From Paris to the sea we continued to have gorgeous countryside. It's so nice that Bob can enjoy the scenery, too, and not have to focus on driving. After this trip I've decided that I absolutely LOVE France, especially the south of France, and definitely want to return in the future. Hopefully, next time I'll have my entire family :)
It was quite exciting to ride through the Chunnel. It only takes about 20 minutes and it is completely dark but it's the idea of being able to go underneath the water on a train from Paris to London that is really exciting. It was a great ride and now I can cross it off my bucket list.
While we were on the train the cabin attendant came by and asked us if we would like to have a car waiting for us at the London station to take us to our car rental agency. It was great. They met us and took us directly to Hertz, where we rented a GREAT car. We had never heard of it before, but it's called a Skoda, which is a manual shift diesel hybrid. It's absolutely fascinating. The gas mileage is incredible. At one point we got 70 mpg. When we stop at a red light, the engine "goes to sleep" and wakes up again when Bob depresses the clutch and put it in gear. Quite amazing!!! Love it. Can't buy these cars in the U.S.
Driving in the U.K. is always interesting. The steering wheel is on the right and they drive on the opposite side of the street from the U.S. Although Bob is doing great, I have to remind him sometimes to drive a little closer to the right so he doesn't wipe out parked cars on the left, bicyclists, or run over curbs, sidewalks, or old ladies in a wheelchair. We've had a few up close and personal moments with curbs but for the most part he has done a great job. There was one car in a parking lot he slightly nudged and one curb he hit a little hard which created a few scratches on our car wheel rim. So, in Bob's typical creative fashion, as we were walking down a street in a small village he spotted a painter throwing away a small piece of fine sandpaper. He asked the painter if he could have it and he said yes. So, my remarkably talented husband used the sandpaper when we got to the hotel to remove the scratches on the car alloy rims so they could no longer be seen!!!!
We were looking forward to staying in our beautiful London hotel arranged by our wonderful travel agent, Debi King, but when we arrived we were told they had a major plumbing problem and they would have to transfer us to another nearby hotel, which was an "upgrade." Well, we're not sure what they consider an upgrade, but we're pretty sure that's not a description of the hotel where they put us!! It had dirty carpets which had a large tear in it, a view that looked directly into an alley with a brick wall, and a room that was so incredibly small there was no room for our suitcases. We finally put them in front of the door and then squeezed in and out of the room!!!
When we wrote our review of the hotel on Trip Advisor we found that other travelers had been turned away from this hotel at other times and given the exact story about the plumbing problem!! Sadly, we later learned that some hotels do overbook and then send guests to alternative hotels. Oh well, flexibility is the key for us on such a long trip.
We left London the next morning and headed up north to one of our favorite little towns in England, the village of Broadway. Unfortunately, the day was filled with rain so we settled into our lovely hotel and enjoyed our surroundings. We stayed in a very unique and extremely charming place. It was a conference center located on many acres of gorgeous gardens and green rolling fields. The rooms were divided into small buildings scattered throughout the property. There was a main lodge which serves as the reception area and restaurant. Then, we drove to our cottage which had about 10 guest rooms located within the building. When we opened the window in our room we faced a huge green pasture where cows grazed during the day. It was quite lovely. It was a very relaxing, peaceful environment and we looked forward to a good night's rest.
The next day we drove through the Scottish Highlands. Utterly breathtaking!!! It's even more magnificent than I remembered. As we wound our way through the hills the landscape changed from beautiful forested areas with many lakes and large rivers to hills with ground cover, smaller trees and brush. The hills were absolutely gorgeous. There were a mixture of dark green, light green, red tinged dirt and brownish rock. The light shined on the hills through the scattered clouds and created a stark and beautiful contrast between the dark and light colors. Occasionally, there were pops of yellow wildflowers. The rivers faded into small streams flowing over river rocks. Cows were replaced by sheep grazing in the enormous green pastures. As we looked to the hills we could see large patches of snow remaining on the summits.
As we drove along the mostly one lane highway we passed some lovely old large buildings that undoubtedly were single family residences but have been converted to hotels. We lost most of the traffic we had in the south so the winding country road was very quiet. We weren't sure if we had enough time to visit the highlands but we were soooo glad we decided to come north. It was truly spectacular scenery. The last time we were here we rounded a bend on one of these hills and found a bagpiper playing on the side of the road. Hope to have that same experience again this trip.
We continued our day driving through the magnificent Scottish Highlands. Truly, one of my favorite parts of this unique and beautiful landscape is the way the light falls on the hills creating shadowy figures that move slowly across the green grassy hills. Sometimes it looks like two heads colliding while at other times long, dark fingers stretch out and creep along the hillsides engulfing the light as they move. I could sit peacefully for hours and just watch the ever changing effects of the sun's rays on the landscape.
As we approached our hotel for the night we drove through a beautiful area complete with old stone residences, meticulously groomed gardens and trees overhanging both sides of the road. When we arrived at our hotel we found the parking lot filled with a crowd of very well dressed people, complete with fancy hats with feathers and men wearing their finest kilts. A traditional Scottish wedding was about to begin in the banquet hall of our hotel. There was a piper playing traditional music to add to the atmosphere. Instead of checking in immediately we remained outside to take in the festivities and snap a few pictures. The hotel is absolutely charming. It was an old home established in 1876. Built of stone with gabled windows, it is surrounded by a lovely garden where guests can enjoy a drink outdoors and take in the beauty that surrounds this lovely place. Unfortunately, there are no elevators in these quaint and beautiful homes so we had to cart our luggage up stairs but it was worth it to experience this lovely hotel. It's like taking a step back in time.
Bob enjoyed taking pictures of the wedding pictures of the wedding party throughout the afternoon. He really enjoyed listening to the bagpiper. The celebration continued well into the wee hours of the morning. However, we had dinner in a lovely and quiet dining room overlooking the spectacular gardens. It was so lovely here we decided to spend a couple of extra days touring the area.
We got up the next morning to another beautiful sunny day so we set out to drive around Loch Ness and hunt for the Loch Ness Monster. The lake is gorgeous. The water is such a clean deep blue and crystal clear. We stopped at the Loch Ness Exhibition Center and Gallery to learn a little bit about the area and the underwater explorations that have searched for Nessie, the sea monster. After spending some time there we finished driving around the lake but unfortunately did not spot Nessie. She must be sleeping during the day!!!
We moved on to explore the Isle of Skye. The weather held and we had a beautiful day filled with sunshine. On the way to the coast we drove through beautiful heavily forested areas with lots of camping areas and trails for hiking and/or cycling. Wildflowers were in full bloom with purple and yellow flowers.
When we arrived at the coast and the Isle of Skye the forests disappeared and the landscape became a mixture of hills and very shallow valleys. The hills were covered with a low green ground cover similar to the tundra found in the far north. The green was broken up only by the many beautiful and graceful waterfalls created from water eroding the rock over time. The green completely covered the lower elevations but got spottier as the elevation rose. Above the green patches were the barren peaks of the hills. Scattered randomly and frequently over the hills were rocks, which are the type of stones used to build the local houses. Stone fences cut graceful figures through the pastures and sheep grazed happily on their unending food supply.
The roads were very narrow in many places and quite winding but Bob worked diligently to keep us driving "between the lines." There were a few instances of rolling onto the shoulder but he did a great job driving. The roads were lined with bed and breakfasts. It seemed that everyone had opened their home to tourists. Not sure what the other means of earning income are out here in this isolated region. There are goats, a few cattle, and tourist services like hotels and restaurants but jobs are undoubtedly scarce in this area. After another great day of sightseeing we returned to the hotel. Tomorrow we will leave the highlands and head south. We have a few more days in Scotland and Wales before we go to Ireland. More exciting adventures still to come.
The last couple of days were filled with driving through picturesque villages, brilliant foliage, majestic cliffs, alluring valleys, and sparkling waterfalls, rivers and streams. Our days were also filled with brilliant sunshine, clouds, and periods of torrential rain!! We slowly made our way south through England and Wales to board the ferry for Ireland. We decided to tour a couple of different areas in the north of England known as the "Lake District." We had driven through this area before but never taken the time to really explore the back country roads. This time we stayed off the main highways and drove through countryside that we never could have imagined existed in England. As we ventured further off the beaten path the roads became narrower, more winding, steeper, with very few cars. In fact, at one point a sign instructed drivers "this road not suitable for vehicular traffic"!!! Of course, that's never stopped us before so Bob stopped briefly and asked a local resident if the road was open and passable and he told us we could make it, so off we went!!!! As we drove through dense forests the tree trunks and ground were covered in moss and ferns. I never realized that ferns grow so well in England. In one area the entire field was covered with ferns growing wild. There were small steams meandering throughout the valley floors. At one point on our little road there was an ancient rock wall on one side and gorgeous green trees growing over the street on the opposite side, creating a tunnel like canopy for us. We drove through a narrow paved road that had been cut through a huge field of tall grass. It felt similar to driving through a corn field. Really a fun experience.
As we traveled further into the interior the forests disappeared. The hills got higher and the landscape became quite stark but absolutely magnificent. We passed over peaks and descended to the valley floors below. We were in the middle of this unique, expansive, and desolate landscape. It felt like we were on the moon but it was painted green. It looked a bit like the paintings we see south of the border painted on very thin velvet with really bright colors, almost fluorescent. It was a magnificent couple of days here but it was time to move again. We decided to go back south and see Stonehenge since we forgot to go there when we were in the area.
Stonehenge has certainly become quite a tourist attraction since our last visit in the 80's. There's now a fence around the rocks. Instead of driving up to them there is a shuttle bus. The surrounding area is completely planted in grass and there is a new, beautiful visitor's center. It's all very nice but miss it when it was a little bit more natural with a few less people. Tomorrow, we're off to Wales.
We did have an interesting experience after leaving Stonehenge and heading for our hotel. We set the GPS for the hotel location, which was about 30 minutes away from Stonehenge. We took a lovely country road until the GPS had us make a u-turn at a service area on the roadway. We turned around and continued driving, thinking we had made a wrong turn. All of a sudden we looked up and we were back at Stonehenge!!!! We set the GPS again for the same hotel and drove back (for the third time) over the same country road. When we finally arrived at the hotel we realized the GPS had delivered us to the right location the first time but since she didn't announce that we had reached our destination we failed to look up and notice the hotel!!!! Guess we'll be more observant next time!!!!
Had an interesting day today. Went out to the car this morning and it wouldn't start. Bob wasn't sure but thought it might be the battery. He couldn't get the trunk open. Luckily, we had forgotten to lock the car so at least we could inside of it. We called AA and they came out in about an hour. Luckily, it was only a dead battery. Soon, we were on our way to Wales. We drove all day until we arrived at our hotel without turning off the engine, just in case it wouldn't start again. Luckily, we arrived without any further incidents.
We spent the remainder of the day driving around the Isle of Skye and taking pictures. Such relaxing landscape. Lots of unspoiled coastline and beautiful views of the sea. Looks quite typical for a northern beach environment. Not too much in the way of large foliage. Plenty of wildflowers and tall grass. Reminds me of an isolated coastline on the East Coast of the U.S. We found a lovely lighthouse which is adjacent to a bird sanctuary so there were lots of bird watchers and nature photographers in the area. In one area you can also see puffins, which I LOVE. Soooo cute. After a full, but lovely and peaceful days of sightseeing we returned to our lovely B&B to get a good night's rest before we took the ferry to Dublin the next morning.
I am still laughing at Bob's "Scottish Ancestry" pic. I love it! Yes, the Elliott's are part of the Border Clan there on the Scottish/Irish Border. You are bringing back so many wonderful memories for us. We only went up as far as Edinburgh. But, it was beautiful. We stayed at a very old and real farmhouse outside the city and it was gorgeous. My only problem was everything was "down" and my allergies did not like it. I remember going to the little graveyard where the true story and book/movie of "Greyfriar's Bobby" had taken place. The story is about a Skye Terrier who guarded his owners grave until the day the dog died. It is sooooo sad.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you could make it to the Lake District. It has so many historical sites. Loved Bowness-On-Windermere ~ old Beatrix Potter farm, et al.
Broadway is probably my favorite place in Cotswold. I don't know if Bob knew, but our earliest ancestor (John Hewer) (from Grandma Hewer Storie) came from Down Ampney there in the Cotswolds. The famous Composer Ralph Vaughan Williams came from there, too.
Gosh I wish I was there to share your memories, but you two deserve this beautiful time together and have memories to last a lifetime. Mom used to say that when you get older and can't get around so much, the memories of the trips you have taken bring you much joy and make one a more interesting person to talk to. Oh boy!
We never went very far into Wales. I had to visit Tinturn Abbey and say I went to Wales! Loved listening to the Welsh radio on our trip there. Old Wordsworth wrote the poem about the Abbey.
And, what a wonderful adventure staying at the Hotel during the Scottish Wedding! I loved when our Bobby played the bagpipes ~ he is so darn busy these days.
BTW Julie's Jeff just made Department Head of the Math Department at Servite High School. They are doing well and the baby is SOOO cute.
Love you guys bunches and can't wait to hear your stories.
LOVE x0x0x0x0x0x0