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I’m OK. UK?

My niece has been studying in Florence since January, so we're excited to converge on London and start a UK road trip! I've seen a wee bit of England but am looking forward to traveling through Wales and Scotland. Læs mere
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    4. april 2025
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    Red Eye to London

    4. april, Forenede Stater ⋅ 🌬 34 °F

    Going on a trip is exciting. Sleeping overnight on a flight is not, but it’s a small price to pay for a whole lot of fun. The plan is to land in London around noon tomorrow and connect with my niece somewhere at Heathrow. Her flight from Florence arrives less than 30 minutes after mine. If all goes well, we’ll meet up with Deb and Kim at the AirBnB, somewhere along the Piccadilly line. Until then, it’s airplane food and a cramped seat.Læs mere

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    Double deckers everywhere!
    My curiosity is piqued

    Covergence

    5. april, England ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    By some incredible luck, we all managed to meet up with little trouble. Nikki and I rendezvoused at Heathrow and took the Piccadilly line to the Manor House station, which is supposed to be just a few minutes from the AirBnB. We popped out of the underground and waited for a text; we figured Deb and Kim were at a nearby restaurant. “There they are!” Nikki pointed across the street, and she was right. It was the easiest meet-up ever.

    Mostly, we just wanted to stay awake today, with hopes of adjusting to the time as quickly, and painlessly, as possible. After we got done checking into the AirBnB, we walked to Finsbury Park for lunch. Three of us had a breakfast plate, while Nikki had afternoon food, since she only had an hour time difference from Italy. The weather was sunny and warm (in London?), so we took a walk around the park, where the grass was green, trees were bursting with their Spring flowers, and hundreds of people were doing what people do at parks: soccer, kites, dogs, running, laughter. On the way, out, we walked by the Museum of Homelessness. It was closed, but my curiosity will take me back on Monday.    Læs mere

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    Nikki's auntourage
    The HelixChipping Wharf-5 StarsMesmerizing LocksPlatform 9 3/4

    51 years later

    6. april, England ⋅ 🌙 48 °F

    We started our day with a walk through Olympic Park, site of some of the 2012 summer games. We strolled along the canal, enjoying the sunny weather. I always think of gray skies and rain when I think of London, so the blue skies were a welcome sight. Just across the south end of the park sits the ABBA arena. I had previously talked everyone into going to the show, and they were not disappointed. It’s the second time I’ve been here, and I still can’t figure out how they do it. Regardless, it’s 90 minutes of pure joy. It’s like a giant sing along with 3,000 friends. By the time they got to Dancing Queen, everyone was on their feet. Fun fact: it was 51 years ago today that ABBA won the Eurovision contest with their rendition of Waterloo.

    We left the arena and walked back to the park. Nikki and I had tickets for the Helix: the world’s largest tunnel slide. Kim and Deb opted out. The slide drops about 600 feet, looping around a dozen times before you come to a screeching halt at the bottom. At the top, they wrapped us like a burrito before allowing us to fling ourselves down the tube. I let Nikki go first, then I hopped in behind her. I’m not sure it’s possible to slide down without simultaneously verbalizing delight.

    Because we are in England, we walked to a chippy. Apparently this one doesn’t take its hours of operation seriously, so we regrouped and found the Chipping Wharf about a mile away. It was a fortuitous turn of events, as we happened upon two narrow boats making their way through a lock on the canal. It was fascinating to watch the downstream lock get closed by hand. Then, they used a tool to raise the upstream lock just enough for water to rush in. Once the area was full and the boats had floated up, they opened the upstream gate fully and motored away. The whole process was so interesting that I’d forgotten about food. We stayed way too long before continuing on to dinner. I don’t think we got there until about 5:30, which ended up to be a much later lunch than anticipated, but it was worth the long walk. The cod was fried to a light perfection and presented horizontally on the stubby potatoes. Dressed with a couple of pickled onions and served with lime and lemon, the plate was enormous. After Nikki finished off all of the onions, we hopped on the tube to Kings Cross. There, we popped out of the underground to the train station, where Harry Potter used Platform 9 3/4. We took a quick picture and grabbed the subway back to the AirBnB, where we made some plans for our trip to Bath tomorrow.    Læs mere

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    Bath Abbey
    Pulteney Bridge and shopsTop of the canalYet, another lock

    From Caeser to Jane Austen

    7. april, England ⋅ 🌙 50 °F

    We left London this morning, traveling to Bath via train. The trip took just over an hour to whiz through small towns and the English countryside. We’ve had another day of sunny weather, so we took advantage of it. We dropped our bags and headed to the World Heritage Centre, where Toni gave us a load of advice. And a map. The Centre is next to the Bath Abbey, which looked imposing against the clear, blue sky. The history of the Abbey stretches back about 1500 years, and in 973 AD the first king of modern England had his coronation here. It’s had many iterations of disrepair and renovation throughout history and is a beacon visible seemingly from all points of the town.

    We passed the Abbey and strolled through the Guildhill Market. Trading has taken place at this location for over 800 years, but it now houses about 20 vendors. I don’t think they’ve always sold Union Jack socks here, but it has been a place of bustling commerce. We made our way out the east side of the market, where the river Avon meanders across the street. The river is split into three fingers by the arches of the Pulteney Bridge. The bridge spans the river and is one of only four bridges in the world with shops across the entire length. Designed in the late 1700’s, the bridge hosts a variety of businesses such as cafes, jewelers, and a stamp and coin store. It is a relatively short bridge that transmits its travelers onto Great Pulteney Street, which was once ground zero to a Georgian development. Unfortunately, the imposing buildings that line the street were all that were built, but they certainly are a sight. I imagined the street without vehicles; a grand promenade that led to and from the town. The street is unusually wide compared to the English standard, making it feel even more majestic. The road dead ends into Sydney Park. There’s no pedestrian crossing at the end of the street, so we had to turn left and walk to the end of the block. Along the way we passed the home of Jane Austen. She lived in Bath and drew inspiration from her surroundings. Two of her novels were actually set in Bath, but they weren’t Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility, so I can’t tell you much about them.

    Sydney Park is set on a hill and as we approached it, we found the canal that Toni suggested for leisurely walk. It was a great suggestion. The canal runs circular around the east side of Bath before converging with the river Avon. As we moved out of the park, the north bank was filled with beautiful homes with small, but stylish, yards that backed up to the canal. We ran into several narrow boats and wondered how many locks it would take to get down to the train station. Well, it’s a lot. We found ourselves, once again, watching a man navigate a lock on his own. Once he made it through, he motored another 50 yards or so and had to maneuver through another lock. There were several more after that, but we moved on until we reached the bottom of the hill to find the deepest lock in all of England. Lucky for me there was a narrow boat captain (I’m not sure that’s the proper term), who was happy to tell me all about the locks. He was kind enough to suggest that I rent one and float the canals next time I visit. I’m actually considering putting that one on the bucket list.

    We returned to town and spent some time planning our next couple of days. If all goes well, we’ll see the highlights of Bath tomorrow, starting with the Roman baths, and Wednesday we’ll drive down to Stonehenge and dance naked at sunrise. Or just walk around the stones with the other tourists.    Læs mere

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    The Great Bath
    The SpringSulis MinervaBlahThe Royal CrescentNotice the missing windows

    If it’s free, it’s for me!

    8. april, England ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    It was a great day of sightseeing today,and I learned so much! We took advice from Rick Steves and started with the Roman Baths before the rush of visitors got there. The baths are fed from a hot spring that was originally used by the Celts before the Romans moved in around very late BC. In a stroke of brilliance, later replicated by Christians and other conquerors, the Romans adopted the name of the Celtic’s goddess (Sulis) and named the town Aquae Sulis. The hot springs are the only ones in Great Britain and are the result of rain water, filtering through the limestone down to about 2.5km. It takes about 10,000 years for the water to sink down, where it is heated and pushed back to the surface at a fault line. It bubbles out at a constant 115 degrees which, when cooled, is perfect for soaking. We walked around the large pool and saw the smaller reservoir, where the water comes to the surface before flowing out to the pools. Large portions of the baths have been excavated but no where near reflecting the actual size of the baths at their pinnacle of popularity. The Roman complex was huge, and now much of it lies under the “modern” buildings from the 1600 and 1700’s. The antiquities that were discovered during the excavation included an enormous number of coins. The earliest coins were minted around 40BC. They had displays of several coins with the listed timeframe of circulation. There were also small gemstones, with minute but intricate carvings, in a variety of colors. On our way out, tucked away in the corner, was a faucet that was running spring water. We all sampled the warm water and decided not to have a second cup. Throughout history, drinking large quantities of the water has been suggested for therapeutic reasons. I think I would have feigned a miraculous recovery, if I had to drink five liters of that water everyday.

    Following lunch, we connected with the 2pm World Heritage Centre’s free walking tour. It was top notch, and I was actually disappointed that I wasn’t allowed to tip. It was that good. Andy took us on a two mile walk to the highlights of Bath, but my favorite part was the spontaneous utterances of the Australian who joined our group. Oddly, we also had a woman on the tour that lives less than two miles from us in Denver. Anyway, the tour started in the center of town. We got the history of the baths and Abbey, which we saw and read about earlier. We walked past the Guildhill Market again but on the way to the Pulteney Bridge, Andy brought our attention to something we completely missed yesterday. In the parking lot behind the market, there’s a railing that overlooks an alleyway. Right there is one of only two surviving portions of the city walls. Like most old cities here, Bath was surrounded by a protective stone wall long ago. We were probably 15 feet up from the original walkway, as the river Avon has flooded repeatedly, depositing layers and layers of silt, so that Bath’s elevation is probably 20 feet higher than when the Romans were here. This is why the baths had to be excavated, as they were completely buried over the centuries. Speaking of Avon, apparently there are nine rivers named Avon in Britain. This is when the Australian noted the complete lack of imagination of the British; however, they were ignorant, not unimaginative. The Celtic word for river is afon (I’m spelling it phonetically, not sure if it’s correct). When those conquesting pointed at the river for a name, the Celts thought they must be total idiots and said “river” but in Celtic. And that’s how you get nine rivers called river.

    The tour spent some time on the Roman occupancy and their contributions, but much of what you see in Bath is extraordinary Georgian architecture. Just about all of the buildings from the early 1700’s used bath stone from a nearby quarry. It is s soft tan or off-white color with a warm tone. The buildings, such as the Royal Crescent or those built at the Circus (named for the circular shape) appear symmetrical and orderly. It adds to the air of grandeur. An interesting story: there was a widow in the mid-1700’s, who became the mistress of a man from Northumberland. As a result, she had an illegitimate child named James Smithson, whose money later went to establish the Smithsonian after his death. As Andy said, “The seed of the Smithsonian was planted right there,” pointing at the house.

    Andy also pointed out where homes had their windows covered over with stone. After noting it, I started to notice so many buildings with stone blocks where windows had been. In 1696, a window tax was instituted by the king. Instead of paying the tax, many property owners minimized their liability by simply removing their windows. Some believe that the origins of “daylight robbery” comes from this time, when the king was quite literally robbing the people of daylight.

    The tour was delightful, and we learned a lot about Bath, and its place in our shared history.    Læs mere

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    Stonehenge
    Behind the Heel stoneUp close in AveburyCherhill White Horse

    Circles

    9. april, England ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Well, it’s not a real adventure until you pick up a car and drive on the other side of the road. We grabbed a little green Jeep and headed to Stonehenge this morning. By the end of the day, I had only missed a single turn and hit one curb. Not bad for the first day.

    We arrived early at Stonehenge and managed to beat the crowds. The wind was exceptionally cold, but we didn’t let it deter us. After touring the exhibit in the visitors’ center, we hopped on the shuttle bus and headed to the stones. The construction on the site started around 3,000 BC, with a huge round ditch and bank. The development continued for about 1,500 years, with multiple rings and different sized stones. Some of the stones have been traced to a quarry about 150 miles away in Wales. What? We had a good time suggesting possible methods of transport, but I’m sticking with the aliens-helped-out theory. Seriously. These are enormous pieces of rock.

    One of my favorite reasons to travel is to see the world’s most iconic places in person. Stonehenge doesn’t disappoint. It is weird and beautiful and impossible all at the same time. Human ingenuity apparently knows no bounds. But Stonehenge pales in comparison to an older stone circle in Avebury. I love the one in Avebury! There are way less visitors, you can touch the stones, and it happens to be the largest stone circle known on the planet. Last time I was here, it was dreary and cold, so we only walked around a quarter of the circle. This time, the abundant sunshine, despite the wind, encouraged us to walk the whole perimeter. The circle is about 1,400 feet wide, which is 16 times larger than Stonehenge. It, too, has a large ditch and bank that rings multiple stone circles. Although the bottom of the ditch to the top of the bank is about 60 feet now, it was probably steeper when built. The outer circle originally had stones place every 30 feet in a 1/2 mile circle with about 200 stones used to make two smaller circles within it. Archeologists seem to know a bit more about Stonehenge, while most of Avebury remains a mystery.

    As we got settled in the car for the ride home, I noticed that Cherhill was along the route back to Bath. I had come across the Cherwill White Horse while browsing Atlas Obscura. It is the figure of a horse etched into the side of a hill, measuring about 165 feet in width and 220 feet in height. The hills are chalk, covered by a shallow layer of top soil. The creator simply had to remove the top soil to reveal the white chalk. There is a Bronze Age white horse in Britain; however, this one was created in 1780. Regardless, it was worth the stop to see it covering the hill above the farm land below.    Læs mere

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    Cardiff CastleCastle groundsWW memorial parkPenarth Cliff Walk

    Cardiff by the Sea

    10. april, Wales ⋅ 🌙 54 °F

    I’ve always wanted to visit Cardiff. I’m not sure why, but something must have caught my imagination when I was young, probably the sea thing. We arrived in Wales about 13 minutes before the start of Eugene’s free city tour. Eugene is originally from Dublin, but he moved to Cardiff after marrying a Welsh woman. Although he’s not native, he did a nice job leading the tour and answering questions. Cardiff had a population of about 1,000 people 200 years ago, but it is well over 300,000 now. There’s surprisingly very little history, as its growth didn’t take off until the early 20th century with the onset of coal, which was mined nearby and shipped out of its port. It is, however, built around a castle from the 1,400’s. The castle sits on the ruins of a Roman fort and has expansive grounds that are now open to the public. The park along the river stretches for 7km and hosts 3,000 species of trees. The same family owned the castle until the mid-20th century, when they decided to pack up, donate the castle and land to the city, and move to Scotland.

    Eugene took us off the usual course of his tour to show us a small park where the WWI and II memorial was erected. He typically leaves this out of the tour because it’s not terribly exciting; however, our visit coincided with the blooming of the cherry blossoms in the park. The trees exploded with pink blossoms all around the memorial, while lines of tulips went around the circular memorial, looking like tiny sentries standing guard. Their purple pedals provided a beautiful contrast to the pink background.

    Cardiff has a maze of arcades, or gallerias, in the town center. These covered stores allow for shopping when the weather is unpleasant, which is often. Cardiff gets more rain than any other city in the UK. (On a happy note, we had abundant sunshine today.) The arcades are filled with all kinds of stores, as well as coffee shops and restaurants. There is also a huge indoor market that sits on the location of the old jail. The market now hosts a number of vendors and food stalls just steps away from where the used to hang people for capital offenses. Ignoring this distasteful fact, this is where we bought traditional Welsh cakes, which are small breads with a variety of additives, such as lemon, chocolate, currant, etc. I sampled a couple of them with a cuppa joe, after lunch. Very delicious and not too sweet.

    Some noteworthy facts that I learned today: the oldest record store in the world is still doing business in a Cardiff arcade, Cardiff became the capital of Wales only in the 1950’s, Wales has the most castles per square mile in Europe, and Argentina has the second largest population of Welsh speakers in the world.

    Following our tour, we hiked along the cliffs above Bristol Channel. Across the water, we could see the coast of England, with several lighthouses dotting the channel in between. We took a break along the trail, where park benches invited us to stop and enjoy the view. The water was calm, and the visibility was clear. It was warm in the sun, and we particularly liked the break from the wind today.    Læs mere

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    Tintern Abbey
    Monnow BridgeThe towerIron BridgeOn top of the Iron BridgeYou must pay to pass, even royalty

    Hopscotching the border

    11. april, England ⋅ 🌙 59 °F

    Quick small world story…We stayed in a small hotel last night, where we bumped into the woman in the room next door. When she said she was from the US, I naturally asked where, to which she replied, “Fort Collins.” Are you kidding me?

    We bounced on both sides of the border between England and Wales, as we drove from Cardiff to Liverpool today. Our first stop was the Tintern Abbey, in Wales. The monastery was built in the early 1100’s and was in operation for several hundred years. It has had repeated periods of decay and restoration and is enjoying significant efforts to preserve the current structure. It is an imposing sight and quite striking against the blue sky. I found it interesting that they only had one warm room, where they kept a fire going from November 1 to Good Friday every year. The monks were only allowed to go into the warm room under certain conditions; otherwise, their life was rather austere. So much so that Nikki and I both vowed never to become monks. They had one meal a day of bread and vegetables in the winter and two meals a day in the summer. The complex had a basic plumbing system that reminded me of the way the water was diverted and used at Manchu Picchu. The monastery is adjacent to the River Wye, which supplied the complex with water, was a convenient place to dispose of their dirty water, and was handy for farming. Eventually, Henry VIII put an end to monastic life in the early 16th century and cleared the structure of anything of value, such as the lead roof and windows. Unfortunately, without attention, the structure suffered. Today, it rests peacefully in a lush, green, and quiet valley, probably not a lot different than a thousand years ago.

    We headed north and had our lunch stop in Monmouth, also in Wales. I wanted to take a quick peek at the bridge. Like many towns, the Romans established a fort in this area, and later a castle was built. But that’s not what I was interested in. Monmouth is home to the Monnow Bridge, which is the only medical bridge with its defensive tower still intact. It was built around 1270 to defend the town. I loved the thin, vertical, openings that allowed the occupant to look out without getting an enemy arrow in the eye. Over the years, the tower has been used for a variety of purposes, such as a jail and a toll house. We spent some time watching ducks swim on the River Monnow before we headed to our next World Heritage site.

    According to Rick Steve’s, Ironbridge is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. A man from the area perfected the smelting of iron with coke. Because cast iron was a new building material, they engineered the Iron Bridge like a wooden bridge and used waaaay more material than needed but maybe that’s why it’s still standing and in great shape. Erected in 1779 and opened in 1781, it looks like it will last several more centuries. The bridge spans the River Severn, whose banks are dotted with quaint English cottages and trees with branches bending down to touch the water. The view from the bridge made me want more time here. You can rent kayaks to float down the gorge, and I imagined how much more beautiful the view might be from the river’s perspective.    Læs mere

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    Downtown Liverpool
    Shelter at the round aboutDinner at the Nags Head

    The Beatles come alive

    12. april, England ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    I’m not a huge Beatles fan, but I do appreciate their music. Since we were in Liverpool, it only made sense to hop on a Beatles tour. Kim found the aptly named “Magical Mystery Tour” which got top ratings, so we bought our tickets for this morning. We caught the tour at the docks. Liverpool’s docklands and buildings are a World Heritage Site. They were bustling with activity, when we arrived at 8:30 in the morning. Restaurants were preparing for visitors, tours were checking in guests, and cafes were dispensing morning coffees. The docklands are on the west (south?) side of Liverpool and provide a view of the old and new architecture of the city. Similar to Cardiff, it has had periods of success and decline, relying on its docks as a gateway to trade and shipping, from slaves (sadly) to cotton.

    The tour was a combination of Liverpool history and Beatle sites throughout the city. The first thing I learned is that Liverpool has the largest Anglican Church in all of the UK and the second largest in the world. Close by is Liverpool’s Chinatown, which is the oldest in Europe. Chinatown is marked by a giant gate that is the largest outside of China. It has five swayed roofs, two on each side with the largest on top in the middle. It glistened in the sun with its variety of bright colors on the red base. Mixed in the architecture are 200 dragons. It was quite spectacular.

    The Beatles portion of the tour included the homes of the four lads, Penny Lane, and Strawberry Fields. I didn’t realize that Penny Lane was a song about what they saw while they waited at the bus stop. We saw the barbershop, the bank, and the shelter in the round about. Strawberry Fields were a little more depressing. This is were young John would go to take a break from his strict aunt. His aunt was granted custody of Lennon after his mother was unable to raise him in a stable home. Strawberry Fields were on private grounds at the time, so his aunt would admonish him for entering. In response, he said, “It’s not like they’re going to hang me for being there.” I always wondered why the lyrics included, “…nothing to get hung about.”

    After the tour, we spent a little time in downtown Liverpool and grabbed some Greek food before driving off to York. We’re staying in a small village outside of the city, so we walked to the local pub for dinner. The Nags Head had delicious food and desserts. I had the bangers and mash with onion gravy, and everyone else had salmon. We learned about Eton Mess, which we will try at our next opportunity - more to come on that dessert.    Læs mere

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    Starting, with Minster in the distance
    Clifford's TowerAlong the pathRoman RuinsMonk BarMonk BarCat 1Cat 2Nikki marks a snickelwayBells, bells, bells

    Around the walls

    13. april, England ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    York’s old town is encircled with the most complete city walls in England. Mainly built in the 13th century, we were able to walk all the way around the city using the walls. There are a few places where it is not continuous, but it was a great way to see the city from a different perspective. The Minster is visible from almost every foot of the wall, so the walk allowed us to view the cathedral from every angle. The walls stretch about 2.8 miles around York with four main bars. We learned that a bar is a gate, and a gate is a street. The bars vary in degrees of impressiveness. My favorite two were Monk Bar and Bootham Bar. At Monk Bar, we walked up a narrow stone staircase and in through the side of the building to the top of the wall. At Bootham, it was possible to walk through the gate building, where an old wooden door, with a cast iron knocker, was still visible. The medival vibe was fun for the day, but the walls history goes farther back. Not to be repetitive, but the Romans developed York, as well. Along the wall, there was a marker where we could see the foundation of the original walls built by the Romans. Although the Romans established a fort here in 71 AD, it took several decades before they built their first stone walls. Once the Romans left, the Anglo-Saxons moved in, but they were replaced by the Vikings, who were later replaced by the Normans. York has a colorful history.

    We have arrived at the end of the Spring color. There are thousands of daffodils along the base of the walls, and those are punctuated with cherry blossoms at the end of their bloom. I’m guessing the peak colors were probably last week, but it’s still gorgeous with a smaller portion of blooms. We often stopped on the walls to look down at the landscape. As we rounded one corner, we could hear the bells of the Minister ringing. It continued to grow louder as we got closer to town. By the time we reached Bootham Bar, the bells had been ringing at least 45 minutes. We decided to walk down to the Minster, where the ringing continued. We took photos, and the bells finally stopped ringing after a full hour. We assumed the extra long ringing was due to Palm Sunday, because I can’t imagine they do that every day or every Sunday. More to come on the Minster, after we tour it tomorrow or Tuesday.

    During our walk around the wall, we popped into town a couple of times. First, we went into the Shambles which is a mixed up, muddled up, shook up shopping area. It includes an outdoor market with food stalls. I had to get out of there after lunch because it was an overload for my senses. I cannot imagine what it’s like here in the high season; the walkways and streets are narrow, and people are everywhere. For example, I had found an offbeat ghost store on Atlas Obscura. (This is my favorite site to find hidden and unusual travel gems.) I arrived, and the line was down the street. At first, I thought I was at the wrong place, but the vendor came out and let us know it was going to be about 45 minutes. Luckily, he told me they have a second less busy store about five minutes away, so we headed there. This turned out to be fortunate, for I had forgotten that Atlas Obscura also noted that York has a thing about cats. For about two centuries, the residents have been affixing statues to their homes and businesses. From what I gather, the original cats were placed around town to scare away rats that were known to carry the plague. The tradition continues, and cat statues can be found around the city. I spotted the first one on the way to the ghost store. It was on the front of a pub. Nikki immediately made a contest out of it, and the search was on. Score at the end of the day: Dana-4, Nikki-2, Kim-1, and Deb-0. We will continue tomorrow.

    The other part that I loved about York were the Snickelways. These are small, and frequently hidden, passageways around the city. They often have quirky names (eg: Mad Alice Court), though we didn’t come across any unusually named ones today. They are fun to wander through because there is so much to discover, including cat statues. I kinda just wanted to walk around all afternoon, with no worries about where we ended up. It seems like no matter where you are, you can always spot the Minster to get oriented…or use Google maps. Next time I visit, I’m going to set aside an entire day to explore all of the Snickelways.    Læs mere

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    Abbey remains
    Abbey remainsMore cherry blossomsThe King's ManorLunchThe York MinsterRibbed ceiling of MinsterThe unexplained dragonThe Minster organ pipes

    Last day in York

    14. april, England ⋅ 🌬 59 °F

    Today was underwhelming. We had reservations for a free “walking” tour of York at 10:30. Our guide must have had a different definition of walking. We basically walked around an old abbey, while he shared a lot of history. Shockingly, he ran over more than 30 additional minutes, even though we didn’t see half of what was on the list. It was free, so I’m not complaining. What we did see was quite impressive. The original abbey was encircled with protective walls, which would have butted up against those of the city. Most of these walls are gone now, as is most of the abbey. What remains is a large wall of the cathedral with portions of the two ends. There is something very majestic about the ruins of old churches. At one time, these grounds were filled with beautiful buildings. It was the richest abbey in Britain, when Henry VIII divested the monasteries. Just like Tintern Abbey, the buildings were stripped of anything of value, and the buildings eventually fell into ruin, hastened by residents who made off with stones for their own construction projects. The abbey grounds include a beautiful garden and the York Museum now sits on the hill with a large grassy park extending from its front doors. The University of York now owns several buildings in the complex, including the King’s Manor. This large building was originally for the abbot but later hosted visiting royalty.

    The guide was kind enough to end the tour across the street, where he pointed out a city map, in case we’d like to see other things. Disappointed and hungry, we headed to Guy Fawkes. The restaurant was recommended by the guide, who said they had the best pies in town. I still haven’t had a pie, so I was excited at the prospect. The restaurant is located in the building where Guy Fawkes was born, with a bar in front and seating for food service in the back. I was ready to order my pie, when Debbie noted the asterisk on the menu that indicated the pies take about 30 minutes from the the time the kitchen receives the order. I was hungry and impatient, so I had an overpriced and mediocre cheese sandwich.

    Our timing was fortunate, as we arrived at the Minister just in time for one of the hourly tours. Again, the hour was more like 90 minutes and wasn’t terribly exciting. Several times, the guide forgot the year he wanted to reference and would say, “around about that same period.” I had anticipated that the Minister would be awe-inspiring, but it was rather plain. The stained glass was pretty, but there was no artwork or color. The stone walls were bare; the only hint of color were the gold figures way up on the vaulted peak of the ceiling. They were too small to make out, so they really didn’t stick out. Oddly, they did have an astonomical clock, which seemed like a strange thing to have in a cathedral. The clock was dedicated to the local airmen who lost their lives in WWII. We stared at it for a while but couldn’t figure how it actually worked. It was one of the few things with color in the building. The other color was the stenciling on the organ pipes. To me they looked like something from the Alps. The picture shows it better than I can explain it.

    After two unimpressive tours and an overpriced three star lunch, we headed back to our little village. We stopped at the supermarket to grab dinner stuff, and I was looking forward to getting take out dessert at the pub. I couldn’t wait to try Eton Mess. However, I will have to wait, as the pub was closed, and my dessert hopes were dashed.    Læs mere

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    The Durham Cathedral nave
    The bell towerFrom the cloistersRinging the bellsAstronomical ClockWorking on arrangementsAlmost readyFit for a king!Clever repurposingOn the North SeaKim's beach bootyThe Seaham lighthouse

    The North Sea

    15. april, England ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    We got a late start today, as we didn’t have much planned. We left around 10am and headed north to Durham. I don’t suppose Durham is a huge tourist stop, but it did get a few pages in Rick Steves’, Guide to Great Britain. Its attraction is the Durham Cathedral. Not only is it an imposing site, it was used for filming a scene in the Harry Potter series and the Avengers saga. Although it is a gothic design, like the York Minister, this one is more impressive in my humble opinion. Inside, the stone architecture was punctuated with ornate wooden structures, and the stone pillars were carved with designs. The cathedral has the tallest bell tower in Europe, stretching 218 feet into the heavens. We happened to be there when one of the official looking people used the ropes to ring the bells. Oddly, you cannot hear the bells ringing inside the church. One of the tour guides said that the stone architecture absorbs the sound, despite the loud ringing outside. It was surreal to watch him ring the bells, while we stood in silence. Also strange, this cathedral has an astronomical clock, as well. This one is much older than the one in the York Minster. It was originally installed in the church in the late 1400’s to the early 1500’s. I need to do some research, as I don’t understand why these clocks are in the cathedrals. Maybe they were used to keep track of religious holidays. Anyway, we discovered that the staff at the Cathedral were preparing the space for a visit from the king this Thursday. Although we won’t be here, we did get to see some of the preparations. Specifically, they had volunteers assembling incredible floral arrangements from flowers and trees grown locally. There were tulips and daffodils and tree branches arranged in a multitude of combinations. The room where the florists worked smelled of Spring; the air filled with fragrance.

    While we grabbed lunch in Durham, we decided to take a detour and go see the North Sea. There is a special beach in Seaham that has more beach glass than any other a beach in the world. How can they make such a claim? Back in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, there was a bottle making company in town that threw its waste into the sea. Seaham Hall Beach is now littered with small fragments of glass that have been tumbled and turned by the waves, creating smooth and rounded edges. We spent hours raking the rocks and sand with our fingers to find the tiny treasures. Not only did we find sea glass, but there were a thousand different kinds of rocks that have also been tumbled to a smooth texture. They were a multitude of colors, shapes, and sizes. All of us filled our pockets with souvenirs and made it back to the car as the sun broke through the clouds. Although there was no rain, it was overcast today. When the sun did come out, it shown down the coast, illuminating a lighthouse just south from the car park. I suspect it was at the harbor of Seaham, which has a little protected marina.

    Our day ended in Newcastle Upon Tyne. From here we will make one last sightseeing stop in England tomorrow before driving into Scotland. We’ve had over a week and a half with mostly sunshine and no rain, but that may be changing tomorrow.    Læs mere

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    On Hadrain's Wall
    The wall snaking awayPart of the fortThe fort from a distanceFalkirk Wheel

    Roman Forts and Flying Boats

    16. april, Skotland ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

    We’ve arrived in Scotland! I’m looking forward to seeing it in the afternoon sun tomorrow. It was gray and rainy today.

    We left Newcastle, after a hearty breakfast and a great cup of coffee at a local Italian cafe. Our first stop was Hadrian’s wall. Although you can hike the entire 73 miles of wall that stretches from coast to coast in northern England, we decided on a single stop at Housestead’s Roman Fort. It is the most complete Roman fort in England. The weather varied from mist to rain, so we geared up before walking the half mile from the car park to the museum and fort. The wind was blustery and fairly unpleasant as we walked up the hill. Fortunately, the museum was warm and dry, so we lingered for a bit looking at the recovered artifacts and a short historical video. When we ventured out again, the rain turned to a light mist then stopped altogether, but the wind did not. I can’t imagine being a Roman soldier and getting stuck on this windy hill with a short skirt, while my friend Fortuitous is sunny himself in Malta. However, the wind did dry out my pants, which had gotten soggy on the walk up. Anyhoo, we first went to the small portion of the wall, where you are allowed to walk on the top of it. From there we wandered into the fort. The prized ruin is the Roman latrine. I didn’t count, but it would have had toilet seats for about a dozen people at one time. The Romans had a sophisticated drainage system that swept away the waste regularly. In another move of planning excellence, the latrine was built in the south east corner of the fort, so any smell would have blown away from the complex. Brilliant.

    The fort was fairly large with barracks in neat rows and a hospital on the grounds. It was hard to picture the enormity of the fort, but information signs, strategically placed around the old stones, helped to spark my imagination. From the south side, I could see the wall stretching over the hills and out of sight. At the time of Hadrian’s rule, he decided to stop expanding the empire and protect what was most worthwhile. The wall was his northern boundary on the British isle, as the tribes to the north weren’t worth the continual headache. It was a simple cost/benefit decision; the resources he could strip from the north simply weren’t worth the frequent military battles.

    Following the visit to the fort, we headed to Scotland. I can’t remember where I heard about the Falkirk wheel, but I’ve wanted to see it ever since. As noted in a previous blog from this trip, there is an extensive canal system in Great Britain, and boats are able to move along the canals via multiple locks. Before this ingenious invention (the Wheel), boats had to transit 11 locks to get from the Union canal down to the Forth & Clyde canal. This would have meant operating about 44 separate gates to make the journey. However, some imagineer decided that you could cut out all of the locks and replace them with a single wheel that would carry a boat up or down the 100 feet in one swing. This is how it works. Let’s say a boat wants to go up to the Union canal. It will pull into a “bay”, and a door will raise behind it, thereby keeping the boat locked in an enormous box filled with water. The wheel will then turn one-half circle to bring the boat up to the canal. Once there, the door is dropped, and the boat can motor away. We watched one of the tourist boats go up, and it took about 20 minutes. I think. I was standing in a cold rain, with strong wind gusts, so it felt like it took an hour. My hands were frozen by the time the boat got to the top, but I was determined to video the whole process in time lapse. Check it out!    Læs mere

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    HRY Britannia
    St Giles CathedralWhat a set of pipes!Nikki loving on David Hume's toeSo nice

    HMY Britannia

    17. april, Skotland ⋅ ⛅ 43 °F

    We spent a few hours on Her Majesty’s yacht, the Britannia. My only familiarity with the boat is from the Netflix show, The Crown. The ship is beautiful. Instead of the traditional black, she is painted dark blue and highlighted with a gold stripe the length of the ship. Oddly, her name appears nowhere on the hull. Built in the early 1950’s, the ship was one in a long line of royal ships, going back to the 1600’s. The Britannia was commissioned in 1954 and sailed over a million nautical miles before retiring in 1997. In that time, the boat visited 135 different countries. One of my favorite features was the state dining room, where the walls displayed gifts from different countries. There was woodwork from New Zealand, a peace pipe from America, a carved turtle from the Galápagos, and a miniature stone figure from Easter Island. There interior of the boat was exquisite, while many of the furnishings were more humble. Family photos lined many of the living areas, included 1980’s era Princess Di shots. We were provided an audio tour, which guided us through the ship from top to bottom. The three-masted ship has five decks, with its original steam engines that were never replaced. We toured the living quarters of the royals, with bedrooms, dining room, sun room, and drawing room, as well as the crew’s quarters. The admiral was in charge, and he also had some very nice digs. The ship required a huge crew, including a military band that had to be able to play the national anthem of every country in which they entered their port. In addition to the crew and passengers, the ship carried either a Rolls-Royce or a bit shorter Land Rover. The Rolls was so long that they would need to remove the bumper each time they stowed it.

    In the last 15 years or so, a a tea room was added as part of the attraction. We popped in after the tour to have lunch and tea. Although the day started with clouds and heavy rain, the skies started to clear, as we sat by the large window overlooking the Firth of Forth (which really just feels like a bay that opens to the North Sea).

    We finished our site seeing in Edinburgh’s city center. We stopped into St Giles’ cathedral. Churches have been on this site for centuries, but it now houses a Protestant denomination. It was bustling with tourists inside, which diminished the sacred feel. I just assume that a church is going to be quiet, but this one certainly was not. We left the madness of the church to cross the street. On the corner is a bronze statue of David Hume, born in Edinburgh in 1711. The statue is the dull green blue of bronze except for his toe. Apparently it is good luck to rub his toe, which now gleams golden in the sun. I gave a little rub and hoped his wisdom wears off on me. It’s an unusual tradition given that Hume didn’t believe in superstition or religiosity. I wonder what he would make of his shiny toe.

    As we left the downtown area, we ran across a bagpiper. What a way to finish the day!    Læs mere

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    Typical view in Edinburgh
    Fleshmarket CloseSt GilesBe careful what you wish forEdinburgh CastleHogwarts?Thomas RiddellGreyfriars BobbyFry me to the moon...Bertie's

    Good tour, bad weather

    18. april, Skotland ⋅ 🌧 46 °F

    Kim was feeling unwell this morning, so we cancelled our morning plans to give her an opportunity to recuperate. The extra rest must have worked, as she was ready to go by noon. We had reservations for the free Edinburgh city tour at 2pm, which meant grabbing lunch, driving through roundabouts, finding parking, and checking in with the tour.

    We randomly picked a cafe on the way into town and did our best to order without too many silly questions. I had a ham and cheese sandwich, which turned out to be two pieces of bread with sliced ham. So far so good. The cheese was grated and added to the sandwich. That could have meant a mess of cheese falling out of the sandwich, but the bread was smeared with butter, which held the cheese in place. Interesting idea. Jacket potatoes have been on several menus, and Kim selected the jacket potato with chicken and mayo. Basically, it’s a baked potato with the toppings of your choice. The potato came out piping hot, but the chicken and mayo was cold. Although she reported it was good, she also said it was a little weird. Nikki ordered chili nachos, which were corn chips smothered with beef chili. Not sure how that’s going to settle in her tummy, as a (mostly) pescatarian.

    We arrived at the meeting place a few minutes early and met Brian, our tour guide. He was very thoughtful and asked for feedback throughout the tour. He did a nice job and provided just enough history to make his point, whilst not boring the crowd. We started the tour stepping down a “close.” These are like Snickelways in York. They are short walkways cut into the middle of the block that took us to the next street over. Some were a couple people wide, while others were shoulder width. We made our way to the St Giles Cathedral and retraced our steps from yesterday; however, we completely missed the grave mark at parking spot 23. John Knox was the leader of the reformation movement in Scotland, preaching from St Giles. It sounds like he was quite fiery and passionate, which increased his popularity. He insisted that his final resting place be in the cemetery at St Giles, which was located in a courtyard next to the church in the 1500’s. Many, many years later, all of the bodies were relocated, except Knox’s remains. He was insistent, and very clear, about the site of his eternal rest, so they paved over him. The site is now parking stall #23 next to the church. Brian also provided some new information about St Giles, which we missed when we toured it yesterday. Apparently there are wood carvings of angels playing the bagpipe. I’m not sure how we could have missed that, but we agreed that we would go find them after the tour.

    We walked the Royal Mile, which is the street that runs from the Edinburgh Castle to the king’s residence at the other end. We learned that a Scottish mile is just a bit longer than an English mile, just in case anyone was measuring the distance. Today, the Royal Mike is filled with historical sites and lots of shops inviting tourists to empty their wallets. The castle sits at the top of a hill, so the tour kept gaining elevation until we were at the castle gates, from which you can see all of Edinburgh. It seemed like everywhere I looked there was some amazing building or church. Brian pointed out one of the schools that has been rumored to be the inspiration for Hogwarts. JK Rowling wrote most of the Harry Potter books, while living in Edinburgh, and I could certainly see why people took note of the school. Not much later, we visited Greyfriars cemetery. Across the street from the Greyfriars church, there was a cafe where Rowling would sit and write. She would take breaks and walk on the Greyfriars grounds. Some of the names of her characters are actually individuals who are buried there. Specifically, we saw the grave markers of William Magonagall and Thomas Riddell. But the saddest story from the graveyard was about Greyfriars Bobby. This little dog was owned by a policeman that passed away in the mid-1800’s. He was buried in Greyfriars cemetery, where Bobby would come everyday and site by his grave. The cemetery keeper tried to get rid of him but eventually appreciated his persistence and took care of him. The dog stayed at the graveside of his master for 14 years, before he passed away himself. A book and movie tell the story of the dog, though I’m not familiar with either. But, there is a little bronze statue just outside the cemetery to memorialize his loyalty and persistence. Oddly, people rub his nose for good luck, so he has a very shiny muzzle.

    Brain recommended a chippy not far from the cemetery, so we headed there for an early dinner. The place was super busy and pumped out fish and chips like a machine. From Bertie’s, we walked back to St Giles to see the angels with bagpipes, which kinda sounds like a song title now that I’m writing it. We got there 10 minutes before they closed, but the attendant said the area where the angels are was already closed, “but you can come back tomorrow.” We put on sad faces and said that we were leaving tomorrow, but it didn’t work. He still didn’t let us in. I tracked down a photo of the carving and added it here. It’s more than I had a hoped for!    Læs mere

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    Edinburgh Castle from the tram

    888

    19. april, England ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F

    I dropped off Kim, Deb, and Nikki at the airport before 6am this morning. They are continuing on to Northern Ireland, and I’m headed home. I only made one wrong turn without an additional navigator but got the rental car returned. The car rental guy inspected the left side of the car very closely, including the hubcaps and tires. Luckily, I haven’t hit a curb since the second day, and I managed to return it without any dents or scratches. After looking at the mileage, he found it auspicious that I had driven exactly 888 miles in two weeks. I don’t know that I’m lucky, but I am exhausted from having to pay close attention for 888 miles.

    Once I was approved to leave the rental return, I caught the tram out to the airport and flew to London. I took a bus from the airport to the underground. It was nice not to be driving, so I could enjoy the scenery. We drove by “Jack the Chipper” and I was sad that I didn’t know about that restaurant until now. While I waited for the subway, a group of about 10 young men, mid-twenties, walked up to the platform. They were fully decked out in Harry Potter outfits. Each one was a different character, with wigs and garb to perfection. There was even a Hermione with skirt, wig, and nicely trimmed beard. He looked happy to have drawn that straw. My favorite, though, was Dobby. The guy was bald and had huge ears glued to his head. At first I thought it might be a tour, but it wasn’t a tour vibe. I wanted to ask if there was a party at Hogwarts, but they didn’t make eye contact. I hope they enjoyed their Saturday night and wherever they were going.

    I rolled in to my hotel at Heathrow around 7pm. Unbelievably, it took me about as long to get from Edinburgh to here as my flight home tomorrow. I spent the evening packing and prepping for the long trip home.    Læs mere

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    Ah, empty seats...

    5 Star Return

    20. april, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Today got off to a great start. At breakfast I was wearing a Colorado shirt, and a man came by to say hello. He was born and raised in Lyons and works for UNC in Greeley. I told him I worked in Greeley a while back, and it brought back memories of my time there. I had to smile, thinking of my friend Jerry, who had gone to Ireland and rented a car. Let’s just say, he’s the reason the car rental guy inspected the left side of my car so closely.

    The check-in to United and the check-out from the UK were smooth and unexpectedly quick. I found a lounge and waited for my flight. I like to wait until the end to board. I figure I’m going to be sitting for 9 hours, so why extend that time waiting for other people to find their seat on the plane. As I approached my seat, I couldn’t believe my luck. Empty seats were everywhere, including next to me. I think it was probably the best long haul flight of my life (except when I was young and got bumped to first class). I was able to stand up and watch movies, walk around as much as I wanted without having to step over people, and the flight attendants were super gracious. They kept me well supplied with hot tea and snacks. When we arrived in Denver, I was refreshed and excited to continue my very long day. I wish every flight was like that one.

    And that’s a wrap on UK 2025 for me. Here’s my top 10 favorite moments and curiosities:

    10. Realizing that the song Penny Lane describes the surroundings of a real bus stop
    9. The engineering of canal locks and a giant boat wheel
    8. Sharing the funness of ABBA in concert
    7. Eating proper fish and chips-fry me to the moon
    6. Stonehenge rocks!
    5. Traipsing around 1st century Roman ruins 20 centuries later
    4. Walking through stone circles and earth mounds from 3400 BC
    3. Buying my own personal ghost at the Ghost Emporium in York
    2. Finally figuring out the meaning of this sign in England: Cat’s Eyes Removed
    1. Snickelways!    Læs mere

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    20. april 2025
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