UK

My friend Tim from the UK reached out last week.  Hi. Tim :-)  And that reminded me of all the great places in the UK that I have visited.  So I thought I'd post some pics and share.  This is Oxford.  Unfortunately we did not run into Inspector Morse while we were there. ;-)

Lucky for us I was bitten by the travel bug at an early age, so we were able to travel before places became so overcrowded and access to some became more limited.  This is of course Stonehenge.  I don't think you can get this close anymore.  Or be more or less alone with it as we were.

The first time we visited Dover it was pouring so heavily that I ended up wearing my umbrella as a hat.  But it was dry on our second visit.  I don't know what we enjoyed more, the remains of the Roman lighthouse, or the WWII tunnels.

Brighton was a hoot and clearly this over-the-top confection known as The Royal Pavilion was the inspiration for the It's a Small World exhibit at Disneyland.

My love of English history began with the Henry VIII series on PBS.  So Leeds Castle was on my "to visit" list.  (We went to Hampton Court on my first trip.)  It is easy to see why some consider it to be Britain's prettiest castle.  Mostly I remember the exotic black swans.  To this day, the only ones I have seen.

The first time I tried to visit Windsor Castle, the Queen was in residence and we were turned away.  Luckily we caught it on a subsequent visit because it burned down not long after.  Ok.  Not burned down, but it was a massive fire and I am sure it took many years to get it back on track.

Canterbury is such a magical place.  No wonder it has been attracting pilgrims for centuries.  The narrow cobblestone streets are hugged by half-timbered houses that transport you back in time.  But for me the most vivid memory was seeing the steps where Thomas Becket was martyred.  For some reason, I had thought they were outside.  So it was a shock to see where they actually were.

If you are a fan of Georgian architecture Bath is an awesome place to visit.  But it's the Roman ruins that tend to capture the imagination.  It must have been some heck of a place.

The Cotswalds a series of small quaint villages are about as picturesque as it gets.  I think I even read that some are too small for tour buses so you might still be able to enjoy them and get a tourist free photo opportunity.

Last (for now) but certainly not least is Blenheim.  That's Edward climbing the steps and heading in for a closer look.  I had read a book about Queen Anne, which of course included John & Sarah Churchill, so that put it on my "to see" list.  As did the fact that it was rescued from bankruptcy by an American - Consuelo Vanderbilt.  But the palace and the grounds are quite lovely all on their own.

Cheers!

PJ

(c) 2018 PJ Lehrer