To the Country

October 14, 2018

Tuesday morning, October 9, we checked out of our apartment in London and drove to the Cotswolds.  The Cotswolds is an area of "unique scenic beauty," according to British maps, located northwest of London. In this case it is not hyperbole. Tim and Lynda have visited the Cotswolds several times and always marvel at the never ending stream of beautiful towns and villages. Many of the villages have used the same golden colored sandstone for the construction of all the buildings.  This part of England is reasonably hilly so there are also many opportunities for awe inspiring panoramic views. Our apartment is located in the village of Bretforton about 20 miles south of Stratford-upon-Avon. None of us have ever been to this village. The apartment was one of the nicest Airbnb apartments we have stayed in. So much nicer then the apartment in London. It is a three bedroom apartment spread over two floors with abundant space for us all to stretch out in. An added bonus: less then a five minute walk led us to The Fleece, a 300 year old pub that we discovered on our first evening served a wonderful meal. Tuesday was spent driving, unpacking and going to the pub.

The Fleece

Our first stop Wednesday morning was Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of the great playwright, William Shakespeare. We began at the home where Shakespeare was born and raised. Houses of Shakespeare's era usually consisted of three rooms, a combination living room/kitchen, a bedroom for the children and a bedroom for the parents. Will's father, a glove maker, was reasonably well to do. A sign of wealth at that time was a large bed in front of the window of the parents bedroom that all could see as they walked by. The Shakespeare home had such a bed. Upon leaving the house we were greeted in the garden by the Shakespeare Out Loud Theatre Company, consisting of a man and a woman. They performed scenes from several different Shakespearean plays. The woman started by performing a scene from "A Mid-Summers Night Dream" that ended up with Jeff in a starring role as the Ass. No comments, please. He is our son and we love him. This was followed by the man performing the famous scene from "Hamlet" where Hamlet talks to the skull of Yorick. They then asked for a request from the small audience and were asked to perform the balcony scene from "Romeo and Juliet." We all enjoyed this bit of Shakespeare, with Cole and Kelsey particularly enjoying Jeff's stardom. We left Shakespeare's home and drove to Anne Hathaway's home, Anne, of course, being Will's wife. Her family was rich by Stratford standards; her father was a farmer and the owner of almost 100 acres of land. Anne's wealth allowed William to pursue his theatrical career.  Her house was similar to Shakespeare's house. We were pleased that both Cole and Kelsey appeared to enjoy the whole "Shakespeare thing."

Jeff Starring as The Ass

We left Stratford-upon-Avon and drove to Coventry specifically to visit the Coventry Cathedral. During most of the 20th century Coventry was a major manufacturing center, particularly the manufacturing of automobiles. The Detroit of England if you will. During World War II, like Detroit, the factories converted to the production of war materials making Coventry a prime target for German bombers. One of the casualties of this bombing was the Coventry Cathedral. All that survived were parts of the four outer walls. After the war a new Cathedral was built immediately adjacent to the ruins. The architect cleverly designed the entrance to the new Cathedral to be joined with one of the remaining bits of the old. The New Cathedral is a stunning contemporary edifice. We are sure when the Cathedral first opened many of the citizens of Coventry were appalled at the design. Of course, we absolutely love it. The visit was made more magical when the church organist began rehearsing for an upcoming service. An added, unplanned addition to the itinerary for the Crandall's was watching Tim and Lynda navigating the warren of streets in central Coventry. After the visit to the Cathedrals we returned to our apartment for a rousing game of UNO.

Bombed ruins of old Coventry Cathedral

New Coventry Cathedral seen behind wall of old Cathedral

Inside the new Coventry Cathedral

In 2002 we rented a cottage for six weeks in Stow-on-the-Wold, another lovely town in the Cotswolds. Thursday was spent driving to various places in the Cotswolds that we have previously visited that we thought were worth showing the Crandalls. Most of the places we went to today were of little historical importance but were unusual or unique in some way. The lone exception was the Rollrights Stones. This is a circle of stones dating from 1500 B.C. These stones are not as mammoth as those at Stonehenge, but, unlike Stonehenge, the kids were able to touch and climb on them.

Friday morning we reluctantly left our beautiful apartment in Bretforton and headed to our final destination, our Airbnb apartment located just outside of Guildford, southwest of London.  In 1986-87 we lived in Guildford while Tim was on sabbatical at the University of Surrey. Our long drive on Friday took us first to Avebury where there is a large circle of stones like Stonehenge and the Rollrights. When we say large, we mean a whole village is pretty much inside this large circle of stones. Like the Rollrights, the kids could climb on these stones. Unfortunately, the weather was lousy so we spent little time visiting this site. Stonehenge was about 15 miles from Avebury. By the time we got to Stonehenge, it had stopped raining but was still very blustery and cold. To see Stonehenge in person never fails to impress. We first saw these monoliths in 1986. Back then you could actually walk among the rocks and touch them.  Now, the closest you can get to them is about 50 feet. What makes this site so intriguing is the fact that there is no explanation for how these 30 ton stones were placed the way they were thousands of years ago. Stonehenge was pretty much the highlight of the day for all of us. On our way to our apartment we drove into Guildford and showed Heather, Cole and Kelsey where we lived in 1986-87, and where Jeff went to school. It was fun watching Jeff revisit an important part of his childhood and talk about it with his family. His family had lots of questions that we assured them we would answer on Saturday. We were all tired from the long drive and anxious to check into our apartment. This apartment was equally as large and comfortable as the apartment in Bretforton, but did not have the same cozy, homey feel to it. On the other hand, it did have a clothes dryer which is highly unusual in an English home. Heather was ecstatic. Our laundry in Bretforton had to be put on drying racks to dry.

Late Saturday morning we drove back into Guildford and spent several hours exploring the central shopping area. We watched Jeff with a mix of wonder, pride and love as he so obviously enjoyed being back in Guildford. His comment was "I can't seem to get this stupid grin off my face."  We couldn't help but remember his tears when we first arrived in Guildford, questioning why we had taken him away from his friends in Mason, to eleven months later asking Lynda why Tim and Jil couldn't return to Mason while they stayed in Guildford. While enjoying lunch, Jeff decided he wanted to walk back to Onslow Village where our house from 86-87 was located. Cole and Kelsey wanted to join him. We agreed to meet him by the village shops near where we lived. We again walked by 12 Manor Way, our home, and spent some time on the recreation ground where Jeff had spent much time as a kid. What a special day for all of us.

This morning, Sunday, we awoke to another lousy weather day. The plan was to go to Hampton Court Palace and then on to Windsor to see Windsor Castle. Hampton Court is famous as the home of King Henry VIII, although succeeding monarchs also inhabited the Castle. Of particular interest and our first destination at Hampton Court was the Maze. This maze is similar to the corn mazes we see in Michigan in the fall except this one is 300 years old and is an evergreen hedge that stands 10 feet tall. It was the first puzzle maze created in England. There are now many more of these kind of mazes in England, many more difficult then Hampton Courts, but none of them were the first maze. We were fortunate that it wasn't raining when we entered the Maze. We were the only ones in it and we had great fun entering and then trying to find our way out. We had paired up entering the Maze and the air was alight with laughter as we all worked to solve the puzzle of escaping the Maze. After all had successfully escaped we entered the Castle, and climbed a set of steps that led to Henry VIII's apartments. As you can imagine, the many rooms of his apartments were opulent. The adults enjoyed the historical facts that we learned on our tour while Cole and Kelsey enjoyed the two rooms where there were games from the 16th century that they could play.

Outside Hampton Court

Playing 16th Century Games - No Batteries Required!

We left Hampton Court, headed for Windsor which should have been about a 30 minute trip.  Between using a GPS in our Ford minivan, which is not very good, and Lynda trying to follow on maps that were equally poor, we got terribly lost, taking almost an hour to get to Windsor. By the time we got to Windsor Castle we were all so tired and Lynda and Tim so frustrated that we all looked at the Castle and said, "There it is," and were ready to return to our apartment. We do have something of interest for you, our loyal blog readers. We stopped for dessert in Windsor. As we left the restaurant, Tim and Lynda talked with the owner and found out that for the businesses in Windsor, this weekend's wedding of Prince Andrew's daughter, Eugenia, had little affect on their business while Harry and Megan's wedding was a veritable circus. All right. How many of you knew there was another royal wedding at Windsor Castle this weekend?

It is Sunday night, we are back in the apartment, we are pretty much all packed, ready to head to Heathrow tomorrow morning for our flight home. The last three and half weeks have flown by for us and the last ten days with Jeff, Heather, Cole and Kelsey have been a joy. We are yet again reminded how blessed we are with two wonderful children, equally wonderful son and daughter in laws, and four fantastic grandchildren.

Our next trip is in January. We are going to celebrate our 50th anniversary by taking Jilayne and Jeffry and their spouses, sans grandchildren(!), on a Caribbean cruise highlighted by two days in Havana, Cuba. Thanks to all of you that followed along. See you in January.

Jeff, Heather, Cole and Kelsey arrive

Monday, October 8, 2018

Friday (October 5) morning, Jeff, Heather, Cole and Kelsey, hence forth know as the Crandalls, arrived at Heathrow Airport from Detroit.  Despite leaving Detroit an hour later then scheduled, they arrived in London only 20 minutes late and breezed through passport control and customs without any problems.  We whisked them onto the Tube, the London Underground subway system, and took them to our rented apartment. A few words about our apartment.  It is located in Kensington in the western part of London.  London residents would call it the posh end of London. We are located no more then 100 yards off of Kensington High Street, the main thoroughfare through Kensington that runs directly into Piccadilly Street. Our apartment consists of three floors. The ground floor contains the master bedroom and a bathroom.  The second floor has a kitchen and lounge (living room) and the 3rd floor has two bedrooms and a bath.  The Crandall's are located on the 3rd floor, we are on the ground floor. While not posh, the apartment has plenty of space and is clean and comfortable.  The only problem we have had is that the apartment has been cold and it was finally on the last evening that we figured out the boiler was set for hot water only, not hot water and heat. Tim blames this on our host. This is probably the first Airbnb that we have rented that did not come with a complete set of instructions for anything that we might need.

We gave everyone 30 minutes or so to get settled before starting our exploring.  We thought that with the Crandalls being tired from an overnight flight, a bus route that took in some of the major sights would be the best way to go. However, the first order of business was lunch.  Tim had found a nearby pub that would be a great way to start the Crandall's culinary trip through England. After everyone enjoyed their first pub lunch we hopped on a bus that took us past Kensington Gardens, the Royal Albert Hall, Hyde Park, a bit of Piccadilly Street, and Trafalgar Square.  We exited the bus by Charing Cross Railway Station and took a short walk to Covent Garden. Originally Covent Garden was a major market for that  section of London. Now the building that originally housed the market has an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants.  Interestingly, in the market was a display of mannequins dressed with flowers.  The public was invited to vote for their favorite.  Kelsey was quite taken with this display and was the only one of us who actually cast a ballot. The street that encircles the market building is now a pedestrian only area. Throughout this area there are buskers (entertainers) putting on short shows.  We watched one magician who was very good.  By this time the youngest two Crandalls were fading quite noticeably so we headed back to the apartment and called it a night.

The Crandalls in Covent Garden

Dress of flowers

We awoke Saturday to chilly temperatures and overcast skies.  The original plan was to attend the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and then have lunch.  After lunch the women were going to Hamley's, a famous toy store, and the British Museum while the guys attended an English football (soccer)  game.  Due to the weather, the changing of the guard was canceled, so we headed immediately to Hamley's much to Cole's delight.

Cole has been playing soccer for several years and really enjoys it.  While watching one of his games last spring Tim had a moment of inspiration and asked Jeff what he thought about taking Cole to a soccer match when we were in London.  Jeff thought it a wonderful idea.  The English Football league consists of four divisions with the top division, the Premier League, being the soccer that is seen on American TV.  A quick google search showed that the cost for those games was very expensive.  However, the next division down proved to be affordable.  The men attended a game at the Millwall Football Club. The stadium holds about 20,000 people and was at least three quarters full for this match.  Our seats were in the third row from the field at what would be considered approximately the 25 yard line at an American football game.  In other words, great seats. We had a fabulous time. Up close and in person the game was much more entertaining then watching on television.  The fans were every bit as entertaining as the game. They sang and cheered throughout the game. There was no marching band to lead them in the singing.  The opposing team, Aston Villa, had one end zone full of their fans. Early on when Aston Villa took an early lead, their fans were every bit, if not more, as boisterous as the Millwall fans. Once Millwall tied the game and then took the lead, the Aston Villa fans could not be heard. One funny occurrence that can only happen in England.  Tim listened to two older people at the concession stand during half time complain bitterly that there was no hot tea.  The fact that it rained throughout the entire match did nothing to dampen the spirits of the Crandall men.  The miserable weather did dampen the spirits of the Crandall women.  They gave up on the British museum, returned to the apartment and took a nap.

We awoke Sunday to abundant sunshine. Once we got everyone moving, no small chore considering the long day the Crandalls had on Friday, we took a bus to Kensington Garden which leads to Hyde Park.  It was a spectacular morning for a walk which was highlighted by seeing the Peter Pan statue and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.  Cole and Kelsey also enjoyed watching all of the dogs that had brought their masters to the park. 

Kelsey, Peter & Cole

On our first trip to England in 1984, we stayed at the Kensington Green Hotel that is situated just across the street from Hyde Park.  From the park we walked past the hotel and down the little alleyway next to it that contained little shops, restaurants and cafes.  Jeff reminisced with his family about his remembrances from that trip. It was just a short walk onto Harrod's, maybe the world's greatest department store. The Food Hall at Harrod's  is incredible and the first place we take any visitor.  As with all things, Harrod's has changed and the Food Halls now seem to cater more to people sitting down to eat then to the savvy, well to do shopper looking to take food products home to prepare themselves.  Though Lynda and Tim noted the change, Jeff, Heather, and Cole were still suitably impressed. Kelsey not so much.  After leaving Harrod's we walked to Tattersalls Tavern, a pub we have visited just about every time we come to London.  On our first visit it was a beautiful, traditional independent pub that morphed on succeeding visits to a gastro pub that no longer had a traditional feel.  It is now back to the more traditional style but is, unfortunately, owned by a large brewery with the same menu as all of the other pubs owned by that brewery.  Still, they were serving a traditional Sunday Roast and we were hungry.  After a leisurely Sunday dinner, we took the tube to Parliament Square to see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.  Westminster Abbey was nearby.  We knew before leaving the states that Big Ben had been shut down for much needed renovations.  What we did not anticipate was the fact that the tower was so completely covered in scaffolding that it was totally unrecognizable.  Heather and the kids had to take our word for it that that was Big Ben.

Big Ben (supposedly)

 Like many of the great Cathedrals of Europe, both St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey charge a hefty admission to gain entry.  However, attending a church service is free, so we took everyone to Westminster Abbey for the Evensong service.  Evensong is a service in the late afternoon that is mostly sung by the choir and the celebrant.  If one is there early enough they are allowed to sit in the choir stalls of the church.  We were there early but were not admitted because of a family gathering and a small number of bishops visiting.  However, just before the service began, an usher told Lynda there were two seats available in the choir.  She offered them immediately to Jeff and Heather but they declined so we took them.  This is the third or fourth Evensong we have attended and they are always stunning.  The sound of the Choir of Westminster, containing both men and boys, is heavenly, and the setting sublime. Jeff and Heather enjoyed the service but said it was hard to understand the words the choir was singing from where they sat.  Cole managed to take a nap!  After Evensong, Tim and Lynda returned to the apartment while the Crandalls took the tube to King's Cross Railway Station to see Platform 9 3/4 of Harry Potter fame.

Off to Hogwarts!

On Monday we enjoyed another day of fine weather as we took a Yeoman Warden, one of the "Beefeaters",  led tour of the Tower of London.  These tours are fun for young and old alike as the Beefeater presents important historic information about the Tower of London with a humorous twist. Everyone was also in awe of our tour of the Crown Jewels  and the Regalia used when a monarch is crowned.  After lunch we took a ferry boat down the Thames River to Greenwich, home of the Royal Observatory and the location of the Prime Meridian. When back home planning this trip to Greenwich we forgot two significant details. 1. The Royal Observatory sits atop a high hill. 2. Our only other visit was by car where we parked beside the Observatory in the car park.  After a long, arduous hike up the hill, we did enjoy spectacular views of the Thames River and the East End of London.  We also got the de rigour picture of the Crandalls straddling the Prime Meridian.  Kelsey is presently studying longitude and latitude in school so she enjoyed the section of the Observatory Museum that explained those things. She is hoping to get bonus points in class when she gets home.  Upon leaving the Royal Observatory we again split up with the Crandalls heading to the British Museum to see the Rosetta Stone which they were unable to get to before closing time and Tim and Lynda heading to a pub to determine where we would all meet for our last dinner in London. We picked an OK Italian Restaurant just off of Leister Square in Central London.  The highlight of the evening was walking from Leister Square to Piccadilly Circus with all of the spectacular lights leading our way.  Two places of note that Tim and Lynda had not ever visited in London were M&M World and Legoland. On one of the floors of M&M World you could buy M&M's by the pound in just about any color of the rainbow.  Tim pretty much hyperventilated his whole time in the store.  Legoland was across the street from M&M World and had a replica of Big Ben that stood 12 to 15 feet tall, was made entirely out of 80,000 legos, and had a working clock in the bell tower. One of the store employees told us that this was the only fully functioning Big Ben in London right now.  Piccadilly Circus is one of the iconic squares in London.  There are huge lighted billboards above the entrances to the stores on the square that almost make the square as bright as day.  These lighted billboards have been in place since at least World War II.

Tuesday morning while Tim went to Heathrow to collect our rental van for the rest of the trip and Lynda packed, the Crandalls made a quick trip back to the British Museum where they finally saw the Rosetta Stone. They were also impressed with seeing a section of stone that contained part of Hammurabi's laws, the first known written laws as well some Roman and Egyptian artifacts.  We checked out of our apartment and drove  around Oxford on our way to the village of Bretforton located in the middle of the Cotswalds.  You will have to check back with us Sunday night to find out about the Cotswalds and what we saw on the remainder of our trip.

Cheers!

Last Days on Our Own

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Our apartment in Lincoln was located just outside the old city that surrounded the Lincoln Cathedral.  We had to walk through a stone arch that was hundreds of years old to get to this part of Lincoln.

Lincoln (not Nebraska)

Regular readers of our blog know that we love visiting the grand cathedrals throughout Europe. Each is different, yet all are exceedingly impressive. Lincoln Cathedral was no exception. The outside of the Cathedral was more ornate then the other English cathedrals we have visited. Additionally, because local limestone was used in the construction there was a yellowish tint to the building unlike the somber gray of most other cathedrals we have seen.

Lincoln Cathedral

The inside was a bit more austere then others but still awe inspiring. All of these cathedrals are built in the shape of the cross with the congregation sitting in the lower part of the cross and the alter and places for the celebrants in the upper part of the cross. In English cathedrals the area directly in front of the alter is called the choir, probably because it is where the choir sits. The choir is very ornate with several rows of pews facing each other across an open aisle leading to the altar. This is also where the priests who are conducting the service sit.  The choir in other cathedrals partially blocks the congregations view of the altar. In Lincoln Cathedral it completely blocks the view. There is a pulpit suspended from one of the columns in the area where the congregation sits. We assume a priest comes down from the choir and climbs the few steps up to the pulpit to deliver the sermon. There were two large movie screens in the congregation that we again assume allows the congregation to see what is going on up front. A bit strange in our minds. These cathedrals also have small chapels, usually located in the cross piece of the cross and also behind the altar. In the Lincoln Cathedral the chapel behind the altar had been recently remodeled with very contemporary furnishings. These furnishings were in stark contrast to the rest of the Cathedral but no less beautiful. In the middle of the last century the Lincoln diocese was the largest in England, hence, the Bishop of the Lincoln Cathedral was a very powerful and rich figure.  Accordingly, his Palace was also impressive. Part of the palace remains as offices for officials of the diocese. The rest of the palace is basically ruins. This is because centuries ago an earthquake partially destroyed the Cathedral and stones were used from the palace to rebuild the damaged parts of the Cathedral. There was an original tower still standing that had two rooms. Tim climbed the circular stairway that the Bishop undoubtedly used to reach these rooms. Because of the heights of the ceilings, these rooms were probably on what we would consider the 3rd and 5th floors of the tower.  Once back down, Tim offered a silent "thanks" to the inventor of the elevator. We spent the rest of the day exploring the varied mix of shops, having a pub lunch and going back to the apartment to read and nap.

Modern chapel in Lincoln Cathedral

Our original destination for Tuesday had been Peterborough with the primary attraction being Burghley House, one of the largest Elizabethan houses remaining in England.  Turns out this house was not located in Peterborough, but in Stamford, about 10 miles south of Peterborough.  Again, poor research on Tim's part. While in Lincoln, Lynda spent time on the internet arranging another Airbnb apartment for us near Peterborough. The best she was able to come up with was about 20 miles south of Peterborough in a village called Buckden. Needless to say, we never made it to Peterborough. Our hosts at our apartment told us we had not missed a thing by skipping Peterborough. Stamford was another wonderful surprise. While Lynda communicated with our Buckden hosts they suggested we stop at the George Hotel in Stamford for lunch. This hotel is almost a thousand years old and has hosted two queens amongst other celebrities. We had lunch in the cozy bar and then explored some of the other public rooms. It was all very impressive. After lunch we crossed  the street to visit the Mr. and Mrs. Clark Art Gallery. There was a sign over the door that said David Hockney, the name of a famous contemporary British artist. When we entered we were greeted by Mrs. Clark who explained to us that all of the art in the small gallery were either original pieces or prints of work by David Hockney. It took us only about 15 minutes to view all of the works, 15 minutes that we enjoyed.  Before leaving, Tim asked the owners how a gallery with original work by such a famous artist ended up in Stamford. Mr. Clark explained that he had started collecting Hockney prints 10 or 15 years ago which eventually resulted in opening the gallery. They were in Stamford because their children were in various schools in the area and they liked Stamford. Next door to the gallery was an interior design store that specialized in modern Italian design. We spent 15 or 20 minutes in this shop oohing and aahing over several different pieces that we would have loved to have in our house until we looked at the price tag.

The Burghley House was as grand as advertised. It was built in the 1500's by William Cecil, the first Marquess of Exeter. He was Secretary of State and then High Treasurer to the Queen. He felt he had to build a house suitable to host Her Royal Highness, thus Burghley House. The house is still owned by the family of William Cecil. In the early 1900's the 9th Earl of Exeter tried to sell the House to the National Trust. When those negotiations fell through, he set up a trust that would allow the House to stay in the family and provide money to maintain it. Previous to setting up this trust, the family had been forced to sell a lot of the original artwork accumulated over 500 years in order to maintain the house and pay the substantial taxes. This scheme worked. Eventually they also opened the house to the public (for an admission charge, of course). The present owners, the Marquesses of Exeter and her husband, still live in the house with their 4 children. Of more interest, particularly to Lynda, were the gardens which were designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. He is one of the most famous of a long line of famous British garden designers.

From Burghley House we drove to Buckden and checked in to our apartment. Buckden is a small village about 20 miles west of Cambridge. After a leisurely Wednesday morning, we left for Cambridge. As is our wont, actually more Lynda's want then Tim's, rather then the most direct route to Cambridge we took back roads. We drove through charming villages, finding a nice pub for lunch.  Lynda had a cheddar cheese and pear toastie, and Tim had a pulled ham hock, Emmental cheese, and mango chutney toastie. They were as delicious as they sound. Shortly after lunch we were surprised to come upon the Cambridge American Cemetery. We stopped briefly. As with all U.S. Military Cemeteries, the Cambridge Cemetery was tastefully done and a fitting tribute to those who have died in service to our country.

In Cambridge we were headed to the Cambridge University Botanical Gardens. To get there we took a slight detour through the village of Grantchester. Those of you who watch Masterpiece Theater on PBS will recognize Grantchester as the name of a wonderful series that the network has run. We are going to have to watch an episode when we get home to see if the series was actually filmed in the village. When we got into Cambridge we encountered horrific traffic including almost as many bicycles as motor vehicles. We also were unable to find anyplace to park at the Garden. There was no dedicated car park. We decided to give up on the Botanical Garden and fight the traffic leaving Cambridge and return to our apartment.

Lovely English village

Tomorrow morning we drive into London, return our rental car, check in to our apartment and prepare for the arrival of Jeff, Heather, Cole and Kelsey on Friday morning. Our next blog posting will probably come at the end of the weekend. Until then, cheers.