Category: England

I walked over to Hall for my last breakfast. There weren’t the number of people there as usual, and it seemed a bit sad. I had my egg and croissant and said goodbye to a few classmates.

A taxi picked us up and the Porter wished us well. 

We weren’t so lucky with the driver, I don’t think he spoke English very well, so I didn’t bother to ask him to take the scenic route. We paid cash, and I whispered to Pat.“should we tip him?“ She said no, unless we should give him money to buy a bar of soap.

The Sir Christopher Wren Hotel is beautifully sited on the river. Pat was able to check in and get her room, I checked in, but my room wasn’t ready. They have a small front garden area so I sat there and read for a while and then Pat met me and we started the walk up the hill to the castle. Every shop is devoted to tourists, either souvenirs or food. And there were lots and lots of tourists. It was actually difficult to walk on the sidewalk. Many different foreign languages were being spoken all around us. We stopped at a restaurant that had outside tables and I had a cappuccino and Pat had a Diet Coke. We were early for our 1 o’clock entrance appointment to get in to see the castle but we walked up to the entrance area. A very nice staff member told us to get on line but we were a half an hour early. She told us to go down the street, turn left and walk over to see the Long Walk.

We walked past the Windsor church, and passed the mews. Then turned a corner on a short block of very nice houses. And the cars outside included a Ferrari, several Mercedes, an Aston Martin, and the lowly Audis and Volvos.

We walked back up and got on line. And then made a very slow walk to the entrance. And then a very slow wait for audio guides. There were SO MANY people. We went to St. George’s Chapel first, which was a great idea. 

Again, so many people. So we shuffled around and it’s really a very impressive place. Of course we got to see the chapel where the queen is buried. 

Then we walked up to the state apartments, a long walk in itself. And then the long long long walk around them. Lots of paintings, lots of armory, exactly how you imagine a royal palace to look.

Every so often we came upon a room that had some benches so we got a little rest. Over two hours later, we looked at each other and said “this is just overload” and we started to wend our way down to the exit.

Pat had made dinner reservations at a recommended Chinese restaurant and we decided to go over there. It was about four but we were starving since we hadn’t had lunch. We had dim sum. I’m not too familiar with dim sum, but Pat said it was very good. We canceled our 7 o’clock reservation. 

Then back through the crowds and down to our hotel. There’s a wedding going on, so they closed the outdoor terrace. It’s a shame because the weather is beautiful and it would’ve been nice to sit by the river. And we even got a free drink coupon when we checked in!

I met Pat at 7:15 so we could use those coupons! And guess what, I am a certified toper now. I do love my Seiter.

We were a little peckish so we split a mature cheddar and pickle sandwich. Pat thought that the pickle would be sliced pickle. But it was English pickle.

In any case, it was tasty.

Then off for a little walk, crossing the bridge over the Thames into Eton. 

Eton High Street was very English looking, with lots of union jacks flying. Just crossing the bridge put you in a completely different frame of mind. No souvenir shops, no terrible fast food restaurants.

Now it’s time to organize everything so we can have breakfast and leave for Heathrow in the morning.

Signing off,
Lynn

I was awakened by the music of the garbage trucks. Since I was up early, I took my recently washed clothes back to the laundry room in the 18th century basement and washed them again without any soap. I had bought detergent from the Porter, which made my clothes smell so artificially chemically floral that I couldn’t stand it.

I stood in the breakfast line, contemplating trying a sausage. People had said they were good, but I just couldn’t do it, they were sitting in a nice layer of fat. I should have since it’s part of the essential British breakfast experience. I still have tomorrow, so maybe I will try again.

I had my egg and my giant croissant and was happy as a clam.

It was a bit sad gathering in our dark warm classroom for the last time. The members of our class are so nice and we have been enjoying each other.

Here is what I learned today:

1. Cattle were small, about 3 feet at the shoulder. The largest and strongest males were castrated so they would get strong for fieldwork. The weaker ones were bred.
2. Ice cream in the late 19th century was called hokey pokey. It was analyzed by a health officer at the time and was said to include yeast, fungus, cotton, bacteria, bugs, hair, and other less salubrious things. Our tutor said cheap ice cream today is made with oil, so we must all stick with the Creamery.

Here is the menu for a middle class family from the late 18th century:

One of the members of our group, Leslie Maitland, lives in the Napa Valley, and has a vineyard with her husband. She brought wine with her and last night served it at a wine tasting. I didn’t attend.

She brought a bottle to class, a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, which she said was fabulous. We all got a glass, I thought it had a lot of tannin in it, but she insisted it was fabulous. It might’ve been. I don’t have a developed palate. It was very nice of her to do this.

They do some thing here which I thought was unusual. People collect £10-20 for a tip/gift for the tutor. Rebecca collected the money and this morning went to the covered market and bought Julia a gift voucher for her favorite butcher and a box of chocolates. We all signed a card. They say voucher here not gift certificate.

She was very touched. She had talked a lot about the butcher because they still had old style meats, and companion foods like the bread pudding she gave us the other day, scotch, eggs, and pork pies.

It was a good idea after all.

Since I went on the trip to Hughenden, I didn’t have the opportunity to see the college kitchen with my tutor and some others in my class. So after lunch, I went down two flights of stairs and stuck my head in. It’s in the original location, and measures 40 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 40 feet high. It’s exactly the same as it was centuries ago, with the addition of modern kitchen appliances, and utensils.

I came back to my wonderful set of rooms with piano and two fireplaces and two chandeliers, and started organizing for packing up. It’s been a very quick week.

We arranged to have afternoon tea with Steph from Bristol. I made a reservation at Quod and we met at the Canterbury Gate at 2:45 to walk to the restaurant. We walked through back streets and it was almost deserted. One block over and you can barely walk on the sidewalk.

Pat chose the full graduation tea which included a glass of champagne, I had the cream tea, two scones with clotted, cream and raspberry jam, and I ordered tea sandwiches à la carte. Steph got the cream tea, she was the most abstemious. I had to get the sandwiches, because when will I have another opportunity? They really are delicious. We all had Darjeeling tea and chatted and laughed for over an hour and a half.

This evening we have a farewell dinner starting with Prosecco in the garden and then our class and tutor will be seated at high table for dinner. Julia told us that we would all be toasting King Charles. Not sure what I’m going to do.

The bells have been peeling for almost half an hour. I wonder what it’s for?

On the way over to dinner, I stopped a porter and asked her about the peeling bells. It wasn’t from Christ Church but Oxford is filled with churches and bells. She said there’s always something going on!
The weather held and we were able to have Prosecco outside with all the members of the program and the tutors. Afterwords we went into Hall and my class and one other class was seated at high table. There were white linens on the table and linen tablecloths. Everything looked very festive. There were multiple wine glasses at every place. White wine, red wine, port, and water.

Dinner was delicious, four courses.

First was ham hock terrine, (I passed), then sea bream with pesto, then chicken with spring peas and corn risotto and asparagus. It was very good! Dessert was ice cream flavored with balsamic vinegar. It wasn’t worth the calories. But what was worth the calories was a strawberry macaron.

We were all sitting at the end of the table, so could speak with one another and with Julia. It was a lot of fun and a lot of laughs and conversation. We all wrote down our email addresses, then took a photo and we’ll see if anything sticks. I’ll certainly send Christmas emails!

Time to pack up. Windsor tomorrow.

This was a surprising and lovely week. I’m so glad I came.

Love,
Lynn

I was very brave last night. I went into the bathroom, and on the bathmat was a very, very large black spider. Did I scream? No. I could only rely on my brave self.  I was thinking about the huntsman spiders that my Australian friend Rebecca used to tell me about. Ugh.

I managed to pick up the four corners of the bathmat and shake the spider into the toilet. I slammed down the seat cover and flushed four or five times. Just wanted to make sure!

Breakfast shared with new friends, then off to class.

This is what I learned today. 

1. Back in the day, people knew turkeys were foreign. They assumed they came from Turkey. Therefore they called them turkeys.
2. Tea was a feminist symbol. Coffee and chocolate had to be taken out in coffee houses. Only men got to go out. In fact, the coffee houses became the men’s clubs or places of business. Lloyds of London was a coffee house first. Tea was served at home, and the mistress was the keeper of the tea leaves, which were incredibly expensive. She would invite her friends over to join her for tea. And subversive feminist clubs were founded.
3. Did you know Oxford was the first place to serve coffee?

Julia allowed us to leave class a few minutes early so we could have lunch before meeting at Tom Quad to walk down to our bus.

We had a field trip to Cogges Farm.

The original farm was listed in the Domesday book dating from 1000.

The buildings retain a lot of the medieval work, it was incredible. The farm was also used as Yew Tree Farm on Downton Abbey.

They had goats, sheep, a pig and ducks and geese. All looked very happy and well cared for.

We had a wonderful guide who was passionate about the place. He’s been there many years, he and his wife do a lot of the gardening there as well. 

When we went into the kitchen, there were two docents and a 9 or 10 year old girl dressed in costume. The little girl served us Welsh cakes. They were pretty good. Sort of like scones, but flatter and topped with cinnamon sugar. I got the recipe. This Welsh Cakes recipe is similar.

I left a donation because it is a terrific look into the past. 

Pat sat at high table this evening for dinner, I took a picture of her for posterity. I get my chance tomorrow.

So far we have had chicken, pork, salmon, and tonight, some sort of beef fillet. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Dessert was a meringue topped with fresh banana topped with whipped cream drizzled with butter scotch. Every night, something wonderful. Crème brûlée, tiramisu, lemon tart.

Once again, we were the last to leave. I sat with my friends, Jeff and Gail from Vancouver, Alona from Sydney via Latvia, and Stephanie, who lives on the border of England and Wales. We had a great conversation about English and Australian TV series.

I walked back to my room in Canterbury Quad. I stopped in Tom Quad, the main area and just watched the sky and the setting sun for a while. It’s so beautiful it makes your heart hurt.  A bell has been peeling for a half an hour. It just stopped! I wonder what it was for.

Love,
Lynn

Got up early to put in a load of laundry. The porters sell detergent and the machines are free. Luckily the laundry was in Peckwater, exactly 1 1/2 minute walk from my digs at Canterbury. Have you ever done laundry in an 18th century basement?

Then breakfast. It was still early, and the Cathedral was open and I went in. They were probably three people in there with me. It was so beautiful, just exactly the way you would think a small English cathedral would be. They have an early morning service and the incense was still hanging heavy in the air.

The first part of our lecture, this morning was very interesting. A former student made some Swedish dishes for us to try. Smoked reindeer heart (I passed, but several people said it was delicious), a canapé made with chopped anchovies, butter, egg, and parsley (also passed), and some very stinky Swedish cheese. I did NOT pass. 

Lito brought in flavored gin that he had in his restaurant. One had Garam Masala spices, the other had been infused with peach and mango tea bags. They smelled divine, and I even tasted both! It’s still gin.

And that was the highlight of the class.

Here’s what I learned. A saucer is named that because it was a small dish for sauces.

We were a bit late to lunch because Julia wasn’t keeping track of time. We had to eat quickly because we had a bus at 1:30 to take us on our excursion to Hughendon.

It’s about 50 minutes from Oxford and was the estate of Benjamin Disraeli. 

There was a self guided tour, you just wandered from room to room and read about the decor. It is much the same as it was almost 150 years ago. It’s owned by the national trust, and there were very nice guides in most rooms that would answer questions.

The gardens were lovely, and after the visit to the house and gardens I met Pat and some of the members of our group in the stable yard, which has become a café and gift shop. Diet Pepsi, and a fruit scone for us!

All 50 or so of us got to the designated spot to meet the bus, but the bus did not meet us. We waited over half an hour and finally boarded for our return trip.

Consequently, we were almost late for dinner, so it was a rush to clean up a bit and get to Hall. 

The starter was a small round of baked Camembert with a delicious little salad, then lamb steak with English roasted potatoes and French beans. Dessert, tiramisu!

Meals are so much fun, people are talk talk talking and there’s always something new to talk about.

We walked over to the lecture hall where we had met on our first evening. As soon as we all sat down, the fire alarm went off. We were told we had to leave and go to a muster point. We waited around five minutes until they decided somebody went out a fire door. We returned, the side show begin again, and the alarm went off again. This time we just sat for a few minutes until they figured out how to turn the alarm off. 

One of the tutors gave a lecture about cartoons with a side bit about 60’s music stars in photos. He’s the tutor of Pat’s class on the Beatles. Very entertaining.

I am tired out! More tomorrow.

Love,
Lynn

I haven’t said too much about the people I have met here. When I enter the dining area, I look down the tables to see if I can find some friendly faces. Often there are people from other programs or just doing bed-and-breakfast. I just found a site and it looks like it costs about $86 a night including breakfast. (but no A/C). Breakfast and lunch are cafeteria style, dinner is served.

In any case, I have met Stephanie from Shropshire, her husband is in Berlin and she decided why should she stay home alone. Also, a mother daughter couple, Linda and Laura. Linda lives in Wales and Laura moved to Versailles when she met her husband while living in France.

Then there’s Colleen from New York City whose daughter is starting at Penn State on Thursday.

There are also members of my class, any one of them I would be happy to spend time with. People are from all over. In my class there is a woman from Finland who lives in Norway, a Latvian woman who lives in Sydney, a mother daughter couple from DC, a woman from the Napa Valley, who has told us several times about her winery, and that she writes cookbooks, a man from Cheltenham, who is a native of Bangladesh, a couple from Vancouver, a very nice woman from Denton, Texas, who has been on the program many times and a woman from New York City, who has been on the program seven or eight times.

I think most classes are in Peckwater, which, luckily, is right next door to Canterbury, the quad where I am living. It is absolutely beautiful.

Julia, our tutor, brought in various herbs that she grows in her garden. All were used in ancient times, including leaf celery, which used to be called smallage. That meant “small ache” which the leaves were supposed to cure. Nowadays the seeds from that plant are used for celery salt and celery seed.

She spoke about lots of other ancient plants and the implements used to make and store them. There is a pot called a zeer which nowadays would be called a wine refrigerator.

She went on to talk about the Minoans. They found residue in pots from very elegant sounding dishes, including herbs, and wine and olive oil.

She’s really the best when she tells a little history with stories. The word parasite comes from the Greek. Para meaning “along side” and situs meaning “food.” They were uninvited guests, party crashers, (freeloaders) who would sit under the table to catch fallen food. And that’s your lesson for today.

I skipped coffee hour, I ate too many biscuits yesterday. The second half of class was tough. And I wasn’t the only one falling asleep. The woman next to me was unwrapping candies (trying to minimize the crinkling). She later told me she was desperate to get the sugar to keep from falling asleep.

The hot line at lunch was moussaka, and the cold one had duck breast, shrimps, a tray of salami and mortadella, quiche and a few other trays, of what, I can’t remember! Also salad. There’s always a big platter of cheeses and fresh fruit so I had some salad and then fresh fruit,  focaccia and cheese.

After lunch, I walked out through a side gate and over to Christ Church Meadows. And it really is a meadow, the land was donated to them. There’s a thatched roof visitors center/gift shop there. Lots of Alice In Wonderland memorabilia, and even shelves full of coronation stuff. And it wasn’t even marked down!

Then I walked a little bit out of the college through the memorial gardens that are beautiful. There is a long, low hedge of lavender which a gardener was cutting. The smell wafting in the air was delicious.

I went out of the Christ Church gate and walked around a bit, then returned to my lovely room to put up my feet until the next activity.

I signed up for a program given in the library at 4:30. A string quartet performing in the most beautiful venue imaginable. They played traditional music, including Haydn, Britten and Elgar and even a Jerome Kern show tune. 

I looked out the window to the glorious views of these ancient colleges, and couldn’t believe that I am here.

We had a lot of fun at dinner with some new friends, including Judit who is a PhD candidate at St. John’s College here, but teaching anthropology this week at Christ Church. She’s Hungarian, has been around the world, many times, and is so funny! They were also two young women joining in our conversation. We were all talking about Internet dating and asking the girls if that’s how they met boys. They both made faces and said it’s a horrible way to meet someone. I told him that since I was never going to see them again could I ask them a crazy question. Of course they wanted to know what it was and I asked, “So what’s the thing with dick pics.” They absolutely collapsed with laughter. We had a very interesting discussion.

There is a pub that Pat wanted to visit that turns out to be on a small lane right by the wall of the college. It’s called The Bear and has been around for a long long time. It’s famous for the cut off tails of ties that line the space, all under glass in frames. Of course we had to go.

Now that I have become a big drinker, I ordered a half of cider. It really tasted like Motts apple juice, so I understand how people can get quite toasted on cider. But not me!

The big gate was closed for the night, but there’s a small wicket door in it that opened with our fobs. At 9 o’clock, the bell started ringing 101 times, a tradition that let the undergrads know they had to be inside before the last chime. Of course, it’s no longer in effect, but the bell still tolls. The sun was almost set and the lights were on around the quad and in the tower. It’s such a beautiful sight.

Home again. Tomorrow we are going on a field trip!

Love,
Lynn

After sleeping in my little twin bed last night, I woke up to a dreary, rainy morning.

Breakfast is served cafeteria style in the enormous Hall. In one corner, there was yogurt and cereal, down the side, cooked English breakfast, and at the end, fruit, toast, and croissants. They had trays and trays of fried eggs, baked beans, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, and probably four or five other things that I have forgotten. I just got a bowl of cereal and some fruit. The cantaloupe and watermelon were delicious but the honeydew was awful.

It was astonishing to see how many people had loaded plates with the whole deal.

I might try an egg and toast tomorrow. The eggs that Peter made us every morning really seem to hold me. The cereal just didn’t!

I met my 10 classmates and my tutor in our little room. It was completely paneled in dark wood and about 14 feet square.. There were two slim doors on either side of the back wall. I think they go to bedrooms and our classroom is the living room for student accommodation.

Julia Creswell is our tutor. She was a student here and has taught here for many many years. She said she’s retiring on Friday.

She’s very sweet and likes to have some discussion but mostly just reads from her syllabus. It gets pretty dry.

We learned about how science has determined what people have eaten thousands of years ago. They have found that dental plaque forms layers on teeth over the years. They took one and examined the layers and found bits of hazelnuts and eel.

On the teeth of a 12th century nun, they found lapis lazuli. They figure she was a manuscript artist, and probably licked her brush before applying the lapis.

Lots of words like Mesozoic and Cro-Magnon and Paleozoic, all mentions of long long long long long ago!

We had a break in the middle and walked over to the undercroft. It was raining and there were a lot of people crammed in. They served us coffee or tea, and had plates of traditional English biscuits (Cookies).

Back for another hour, I found myself pinching my arm to keep from nodding off.

We had a bit of a break, then lunch. You could get a hot lunch, which I think was haddock or a cold lunch with turkey, roast beef, quiche, smoked salmon, Caprese salad, and a very small selection salad bar. That’s what I chose, it was more than enough.

Lots of us took the guided tour of Christ Church College, we were divided into groups. Our guide was a custodian, complete with his bowler hat. I don’t think custodian needs the same thing here.

The gardens around the side and back of the college are spectacular. We were shown one that had a wall with a small ancient door in it. King Charles 1st had it put in because he was living in Christ Church College , and his wife was in Merton College. He could get there by going through the wall instead of going way around on the road. Also, as you may remember, this is where Alice from Alice in Wonderland lived.

Next to Hall is the Buttery. That has nothing to do with butter I learned, it was where the butts of beer were stored. We also saw a very old building which was the college brewery in the 1500s. They couldn’t drink the water, so everyone had beer.

Very interesting stuff!

Pat and I decided to walk to the center to see if they were any interesting shops. It is so amazingly crowded everywhere and again, lots and lots of tourists.

We split up, and I walked back, picking up a Diet Coke on the way.

Put my feet up and had a soda and a small piece of Gruyere cheese that I kept from our wonderful cheese shop in Bath.

Dinner at 6:30 at The Hall, Pat met me at the entry so I didn’t have to search up and down the long, long tables. We sat with two of the women we met last night and a few new people. Everyone is so nice and open and chatty. 

Everyone in the program has received an invitation to the high table, mine is for Friday night. Men have to wear a jacket and tie.

Dinner conversation was nice although you have to raise your voice to be heard. There are 200 or so people eating at once. Food was good.

They are having a little croquet party tonight, I decided not to go because my little tootsies hurt. My activity app is going wild on my phone. It’s never seen so many steps registered to me! Probably thinks someone stole my phone.

I’m going to do some really interesting stuff now. Like wash my socks.

Love,
Lynn

Tim picked us up promptly at 9 o’clock. I was not sad to say goodbye to Marlborough House.

It was raining as we drove out of Bath en route to Castle Combe. Tim said he wanted to get there quickly because it is so beautiful, and after 10 or so, it becomes completely congested with tourists. We were lucky; he found a parking spot right at the edge of town so we could walk up the one street.

The town has been used as the setting for several movies, including “Dr. Dolittle” and “War Horse.” In the church, there is a display of photos from the filming. During production, the streets were covered with dirt, and any modern signs or objects on the house fronts were removed. Additionally, the production companies have paid to have all the utilities hidden.

We walked up to the beautiful market cross and entered the church. We were fortunate as there were only a dozen or so other visitors. Tim mentioned that after 11 o’clock, it becomes difficult to walk down the street because of the crowd.

We returned to the car and drove to a beautiful manner that has been turned into a deluxe hotel. They even had the second street of the town closed off and renovated the houses into more hotel rooms.

Hiring Tim was absolutely brilliant. He drove on back roads where we could see beautiful scenery since the clouds lifted.

We passed the town of Badminton, home of the Duke of Beaufort. His estate is huge, many thousands of acres and all around are homes he owns and rents out. All of them have the trim painted a weird yellow/orange. Tim said he likes to wander around and check out all of his property. He has a 4 mile drive that leads from the gate house to his home

We headed towards the town of Westonbirt and stopped at a tiny lot that turned out to be the parking lot for a Saxon church. Maybe it could hold three cars?? The walk to the church was through a tunnel of trees, and we passed a very old ill kept cemetery. Then boom, there was the church.

Just around the church, you could see the posh girls school, Westonbirt. It was incredibly beautiful with vast manicured grounds.

The roads were very narrow, and occasionally we had to back up and allow a car going in the opposite direction to get through. Gorgeous, rolling countryside, water meadows, and drop dead gorgeous manor houses and farms, just the kind of place you imagine you could live in with 10 in staff and horses.

We passed through the countryside and through the town of Winson. Then on to Coln St Rogers. It has a lovely war memorial and is a Thankful Village, one of only 50 villages in England and Wales, where all those who went away to fight in WW1 returned safely.

We bypassed Bibury, which is a very well-known town because it was slammed with tourists. It’s famous for Arlington Row.

We stopped in the town of Northleach, which was a well-known wool town, and had lunch at a pub called The Wheatsheaf. Another delicious meal! Pat and I both had the cheddar soufflé, and I ordered a side order of roasted heirloom carrots baked with honey and thyme. Tim had a pea risotto that looked beautiful, really spring green. I had a taste, and it was delicious too.

Then we drove into Oxford. It’s a busy city, and we had to take a detour to finally reach St Aldate’s Street where Christ Church College is located. Tim dropped us off at Tom Gate, where the porters, dressed in uniforms and bowler hats, directed us to the office.

Signed in, got the key fob, found my room, which is in Canterbury Quad. Pat was supposed to be nearby, but her room was in the basement and she chose to leave for a better location on the other side of the college. My rooms are large – I have a full sitting room complete with piano and a bedroom with en suite bathroom.

I unpacked, then took a walk, back out Tom Gate and walked a few blocks to get the lay of the land. Oxford is teaming with people. Lots and lots of tourists and I heard many languages being spoken.

Christ Church admits visitors (for a fee) and many were walking around. Again, lots of tourists. They all left by five and it’s very quiet.

The whole group, perhaps a bit over 100 met for an introductory session. Then we walked over for a wine party held by the entrance to Hall. Met a very nice woman from Wales and a young woman from New York City came over and asked to join us. She said she has three girls either in college or starting college and I said off the cuff, “any going to Penn State?“ Her mouth dropped open, her husband is dropping their freshman daughter off on Thursday. How’s that for a coincidence!

We walked into the Hall for dinner, which is like walking into Harry Potterville.

Nice dinner, all served to us. Tasted decent, like a conference or wedding dinner. I’ve had worse!

We met our tutors after dinner, and now I know where my class will be. Food and Feasting. Perfect for me!

Back to my rooms and time for some decompression reading.

Love,
Lynn

Not much happening today. Had a leisurely breakfast, then tidied up so I can pack tonight. 

We paid our bill this morning, so we wouldn’t have to wait endless hours for Peter to do the reckoning. Also ordered breakfast because we have to leave at 9 o’clock sharp. Let’s see what happens. Peter gave us business cards so we could recommend his establishment. I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Lydia, the maid/factotum knocked on my door and asked if she could clean. I told her to go ahead, and although she is very sweet, she’s not exactly a good cleaner. She pulled the duvet straight, took the garbage out, and gave me new towels. No vacuum, no bathroom, no dusting. However, she did leave biscuits and chocolates (the cheap kind). Cheap chocolate is still chocolate, so I’m not complaining.

We got a late start and moseyed down to the center. Of course, we need to stop at our favorite cheese shop. The young man was giving us lots of tastes again. Pat bought some gift items to make up for all the free cheese.

We went in and out of shops. I stopped in a Lloyds Bank and used the ATM. The outside of the building is absolutely gorgeous, the inside is just like any other bank in the world.

I exchanged a 10 pound note for 10 pound coins. They are very weighty.

We waited out a brief rainstorm in an organic potion shop called Neal’s Yard. Pat bought some potions. I probably should have bought some but I figured not much will help me now.

Rosario‘s Restaurant was recommended to us. It was a tiny café with part of it across the alley. There was also a steep narrow staircase to the second floor.

Behind the counter was a giant, Italian espresso machine, and hundreds of assorted cannoli. My kind of spot. I had a cappuccino and a bowl of homemade leak and potato soup. It was delicious, not thick and gluey. Pat had grilled panini with brie, tomato and pesto. And the crowning achievement was tiramisu. That was really spectacular.

I left Pat to continue her window shopping and I came back to the B&B. 

We canceled our dinner reservation and decided to go back to the pub we enjoyed a few days ago, The Griffin.

Charcuterie for dinner?

Why yes! We split the charcuterie platter and the highly recommended chicken ale  pie with homemade mash. That was wonderful. AND I had the hard cider again! I am going to be the life of the party in State College now that I know how wonderful cider is.

Then a walk back to our stupendous, luxurious, elegant B&B, with my one towel (which is not bath size).

Hijinks to come tomorrow, off we go to Oxford.

Love,
Lynn

After carefully checking with Peter, we were able to invite Ria for breakfast this morning. We had a nice farewell, it was wonderful seeing her and so kind of her to schlep from Utrecht to Bath to see us.

Pat has had some bad luck here. Her hot water stopped working, and the safe in her room jammed, so Peter moved her to another room. Luckily he had a key for the safe.

On the walls of the B&B are many paintings in black, white and gray of Marilyn Monroe-type women. Weird. Pat asked Lydia, the helper, about them and she said “Peter’s partner painted the pictures.” Pat wanted to ask if he had pickled peppers, too.

So after some fits and starts we walked to town.

Tim had told us about his favorite cheese shop in Bath, Paxton and Whitfield, when we were telling him about our disappointment with the cheddar on sale in Cheddar. We passed his choice and immediately walked in. It was small and delightful, with a sweet young man who kept choosing cheeses for us to try. I ended up buying a small piece of a wonderful aged cheddar. Pat wants to go back tomorrow to get some of the gifts they stock.

We went back to a tiny shop owned by an architect/artist and got some wonderful prints of Bath. They will make very nice memories for us.

I wandered over to Marks and Spencer and unbelievably found a plain black cardigan to replace the one I left in the rental car we dropped off at the airport. £23, a bargain!

Bumped into Pat in the furniture department, she was finishing her work sitting on a convenient sofa. I sat on another one and read until she was ready to leave.

We walked over to the Pultney Bridge and did some window shopping, then Pat did some real shopping and got lucky finding a wonderful long winter coat on sale. It’s very British, it has straps to keep the coat secure over your jodhpurs when out riding your horse. As one does.

Instead of lunch (and dinner) we opted for afternoon tea at Browns, a restaurant recommended as one of the top ten places serving tea in Bath. We gave it a 6 out of 10 because the champagne was good. We decided to make a reservation at a fancy place, Pat went to book it online and was asked for her title. There was no drop-down menu, so she typed in Dutchess.

It was time to head over for our timed entry to visit the Roman Baths. You get an audio guide that takes you through the baths, showing the amazing history of the place, how the warm spring water comes up through the ground and how the Romans channeled it to create hot baths, warm baths, and a large swimming pool that they covered with a roof. That kept the algae growth down and kept the pool clear. Now, with no roof, the sun promotes algae growth and the water is a murky green.

After 2 1/2 hours, we dragged ourselves back to Marlborough House. Where Pat had no working A/C. Peter finally figured out that the handyman had flipped the switch off when he replaced the filter earlier.

Time to put my feet up.

I can’t seem to get any WiFi service so I couldn’t add any more links. 

Love,
Lynn

After waiting for a while for Peter to get his act together to make us breakfast, we breathed deeply, and let it go.

Tim, our guide/driver, met us outside and we started our trip to the Cheddar Gorge and Wells. Tim is so genial and easy to be with. We drove through Bath chatting away and started through the countryside. We went through the Mendips, hilly limestone country, to the Cheddar Gorge. The caverns and used to age cheese, and Cheddar Man was found in one.

It was carved out by the Yeo river and has steep rock cliffs. It is populated by brown Saoy sheep, 10 or 12 of which were brought here many years ago from Scotland by a man who thought they were cute. They can climb up the steepest tracks and are usually seen in the early morning. We did get lucky and see two!

One end of the gorge is owned by the National Trust and the other is owned by the Marquess of Bath who is looking to cash in! Tim was able to stop in a small public lot in the tourist area and showed us where there was a cheese shop that he had heard was good. We walked down the street which was chockablock with fudge shops, ice cream shops, souvenir shops, fish and chips shops, and all the usual tat found in tourist areas.

The shop was a grave disappointment. Very commercial. We tasted their vintage cheddar and mature cheddar. They are only allowed to give you one tiny sample. They were not memorable. We did stop in a shop selling Marshfield ice cream, which is supposedly the greatest. I had a small cup of Caribbean coconut, and Pat had death by chocolate. It was very, very good.

We passed through the non-touristy part of Cheddar and Tim showed us the market cross. There are carved stone steps that a farmer would stand on and make a deal on selling livestock or crops. The roof was topped by a cross which meant that the deal was blessed by God. If you were sold a sick sheep, tough luck.

Then onto Wells via Glastonbury. We passed Glastonbury tor with its tower on the summit. Then drove through town, which has many many shops, devoted to dream catchers, crystals, astrological charts, and any other mystical products you could possibly imagine. We just kept on going.

Wells is a dream. Absolutely beautiful Cathedral precinct. Tim managed to get a perfect parking space so we all walked to see the Vicars Close.

Then we walked through a beautiful grassy area, which was used as a common cemetery for plague victims to the Bishop’s Palace. It is surrounded by a moat with swans swimming in it. The whole area is so beautiful, the gardens are gorgeous.

We had sandwiches sitting under an awning with a beautiful view. I had coronation chicken. I’ve always read about it and now I had the opportunity to try it! It’s chicken salad with some curry powder in it. It was tasty.

When you leave the cathedral/bishops palace precinct, you pass through a covered porch area called Penniless Porch. There was a stone bench where a beggar could sit while waiting for people to go to the cathedral.

Then you enter the main street of the town of Wells. It looked very pretty and well-kept and half way down the street there was another market cross.

We were lucky enough to have booked a private tour and had Mark as our guide. He was a spectacular guide and spent two hours giving us such detail about the building of the cathedral, and the meaning of so many things within. The most remarkable thing is how the architects and masons used geometry to figure out how to build the cathedral.

There is a wonderful astrological clock, and we waited for it to chime the quarter hour.

It was about an hours drive back to Bath. We would be early for our dinner reservation, so Tim dropped us off at a pub he likes. I asked about their cider. I was given taste of two different kinds. I ordered a half (pint) of the carbonated one.

It was delicious, but it packed a punch. 

We walked over to The Scallop Shell for dinner. Limited menu of fabulous very very fresh fish. I had fish and chips and Pat and Ria tried several different offerings, including scallops, prawns, sea bass, and mussels. Of course everything came with chips (and mushy peas).

Then a much needed walk back to the B&B.

Love,
Lynn

P.S. Here’s a joke told to Tim by his grandniece:

I went to Bath the other day and got mugged by 6 dwarves. Not happy.

Even though he told us that breakfast runs from eight until 945, I got a call from Peter, our nanny/landlord, at 9:15 asking when I would be down for breakfast. Luckily, I was almost ready but it was still a surprise.

Ria met us and we walked up to the Royal Crescent to the small museum they have at Number One.

It was a lovely tour, we advanced from one room to the next, and in each room, there was an audio of conversations between the members of the household and staff, according to which room we were in. Stock characters, mother concerned about getting out of London to the fresh air and waters of Bath, father worried about his profligate son, daughters, worried about finding husbands, and staff talking about all the work they did. It was enjoyable and neat to look at the furnishings of each room. The kitchen was quite eye-opening. What a huge amount of work it was to create each meal.

Pat left to go to her spa afternoon appointment and Ria and I moseyed over to a café in a delightful courtyard. We sat outside, the weather was beautiful! Apparently there’s been two straight weeks of rain here. The cappuccino was wonderful, with a heart drawn into the foam.

Then we walked back to the bed-and-breakfast and met Tim, our guide for the afternoon. He is absolutely lovely.

We headed out of town to the small town of Bathampton, to the Bathampton Mill for lunch. It was right on the river Avon. At pubs here you order at the bar, pay, then take your drinks to a table. Tim insisted on buying us diet Cokes, which was very kind. Ria and I split some small plates, creamed, mushrooms, burrata with pesto, and an interesting scallop dish. It was plenty!

Then off to Bradford on Avon. On the way, we passed a rugby pitch that was overrun with sheep. Tim explained that it was the way to keep the grass down. I think they move the sheep when rugby season starts. Can you imagine?? 

Bradford on Avon is a delightful small town where a small bridge arches over the river. There’s an ancient structure built right into the bridge, called the blind lock up. It’s a very small stone cell where drunks would be taken until they could sober up. It’s called blind not because they got blind drunk, but because it was so dark in there when they came out, they couldn’t see until their eyes adjusted. 

We parked in the town lot and then walked over to the Saxon church, St. Laurence. It’s at least 1000 years old and is spare and beautiful.

Then we walked over to Holy Trinity church. It was built around 1150. There was a lot of refurbishment in the 18 century using money from the wool trade. A kind gentleman pointed out a small dark painting. He said it is a copy of the painting “Christ Blessing” by the Flemish, Master Quentin Metsys. The original was given to the church in 1940. Long story short, it was half of a diptych and sold for over £1 million. They used the money to help maintain and repair the church. 

Tim told us an interesting fact about the table tombs in the church yard. If someone collapsed and was thought dead, they would be put in their home for a day to make sure that they were actually dead. And then they were brought to the church yard, and put in the table tomb (if their family owned one, obviously). These tombs were used for whole families. And occasionally, when when was opened for a new burial, scratch marks were seen, which indicated that the person was still alive when buried. So a piece of string was attached to the body, threaded out of the tomb and onto a bell which could be used to signal that the corpse wasn’t actually a corpse. They actually had men staying in the graveyard until several days after burial. Their job was to listen for the bell. Hence the term “saved by the bell“ and also “dead ringer“.

We then walked on a path along the river to see a spectacular tithe barn. It’s from the 14th century and is huge, but was unfortunately closed.

Then back to Bath.

Pat decided to stay at the spa, having afternoon tea and a rest. So I walked over to our restaurant, Sotto Sotto, figuring I could have pasta after all that exercise. Of course I got a little lost, but was soon put straight. I depend on the kindness of strangers.

The restaurant is in the basement, the ceilings and walls are lined with stone. Beautiful. And the dinner was beautiful, too! Very, very tasty. The servers are all from Italy and apparently from the same family according to Tim. 

Pat admitted to not being very hungry, and then she showed a photo of her afternoon tea. Gorgeous. Sandwiches, scones, macaron, carrot cake, raspberry tart, chocolate mocha cake, a big bowl of clotted cream, and one of homemade jam. And a very full glass of champagne.

We walked back to the B&B together and hopefully I have more than 10,000 steps. I’m afraid to look.

On to the Cheddar Gorge and Wells tomorrow with Tim. Can’t wait.

Love,
Lynn

Of course, I picked the one day of summer when there were tornadoes flying around to start my trip.

Lightning and thunder delayed our flight for two hours, but I was really prepared for it to be canceled so was delighted to get off the ground.
My Philadelphia friend Pat and I have been planning this trip since December. Time really flies, because here we are.

We were met at the airport by lovely man, who drove us to Bath. This is SO much better than dragging suitcases on the Heathrow express, then changing stations in London on the tube, then getting on a train for Bath. We arrived like the perfectly elegant ladies that we are.

Rich gave us a bit of a tour so we got to see some of Bath before he dropped us off at our B&B.

Our host, Peter, signed us in, and then spent 15 minutes explaining how to get around Bath (you walk) then took me to my room and spent 5 minutes explaining how the key works. (put the key in the lock, then turn).

He means well.

We chose Marlborough House because the reviews were stellar and the pictures were gorgeous. The Four Seasons it’s not. But it’s clean and has air conditioning.

About 10 years ago, I went to Cambridge University for a summer program and met two wonderful women with whom I have stayed in touch. Rebecca lives in Brisbane and Ria lives in Utrecht. Ria made the schlep to London then to Bath to meet up with us. She’ll be with us until Friday. She met Pat when Pat spent time in Amsterdam this past fall. Ria gave her the grand tour of Utrecht.

We hauled ourselves up the hill and had lunch at a very nice pub, The Marlborough Tavern. Pat had fish and chips and mushy peas. Ria had a smoked salmon appetizer and a very tasty Thai corn dumpling dish. I was boring and had a Caesar salad. Of course I tasted the chips. A lot.
And then we walked. And walked. The hotel is located near the Royal Crescent, which is knock your socks off spectacular when you walk around the corner and see it. We walked to the circus, a circle of Georgian buildings surrounding a park which has huge trees in the middle, which have probably been there for hundreds of years. The city is so beautiful, most of the buildings are made out of Bath stone, which has a honey color.

Lots of tourists everywhere, from many countries.

Pat looked ready to drop and I desperately needed a very large coffee. We found a café/deli and they obliged with a wonderful cappuccino. Pat decided to walk back to the hotel. Ria and I continued to wander.

Finally arrived back at the hotel where my feet are in recovery. I am happily having a Diet Coke and a bag of diet low salt tortilla chips. (next time I will get full fat full salt potato chips). Perfect dinner.

I’m going to try to stay up for another couple of hours and then crash.

More excitement tomorrow.
Love,
Lynn

P.S. I am trying to use voice recognition, and if there are mistakes, I’m sorry.