Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Vacation, Part II - England

I apologize for getting edition number II so many days after the first, but I have been so busy playing catch up on all that got looked over while I was gone. Isn't that the worst part of coming home from a delightful trip? Well, perhaps the fact that we are still waking up at the wee hours of the morning is bad too.

I also apologize that some of the photos will be out of order, but once I got them up, I was not about to try to regroup them again.

After we disembarked from the ship we had a short drive to the hotel. The warmth of the countryside in it's beautiful autumn colors was a welcome sight. Still early in the morning, it was a good time for a brisk walk.






The flowers were stunning.

The shops were inviting.


The secret gardens were enchanting.



The morning dew on the cobwebs made for great photo opportunities.





The geese were begging.





The village roads were welcoming.




The one thing that we have always enjoyed when visiting England are the wonderful footpaths. These are designated areas especially meant for a good walk. They will take you through some beautiful countryside and you will find yourself in all sorts of interesting places. YOU have the right of way too.

Through pastures of sheep.





Across golf courses. Just watch out for those stray balls.









There are little surprises just waiting to be found.









And...always a pub for some good food and warming atmosphere.






Our dear friends met us after driving down from beyond London and spent several days with us. It is always that moment of panic when you first pull out onto the roadway while driving on the opposite side of the street, but the Brits are great drivers. We never saw even a fender bender.
They took us to some charming places and the weather was absolutely fabulous - sunny and glorious.



This was at Barton on Sea. We were fascinated by the fact that low tide REALLY means low tide. In California it is hardly noticeable, but in England when the tide goes out it goes out all the way. Notice the boats stranded in the mud? Guess if you are planning a boat trip you would have to check on the tides. It was very interesting to us. When it did come in, it came in very quickly.







We walked for miles along the shore and after we ascended the stairs we looked down to see that some horse riders were in the water cooling down their horses.






We were also able to tour the New Forest in N. Yorkshire. This was formerly the royal hunting grounds, created in 1079 by Wm. the Conqueror. It has been designated a National Park. There are many wild animals on the grounds that are owned by the "commoners" and they roam wild throughout. There are also many homes and villages within the forest. I did notice that the horses have been caught and a reflective band placed on them which I suppose is to make them more visible for vehicles.







Another town that we visited was the waterfront town of Portsmouth. It was definitely a tourist attraction, but it was fun to walk around the city none the less. The town has a rich naval and literary history with museums and ships available for viewing.





This is the historic Nelson flagship - HMS Victory, one of the most famous warships ever built. You can tour the ship and learn more about Admiral Lord Nelson. Launched in 1765, her most famous moments were at the Battle of Trafalgar.
In leaving I will show some of my favorite pictures of the homes that can be seen in England. I do love those thatched roofs!!!










Would you like this one?






Or this one?





Or how about this one?








Ahh....the spectacular colors.....
From there we caught a train to London and headed off for Scotland. My next post will be the start of our trip in Scotland. I hope you are enjoying it as much as we did.






















20 comments:

  1. Lovey pictures. Thanks for sharing your fun trip with those of us who are home bodies.

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  2. Ohhhhhhhh you lucky lucky lady!!!
    I wish I were there with you !!
    Loved the thatched house adorable.
    All your pictures are so wonderful!
    P.S~ The soup and pumkin loaf were pretty wonderful too !! LOL!
    Have a cup of tea for me in Jolly Old England !
    Diane

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  3. Secret gardens...foot paths...thatched cottages...can it get any better than that?! I have always dreamed of going to England, Scotland and Ireland and seeing your pictures makes me want to go even more. Such breathtaking scenery! I can imagine, though, how weird it must feel to drive on the other side of the road...I can just see me causing all kinds of accidents! lol How very fascinating to see all those stranded boats while the tide was out. When I was in Vancouver, BC, back in 1989 I remember the tide going out completely like that but there were no stranded boats:-)

    I would have also loved boarding the Nelson flagship, I've always held a fascination with tall ships like that. So much history behind them.

    Now looking forward to hearing about your time in Scotland!!! xoxo

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  4. I don't think I have ever saw anything this beautiful. You are so blessed. I can't wait to see more.

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  5. This is just FABULOUS. I am truly enjoying it! Would you mind if I saved your picture of the dewy cobweb by the graveyard? It's spectacular and I've love to have it here to look at periodically. I loved the thatched roof cottages in Ireland...but they were much smaller than the grand houses you showed from England. Can't wait to see Scotland!!!

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  6. Wonderful travelogue - we got to New Forest and Portsmouth when we were over there years ago - wonderful memories!

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  7. i want to put the granny fan on our blog. Abbeylanequilts.blogspot.com.

    I adore her.

    please email us how at

    info@abbeylanequilts.com

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  8. Oh I just adore all your beautiful photos. I have saved the cobweb one so I can use it as a background picture.
    Yes we also have huge tides in the North of Australia.
    I also love the thatched roofs.The TV aerials look out of place but that is progress.

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  9. You've captured the essence of English beauty in those pictures. Looks like you had a fabulous time!

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  10. Oh my! What beautiful photos! You certainly got some spectacular ones!!! I love the houses with the thatched roofs and I didn't expect them to be so big. I too want to save the picture of the spider web, it is worth framing! You did good girl!!!

    You must have had such a wonderful time there. So much to see and take in. I am envious of the people riding their horses on the beach like that, some day...some day....

    Yes Blogger is going to do me in. It took me two hours to put that post together and most of it was downloading the pictures and then trying to get them in some order. I am totally frustrated but don't know what to do about it as there is no one to call for tech support. I just don't have the time or patience to send so much time on each post and I don't like posting without pictures. It would be like talking and not being able to use my hands! It was so easy before and posts went together so easily and I could use lots of graphics but not now, I can't imagine trying to put a spacer graphic between each paragraph now. It would be a nightmare if you could even do it now. Some people don't seem to be having any trouble, I don't get it.

    I hope you get used to the time difference soon. That is the pits. I remember when we came home from Hawaii, it took us a couple of weeks to get back to normal as there was a 6 hour difference.

    How is the new baby doing?

    Moving the boys to the stable on Saturday. Much longer and the water system will freeze up and the pipes will burst. I am very unhappy about it but there is nothing I can do plus in mid February at 20 below I will be glad I don't have to be in the barn!! ha!

    Mom and Dad leave on Friday. Mom is very upset about it as always but knows she will be fine once she gets there. Dad can't wait to get out of the cold!!

    Must get going and work on some sewing. I never did get my Halloween wall hanging done. I couldn't find it!!!!! Finally I found it under my computer desk in the box it was shipped in. Go figure!

    Hugs to you and E! xoxoxo

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  11. the cottages/houses look fantastic....almost like they are asking you to come in for tea

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  12. The scenery is just stunning. The cottages are so inviting, I can see how nice it would be just to go for a walk. Thanks for taking us along. I've been to Scotland many years ago, I look forward to seeing it again.

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  13. What a Lovely pictorial of your vacation. Such serene places and things to see. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. wow! thats quite a web!!!

    beautiful photos!
    wonderful trip! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  15. Fabulous photos! I know where I want to go next!!! I adored the houses. Can't wait to see the Scotland photos. Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

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  16. I enjoyed remembering my own trip to London as I viewed your photos. Thank you.

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  17. I'm thoroughly enjoying seeing your photos. What a wonderful vacation! I'm not sure whether or not I wished you a happy 40th anniversary, but congratulations! What a perfect way to celebrate!
    It all looks so lovely, and how lucky to have such gorgeous weather.
    I love those thatched roof cottages. They're so picturesque. And the footpaths taking you past meadows with sheep, the pretty streets, the seaside, etc. It's all so....English!
    Can't wait to see Scotland :)

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  18. Three Little Witches

    One little, two little, three little witches
    Fly over haystacks and fly over ditches
    Fly over moonbeams without any hitches
    Hey, it's Halloween night.
    One little, two little, three little witches
    Fly over barb wire and tore their britches
    Had to go home and get some stitches
    Hey, it's Halloween night!! hehe

    Just wanted to wish you a Happy Halloween dear Mary:-) xoxo

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  19. Oh what an amazing trip! Thanks for taking all the time to show us the photo's and tell us your 'story'. I love it! :)

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  20. I'm going through your vacation posts and getting quite homesick. Lovely pictures!

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