Trip Favs

Readers seem to like to know our favorite parts of the trip.  I used to only do this on larger trips, but I get enough requests that I did this for the three week trip to Spain that just Carol and I took earlier this year.  Here's the questions for England with our answers:

Question 1

Three fav things we did in London.  Short explanation as to why for each

Carol:  1. Tower - so much history, great tour, 2. RIB tour - very cool, never been on the Thames, 3. Westminster Abbey - going there means we're in England.

Glen: Same choices as Carol  With the Tower, the history is jaw-dropping, and it is so much fun to both tour and wander around aimlessly.  I was worried about the Thames RIB tour, but it was exhilarating and interesting at the same time.  And yes, Westminster Abbey will always hold a special place in my heart as I discussed in that post. 

I'm going to cheat and add a fourth favorite -- the Churchill War Rooms.  The great man had many famous sayings.  His "never was so much owed by so many to so few" applies not just to the pilots of the Royal Air Force, but it also applies to the courageous men and women who worked in the War Rooms against what appeared to be insurmountable odds.  And they, with some help from friends across the pond, beat back Hitler and the Nazis from ending Western Civilization.

Question 2

Three fav things we did in Cotswold.  Short explanation

Carol: 1. Bourton on the Water - beautiful Cotswold town - exactly what I thought the Cotswold would look like.  2. The Broadway Hike - it was hard, but I made it and it was so prettty.  3.  Listening to music at the Half Way - great atmosphere, fun chatting with our landlords.

Glen:  I'd put Sudeley Castle first -- everything you want in an English castle, including dramatic ruins, towers, and stunning gardens.  Then the Broadway Tower hike -- hard but beautiful.  Perfect way to spend a chunk of a day in Cotswold.  Then the pubs, with the Half Way leading the way.

Question 3

Top two meals/restaurants and why?

Carol: The King's Head pub for lunch after hike. - great food, great atmosphere, fun after the hike.  The Double Red Duke: the pub where we stayed the last night - sitting at the chef's counter was fun and the food was excellent - the scallop was delicious.

Glen: I would flip Carol's choices, with the Double Red Duke first (for reasons I already blogged) and The King's Head pub second.  We ate better food elsewhere, but the combination of hiking, excellent roast beef and yorkshire pudding, and (of course) beer puts The King's Head in a solid second place.

Question 4

What’s one thing you wish we had gotten to do?

Carol: British Museum - haven't been since 1983.

Glen: Yeah, I'm embarrassed to admit I've never been to the British Museum.  In 1984 I thought why spend money on a museum when there is so many cool castles, abbeys, historical buildings to see?  Now I really want to see a lot of the stuff that the museum will be returning to other countries in the next ten years or so.

Question 5

Observations about the trip you would want our readers to know? 

Carol: England is an amazing country.  So much history, great people, beautiful countryside.  We hadn't been there since 2003 and it was wonderful to rediscover England.  It seemed like London didn't have as many cars on the road - I'm sure due to the congestion zones which made it easier to get around.  We definitely need to go back and spend more time in London.  We also need to discover more of rest of the country.

I'm so glad that Glen was willing to do the driving in the Cotswold.  The narrow two-way roads were a bit terrifying.  Finally, being in a country where we both speak the language made everything easier.  While we love going to Spain, my language skills are always rusty for a few days and Glen was able to more freely participate in conversations. 

Glen: Driving in Cotswold is terrifying.  There's so much to see in London and England overall that we're already planning to go back in two years.  I do enjoy hanging out in a pub and talking with Brits -- despite the saying "two countries separated by a common language," I enjoy every conversation with that common language, especially as Brits are so welcoming and friendly.