Cheerio - Our Trip to the UK

We just got back from a wonderful trip to England.  Actually, it's been over a week, but hey, that's how it goes these days.  But at least our trip was wonderful, if not without incident. 

Our trip to the airport was a little more hectic than we would have liked as the Russians added two security checkpoints at the train station with only one line each, which caused us to miss the train to the airport.  Nonetheless, we got to our gate just as our flight started boarding, so no harm, no foul.  

The flight itself was uneventful, but when we got off, Aiden's stroller was missing.  We waited for close to half an hour before someone came and apologized and told us it would be at baggage claim instead of beside the gate. So we got started on our trip a little later than expected.  I was very nervous about driving on the left, and it was indeed strange, and I did find myself driving on the wrong side of the road from time to time, but again, no harm, no foul.   I think it actually helped that I drive so infrequently as it is. 

We had a good time trying to find our B&B in the small town of Burton-On-Water in the Cotswold's, but we managed in the end.  By then it was late and we were exhausted, and our host, a British great-grandmother, got us set up in our room without any fuss so we could get some sleep. 

The next morning we awoke to a fine English breakfast and the discovery that I left my camera on the plane. Shock. Horror.  I found out that the airport had a lost and found, but it was next to impossible to get anyone on the phone, so we would just have to wait.  Luckily, we found the British equivalent of a Wal-Mart and I was able to purchase the same camera I already had, but in a better model and for a lower price.  We also got some pants for Aiden because we forgot those too.  It really is true what they say about parenthood making you dumber. 

Newly equipped with pants and a camera, we headed to the town of Gloucester, where we enjoyed a lunch of fish n' chips (the first of many), and beer and cider (also the first of many).  After lunch we visited Gloucester Cathedral, which, aside from being beautiful and the resting place of King Edward II, it was also the filming location of some of the Harry Potter movies - so this was about as close to Hogwarts as I am likely to get. 

After the church, we walked around town a bit, taking in the sights, including a clock tower with 5 figures representing England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and Father Time, before heading on to Cirencester. 

Cirencester is a quaint little town, built on the site of a Roman city of Corinium.  We enjoyed the town, but unfortunately, we got there after the Roman history museum closed.

Aiden was probably happier that way since it left us more time to explore the nice park behind the cathedral there...

Our last stop for the day was Bibury, not much more than a crossroads, but home to some very beautiful scenery.  It felt like we were stepping into the Shire in one of Tolkien's books.

We also visited famous Arlington Row, which is supposed to be the most photographed location in the UK, and easy to see why.

That evening we ate at an inn in town, where we enjoyed fresh sausages and local trout.  The next morning, we explored more of Burton-On-Water, which has to be one of the most underrated towns I've ever seen.  When I did my research, it barely got a mention.  I only decided to stay at the B&B there because it was a good deal and was pretty much equidistant from all the places we wanted to go.  But it's a beautiful town, with lots of little shops and places to eat along the river.

We followed a path that our host recommended, which took us through horse and sheep pastures on our way to Lower and Upper Slaughter - a bit of an unfortunate name given the cute little animals in abundance, but actually very nice towns.

In Lower Slaughter, there is an inn that dates back to the 17th century, and following the river eye, we got to visit an old water mill that's been restored to working order.

Aiden enjoyed baa-ing at the sheep on our way from Lower to Upper Slaughter and the weather was amazing.

In Upper Slaughter, there was a nice old church and some very beautiful houses.

We made it back to Burton-on-Water in time for lunch, Fish n' Chips! which we ate by the river.

After lunch we drove to Stratford-on-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.  Aiden fell asleep in the car, so we had to wait awhile to get started.  He is fascinated by butterflies so, when he woke up we took him to a butterfly farm, and he had great fun chasing them around and shouting at them.

That didn't leave us much time, but we still got to see the historic part of town - much of which is preserved from Shakespeare's time, including the house where he was born.  One of the most amazing things about our trip was being able to walk among so much history.

The next day, we set out a bit further afield, passing numerous pheasants on the way to Sudeley Castle, which dates back to the 15th century and has hosted the likes of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Queen Elizabeth I.

The grounds were beautiful and gave great views of the countryside.  Aiden was fascinated by the peacock at the pheasantry and Stephanie enjoyed a plant sculpture garden.

From there we enjoyed a nice country drive through the Cotswold's on our way to Broadway Tower, which was built in the late 18th century and gives views as far away as Wales.

In the afternoon, we continued up to Chipping Campden, the "capitol" of the Cotswolds, where we enjoyed visiting the church, a lunch of fish n chips at a local pub, and walking around a neighborhood of thatched-roof cottages...

We enjoyed an afternoon tea in Chipping Campden before heading back to Burton-on-Water.  On our way back, we stopped in the village of Bledington to eat at an inn that used to be frequented by Prince William before he got married (according to our host).

The next day it was time to make our way to London, via Stonehenge.  The day started out quite rainy, but had cleared up nicely by the time we got to the stone circle.   It was a bit out of our way, but definitely worth seeing.

In London, we dropped of our car at the airport and took a cab to our friends' house where we were staying.  Actually, it was far from being that simple.  We got stuck in some traffic coming into London, then our directions were wrong and took us to the wrong terminal, so we had to pay for parking we didn't use and backtrack to the car-rental drop-off.  Once we got there, the taxi we requested was nowhere to be seen and no one was answering the phones.  So we had to call my friend and have him act as an interlocutor.  About an hour later, we were in the cab and on our way. That's the rest of the story.

Our friends live in a beautiful neighborhood a little bit north and west of the city center and they have a little boy who is Aiden's age, so it was fun to see them play together.  We had a great time catching up.  One of the great things about the Foreign Service is that you know someone almost everywhere, and friendships just pick up again whenever you cross paths.

The next day we did a walking tour of London from east to west.  We started at the Temple Church, the 12th century structure originally built for the Knight's Templar.  We made our way along the strand, we saw the Royal Courts of Justice, Somerset House with it's plaza full of fountains, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, and more.

Finding a place for lunch was easier said than done, but we eventually succeeded near Harrod's Department store - and, you guessed it, Fish n Chips again!

We spent the evening with our friends and recuperating for a heavy day of sightseeing the next day.  Attractions in London are unbelievably expensive, with many historic buildings charging over $30 per person in entry fees.   Of course, many of those locations are a must-see, so we bought London Passes, which allow you to get in for about half price if you plan your day well and see some of the more expensive places.

I took that as a direct challenge, so we saw Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, and took a cruise down the Thames.  It was a very full day, but well worth it.

Westminster Abbey is incredible both for the decoration and the history.  Being able to walk next to the resting places of figures like Elizabeth I and Chaucer is incredible.  Even more so to know that the people who are buried there likely walked in the same places we were walking.  The church doesn't allow photography inside, so I had to pull some photos from other places for mementos.  One of the biggest tricks was keeping Aiden entertained.  Luckily we discovered that he was fascinated by the free audio guides, so we just requested an extra one for him to play with.

I have to say that St. Paul's was less impressive than we expected given the entry fee, but still beautiful.  The views from the dome also were not quite what I had hoped, but it still a neat place to visit.  Extra cool points for getting to see a place I remember from watching Mary Poppins as a kid.

The Tower of London was probable my favorite place of all, mostly because of the history there, but also because the exhibits were so informative.  We could have probably spent an entire day there, but since time was limited, we focused on the highlights, like the crown jewels.

Finishing the day on the Thames was perfect as we got to relax and take in some of the most famous sights of the city, including Shakespeare's Theater, the Millennium Wheel, and Parliament/Big Ben.  Aiden kept trying to hold hands with an older boy who was sitting near us, but he wasn't having any of it.  We definitely consider it his loss.

The trip was wonderful, and it was great to spend a week where everyone spoke our language  not to mention getting to catch up with our friends.  Best of all, someone turned in my camera.  I had to run all over the airport and pay 30 pounds to get it back, but as Stephanie says, now I have a back-up when I lose it again in the future.

We came back to spring in full swing in Moscow and some unseasonably hot weather, but more on that later.