9/19/2017

Weekly Update - 9/19/2017

Special Edition - the UK Adventure

 I apologize for spelling and grammar mistakes in the update.  I'm in a hurry to get it posted.  

9/3
I left Savannah early, and met up with Ishy and Allen at JFK.  We had already reserved our British Air seats, and were sitting together on the long flight. 

getting fortified for the flight

9/4
Dave and Lisa met us at the airport.  It was WONDERFUL to see them looking for us at the gate, after that long flight, and the hassle of customs.  We went to the hotel that would be our home for two nights - The Manor Elstree.  It was lovely, and the bar at the hotel was so accommodating, we enjoyed it every evening.  But, we couldn't check in when we arrived, so tubed into London.  We took the Hop On Hop Off sightseeing tour for a nice overview of the city.  Allen and I had wanted to go on The Eye, so we did that - the views were amazing! We went back to the hotel for planning what to do next, drinks, food and enjoying the company we were in.  

our lovely hotel 

over looking London from the Eye

9/5
The next morning didn't start off well.  I realized I had not packed my hairbrush, and when I went to buy a new one, I discovered I didn't have my wallet; it was back at the hotel.  My day did not start off well. But after the delay of pandering to Wilma, we made it back to London.  We did the Hop On Hop Off boat tour, which gave a view of the city different than the bus tour.  We went to the National Gallery for some great art.  Then, back to the hotel for more camaraderie.  

London as seen from the tour boat

awaiting a train in the tube

in the National Gallery

relaxing in the pub at the hotel

9/6

We checked out of the hotel in London and traveled to Liverpool.  We had a stop at Stratford-upon-Avon to tour Shakespeare's homes there.  The birthplace (where he was born) is still standing and is a museum, but the New House (where he lived later) has been lost.  There is a museum where it once stood, and guides to explain the site.  The English gardens at both places were lovely!  The lunch we had here was at a little tea shop, and I had the only English Tea I enjoyed on this trip - little egg salad sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream, and raspberry tea. (I enjoyed many steak and ale pies, and jacket potatoes on the trip, and some homemade (but restaurant quality) meals by Dave). Traveling on to Liverpool, we arrived in time to go to a great restaurant, where the drinks were smokin' - and I mean that literally. We also went to a pub, where a duo was singing Beatles songs, and a very small wedding party was drinking, dancing and having a good time; that made us feel as if we were part of the fun.  

Shakespeare's birthplace

the Gardens at New House

a smokin' cocktail

9/7

I was beginning to get nervous because the reports of Hurricane Irma and making landfall in Savannah were becoming frightening.  I was getting messages about the evacuation, and that some friends would be staying at MP.  As it turned out, it was Much Ado About Nothing (see the link there?), but it was a little scary at first. I'd evacuated to UK, which was well out of the path, and other than that, there was nothing I could do.  

We had a day in Liverpool, which was great.  I had not been there before, so there was much to see and everything was new.  We began with Waddle on Waddle Off tour bus again, which was a great overview of the city and the docks.  Much of Liverpool history is, of course, the music.  We went to the Beatles Museum, and the Museum of Liverpool, both grand!  Later, we went into the Cavern Club to hear some live music and raise a pint.  Allen, Ishy and I also found a pub where we watched some US Open tennis for a short time.  

me and The Boys

inside the Cavern

9/8

We traveled from Liverpool to Porthcawl, a long drive.  Dave did all the driving, so the three of us visitors had a great opportunity to view the scenery as we were going along (or nap, often the case; Dave must have felt that he was the driver for an old folks home bus, with us snoozing in the back seat!).  The drive was broken up by a stop at the Penderyn Distillery for a tour of the whiskey making process.  That was interesting and we had a chance taste (and purchase) at the end of the tour.  We arrived at Dave and Lisa's home in the late afternoon.  Their home in Porthcawl is lovely, and we felt at home right away.  We were treated to a dinner at a local, historic pub not far from their home, The Prince of Wales, dating from the 15th century within the ancient borough of Kenfig, and now it serves as the town Hall as well as restaurant and pub; I even had a tour of the facilities with the owner.  

tastings at Penderyn Distillery

welcome to Wales, where sheep outnumber people 4-1

great pub!

9/9

Today we did both Stonehenge and Bath.  Stonehenge is a mysterious circle of large rocks, or more appropriately, a temple aligned on the movements of the sun, built about 4500 years ago by a sophisticated prehistoric people, set in the middle of the countryside.  Bath is known for its natural hot springs and is the site of the original Roman-era baths, including The Great Bath, statues and a temple. Not as old as Stonehenge, but still, amazing.  

LWS plus Allen at Stonehenge

The great bath

9/10

Today was History of Wales day.  We began early with a stop in Newton to visit St John's Church, built in a Norman village in the 1180's, which had an interesting graveyard.  Then we stopped briefly at Ogmore castle ruins.  The castle was built around 1106, and until as recently as the 19th century, was used for a range of purposes, including a court of justice and a prison, but is now a substantial set of remains and a local landmark. Then on to St Fagans National Museum of History, an open air museum in Cardiff chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture and architecture of the the Welsh people.  It consists of more than forty re-erected buildings from various locations in Wales, and is set in the ground of St Fagans Castle, an Elizabethan manor house.  Back in Porthcawl, we ate a seaside pub.  It was really windy, and the surf was rolling into the Bristol Channel.

St John's graveyard's Little Gracie

Ogmore Castle ruins

St Fagans, rain and OF COURSE big dogs, but I loved the museum in spite of it all

Bristol Channel

Bills in first place after week 1!

9/11

Ishy and Allen's last full day in UK.  We went back to Cardiff, where Allen was interested in touring the stadium where Rugby is played.  Rugby is the national sport in Wales, and wildly popular there.  The stadium was built in 1999 and has a capacity of 74,500 fans.  The Welsh Rugby Union and the Football Association of Wales, both national teams, play their home games here.  We toured inside the stadium, the locker rooms, fitness rooms, press rooms, and into the stands and on the field.  It was really interesting.  And then, much to my delight, we ate at Elevens Bar and Grill, owned by Gareth Bale, soccer star from Cardiff. The restaurant is a small Hard Rock Cafe, only with memorabilia of sports stars (Andy Murray, Peyton Manning, Wayne Gretzky, Pele, to name a few). I even had Bale Ale!  We walked around Cardiff Castle and through the Victorian Arcade.  Driving back to Porthcawl, we went past a mining museum, but didn't stop.  Lisa and I went back a few days later.  

the Rugby Stadium

Gareth Bale's jersey

Cardiff Castle

9/12

We drove to London early to get Allen and Ishy on their flight back home.  I stayed in UK a few more days to have more time with Dave and Lisa.  We dropped them at Heathrow with hugs and thanks, and then found another nice hotel inside the city.  The three of us toured the Churchill War Rooms Museum.  Hidden under the Treasury Building in  the Whitehall area of Westminster, the rooms were operational between August 1939 until the end of WWII.  Churchill and his Cabinet members lived, ate, sent out broadcasts and planned strategy here.  It was fascinating.  We then went to the re-created Globe Theatre, a building completed in 1997 on the approximate site of the original playhouse.  It is a current venue for productions, so although we were allowed inside, we really could only tour the exhibits and a very short view of the stage itself, as rehearsals were taking place for the next performance.  We wandered through Covent Gardens and were entertained by a wide variety of buskers.  We had a pint at a very interesting old pub, The Coal Hole, which was once the coal cellar for the Savoy Hotel.  

Winston Churchill's statue outside the War Rooms Museum

the Globe Theatre

at the Coal Hole pub

9/13

Driving back again to Porthcawl, we stopped at the Cotswolds town of Bourton-on-the-Water.  There is an outstanding museum there, the Cotswold Motoring Museum. The museum's collection includes cars, motorcycles, bicycles, caravans (camping trailers) and motoring memorabilia of the 20th century.  There was much more than autos, however - toys, cameras (a few Kodaks), and everything to do with cars such as gas pumps, oil cans, signs.  It was an antique shop on steroids and I probably could have spent a whole week there and not seen everything!  

The Motoring Museum in Bourton-on-the-Water

9/14

Today, Lisa and I toured around Wales, giving Dave a rest (but we did make him cook dinner for us).  We went back to the mining museum, Rhondda Heritage Park, which was an active mine until 1983. We were able to experience the life of the coal miners on a marvelous guided tour through one of the mine shafts of the Lewis Merthyr colliery (our guide, Peter, was miner from 1969 when he was 17 years old until the mine closed.  Since Lisa bad I were the only ones there for a tour, it was very personal, and the stories he told were fascinating.  He is what I would like to be at DH or BC - a truly wonderful guide!)  In addition to the tour, there was a museum that told more of the lives of the miners and their families. We also stopped at Llandaff Cathedral and Dunraven Bay.  The first church at Llandaff was constructed around 546 AD, but the current cathedral was begun in 1120. There was some damage from bombing during WWII, so the interior is a mix of very old and very modern. Dunraven Bay is along the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, and you can see Porthcawl across the bay.  The views were spectacular.  

 Lewis Merthyr colliery

the spire of the cathedral, seen through the ruins of the old church

beautiful Dunraven Bay

9/15

Again, Lisa and I drove (well, Lisa drove - I would not dare get behind the wheel with the drivers all on the "wrong" side of the road and the roundabouts in lieu of the the signal lights that Americans love to see every 100 feet or so; Lisa did a wonderful job of driving!) from Porthcawl, leaving Dave behind as we went to the cute little town of Hay on Wye, which is known for having a lot of second hand bookstores.  There is also an annual book fest there, but it's held in the spring. I promised myself that I wouldn't buy anything, but I did just have to have a couple of books that I found.  We stopped at Caerphilly Castle in South Wales on the way home. This castle was built about 1268, as the Normans began to conquer Wales following the conquest of England in 1066. There is a famous leaning tower, although not as famous as the one in Pisa.  

Richard Booth Bookstore, the original second hand shop in Hay on Wye

Caerphilly Castle, with the leaning tower

one of several gourmet meals made for us by Dave. It all tasted as good as it looks!

9/16

Because Porthcawl is a pretty good drive from Porthcawl, we decided that we would go to Oxford, which is closer to London, and easier to get to Heathrow for my flight the following day.  We took the WOWO (Waddle On Waddle Off) bus again, to see all the gorgeous old buildings of the colleges.  The city of Oxford is an ancient Saxon city which has been on the present site since around 900 AD. It is known worldwide as the home of the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world.  Buildings in Oxford demonstrate examples of every English architectural period since the late Saxon period.  We saw many students in the city, dressed in the traditional robes of the university. 

Tom Tower at the gate to Christ Church

lots of architectural styles 

the lovely hotel in Oxford

9/17
And then, it was time to get to the airport for the l-o-n-g journey back home.  I had the wrong itinerary, but luckily, Lisa stayed with me to negotiate checking in and getting my boarding pass.  It was so hard to leave my wonderful friends!  

It took me two days to get home.  Instead of running through JFK on the return to try to catch the last flight back to Savannah, I opted to spend the night at the Holiday Inn near the airport and get home a day later.  That was a mistake that I don't think I'll make again.  For someone who hates to wait, like I do, it was an entire day of waiting: waiting to go to breakfast, waiting for the shuttle to the airport, waiting for them to post my gate assignment on the departures board, waiting in line for a sandwich, waiting at the gate, waiting on the runway.  But I finally walked in my front door about 6 pm.  It sure looked good to be in my condo --  until I was surrounded by pile and piles of laundry.  It was such a great time. Seeing my very good friends, having them do all the work, spending time with my son and sister. The photos are endless.  The memories are priceless.  Thank you Dave and Lisa!!!