Day 3 - Bristol, Cheddar Gorge, and Camborne

Today we woke up early to try to be on time for church.  The SDA church in Bristol was only about seven miles away.  But we knew we'd need extra time to find it.  We enjoyed the same breakfast as yesterday, loaded the car, and checked out.  I put the church's postal code into the GPS and then we started to make our way into downtown.  Again the trip was froth with MANY wrong turns as the rotaries are not always clear, especially in combination with the GPS advice.  At last we made it and found a place to park on the street.  By that time, Sabbath School was nearly over.  The majority of the congregants were black so we made some of the few white faces in the seats!  The pastor spoke and he mentioned going back to Newbold to finish his studies, so presumably he isn't finished with seminary yet.  He was very long-winded and dramatic, not to mention loud!

 The sermon took an hour after three special musics!  We knew we would get to our next town quite late if we didn't leave soon so we slipped out during the closing hymn.

There was no chance to change clothes, so we just drove on and at last got out of the city and were on our way west!  Or first stop was Cheddar which, yes, is the city where cheddar cheese comes from!  It is very small and on this day was heavily beladened with tourists.  We struggled going through all the little streets and byways, having to turn around more times than I care to admit to, and finally we found a street to park on close to the church where there was less excitement.  We had seen a cafe there and decided to try it.  First we popped into the church to look around.

 It was an Anglican church, small but not tiny.  We enjoyed looking around and taking a few photos.

 Then we walked across the street to The Sitting Room of Riverside Cottage.  It was a lavender painted cottage with a small sign in front advertising an all vegetarian menu.

 Intrigued, we went up to the building where a menu was posted.  We were happy to see many items with cheddar cheese (when in Cheddar...).  So we went in and the lovely lady behind the counter invited us to take a seat outside if we liked, look at the menu, and come back with our orders which we did.

We found a table, looked over the menu, then stepped back inside to place our orders.  While the food was being prepared, we enjoyed the lovely garden outside where we were sitting and the charming view of the river flowing past including a few ducks!

 Grandma had mentioned being cold, so soon the proprietor came out and put a blanket around her shoulders!

 I saw the chef come out to the garden to pick fresh herbs for our meal!  Soon the food appeared and just as fresh and lovely as we had hoped!   I ordered a croissant with (of course) cheddar cheese and broccoli soup with blue cheese.

  Mom ordered something called a Welsh Rarebit which was a slice of whole grain bread with melted cheese on top and some sides.

 Grandma asked for an omelet with mushrooms and onions and toast as they served breakfast all day long!  We each had a small salad served on the plates.  Grandma didn't even miss her toast in the end!

 After paying for our meal, the proprietor gave us great directions to see Cheddar Gorge and Glastonbury Abbey.

Soon we were back on our way.  First we drove through the main tourist area with the cheese shops and car park... 

...and before long, we were driving up through the gorge which has very impressive rock walls and narrow, twisting roads going through it.  We stopped once to take pictures, Mom got the rest out the window of the car as we drove along.

 It wasn't long before we were in Glastonbury.  We pulled into the abbey parking lot and went to the window to inquire as to the price and how long it would take to go through it.  After getting that information, we decided to press on to Camborne.  We could see some of the top of these impressive ruins over the top of the wall, but not much more.

Once again we had some troubles getting on the right road as there is a Combourne and a Camborne England and they are located in two very different places.  This is where GPS can get you into trouble.  At least we had some beautiful views on the way!

At last, we arrived in Camborne and found the resort where we had booked a week to stay in a condo or an apartment.  It was just after 9:00pm and we went straight up to the restaurant after getting checked in.  The kitchen had closed, but they were able to make us a margherita pizza which was basically a cheese pizza.  It worked considering it was late and we were hungry.  But that mad ethereal cheese meals in a day which for me, trying to eat vegan, it was a bit too much cheese!

Then we went to our "lodged" as it was called.

 We were impressed with how big it was.  There was a master bedroom and bathroom on the first floor along with kitchen and dining area.  Then upstairs was a sitting room... 

...and another bedroom with a small bedroom with twin beds off of it and a bathroom.  Three bedrooms in all!  And there was a pull-down bed in the sitting room!  We got settled in and went to take a shower before bed only to discover there was no hot water!  I looked through the book of information in the sitting room and it did say we would have to turn on the water heater, but I couldn't for the life of me find where the heater was.  So I called reception and they sent a man down who simply turned on the towel rail heater.  I asked him if this would also heat the water and he said it would.  So we went to bed, hoping for hot water in the morning!

Day 2 - Bath

Today we slept in a bit.  The jet lag didn't help us to wake up early.  The plan was to go to Bath and see the sights.  Bath is a Georgian city with lots of history.  It is famous to me through the works of Jane Austen, particularly "Persuasion."  The films made based on this novel were filmed on location and I was keen to see the places I had enjoyed on TV.

  We finally made it out the door to have breakfast at the hotel around 9:30 or 10:00.  The lady at the desk recommended that we use the park and ride in the north side of Bath which makes getting in and it of the city much simpler!  We took her advise and headed down the road towards Bath.  It took about half an hour to get there.  It was way out in the country and we drove past some beautiful countryside and horse farms and even a race track!  When we got to the park and ride a lot of people were already there so we felt we were on the right track.

For a reasonable rate, we were able to ride the double decker bus into the city center.  We didn't know which way to start walking as we weren't entirely sure where we were.  We soon came across a bank and Mom went in to change some money.  She wasn't thrilled about the exchange rate, but at least she had some cash.  As we started back down the street, we came across a great map set up on the side walk so you could get your bearings and figure out which direction to go.  I wanted to head towards the Circus which is an architectural landmark in Bath, but Mom saw that we were close to a bridge and wanted to go there first.  It's a good thing we did because the bridge we were heading for was the Pulteney Bridge which is where there was a beautiful sit of the river including a part of it that looks like steps.

We took lots of pictures and then headed for the Circus.  There were lots of shops and street performers along the way.  We didn't have to walk to far before arriving there.  It was surprisingly quiet there.  A few tourists and some construction workers who seemed to be working on one of the townhouses.  There is a group of very large trees that grow in the center of the circus.

 As I mentioned, this is an architectural circus which has nothing to do with lions and acrobats.  The townhouses are in three crescent groups with streets in between each group.  All together, they make a complete circle.

After walking all the way around and taking lots more pictures, we handed down to the Royal Crescent.  This architectural landmark was made by the same man who made the Circus.  These townhouses make a giant crescent as the name implies.  There were lots more people here including a man dressed in 19th century garb who was chatting up the visitors and giving them historical tidbits.  One such item was that the leaders of the American Revolution came to Bath and sat in one of the rooms in the Royal Crescent to discuss the war, presumably with British leaders.

 This is also a part of bath used in the making of the 2007 version of Persuasion.

  After taking pictures there, too, we decided lunch time was calling our names.  We had seen a restaurant advertised on a street sign right outside of it that some travel magazine had rated them their favorite place to eat in Bath.  So we walked back by it and looked at the menu.  It looked good so we went in and had a nice lunch.

 Mom and I shared the fish of the day, sole, and grandma had a savory cheesecake which looked just like a slice of cheesecake as we know it, but it was salty and had vegetables in it.  We all  liked our food and afterwards, we went on to find the Roman Baths.  On our way, we passed the Jane Austen Centre which was on the to-do list!

 We went in and bought tickets to tour the facility.

 First we were treated to a discourse on the Austen family tree and the history of Jane's life and how it influenced her writing.  That was very interesting and I quickly picked up on all the references to her works.  I guess our tour guide noticed this because she commented to me about my attention and that I was quoting things along with her!  Then we went down to the exhibit and saw letters of Jane's, costumes from that era for both men and women including the militia.

There was also paraphernalia from different films featuring Jane Austen or her works.  There was even a letter from Emma Thompson, donating pictures from the set of Sense and Sensibility.  We looked through all of that fairly quickly as we still wanted to see the Roman Baths as well as the Pump Room, and the Assembly Rooms.

We found the first two easily.  People were going in to take tours even though is was quarter to five.  We were told they closed at six and that one and a quarter hours was not enough to do it all justice, but if we didn't mind that, they would let us in.

 So we went in and saw all kinds of history on the building of the baths and Roman life in those days.  First we walked around the walkway that is over top of the bath and was added hundreds of years later after the bath was discovered and re-opened.

At that time, new statues of Roman emperors who had something to do with Bath were created and added to the top.

Then we went down into the exhibit that had archeological artifacts found when the bath was discovered and what it tells us about Roman life in Bath.

There was even a skeleton found in a lead-lined coffin.

Once we got to the actual bath, it was truly amazing to see.  Even without the 20-foot ceiling that used to be there it was impressive!

On one end, the hot spring water flowed into the bath, on the other end, it flowed out to the river.  I bent down and touched the water and it was nice and warm.  The color of the water now is rather green due to algae which was not a problem back when the Romans were using it as the sunlight was blocked by the sunlight.  One of the gentlemen who worked there was very kindly offering to take pictures for the visitors with their cameras and he obliged us as well.

Then, when he saw how carefully Grandma had to walk over the stone floor that was very uneven, he gallantly offered her his arm and escorted her to the exit.  Very charming!

Overall, it was a great experience.  By then, we were getting tired and a bit hungry, so Mom suggested that we stop in the Pump Room and have tea.  Since this is a placed I wanted to visit so badly, we all agreed and went inside.

 We were served a nice English tea where the leaves are in the water and the tea has to be poured out through a strainer.  Mom ordered a slice of Black Forest Cherry Cake and Cocoa.  I had scones with Devonshire Clotted Cream and Jam.  It was heavenly!  I got Grandma to try half of one scone which she loved!

There was a pianist playing soft classical music at one end.  The room is large with high ceilings.  There are great portraits of very important looking people on the walls.  On the opposite wall from where we were sitting there is a small fountain with spring water which I believe is the "pump" from which the room gets it's name.

Back in Jane Austen's day (and probably before and after as well) people could come to this room, fill a cup with the water from the pump, and drink.  It was reputed to be able to cure many rheumatic and other conditions.

The pump room - Persuasion - 2007

After our tea, we walked back to the bus stop and awaited our ride back to the park and ride.  On the way back to our hotel, we stopped to get fuel and we tried to find a store that would sell a power cable for my computer.  After MULTIPLE wrong turns that felt like endless round-a-bouts, we finally found the store.  It had closed an hour before.  So we went a short distance from there to eat something light at an Italian restauarant called Bella Italia and then back to our hotel and to bed.

Day 1 - arrival

We have safely arrived in the UK!  Mom arrived early this morning on a separate flight and was picked up by our new friend, Jackie Marshall.  She is an English lady who works with and is friends with Mom's brother, Wes, in South Sudan.  She just happened to be back in England during the time we would be here so we had a chance to meet.  Since Mom was going to be here for several hours waiting on us, Jackie agreed to pick her up from the airport and entertain her until Grandma and I arrived.

I met up with Grandma in Atlanta where we started our flight to London.  We were seated together and were even able to preboard so Grandma could take her time settling in.  Soon the rest of the passengers were loaded and we were ready to leave.  Then came the announcement that a "switch" in the cockpit that only helps the pilots detect if the engine is having a problem was broken and had to be replaced.  That took two and a half hours while we sat at the gate, hot and tired.  This was to be a dinner flight so we still hadn't eaten yet!  FINALLY they got the part and installed it and we were on our way.  Dinner came well after midnight.  The rest of the flight was smooth but not comfortable enough to sleep well.  We ended up arriving an hour late.  It took quite a while to get through customs and also standing in line at the Avis desk to get our rental car.  At last we were on our way towards High Wycomb which is west of London, exactly the direction we needed to go.  In this little town there is a Wycliffe Centre where Jackie was staying.  I had purchased UK maps for my TomTom before leaving and now that we had the car it was just a matter of turning it on and putting in the address.

Our car is a cute little Peugeot that has manual transmission and takes Diesel.  Naturally, I have to shift with the left hand, and remember to stay on the left side of the road, and manage rotaries (aka round-a-bouts) and mind the GPS.  It takes some courage and a lot of attention.  Once you get on the highway, it's much easier.

In about 30 minutes or so, we made it to the Wycliffe Centre and found the reception where they rang Jackie to let her know we were there.  She and Mom were relieved to know we were safe as we weren't able to communicate all the delays to them along the way.  We had a nice supper with her and then said goodbye and started towards West Bristol where we currently are.  We found our hotel fairly easily and enjoyed getting the airplane sweat off of us!  There is no AC in the room as weather here is generally cooler than the US.  Grandma is missing it right now.

Jackie took some of us with her camera which she emailed us.

 We didn't take any today as the only pictures would have been of us standing in endless queues!  The above picture was taken two days later while in the country.  More tomorrow!

Going to Corwall and South-West England

Well... after six years of dreaming of going to Cornwall, it's finally coming true!

In 2008, while browsing through my Netflix account, I discovered a recommendation from Netflix for a British TV series called "Doc Martin" and after reading the intro, I was intrigued.  I watched the series premier on-line with "watch instantly" and immediately was hooked.  Doc Martin is practicing medicine in a rural community with limited resources and all the frustrations of a country practice.  I was in a similar situation myself and found myself relating to the story a lot.  The series is filmed in Port Isaac on location in Cornwall, only the village is called Port Wenn.  You see a picture of Port Isaac above.

Well... 5 seasons later (and owning all the DVD's which have been watched multiple times) and I feel like I have already been to Port Isaac.  The beauty of Cornwall is so amazing that I determined to go there some day.  After much planning and many doors opening and closing, it is finally coming together!

 Cornwall is a county in England that makes up the south-west tail jetting out towards North America.  It is sometimes referred to as the riviera of England due to it's beautiful coastlines.  It is a very popular destination for tourists, particularly after Doc Martin appeared on TV.  I do believe they will actually be filming the next season in Port Isaac while we are there!  That is kind of exciting since I'm such a fan!

My mom, grandma, Marlene, and I are traveling together.  We took a cruise to Alaska last year and had a good time together.  Above you see us in the formal dining room which was stylized after a Russian palace, complete with portraits of the Czar and family!

We will arrive in London at Heathrow Airport, pick up our rental car (which yours truly will be solely driving... with manual transmission... on the left side of the road), and head towards Bath where our journey begins.  A few days later we will check in to the condo in Camborne, Cornwall which will be home base for a week while we go on excursions to nearby sights.  After leaving Cornwall, we will head along the southern coast to take in Plymouth, Lyme-Regis, Portsmouth, Brighton, and more.  I'm excited about seeing places Jane Austen wrote about and lived in, including her final home before she died and her final resting place in Winchester Cathedral!

If all goes well, we can hopefully post pictures on this blog day by day... but we have yet to find out what the internet options will be.

Keep a weather eye on this blog!  The journey begins May 29 and ends June 11.