Back to Blighty

York Minster

Hi all,

We have just returned to the New World from the wonderful Old World of England and Scotland, where we spent two weeks on holiday visiting friends, exploring The North, and eating delicious seafood. Lots of people asked why we went back after having just lived there for two years: it was really great catching up with friends, seeing some of the things we missed when we left so suddenly last year, and also showing the kids that they can still feel at home in our home-away-from-home.









England

Breakfast in the flat

We started out renting a 2-BR flat in downtown Windsor, not far from where we lived. It was simple but liveable, and a good base to visit friends, walk to the train station, and go shopping. After arriving and picking up the hire-car, we went right to Waitrose - so great to be back, we thought! Fresh British raspberries and strawberries, honey heather ham, Pimm's, and smoothies the kids loved.

Dinner at Andy and Chantal's

We had drinks and dinner with both our previous neighbors on Clarence Road, Andy and Chantal even grilled some fresh trout and burgers for the kids. The weather was phenomenal, sunny and hot for many of the days (which coupled with jet lag made for some difficult sleeping conditions) and only a few rainy days. It being summer, the skies stayed light until past 10pm, which worked in our favor given the time difference. Since school was not yet out in the UK, we got some funny looks sauntering out of restaurants after dinner at 10pm or later!

Ready for school!

The Tuesday after arriving, the kids were invited by the head teacher of Oakfield back to school, so they borrowed uniforms and spent the day at school. They had a terrific time (mostly because of the attention they got, I'm sure), and we met after school for footie and playing at the local park.

All the gang at Imperial Park

Jessica, Maggie, Coralie

Visiting school

Footie after school

A "little" water fight in the back garden...

The Roman Bath & Bath Cathedral

Wednesday we drove out to Bath, which we had always wanted to visit but never had time - we had heard it was mostly adult-oriented so better-suited for a weekend couples retreat (which it would be great for!), but the kids and us had a blast touring the Roman Baths site, walking up to the Royal Crescent, and eating ice cream on the main town square. We could have spent several more days exploring! And the countryside is just beautiful.

The Circus

At the Bean's

 We had dinner with many friends, including the Beans (Eliza is one of Maggie's best friends), the Franklins (Samuel is one of Carson's best friends), and the Kocks (Coralie and Lionel are also best friends of Maggie and Carson).








Thursday, Annett went to visit her church group in Gerrards Cross, and I took a nice run out in the Windsor Great Park. Then we went to London to see the West End show, Billy Elliott, which was great - a touching and inspiring story about a boy living during the coal strikes and strife in northern England, who breaks out of the stereotypes and decides to be a dancer. Appropriately, there was a large teachers strike just down the street from the theatre, protesting the budget cuts being proposed by the government. Afterwards, we struggled to find a restaurant (within about a million) that would satisfy Carson's appetite, so we ended up at a burger place that we visited our first trip to London in 2008!

Chiltern countryside

Friday was another relaxing day shopping and meeting friends after school. Saturday we went out to the Chilterns for a walk with the Franklins, and ended up at our favorite pub the Bull and the Butcher for a beer or lemonade. We dodged nettles, picked wild raspberries, and saw a beautiful red kite.

Caught in a phone booth!

Our favorite pub, the Bull and the Butcher

Then it was off to Scotland!


Scotland
We set off in the hire car for Scotland on Sunday morning after a nice breakfast in the Franklin's back garden. It was a gorgeous day, and we drove north through the fields and dales, passing castles left and right. We happened upon Alnwick Castle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnwick_Castle), a gem in a beautiful medieval town in the middle of nowhere.

It was too late to take the tour, so we wandered around the surrounding countryside to stretch our legs, then continued north towards Edinburgh.

We arrived in Edinburgh around 7pm after about 7 hours driving time. The weather was beautiful, and the entire city's population was out in the parks, playing golf, and enjoying the long summer nights. We walked down the hill from the hotel past the castle and ate dinner on the street in the New Town (only built in the 1700's). Delicious Angus beef steaks, grilled salmon, and haggis!

The next day we took the tour of the Old Town, starting with the impressive castle, tour of the Scottish crown jewels (aka "The Honours" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honours_of_Scotland), and room where Mary, Queen of Scots was born.





 

View from Edinburgh Castle to the Firth of Forth

We then walked down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace, which was closed to the public because Her Majesty the Queen was in residence. We consoled ourselves with a taxi ride back to the park to play in the massive public playground and attempt to play "pitch 'n' putt" golf on the Brinkfield Links, 36 holes on the public grounds - to no avail: the club rental pub was closed for refurbishment and we only found pitching wedges and golf balls at the nearby charity shops. No putters! So it was alas not meant to be :-( We ended the day with another excellent dinner in The Grain Store: delicious Scottish lamb and scallops!

Pose for a picture with the bagpiper

The next day we drove another few hours up through the dramatic Scottish Highlands to the western Isle of Mull. On the way we drove through the impressive Glen Coe, generally claimed to be the most beautiful valley (or Glen) in Scotland.

Glen Coe

I have to agree, and wished we had more time (and all-weather gear) for a serious hike! As it was we stopped in a few places to enjoy the view, watch the waterfalls, and listen to the wind rushing through the grass.

After an  hour-long ferry trip from Oban, we ended up in the picturesque town of Tobermory, and were impressed by the number of gaelic signs and television programs available! When we inquired at the local restaurant, the young girl said many of the elementary schools are offering gaelic instruction, and it's getting quite popular!

Tobermory waterfront and lobster/crab pots

Castle Duarte with Ben More in the background

View from the window of our B&B

The Isle of Mull itself is also spectacular, perhaps not as dramatic or famous as Skye, but within sight and Tobermory is a beautiful spot.

Loch Na Keal

On our second day on Mull, we circumnavigated the island and visited some of the stone and white sandy beaches. The weather was variable, oscillating between hot sun and light rain showers. We did manage to see one of the famous and rare sea eagles thanks to some avid bird watchers, as well as lots and lots of sheep!

Beautiful clear water

Unfortunately, no dolphins or whales, which are supposedly in abundance. We also passed lots of seafood farms, mostly salmon and oysters.










Speaking of absolutely delectable seafood, we ate and ate and ate while in Tobermory. Crabs, mussels, oysters, clams, langoustines, lobsters, scallops, salmon, the list goes on. Maggie got into the crab claws, Carson with his seafood allergy unfortunately limited to the "quite tasty" chicken options. He did really well, actually!





After a few days on Mull, it was time to head back down South to meet the Franklins in York. It ended up being about a 5-hour drive, and on the way we did a small detour to visit Hadrian's Wall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian%27s_Wall). In the same vein as the Great Wall of China, Emperor Hadrian built the wall all the way across the island to defend the Empire from the barbarian Scots (or Picts, as they were known at the time).

 

Hadrian's Wall near Haltwhistle, Northumberland

It stretches across the landscape, sometimes barely visible, other times quite prominent.











Back to England

Kids playing "tag" on the minster lawn

By the end of the day we rolled into the B&B in York, where we spent two days with Tony, Briony, and Samuel seeing the sights of the incredibly multi-dimensional town: National Railway Museum, Medieval City walls and gates, Roman ruins,Viking excavation center, the Shambles, the nearly 2000-year-old Minster. We could have spent another four days easily!

Gargoyle!

Monument to Emperor Constantine, who was crowned in York in 306AD

Riding the Carousel near York Castle

York Railway Museum - for the engineer in you!

Dragon Boat Racing on the River Ouse

After returning to Windsor for two more nights and another final play date at the park, we sadly returned home. We had a great time, got to see many of the places we missed out on when we lived there, and re-connected with folks we hope to see again, maybe here in CA, maybe again over in the UK, or who knows?

Take care all, and enjoy the rest of the summer!