Tuesday, July 22

We started our tour today by getting our luggage out in the hallway by 6:30. It takes a while to get used to having everything ready to go so early. After breakfast we boarded the coach and found seats. Our guide, Marvin, entertained us with almost non-stop commentary and orientation to our tour. He seems to have a pretty easy-going attitude, and Joyce began collecting phrases that she found amusing.

Our first stop was Hampton Court Palace, a spare palace that presently does not have any royals in residence. We only had a short time, so we didn’t tour the castle. We strolled the three of the gardens. The British really love flowers and gardens. There are numerous hanging baskets and floral plantings everywhere. The first garden was a rose garden with three statues and many benches to sit and enjoy the flowers and quiet. The second garden was mostly annuals – geraniums, marigolds, petunias, salvia, etc. The third garden was Joyce’s favorite containing taller sun loving perennials she doesn’t have the space or sunny areas these plants need. Fire pokers, clematis, thistles, and several purple/blue flowers she didn’t recognize.

We got back on the bus and drove past the meadow at Runneymede where King John sealed the Magna Carta in 1215, the basis for modern democracy. Runneymede is near Windsor Castle, which we were able to view on two sides from a distance. We continued on our way to Oxford, where most of the 36 colleges that make up the university were founded between the 13th and 16th centuries. Alan and Joyce toured the Sheldonian Theatre, designed by Christopher Wren. The theatre was undergoing renovation, so they climbed a narrow stairway to the cupola, but a great view many of the buildings. They also looked around in the Bodleian Library, founded in 1320. By this time, they were pretty hungry and decided to try a Cornish pasty, which is vegetables and meat in a pastry shaped sort of like a calzone, with the seam on the top. It was surprisingly tasty! They continued to explore the town and came on a market and found large juicy red raspberries they could resist. Alan and Joyce met up with Forst and Louise just before boarding the bus. Forst and Louise had toured the Museum of Oxford, where Louise especially enjoyed the Egyptian pottery and jewelry exhibits.

The bus went on some pretty narrow roads through the Cotswald Hills. We saw (well some of us saw, others were taking in the scenery by osmosis) rolling hills, small fields of pasture and barley, lots of cows and sheep, and several villages with stone houses and stone roofs. There was the occasional thatch roof, which we had surprisingly learned are still being used and replaced about every 15 years.

The next stop was Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon. We stopped for a group picture at Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Anne Hathaway was Shakespeare’s wife. Then it was into town. Forst and Louise walked around the town and stopped for an ice cream cone. Alan and Joyce took off for the far side of town for Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare and his wife are buried. On their way back to the central part of town they passed by Shakespeare’s daughter’s home where Shakespeare was living when he dies. Beside the house, was a small tea room advertising cream tea, which they decided to try. Cream tea is a round scone cut in half with jam and coddled cream sandwiched in the middle. It is service with a cup of tea. It was quite tasty and we now understand what Mary Poppin’s meant when she sang about “tea, a drink with jam and bread”. We really felt English, when we added milk to our tea, for the first time. That was good also!

We left Stratford-upon-Avon and traveled approximately 45 minutes to the Ramada Inn in Coventry, our stop for the evening. We were greeted by a large, cool more American looking room and had about an hour to relax before dinner.

It was mentioned earlier, Joyce is enjoying listening to our tour guides way of speaking and though we both speak English the interesting differences in our languages. Here are a few she particularly enjoyed: Did you know a car has a boot (trunk), and bonnet (hood) and a wind screen (wind shield). We were cautioned to keep an eye on our belongings in public areas, so no one would “Nip our bits”. We heard numerous stories about “chaps” and several “jolly good” experiences. We heard about “ghastly” things to avoid and the “bedlam” that can be created by children and other circumstances. We were encouraged to “give it a go” as we came into a new town and were told about the various things we could do. Joyce will continue to listen and may have more phrases to share later.