May 30: Kensington Palace, Hyde Park & Albert Memorial, V&A Museum, Les Miserables

From the statue gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum

May 29: Tate Britain, Westminster Abbey, London Film Museum, British Museum Part II, Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant, Hay Fever.

Another lovely day in London.  We saw the Tate Britain Museum, Westminster Abby, the London Film Museum, and the British Museum.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant in Covent Garden.  We ended the day by seeing Hay Fever, with Lindsay Duncan, Kevin McNally, and Jeremy Northam.  Afterward, we went and stood by the stage door, and Alanna finally worked up the courage to get an autograph!  Jeremy Northam slipped away before I managed to gush all over him.  The play was excellent!

Alanna and Freddie Fox

May 28: The Globe Theatre, St. Paul's, The British Museum, and a play

Today we saw the Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral -- we climbed to the very top! -- the British Museum, and watched the West End play Singing in the Rain, which was brilliant.  We climbed over 1500 stairs today, in a hot and muggy city, but it was well worth it!

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May 27: Sunday in London: Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, National Portrait Library, Buckingham Palace

The White Tower

We left nice and early for our East Putney tube station, only to discover that the station, and in fact, the whole line south of Earl's Court, was closed.  After being denied entry onto two replacement buses, and not being sure why, we took two buses to Earl's Court, then got the tube to London Tower.  We saw the Tower of London, including the crown jewels, then Trafalgar Aquare, Canada House, and spent the afternoon in the National Portrait Gallery.  I got very emotional looking at the original portraits of so many people I have known about for so long, including Shakespeare (his little gold earring stands out -- he was SO COOL!) and Frances Burney, who was the subject of my MA thesis. After our first real meal of the day, some really nive Italian, we walked down Pall Mall, through St. James park and to Buckingham Palace.  It is all decorated for the Queen's Jubilee, and the streets were closed to traffic for some sort of security run through.  We really enjoyed seeing St. James Park, which is very well used by the local people.  Alanna liked a black swan in the park.  We saw the Wellington Memorial -- heck, we saw hundreds of memorials! -- then began the long bus ride home.

The next three days will be long ones, since we are seeing plays on the next three evenings.  Can't wait!

May 26: Guess where we are!

Hint:

Taken from the footbridge at 6:15 this evening.

May 25: Haworth, Brontes, and Fountains Abbey

Today we drove to the lovely Yorkshire town of Haworth.  We went to the Bronte Parsonage Museum,which is in the home of the Bronte family, then walked around the historic town.  We had planned to make this the entire day, but decided that we really wanted to see one more thing before we are car-less and in London.  we chose Fountain Abbey in North Yorkshire, and it was not only an amazing drive through the moors, but a fabulous site as well.  Fountain Abbey is a very large ruin, and is set in a beautiful garden.  The Fountain Abbey Water Garden does not have fountains, but has wonderful formal pools in the water garden.  After dinner at the carvery, we cleaned out the car and repacked everything into our suitcases for carrying around London.  I wish I hadn't bought so many guidebooks!

Fountains Abbey, from the kitchen area

May 24: Wordsworth, the Lake Country, and Beatrix Potter

Today was dedicated mainly to Wordsworth and the Lake District.

May 23 Lindisfarne & Bamburgh

This is how Alanna wades in the ocean!  that is Banburgh Castle over her shoulder.

We had a wonderful trip to Lindisfarne, and saw the Priory, the Castle, and had a lovely walk around the village and the island.  Next we went to Banburgh Castle, which is still a private estate.  It was a wonderful day with lovely weather, so we enjoyed a wade in the wide sandy beach near the castle.

May 22: Melrose and St. Abb's Head

Another amazing day, our last in Scotland.  We drove from the Tweed River Valley near Yair to Melrose Abbey, the ruin of an historic Cistercian Abbey and the burial place of the heart of Robert the Bruce.  With its rich red stones and collection of styles, it is aptly referred to as the heart of Scotland.  The sun was brilliant and warm, and I made it back into capris!  We also enjoyed the lovely walled garden run by Scottish Heritage next door, and our walk around the lovely town.  We next drove back to Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott, but it was closed in an attempt to "save it".  Alanna chose our afternoon site, and picked St. Abb's Head, the brilliant girl.  This is a working seaside fishing village, and was both fascinating and beautiful in itself, but it is also the starting point for an amazing cliffside walk to see the nesting puffins, kittiwakes and razor beaks.  The sun beamed down, we could look across the North Sea to the horizon, and we had a wonderful long walk.  Alanna fell down another rabbit hole, nearly stopping my heart.  Video below.

May 21: Culloden Moor, Clava Cairns, Killcairnie

A cottage on Culloden Moor, there since before the battle.

Today we traveled from Inverness to Selkirk, and are sleeping tonight in the Tweed River Valley.  We saw Culloden Moor, Clava Cairns, and a lot of beautiful Scottish Countryside.

May 20: The Highlands of Scotland

View from a pass through the highlands.

We need to buy a thesaurus to find some fresh superlatives.  We’ve looked at each other a hundred times today and described our day as astounding, charming, gorgeous, spectacular, moving, and very very beautiful.

May 19: Scottish History and Stairs

Sterling Castle

Today was a great day, in spite of cool and cloudy weather.  We saw Stirling Castle & Bannockburn; the Wallace Memorial, Doune Castle, and walked through the Highland town of Callandar.  We will need to put up pictures tomorrow.

May 18: Cold, grey and rainy Edinburgh

Today we started at Edinburgh Castle in a cold rain so that we could experience the wind as well.  The weather didn't allow for great pictures, but it was thrilling to be in a historic place, and we appreciated the interior parts of the castle all the more.  We started down the Royal Mile, and saw the Writer's Museum, which has is a museum dedicated to Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, and Sir Walter Scott.  We next saw Gladstone's Land, which is a 17th Century merchant's house, with many original details still present. We braved the rain and went to St. Giles Cathedral, stopping on the way to acknowledge the Heart of Midlothian and Greyfriars Bobby among the many monuments that line the Royal Mile.  St. Giles simply took our breath away.  It isn't really a cathedral any more, since John Knox directed the Scottish Reformation from this High Kirk.  We passed John Knox's House and bypassed the Museum of Childhood, but spent a warm hour in Canongate Tolbooth, which houses the People's Story Museum.  It provided an interesting glimpse into the lives of ordinary Ediburgh citizens over the years.  We hoped to get into Holyrood Castle, but it was housing the Royal High Important Guy, but we got into the Queen's Gallery to see some Royal Treasures, which turned out to be an awfully good consolation prize.  We have now seen Faberge eggs, miniatures of several queens, daVincis, the real artists that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are named for, and enough art to stupefy us!  This took us to 5:00, so after photographing the Scottish Parliament House, we went in search of a taxi, but as we were caught again in the tramway construction, not to mention the incessant drizzling rain, we decided to walk home.  After getting lost -- Alanna swears they've moved our street since last night -- we ate at a pub, retraced our steps to Haymarket Station, and walked straight home.  Our laundry is done and we are drying out, eating chocolates, and packing for an early departure.

Alanna is very excited to be in her own episode of History of Scotland.  She is also very cold.

May 17: Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Tibbie Shiels and Scenic Route to Edinburgh

Today we drove from York to the town of Barnard Castle.  We went to the Bowes Museum, which is one of the first purpose built museums in the world, built by the Bowes in the nineteenth Century.  It is dedicated to the decorative arts, and was filled with many lovely things -- as well as a two headed calf, for reasons that escape me at present.  We then drove through the beautiful little town to the site of Barnard Castle itself, which is a ruin.  There was an exciting half hour while I maneuvered the car out from where it had been parked in.  We then drove off to cross the Scottish Border near Gretna Green, and saw the place where the blacksmith married so many English people in the Eighteenth Century who were escaping the marriage laws of England.  We drove down the M6 and turned off at Moffat, and began a scenic journey through the border country.

May 16: York in a day (Gasp!)

Our pace has certainly increased!  Today we saw York Minster and climbed the tower; viewed the exteriors of The King's House and Saint Mary's Ruins; saw the York Museum, the Jorvik Viking Centre, Fairfax House, Clifford's Tower (aka York Castle) and the York Museum.  We also managed to fax a signature back to Canada, buy another battery, buy a suitcase at Marks and Spencer, and have a lovely tea at a Pattiserie in the Shambles.  We did this all on foot, and survived!

This is Alanna's picture of Corgi Cookies at  Betty's tea Shop.  We are still trying to figure out some way to get them home!  Perhaps on our hips?

May 15: Bolsover Castle, Haddon Hall, and York Ghost Walk

Today was Alanna and my first day without Ian, Beverley and Dorothy, and we spent some of the day saying “They’ll be heading to the airport now!”  and “They’re all in the air by now.”  I hope they have safe and pleasant trips.  Alanna and I had an intense day of visiting a castle, a hall, and a medieval town.

May 14: Lacock Abbey and a Parting of Ways

Today we finished our last bits of packing, and said a very fond and somewhat reluctant goodbye to our hosts in Tetbury, Roz and Colin, with thanks both for their lovely cottage and for their warm and helpful hospitality.  We piled into the car with the luggage and drove to Lacock Abbey, which not only had a medieval abbey converted to a Tudor home (and the location of two Harry Potter movies), but also the Fox Talbot Museum (an amazing man who made amazing contributions to the science of photography) and an exhibit of pictures by Michael Palin. 

 Next, we drove Ian, Dorothy and Beverley to their hotel in Heathrow, from whence they will depart for Canada, and Alanna and I drove up to our B&B in Stratford.

May 13: Our trip to Wales

Today we decided to forget Bath, postpone Lacock, and spend our last full day together seeing something new.  We decided to head over the Welsh border to see Chepstowe Castle, Offa’s Dyke, and Tintern Abbey. 

May 12: Saturday was Bath (England) day!

Saturday our plan was to get up early, go to Lacock Abby, then continue on to see the major sites of Bath.  Unfortunately, we got a later start than planned, as everyone had a bath this morning. Lacock Abby doesn’t open until 10:00, and we knew from previous experience that it is 20 minutes from Tetbury, so we didn’t feel too badly about our 9:50 start, especially since we had managed to see all of Gloucester in an afternoon. 

May 11: Gloucester and the countryside

 Once again I am reliant on the kindness of strangers to post / update the blog.

Today we went to Gloucester by way of two more barrows.  The first was a bit of a ruin, but had amazing views of the Severn Valley.  The second barrow, called the Ulley Long Barrow, more familiarly known as Hetty Pegler’s Tump, was much more complete, and Alanna, Ian, and I climbed on our hands and knees through the mud, which has left us looking glamourous for the rest of today.  We went into the town of Gloucester, where we did a bit of shopping, then off to the city museum, where we saw the history of the city through Roman and Medieval times.  We went briefly to the Beatrix Potter “attraction” which looked an awful lot like a store.  Next we saw the amazing Gloucester Cathedral, including the tomb of Edward II, the amazing Norman building soaring into the skies, and the cloisters, where Harry Potter was partly filmed.  We drove down the eastern banks of the Severn, and are now in our local pub, between fish and chips – chicken for Ian – and dessert.

May 10: Chedworth Roman Villa and Stratford-Upon-Avon

We got off to a nice early start today, up and out the door before 9:00.  We arrived at Chedworth Roman Village shortly before its opening time of 10:00.  It was my (Margaret’s) turn to drive, and I found driving a much larger vehicle than I have driven on the other side of the road down narrow country lanes to be a bit of a challenge.  Our first stop was Ann Hathaway’s cottage, which has lovely grounds and extremely helpful docents.  We went on to the RSC and bought our tickets, which gave us a chance to visit Holy Trinity Church, a still active Anglican Church where Shakespeare and his family are buried.  We went to “Food of Love” for lunch, then saw Shakespeare’s birthplace before wandering down Henley Street.  The production of Twelfth Night at the RST was wonderful.  Even the minor roles were so well portrayed, and one could tell the play was meticulously rehearsed.  The set was imaginative, and although most of the pieces were on stage the entire time, they were used in so many different ways in the different scenes that one never had a sense of confusion.  The image of Malvolio’s cross gartered stockings is permanently etched in my mind.  Ian drove us home through the dark – bless him! – and we arrived safe and sound.  We have just eaten the Subway sandwiches we purchased on Henley Street, and everyone else is off to bed.

May 9” Avebury and Lacock

We got a very late start today, as we had a few exhausted members of our party.  Alanna, Margaret and Ian took the opportunity of a drizzly morning to wander around Tetbury while following a printed walking tour.  By 1:30 we were in the car and on our way to Avebury.

May 8 Stonehenge and Tetbury

We have no WIFI in our cottage, but here we are at a pub, so here's yesterday's post.

May 7, 2012 - Torcello, Burano, & Murano

Today, (after I held everyone up by sleeping in until 9:00!) we had a nice breakfast and used up all of the food we’d purchased, then took the vaporetti across the lagoon to Torcello.  It is a magical place, where one can hear birdsong as one strolls along the walkway between the canal and the fields. After viewing the churches and enjoying a wonderful meal, we went on the short vaporetti ride to Burano, which has a very different personality, as Alanna said, as the buildings are vividly coloured.  After this, we made it to Murano with not enough time to see the museum, but plenty of time to spend our last Euros on lovely glass and enjoy coffee and beer on the Murano canal.  Now we are off for our last gelato before we start our packing.  We are sad to be leaving Venice, but excited to think that we will see Stonehenge tomorrow.

May 6 Venice: Galleria d'Accademia and Ca’Rezzonico

Ian writes:

Today we continued our Venice exploration by visiting the Academe and Ca’Rezzonico Palazzos and art museums.  The Academe houses artwork stretching from the medieval period to the 17^th C.  The Ca’Rezzonico houses Venetian artwork from the 17/18^th C.  The Academe is housed in a Palazzo, but is a typical art gallery, while the Ca’Rezzonico has rooms set up containing original and period furniture and other items, as well as the silk patterned fabric on the walls.

Dorothy checking out a gilt alterpiece.

May 5, Venice again!

I've decided to go easyon pictures until we get a faster connection, and then I'll add more and update these files.  It takes 20 minutes to upload a picture!  Today we started our day at the Doge's Palace.  We saw a lot of the city walking around, and then made an abortive attempt to see the Da'Rezzonico Museum, which we have rescheduled for lunch.  After dinner in the restaurant that we live above, we had a nice early morning to prepare for a tougher day tomorrow.

May 4: Museums and the Ghetto

Another great day of museums and wandering the streets. 

Alanna practicing her pedicure skills.

The Gang's All Here in Venice!

The five of us, together at last, had a great time exploring Venice.

May 2nd: Taking Care of Business in Venice

Today we rushed off to meet the agent and get moved into our apartment.  We took a 45 minute trip down the Grand Canal, which we thought would only take us about 30 minutes, and our stop is probably the most popular one in Venice. 

There is a tourist tax in Venice or 2.5 Euros per day to a maximum of 10E per person, and I had forgotten that we were paying for 5 people, so we needed to go to a bank machine and then meet the agent back at their office.  I also wanted to get a WIFI key, which I did, but it is both slow and charged for by the hour, so there may be a few fewer pictures for a while.  This is a great pity, as I walk around snapping pictures by the hundreds, as everything one looks at in Venice is beautiful.

Our apartment is blessedly cool, and we couldn’t ask for a better location.  We are a three minute walk from the San Marco Zacharetti Vaporetto stop, and our bedroom window looks right down into a leather bag store.  We really wish our friend Sharon was with us to truly appreciate it!  We have a little courtyard, and a restaurant has some tables in it, but otherwise you would not know that you are in the heart of the busiest tourist spot in the world.

We walked to the tourist office, and took the vaporetto back.  We have been for groceries – coffee, tea, and a few breakfast items.  In about an hour, we will go to the airport to meet my mom, who gets in at 5:40, and Ian’s mom, who gets in about an hour later.  Our niece, Alanna, doesn’t get in until 10:40, so we will make another trip later when both of our moms have settled in.

May 1: May Day in Venice!

It was a tough start to the day:  too hot to sleep in our room, and a 4:15 wake-up call.  It was a good thing we packed last night, because the taxi driver made it to the reception desk before we did!  We arrived in Athens at sunset, and left it at sunrise.  I was very glad to be able to buy a book in the Athens airport, and we had no troubles on our flight, and then we were in Venice.  Ian believes everyone should arrive in Venice by boat, so we had a dry run of the Alilaguna that we will take our mothers and our niece Alanna on tomorrow.  It is so exciting to see the bell towers (campanelli) emerge on the horizon.  Our hotel room wasn’t quite ready – we don’t have the apartment until tomorrow – so we went for our first Italian pasta meal, and then back to our old neighbourhood, where Ian and I stayed last time we were here.  We took the bus from the Ferrovia station around the outside, past the cruise ship terminal and between Venice and Giudecca islands.  We stopped off at San Gerogio island and saw the church with all its Tinterettos, then took the elevator up the Campanile for some great views of the Venice archipelago.  Finally, we caught the vaparetto down the Grand Canal back to the Ferovia (Railway) stop. We got gelato and then got into our sweltering room.  After a couple of cool showers, we went to wander once more around the block, found a bar with Internet, and had the best coffee we've had in weeks.

The view of St. Marks bell tower and the Doge's Palace from San Giorgio