Day 20 – Returning Home

And now for some final words as we sit on a 747 heading home -

Travel, we feel, provides an excellent education on the world. No longer are certain places simply pictures in a book or places on a map. Now they include smells, sights, tastes, and feelings -both physical and emotional. Most significantly, travel is meeting people - people who wouldn’t trade their citizenship any more than we would ours. That’s a positive thing. We saw beautiful families really enjoying one another, and around numerous tables, the conversation always included our homes and various communities.

While Europe has an abundance of magnificent churches and cathedrals, it seems that they are becoming museums. As always, and perhaps now more than ever, people need the Lord.

We saw beautiful things and countrysides so lovely that at times I forgot to blink. Would I like to live in any of the places we saw? No, but thank you just the same. If we did, things would be so different. And you know what – we love our lives. Coming home to loving and supportive parents, to our dear children, a great son-in-law, and our little Gus, loving family and amazing friends – well, we wouldn’t trade them for anything or everything in this world!

Our heavenly Father, in His gracious sovereignty, has designed all of our lives to fulfill His perfect plan and purpose for our lives. When that includes travel, it might be to meet someone for a particular reason, or simply to appreciate His daily blessings in your own backyard. Whatever the reason might be for this wonderful opportunity we’ve just enjoyed, we are thankful. Thankful to God, from whom flows every good and perfect gift, and to our children, who encouraged us to go, did all of the planning, and told us to have a ball. We did! But there is no greater joy in the world than coming home to the people you love. That’s where we are today. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz said, “There’s no place like home,” as she returned to Kansas, we echo as we come home to what Holly wrote in her last entry in travel notes…Home to St. Louis – the best city on earth!

Day 19 – Goodbye Bath, Hello London

 At breakfast this morning, we met a new couple from Australia who were celebrating their 25^th anniversary. The family from Cork joined us and we all had a good time together. William had scheduled a taxi to arrive at 8:45 A.M. We were packed and ready to go! Our Irish driver took us on the short drive to the train depot where we had plenty of time to catch up on some writing. “Good bye, Bath and lovely English countryside!”

An hour and a half later we were in London learning very quickly how to use the tube. We took the Paddington line to the West Brompton exit, walked about a minute, and found the Sara Hotel/B&B.  We are in Earl’s Court district which looks like it was built in the middle 1800s. The street is just lovely! I can just imagine horse drawn carriages passing each other right in front of our window. The hotel, while not decorated to the period, is clean and basic.

We settled in our place and within half an hour, off we went again! With about 24 hours total time to spend in London, we had settled on a few things we wanted to do. After eating some sandwiches in a nearby park, we headed for the British Museum. It was free! The first thing we saw after passing into the Great Court was the Rosetta Stone! We followed Rick Steves’ abbreviated guide to the museum which guided us to the highlights. What a thrill it was to see Egyptian, Assyrian, and Ancient Greek exhibits along with the actual Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon. From the mummy of an old woman who was preserved so well that you could see her fingernails to recovered shipwreck treasure, and old clocks to wall carvings from Nineveh – this museum was magnificent!

From here, we began a walking tour (again, thank you, Rick!). Walking along White Hall Street, we saw Trafalgar Square with Lord Nelson bravely standing on top of a tall column and a huge ship in a bottle (which Gus would just love!). Then came St. Martin in the Fields Church, the Horse Guard, #10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben (which rang beautifully at 5:oo), Westminster Abby (already closed for the day but gearing up with press from around the world for the wedding), The London Eye, and the Waterloo Bridge. How’s that for covering some ground? We walked and walked. Bicycles zoom within inches of city busses and cars. It’s kind of crazy! We rode the Tube back to Earl’s Court and now we are resting before we have a simple dinner.  We are officially done!

Rosetta Stone

Egyptian Mummy

Trafalgar's Square

Big Ben & the House of Parliament

Day 18 – Cotswold Tour

We began our day by grabbing some fruit from the dining room for breakfast. Then we started our trek into town at 7:30 A.M. on a very foggy morning. In such a short time, we have come to really enjoy this walk by cottages, priories, parks, and views into distant green hills. We arrived at Bath Abbey in plenty of time, so we headed to a coffee shop.

As we approached our meeting spot, Ross spotted her first. Then I did. Yesterday on our walking tour, an elderly lady with hair that Ross labeled “flaming orange”, was there waiting for the Cotswold tour. And guess who came running up to greet us as soon as we approached? You guessed it! Before the tour van pulled up in about 7 minutes, we learned that her name was Pearl, she was from southern Israel, she and her husband were university professors, had traveled just about everywhere, thought the U.S. was absolutely beautiful, had both served in the Israeli army (it’s mandatory for every citizen for 2 years), and they had been to Stonehenge yesterday. I loved her already, orange and all!

Sixteen people gathered for the tour from Washington, Michigan, MISSOURI, Canada, Israel, Switzerland, and Taiwan. Amazing! Gary, our driver and tour guide was a middle–aged man and proved to be very knowledgeable of the Cotswold. The sun began to burn off the fog, holding the promise of a lovely spring day.

Off we went! I know I’ll need to be somewhat brief, but the Cotswold is like a fairy land. The word “quaint” should really be reserved for describing these villages nestled amongst grazing sheep, babbling brooks, slate roofed cottages, stone walls, lace curtained windows, flowers of every color, vines  and roses climbing ancient stone walls, and just pure loveliness! We walked through sheep pastures where the mother’s number (painted on her side with blue paint of some kind) matched her two little lambs, which romped around her or slept in the warm sunshine. Pairs of mallards paddled in crystal clear streams. We loved this tour! I took so many notes in my journal, but when we get home, I really would like to find a complete book on this area. Of all that we have seen, this area is my personal favorite! And here’s some good news – so much of it resembles Missouri, especially the scenery towards Augusta or Hermann! We completely enjoyed our lunch in an old pub in Stow-on–the-Wold, which consisted of a typical Sunday dinner of beef, potatoes, carrots, and a roll.

We arrived back to where we started at 5:15 P.M. and enjoyed some pasties. We ate them as we sat on a bench in a Bath square as we listened to a street musician play classical music on a guitar. We continued to walk a bit as we were waiting for a service to begin at 6:30 P.M. in the Abby.

We were greeted warmly, handed an Anglican Bible, and selected a seat in a pew close to the marble tombstone of James Montague, who was the Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1608 – 1616. A surprising number of people gathered as we began singing hymns, most of which we were unfamiliar. The sermon was delivered by a woman who had a very calm demeanor. She spoke from Luke 15: 1-11 on the Prodigal Son.

Our walk home through the village was nice and quiet as Ross and I discussed, between us, the impact of what we had just experienced in church. It was similar to the fog we walked through earlier in the morning. Nevertheless, it had truly been an awesome and enlightening day!

Sampling of photos from the Costwolds

Day 17 – Bath

We enjoyed a continental breakfast this morning with a young  Spanish couple living in Cork along with their 3 children. The food consisted of yogurt, stewed plums and currants, toast, croissants, fruit, fruit juice, tea, and coffee. Soon, two couples from different areas in England joined us. It was very interesting to hear how they feel about some things in their country.

Here’s a little of what they shared:

-  Most of them did not like Diana. They felt she really used the press to her own personal advantage.
- All of them agreed that she was murdered.

- All of them liked Camilla, though they don’t appreciate how she and Charles went about it. They feel that she is down to earth and makes Charles happy, unlike Diana, with whom he never appeared content.

- They believe that all of Great Britain is the most intensely  technologically surveiled country on earth. Some of their stories were pretty amazing.

We set off on our walk to Bath. It was a beautiful morning! Our first stop was the Royal Crescent. I stopped at the midpoint of the crescent when a man dressed in a finely tailored suit with brass buttons and tails greeted me. “Good morning, Madam. It’s a lovely day isn’t it.” “Yes, it is” I agreed.  I explained that I was so happy to be here and that I was a real Jane Austen fan and so thrilled to be able to see the Royal Crescent.” He continued, “ Then would you like to see the gardens in the back, Madam? They are quite lovely and please, have some coffee, if you like.” Would I? Passing through the main foyer and out the garden door, we were truly delighted by what we saw. Beautifully manicured grass along with gorgeous flowers and hedges combined to create a peaceful oasis. Ross attempted to take our picture together, with an outstretched arm, when the same man hurriedly approached us and said, “This will not do. Let me take your picture.” So, the picture you see of us in the garden was taken by this very kind man.

Up to this point in our trip we had only really window shopped, appreciating the varied items typical for each country. Not today folks! Today was a day for shopping in Bath. Prices are very reasonable here. So, after much consideration, I decided on a little glass coffee pot with a stainless steel filter and some vintage looking muffin cup papers. I’m really happy with them!

We visited the magnificent Bath Abbey. The original land was granted to the monks of St. Peter in 757 AD.  Edgar was crowned the first effective king of England here in 973. Some of the abbey walls are completely  composed of beautiful stained glass depicting various Old Testament stories and scenes from the life of Christ. We took so many pictures here – so we will never forget.

For lunch we headed for Seafoods Fish and Chips. Wonderful! Imagine a fluffy piece of cod with malted vinegar sprinkled on top along with a batch of crusty French fries. We stopped at a little store in Weston Village and bought some Cadbury Caramels. We’ll be back to the real world soon enough!

A closer look at the Royal Cresent

In the garden of the Royal Cresent Hotel

Inside the Bath Abbey

Outside view of the Bath Abbey

Day 16 – Arrival in London & journey to Bath

Our British Airways flight took a mere 2 hours.  The flight crew was so nice! However, our landing was a little rough, more like hitting the runway rather than landing on it. I asked Ross what he thought, to which he graciously replied, “He must be a navy pilot” (used to short runways on aircraft carriers).

Here’s some advice when it comes to sleeping in an airport – Don’t Do It! The Gatwick Airport is redoing their beautiful marble floors – at night. Trying to sleep was like trying to cat nap during the invasion at Pearl Harbor. At first it wasn’t too bad, but as everyone started in with their machines, it became much more of a challenge. The good thing was it was free, and when it was all said and done, we did sleep a little. Maybe it was when the workers took their coffee break.

So, with tickets in hand, we found platform, bound for Reading. Our train was due to leave at 7:58 AM, and guess what, it left EXACTLY at 7:58 AM. Unbelievable! Now for the moment I have personally been anticipating for a long time – the English countryside. One of the first things we saw was actually something synonymous with my sweet mom – a herd of Oreo cows (black in the front and hind quarters with white in their middle section – just like a cookie. Now if we could only spot a herd of fainting goats, Ellen would be thrilled!) I was not disappointed with the view. Everything was so green! Some of the fields were completely covered in bright yellow flowers that just glowed in the sunlight. Once we arrived in Reading, we had ten minutes to get on the train bound for Bath. That accomplished, off we whizzed, past cottages, grazing sheep, and rambling brooks.  Ahhh! The England I have always dreamed of! Then came the words “Next stop…Bath…Thank you.” What is it about that accent? The British could say something simple like “Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup” and it would sound like music.

We arrived at our Weston Lawn B&B by cab. Holly, bless her heart, had been contacted via e-mail by our first B&B that they had an emergency come up and had to cancel all reservations. She quickly found us another one before we even knew what the situation was, making all the necessary arrangements. When we arrived at Weston Lawn, we were delighted! Look at the pictures and you’ll see why. The original part of the house was built in 1760. Putting our bags by the door so we wouldn’t have to carry them around (part of those arrangements Holly made), off we set for the town. We passed by lovely Georgian homes with names like – Woodcote, Summerhill, Victoria Cottage, and Skunkcabbage (only kidding!). I held onto Ross with an iron grip for fear I’d trip because I was definitely not looking down! Then, we strolled through a botanical garden and Victoria Garden! What a way to get to town! Smaller settlements of cottages are scattered on the distant hillsides. Like Elizabeth Benton said in Pride and Prejudice, while standing on a boulder viewing The Peeks, “Beautiful!” That says it all.

For lunch, we stopped in a pasty shop. A pasty is a traditional food here which is made of a very thick pie crust folded in half and sealed, filled with a large variety of choices. We chose the steak and vegetable one. It’s really like carrying a stew in a sealed  pastry pocket. It was delicious!

Our first goal was to find  the courtyard between The Pump Room and The Bath Abby because that was the gathering spot for a tour of the town. Local men and women volunteer to guide free tours of Bath because they love it here and also because they take great delight in passing on its long and interesting history. Rick Steves recommended this in his guide book, and boy, was he ever right! Our guide took us to so many places and gave us so much information. The two hour walking tour was just fantastic!

On our way home, we stopped by Cromwell Pastys and this time selected a chicken and vegetable one. In fact, since it was almost closing time, they were running a 2 for 1 sale! They were piping hot so we waited until we were in front of the Royal Crescent before we began eating them. Yum!

When we got to our B&B, we were warmly welcomed by our hosts, William and Fiona Close. Our room is precious. What can I say? A room in Bath, a pot of tea, fresh flower in a vase – does it get any better than this? So, after our tea and showers, we plopped into a fluffy bed – never remembering  being so delightfully exhausted in our lives.

Front entrance to B&B

Floral coverage on one side yard of B&B

Eating our pastys

Enjoying the park in front of the Royal Cresent

Day 15 – Goodbye to Venice

We met some new travelers at breakfast this morning –a couple from Colorado and another couple from Chicago. Another couple, from Boston, returned home today. Matia, the guest house owner, said that he had a real difficult time understanding their English.  It was really funny hearing an Italian imitate a Boston accent!

Matia knew that our flight out of Venice didn’t leave until late in the evening. He very kindly came up to our room as we were about to check out, and said that we could leave our backpacks in our room for the day so that we wouldn’t have to lug them around town. Not only that, he told the maid not to clean our room so that we could use it if we wanted to come back and take an afternoon nap and rest before we left. We were very thankful to him for helping us out and for his immense hospitality.

So, off we headed for the Fish Market! This place is very similar to Soulard. The fruits and vegetables come in so many varieties and colors that it looks like a kaleidoscope! The fresh fish stands were in a nearby section. We saw everything from octopus and squid to little sardines and…well…things we had never seen before. Some people walked around holding their noses. Again, this was a sensory and cultural delight!

On our way back to our guest house, we stopped off for a slice of pizza and then headed up to our room to rest a little. Our internal clocks were about to be surprised because we are scheduled to arrive in London at 12:15 AM and not catch our train to Bath until 8:00 AM.

After sleeping for a little, we headed out for our last scoop of gelato before leaving at 6:30 to catch the water bus for Marco Polo Airport. Right on schedule, it pulled up to the dock at 7:00, we boarded, sat down, and away we went! We left a little early for the 40 minute ride to the airport because if we had left any later we wouldn’t have been able to see all the little islands and villas around Venice. The sun was slowly descending on the horizon in a dreamy haze, and in the distance, dark clouds were gathering. I think it will rain in Venice tonight. These water buses are really something in that they follow a regular route just like cars do on a road. The ride was really nice. Once we arrived at the airport, we began the 7 minute walk to the terminal. Since this isn’t an international airport, it is delightfully small and do-able.   We couldn’t check in for about an hour, so we did what we had to do – eat more pizza of course! Well we had to eat dinner didn’t we? And besides, we had some Euros left over that needed to be used before we left Italy. So, when you see us when we get back home, cut us a little slack would ya? It might take some time to take off a few pounds of ice-cream and pizza.

So, farewell beautiful Italy! We hope to see you again!

Housing along canal with Italian flag

Fish market area - just about anything you can think of that lives in the sea

Small fish, squid, & octopus

Shrimp and other interesting sea food

Day 14 – Another Day in Venice

We enjoyed breakfast this morning with a couple from Toronto and another couple from England. The host was there with us and gave us a brief history of this place plus some more recommendations on more things to do in Venice. Constructed in the early 1800s, this house is actually one of the newer buildings in town. I guess your perspective on what’s “new” changes when your city has been around for 1500 years. Anyway, this house was built on what used to a gondola construction site.

So, off we headed to St. Mark’s Square or The Piazza San Marco, as they say around here. This historic square, surrounded by beautiful buildings, is the size of two football fields (only Americans compare everything to the size of a football field. Nobody ever compares things to the size of a tennis court or a bowling alley, for example). The square is filled with music, tourists, and friendly pigeons. Especially in the evening, the plaza becomes a magnificent dance floor as various string quartets perform for couples twirling across ancient pavement. Napoleon once called the piazza “the most beautiful drawing room in Europe.” It is truly a highlight for us!

Then, it was off the Ca’ Rezzonico (Museum of 18^th century Venice). This palazzo, or palace, is on the Grand Canal and provides a great peak into the live of Venice’s rich and famous. It’s hard to believe that this was actually a family home! It was more like entering the St. Louis Art Museum and calling it “home” – can you imagine? Every room was spectacular and had a story to tell. From inlaid mother-of-pearl wooden furniture to ornately frescoed ceilings painted by Tiepolo, this palace revealed the immense wealth of Venetian aristocrats in the 1700s. A mere 50 years after the palace was completed, it began falling into disrepair because the family was gone with no one left to maintain it. Like God tells us, “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.” (NASB Proverbs 23:4-5)

On the way back, we stopped by a stand and got some gelato, which is really good ice-cream!

A word about Venice: There are about 60,000 residents in Venice today, half of what it was 30 years ago. Of those who stay, 25% are 65 or older. It would be difficult to raise a family here. Apartments are small and expensive (a  1,000 sq. ft. a studio apartment can cost up to a million dollars). The humidity and occasional flooding can make walking difficult. Home improvements require enormous amounts of red tape, following regulations intended to preserve the historical ambience. Everything is expensive because it has to be shipped in from the mainland. Basic things like grocery shopping can be tricky because it involves a lot of walking and stairs – imagine crossing over arched bridges while pushing a stroller and carrying groceries. It’s easy to see why people are leaving at a rate of a thousand a year. The economy itself is thriving, thanks to tourism and rich foreigners buying second homes here. But, sadly, even hopeful planners worry that in a few decades, Venice won’t be a city at all, but will become a museum or a cultural theme park. We hope not. We simply love Venice.

We had some delicious pizza for dinner tonight! Afterwards, although it was a little chilly, we enjoyed a long evening stroll along canals, dark and quiet alleys, and noisy pedestrian streets. From the smells of fresh fish to the aroma of baking pizza or pastries, Venice is a city that keeps you thankful for all of your God given senses!

St. Mark's Square - tower and part of cathedral

It is difficult to grasp the size of this square in a photo 

One of the many narrow canals

One of the many store fronts

A short section of the Grand Canal

An orchestra playing at St. Mark's Square early in the day

It was rather cold outside - not too many people sitting outside to eat and enjoy music

Looking down into a Gondola in service