10-27 today was a walk in the park - Hyde and Kensington, with the north wind; predicted by the weather man so we were prepared, looking like two large pillows walking down the street. They're both really big parks, and they're together, so it took quite a while to cover them both. Then Harrods provided us with entertainment; the big very expensive store was claustrophobically crowded as we bumped our way up the Egyptian escalator past the live soprano singing arias, onto the forth floor sportswear, down through fine jewelry, a perfume area that brought tears to your eyes; not from the cost of the perfume but from the mist that wafted in the air caused by the squirts from curious testers, then through a gun area selling shot guns priced from $1600 to$83,000, and finally through the Christmas area where most of the items were name items  from Harrods. Then home for rest then off to the theater. The tube brought us to Covent Garden, a walk with the north wind, now accompanied by rain, took us to "Top Hat". Afterword wandering the theater district with all the other theater people, gathering together in large numbers down in the tube we return to our homes, joyful in our memories of play, and cold, and wet in the hoity-toity theater district of London.

10-28 this day we decided to change the guard, with the help of the local constabulary, and the red coated, beaver hatted fellows. The change went well, the new guards put in their proper place, the old ones marched off to some secret location for debriefing, the horses put back in the Mews, and the second march begun - The March of the Horse Poop Picker Uppers. Getting with the program we marched down The Mall (The path of the guard changing march) then to The National Gallery where we exposed our senses -again - to the great works of art. I must admit our enthusiasm has waned a tad regarding art appreciation growth, and we were quite selective in our exploration. Then back home for rest followed by a wander around London town in the rain, finally getting back at 10 pm, having enjoyed our extra hour of existence today.

10-29 today was a day filled with the events that mold men's lives; inevitably, we world class athletes migrated to the land of the Olympics, wandering the lands that those like us have dared to tread. Unfortunately, the park was not only closed but fenced, and they were dismantling some of the venues. Sadly, we were only able to climb, assisted by an escalator, to the third floor of the official department store of the Olympic Games and look at the grounds from the official room of the official store, whilst we were looking over the official souvenirs. We did, however, experience the aura of the games:) next came the British Museum where most of the artifacts from Egypt are kept; Lynn and I concluded, after wandering through The Louvre and this museum, there couldn't be much left in Egypt. A note about the London tube - it's smashing! Brilliant! It's clean, very well signposted, and the people that work there actually help you:) we've been whizzing around London on the tube, and it's fun.

10-30. Another walk in the park day, we took to the tube and off to Regent's Park, the famous rose gardens, the zoo, and Madame Tussaud's wax museum, the most popular attraction in London - I read that, and it appeared to be true, validated by the length of the que; maybe three abressed, and at least a quarter mile long - we opted a not. The park turned out to be one of the best I 've seen; London really know how to do parks. It is late in the season so the rose garden wasn't as spectacular as it can be, but beautiful none the less. The zoo turned out to be crowded (A school holiday), the queue was a couple hundred yards long, and thus the inside was also filled. We did enjoy many of the animal venues, especially the spider monkey's reminding of old times (I used to have one as a pet.) Then back down to food, and the underground; our trip mirrored the underground trip to Heathrow, so we had a chance to dry run the  departure, concluding that we will take a taxi to Paddington, then the fast track to Heathrow.

10-31 happy Halloween! The alligator tear day, the last day of the trip:) there were three things yet to do: The Tate Museum, Oxford Street (The busiest shopping area in the world), and Parliament to view The House of Commons, and The House Of Lords. The Tate Museum had a small collection of impressionist painting, and a fair amount of 20th century art. We enjoyed the Impressionist work, and remain confused about the 20th century stuff: why it's called art, what is art, etc. Then on to Oxford Street; where we found ----- people, lots and lots of people: the place was a zoo! And, every body knew where they were going and were in a hurry to get there. Humor was added by two large banners hanging across the four lane street; it read "Merry Christmas from Marmite you either love it or hate it". Then to Parliament and a long queue;  we were asked to come back at 6:00, so a wandering we went, down the Strand and the Thames for some last minute Lynn pictures. Returning to the now absent queue we went through several security screens, through a couple of very large old rooms where pageantry prevails during parliamentary ceremony, and finally were seated in the nose bleed seats, called the visitor balcony. The dear Lords had adjourned for the night, but as luck would have it, the House of Commons was engaged in a lively debate about the funding to the European Union; that included a final vote, so we got to see a whole array of pageantry, which turned out to be important enough to be aired on BBC later that night. It was truly interesting. Then for our final meal we chose to eat pub food, in a lively atmosphere of Halloween - a grand conclusion to a grand trip::)) 

11/01  Time to go home :( and :)  Walked to Mail Boxes Etc to send package of rocks to Lotti (An explanation is required here: Lotti collects rocks and we picked up one in the Cotswalds and one in the Jurassic Beach) then loaded up into London cab for trip to Heathrow.  Turned out to be a lovely sunny morning so trip was special seeing stuff we hadn't seen in cheery sunlight, but made it a bittersweet goodbye.  Arrived at airport 3 1/2 hours early so did some last minute shopping ;)

Phil almost lost his trusty Swiss Army knife (again) but the security guy let him keep it, because now there is a blade length minimum for a "threatening knife". The flight was an uneventful but fast 11 hours, as was going through customs, putting us at the shuttle at 8:00.  Waiting for shuttle and the drive home, however, took on the feeling of a safari. we validated the "first on last off" hypothesis. Three loops around LAX, the full van departed for: Lakewood, Disneyland, Villa Park, Orange, and finally Murrieta. We wound around Orange County like an intoxicated hunter ant, going hither and thither; some excitement was achieved when we went by Lynn's old house in Anaheim Hills. Then finally off to Murrieta: almost immediately however, break lights - a big fix underway on the 91, down to one lane. Ah, the delights of So Cal. The great finish was a walk in the door at 1 am, the end an absolutely marvelous vacation! 

10-25. Today a walk / church day including wandering along the Thames past the London Eye viewing the skyline of London, walking across the Tower bridge past the Tower of London finally sauntering along the boulevard back home. The churches included Westminster Cathedral - the grand place grand things happen in London - marriages, coronations, burials, etc. then St Paul's Cathedral - we think it is the  most spectacular and it is a push which is bigger. We also discovered that fast food and Starbucks has taken over London; every block has a Starbucks and at least two fast food places, and Londoners like to play dress-up, we've seen many penguins walking around.
10-24.  A travel day we packed, then the 15 minute trip to the Weymouth station and the train to London. Arriving in Waterloo Station we were advised to take the tube to Green Park Station then were told to go to Victoria Station; of course, now that we are tube wizards it was no sweat - except the luggage schlepping part. We arrived at our new home, The Crown Plaza Hotel, a fancy schmancy place that's costing less than most of our previous stays because London prepped itself for the Olympics and now has a serious excess of lodging. The rest of the day spent wandering through the big sights - Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Parliamentary Building, the London Eye, etc. etc. Unfortunately, part of the hotels business plan is to make money on the Internet connection - $10 a day, so we passed, and are waiting for an Internet cafe. 

10-23 a casual day, we hung around plotting and planning and scheming until dog time; This was the time when we gathered up 8 dogs - 2 whippets, a greyhound, 4 mutts, and an English Bulldog;  only one, Basil, belonged to Rick - and took them for a romp down to the beach. Muck, and slush, and goo still abound so people take care, dogs have fun. Shortly after our discussion of the basic nature of the English Bulldog and decided nurture over nature, I was playing with one of the whippets when the Bulldog joined in- perhaps not totally understanding what play is.  Within moments he bit my leg, let go then bit the other, pulling back and tearing my britches. He wasn't mad, just wanted to play, however, he got a serious scolding for it. After returning the dogs we headed for Weymouth, a lovely coastal town, to be tourists, wander the streets, and alleys, and liste n to Rick's stories about the place (He grew up here). Then on to Portland, a modest sized island just off the coast of Weymouth that contains a couple lighthouses, a Napoleonic era jail, and a fair amount of urban sprawl. Finally out to a 5 star restaurant to celebrate our last night here - 5 stars because we 5 star people were in it - and partook of English fare: lamb shank, fish pie, Dorset apple cake, bread and butter pudding. Finally we watched a DVD of Rick's Slovenia trek, whilst scratching Basil covering our clothes with the added warmth of dog hair.

10-22 A foggy day, in Weymouth Town (A song), and it didn't clear, however you may recall "There's no bad weather just bad clothes", so we dressed appropriately and were off to Stonehenge. We wandered through old English country, hill and dale, and hamlet, etc. discovering many charming sights along the way. In one we happened by a thatcher; indeed, he was thatching a roof! The process is much like putting tiles on a roof except you're using small bundles of thatch (looks like long straw). We were told the roof will last 25 - 30 years, and cost around $13 a square foot. Then on to Stonehenge where we, and several busloads of others listened to our personal hand held talk on its history. It was impressive considering its age - 5000 years - and the picnic area proved quite useful. Then on to the Salisbury Cathedral, a really big Catholic Church with one of the four copies of the Magna Carta, which of course as you all remember is considered the first human rights legal document:) then to a really big food store where we bought more stuff to eat; back home, an English chicken dinner and conversation. One good day after another:)

10/21  drove to Dorchester and Sherbourne castle. Toured the inside- lots of slick furnishings including a clever chair that turned into a step ladder for retrieving books from the 9 foot high shelves. Then toured the gardens and 

lake with dogs in tow and ate picnic by lake in beautiful surroundings.  Then off to Winspit where we hiked out to a rock quarry, returning in dark-luckily Phil had intelligently brought his handy torch. Then to pub - Square and Compass, for drinks and pub food - pies " a pub quiche" and lemonade/coffee. Neat atmosphere and dogs all around (Spider and Harry). Another great day.

10/20.  Went by car and hiking to Durdle Door, a rock arch along the beach with waves crashing through it, then on to Lulorth -a lovely seaside area with a promontory called Bat's head. Accompanying  us were Basil and Bob (a greyhound mix) Then ice cream and off to Twynham (a village that was evacuated during the second world war and never lived in again), enjoying our picnic lunch before visiting the town- the schoolhouse has been well maintained looking much like it did 70 years ago. Then walked down to the beach cliff, hung around until sunset taking photos, back on the road to drop off Bob and walk to neighbors house for dinner with Mike and Rita and another dog named Archie. Had takeout Chinese (we're doing a lot of Chinese food), and Phil and Mike had lengthy and interesting discussion about Reiki. Lovely evening. 

10/19  Caught train from Moreton on Marsh to Weymouth.    Rick picked us up with his dog Basil The Wonder Dog (A wonder dog because: he spends most of his nights sleeping in the back of Rick's car parked out in front of the house, nothing bothers him, and I mean nothing, and he is an expert at energy conservation walking only when absolutely necessary) and took us along the seafront and to the supermarket where we stocked up on lots of goodies.  On to his very nice, close to the beach house where he prepared a delicious pasta/meat dish dinner.  Then we were entertained with a DVD of Dorset area and of his Pakistan trek.

Note from yesterday: it hailed, fortunately observed from inside our B&B.
This day, the last walk of The Great Cotswold Circuit (Newly named by us), began with an extended conversation with some Canadian folks sharing breakfast, and the GCC. Then off we went leaving the well sign posted Cotswold Way, joining the Not so well marked Monarch Way, and got lost. We sought the advice of a nice lady and continued on the wrong path. After another half hour walking across fields and farm we asked the advice of three other nice ladies - they all agreed about where we were, so we believed them and set a course for what looked like a road. Dang, it wasn't - it was a working quarry, but after trying to slog through a treed hedgerow with no success we walked down along side it to a road and the trail:) then down to a small hamlet, Blockley, then on across flat farmland where we joined up with a couple of dozen dairy cows walking with some difficulty with  udderly full udders through muck, and slush, and poo arriving back in Morton-on-the-Marsh and the Treetop B&B. A wonder walk!

We're feeling phthisic, so today's short walk was appreciated. Starting in the 17th century house with no heat we walked back through town looking for the sign post we missed the previous day; to no avail, we missed it again and resorted to the old navigational technique - we asked someone. A sweet little old lady out on her daily constitutional walked most of the way back to the post and off we went up the hill again to Broadway Tower (You may recall a similar tower from yesterday, it's the same tower.) We finally found out where we went wrong, and after passing the tower again we zoomed down the other side without further error. Spectacular views abound as we followed the trail through  farms, along minor roads, into parks, and along streams; with no rain and modest wind the day was delightful ending with a grand view of Chipping- Camden and its surrounds. A short walk down the main street of the town we arrived at our 600 year old B&B.  Chipping Camden is billed as the loveliest of the Cotswold towns and although that's a somewhat subjective claim it certainly is beautiful and quaint.  Some very old buildings, mostly out of Cotswold stone, some with thatched roofs, make wandering the streets a real joy.  And of course we visited the two churches-one being the first Catholic church we've seen in England.

10/16  Last night was sick night; so we stayed in our adorable B&B room with huge bathroom and lovely radiant heat. We both worked hard to sleep with moderate success, so this morn was casual, slow, wander the town, check out the local pub before departure. It was windy and cold, so the chill was serious, but the air was clear and the sun warm. The walk was short, we charged up a hill onto a plateau with a serious view, then back down to an old church (I know, what, another church?!). Outside the church we met a local that told us about the original 13th century church down the road a mile, and the  tower on top of the hill behind it that overlooks the entire valley (Built by The Earl of Coventry so he could see all his property back in medieval times. The tower provides a view of 13 counties.) We opted for the extended walk, and it was great choice. The only down side was that we found out that tomorrow morning our trail goes back up to the tower, oh well it's good exercise. Broadway, our new home town, is billed as the showcase of the Cotswalds. The town is spread along the main road, originally Broadway, and lined with magnificent homes, oh yes, made of Cotswald stone, with handsome well manicured yards, and beautiful gardens.

10/15    Breakfast at the Inn, then to the bakery for bread and treats, and we're off  down the main road to the path to the country side. Out in farm land we walk along amongst sheep, and horses, and cows entering a field sign posted with "bull in field", that got Lynn's attention, and she spotted the big fella immediately. Fortunately he was lying down but the path went right by him and he decided to get up, a real task for his bulk. We negotiated our way through the crowd of females (and cowpies) and out to the gate before the big guy had time to get upset. On we went through sheep country. A word about poop: big plops of cow poop are easy to see and avoid, however, sheep droppings are much smaller and often hide under grass and weeds and in the mud so we waded through the muck, and the slush, and the goo with sheep poopy boots. A mile or so into the walk we joined the National Trail - The Cotswald Way. As a result sign posting improved immensely, and the written instructions became much less important. The trail lead us up and along the hills providing us with spectacular views of the hedge rows defining the quilted patern of the small farms covering the rolling verdant hills. Huge oak trees stood along the creeks and streams lacing through the fields creating a three dimensional effect to the pattern.  Along the way a thousand year old building made of Cotswald stone peaked out from behind the green to remind us of the long history of our surrounds. Then we arrived in Stanton, a post card little hamlet (thatched roofs!) with our 17th century B&B.  The lovely lady who owns it made Lynn a cuppa tea laced with lemon and whiskey for her incipient cold and it seems to be doing the trick.

10-14 Sunday

Breakfast at our pub wasn't until 8:30 so we we got fully packed before indulging in the morning meal. Then off through the center of town, maybe 10 buildings, and into frost covered country side, the sky's clear and still quite cold. Walking through 17th century farms with 17th century houses and 21st century equipment. Then through forest, and birds -lots of birds. The birds were ring necked pheasants and we saw more of them than I have seen total in all my life. The property we were walking through was estates, big estates, that placed pheasant feeders all over the estate, and I'm sure have big shooting parties during pheasant season. None the less, it was thrilling to have them running about, and taking to flight all around, often startling us. Then up and over a hill for the best view we've seen; grand panorama with the town of our destination right in the middle. Then on the the Suddeley castle, a 15th century affair with lots of intrigue including Henry 8th and his women, at least one buried in the castle ( Katherine Parr-his widow). Then on to Winchcombe, and our White Hart Inn, a 17th century building, pub on the ground, rooms on the first floor - very charming.

10-13 back through the town we stopped for resupply - bread, cheese, cookies - and off we went in the crisp clear morning air along the Windrush Way, along the Windrush River; a glorious beginning. Pheasants love it here in the Cotswalds, they're everywhere. Soon we get lost, but happily because we got to wander through some very lovely forest- twice because we had to go back, then on down the now Mud-on-the-Boots trail with sticks to assure that only our boots got muddy. After an hour or so we were joined by a gaggle (maybe 20) locals out doing their Satuday exercise. We bumped into them several times along the trail. Around lunch time we were in Naunton, a small hamlet with a church where we ate, and read grave stones whilst gazing out upon the glorious and charming surrounds. Now raining we moved on over hill and dale, and farm, and the occasional metalled path - English for paved street. Finally reaching Guiting Power, and our home for the night; The Hollow Bottom, a Pub/ B&B with a darling gabled room.

10-12 starting in good old Stow-on-the-Wold we went to Foot-on-the-Path, then to Hide Mill, then Gloucestershire Way and Mud-on-the-Feet (It did rain yesterday), to Upper Slaughter, then to Lower Slaughter, and finally to Bourton-on-the-Water. Whilst in Upper Slaughter we sought the guidance of a local regarding navigation, and made a friend, who invited us to his 1640's home. From California he and his wife moved to the area in 1991, purchased the house as a rundown, dirt floor teardown, invested much money and time, and love over the last 20 years to make it the stunning house that it is today - especially the kitchen! Lower Slaughter is billed as the loveliest village in the Cotswalds, and we wouldn't argue, although it's a close call; virtually all of them are oozing charm. Bourton-on-the-water is the touristic winner so far. The reason is partially that a river runs through it; right smack through the middle with several elegant 18th century bridges going across. It is a lovely town, and we certainly enjoyed our wandering, as well, the Chinese food we found(I know, it sounds like a crime hanging out in stereotypical idyllic English landscape ordering CHINESE food, but it sure was good. Only a spot of rain, and a tad of hail, but the evenings are getting a might chilly, so we made for the warmth of the B&B. Another great day.

10/11 Stow-on-the-Wold.         Had breakfast, an English breakfast, then started out on walk in dry weather, expecting a deluge any time - fortunately it came after we reached our destination. Somewhat misty all day but not much rain :). Beautiful scenery and manor homes, post card views everywhere. First stop Longborough then Donnington then Broadwell, all charming hamlets filled with houses made of Cotswald stone. We stopped to lunch in the St Paul's cemetery, reading interesting gravestone markers, then onto Stow-on- the-Wold, where we found our home for the night, a cozy B&B, four star attraction. The walk went through and along farms filled with cows, sheep, and horses and poop of all shapes and sizes, and occassional views of pheasants running about hither and thither.  After getting lost, Lynn became the lead navigator owing to the fact that this trail is very poorly sign posted and the our best navigation was by written word. The description of the trail was often our only guide and her reading skills are vastly superior to mine. The town of Stow-on-the-Wold is more touristic with several busloads of tourists wandering the streets enjoying the charm - another beautiful town. A great day.