Drive from St. Tudy to
Salisbury, passed Stonehenge but so close to Salisbury we didn’t stop. It is
now fenced because some idiots tried to de-face it. Jeeze it takes all kinds
and some not very bright. All the way, rolling hills of greenery with hedge
rows of course. Mix of weather but no precipitation so while it was very cloudy
in places it wasn’t too difficult a drive for us. Except Lexi was very restive
this trip and we don’t know why. We stopped and haltered her, leashed her and
put her on the side of the road to see if she needed a pee. Cars whizzing by
and horses across the road, unlikely relaxing place for a pee so we boxed her
again and she was silent the rest of the way. Took about 3.5 hours to Salisbury
town centre.
Now what? We don’t have a map
of how to get to the hotel, should have Googled that one but didn’t. Get to the
Rail Station thinking they would know, not, but advise that the taxi driver
would. Now I’ve threatened in other cities to have a taxi guide us to a hotel,
well this time we did! The fellow said the route was complicated and indeed it
was! He said to explain it on the map would be difficult because of all the one
way streets, and indeed it would have been. So for 7.50 GBP he lead the way
through avenues, one ways and bends. Yikes, we would never have found our way
or taken much time and frustration to do so. Monies well spent! He said it took
him 3 months to learn the ways around Salisbury. It is a cathedral town and has
an old town, so on a next trip we would stay downtown and explore.
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| View outside the Breakfast room window, lovely! |
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| Just a photo of the river |
The hotel is another old one
but clean and rather elegant in it’s age really. Receptionist loves cats and
had to see Lexi and show me pics of hers. The Hotel is on the river Avon (I
think looking at the map) which is really swollen right now. Walking across the
bridge and some places are getting wet “feet” or close to it.
Long slope up to
the hotel so no problem here at the moment. Hotel advertises wedding parties
and I would think this would be a lovely place to hold a wedding.
We didn’t stop for lunch so
were both hungry and the restaurant didn’t open until 7:00 so asked about
nearby places, walked to a pub with a big soccer game on and found a quite
table in the back to dine. On the walk over found a block with thatched roof
and overhangs. We have seen some on the trip but going by. I found it odd
really that this relatively modern looking building still had thatch.
We have been to four counties
of England today, out of Cornwall, through Devon, Somerset and into Wiltshire.
I don’t see many changes between them but we haven’t visited towns or talked to
people. Landscape doesn’t change very much either but it is beautiful even on a
cloudy dark day.
On to Eastbourne tomorrow,
shorter drive and meeting friends we met in Heidelburg which we look forward
to.
Hellish start to the drive
from Salisbury to Eastbourne. A couple of things happened to make it so. It
rained but was sunny in parts which made reflections on the road and very
difficult to see. Anyway, it got better. Through West Sussex and East Sussex
Counties today. Got to Eastbourne and found the hotel (without taxi help this
time) along the main hotel road which boarders the Atlantic. Got in about three
hours after leaving.
Anita, our friend, called to
make arrangements. They came to the hotel, picked us up and took us on a drive
to Beachy Head which we’d both read about in novels. Will look up more
information about the seven sisters which are headlands out into the Atlantic.
Very stark, many walking trails and a lighthouse at the top which has been
turned into a hotel. What I need to say here is that you are on the Atlantic,
completely raw ocean, no islands in sight and today windy but I suspect no more
than usual for winter. Beautiful with the large waves coming in.
On to their house for tea and
scones. They have a nice house, large and comfortable with a landscaped back
yard. They have been there for about 30 years so have made a real home. There are large beams
on the ceiling and ancient doors with wooden
handles. Obviously a makeover and tastefully done, they said, before
they bought. A good chat with them, they travel a lot as well, he is 81 and she
is of an indeterminate age, but suspect a bit younger. He certainly doesn’t
look 81 as if anyone can say that truly. Anyway, nice visit, brought us back to
the hotel with meaningful promises to keep in touch.
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| Anita outside their lovely home |
The boulevard along the ocean
is strung with round lamps of lights which twinkle with the wind. Again,
another town on the southern coast of England that is nice to visit this time
of year but gets extraordinately busy in summer. Morning was sunny and warm,
Spring like weather.
Last leg of our driving tour
of England Eastbourne to Folkestone and took about 2 hours since we were on a
“back” road, through many lovely looking villages but slow going mostly. Many
switchbacks as well which meant not going fast, fast here being 50 miles per
hour on A rated roads, unless on the “M” rated roads which are major 3 lane
highways. Sunny day and warm so while it was a good drive, going through the
villages meant a lot of looking out for pedestrians, watching for parked cars
versus on-coming traffic and narrow roads, not as narrow as Cornwall though,
they take the cake!
Arrive at the hotel which we
found fairly easily, being on the water, “just head to the beach!” Walk around scouting places for dinner, found
something we both saw as odd, a seagull on grass doing a “dance” on a lawn. It
was doing a wiping of feet motion, don’t know what that was all about, no other
gulls around, wouldn’t be a good place to lay an egg…
A word about chimney pots. My
first trip to England and Bruce remembers on his as well, coming out of London
you go through an intensely populated area of rows and rows of tenement flats.
All you really see are chimney pots. To describe them, they are long narrow
cones on top of chimneys usually four to five across. We are both not really
sure why or how they work and no WiFi at the moment to find out but we figure
each pot connects to a different fireplace within the house where they burned
coal in the fireplaces to keep warm. No central heating then! They still burn
coal and wood here at the same time in the pub’s fireplaces. So they are still
seen in many places here, haven’t seen any smoke coming from them.
Beautiful sunset over the
ocean. The sun always drops so quickly, wherever you are in the world. A trip
to Hawaii with friends had us racing around the kitchen to prepare our
“poo-poos” appetizers to eat by sunset over the ocean.
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| Fountain on the waterfront, changes colour but red was easiest to catch |
Returned the car by following
a taxi we hired, glad again we did, getting out of Folkestone wouldn’t have
been easy due to a one way street system like Salisbury. Taxied back with a
stop at a Post Office to mail bulky stuff (read Bruce’s Canada Goose coat and
his boots) to Freiburg.
The mail system in Europe is
faster and cheaper than Canada. Our driver gave very good reasons for this.
Europe is much smaller and more populated so usage is higher. Makes sense to
me.
Had a superb lunch at a
trendy looking restaurant. It was recommended to us by a fellow we spoke with
yesterday there. We dropped in for a drink and he was sitting on his own so we
talked.
So our last night in England
and it is blowing up a gale, no sunset tonight. We have truly loved our time
here and the people we’ve met. Weather has been fine really with some sunny,
warm days and the gambit of all else except snow. I don’t like snow unless I’m
in a cabin to watch it from a cozy inside and don’t have to go anywhere by car.
This is my third trip to the
UK and have enjoyed every time, although each trip was very, very different.
We all, including Lexi are a
bit travel weary and have two more days to get to Seville but are very much
looking forward to settling for a time there. I now know I couldn’t travel
every day for weeks on end. Have done in the past in my youth but now not. Still
love travelling and planning on more, definitely, but slower and staying in
places longer to learn the culture and meet the people who live there, shop
locally.
I follow several blogs as an
example of how to write this one. These people go to blog conferences! I’m not
going that far, my intention is to keep family and friends informed is all. But
back to these pro bloggers, at least two sets have enthused about slow travel.
They are younger than me too! But really all they are really saying is that if
you go to a place, stay in a hotel for a night or maybe a week you have a great
time I’m sure and a break from every day life. What you don’t really experience
is the culture of the place. Anyway,
they’ve said it better than I and I am off my soap box once again.
We are picked up at the hotel
in Folkestone by the same driver who brought us over. He sort of remembers but
it has been over a month so no expectation with all the passengers he deals
with. Go through the Chunnel, it does jerk once in a while and apparently has
been stopped on occasion. Driver, Stephan from Hungaria originally, is a
photographer so I am regaled with all the types of cameras available on the
way over. He drops us at Calais train station after taking us to a giant liquor
store that sold other things like cat food and nursery items? It did! Couldn't get the theme there except large amounts of liquor, but why the other stuff? He took
great pleasure in walking the store and pointing out the unusual liquors one
could get there, and certainly so, didn’t avail ourselves of any though. Back
to Calais and he ensures we are on the right track and going the right way.
Kind fellow that really cares.
Next blog France, trains and hiding in protest Lexi cat...
Cheers, Bev, Bruce and Lexi
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