Tootling Around Stratford-upon-Avon

 We were in the UK during the World Cup.  England flags flew proudly everywhere!  We loved it.

We rented a car in London, just before leaving Mark and Mary's house.  Of course, we left with a bang.  As everyone was moving their luggage to the front yard, I let the front door slam, locked.  Yep.  Locked Mary out of her house.  The neighbor wasn't available.  Mark was in a meeting.  Mary was left in shorts and a tee on a rather brisk morning.  (Mark later texted me that Mary was inside within the hour.  WITHIN THE HOUR!)  I am so sorry Mary!!!  Leave it to me, of course.

 We arrived several hours later in Stratford-upon-Avon.

We hit the town running.  After all, this was only the beginning of our sprint through the United Kingdom.  This is the lovely footbridge over the Avon.

As soon as we arrived on the other side, we jumped on a double-decker and looked around.

A jester statue on Henley Street.

This may look like a fish-eye lens, but it's not.  There is a reflection through the glass which makes it look a little wonky.

 Another corner with a lovely curve.

Shakespeare's home where he lived as an adult.  They were doing excavations, Dig for Shakespeare.  How fun would that be?????

The gardens in the back and side of the house.  Scrumptious.

Shakespeare's birthplace in 1564, it is made of by way of wattle and daub.  They left a part open so we can see exactly how these houses are made.  The tree his father planted in the front yard is still alive today.  I mean, how amazing is that?

That is NOT a Subway cafe next to this gorgeous building.  !Sacrebleu!

There were so many wonderfully English houses.  Sigh.

And lots of restaurants to choose from.  After having had a few refreshments (I'm parched) at the Dirty Duck, we headed to over to The Oppo.  It was recommended to us by the B&B where we were staying.

Fabulous choice!  We knew right from the moment we entered the quaint bar/waiting area.

A few more refreshments while reading over the menu and waiting for a table.

Not quite sure what the hub had (left), but I had the chicken breast special. 

We all shared a Banoffi pie (bananas, cream and toffee).

And the very chocolate dessert of the day.

Our stroll back to our B&B across the Avon at dusk was sublime.

 Home to our lovely Melita.

Family rooms are hard to come by unless you stay at a B&B in Europe.  There were two twins and a queen in our family room--absolutely perfect for the kid, cuz, hub and I.

They served a wonderful breakfast the next morning, which only the hub and I enjoyed.  (We let the kids sleep in.)

 

It's always in the details, isn't it? 

 

After a brisk walk through town for a little window shopping, we hit the road heading North.  Such a delightful and quick overnighter in Stratford.  I am already thinking about our next trip there!

Next on the agenda, Edinburgh by way of Harrogate.  Home of Betty's.  (teaser)

Post, Post, Post London (Past)

I can't believe I am still catching up on my European tour from the beginning of the summer. So much we did!

As mentioned in the previous post from Brussels, way back when, we took the bullet train (Eurostar) from Brussels into London. Oh, I do love that train! Any train will do, but the Eurostar was a blast, literally. Loved the speed in which we arrived. There is just something so wonderful about train transportation.

And something so special about the train depots themselves. Here, we arrived at St. Pancras station inside London; and what a beauty she is. She was first opened in 1868.

Passing Buck House. "Does someone live there?" Um, yea, like the Queen. haha.

Mark, aka Mr. English, and his lovely wife Mary had been so kind to invite us to stay at their house during our visit. How wonderful is that? Somehow, he was right in front when we pulled into Wandsworth by taxi. Yea, leave it to the Yanks, right? Oh, we had been on a whirlwind already and the thought of lugging our bags through the tubes and buses just had the cuz and I all in a tizzy. lol We were still very much jet lagged, to say the least. Here Mr. English is showing us their wonderful garden.

Their house was built in the 1850s and was one of the originals to the neighborhood. I find it all so fascinating. The history they shared was incredible. Stories like some of the glass in their bathroom window had been blown out during the bombings in WWII and replaced with a type of glass pane that was only produced during the war. (The top window was the hub and my bedroom which overlooked the garden. Sweet!)

They took us on a little tour and showed us all the lovely Victorian row houses that were all around. Here is Rose Cottage, Landsdowne House and Gordon House. I lurve how they name all the houses! The story goes, the yellow brick was quite expensive back in the day; so they would brick the fronts with the yellow brick and the sides would be done in a cheaper, darker brick. How quaint.

Loved the cutwork in the wood above the windows and doors on these cuties.

Here's one of the original brew houses around the corner.

And the old church at the top of the hill.

The old Wandsworth train station.

Of course, I could go on and on about the wonderful places here.

They were the most gracious of hosts, Mary cooked dinner for us, making focaccia which we gobbled in a matter of moments. Sweet person she is, Mary made hamburgers for the kids and chicken breasts for us.

It was delightful to sit and have a wonderful dinner at their home.

Mark had his DJ hat on and played great music for us both nights. He has a vast selection of New Orleansy sounds including the Radiators.

The kitties were less than excited to see us, obviously. Blue did love the kids though. Just not me. Pout. I don't know why, but I always called her a he. Until the day we left. Perhaps, that's why he was so displeased with me. SEE! HE! I just don't get it, do I?

And Peaches? She wouldn't even look at me. She pulled it off beautifully didn't she? Ah, the lives of cats, choosing whom they like and when.

The next day, while everyone worked, including the hub, the kid, cuz and I did London. Well, as much as we could in one day, meaning we startied at the London Eye.

We began with beautiful blue skies over the Thames.

Looking at Parliament and Big Ben in the distance going up.

And coming down when the clouds began rolling in. Ahhhhh, London!

We were then on our way to Covent Garden for lunch and everything. I had my favorite pasty and beans and we watched a magician do his show as we ate.

The stalls were full of antique wares. Loved the bin of old clock faces. I snapped this before the sellers could say NO photos, please! Oooopsy.

My favorite toy store, Pollock's.

And, another favorite, Cath Kidston's, of course!

The hub met up with us after his meetings, and we shared a pint before heading off to another double-decker bus ride.

But not before having an "American" treat, mini cupcakes. Cheers!

We did not partake in ice cream, but I love how in Europe, they put little cookies sticking out of the scoops!

I had never been to Tower Bridge. Go figure. But we finally did the drive across!

The outer curtain with the Towers in the background.

In a tunnel where the cuz holds her breath. She made it! I so love this pic of her and the kid! This is them personified. Bonified.

And Big Ben, up close, on the way home.

We are to come back to London after we drive all over the UK! More to come! I should probably, somehow, link all the Euro posts together once I'm finished. Hmmmm.