Scotland, Wales & England 2017

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Trip start
August 8, 2017
Scotland, Wales & England 2017 The Travels of Paula
Get Ready, Set Go!
August 8, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
I am packed except for my laptop, phone and tablet. This is a "test run" for traveling with my new HP Spectre X2, my new suitcase and for this new Blog site. I am hoping my knee, which is trying to make me believe I am too old to travel, will cooperate. I am armed with meds, a knew brace, a cane and ice packs and loads of optimism. John is taking fewer shoes and less technology, but maybe a few more clothes. The Dulles Flyer picks us up at 2:30 pm. I guess that is the official start of the trip.Read more
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Scotland, Wales & England 2017 The Travels of Paula
Arrival in Edinburgh
August 9, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
It was a long day. The connection and Customs at Heathrow was easy. Unfortunately, I trieded my knee on the flights to Edinburgh, so my first day out was painful. The Tauck rep who picked us up from the airport realized from our day bags that at least one of us was interested in golf. He told (tortured) me about all the many golf courses some very close to the airport. We even saw a golf ball on the highway!

After John and I met with the Tauck rep we headed out to try to "encash" our 33 year old travellers cheques. Total failure. We tried 2 places (Travelex & Kanoo) with no success. We will have to send them in to get our money. Oh, well.

When we got back from that long, but unsuccessful walk our room was ready. Then it was time to meet the group and head for Stirling Castle. We received a tiny booklet with the names of everyone on the tour. That is a very nice perk, especially for someone who has a hard time remembering names.

Our guide to Stirling Castle was very good, knowlegeable and funny.

After the tour we filled out personal paperwork, selected our play and restuarant for our night out in London. Then there was just time for a quick shower and then down to the Welcome Reception and dinner. After a tiny bit of Administrivia, a gentleman played the bagpipes for as and answered questions. Later at dinner he recited Address to Haggis. The poem and the demo that went with it turned me off to Haggis, but it was my appetizer and was pretty good.

It was a long day for us and after icing my knee I headed for bed.Read more
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Scotland, Wales & England 2017 The Travels of Paula
Day 2: Edinburgh Sightseeing
August 10, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
My knee was much better today. Our first stop was Holyrood Palace. I always enjoy touring palaces and
castles and this one did not disappoint. The grounds were beautiful. Once inside the palace, the docents
were dressed in period costumes and provided information about the rooms and answered any
questions. In one of the rooms were some golf clubs and the docent showed us a golf ball that was filled
with feathers and covered with leather.

At one point to get to the room where Mary Queen of Scots’ friend, David Rizzo, was murdered meant it
had to climb a set of 28 narrow, steep high steps. I decided to try it. I went slowly and had no trouble or
pain.

Our next stop was Edinburgh Castle. It was very crowded. I had been there in 1973, but my impression
there were more buildings to see now than in 1973. After touring the castle buildings, John and l walked
around and then got some lunch. While we were at lunch I read one of the Tauck information sheets
and learned that there are both Scottish pounds and British sounds and Scottish pounds are not
accepted in Britain. The pounds we had gotten from the ATM on our first day in Edinburg were Scottish
pounds. So we started using the cash instead of our credit cards to make sure we used up theThen we
headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and the Tatoo.

It was pretty chilly tonight so everyone was dressing warmly and wearing layers. I wore my earmuffs and
socks and I was glad I did. Plus John “rented” cushions at the venue for y pound each. The Taboo was
great. Hot only was the music great & inspiring, but there was dancing and projections on the Castle
walls of colors and images. The Tatoo also included fireworks. The Tato started at 9pm and lasted until
around 10:45pm. John and I waited until the crowds thinned out some before we tried to leave. We got
back to the hotel a little before 11pm.

Need to finish packing tonight. We leave at 8am tomorrow for the Lake District.Read more
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Scotland, Wales & England 2017 The Travels of Paula
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
August 10, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌙 55 °F
This just a short blurb to show some the sights of the Tattoo. I hope the photos do it more justice than my words did.
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Scotland, Wales & England 2017 The Travels of Paula
Day 3: Hadrian's Wall; Lake District
August 11, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F
Was a full day on the bus. We departed (the Tauck director refers to it as"Wheels turning") 8am. It drizzled most of the day, but it wasn't too bad. Our first stop was to tour the Chesters Roman fort. From there we drove to a portion of Hadrian's. The part of the wall we saw was no more than 4 feet high - a far cry from the max height of 10-20 feet it is speculated to be.

The highlight of the day was lunch. We had lunch with a couple at their Manor House. Half of our group dined with the wife and the other half of us dined with the husband. He was very interesting and explained pregenture to us. After lunch we toured the grounds and the gardens around the house. Then we returned to the bus and headed for Grassmere, the home of William Wordsworth. A few of us toured Dove Cottage while the remainder walked through the village and visited the shops.

Then it was onto Langdale Estate hotel to check-in and have dinner.Read more
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Scotland, Wales & England 2017 The Travels of Paula
Day 4: The Lake District
August 12, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
Today we toured several places in the Lake District. Our first was an Arts and Crafts House in Blackwell. The Arts and Crafts Movement was a reaction to the excesses of Victorian industrialisation. It grew from a desire to revive traditional craftsmanship and restore simplicity and honesty to how buildings and furnishings were made. The house was very interesting. After the tour of the house we had lunch in a café on the property and then headed to Bowness-on-Windermere. When we left the house it was raining, but when we got to Bowness-on-Windermere, it had stopped.

John and I had no interest browsing the shops in the town, so we took a boat ride around the islands of Lake Windermere. When we returned to the hotel we decided to walk the trail near the hotel. Finding the trail turned out not to be a trivial task, but we finally found it. We walked about 4 miles on the trail and back to the hotel. I took & used a cane just for safety, but my knee did fine.

Our group had dinner at a nearby pub. The food was good. It is fun getting to know the members of the group.Read more
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Scotland, Wales & England 2017 The Travels of Paula
Day 5: Chester & North Wales Coast
August 13, 2017 in Wales ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
Today we headed for Wales. Our first step was a "truck stop" where John got a Red Bull. At the stop there was also a Starbucks, a Subway and a Krispy Kreme shop. Our next stop was Chester which is one of the two walled cities in England. John and I stopped at an ATM before heading out to explore. Since it was close to lunchtime, we stopped in a shop and got a shop and purchased a Cornish pasty for me and a sausage roll for John. Then lunch in hand, we began our wanderings through Chester.

We walked the length of the top of the wall. The far end of the wall ended at the ruins of a Roman garden and a Roman Amphitheater. From there we headed for Chester Castle. We went inside, but there wasn't much to see and it was close to time to return to the bus.

From Chester we headed for Conwy (pronounced Conway) in Wales. After checking into the hotel and freshening up and changing clothes, we headed for dinner at Bonant Gardens Food Center. The name is misleading. It is called a Center because they grow much of their own food and supplement that with locally grown food. Prior to dinner we had a cooking demonstration of the meal we would later eat and a wine tasting. We tasted two white wines - a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc (John and I both liked the Chardonnay the best) - and two red wines - a Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec blend and a Merlot (John didn't like either and I liked the Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec blend the best). The dinner was wonderful. When we returned to the hotel we took a short walk on a path nearby.

Earlier in the day we had been told that the Estuary Conwy and the hotel are on was tidal. I had never heard the term before, but learned it means that the water goes out with the tide. While we were on our walk we witnessed this phenomenon. Where we were most of the water went out leaving just mud behind. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me on the walk, so I have no photo of the phenomenon. I had no problems with my knee either. I will see how it feels tomorrow.Read more
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Day 6: Caernarfon & Welsh Countryside
August 14, 2017 in Wales ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F
We headed for Caernarfon at 8:45 am. This was to give us a bit of a break after the long driving day yesterday. On our way to Caernarfon we made a short stop at q seaside town for a scenic photo opportunity. The town, Daresbury, was where Charles Dodgson who under the pen name Lewis Carroll wrote “Alice in Wonderland” had lived. On the seaside promenade was a bronze statue of the mad Haller.

After some photos and a stroll along the promenade, we headed for Caernarfon Castle. The castle was started in 1283 by King Edward I to take control of Wales. Our guide was very good. There is no doubt in my mind that she is proud to be a Welsh. After the tour we were free to explore the ruins. John and I walked the upper wall of the castle and climbed wheat seemed like at least 80 steps, but probably wasn’t more than 30. The steps were q challenge for my knee, but I “soldiered on”.

After the Castle we found a shop where we could get Cornish pasties and sausage rolls. We didn’t realize that you needed to slate you wanted to eat in (not do ”take away”) so once we realized our mistake we just paid the difference to eat in. After lunch we returned to the bus. Some of us were dropped off at Conwy to explore the castle there. Emboldened by my success climbing the towers of Caernarfon Castle, I agreed to explore Conwy castle. We had also decided we would tour the Plas Mawr Elizabethan Town House. We were able to purchase a combo ticket at Conwy Castle. The combo ticket was £16 per person, but John asked if they gave a senior discount and it turned out they did, so the tickets only cost us £7 each! We climbed 2 towers at Conwy (I refused to climb a 3rd).

Then we walked A short distance to the Elizabethan Town House. The tour included an audio tour. In each room you “synced” with a device in the room to get information about the room. The narrator portrayed a character associated with the house (owner, wife, servant, etc.). The tour was very informative.

After the tour we walked back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. After dinner we got packed and ready to check out tomorrow. The drive to Stratford-Upon-Avon and Oxford is not supposed to be as long a day as the travel day to Conwy was.Read more
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Scotland, Wales & England 2017 The Travels of Paula
Day 7 - Stratford–Upon-Avon & Oxford
August 15, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
After checking out of the hotel, we headed for Stratford-Upon Avon. In Stratford-Upon Avon we toured Anne Hathaway's Cottage, the Shakespeare's Birthplace Museum and Shakespeare's New Place (the home Shakespeare and Anne to after their marriage). Of the three, I enjoyed Anne Hathaway's Cottage the best. New Place, there was a 30 minute talk before the "tour". We were 3/4 of the way through the talk before we realized that the house no longer existed. I would not recommend anyone going there.

After lunch we headed for Oxford. We dropped off our things at the hotel and the group was divided into two smaller groups for a walking tour of Oxford. This helped us get oriented so we could explore the next afternoon on our own.Read more
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Day 8 - Blenheim Palace & Oxford
August 16, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
Our first this morning was to Blenheim Palace. The Palace is the residence of the Dukes of Marlborough. The first Duke of Marlborough was John Churchill. Although not a Duke, Winston Churchill a member of that family line.

The tour guide and the house were wonderful. We got an early entrance and thus were able to beat the crowds. After the tour we were free to explore the grounds and the other exhibits. My favorite was the exhibit called Destiny. This exhibit gave an overview of John Churchill's tactics in battle and explained how the victories of the 1st Duke inspired Winston Churchill during his time as a political leader. Winston Churchill often said that it was his destiny to follow the path he did.

After the exhibit and walking around a portion of the vast gardens, we had lunch outside at the on-site cafe. The bees nearby were drawn to our sodas. As a bit of entertainment (for me) or a challenge (for John), John spent his time after eating capturing bees in each of our 3 cans of soda (one bee per can).

That night in Oxford dinner was on our own. We selected the White Horse Pub featured in some of the Inspector Morse shows. The food was okay, but nothing to rave about. I think we prefer what are now referred to as "gastro pubs". After dinner we walked around Oxford for a while and I got a scoop of caramel ice cream.

Once we got back to the hotel it was time to pack up to be ready to leave for Bath in the morning.Read more
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Trip end
August 16, 2017