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.