5/7 left early, discovered Ombersley, Ludlow, beer tasting,

It's Saturday, May 8th and we left London yesterday at 6:45 AM for our 3 day weekend in Ludlow at the Beer, Bangers (that's sausage to us) and Bread Festival.  I had spotted an ad for this festival back in January in one of the British magazines I get and since we knew we were going to go on this trip I went ahead and made a reservation at a B&B here.  John was a bit hesitant about this trip being three months long but when I told him about this festival, it kind of swayed his feelings a bit! Also, I found out while here that this B&B had been booked for months as had been most in town.  So I'm glad we made our reseervations then!

Ludlow is about 3 hours from London and our English GPS system that we brought with us took us off the major highway (the M40 - M for motorway which is a 6 lane highway) onto A439 (A being a 4 lane divided highway and sometimes a two lane) about halfway through the trip.  After awhile we were on the A4133 and when you get into 4 numbers you are now on narrower two lane roads.  In fact, sometimes two lanes is questionable!  (And then there are the B roads with 4 numbers but we won't get into that!)  While going around one of the many roundabouts (which is their solution for two or more roads converging in one spot - much more efficient than ours, I think) I happened to glance down the first road on the left and saw a small village that appeared to be all black and white timber framed houses which usually indicates Tudor period architecture (1400s, 1500's,  early 1600's).  I got ALL excited and insisted John find a place to turn around and go back - not always an easy thing to do on an English country road!  And since I had already had him turn around once before about 30 minutes earlier for something else, I wasn't sure about his enthusiasm for this idea but I was so excited, he really had no choice!  Well, we found a little gem when we found the village of Ombersley.  Sure enough, it was Tudor period.

We love to explore the churches so we went into the church yard where we saw an orange MGBGT  parked.  Now since we own an MG Roadster and we used to own a BGT, we easily spot these when we see them and we had seen this one when we were going around the roundabout on the return.  Inside the church were four of the most gracious "little old" ladies and one gentleman who were dusting the pews and choir area getting ready for Sunday church.  One of these "little old' ladies was the driver of  the MGBGT!  They were delighted that we were visiting and stopped work to chat and tell us wonderful stories about the church and village.  The church was built in 1862 after the Napoleonic wars when Parliament granted all the churches money to rebuild if they needed to (remember - the state supports the church here) so Ombersley took advantage of this since their original church which dated from about 300-400 years earlier was a bit in disarray.  In fact, what is left of it - the narthex - is now the family mausoleum for the Sandys family, the lord and lady of the manor's family.  We could only peek through the key hole of that later!

The women were so friendly - just as we have found almost all the English to be.  One of them asked if we would join them, they would make some coffee.  We politely declined mentioning our schedule.  We then began to explore the church.  When it was built, someone (I forgot who they said) insisted that each family have it's own pew.  Each pew was surrounded by a paneled wooden "fence" and had it's own door into the space.  On each pew was an embroidered piece of thick fabric and on the floor 3-4 matching kneelers.  On EACH pew!  I asked about that and was told that one women organized that for decades, well into her nineties, until each pew had a set!

Also, the Lord and Lady's pew was in a corner also behind wooden walls and with a private entrance.  I was about 6x7 feet with it's own corner fireplace!!  Right now the wheel chairs are being stored in it.  I don't think that indicates that they don't come to church.  Since the minister is on a rotation and only comes every four weeks, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say its temporary storage!

A  few minutes later, the lady who invited us for coffee said they would love to have us come over to the house for tea.  Again we graciously declined.   We left and  after a stroll through the cemetery, it was time to move on.  I think if we had stayed longer our new BFF would have asked us to spend the night!

An hour later, we had found our B&B, driven through Ludlow which is even more Tudor period (a lot later covered over in the Georgian period and now being rediscovered hidden under all their plaster) with a wonderful market square and castle, one of the best preserved ruins we have ever seen.  With a little imagination, you could really imagine how the people lived in them.  John took this shot looking down into some of the rooms.

It still has one occupant, though, and as we all went cautiously up and down the darkened circular stairs, we would pass the word - "Watch out for the nesting pigeon."  Don't step on the pigeon!"  We were all very concerned and she must have been terrified, but she did not move at all!!

5/6 The Red House - William Morris' home

This is going to be short!  We are leaving around 6 AM tomorrow morning to go to Ludlow for the Beer, Bangers (that's sausage to us) and Bread festival for three days and then on to Leighton Buzzard (how's that for a name?) for a week of canal boating with our friends, Ginger and Bill, who are meeting us there.  We are also going to explore Iron Bridge while we are in Ludlow.  You'll have to look up the significance of that one!  We have no idea if we will have any computer connections at all for the next 10 days.  So if you don't hear from us, don't get alarmed.  We'll be in touch when we can.

Today I checked another item off my bucket list.  I had been wanting to go to The Red House for sometime.
William Morris was the man who started the Arts and Crafts movement in the early 1860's.  Red House was the only house he ever built for his home.  He lived in many others but this was part of his dream to live as a community with other artist friends.  The dream did not come true and he moved out after five years but the legacy of the house lives on and is now owned by the National Trust.  I took the tube to London Victoria station and then the train to Bexleyheath and took a walk through town to the house.  The house is so important architecturally and in the design world that there are signs pointing walkers from the train station to the house about a mile away.  I took a few pictures but they haven't been loaded into my computer yet so I will pass you on to the National Trust website:  http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-redhouse/  as a reference site.

It was a delightful day that I spent by myself, one I knew John would not enjoy.  He went on his own search of  old, old pubs along the Thames by following a guidebook on that topic.  He was happy, I was happy and now we have to pack our bags for a 10 day trip away from "home". 

5/5 Apsley House, St. Paul's for Tea and Evensong, Millenium Bridge, the George and bus ride

John suggested today that we have tea at St. Paul's Cathedral.  Fine with me!  Who could refuse an invitation like that!  However, you can't fill a day with tea at a church!  So we decided that we would visit Apsley House first.  This magnificent home is in central London and is the home of  the dukes of Wellington.  The first duke who built this house was the one who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.  Obviously, he was a revered man and so many countries were incredibly grateful to him and Britain for defeating Napoleon.  The house was filled with indescribable sets of china and silver statues and settings from grateful kings and prime ministers.  Also, his collection of art filled gallery and room after room.  The house itself was decorated in the manner Wellington had requested - walls that were covered with silk fabrics and gilded frames and cornices.

One of the most remarkable things in the house was the way the windows were designed to keep the symmetry on the outside of the house.  When the house was expanded in the late 1800s, the current duke wanted to keep the exterior symmetrical, so the windows inside had panels set into them that after the inside shutters were closed, a panel that was hidden inside the walls like pocket doors slid across the window.  However, these doors were gilded mirrors and made the windows inside look like the rest of the mirrors in the house instead of like windows!  Remarkable and, obviously, hard to explain.  And because we weren't allowed to take pictures, John only managed to sneak in one and that was of the dining room and it's magnificent chandelier. 

Oh, when I pulled up that picture I found one other John snuck in and that a naked statue of Napoleon that was given to Wellington after the war.  Napoleon had commissioned it but didn't like it so it was stored in the bottom of the Louvre.  Someone remembered it was down there and awarded it to Wellington.  I think that's the best - having a naked statue of your defeated enemy surrounded by your personal grand staircase!

My husband is not a great fan of touring the great houses but he was really impressed with this one.  As an engineer, those windows really got his attention!  The guy in the staircase got mine!!

From there we grabbed another bus to get us to St. Patrick's.  The buses are such fun.  If you can get up on the top and preferably in the front seats, you're in for a great ride - especially when it goes around the corners! 

We were early for our 4:00 tea reservation so we decided to walk across the Millennium Bridge.  This is a bridge only for walkers and it goes across the Thames from St. Paul's to the Globe Theater.  When John, Jesse and I crossed it several years ago, the wind was so strong that it blew the eyeglasses off several people's faces!  Today it was quite mild and of course, the view was wonderful down the Thames.

There was a tour boat going under the bridge and there were four girls waving frantically to us up on the bridge.  I noticed no one was waving back so I started waving back.  They spotted me and started waving harder so I squatted down below the railing so they could see me for a second or two longer.  I went over to the other side of the bridge and watched the boat come out from under and the girls were looking straight ahead with their backs to me.  Suddenly, as if they realized I might still be there, they all turned around, spotted me and started waving enthusiastically again.  Of course, I responded!  It was a fun human connection.

John and I went in to St. Paul's for tea.  The restaurant is downstairs in the cloister area.  He had scones with clotted cream and rasberry jam and I had almond and apple cake.  These English - they really know what's good.  Tea is a great excuse to have a "sweet" late afternoon to tide you over to dinner.

Then we went to 5:00 Evensong.  Like in Oxford, the boys choir sounded angelic especially with the acoustics of the cathedral.  Of course, we took no pictures during the service.

After Evensong, we left and walked many blocks to The George, another pub.  This one was founded in 1723 and is across the street from the fabulous architecture of the Royal Courts of Justice.  It's a beautiful old pub but was redecorated in the late 1800's in a more Victorian look so you don't get the full effect of it's age.  The bus we took home this time took us right by the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, and St. Margaret's.  We weren't expecting a bird's eye view of some of the most beautiful sights in London but we sure got them!

5/4 Camden Market, Hampstead Heath andHolly Bush, Leicester Square

Tuesday morning found us taking our time with our emails, blogs and pictures to review.  About 11 we decided to go to Camden Lock on the Regents Canal and the Camden Market.  Wow, what a disappointment for me.  I found the Camden market to be dirty with booth after booth displaying T-shirts with filthy pictures and remarks on them, junky, cheap products mass produced by China and India.  Those countries who are contracted to produce that filth must think we are just like it.  Mothers with young children, rings in their noses and tattoos all over.  How do their children grow up with any sense of propriety or whatever?  I must be too Presbyterian or something but I couldn't stand the place so I asked John, who had wanted to come to Camden, if we had to stay any longer.  I just really hated what I was seeing.  I'd much prefer to stick my head in the sand and pretend it's not there!  We agreed that the area wasn't at all what we had expected and decided to take a bus to somewhere else. 

We spotted one to Hampstead Heath and hopped on.  (We are getting so cosmopolitan!)  Hampstead is a lovely village northwest of London where Ellen used to live and where I stayed with her for a month in 1992. It has a heath - a large natural area - of over 790 acres.  It's like walking in the countryside even though you are in the confines of a large city.  When the bus stopped at the edge of the heath, we wanted to head over it to Hampstead and we had to keep asking people as we ventured along which direction to head so we wouldn't be meandering around with no success in reaching our destination.  When you get to the top, you can see London and pick out landmarks like St. Paul's which in this picture I believe is the little tiny bump just to the right of the rectangular building which is right in the middle of the skyline.

Anyway, we did have a destination in Hampstead!  When I was staying with Ellen in 1992, John was with DuPont and was sent to Ireland on business.  He was able to visit me in Hampstead while on his trip and in walking around the village,  we stumbled upon a pub off the beaten path called The Holly Bush which was still being lit by gas lanterns!!!  We couldn't believe it then and we wanted to see if it was still being lit by gas now.  We did find it (again by asking strangers until one finally knew what we were talking about) but unfortunately it was now lit by electricity for insurance reasons and didn't have near the ambience it had back then.  The light fixtures were the same but electrified.  And there were two bright spots over the bar that were shining in my eyes!  Remember!!  Lighting can be everything.  A short visit was enough;  going back is hard.

We found a bus heading back toward Hammersmith and along the way decided to get off in Leicester Square just to see what it was like.  It's a beautiful space, a small square like many in London.  But this square had elephants!!  (See the light green one on the right?)

That's right - four of them- but they weren't much bigger than a very large pig!  And they were painted by talented artists as a fundraiser for saving the Asian elephant.  They will be auctioned off - all 250 of them - to raise the money.  We have been spotting them all over London.  It's been fun.

Then we walked to Trafalgar Square and even went into The National Gallery with the intent to stay awhile but it was already 5:00 and we had been walking for about 5 hours.  It was time to head home.  Riding the buses on the top decker is fun and we love to drive the streets of London.  This time we took a "new" route - for us anyway - and we had great views of the London Eye and drove right by Parliament and Westminster Abbey.  Believe it or not, we have been here for 5 weeks and haven't even been into that part of the City, I guess because we have been there several times before.  My, we are getting blase', aren't we?

The prettiest villages in the Cotswolds!

Sunday morning in Oxford and although reluctant to leave, we're planning a night's return to stay in The Bath Place next to The Turf so parting with sweet sorrow is tempered with that thought and the anticipation of what's ahead of us - the famous Cotswolds.  Quintessential  English villages, what most of us think of when we think of this jolly old place - stone cottages, thatched roofs, winding streets, ancient churches and pubs.  And that's just what we found!

John and I have been to the Cotswolds a couple of times, once with my mom who loved it as well.  One of the most famous villages is Bibury, reportedly the prettiest village in England, although I have stayed in several given that title!  This one just might be it, though, and the picture above with Bill strolling down the lane is probably one of the most photographed spots in England.  Bibury was a textile village and this string of cottages housed the workers who made the fabrics and dried them on the field in front of them along the Coln river. 

Bill, an avid trout and fly fisherman, was thoroughly excited as he began to spot the brown trout in the river, one after another - until a fellow standing next to us remarked that the fish were simply committing harra kiri (which most of us pronounce harry carry!) because they had recently been released from the trout hatchery upstream about 50 yards!

Rather idyllic looking for a hatchery, isn't it?  I think that waterfall is their escape route.  Well, this sort of took the joy and challenge out of that pursuit for Bill and we proceeded on our walk around the village.

After an hour or so, hunger set in and we decided to go to tea at the historic Swan Hotel, however we couldn't seem to get our enthusiasm up for what was on the menu.  I mentioned that we had seen several signs for "Tea at the Village Hall, 2-5PM Sunday" on the bridges, so we picked ourselves up, bundled up again and set off down the narrow sidewalk, past some lovely homes and colorful gardens, the village toilet for which you pay 20p (well worth the price!), and small shops to the welcome open door of the Village Hall.  There we had the choice of several teas at £1 including refills and several homemade cakes and breads and of course, scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream.  Oh, heaven....  we bought several and enjoyed every tempting bite.  Purchased some videos and books from their village sale for just a few pence and proceeded to waddle back up the street to an antique shop Ginger had spotted when we drove through.

It was a tiny little place with a grumpy old guy who didn't seem to care whether we were there or not.  Ginger did her best to warm him up with her description of our tea but to no avail.  I found a couple of little things for friends, Ginger found what could be used as a shot glass in their bar cabinet - a tiny little glass with 3 feet from the Isle of Mann.  Our boys arrived with the car but the shop was so small they went to wait outside; that's when John laid his eyes on a treasure in the window!  Bill said John's mouth dropped open with a gasp.  He had spotted a miniature cup, saucer and cake plate in our pattern, Ming Rose by Coalport, long since out of business.  I couldn't believe it when he showed them to me.  I was so excited!  The man had won my heart again!!  And the grumpy old man was now smiling.  Very rare indeed, he said.  We were all very pleased with our purchases and so was he!

On we went to our destination, Bourton on the Water, where Bill and Ginger were spending the week.  By this time it was mid-afternoon and John and I knew we didn't want to drive back to London, so we needed to find a place to stay.  Every B and B that we drove past had out a "no vacancy" sign and we were wondering where we were going to spend the night.  Bill suggested that there might be a room available in their hotel where they were staying for their four days of Cotswald walking tours.  There was and relief settled over me.  I always want to know where I'm going to sleep!  The hotel was Harrington House and owned by HFHolidays who were sponsoring the walks.  This was a lovely old home and some of its character still existed like the tiny room in the cupola with chairs for two and a spot of tea.

We four decided to split up until dinner and John and I took a leisurely stroll through the village.  We found the old church, St. Lawrence, and explored it for awhile.  A lot of the village churches we have visited have a children's area in the back of the sanctuary because they have no other buildings to send them off to! 

We continued to stroll the streets looking in the shop windows and after a pint at a very nondescript pub, we headed back to dinner at the hotel.

We had a remarkable serendipity at dinner.  We were seated with a couple who were probably in their eighties, Ann and John.   When Ann heard we were staying in Hammersmith, London she asked if we knew of a pub called The Dove. Remember the pub I mentioned that was on record as the smallest?  Ann was born there and lived in the attic room until she was 7!  She was so delighted that we had been there.  Before we knew it, dinner was over and we were instructed that "Coffee is in the hall."  That definitely meant "please leave the dining room!"  We spent another half hour or so getting to know the people that would be Bill and Ginger's companions for the rest of the week and know they are going to enjoy their company.

This weekend was a Bank Holiday.  That's what they call a 3 day weekend and Bourton on the Water is always busy but on a holiday it's even more so.  So on Monday morning I woke up John at 6:30 to go for a walk with me.  There was NO ONE on the streets and NO cars.  It was absolutely lovely, blissful even.  We walked for about an hour. 

When we got back to the hotel, John wanted to go in to shower and I wanted to keep walking.  I no more got 100 feet down the road then I found a public foot path and had to call John to explore it with me.  It took us down a little path past several attached cottages and back into a field where you had to go through a kissing gate.  That's a gate designed to keep animals from passing through.  If you are with someone, only one person can go at a time; you go through, turn around to pass through and you are facing the other person, thus offering a great opportunity for a kiss.  We were then in a very, very large field along the river that runs through the town.  We turned around to go back, John headed for the hotel, I kept going and ooops!  Had to call John to come back again because now from the street you could see the gardens behind the cottages we passed on the footpath and they were riotous with color.  John took a couple of pictures but the color was much more vibrant than any picture could show. 

 
Finally I let John go and continued to the end of the street to see a beautiful view up a large hill.  Unfortunately, my camera and my photographer were both in the hotel room!

After breakfast, we went into town again.  John wanted to go to the Motor Museum and I wanted to go to the Model Village.  I got no further than over the bridge and had to call John out of the museum (we have cell phones to keep track of each other) because there was a rubber ducky race going on in the square and I had purchased a duck.  I needed a cheering section.  I lost. 

I went on to the Model Village, something I had wanted to see before.  It's an exact model to 1:9 scale of Bourton on the Water and was built about 70 years ago.  It was amazing!  I walked the little streets for about an hour.  Even the trees have been kept small by constant trimming.  The children were so much fun to watch as they squatted down to look in the windows.  There was even music coming out of the two churches and a glass cutaway of each so you could see the pews and altars inside. 

I couldn't understand why John, who had built model train layouts and airplanes, wasn't interested but to please me he did come see it.  He didn't stay long but I reciprocated and went to the Motor Museum which was about as interesting to me as the village was to him.  I admit, it was more interesting than I had anticipated.  I especially liked the antique camping trailers which were completely outfitted as if the family were enjoying their holiday. 

Soon it was time to leave and move on to London.  We had said good by to Ginger and Bill after breakfast who went with another couple on a garden tour.  We'll see them next Monday when we meet to go canal boating, one of our favorite English activities.  We got back to London about 3:30 and after a nice long nap had some wine and cheese and crackers for dinner.  Our Oxford and Cotswolds trip was much more than we had planned and we were content.

You won't believe what we have done in the last three days!

It is now Monday evening.  My last post ended Friday night as we were preparing to get up the next morning for May Day celebration.  It's amazing what we have seen and done since then.  We did get up the next morning at 4:45 and left the B&B at 5, walked into town and literally followed the crowds of people who were assembling at the base of this church tower at Magdelin (pronounced Maudlin) Bridge.  You need to realize that in England this time of year, it's very light out at this time.  We're on a latitude with Nova Scotia and the sun is up a lot earlier here - 4:30 or so - so it was quite light out. 

We were shoulder to shoulder with students dressed in evening wear, others dressed in hippy wear with wreaths of flowers on their heads, other civvies like us bundled up in winter coats and scarfs while the girls in evening wear were half naked (well, not really) in their party clothes.  There were thousands of us there waiting with excitement for the tradition to begin.  As we got closer and closer to 6AM, we could begin to hear "shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh" repeated around the crowd until the thousands of us were silent as the bells began to peal their 6 gongs, the crowd took a hushed breath and then the choir of sopranic boys began to sing.  It was almost mystical.  When they finished, a voice came over the loud speaker in prayer and the crowd chorused an "amen" and then as the choir broke into their second selection, we became a little less spiritual and a little more restless and soon the murmurs of the crowd as we talked to each other began to drown out the choir and the aura was broken. 

The choir finished its selections and the students began dancing in the streets.  Some began jumping off the bridge!  Into the shallow waters below!  Again, another long standing tradition, one much more dangerous than singing from a church tower and as engaging for the crowd.  Especially when one fellow suddenly stood up on the bridge railing stark naked and flew off!  Later, we realized he was the only one off the bridge who later had dry clothes - maybe the smartest of the crazies! 

Lots of other fun things were happening around town by this time.  As we walked through the crowds, we began to locate pockets of crowds surrounding entertainers such as the Morris Men, men dressed in white with bands of jingle bells around their calves and flowers around the brims of their straw hats, sticks in hand that they use in their dances representing swords used in previous times.  

Then I finally saw a group with a May Pole, a tradition I had wanted to see for years.  A May Pole is a pole with many colorful ribbons tied on the top and each ribbon is held by a person who dances in a circle with others holding the ribbons, all going around the pole in the same direction.  Then a leader instructs the dancers in different configurations, up and over each other, in different directions, etc. and eventually the ribbons form a colorful weave on the pole that can either be undone by reversing the participants or accepted as a finished "product" and the dance is done.  It was a joy to watch and another checkoff on my bucket list.

We then followed the instructions given to us the previous evening at Old Tom by some students as to how to get to The Turf Tavern, a very famous 13th century pub hidden down an alley way.  Mind you, it was now only 7AM and we found ourselves in a pub with hundreds of Oxford students who had probably been up all night long and the beer was still flowing!  In fact, I don't know when I've ever seen so much beer, much less at 7AM!   We ordered coffee!!  Word came that the bar was closing at 8AM - only to be opened again at 11.  The staff that had been there since 2 AM deserved the break.  If you would like to know more about this wonderful old place, try http://gouk.about.com/od/foodanddrink/fr/oxfordturf.htm   or just google The Turf Tavern, Oxford. 

While we were back in that labyrinth of rooms, I noticed that across this narrow alley there was a 17th century hotel called The Bath Place.  I wanted to know more about it so we went in to inquire.  As a result, we four have made reservations for May 17th to stay in this old place as we go on our way from a week of canal boating on to Bath.  I asked for a "higgledy piggledy" room but I don't think we'll get one.  The fun, however, will be to enjoy ourselves at the Turf for dinner and ale and then walk a few steps away (or swagger!) to go to bed.  Maybe we'll get the room that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton rendezvoused in years ago, who knows?

Now we needed to head back to the B&B before they stopped serving breakfast.  Mind you, it was only 9Am and we had been walking for FOUR hours.  Each of us felt we deserved the full English breakfast - eggs, English bacon, sausage, hash brown potato, cooked tomato and toast.  (Some breakfasts include mushrooms and baked beans!) 

And we were just getting started for the day!  Oxford is on the Thames and I had noticed on our walk back to breakfast that there was a company on the river near the B&B that offered boat trips down the river.  So we decided that right after our meal we would go back and see if there was room on the 11:00 "flight".  Well, yes.... we were the only ones on the boat.  We took a peaceful, lovely (as the English would say) ride up and down the river for about 45 minutes.  We watched some of the Oxford teams practice sculling, the ducks doing their own form of sculling and the lucky residents of Oxford picnicking along the riverside. 

After the boatride we walked back into town to go our separate ways on the tours we had chosen - Bill and Ginger on the Inspector Morris tour and we on the city tour bus.   On our tour, we were told about a pub called The Eagle and Child.  I don't know the story behind that name but the guide said that the pub was frequented by JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis and they nicknamed it the Bird and Baby.  So John and I went there after our tour for a snack and to scope it out.  Again, it was several hundred years old and its claim to fame was a framed "thank you note"signed by those two illustrious authors and several others complimenting and thanking the publican for his kindnesses to them. 

After that we all needed a nap!!  A couple of hours of napping and we went on to dinner to a pub recommended to Ginger and Bill - The Bear.  It's walls and ceilings are covered with men's ties - well, parts of them.  It seems that years ago the publican began cutting off the ends of the students ties as they entered the pub in exchange for a pint.  He noted the name of the student or customer and where they went to school and tacked them to the wall.  Eventually, he framed them by the hundreds and displayed them in the frames on the walls and ceilings.  We also got to talking to a young lady from a table of students behind us who turned around to join in our conversation.  Another delightful moment in a historic pub.  You can see the frames of ties on the walls behind Bill and our newest friend.

We also met an American there, Thomas, who had moved to England three years ago when he married an English woman.  His experience in being an ex-pat has not been that positive.  He had a good job with Telecom when he married but couldn't find work in Britain and so works now at Starbucks.  His wife has an excellent job - I can't remember what it is - and he feels, we all believed, a bit of out of the community.  We had a great discussion with him about the National Health Service and other things.  He is very happy with the NHS and says it has worked wonderfully for him and his family.  He is concerned about how it will operate for more elderly population, but for him it's been a great positive.  We all agreed that he needs to form a support group for himself and other ex-pats so he won't feel so lonely.  Unfortunately, we all decided that after he left us!

We had walked the walk from town to BB so many times in the last one and a half days from that we decided to forsake the stoicism and take the bus.  What a great respite for our aching feet! 

Oxford, here we come!

A quiet start to our day with breakfast and the guys taking a walk to the bank to get some money.  Looked it up on the internet to find out where it was and the landmark we knew next door was The Swan, out favorite Hammersmith pub.  They were going to go to Lloyds Bank next door.  We could even see the picture of it when we looked on the computer site that it was next to The Swan!  Guess what??  It was another pub!  Lloyd's pub!  They are like magnets!

Anyway, Ginger and I stayed at the flat to clean up and pack.  Since we had to take all of their bags with us because they were moving on to their walking holiday from Oxford, I decided John and I could fit our things in one bag if I left a few things like my jacket and sweater and "ditty" bag (my toiletries) loose and stuffed them into corners of the car.  Brought all my things downstairs to where we store the suitcases and packed my things into John's bag except the loose things which we put on the desk.  We put all the bags and their backpacks and jackets by the front door and just before we left I went through the house to make sure everything was locked and shut, went upstairs to make sure we had everything and found John's meds he'd forgotten, got in the car but wanted Ginger to have a heavy scarf so went back and got one for her, got back in the car and realized we might want our National Trust and English Heritage books, so went back and got them!  Now we are ready!  Halfway to Oxford, I thought and said out loud "Where did I put my jacket?"  No one knew.  Then with a very sinking feeling I realized that I had left all my things that were loose on the desk - my jacket, my sweater and my toiletries!  Makeup, toothbrush, shampoo, all my stuff!  Ladies - I know you understand!!  Guys, you could probably get along with a twig for a toothbrush and be done with it.  So with Ginger's help and red jacket, we have managed to keep me warm.  I don't look so good but I'm warm!  And they are sworn to secrecy about what the real me looks like!

We got to Oxford around 1:00 and found our B&B.  Bill did a great job finding this place, one half mile from city center and John and I have a room at the top of the stairs that you have to practically bend over to get into.  Charming.  It's what they call a family room because there is a double bed and a twin, lovely coffee and tea set and wi-fi.

So off we went to the city center with a recommendation from Daniella our hostess to go to The Old Tom pub and have their Thai food.  A 15 minute walk got us there and she was right, the food was great.  We spent the rest of the afternoon at the information center getting maps and, yes, information!  Maps, touring walks, colleges that would be open, etc.  It started to rain but we were prepared with our gear and enjoyed walking and exploring the colleges that were open to visitors.

The architecture here is jaw-dropping.  You walk through an old wooden Tudor doorway to a courtyard surrounded by more jaw -dropping buildings and the greenest and most manicured lawns you have ever seen.  Tulips and primroses everywhere, trees starting to bloom and leaf out.  We were able to go into one dining hall that looked like something out of Harry Potter with the long tables and benches and a large painting of Elizabeth I at the head on the wall, several of the Charles I and IIs, Lawrence of Arabia in his robes, and other historical figures - all oil paintings, who knows the worth?  This was Exeter College.

We went into the church which was exquisite, stained glass windows, carved pews choirs and the organ pipes painted with blues and purples and golds.  The brass plaques down the aisle commemorating different rectors of the college dated back to the 1400's and worn away with the many footsteps of students and worshippers.  Then we went on to Jesus College and it was the same - green, colorful, ancient, misty, mysterious.

Next door to this college through a locked doorway, there was a bicycle storeroom area - probably once a stables - with the same function, storing the mode of current transportation.  There must have been 200 bicycles in there.  In fact on the streets, there were lines and lines of bicycles everywhere!  (Visitors have to park outside the city and take the shuttle buses in; we were able to park at the B&B.)  And the students - many of them in black jackets and white shirts were everywhere.

We learned a bit about Oxford University in our travels and discussions.  There are 38 or 39 colleges.  All are separate with their own faculty, administration, facility, etc.  I don't assume, but I do imagine, that each college might have a focus on a certain academia.  Each college is within a walled area which has its own dining hall, housing, classrooms, etc.  Ginger and Bill took an Inspector Morris tour and their guide said that the dormitories are not as we would imagine with rooms off a hallway but the rooms are off individual stair cases that start at the ground floor and you walk up to your room off the stairs.  If you want to go to a room on a different stairs, then you have to walk all the way down, go to that stairs and walk up to that room.  So the students don't ask "what floor or hall are you on?" but "what stair are you on" or "what stairs did you live on?" should they meet a graduate later on in life who may have gone to the same college.

We were also able to visit Christ's Church college by going to Evensong at 6PM.  Some of the colleges are open to visitors to come in and look around; some charge a fee, some are free.  I believe I was quoted £11 to tour Christ's Church!  So we got there at 5:30 and were able to walk the courtyard to the church and tour the church. 

Evensong was lovely with the boys choir.  Some of the boys didn't look like they were even 8 years old but they were all professionals!  Going to Evensong was Ginger's idea and she and Bill, as well as we, enjoyed it very much.

After the service the choir filed out garbed in black robes and hats to their school.  We have since learned that there are three choir schools in Oxford for students such as these.

The Thai food was so good at The Old Tom that we went back there for dinner.  Yum.  (We have since learned that the bell in the Christ Church across the street is nicknamed the old tom, thus the name for the pub!)  We sat next to a great group of fellows from town who told us of a wonderful 13th century pub that we wouldn't find unless we knew where to look, The Turf Tavern.  So we'll look for that tomorrow.  That's what we love about the pubs - everybody talks to you and shares information with you.  We could go to a restaurant for a nice meal and atmosphere but we probably wouldn't get into much conversation with folks at the next table; plus the history of each pub is often intriguing.  Aren't many restaurants around that date back to the 13th century likenThe Turf and  most of the pubs are several hundred years old.  The Old Tom has been in its location since the 1700's.

We  returned to the B&B with the intent to get up the next morning at 4:45 to leave for the 6 AM service of a boys choir singing on top of a church tower for May Day - apparently a 300 year old tradition.  Let's see if we make it.