course, I failed to take many pictures :P

We passed through delightful towns with funny names like, ‘Chipping Camden’, ‘Stow-on-the-Wold’, and ‘Moreton-in-Marsh’.

We are staying near ‘Cowley’ at the ‘Green Dragon Inn’. On the way, we made an accidental turn down a side road and stumbled upon a perfect little one lane village.

The inn where we are staying is superb…a cozy little place with modern rooms.

We made our dinner reservations in the pub and we to our room to get settled.

With no plans for tomorrow or the following day, we spent some time deciding where to go next. We’d heard that the surfing is good in Cornwall, but Preston wasn’t too enthused…so we decided on Wales. Wales doesn’t often get a lot of attention and I wanted to do a full UK (main island, of course excluding Northern Ireland) tour.

We chose the cheapest seaside town we could find and booked two nights in Swansea.

We headed to the pub for dinner. The food was good, but the highlight for me was the sticky toffee pudding I had for dessert. Whee!!

OMG

After dinner, Preston returned to the room and I took a short, sunset walk down the lane. It sure is idyllic here.

Friday 4 July 2014

This holiday went COMPLETELY unnoticed here :P I mean I know it’s an OBVIOUS American holiday, but you’d think it would be mentioned SOMEWHERE. Nope!! Maybe they are still bitter about that whole Declaration of Independence thing ;)

We left the glorious Cotswolds-stopping to take a few pictures of the flower-filled fields and got breakfast at a café in a busier town.

I read the funniest article of my life about an older couple held hostage by a feral cat. I know it’s not REALLY funny, but omg…the images in my head were. And for the life of me…why didn’t they just open a window?? The cat broke a family heirloom (as if on PURPOSE!!) and the issue was only solved by a neighbor dressed in full motorcycle gear. I mean. I can’t even. :) Terrorized!! heheh!!

I can't figure out how to rotate this, but it's hilarious sideways too ;)

The day became overcast and rainy. We followed the motorway into Wales, crossing a huge bridge with a HUGE toll.

Once again, I took NO pictures? I think I'm tired ;)

I imagined all the English princes of old that would have made this journey.

We arrived in Swansea, which is a bit of a port town. We found our hotel and settled in while the rain came down in misting sheets.

We ventured out to the central downtown area with restaurants, shops, pubs, and a movie theater. We were soaking wet by the time we ducked into a dark, but lively pub to watch the World Cup game.

While we were there, a very friendly Welshmen enthusiastically exclaimed over Preston’s good looks. He said, “I’m not gay, but you are the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen!!” haha!! He was also perplexed as to how we found ourselves in Swansea :P

For dinner, we decided on a wholly American BBQ place in honor of 4^th of July. It was pretty tasty. So far, we find the Welsh to be incredibly friendly.