Thursday - 10/06/2011 - Going Home

Today is the last day for many of us. We all had different flights home.

Several people had made other travel arrangements for additional touring. Some from Australia were going to stop in Dubai or Singapore for a few days on their way home. Some were just going to stay in the London area. One couple was heading back to Ireland to rent a car and travel through middle Ireland to areas we did not see. Another couple was renting a car in London and were going to travel through central England for a week.

Another couple were going to travel another three week, in Europe, visiting Paris, Rome, Venice, etc.

We were traveling home. Our morning was somewhat leisurely. Our flight was scheduled for 2:00 pm. Our shuttle from the hotel was at 10:00, with pickup for our bags at 9:00. we arrived at the airport with about 2 hours to spare so after getting through security we had a light snack.

Our flight back was only about 8 1/2 hours, and was on schedule. Leaving was delayed on the tarmac. The plane left the gate as scheduled but did not get into the air for another half-hour. Actually the landing was about 15 minutes ahead but we did not get to the gate until the 'scheduled time'.

Off the plane, through immigration and passport control. Then pick up the suitcases and go through customs. Overall this went smoothly.

After the four of us gathered near the exit doors I phoned our son-in-law who was to pick us up. He answered quickly and said that he just stopped outside the doors.

So, home again after another travel of Interesting Experiences. We saw a lot and did a lot. I think we saw everything that we expected to, and then a whole lot more.

I am signing off again, until the next time:

The WAYWARD TRAVELER Traveler and his exhausted companions.

Wednesday - 10/05/2011 - finish in London

Today was our last official day of our tour, ending mid-afternoon in London.

Shortly after leaving we stopped in the little town of Stow-in-the-Wold. There was not much to see in this town, another Cotswold stone town. However there was a mini-stock in the town square. This one only held the ankles, versus the ankles and wrists that one normally see. Several of us used the opportunity to sit in the stocks and have others take our photos.

After leaving we drove through a small town of Woodstock. No, not the New England town of free-love and music, but the original town. It is the home town of W. Churchill. We stopped at the castle where he was born (his parents were visiting and his mother went into labor). The current 10th duke of ??? is still living there, and he is in his 80's.

We arrived in London around 2:00 pm, or so. A number of people from our tour group had signed up to see one of two plays, Wicked or Billy Elliot, and they were to leave at 4:30 for dinner and their show. We chose not to do this.

Several of us met for supper at a small tavern / pub about a block from the hotel. This was still another unique experience. You ordered and paid for your meal at the bar and they brought it to you at the table you sat at.

The Wayward Traveler.

Tuesday - 10/04/2011 - York, England to Stratford-Upon-Avon

Today was another interesting day of travel and sight-seeing.

Shortly after leaving York we drove through the area of Nottingham / Sherwood Forest. John Hood, our Tour Guide, gave us a brief history of Robin Hood. Yes, the family names are the same, but that is as close as it gets.

When we left York this morning one of our group asked for the bus driver to put the radio on for awhile. This comes into play later this morning. Anyway, after a brief time, maybe 1/2 hour, the radio was turned off.

When we stopped at a comfort station along the highway, there in the parking lot on the back of a flatbed truck was a huge Rocking Horse. It was mention on the radio this morning. It was built to try to get funding and knowledge abut training young people in the lost skills such as stone work (masonry), etc. The rocking horse was (if I remember from the radio) somewhere around 16 to 18 feet high. It gets a little confusing here in England (including N. Ireland, Wales and Scotland) because on the road they use miles, but regular measurements they use the metric system. The Republic of Ireland uses the metric system (kilometers) on their highways. Ireland also uses the Euro currency.

Our first real stop was the town of Coventry. We parked close to the center of town, near the university. We then walked to the town center where on a clock town the story of Lady Godiva is acted out. On the hour lady Godiva comes out on a horse, and as it travels around the bottom of the clock, Tom peeks out of a door above her. Even his eyes get bigger as she approaches.

Near where the bus parked is a bombed destroyed cathedral sitting along side a new cathedral. Also, just on the other side of the new cathedral is another old church, Holy Trinity Church, which has a mural close to the ceiling that is older than the ones in the Vatican. I do not have the dates in front of me, but I seem to recollect that it is about 50 years older.

Our next stop was in Stratford-Upon-Avon - yes, that Stratford. We had a short stop at Anne Hathaway's cottage where a group photograph was taken. We then were driven to the main area. We had a tour of Shakes pears' Birth place and where he lived until he married and left home.

We had about 2 hours free time before our next event. However, since we were staying here this evening, it was okay.

A number of us signed up for an optional tour for Tea and Cream. On our way we drove through some small Cotswald towns (Cotswold is an area, not just a town). The house here were built from 'Cotswold' stone - a yellowish colored soft stone. Along the way we passed some farmlands that looked different - John told us that the farming method was called Ridge and Furrow. The field looked like a lake with waves on it. The 'ridges (higher ground) were planted with one type of crop, and the furrows (valleys) were planted with another type of crop which obviously preferred more moisture since the rain from the ridge would flow down to the furrow. The ridges seemed maybe about 12 to 15 yards apart.

We stopped for the Tea and Cream and Scones at a pub in the village of Campden. the pub was built in 1188. The cream was very heavy, and a lite yellow in color. It kind of reminded me of a soft butter. The scone was fresh bakes, with raisins in it, and was served warm. You cut the scone in half, spread a berry jam on it, then covered it with the cream.

Supper was at the hotel, so we had the evening to walk around Stratford-Upon-Avon, along the river among the canal boats, and back through the old town.

Signed

Your Wayward Traveler and his companions.

Monday - 10/03/2011 - Edinburgh, Scotland to York, England

Another day of travel.

We left Edinburgh this morning a few minutes past 8:00 am.

Our first stop was at Floors Castle in the town of Kelso. It is currently owned by the 10th Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe, and is the largest privately owned castle. The land that it is on is about 5,000 acres (if I remember the numbers correctly), with the Duke actually owning 56,000 acres in the area. The first floor which we were able to tour seems like a living history museum with many items from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Around noon today we re-entered England. There was a section of the highway (think two-lane country road) that was actually on top of the original Hadrian's Wall. The original ditch was right on the left side of the road. Hadrian's Wall was built by the Romans to keep the 'Barbarians' out of the Roman controlled country. The stone itself was 15 feet high, with the ditch on the northern edge of it. Over the years and various 'conquests' by others, such as the Norsemen and earlier English the wall was torn down and the stone reused. We did stop at a section of the wall that was still around, but with a lot of the stones removed. This was in the town of Heddon-on-the-Wall.

We then drove through the town of Newcastle and immediately following the town of Washington. This was not the original name of the town, but is where the father of our George Washington had an estate, but left for the colonies. The last name of the father was different. It originally Heartburn, but he changed it (common practice at the time) to something else that was close to Washington. I'll have to look it up later.

We stopped in York and took a walking tour. It still has a Medieval center and an almost complete medieval stone wall around it.

Our hotel is just outside the city.

The Wayward Traveler and his traveling companions.

Sunday - 10/02/2011 - Edinburgh

When we got up this morning it was raining. There was light rain on and off all day.

We started with a city tour from 8:30 until 13:00. The bus driver took us around the city pointing out several major colleges, the 2 cathedrals, government buildings, and tow other sites I will describe shortly.

The main street was closed because of a 10K Run for ??. This cause the driver to take different routes, sometimes even going down a street one way, then going around a block and coming back the other way.

Our first stop for site seeing was Palace Holyroodhouse - the official Queen's residence when she is in Scotland (the one we went by yesterday was their personal home that they use as a vacation get-away).

The next stop, a mile away but probably 20 minutes by road because of the road condition, was Edinburgh Castle. The one on the top of the hill above the city. It was fogged in when we arrived, such that one could only make out the top of the building when standing next to it. Regardless there is a lot of history here.

The bus dropped us off at the hotel, as mentioned earlier, around 1:00. We had the whole afternoon to ourselves. Some of the group signed up for a tour of the Britannica (formerly the monarch's personal yacht). Judy and I chose not to take this optional tour today.

We walked around Edinburgh between the raindrops.

The Wayward Traveller and his companions who are ready to pack for their ride home.

saturday - 10/01/2011 - Inverness to Edinburgh

Today was another day of mainly travel. It was also raining a lot - light rain, not heavy.

Shortly after leaving Inverness we passed the battlefield of Colloden Moor - the last battle between the Highlanders against the British, the Lowlanders, the Welsh, etc. The Highlanders lost.

We passed through Braemar - the summer vacation home of the Queen. She was busy and did not have time for us, or she heard we were coming and left - you decide.

Our next stop was in the town of St. Andrews and of course the Golf Course. The Dunhill Competition was in process. McIlroy was one of the players on the course. We don't know if we saw him, or he us, as we could not get close enough with my eyesight to tell.

We arrived at our hotel in Edinburgh late afternoon, and for our evening most of us had signed up to a 'The Ultimate Scottish Experience', a dinner and show, which was held in our hotel.

It rained most of the day.

Once again, the Wayward Traveller and his cohorts.

Friday - 09/30/2011 - Highland Excursion

today was a normal 'tourist' day of site seeing.

We left Inverness and drove somewhat clockwise into the Highlands of Scotland - named so because it is the mountainous region.

We first stopped at Inverewe Gardens - a garden of lots of tropical plants and here in the north country. It had tropical flowers like the Bird-of-Paradise as well a palm trees. The area is well about the 55 parallel.

next we drove by Loch Glascarnoch - another long and narrow lake.

There was a short stop at a Scottish whiskey distillery where the process was described and a small free sample was given out.

Some of us chose an optional tour this evening - a cruise on Loch Ness looking for Nessie, followed by a dinner at their 'exhibition' center.

The Wayward Traveller and his tired buddies.