(Some of) The Sights I Saw

The best view in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle

I've been home from one of the best trips ever to England, Ireland and Scotland for four days. I'm finally able to stay awake beyond 8:00 PM (actually 1 am in Edinburgh. Jet lag has been rough coming home from this trip, but the days away were well worth it.  

Incredible  Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, England

Friends have asked what were the high points of the trip. So many! Two especial adventures were meeting friends that I'd been in touch with via Instagram, enjoying York and Edinburgh, seeing the beauty of Connemara on Ireland's Atlantic Coast and Holy Island, a beautiful tidal island in England. 

Loved the thatched cottages that I saw in Ireland...

...And the scones that I enjoyed.  

I enjoyed this delicious scone during my visit to Connemara. 

These are just a few of the high points. I'm hoping/planning to do posts on a few of the places I've written about. I'm getting back on track with all the home errands and feel reasonably caught up. I realized that the jet lag would be difficult and I kept this week very lightly scheduled.  

Keep cool, friends in Europe, and prayers for our friends in Venezuela, dealing with a devastating earthquake.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

 

Pink Saturday Meets Percy and Colin

 

Please meet my new friend, Percy Pig

I love to see new things when I travel. Some of them are sublime, like the beautiful Cathedral I visited for the first time in the French city of Rouen. Others are totally fun, like my new English friends, Percy Pig and Colin the Caterpillar. To think that just a month ago I didn't know that either existed, let alone that ten million bags of Percy sweets are sold every year. 

I'm always on the lookout for photographs for Pink Saturday and the bright pink bowl caught my eye in Marks & Spencer in Southampton. I haven't been in Marks & Spencer in years and somehow missed Percy during my last visits. He first appeared in 1992 and his buddy, Colin, was introduced two years earlier. 

Cute Colin is in reality a chocolate sponge roll

Not surprisingly Percy and Colin are very popular party favors

 The very popular Percy is a "sweet," or what would be described as a candy on this side of the Atlantic. He's perfect for Pink Saturday, as the flavors are variations of pink as in strawberry, raspberry and  black currant. From my research the fizzy/phizzy pigtails are slightly sour and sound yummy. Unfortunately I came upon both the Percy sweets and the Colin cake on my first day in England and didn't buy either (or both). I didn't realize that I was passing up iconic sweets. I guess I'll need another trip back to England for these sweets and so much more, but right now I definitely have buyer's regret.  

Spent a lovely day and enjoyed the beautiful spring weather in New York City. I'm happily back to blogging and have a fun week ahead. After a few months away from the gym -- stress fracture in my knee and then vacation -- I plan to be back on Monday and will definitely take it easy. What are your plans for the week?

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for the week ahead.   

Bidding Farewell to Biddestone and All Adjacent Points

Thatched Elm Cottage, Biddestone, Wiltshire England 

It's taking me a lot (lot) longer to get back to any "normal" routine than I expected. A lot! Usually a week after getting back from vacation inside of a week I'm totally back on track, but as you can see by the lack of posts, this is not the case this time. I've gone grocery shopping, done laundry and paid bills, but a lot else is a work in progress, including blogging. 

There are at least a dozen posts I could do from my visit to England and France, and I hope to do a few of them, but I'm starting my recap with the beautiful village of Biddestone. It was only a quick visit, but one that has stayed with me. No, I haven't started packing to move there, but I did look at real estate availability. Nothing in my price range!

  

"Main Street" Biddestone

The Manor House, which dates from the Seventeenth Century

The first settlement of what would become Biddestone was listed in the Domesday Book in 1086, just after the Norman conquest of England in 1066.  If I envisioned the picture perfect English village, Biddestone would be the personification. There's a pub, a duck pond and several churches, the latter of which we didn't get to see. 

If Biddestone hadn't melted my heart with Thatched Elm Cottage, the duck crossing sign would have done it. 

My visit to Wiltshire was spent with a dear blog friend. We had a wonderful time and I'm so grateful to Sybil, Mary and Peter for all they did to make my visit so lovely and memorable. 

My goal for today is to walk, enjoy a second cup of coffee, continue post-vacation organization and do some reading. What's on your schedule?

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a great day. 
 

My Bags Aren't Quite Packed

 

As promised, cherry blossoms in Central Park

My bags aren't quite packed, but I'm ninety per cent organized. I made an overly detailed schedule this morning and happily, I'm an hour ahead. Tote bag to pack, trash to discard and chargers to organize. That last is more complicated. As the years have gone on what was once just a charger for my cell phone has morphed into cell phone, Fitbit, hearing aids and one more. I need them all and it's so easy to leave one home. 

I expect to keep posting here, on Facebook and Instagram. I'll be skipping Pink Saturday linked posts -- links are too tricky on my phone -- but will definitely stay in touch. 

Now it's off to figure out my chargers and how many t-shirts are too many t-shirts. Next post, across the pond. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and see you soon. 

This Is Not an April Fool's Joke

No kidding, I'm going to France (and England) this month.

For the last seven years the first of April has meant the beginning to Blogging from A to Z. It's a fun annual event where bloggers choose a theme and post about it daily. The posts go in alphabetical order, though the relationship of the post to the letter of the alphabet can get quite farfetched, especially with Y and X. In my first year 2016 I completed the challenge, but have been less successful subsequently. 

I was thinking about themes when I realized there was no way I'd get very far this year. Passover is this week and the week following I will be getting ready for my trip to England and France. I will be blogging, but not with the concentration that the Challenge takes. I'm also planning to post while I'm away, but those posts will be about my travel adventures. 

There will be some familiar places on this trip and some totally new places. I will  be on a cruise that includes the Seine and the Gironde and Garonne Rivers of France. The itinerary  includes 

visits to Honfleur, Rouen, La Rochelle and beautiful Bordeaux. Honfleur and Bordeaux are old friends, but Rouen and La Rochelle are new sites. The visit to Bordeaux will be spent in the beautiful town of St. Emilion, known for its wines and vineyards. 

The time spent in England will also be a mix of new sites and familiar favorites. I have the great pleasure of once again visiting my wonderful blog friend, Sybil, who lives outside of Bath. The area is beautiful and the company a complete delight, and yes, we met via blogging. The other area I'll be visiting is the Jurassic Coast, on England's Southern coast. I don't expect dinosaurs, but from the photographs I've been looking at I do expect fabulous scenery.  

I've been asked why I'm "skipping" Paris and London. There is an excursion to Paris for one day, but I've chosen to visit the white cliffs of Etretat instead. I'm hoping for a longer trip to Paris in the future, but this may be my only opportunity to see Etretat. I'm "skipping" London, because it's Coronation Week and despite the historical importance, I think the crowds will be too much for me. 

Though I wore my down coat yesterday, today I wore a spring jacket. It was sunny and clear and there are trees and flowers blooming  all over. It is happily spring. I will be back tomorrow with flowers for a Pink Saturday post. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a beautiful spring Sunday!

Blogging from A to Z: E Is for England and F Is for Fascinator

 

"Oh to be in England, Now that April's there..." Robert Browning

Punting in Oxford, at the Magdalen Bridge

April's there and I am in New York, alas. I am missing my English friends, the English countryside, English cities, English food and even English hats. But thanks to the wonder of memory and photographs, we can visit England as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Jane Austen's city of Bath, and a treasure of Georgian architecture

So often, and definitely for me, the thoughts of England are London. But I've been very fortunate in the last few years to visit blog friends in other parts of England. In 2018 I had a wonderful trip to Wiltshire to see my blog friend, Sybil, and in 2019 spent time in Liverpool and Chester with my friends, Sheilagh and Ralph. Seeing a country with people who live there is an extraordinary experience and one that I will always be grateful. 

I'd had a quick visit to Bath a few years ago, but my visit in 2018 gave me time to explore all of the Jane Austen sites to my heart's content. Bath is an architecturally perfect city in County, Somerset, about 100 miles from London.   

Buttercup and Captain Wentworth, featured in Jane Austen's novel, "Persuasion" 

A high point of my visit was seeing The Jane Austen Centre, which presented a great narrative of Jane Austen's life. I had hoped to meet Mr. Darcy while I was there, but he wasn't in that day. I had the great good pleasure of meeting Captain Wentworth, one of my favorite characters in "Persuasion." Captain Wentworth is not as well known as Mr. Darcy, but is an equally engaging character. 

My favorite English dessert, sticky toffee pudding.

It's sweet and scrumptious with dates and molasses and a rich 

toffee sauce, and it's equally good with whipped cream

I'm set for a royal wedding in my fascinator.

I'm not much of a hat wearer, unless it's twenty degrees and I'm cold or ninety degrees and I'm worried about the sun. But while I was in Scotland in 2019 I spent a leisurely day shopping and sight-seeing. Often on vacations I succumb to impulse buying and that's how I came to own a fascinator. I've yet to attend a royal wedding, or even be invited to one, but I had fun wearing my fascinator to two Zoom weddings last summer.  

I hope you've enjoyed our too-quick trip to England. Tomorrow we're back in New York and we'll revisit an experience I enjoyed today. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a bright and sunny Thursday.   

W Is for Wiltshire

A quick trip down the coast from Ullapool to Wiltshire, England

I discovered one of the most beautiful places I've been, the English county of Wiltshire, via one of my blog friends, and I will always be grateful. I've written many times about blog friends becoming friends. As the years have gone by I've had the great fortune to meet my blog buddies, both when they've visited New York and when I've traveled across the globe. I "met" Sybil, who lives in Wiltshire, early in my blog career and we've kept in touch ever since. She graciously extended an offer to visit and even though we'd never met I accepted her invitation and flew to England in the summer of 2018. Yes, it was iffy, but a dear mutual friend, who I had met several times, had visited Wiltshire and I was assured it was a good idea.   

   The gardens at Avebury Manor

My visit was more than a good idea, it was an opportunity to make lifelong friends and see a beautiful corner of England from a local perspective. I had heard of Salisbury and Stonehenge (and even been to Stonehenge), but I wouldn't have been able to tell you what county they were in. I wasn't familiar with the extraordinary Avebury Manor or Lacock Abbey  -- featured in Harry Potter -or a dozen other sites I visited with Sybil and friends. 

St. James Church Avebury

One of my favorite places when I visited Wiltshire was Avebury Manor. Avebury was an extraordinary combination of fascinating sights to see. It combined a beautiful manor house built on (or very near) to the site of a Benedictine priory founded in 1114. It also included St. James Church, which dates from the Saxon period before the Norman Conquest. Avebury also includes an ancient stone circle, that dates from 3,000 BCE. 

Exploring the Avebury Stone Circle

My visit to Stonehenge in 2014 and my visit to Avebury in 2018 was completely different. The circle at Stonehenge was surrounded by a barrier and there were perhaps, several hundred people visiting. At Avebury,  the stones are arranged in an extended circle and spread over a large area. The other major difference at Avebury is that my new friend, Val, who is Sybil's neighbor, and I shared this site with one other person.    

 At Stonehenge in 2014

I've been doing a lot of reflecting while I've been writing these travel reflections. I'd planned to visit England again this summer, a quick visit to London and then a cruise to both English and Scottish ports. That's been cancelled and there's no telling when or even if that trip might be possible. When things open up again -- whenever that may be -- I'd love a return to Wiltshire. 

I'm glad to report that my cut finger is healing well and I'm typing and blogging again, and coming to the completion of the Blogging from A to Z challenge. I'd hoped to finish in April, but now I'm looking to completion on May 1. My friend, B, asked me yesterday what I was going to blog about in May. I've been keeping a list of ideas and I have some topics to catch up on. I'm planning to do weekly travel posts, at least until I can start traveling again.    

Tomorrow for "X" we return to North America. I'm revisiting one of the earliest trips I took once I started working and began to travel. Back to 1977.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Much love, wash your hands and watch your fingers. 

O Is for Oxford

Our A to Z Blogging Challenge takes us to Oxford, England

Two summers ago I had a wonderful visit to England. I met and stayed with one of my blog friends in Wiltshire and then spent a few days in Oxford. It was an ideal vacation, and one I couldn't have experienced without guidance from a friend who knew the area. I was able to visit places I'd only read about and one of them was Oxford. 

The seal of Magdalen College, where C.S. Lewis was a fellow

Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world, dating from the Eleventh Century. Many of the names we know from English history and literature are part of Oxford's history and traditions. The names are a catalogue of people who changed history, from John Wyclif in the Fourteenth Century to the philosopher John Locke to Edmund Halley of Halley's Comet Fame and John and Charles Wesley and right into our lifetime when C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien both taught at Oxford. It was definitely the most historic campus I've ever visited, as well as one of the most beautiful. 

I spent one afternoon visiting Magdalen College, one of the thirty-nine residential colleges that make up the University. I was part of a wonderful student led tour and enjoyed learning about the history of Magdalen and present day student life.  

When I stood in the dining room at Magdalen I felt I had walked into Hogwart's

Watching the punts on the Thames was one of my favorite times in Oxford. The punts -- small boats -- were first built in the Nineteenth Century to ship cargo on the Thames. Around 1860 the brightly colored boats began to be used for pleasure and they are still in use today. 

Always time for coffee

There's always time for coffee and my trip to Oxford was no exception. I couldn't resist this sign and the Grand Cafe was one of my coffee stops while in Oxford. 

I hope you've enjoyed our perfect summer day in Oxford and our travels in France yesterday. Rest up, we're off on an adventure tomorrow and I advise hiking boots. There will be a lot of walking, but it will be so worth it.     

Everything's going okay here. I've got my ups and downs, but the ups seem to outnumber the downs. I know New York will be the last to open up again and I don't want to get over enthusiastic about venturing out again. As my mother always said, "When it's meant to be it will be," and I keep that in mind. 

As ever, thanks for  visiting and take care. Much love and wash your hands! 

Cross the Mersey

Sunset across the River Mersey

One of my favorite songs when I was in high school was Gerry and the Pacemakers, Ferry Cross the Mersey. I knew about the Mersey sound and of course, the Beatles as well as Gerry and the Pacemakers. These were Liverpool bands, but my thoughts of Beatles' sights tended more to focus on Abbey Road in London. When I made my list of places I wanted to visit in England, Liverpool never got to the top of the list. Fortunately my cruise through the Scottish Islands sailed from Liverpool and I planned a three day visit there before the cruise. One day was to insure that with any flight delays I would still get to Liverpool in time for the cruise. Another day was to see Liverpool and the third day was to spend time with my blog friends, Sheilagh and Ralph.

  It wouldn't be a vacation if it didn't include blog friends!

Ralph, Sheilagh and I in Chester, England. Two of the most gracious hosts imaginable.

 

Pier Head of the Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool

 

Even with a year of English History in college, I had very little to no knowledge of the history of Liverpool. It was a major shipping and immigration port and the Royal Albert Dock was built in 1846 to accommodate the shipping industry. It was the first structure in England to be built without any wood, which made it non-combustible. With changes in shipping it was closed in 1972 and then reopened as a tourist site in 1984. The views are extraordinary and there are a number of museums in the Dock area, National Museums Liverpool. One of them is the International Slavery Musuem, which includes Liverpool's role in the Triangular Trade across the Atlantic.  

 

The Roman Wall in Chester

 

I spent an extraordinary day in Chester with Sheilagh and Ralph. Sadly our dear friend Marie wasn't feeling well and I missed seeing her. I wasn't familiar with Chester before planning this trip. Though it's Marie's home, it wasn't on my radar. I'm very grateful that my friends suggested it. It dates back to Roman times and has a beautiful cathedral, which we visited. The picture above was taken on the cathedral grounds and includes the original Roman Wall. The weather was as splendid as it appears in the photograph and it was a perfect day. Good food, beautiful sights and great friends!

The English part of the trip surpassed any expectations that I had. I enjoyed all of the sights, learning about the history of the area with which I was quite unfamiliar and seeing friends. I spent the  morning before boarding in Liverpool doing a few last minute errands and visiting the Liverpool Museum. I especially enjoyed seeing an exhibit about John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

 Imagine...

 

Next stop, Scotland!  

 

I've gotten a slow start back to blogging, but back I am. I will be featuring other parts of the trip throughout the rest of June and July, as well as returning to New York, coffee and book posts. 

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and sending wishes for a great week!



 

Welcome to Avebury

 

Welcome to Avebury, Wiltshire, England

 

I was going through my pictures of England this afternoon and was struck by how much I saw during my eight day visit. I had the best guide in my friend, Sybil, who lives in Wiltshire and her friends, Mary, Val and Peter. No one could have had better companions. It's unlikely I could have seen more -- or had a better time -- traveling in any other manner. There are probably another ten blog posts to share, and I will do more posts in the future. But for my last post of July we're going to beautiful Avebury Manor. 

 

One of the most popular sites in England is Stonehenge. But Avebury, which is located about an hour away is equally fascinating. It is the largest Neolithic stone circle in the world, and a fascinating place to visit. I visited Stonehenge four years ago. It was a sea of tour buses and people snapping selfies. This was not the case at Avebury. My friend, Val, and I shared the site with maybe a half dozen other visitors. It was an extraordinary experience.

 

One of the circles of stones at Avebury Henge.

 It's believed that rituals or ceremonies were held here at least five thousand years ago.  

 

The garden at Avebury Manor

 

Avebury Manor House is a sixteenth century manor house located next to the Henge. Unlike most of the house that visitors can tour, everything in Avebury Manor can be touched. Yes, they are reproductions, but it was so much fun to feel the wool on the "redcoat" and pick up the china. The house was featured in a BBC series, The Manor Reborn in 2011.  

 

Church of St. James, Avebury

 

I'm a fan of sacred architecture and the Church of Saint James, Avebury was one of my favorite sites on this trip. The Church is approximately 1,000 years old and dates to the Saxon period. 

 

I began July leaving for England and now I'm ending July with memories of this wonderful trip. August holds no long distance travel plans, but I'm anticipating a trip or two to New England next month. What are your August plans?

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a sweet August!



 

Pink Saturday Goes to Magdalen College, Oxford

  

Magdalen College, Oxford University

 

It's time to go back just a few weeks and revisit some of my favorite memories of this visit to England. For this Pink Saturday we're going to Oxford University and specifically to Magdalen College. When I made my original plans to visit Oxford I thought of taking a walking tour that included all of the colleges of Oxford University. I'm not quite sure where I got that idea or if such a tour exists, but after an initial bus ride around Oxford I realized seeing all of the colleges would be a bigger project than one I could accomplish in two days. I opted to visits to Christ Church and to Magdalen. I chose Christ Church because a friend from New York was taking a summer course there and Magdalen because it was across the street from my hotel. I wasn't disappointed with either choice.

 

Magdalen, founded in 1458 by William Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester, is spectacularly beautiful. I had a wonderful tour with a second year physics student, Alex. I enjoyed learning about the history of the college and present day student life. Notable graduates include -- in no particular order -- Oscar Wilde, Dudley Moore, Cardinal Wolsey, Edward VIII and T.E. Lawrence.

 

The New Buildings, built in the 1730's, where C.S. Lewis lived during his teaching years at Oxford. 

 

Magdalen College is especially known for its association with C.S. Lewis. Lewis was not a graduate of Magdalen, but he taught English Language and Literature there from 1925-1954. It was also at Magdalen where he began his journey towards belief in G'd. He had been an atheist for several decades but moved away from this and began to attend the daily morning service in the Magdalen Chapel.

 

The Magdalen College Chapel

 



Addison's Walk, Magdalen College

 

But it was in this spot on Addison's Walk in the autumn of 1931, in conversation with his colleagues and friends, Hugo Dyson and J.R. Tolkien that Lewis came to believe specifically in Christianity. Lewis was a literary scholar and his work during his Magdalen tenure was greatly respected, but much of the world knows him as the author of Mere Christianity, the Screwtape Letters and the Chronicles of Narnia. I've read a lot about C.S. Lewis, but have actually read very little that he wrote. My visit to Magdalen is a catalyst to begin to Lewis' work. 

 

  The buildings of Magdalen are magnificent, but equally so are the gardens. 

 

I've enjoyed revisiting Oxford and I hope you have, too. If there are any C.S. Lewis readers in Buttercupland -- and I anticipate there are a good number -- which of his books are your favorite?

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a great week!  

 

 



 

Beautiful Box

Blogger is being temperamental, so this may be very brief. 

I'm enjoying a fabulous visit to a blog buddy who lives in the lovely town of Box, Wiltshire, England.

We "met" through blogging in my early blogging days almost ten years ago and have kept in touch ever since. I couldn't have a better guide and I'm enjoying my visit enormously.