Category Archives: Travels

Wednesday, June 10

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Well that was a night. A crazy coughing night, that is. My cold is now running its typical course and I’m at the “I hope I don’t break a rib because of this cough” phase. Poor Dan has to listen to me hack away. But so it goes, and I know that it doesn’t last forever. It just feels like it!

When I got out of bed I looked out the window and you might guess what I saw.

Yep. Rain.

When we mention the rain issue to people who live here they usually smile or even laugh. One said something about Americans not knowing about the weather here. Now I have been in the UK before, and I knew to expect rain. I just didn’t know to expect it nearly every day and to expect it even when the weather site or our watches said there was 0% chance! But hey, we won’t melt or even drown, so we dress appropriately and deal.

For Dan it was a laundry shower day, so I had a bit of time to hang out and be even lazier than usual. We had no specific plans to begin with, and what with my cough and one more day of Symphony San Jose work, I figured doing less outside was for the best.

Once we were both ready the rain had stopped and we were able to go out, umbrellas at the ready but unopened. Our goal was to get to the docks.

Once we arrived we walked around and found a place to get coffee and a small, unremarkable muffin. So I won’t make any remarks about it.

But this sign … I saw the word WiFi first as “Wife”. Um … okay … “My wife is your wife”? Maybe not ….

Going back out we walked a bit more, and it was sprinkling lightly on and off. We thought we’d go toward the spot where the Tate was (the actual Tate Museum is closed for renovations) so we walked there. And the rain started in earnest just after we got inside the building. I should have shot a video!

Up to the second floor of the Tate we went. For all of one exhibition. That’s all that was there. I took just a few shots. (I had to go sit down for a while: I had had to suck in one of the lemon/menthol cough drops and those things seem to make me queasy!)

Then we went to the Liverpool Museum. It was pretty interesting for both adults and children (so it appealed to both parts of yours truly). I didn’t do much with the iPhone, but here are a few shots (the last looking out the window of the top floor).

After spending a fair amount of time in that museum we decided a light lunch was in order so we walked a very short distance to a place that we figured would work. I had tomato soup and Dan had some sort of chicken burger. We both had our zero zero beers, too. Exciting times.

From there we needed to get back to the hotel for the symphony work I had. We had to do a bit of checking our phone maps to figure out how to get back. I didn’t mind seeing the poster (there were a number of them) here and there.

Ah, work. Trouble was, part of that work couldn’t be accomplished until I received something via email. And it wasn’t yet available. So we sat in the room for over an hour waiting. In hindsight I probably should have said I simply couldn’t do this since we were overseas. Hindsight does me no good at all, though, and truth be told I did want to take part in this. Eventually we had a short Zoom meeting and everything is on hold until we are back in the states. Whew! Much better for me.

After a nice shower (the steam seems to help with my cough) we went downstairs for our glasses of whatever and bags of crisps. Then we left our room to find dinner. (Our hotel is in an old factory and I love the bricks.)

Another reminder of Covid (Dan did NOT stand 2m away from me. He’s a risk taker.)

I had done a bit of searching and the place I thought might work had plenty of room for us.

My stomach did not have plenty of room for the food, though. But oh it was delicious! I had a Caribbean curry with mango and prawns. Dan had the basil prawns. And we began with (as it turned out highly unnecessary) hummus. But everything was so tasty. I just wish I could ask for smaller portions. (Hm. Maybe I should try that at the next place we go and see if they would accommodate me. I don’t care about the money — I just hate to see so much food go to waste.)

Sorry Dan’s dinner is blurry, but mine was more important anyway. At least for me!

Back to our room we went. I could get this blog finished and Dan could do Dan stuff.

And now goodnight. We have a few ideas of things we’ll do tomorrow, but not a full day’s worth. Sometimes that’s just the way we fly, though. I’m fine with that.

11,140 steps, 4.41 miles, 6 flights climbed (Not a great day for exercise, as you can see.0

Tuesday, June 9 — Moving Day

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Last night (or more likely early this morning) I had a dream. It was about shoes and my bunions. Mind you, I do not have bunions! But I did in my dream. They were round, and a pretty variety of purple and pink colors, in a marbleized sort of pattern. I knew you’d want to know that.

I also woke up at something like 4 or 5 to the lovely sound of many bottles being put into the recycle truck. Turns out we are on a busy street even while it doesn’t look like the sort of street that would be busy. It’s a bus line. It must be a commuter street as well. Room 5 might be the favorite room of the man who gave us the key, but I’m guessing he’s not slept here! Oh, and it turns out that when you shower the bathroom reeks. Sadly their fan doesn’t work. I find it all not aggravating but just sort of hysterical. Would I stay here again? Moot point since I’m sure we won’t be back in Shrewsbury.

BUT to more important things! I neglected one important bit yesterday so —

Happy Belated Birthday, Ruth Ann! I do hope you will find moments of joy this year. You sure have taught me a great deal and shown tremendous strength.

So sorry I forgot to post that yesterday.

And now —

Happy Birthday, Brandon! I’m so glad you were born! May your year be extra special. We do hope to visit sometime in the near future if we can make it work.

(And yes, I just figured out I can do colored text. How exciting is that??)

Don’t worry, I won’t continue with colors. Promise!

Oops!

We had a bit of time before our train so we hung out in the room, then got dressed, and walked toward the station.

We figured we’d get some sort of breakfast near or at the train station. I was sort of hoping I could be strong and just have coffee no matter what Dan did. And gee, I succeeded! It was just a cappuccino for me. Finally.

One we figured out which platform to get to we were set. We were on a TFW train and easily found our seats. As it turned out this first segment of today’s trip was the most beautiful yet. Mind you, the photos are through a train window as we moved along, but I hope it captures the beauty a bit.

And then the first of two legs was done and we said hello to Chester. We had a good number of hours to enjoy the town. We first dropped off our luggage, then had a bit of lunch, followed by walking much of the Roman wall, visited the Chester Cathedral, continued on the wall for a short while, and wandered a bit. Here are gobs of photos. (In the fourth photo below Dan is doing a pose for me … we see so many doing that and it cracks us up. The ninth photo is a dropped napkin by you-know-who!)

We retrieved our luggage and had alcohol free beers.

Then we went to the station to get the second train of the day. I wasn’t sitting by the window so I took only two photos.

We caught a cab with a very unfriendly driver. I don’t know if it was that we were Americans or he didn’t like where he had to drive, but yikes, he was grumpy! He didn’t help with the luggage, and when we arrived at the hotel he didn’t even get out of the car.

But no matter about him! We arrived at our hotel … and hello Liverpool!

We have a large room. It’s quite comfortable. And there was chocolate bar and card congratulating me on my retirement!

There was a 6 to 7 o’clock reception downstairs so we enjoyed that.

Then it was time to search for dinner.

We wound up choosing Bakchich, a Lebanese restaurant, and I had the shawarma platter — it was quite yummy!

Back at the hotel I had a bit of work to do … yes, really. It was for Symphony San Jose and I’ll leave it at that. Well, except to say I heard some fine playing from my former orchestra.

And then it was sleepy time … I hope. One never knows what the throat will feel like once I hit the hay.

Goodnight!

12,913 steps, 5.12 miles, 6 flights climbed

Monday, June 8

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After a somewhat restless sleep due to my sore throat, I very lazily got moving. Dan was reading, so I dozed on and off and we didn’t actually leave the room until after 9:00. By that time my throat felt so much better — it seems it bothers me only at night.

We walked a short bit to find some coffee and health food. Oh. Oops! I mean unhealthy food.

From there we continued to walk, just investigating the area.

When we looked across the street at one point we saw the California sign and had to check that out. It’s a wine shop and no, we didn’t bother to go in. We figure we can easily find California wines in California.

We continued to walk, crossing the England Bridge, with the Abbey in the distance.

Then we went into the Shrewsbury Abbey. I just love it when there is an organist practicing. (I haven’t taken photos of the children’s area in other cathedrals, but I finally did this one: they seem to be in each one, though.)

Leaving the Abbey I saw the other side of the sign that I posted prior to our Abbey visit.

Back across the England Bridge, I wisely suggested we walk along the Severn River rather than on busy streets. After all, our 12:00 scheduled Sabrina Boat Tour was on the Severn. So downstairs we went to continue our walk. Sadly I took no photos.

But then Dan said something implying he hoped we were actually going the right way. Um. Well. Maybe not! Had we continued we most certainly would have missed the boat. So we turned around and went up some stairs, and past the prison where they clearly would love us to live. We really felt very welcomed. But again, we’d miss the boat. So never mind. So on we marched.

And there we were … at the boat tour. And we were even early! I had reserved tickets, so when we went on we were seating up toward the front. I think, in fact, we may have made the first reservations since we were at the first table. It was a fun ride!

After our boat ride we walked along the park area, crossed the rocking bridge and turned back again. We saw Hercules who, at some point, had a bit of him pulled off (you can guess what) and has since been replaced by a fig leaf. Hah! We passed a spot where the Zippo Circus was setting up (no pix — I’m not much of a circus fan), and went in to “The Dingle” (a garden area). Not much there yet, as they were putting in the summer plants today.

From there we walked up to the Georgian circular church, St. Chad’s.

When we went back out we saw that it rained again. Go figure!

For lunch (we can hardly call it not lunch.) we had tomato basil soup, and I bravely tried the non-alcoholic red wine. It was better than others I’ve had, but still didn’t have the taste I’d like. But I guess one has to have alcohol to get that taste, eh?

Then more walking and more fascination with the crazy off-kilter buildings. We had walked by the Kings Head yesterday, but took another look today.

I find it interesting to run across signs of Covid in every place we’ve visited. Memories ….

We had seen Rowley’s House and Mansion yesterday, but today got a closer look. I would love to see the buildings all fixed up.

We’d talked about doing the afternoon tea thing so we finally got to it today. (And yes, we are eating too much.) I had tea and a fruit scone and Dan had espresso and a raspberry scone. The place suggested they had the world’s best scones (in their opinion, they did admit) but I’d say Dan’s are better. I also suspect a better place wouldn’t serve the clotted cream in a plastic container like that, nor would the butter be in foil wrappers. In a short while we’ll be in another village where we had wonderful scones in the past so we’ll compare then. At this point I was overly stuffed (and I couldn’t finish my scone.)

From there it was back to Cromwell’s Tap House to have a short break. Or maybe a longer than short break. (I believe our two windows are the ones you see on the far left in the photo below.)

Now because we hadn’t had nearly enough to eat today (hah!), we went out to find dinner. Dan had read about a place called The Coach & Horses so we went that direction. I had seen it on Google and it said that it was busy, but we figured we’d give it a go in any case. When we went outside it was quite bright with a blue sky. A miracle!

Entering The Coach & Horses we saw a few people in the pub area, and the man at the bar asked if we wanted to see the menu. He asked where we were from and after we told him Dan asked where he was from and he said Nevada! Turned out he was a military kiddo and, fortunately for him, was born in the UK so he had dual citizenship and was now living in Shrewsbury with his wife (she will have to take a test in something like four years to try and gain citizenship). Am I jealous? You bet!

We said we’d like to dine there so he told us where the restaurant area was. Well, Google may have thought they were busy, but we had the entire place to ourselves! I’m guessing Monday evening isn’t quite a busy time there. I ordered salmon cakes and Dan had cottage pit PIE (yeah, I typed pit first and I think it’s too funny to remove!). Prices were quite good and food was yummy. I really loved the greens with my meal. Then we ended with the extremely healthy sticky toffee pudding. It came with ice cream so we appreciated all that calcium. Or something. You can see the very nice man from Nevada that we spoke to in the final photo.

Anyway, if you are ever in Shrewsbury, go there. It was great!

Then we ambled back to our room, taking a few photos as we walked. At one point I saw some sort of plaque on a building and it said “Shropshire” and below that “North Wales”. As I read online, it was the “Welsh Kingdom of Powys in the 5th and 6th centuries” so I guess it was in Wales and perhaps some wish that were still the case. Dunno!

Back in our room I, as always, set out tomorrow’s clothes after I put my pjs on. Then it was time to finish up this blog.

Tomorrow is moving day. I’ve enjoyed Shrewsbury, but on we go!

13,493 steps, 5.4 miles, 4 flights climbed

Sunday, June 7 — Moving Day

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Well, it does appear we have minor colds, but so far it’s nothing like what our travel pals had (have?). Mostly we cough at night, and that’s about it. So it goes.

After rising I got most everything packed up: I just had, as usual, to wait for the toothbrushes and toothpaste and those can’t be put away until after breakfast. It appeared that we would avoid rain as we head down to the train station. Do we trust our weather apps. Nope!

Side Note: I purchased a lanyard for my phone. This is going to sound strange, but when we are above a river, or on a high spot, I have this irrational fear that I’ll throw it. This was especially the case when we were in Spain and Portugal and climbed any towers. I know, I know, it’s irrational and goofy, but you are reading my blog and some might suggest I’m irrational and goofy! I also thought it would be a good idea due to the phone thefts we’ve read about: cyclists or those on scooters will pass quickly and grab someone’s phone. Well, so much for my idea: the darn clasps that connect phone to lanyard don’t always hold. Yesterday I reached for my phone and it was just sitting in my pocket, the lanyard was hanging around my neck, phone-less. Note to self: find a different solution!

After I started this blog and Dan showered we went down to our 8:30 breakfast. It’s our final “free” breakfast, so while I thought I should just do something simple I opted to get that final egg breakfast. After this I’m sure we will do much smaller morning meals. (Heck, I don’t do morning meals at home, after all.) So Eggs Royale it was. Not that I could finish …

When breakfast was completed and all packing was completed (yes, mom, I brushed my teeth!), we were ready for the walk to the train. It was primarily downhill so not a big deal.

We got to the station and found our platform. Goodbye Bath. Thanks for no rain today. And a lovely papaver.

This first bit was a short, maybe thirteen minute train ride and we got on and found our assigned seats. Hello, coach A seats 9 and 10.

Only one shot from the train:

And then we arrived at Bristol Temple Meads.

We had a short wait for our train so we purchased some crisps and water (later, when I looked for it, my water was gone. I don’t know when it fell out of my daypack, but oh well.). Then we went to platform 5 to wait. When the train (a Cross Country train) arrived we had to wait in line to get on. And wait. And wait. I started to wonder if we would or even could get on! When we finally manage to squeeze in to the vestibule we were stuck for a bit, but hey, we have reserved seats so no problem.

Except.

Dan couldn’t put his larger luggage on the rack. People had piled their smaller pieces there rather than putting them above their heads in the smaller luggage racks. He even asked one person if he could move hers and apparently that wasn’t going to happen. He told me to go on ahead so I made my way to our seats. People were sitting in them. I asked them if they had reserved seats and they didn’t, so they got up. I put my small luggage where my legs should have been, thinking Dan would arrive and help me put it above. But he could never move from the vestibule! I finally told one of the women who had been sitting in our seats that she may as well sit down because he couldn’t get there. She, in fact, had her small luggage on the rack he needed and she said he could move it, but it would have taken more than that piece to get his to fit. Meanwhile, I had no place to put my feet! She had room in front of her, but I was cramped and uncomfortable. I ended up putting one leg on top of my luggage and the other slightly in her space. It was pretty darn miserable, but how could I complain? Dan was stuck in a cramped spot with other people after entering the coach and had to stand the whole time. He wasn’t at all happy when I saw him slightly over an hour later. In fact he was angry. When Dan is angry that’s a pretty big thing, as he simply doesn’t get angry!

Advice: if you have the chance to take Cross Country Trains DON’T. Period. End of story. They overbook, they don’t come by to help anyone who can’t store luggage, and it’s a miserable ride if all that happens.

When that ride was done it was Hello Birmingham. Or at least hello Birmingham train station.

Once we — especially Dan — survived that ordeal, we had train number three to catch. It’s always an adventure figuring this stuff out. Down a lift, up a lift, down a lift … you never know until you know. But our platform was found, and after we sat for a bit (Dan certainly needed to sit!), we went and stood at the track, ready to climb aboard. We had no reserved seats for this train, but thankfully there were a lot of seats. We got on, settled in, and rested. (I may have fallen asleep, in fact.)

Photos from the train:

And then we arrived. Hello Shrewsbury!

We opted to walk to our lodging, as it was an eight minute walk. Of course it was uphill, but we managed.

We are staying at Cromwell’s Tap House. Yes, it’s a pub, but they have five rooms. We are in room five and, according to the man who checked us in, it’s his favorite. (Hm. Maybe every room is his favorite, depending upon which key he is holding?) Due to being weary, we opted for dinner at the pub. Turns out the latest serving is 4:00, so early meal it is.

Our room is spacious. Our room is also very old and funky. And the floor is about as unlevel as can be. The bathroom floor is even more bizarre. It’s a very old building and that’s how these old buildings can be. But hey, it’s home for a couple of days so there you go. But the photos make it look quite nice, I think.

The view from our window (I’d love to stay there!):

When it was close to 4:00 we went back downstairs to dinner. While we could have had the Sunday roast, we opted instead for fish ‘n chips and nothing more (well, drinks, but no appetizers or anything). Typical me forgot the photo until I’d taken a bite or two.

And yes, Patty has ketchup with her chips. Bad, bad me.

Finishing up we went back to our room for a bit. I could barely make it up the stairs I was so full and so very tired. I knew, though, that sleeping now would mean no sleep later. Dan apparently didn’t feel the same. He conked out and I went and took a shower due to getting antsy legs. (Sure, I know you don’t need to know this, but I write what I write, wouldn’t you know?!)

After my shower I looked out and saw windshield wipers going and umbrellas out. I opted to blog more and then … whoops! … I fell asleep. I think our colds are making us more tired. I’m guessing the train issues might have added to the weariness.

Eventually, though, we went out to do a wee bit of exploring. And yes, it was raining. Some of the buildings here look like they could fall over any minute. The last one shown below was one of those.

We ran out of steam and walked back to our lodging. I felt so dehydrated and Dan said he felt the same, so we first went into the pub and had some non-alcoholic beers. It was nice to sit and relax a bit more.

Then back up the wobbly, uneven stairs we went. I finished writing this and Dan did Dan stuff.

Now I will attempt to stay up at least a little bit longer, as it’s too early to sleep. We’ll see how I manage, though.

Ciao for now!

Oh … and I really failed my watch today:

8,346 steps, 3.28 miles, 3 flights climbed (This last is totally incorrect: we climbed a flight at our B&B, we’ve climbed these stairs three times, and we climbed up the hill. Silly watch!)

Saturday, June 6

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After a bit of a restless night (my watch’s sleep report was disappointed in me although it was being gentle) I woke and told Dan I would do a pj laundry shower. Laundry showers are such fun. Or maybe not. But hey, pjs and I are now clean machines.

Side Note: Ah bathrooms! Ours have run the gamut. Large and small. Old and fairly new. And, on this trip, toilets that are rather persnickety. Seems like we have to baby them. I have several suggestions for places we’ve stayed: fix those toilets! Install a motion detector nightlight in the bathroom. And please please nix those silly little trashcans that you have to open with your foot. They are annoying. That, that is all. I’m sure things will all be fixed on our next trip.

But Side Note #2: Dan and I both travel with motion detector nightlights so we place them in spots to light our way and light the bathroom when necessary.

After starting this blog entry, annoying you with my Side Notes, showering, and dressing, it was time for breakfast so downstairs we went. For once we went lighter — poached eggs on toast. Done.

Looking at the weather it appeared we’d get rain. And then no rain. And rain again. We’ve learned, though, not to trust our apps. It would be what it would be and perhaps the rain jacket was a wise choice for the day. Or umbrella. Or both. Plus a rain hat. Or would I wing it and just deal? (I really dislike having to wear the rain jacket if it doesn’t rain.)

Final decision: rain jacket, rain hat, umbrella, plus daypack so I could protect my camera should it rain hard.

Down the hill we went. Again. The middle photo below is of a monkey puzzle tree. I’m not a huge fan of them except that they are just so crazy looking. Not great for shade, though. (Not that we needed any shade today.)

We made it to the meeting spot for the Bath tour just in time. I turned around to take a photo of what I call “Tortilla Jones” because sometimes my sense of humor is just goofy like that.

A large group had congregated, and one of the eight tour guides divided us up. We then went with our guide to the front of the Abbey Cathedral.

He explained that the doors were closed and there would be no entry until the afternoon because of a procession. That procession usually included the mayor, but he had had to resign because of something he reposted (when will people learn to check to see if something is true — and if it’s wise to post even if it is?). We had expected it to begin a bit later than it did, so we were right in front when they started. I took a video but please do excuse the bad filming: my hat blew off at one point! You might not want to watch the whole thing as it is over two minutes. (I hope it will even load due to the length!)

From there we did a good amount of walking and I did take photos while I’ll post below, but much of the time we were being rained upon. My hat was on, but then the umbrella came out as well. It never really did stop. Some of what we saw with the guide were at spots Dan and I saw earlier, but the information our guides (there was on in training who led part of the tour) was fun to hear. Not that I’ll remember much, but I will try.

We ended in front of an indoor market. I was thrilled to think we’d get out of the rain and maybe Dan and I would catch a bite inside. Well, it wasn’t quite the kind of market we’d expected. There was one place where small appliances were sold. Inside that area it looked like a hardware store. Some places sold Knick knacks or clothes. There were a few food booths, but nothing appealing and all the seats were full.

We walked a bit more and found a place to get some very healthy looking salads. Unusual for us, I know.

(Doesn’t Dan look serious about his salad?) Funny thing: the food there could be take away or sit down. We said we wanted sit down. They brought us our salads in the cardboard box but set inside a bowl. It didn’t occur to either of us to empty the salad into the bowl, where it would have been easier to eat! I only realized that’s what we should have done when I looked at the tables on either side of us. Sometimes we are just slow!

Outside again, and the rain kept coming. Our tour guide had told us about a free museum so we opted to go in there for a bit. It was nothing thrilling, but it was out of the rain.

Oh … but it also had bathrooms (really “toilets” as they are called here), and inside the women’s was some more art! I looked at the two pipes in a corner and then looked down. Cracked me up!

We left the museum and thought maybe we needed coffee. Not because we needed coffee, really, but because it was still raining.

As we walked there was a huge crowd of mostly men going the opposite direction, some of whom were quite noisy and, I’m guessing, a wee bit intoxicated. All we could think, considering how many there were, was that some sort of game had ended. Who knows, though. In any case, we walked until we finally ended up at the same place we had coffee yesterday. The biggest requirements were indoors and empty seats we could fill. As my sister-in-law Ruth Ann wrote, Dan looks rather dapper … don’t you agree? (He took this selfie. All credit to him.)

While we had our coffee and contemplated walking more in the rain I thought to check the map, plugging in our B&B. We are in a more residential area, so I had assumed there would be no eating establishments nearby, but I was happy to see I was wrong. About ten minutes away is a place called The Moorfield, and they had a reservation opening for 5:45. I grabbed it. The thought of eating down the hill and then, after said eating, walking up with a full stomach in, most likely, rain and wind, didn’t seem appealing to either of us. Besides, with all the rain we had so far enjoyed (hah!) we were just a bit weary.

So we agreed we’d head back to our room. When we arrived and started up the stairs a man greeted us and said something about us having had it with the weather as well. I guess he and his wife gave up and also returned.

In our room Dan did whatever Dan does on his iPad and I did more of this blog. Suddenly the wind got super crazy. How glad I was to be in our room!

Oh … and I’ve not reported on our colds. So far mine is so minor I don’t know that I can call it a cold. I’m hoping it stays that way.

We both ended up snoozing a little bit, but then it was time to head to the restaurant I had found. Of course it was raining again!

It was also a bit longer of a walk than I expected, but we finally arrived at The Moorfields and in we went. It’s not in a busy section of town, and I think it’s more of a neighborhood place, which I enjoy. Next to us were people with a tiny baby, I saw another young one as well, and in another room there was a family.

We ordered poblano peppers to share, and then Dan had a burger and I had chicken. Prices were quite reasonable, and my dinner was tasty. Obviously no desert was necessary!

Now about Dan and napkins. For some reason they fly off his lap nearly every time! I think I need to document this from now on.

After Dan paid the check we walked back a slightly different way. It seemed faster, but that might be because, miracle of miracles, the rain had stopped!

Now we are back in our room, and I’m having chamomile tea. I won’t tell you we had Kit Kat bars (which the B&B provide) because I know you would think less of us if you knew we indulged.

Tomorrow is moving day. Again. As always I’m pretty much packed, as long as the weather doesn’t cause me to change my mind. I’ll just have to add pjs and the toothbrushes to my suitcase, and put my iPad in my daypack and I’m ready to hit the road. Will we hike down the hill with our roller bags? We hope to. That, too, will depend upon the weather.

About our trains: for the first time it’s a three train day, each from a different company. First it’s Great Western Railroad (GWR), then Transport for Wales Rail (TFW — and no, we aren’t landing in Wales), and finally Cross Country (XC). All are fairly short rides, but it was how I had to put it all together to get to our next destination.

It’s too early to hit the hay, but still I will say goodnight.

13,382 steps, 5.31 miles, 12 flights climbed

Friday, June 5

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When we woke both Dan and I mentioned we might be coming down with a cold. Nothing horrible (so far), but I could feel an itch in my throat. We’ll see what we end up with. Since Greg has had something we weren’t at all surprised.

Once again we enjoyed a nice breakfast at our B&B. (When we get back home I am going to have to retrain myself and skip breakfasts, aside from my cappucinno!)

It began to rain, so we sat in our room for a time, waiting for it to die down. It also meant I could charge everything all the way.

Side note:

I’d been waiting for my iPhone to go down below 80% battery capacity. I had hoped it would get there before the trip because I can get the battery replaced for free since I have AppleCare (okay, okay, I pay for that so it’s really not free). Alas, it went to 79% during the trip. I can’t do anything here, as the replacement has to be in the states. Because of this my battery runs out quicker than I’d like, so I have to use my little battery pack to charge it. I mean, this is like a major world disaster. Or maybe not. Funny how we lived without these devices for the majority of our lives (those of us of a certain age, that is). When I came to the UK with a youth orchestra in 1974 I didn’t communicate with anyone other than those I was traveling with. My parents? Well, they got a postcard or two I think (maybe). And if I did send them I’m not even sure those arrived before I got back home!

Side note over ‘n out.

When the rain lightened up we left our B&B, although I did get distracted by the flowers right down the stairs.

Down the hill we went, and into the center of Bath (or at least I think it’s the center), where just a few stands were set up so I took a photo of the fruit and veg one. Then we headed toward the Cathedral.

Before entering the Cathedral we saw the free Bath tours that are given Sunday to Friday at 10:30 and 2:00 (Saturdays are only 10:30.) Unfortunately we had other things that conflicted today, but we are hoping to get back there tomorrow as we’ve been told the tour is quite good. Interestingly, the tour guides are not allowed to accept tips. That’s pretty rare!

Then into the Abbey Cathedral we went. I think I’ll just let the photos speak for themselves.

The organist was practicing while we were there.

And I also did a walk-around video.

We left there and went to find a not-lunch bite, passing by a bookstore and park on our way. Coffee and croissants were enjoyed. (Not needed, mind you, but still ….)

We were meeting Jan and Greg at the Roman Baths, so we headed that way. I have to say that I was skeptical about the place, but it really is rather astounding to hear about it and see what they did so very long ago. Again, I’ll just post photos and not go into the whole thing, primarily because I’m not only lazy but also forgetful so my facts would be off, I’m sure.

Oh … and one video:

My understanding was that somewhere during their baths I he Romans would enjoy a glass of wine. In order to be at least a little close to that we headed to the smallest pub in Bath for a pint. It was only right to do so.

Greg and Jan then took their leave for a time, and Dan and I walked a bit, mostly looking for a dinner spot for the four of us. Dan and I did laugh a bit at the lingerie store called “Bravissimo”. (Get it?)

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant and I didn’t take even one shot but you can see it on the far right in the photo right above this. I mean … it was pasta. Pasta is pasta. Use your imaginations if you wish.

After that we had to say our goodbyes. Jan and Greg leave tomorrow morning. Despite their colds (SO sorry for you both) it was wonderful to see them. I know they must be disappointed as they had to change plans and all, but I’m still so very glad we got together. (Get well, you two!) I will miss them greatly.

From there we went back to our B&B where I enjoyed some chamomile tea and Dan did shower laundry.

Tomorrow is our final full day in this area. We’ll see what we opt to do. Stay tuned!

Nighty-night!

11,079 steps, 4.33 miles, 7 flights climbed

Thursday, June 4

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We woke up (very slowly!) to the sound of wind. Dan had mentioned yesterday that he’d read it would be windy today — I think he said even windier than yesterday, and it was windy as we walked. Windy enough I had to take off my hat so it wouldn’t blow off.

We lazed around in the room since we had the later breakfast time. Eventually we headed down to the breakfast room and had a lovely breakfast. But first, Dan demonstrated how my iPhone could make me look absolutely stunning. I mean … really!!

Well, okay, maybe not stunning, but it makes me look a bit like a camel, I think.

Seriously, though, the reason he demonstrated this is because the other day I took a photo at our table of Jan, Greg, and Dan, and couldn’t post it because things were distorted. I think the three might frown upon me if I did put it up. So now I know what I did. (Which means everyone better be very nice to me or I’ll share a photo of THEM like the one above!) Oh … and yes, I have no pride at this point.

But back to breakfast …

As we ate it poured outside. Really poured. We would have to figure out what to do with our day if the weather remained that way. Meanwhile, though, I could start this blog and then have a “laundry shower”. Dan was journaling and then he, too, did a laundry shower. Clothes and bodies cleaned. Hooray!

This time I opted to wash a pair of my Woolx pants (Emerson pants which are quite fitting). Yesterday when I put them on I noticed that they were just plain dusty. I didn’t wear them on our walk, but we must have been in dusty areas at some point because if I pulled at the fabric and let it snap back there was a good amount of dust. Not good. (I guess I could have used a vacuum cleaner on them!) I’ll be curious to see how fast they dry. (For those who wonder how I do this on trips: I wash them in the shower using the liquid soap provided, ring them out — a bit of a no-no but whatever. Then I set out a large towel, stretch the pants out on it, wrap the sides over, and roll. I put them on the floor and “knee” them for a bit. Then out of the towel they go, and I lay them over my closed suitcase to dry. Please have number 2 pencils ready as there will be a pop quiz sometime later on our trip.)

I puzzled over what to bring when we finally were to go out. There’s always the question of rain jackets or umbrellas? If it’s too windy the rain jacket wins. Yesterday when we headed out we opted for the umbrellas and, indeed, it was too windy for those. For today I was waiting on Dan to see what option he’d choose and then I’d do the opposite.

No. I’m lying: I usually follow his advice. Emphasis on usually. While waiting for Dan I keep looking longingly at my wool shacket: I love that thing and it was so wonderful for Scotland and Ireland. The only problem is the rain. If I wear that and get wet I sort of smell like the sheep. That’s a baaaaad thing.

Enough. Comedy routine over ‘n out.

Believe it or not, we didn’t get out of our room until after noon. Some days, though, are best spent that relaxed, I think, when out on a slightly over six week trip.

Down the hill we went. Well, first we went down the B&B stairs outside, as you can see from the photo below.

The first destination I’d plugged in was Green Street. Don’t ask me why because I’ve forgotten! I put together a list from various sites I’d found, and Green Street was on that list. Unfortunately I didn’t think to say why I’d written things down. (Some, thankfully, were obvious.) While walking down the short street I saw a store with shoes I liked (men’s shoes, that is) and while looking the shopkeeper came out. He said if I liked those shoes I should go across the way and up some stairs and a woman there made shoes for women I might like. I knew I shouldn’t bother: no way could I afford them!

We continued our walk and, lo and behold, we saw Jan and Greg’s hotel. We weren’t planning on meeting up yet, so we walked by, but I did take a photo. Just because. Then we continued on to our next stop, the Jane Austen Centre. There were costumed people at the door and inside and, honestly, it just didn’t look like our cuppa. Perhaps I’ll regret not going in, but how will I know …?

More walking, and to another destination I’d plugged in: The Landrace Bakery. Well, bakery + us means we had to go in. Tasty little non-lunch!

For some reason Google Maps was losing my plan and I’d have to keep adding things back in so Dan took over. We were looking for the Georgian houses that were curved. We walked via HIS map and I shot photos along the way. There’s so much to see here!

Finally we hit what I thought we were looking for.

But Dan said that wasn’t it. He remembered it was not a full circle, as this place was (with breaks for streets), but just a crescent. So on we went.

And then we (he) found it! Funny thing is that now, as I write this, I’m looking back at my Google Maps entries and, sure enough, No. 1 Royal Crescent was on it. Until it disappeared.

From there we walked to the Royal Victoria Park. We sent a quick pic to Jan and Greg, saying Dan was still looking for a Beech tree as he stood beneath one, since we’d teased him about missing the huge one we passed on our Cotswold walk.

We walked through the botanical garden and I enjoyed the flora both there and on our walk toward Greg and Jan’s.

As we walked we saw a small entryway, behind one of the Georgian houses, for a Georgian garden so we entered that. There wasn’t a lot to see, but I loved seeing the Nigella damascena. Underneath was an identification for an aster and I wonder how many people will now see Nigella and call it an aster!

From there we went on a search for a dinner spot. We did walk a bit and came up with a few choices that we would pass by Jan and Greg. While walking I happened upon this store and thought of a particular son of mine!

We went to meet up with our dinner pals at their hotel, and then we walked to “The Oldest Pub In Bath.” Greg and I were duck buddies, Jan had a falafel burger, and Dan had fish and chips (which he said were the best he’s had on the trip).

We said our goodnights and Dan and I started our walk back. I had to take a photo at what I think was a studio for a show we watch that took place in Bath. Then over the river and up the hill we went, where I took just a few shots of homes.

Tomorrow we see more of Bath. Tonight we sleep.

‘night!

17,219 steps, 6.81 miles, 10 flights climbed

Wednesday, June 3 — Moving Day

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We had our final “free” (not really!) breakfast. I only mean “free” as in we didn’t have to pay for it this morning: we paid a good amount for this walk and breakfasts were included. From the breakfast area it was back to our room to just hang out for a bit since the train Dan and I would take didn’t leave until 10:55. Greg and Jan were still figuring out their next step as some of their plans had changed, but they later texted that they were catching the earlier, 9:55 train to Oxford to collect a rental car.

That didn’t mean we wouldn’t see them again, as we are all are headed to the same destination for today!

We woke to cloudy skies, and occasional showers. It appears we are now in for more rain on the trip so my rain jacket and hat are out, ready to be put to use. Goodbye, Moreton-in-Marsh. Goodbye, Cotswolds. I will miss you.

When it was time, we checked out and walking in light rain to our train. It wasn’t a long wait before we boarded. We would have about an hour’s ride to our first stop. The first photo below is from our room. The rest are just walking to the station. Thrilling, I’m sure. Should you wish to have a print of them I can do a stunning one for you. Or not.

Views from the train … including the “Oxford blur”. I hope you know that’s how one is supposed to shoot the Oxford train station. Or perhaps the train was moving too fast. Hmmm.

Then we arrived at our first destination of the day, Reading. (Rhymes with “wedding”. Not the Monopoly Reading.) Why Reading, you ask? Well, we would have arrived at our final destination too soon to check in and I thought, “Why not check out Reading on the way?) Besides we had to switch trains there anyway. So there we were. In the rain. We got of the train and first headed to a place called Top Gun Tattooing. It was time. We both needed tattoos.

Or maybe not. It actually was the place we would leave our luggage while we ambled. There are several companies that have this service and I used one called “Bounce”. You look up the city you’re in, see where spots are to leave luggage, and pay a fee to drop bags off. It’s quite handy. And you might just end up at a tattoo parlor.

So the luggage was dropped off, and we rambled.

We walked through a bit of a park until we came to the Abbey Ruins. Then it was getting a bit rainy again so we went out to look for a spot to eat.

We found an Irish pub. Yes, in England. It had a lot of TVs showing the Stanley Cup. It seemed odd to watch hockey in an Irish pub. I had a salad, Dan had sausages and mash, and we both had zero zero beer.

At that point we just decided to head back to the train station. I took exciting photos. You’re welcome.

We got on our train, kicked someone out of one of our seats (I would have been fine sitting in the row in front, but he moved so whatever). And aside from a few shots I spaced out.

And then we arrived … Hello, Bath Spa!

We made our way out of the station and stood in the taxi line. Traffic was awful so taxis were slow to arrive, but we did finally get one. The driver explained that road work was being done everywhere and it was messing things up. He did get us to our destination, though, and gosh, there were stairs to climb to get to the front door! We checked in and gosh, there were more stairs to get to our room! We are becoming experts at climbing stairs with luggage. Granted, the man who checked us in to this B&B offered to help, but pride didn’t allow me to take him up on his offer. (And now “Pride goeth before the fall” has a meaning I hope not to demonstrate.) Our room is sort of your typical B&B room, and it has a nice view outside. A view that showed me it had started to rain somewhat significantly again.

I started this blog entry (and hooray for a better connection that allows pictures to load pretty easily) and Dan started a short nap. (My writing took longer than his nap.)

Our B&B is on one side of the River Avon, and the main part of Bath is on the other. We are up a hill. It’s probably 20 or more minutes to get into the part of Bath we are going to want to see. We are going to have a great excuse to eat too much. (As if we need that.) I do look forward to investigating the area, but I sure hope it doesn’t rain every day.

We decided, finally, to take that 20 minute walk and headed down the hill and over the river.

We wound up at Sally Nunn’s Eating House. I’d seen a list of “don’t miss” things and that was on said list, although I believe it was more about the afternoon tea. They had room for us so in we went. we both had the “Set Trencher Dinner”. Loads more food than I could eat, but tasty. Comfort food kind of tasty — nothing gourmet, but quite yummy.

It was then time to walk back, although we took a small detour past the Bath Abbey. Then we continued.

It began to rain lightly, and it was rather windy. (And I had thought I was done with rain gear and warm clothes!) And then there was a rainbow. We continued our walk and the rainbow was still there. Lovely!

Then more walking up the hill. And up the stairs.

Tomorrow we can be lazy: we have a 9:00 breakfast since the earlier times were already taken. I’m fine with that. We’ve risen earlier so much that a little later will be enjoyed.

Toodle-oo!

(What with train rides and rain and all my stats today aren’t as great, but they’ll do! Plus, of course, when comparing all of our watches it makes it pretty darn clear these aren’t perfectly accurate!)
12,318 steps, 4.74 miles, 11 flights climbed.

Tuesday, June 2 — Walk, Day Seven

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I woke several times last night and heard rain. Rain at night is allowed, although not appreciated greatly since we might end up walking through mud. Perhaps, though, we’ll avoid a lot of rain today which is not what the forecast had suggested earlier on.

Looking out one window I could see sheep in the distance, but that wasn’t any surprise since I could hear them.


Speaking of hearing, I forgot to mention a funny one from yesterday. As we were nearing the village we were going down a gentle slope. To my right was a bit of meadow and what looked like a forest. To my left was a wall of shrubs. I heard loud baa-ing. On my left. I looked and looked. No sheep! Jan must have figured out what was going on and I heard her (she was behind me) say, “They’re to your left.” DUH. I have to hearing in my left ear and hearing them in my right ear didn’t mean they had to be my right! But the most interesting bit is a bit later, as we were still on the path but there was a road to our left I heard motorcycles. Now where do you think I looked? To my left, of course! I even thought I heard them on my left. Because motorcycles couldn’t possibly be to my right. The brain knows!

Now back to today.

You might be shocked and amazed that we packed and lugged our bags down two flights of stairs. Great fun was had. Then it was time for breakfast.

We all enjoyed nice breakfasts, getting more food than we of course needed. But isn’t that what happens on vacations? Seems so. The photo below shows Dan. Most likely he’s meditating over a cup of coffee. You also see my slice of toast and I’ll just pretend that’s all I ate.

Then it was a quick trip back up to our rooms, with a quick shot up a lovely staircase (that we didn’t take), and we met up again to start our walk.

The walk began easily, as we said goodbye to Chipping Campden and got on to our route..

We soon left the road and marched on. Or ambled. You choose. Some of the sheep yesterday and today look rather naked, as they’d been shorn.

Above Chipping Campden is Broad Campden. The Quaker meeting house you can see in one photo has been used in the Father Brown series.

We were told to turn left at the Bakers Arms pub. At that point Jan and I were walking together. We saw one path but it was before the pub so we walked past to the next left and went there. Well, my phone was NOT at all happy with me and let me know. Oops. We were supposed to take the other left. So back we went.

We saw we were again on The Monarch’s Way. When I first saw a sign for The Monarch’s Way I thought they were talking about butterflies. Yes. Really. But never mind.

We continued our walk through lovely areas, through sheep areas (we have to do some “poop dodging” in those) and more. The clouds did look ominous at times. (But I think the gifts the sheep leave are more ominous!)

I sort of got off track one other time: we are the red line. We are supposed to follow the blue. I really just think we are more creative is all. (I suspect you have to click on this image to really understand what I’m writing about!)

More walking, more beautiful views, more fun with Jan! Oh, and more grain.’

Then we reached the village of Blockley.

Don’t know the place? Well, you might know it as Kembleford. As in Father Brown. We arrived there, not remembering the Father Brown bit. We went to a little store to buy some lunch and as we exited the store the rain came down. Right next door was a cafe and Jan and I went in to order cappuccinos and I asked if we could eat our sandwiches there. The young woman said normally no, but their oven wasn’t working (or something like that) and if we were discreet they’d allow it. So we very discreetly ate the sandwich (we shared because we are learning that we often could just share things rather than eat too much) and drank our coffee. Later Dan arrived and had an espresso and cake, so I wasn’t feeling quite so bad about our eating our sandwich. When we left the cafe we had a look at the church used in Father Brown. Because Jan and I put on our rain jackets the rain stopped.

Then on we went, past Blockley, through meadows, past cows, down paths and trees, through some rather narrow spots, and we did have another climb. (We had one earlier in the day but nothing like yesterday.) It’s nearly impossible to really show you how high we’d climbed, but if you can see a village below us in some of these photos, that’s Blockley again and we are high above it!

Now I must say there were many moments we had to concentrate very hard on where we stepped, in order to dodge things that must be dodged. We also had to be cautious about sting weed and the thorns on various plants. But we soldiered on bravely. (At one point, though, I did have Jan grab the poles from my pack and we each took one … it was so helpful to have both to help us climb and to assist in pushing back prickly plants.)

I can’t remember exactly when the rain began, but it rained. And it was somewhat significant. We stood under some trees for a time. Earlier we had heard thunder and wondered if we’d get dumped on. After a while someone who is impatient (me) decided to go on while Mr. Patience (Dan) waited a bit more. Jan was with me and, really, I think we were right to go on. But Dan later mentioned perhaps with the possibility of lightning we might have been smart to wait. But hey, I’m here, right?

The sheep here are much bolder than the shy Scotland sheep we saw. We even seemed to have welcoming committees sometimes.

The walk continues. The dodging continued as well.

And THEN … the worst of all. Mud. Mucky mud. By the time we got through the field of mud my shoes were caked and so much heavier. I’m hoping that means I get extra points: it’s like weight lifting, really. Jan took a photo of my lovely shoes. (I attempted to pull my pants legs up a bit so we could really see the damage. Honestly, though, it was worse than these photos show, I think!)

From there we were very close to our final (can you hear me sighing and even crying a bit?) destination of the walk.

Hello again, Moreton-in-Marsh!

We are back in the hotel we stayed in when we arrived here, but no deluxe room this time.

Shortly after getting in our room we met up with Greg and Jan for a celebratory drink. I took photos as we went down the stairs. The many, many stairs. But that really doesn’t do them justice! (I think I counted 28 steps up, and then, for Dan and me, 4 down to get to our room.)


But your SHOES, you ask? Did you really walk into the hotel and then go to the bar with those SHOES? No. I didn’t. I’ve been taught by the master here (hi Dan) that a puddle, especially a puddle with rocks below, is a great way to clean off filthy shoes. I had also used my poles to knock off a lot of the mud. By the time we got to the hotel the shoes were nearly presentable. After drinks, when I got to our room I used some wipes to clean them off nearly completely. I was happy to have them clean, and even happier to have shower time to get me clean!

We had dinner at the hotel and the meal was lovely. Greg and Jan had some risotto, Dan had chicken, and I had trout. All tasty!

We had a little after dinner drink and called it a night.

While we went back upstairs I took a video: this hotel has a lot of twists and turns. I’m guessing I could easily get lost. I’m not sure the video will really show that, though.

Tomorrow we move on. Time is passing by far too quickly and I just want it all to slow down, but I guess I’m not in control of time. I should be, but I’m not. Ah well.

Goodnight and stay tuned for the next adventure!

21,457 steps, 8.32 miles, 17 flights climbed

Monday, June 1 — Walk, Day Six

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Packing, breakfast, back upstairs, and then off we went.

We walked through the town until we reached our turn.

Clearly, as you can see by one photo, they aren’t happy with people who don’t have their dogs on a leash. But wow … they might shoot them?

We knew today had a climb. I had read a blog, though, where the writer implied one could opt to take the very steep hill to a tower or one could go another way. So I assumed our app was telling us the easier way and at some point it would show us two options: the high road and the low road, so to speak. (Or write, actually.) But no! We were on the steep path and so it went. We might have been slow, but we continued on our way. We went by a number of fields with sheep. Sheep mean “Watch where you walk!” They are so sweet and fun from a distance. They are more smelly and dirty close up. Go figure. Both yesterday and today the sheep are not nearly as skittish as they were when we were in Scotland. I guess they are used to all the walkers.

When I looked up and saw a spot with benches I said, “I think that’s the top!” When we reached the benches (and I took photos) I realized my thinking was quite wrong, and Dan said we were about halfway up.

Thankfully he was also wrong, as it wasn’t quite the much more of a climb, and there we were, at the tower. A place people could actually drive to, wouldn’t you know? And of course I had to shoot a photo of a some new gate locks because I know how exciting those are.

While we sat, resting from our big trek, we saw a deer. But wait! There was a little one right there as well. Mom was busy cleaning the little guy up for a while. New today? Dunno. But obviously needed that good old mom spit bath!

We said goodbye (not literally, mind you) to the tower. From there, though, it was a downhill walk, so the hard work of the day was done. We of course saw more sheep.

And then we smelled garlic. It was wild garlic growing in a wooded area. Quite fragrant!

We reached a bit of road and one house. And then it was grain field after grain field along with a mustard (gone to seed — thank you Ruth Ann for helping me with that!) field.

One of the gate we found, shortly before our destination, seemed rather useless!

And then hello, Chipping Campden!

We went to a pub for lunch. We arrived at 2:57 and they only took food orders until 3:00. We barely made it, but we got our food — I had my first toastie in a while. Yum! Greg ordered a hot dog which, for some reason, cracked me up.

From there we made our way back to our hotel so we could check in.

We had an upgraded place because, as I had been informed a few weeks back, the original spot was overbooked. Sure can’t argue with an upgrade! For the first time on this trip, our luggage was brought to our rooms for us. Good thing, as we had two flights of stairs this time. Whew!

Our room is nice, but I have to confess I’m never jazzed by the “bathtub in the bedroom” thing. I guess they know some of us aren’t into that, so a privacy screen is in the room. (Greg and Jan were in a different part of the hotel and landed a super room. I’m not jealous, I’m not jealous, I’m not jealous. Or maybe I’m a liar. You choose!) Below you see our room and our views.

I attempted to take a bath and use the sprayer to wash my hair. Well, never mind that! I couldn’t get the darn thing to work. I do find it interesting to see if I can figure those things out at each place we stay! (It’s like the gates we have to deal with … sometimes I get it, sometimes not. This was a definitely not!)

We had a short amount of quiet time and then we met Greg and Jan downstairs for a cocktail hour. Greg has been dealing with a rotten heel and toe as well as a cold, so I really wanted to treat them. He’s not complained a bit, even though I’d sure understand if he did. (I know I would whine a lot. It’s a talent.) Thank you, Greg! And thank you Jan for walking with me! This has been very special.

We went from cocktails to our Mediterranean dinner. And what a fine dinner! Don’t ask me what we had because right now my brain is a muddle, but it was delicious!

After dinner we went to Jan and Greg’s room and enjoyed a final glass of wine. (That’s when I saw where they were staying and I nearly got out my gun and told them to get the heck out of Dodge but 1) I have never owned a gun and 2) we were in Broadway. Oh well!)

Now we are back in our room and ready for a good night’s sleep. I hope.

Tomorrow is our last day of the walk. I’m sad to say goodbye to our adventure.

17,597 steps, 6.82 miles, 18 flights climbed** (Dan and Jan use Apple Watches and they had as many as 10 more flights, as well as more mileage than I had so I think my watch hates me.)