England and Germany

Since the last post I have fallen down on the job. Let me do it piece by piece and we can go from there.

England - Left from Elmira, NY on USAIR connecting in Philly to Gatwick in London. Fligts on time and comfortable (at least considering we were in coach class). Picked up on time in Gatwick by Globus travel and delivered to our first night's hotel, Novotel on the west side of London. Hotel was nice, location was out of the way a bit but close enough to a tube statiion. Dinner in the pub was good but breakfast (the famous Full English Breakfast) was outstanding.

For those of you who have never had a Full English Breakfast, think of the Sunday Brunch at most US hotels - and make that happen every morning. Granted, there were no Mimosas or Bloody Mary's, but the food was all there and good. I like breakfast anyway so the Full English is near and dear to my heart.

Second day in England and in th morning, the Globus tour bus was there to start us out good and early.

Over the next several days we would stay in Plymouth (embarkation point of the Pilgrims) and go to Land's End, see. St. Michael's Mount, the costal town of St. Ives and Lynmouth. Spending a night in Bristol and on back to London. But between London and London we would see Bath (the Roman baths), Stonehenge (for the third time - still inspiring), visit an Abbey, go for a short train ride and drink beer in several pubs - and pubs in England are so unlike our bars or restaurants. We have a couple of favorite pubs - in Oxford it is the King's Arms and in Salisbury it is the Queen's Arms - no support of the royalty from us!

When we returned to London, we spent one night in a hotle right across the street from Kennsington Park and then walked to Kennsington Close hotel for the next three nights.

We road the tube all over the place - hitting some great pubs like the George south of the Thames - a public house so old that it is in the National Trust, the Windsor Castle pub and the Churchill Arms (with a good collection of chamber pots and pictures of American presidents).

We went to the Tate Modern art museum for a brief visit, rode the London Eye, went to the British Museum and walked around the wonderful city.

Only downside, Ray developed a "crink in the neck" the second day in England and it continued to plague him.

Then it was time to leave for Germany.

It is actually several months later, but to continue the recap of the visit.