So, it's been five years now since the trip to England. Honestly at this point in my life, I can say that it's my third best memory behind my wedding and the birth of Kinsey.
It truly is incredible to think that Sheryl and I walked in places that have been trod for at least 2000 years. The streets of London and seeing the Roman wall. The structures of Dunnottar Castle. Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. We were really honored to be there and it's something that we will never ever forget.
I am really looking forward to going back there with Sheryl and Kinsey in October. One of the regrets of our trip is that we didn't have a chance to really interact with people. We were seeing the sites and visiting places and driving and all of that. We didn't get to talk to people and we're going to get to do that in October. We'll be in someone's house and we'll be talking and working beside people. That's what I'm really looking forward to.
Well, next week, I'm going back to my regular Friday schedule. I've just finished reading Brian McLaren's new book, The Last Word and the Word After That, which is the last book in the New Kind of Christian trilogy. The other book is The Story We Find Ourselves In. Anyway, The Last Word... has been giving me a lot of thoughts on Heaven and Hell and judgement and salvation that I'm going to try to work through here.
Thanks for indulging me on this travelogue. If you're here in Nashville and want to see pictures, we've got plenty of those to show as well.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Showing posts with label England Trip 2000. Show all posts
Showing posts with label England Trip 2000. Show all posts
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Friday, May 06, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Post Trip Thoughts
2005 Note: Sheryl and I were so tired when we got back home to Nashville on June 3rd that I didn't write an entry in the travelogue. However, when I initially typed in this journal about 18 months later, I wrote this postlogue. I'll probably post one more time tomorrow on this trip and then get back to my regular Friday schedule.
Well, I intended to write a post-trip reaction about six months after we got back, but life managed to intervene as it always does and I’m only getting to it now. Things have changed for Sheryl and me. I’m no longer teaching, but working as a tech writer, and we now have a beautiful, six-month-old little girl, Kinsey Morgan. But this isn’t about her; it’s about extended reactions to our trip.
Well, I can honestly say that the part we cherish most is the part in Scotland. I think some of that has to do with our fascination with the land. Sheryl and I have joked that if our families didn’t live so close to us, we’d like to live there. What we’ve now decided is that when we get rich, we’ll have a home here in Nashville and one in Edinburgh.
We talk about driving a lot, mainly because it’s so different from here in America. The other joke we make is that if an American marriage can survive driving in Great Britain, it can survive anything. Probably vice versa on the nationalities.
This trip really was a life changer for Sheryl and me. Not in dramatic ways, but in the sense that it gave us a chance to view how others. That was also affected by the September 11 attacks. In watching some of the international coverage, when I saw the Guard at Buckingham played our National Anthem and saw that same song sung in St. Paul’s Cathedral, I felt an even stronger connection with that land.
That’s another one of the aftereffects of this trip. I love seeing places on TV that I’ve been. Seeing Buckingham, St. Paul’s, Parliament, Westminster, Edinburgh Castle, and all of the other places we saw, it just is a cool feeling to look over at Sheryl and say, "We were there." To look on a map and be able to say, "We were there. Our feet walked those streets" is an extraordinary feeling. 2005 Note: As happened in the Amazing Race on May 3rd, when the remaining four contestants took the Heathrow Express to Paddington and Sheryl and I saw the restaurant we ate at before seeing Les Miz.
We definitely want to go back and see some things we didn’t get to see, like Iona, York, and Glastonbury. We also want to spend more time in Scotland, because it was so beautiful there. Sheryl and I have talked about maybe doing a motorcycle tour, not that either of us knows how to ride. Or course with Kinsey now, we really want her to see all of the things that we saw. She will, too, one of these days.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Well, I intended to write a post-trip reaction about six months after we got back, but life managed to intervene as it always does and I’m only getting to it now. Things have changed for Sheryl and me. I’m no longer teaching, but working as a tech writer, and we now have a beautiful, six-month-old little girl, Kinsey Morgan. But this isn’t about her; it’s about extended reactions to our trip.
Well, I can honestly say that the part we cherish most is the part in Scotland. I think some of that has to do with our fascination with the land. Sheryl and I have joked that if our families didn’t live so close to us, we’d like to live there. What we’ve now decided is that when we get rich, we’ll have a home here in Nashville and one in Edinburgh.
We talk about driving a lot, mainly because it’s so different from here in America. The other joke we make is that if an American marriage can survive driving in Great Britain, it can survive anything. Probably vice versa on the nationalities.
This trip really was a life changer for Sheryl and me. Not in dramatic ways, but in the sense that it gave us a chance to view how others. That was also affected by the September 11 attacks. In watching some of the international coverage, when I saw the Guard at Buckingham played our National Anthem and saw that same song sung in St. Paul’s Cathedral, I felt an even stronger connection with that land.
That’s another one of the aftereffects of this trip. I love seeing places on TV that I’ve been. Seeing Buckingham, St. Paul’s, Parliament, Westminster, Edinburgh Castle, and all of the other places we saw, it just is a cool feeling to look over at Sheryl and say, "We were there." To look on a map and be able to say, "We were there. Our feet walked those streets" is an extraordinary feeling. 2005 Note: As happened in the Amazing Race on May 3rd, when the remaining four contestants took the Heathrow Express to Paddington and Sheryl and I saw the restaurant we ate at before seeing Les Miz.
We definitely want to go back and see some things we didn’t get to see, like Iona, York, and Glastonbury. We also want to spend more time in Scotland, because it was so beautiful there. Sheryl and I have talked about maybe doing a motorcycle tour, not that either of us knows how to ride. Or course with Kinsey now, we really want her to see all of the things that we saw. She will, too, one of these days.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Thursday, May 05, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Thirteen
Friday, 2 June 2000 London
Not a bad day at all. We went to the Globe Theater and got our tickets for the 2 pm Hamlet. We then wandered around and had some lunch. We got back there about 1:15 to stand in line. We talked to a couple of people and then got our "seats" as Groundlings. I say that because as Groundlings, we were on the floor in front of the stage. In fact, it was front row for Hamlet at the Globe theatre in London.
It was great. The acting was strong and you felt like you were there 400 years ago. We stood the whole time except intermission and then we couldn’t stretch out. They obviously cut some scenes out and one that I didn’t understand, like between Hamlet and the Norweigan Captain (Act IV, Scene 4) when Hamlet says that all his thoughts would be bloody. I’ve always considered that the turning point of the play. Anyway, we really enjoyed all three hours.
We then went back to Harrods and got Sheryl a bag and me an England Football cap. Then to Hyde Park to see Speaker’s Corner and then to the Barry. We had dinner at a nice little Italian place up the road from Paddington Station. Finally, home to pack and ready to go to our real home, Nashville.
Before the Globe, we went to Westminster Abbey again to get some shirts for family and on our way back, Westminster Station closed down because of a bomb threat. We didn’t know it at the time, so we weren’t scared, just curious. It turned out to be a false alarm, which was good, but I understand the precautions after the Hammersmith Bridge bomb yesterday.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Not a bad day at all. We went to the Globe Theater and got our tickets for the 2 pm Hamlet. We then wandered around and had some lunch. We got back there about 1:15 to stand in line. We talked to a couple of people and then got our "seats" as Groundlings. I say that because as Groundlings, we were on the floor in front of the stage. In fact, it was front row for Hamlet at the Globe theatre in London.
It was great. The acting was strong and you felt like you were there 400 years ago. We stood the whole time except intermission and then we couldn’t stretch out. They obviously cut some scenes out and one that I didn’t understand, like between Hamlet and the Norweigan Captain (Act IV, Scene 4) when Hamlet says that all his thoughts would be bloody. I’ve always considered that the turning point of the play. Anyway, we really enjoyed all three hours.
We then went back to Harrods and got Sheryl a bag and me an England Football cap. Then to Hyde Park to see Speaker’s Corner and then to the Barry. We had dinner at a nice little Italian place up the road from Paddington Station. Finally, home to pack and ready to go to our real home, Nashville.
Before the Globe, we went to Westminster Abbey again to get some shirts for family and on our way back, Westminster Station closed down because of a bomb threat. We didn’t know it at the time, so we weren’t scared, just curious. It turned out to be a false alarm, which was good, but I understand the precautions after the Hammersmith Bridge bomb yesterday.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Twelve
Thursday, 1 June 2000 London
Well, we’re back here at Barry House. It’s a different room, bigger which is good, but it’s not great and for what we’re paying, I guess it’s for the location. Neither Sheryl nor I like it much.
Today, we got to Euston Square 45 minutes late and then rolled our luggage from the Square to Euston Station to avoid jumping Tubes. We rode to Paddington and had to go the long way to get here to Barry. Once we got settled, we went to the London Eye Ferris wheel to get tickets for tonight at 9:30, the last time round. We figured it would be dark then and we’d get good pics.
We then went to St. Paul’s Cathedral to tour and we really enjoyed the architecture. Sheryl and I climbed to the 2nd level and then I went on alone to the next 2 outer levels. Not bad, but the Eye ended up being better.
We went back to the Texas Embassy to eat, then journeyed back down to the Imperial War Museum. I wish we’d had more time there, because their WWII section was incredible and amazing. Uniforms, flags, pictures, memorabilia, all sorts of things were in this. Probably the highlights were seeing the actual maps that the Nazis were using to plan their invasion of Britain and this interactive experience that showed what the London Blitz was like. We spent two hours almost there, but then went to Harrods again, got a bear, saw the Diana-Dodi Memorial, big deal.
We came back to Barry and then to the Eye. We saw some great sights from above, hopefully got some great pictures and generally had a good time. We came back to Barry, which made us long for home. Tomorrow the Globe and Hamlet, then Saturday, Home!
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Well, we’re back here at Barry House. It’s a different room, bigger which is good, but it’s not great and for what we’re paying, I guess it’s for the location. Neither Sheryl nor I like it much.
Today, we got to Euston Square 45 minutes late and then rolled our luggage from the Square to Euston Station to avoid jumping Tubes. We rode to Paddington and had to go the long way to get here to Barry. Once we got settled, we went to the London Eye Ferris wheel to get tickets for tonight at 9:30, the last time round. We figured it would be dark then and we’d get good pics.
We then went to St. Paul’s Cathedral to tour and we really enjoyed the architecture. Sheryl and I climbed to the 2nd level and then I went on alone to the next 2 outer levels. Not bad, but the Eye ended up being better.
We went back to the Texas Embassy to eat, then journeyed back down to the Imperial War Museum. I wish we’d had more time there, because their WWII section was incredible and amazing. Uniforms, flags, pictures, memorabilia, all sorts of things were in this. Probably the highlights were seeing the actual maps that the Nazis were using to plan their invasion of Britain and this interactive experience that showed what the London Blitz was like. We spent two hours almost there, but then went to Harrods again, got a bear, saw the Diana-Dodi Memorial, big deal.
We came back to Barry and then to the Eye. We saw some great sights from above, hopefully got some great pictures and generally had a good time. We came back to Barry, which made us long for home. Tomorrow the Globe and Hamlet, then Saturday, Home!
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Eleven
Wednesday, 31 May 2000 Sleeper train from Inverness to London-Euston Station
You know, I don’t see how anyone who sees the Highlands couldn’t simply fall in love with them.
This morning, we left Bimini about 9:30 after having a great conversation with Collin, the host, and made our way across the country to Inverness. It is really difficult to put into words exactly how beautiful they were. We saw snowcapped mountains, rivers that created valleys, country roads, manor houses, and sometimes all together. It is always gratifying when a trip or better an area exceeds what you expect and Scotland has done that.
We stopped at the site of the Culloden battle field that Sheryl’s read about in the Outlander series. It was interesting to see the clan markers and the main monument, but it started pouring rain after a bit, so we ran back to the car.
We got to Inverness and shopped a bit. Sheryl drove for the first time in town and got to experience the nerve-wracking joy that is. We got turned around a couple of times and finally dropped the car off and walked to the Rail Station.
We stayed in a room for sleeper passengers for a couple of hours reading, met a 4 1/2 year old adorable boy named Oliver from "Hartfordshire in town called Trent" and boarded the train. We also met a family from Wisconsin who were on holiday and had been to Iona, a place we wished we’d been able to go. Oh, well, maybe next time.
Our accommodation makes Barry House look like the Ritz. Barely any room and even less with our luggage. It’s not the Orient Express. That’s for certain. But tomorrow, back to London for three more days.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
You know, I don’t see how anyone who sees the Highlands couldn’t simply fall in love with them.
This morning, we left Bimini about 9:30 after having a great conversation with Collin, the host, and made our way across the country to Inverness. It is really difficult to put into words exactly how beautiful they were. We saw snowcapped mountains, rivers that created valleys, country roads, manor houses, and sometimes all together. It is always gratifying when a trip or better an area exceeds what you expect and Scotland has done that.
We stopped at the site of the Culloden battle field that Sheryl’s read about in the Outlander series. It was interesting to see the clan markers and the main monument, but it started pouring rain after a bit, so we ran back to the car.
We got to Inverness and shopped a bit. Sheryl drove for the first time in town and got to experience the nerve-wracking joy that is. We got turned around a couple of times and finally dropped the car off and walked to the Rail Station.
We stayed in a room for sleeper passengers for a couple of hours reading, met a 4 1/2 year old adorable boy named Oliver from "Hartfordshire in town called Trent" and boarded the train. We also met a family from Wisconsin who were on holiday and had been to Iona, a place we wished we’d been able to go. Oh, well, maybe next time.
Our accommodation makes Barry House look like the Ritz. Barely any room and even less with our luggage. It’s not the Orient Express. That’s for certain. But tomorrow, back to London for three more days.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Monday, May 02, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Ten
Tuesday, 30 May 2000 Aberdeen
Never thought driving could be so stressful. We taxied out to the Edinburgh Airport, a 21-pound job, to ride for more time to get our rental car. It’s an Accord and very nice.
Driving in Britain is very tiring. Obviously you have the left side stuff, but that doesn’t feel too bad, because the driver side on the right. It’s little stuff, like I curbed the left side several times, mainly because I couldn’t see it well. Roundabouts are hard too. You have to look right first, always. You take whatever your first chance is. Also, the rearview mirror is on the left too, which is not instinctual. We only had one really close call, but that was mainly because it is apparently all right to park anywhere on the road in Britain.
At any rate, we left Edinburgh and went to Dundee, where I got an English National Football Team jersey for the best price I’ve seen. I wonder if that’s because it was in Scotland. Heh.
We left Dundee and headed south to St. Andrews, where we picked up some golfing things for family, and a gold Celtic pendant for me, and we had lunch. We then headed north toward Aberdeen and Dunnottar. We hit a couple of rain showers and saw a rainbow over the North Sea. It was brilliant, so we decided to stop and take a picture. We pulled into a parking lot and realized that we were looking at the ruins of Dunnottar and past that the rainbow.
It was amazing. We shot 1 1/2 rolls of film there, the 36 exposure kind. Sheryl was like a kid in a candy shop and I was too. We were running at many places, seeing new things everywhere. It was incredible. Then we got caught in the rain and another rainbow showed up. Amazing.
2005 Note: In reading this again, I realized there's no real context for why we visited Dunnottar. My grandmother on my mom's side is from the Keith Clan, which owned this castle for a long time and so there was a family tie there. Also, Sheryl and I are deeply interested in Scottish history and castles as well, so Dunnottar wrapped all of this up together. Easily one of our favorite things in the whole trip.
We finally headed out and after driving all the way through Aberdeen, because our directions were screwed. We finally got to Bimini House and after eating dinner, crashed here in the room.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Never thought driving could be so stressful. We taxied out to the Edinburgh Airport, a 21-pound job, to ride for more time to get our rental car. It’s an Accord and very nice.
Driving in Britain is very tiring. Obviously you have the left side stuff, but that doesn’t feel too bad, because the driver side on the right. It’s little stuff, like I curbed the left side several times, mainly because I couldn’t see it well. Roundabouts are hard too. You have to look right first, always. You take whatever your first chance is. Also, the rearview mirror is on the left too, which is not instinctual. We only had one really close call, but that was mainly because it is apparently all right to park anywhere on the road in Britain.
At any rate, we left Edinburgh and went to Dundee, where I got an English National Football Team jersey for the best price I’ve seen. I wonder if that’s because it was in Scotland. Heh.
We left Dundee and headed south to St. Andrews, where we picked up some golfing things for family, and a gold Celtic pendant for me, and we had lunch. We then headed north toward Aberdeen and Dunnottar. We hit a couple of rain showers and saw a rainbow over the North Sea. It was brilliant, so we decided to stop and take a picture. We pulled into a parking lot and realized that we were looking at the ruins of Dunnottar and past that the rainbow.
It was amazing. We shot 1 1/2 rolls of film there, the 36 exposure kind. Sheryl was like a kid in a candy shop and I was too. We were running at many places, seeing new things everywhere. It was incredible. Then we got caught in the rain and another rainbow showed up. Amazing.
2005 Note: In reading this again, I realized there's no real context for why we visited Dunnottar. My grandmother on my mom's side is from the Keith Clan, which owned this castle for a long time and so there was a family tie there. Also, Sheryl and I are deeply interested in Scottish history and castles as well, so Dunnottar wrapped all of this up together. Easily one of our favorite things in the whole trip.
We finally headed out and after driving all the way through Aberdeen, because our directions were screwed. We finally got to Bimini House and after eating dinner, crashed here in the room.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Sunday, May 01, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Nine
Monday, 29 May Edinburgh
What a great day. The best of the trip. We bussed down to the Edinburgh City Centre. Then we walked to the Royal Mile and up to Edinburgh Castle. Amazing. We did the tour and saw some really great stuff, like the room where James VI and I was born. We also saw the Honours of Scotland, the Crown Jewels, and the Stone of Destiny, which was just returned in 1996 after 700 years.
We then headed down the Royal Mile and pretty much went into every tartan shop, looking at a lot of different things. It was really nice and comfortable. Sheryl and I headed down to Holyrood House, Queen Elizabeth’s residence when she’s in Edinburgh. We snapped a couple of shots, then headed up to Arthur’s Seat. It’s a crag about 850 ft. above Edinburgh. We climbed up and got some great views. The wind was blowing and although the climb was difficult, it was more than worth it.
We walked backed down and hit some more stores. We dined of course at a fine restaurant, Pizza Hut. We finally headed back, taking the bus, which didn’t go all the way. So we walked the rest of the way and with our feet expanding from hitting the pavement multitudinous times, we ripped our shoes off in our room and hit the bed.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
What a great day. The best of the trip. We bussed down to the Edinburgh City Centre. Then we walked to the Royal Mile and up to Edinburgh Castle. Amazing. We did the tour and saw some really great stuff, like the room where James VI and I was born. We also saw the Honours of Scotland, the Crown Jewels, and the Stone of Destiny, which was just returned in 1996 after 700 years.
We then headed down the Royal Mile and pretty much went into every tartan shop, looking at a lot of different things. It was really nice and comfortable. Sheryl and I headed down to Holyrood House, Queen Elizabeth’s residence when she’s in Edinburgh. We snapped a couple of shots, then headed up to Arthur’s Seat. It’s a crag about 850 ft. above Edinburgh. We climbed up and got some great views. The wind was blowing and although the climb was difficult, it was more than worth it.
We walked backed down and hit some more stores. We dined of course at a fine restaurant, Pizza Hut. We finally headed back, taking the bus, which didn’t go all the way. So we walked the rest of the way and with our feet expanding from hitting the pavement multitudinous times, we ripped our shoes off in our room and hit the bed.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Saturday, April 30, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Eight
Sunday, 28 May 2000 Edinburgh
Not much today. We mainly traveled here to Edinburgh. We went through Manchester, and stopped there for a while. The whole trip took about six hours or so. The train was nice. We had a bit of a conflict between the train door and Sheryl’s suitcase and lost the pull handle to it. The ride was beautiful, though. This north country is extraordinarily gorgeous. The hills became much larger and more rolling. There were sheep and cows and streams and it really was everything I’d imagined.
Edinburgh seems nice. Our B&B, the Ardgarth House, is like being in someone’s home. We walked along the beach of the Firth of Forth. I still don’t know what a Firth is, but I don’t guess it really matters. I’m really looking forward to seeing the city for real.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Not much today. We mainly traveled here to Edinburgh. We went through Manchester, and stopped there for a while. The whole trip took about six hours or so. The train was nice. We had a bit of a conflict between the train door and Sheryl’s suitcase and lost the pull handle to it. The ride was beautiful, though. This north country is extraordinarily gorgeous. The hills became much larger and more rolling. There were sheep and cows and streams and it really was everything I’d imagined.
Edinburgh seems nice. Our B&B, the Ardgarth House, is like being in someone’s home. We walked along the beach of the Firth of Forth. I still don’t know what a Firth is, but I don’t guess it really matters. I’m really looking forward to seeing the city for real.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Friday, April 29, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Seven
Saturday, 27 May 2000 Oxford
Forgot to write yesterday because of total exhaustion, so I’ll recap two days.
Friday. Let’s just say it rained. A lot. It basically rained all day. We caught the bus to head downtown and meet the guy who was going to be our guide to Blenheim Palace. Unfortunately he had to have four people to go to make any money and Sheryl and I were the only ones. He did give us solid directions to get there and we followed them, again by bus. We did have to walk the long driveway to the Palace. In the rain.
The Palace was beautiful and huge. It was where Winston Churchill was born unintentionally. There were many huge rooms and tapestries that covered two walls and a library that seemed to stretch on forever. We ended up having lunch there and headed back. In the rain.
We napped at the Dial and then headed out to find the Kilns, C. S. Lewis’ home and Holy Trinity Church where he worshipped. In the rain. We found Kiln Lane and walked up a drive but aren’t sure if we actually saw it, getting soaked the whole time. We did find Holy Trinity and his grave. The church was closed, so we didn’t get to see the Narnia Window, where there are paintings of characters and events from the Chronicles. We saw the back of it, but not the front, but oh well. We would have actually worshipped there Sunday, but our schedule wouldn’t permit it.
2005 note: We did not actually find Lewis' home. His house is on Lewis Close, which we passed, but did not walk up. We ended up walking all the way up Kiln Lane wondering where it was. Oh well, maybe next time.
We headed back in the rain and finally got back to the Dial and collapsed and bathed and warmed up and slept.
Saturday. No rain. We taxied to the rail station and went to Salisbury. We’d decided we really couldn’t get to Avesbury and Glastonbury, so although that was disappointed, we really wanted to see Stonehenge. In Salisbury we hooked up with a Californian named Keith. We ended up staying together most of the day.
We got tangled up some on how to get to Stonehenge and ended up spending a couple of unintentional hours in Salisbury. We finally got out to Stonehenge and it was a neat site. To think of four thousand years of history, even to the fact that we really don’t know exactly what it was built for and the preciseness of it was amazing.
Well, tomorrow we head to Edinburgh by train. I’m not looking forward to the trip as much as I am to being there in Scotland.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Forgot to write yesterday because of total exhaustion, so I’ll recap two days.
Friday. Let’s just say it rained. A lot. It basically rained all day. We caught the bus to head downtown and meet the guy who was going to be our guide to Blenheim Palace. Unfortunately he had to have four people to go to make any money and Sheryl and I were the only ones. He did give us solid directions to get there and we followed them, again by bus. We did have to walk the long driveway to the Palace. In the rain.
The Palace was beautiful and huge. It was where Winston Churchill was born unintentionally. There were many huge rooms and tapestries that covered two walls and a library that seemed to stretch on forever. We ended up having lunch there and headed back. In the rain.
We napped at the Dial and then headed out to find the Kilns, C. S. Lewis’ home and Holy Trinity Church where he worshipped. In the rain. We found Kiln Lane and walked up a drive but aren’t sure if we actually saw it, getting soaked the whole time. We did find Holy Trinity and his grave. The church was closed, so we didn’t get to see the Narnia Window, where there are paintings of characters and events from the Chronicles. We saw the back of it, but not the front, but oh well. We would have actually worshipped there Sunday, but our schedule wouldn’t permit it.
2005 note: We did not actually find Lewis' home. His house is on Lewis Close, which we passed, but did not walk up. We ended up walking all the way up Kiln Lane wondering where it was. Oh well, maybe next time.
We headed back in the rain and finally got back to the Dial and collapsed and bathed and warmed up and slept.
Saturday. No rain. We taxied to the rail station and went to Salisbury. We’d decided we really couldn’t get to Avesbury and Glastonbury, so although that was disappointed, we really wanted to see Stonehenge. In Salisbury we hooked up with a Californian named Keith. We ended up staying together most of the day.
We got tangled up some on how to get to Stonehenge and ended up spending a couple of unintentional hours in Salisbury. We finally got out to Stonehenge and it was a neat site. To think of four thousand years of history, even to the fact that we really don’t know exactly what it was built for and the preciseness of it was amazing.
Well, tomorrow we head to Edinburgh by train. I’m not looking forward to the trip as much as I am to being there in Scotland.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Five
Thursday, 25 May 2000 Oxford
A pretty good day today. We left London about 9:30 and reached Oxford about 10:30. We took a taxi to the Dial House and basically collapsed on our bed. We slept for an hour and a half which we really needed.
We headed into the town by bus and basically wandered the rest of the day. We ended up seeing a couple of nice places. Christ Church College was the first. It was huge and very formal. It had a walk thru tour and the whole deal. We then moved down to Magdalen College, pronounced "maudlin." It was where C. S. Lewis taught. It was much less formal and immensely more enjoyable. Sheryl and I would walk down the halls and the Quad and through the paths, as though we were students. It just felt right.
We also saw Blackwell’s Bookstore, which was huge. Four floors, the basement one stretching beneath Trinity College which was next door on the street. Kind of like a super Barnes and Noble. I got a book on Shakespeare and the movies, which I read bits of already. Seems good.
We got back to our room, which is much bigger and nicer than our Barry House room. We had Pizza Hut for dinner and stayed in. We’re shooting for Blenheim Palace tomorrow, then Glastonbury, Stonehenge and Avesbury on Saturday, possibly by car.
Uh-oh.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
A pretty good day today. We left London about 9:30 and reached Oxford about 10:30. We took a taxi to the Dial House and basically collapsed on our bed. We slept for an hour and a half which we really needed.
We headed into the town by bus and basically wandered the rest of the day. We ended up seeing a couple of nice places. Christ Church College was the first. It was huge and very formal. It had a walk thru tour and the whole deal. We then moved down to Magdalen College, pronounced "maudlin." It was where C. S. Lewis taught. It was much less formal and immensely more enjoyable. Sheryl and I would walk down the halls and the Quad and through the paths, as though we were students. It just felt right.
We also saw Blackwell’s Bookstore, which was huge. Four floors, the basement one stretching beneath Trinity College which was next door on the street. Kind of like a super Barnes and Noble. I got a book on Shakespeare and the movies, which I read bits of already. Seems good.
We got back to our room, which is much bigger and nicer than our Barry House room. We had Pizza Hut for dinner and stayed in. We’re shooting for Blenheim Palace tomorrow, then Glastonbury, Stonehenge and Avesbury on Saturday, possibly by car.
Uh-oh.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Four
Wednesday, 24 May 2000 London
Today Sheryl and I discovered the joys of train travel. We woke up early to catch a 7:55 from Charing Cross and when the train left at 7:48, we knew we were in trouble. Thankfully, we switched to the right train and were on our way.
Trains are a lot more… jouncy than I’d have thought. It was neat to see the English countryside, which actually reminded me a bunch of home, except for the sheep.
Dover was very nice. We walked a lot. We walked up to Dover Castle and got a great view of the town. Then we got a nice surprise, as they had opened up some tunnels which had been used as a hospital and Naval Base of Operations during WWII. Very neat. We got up to Henry II’s Keep and saw some great sights. I wish we’d have been able to stay longer up there; I’d have liked to have done more, but like Sheryl said then, we’re going to see several more castles.
We walked back down and got some nice pictures of the Dover Cliffs, which weren’t as white as some pictures I’ve seen, and headed back to the station. We rode to Canterbury and got to see the Cathedral which in many ways was as amazing as Westminster, although the latter was still more… deep? I don’t know, the sheer amount of history at the Abbey was astounding.
Canterbury was stellar and huge and beautiful. I had to pay two pounds to get to take pictures, but it was worth every pence. I shot a lot of stained glass windows and Henry IV’s grave, as well as Edward the Black Prince’s grave.
Sheryl and I then headed back on the hour and a half journey back, which seemed to take longer. We then vegged for the night, meaning Sheryl slept and wrote postcards, while I watched the UEFA Championship, where Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0. I wish Manchester United had been in it, but they lost in the Semis. Oh, well.
Tomorrow we move our base to Oxford, Inkling’s country, C. S. Lewis, Tolkein, Charles Williams. I’m looking very much forward to it.
Oh, two surprises I forgot to mention. 1) We saw a Hovercraft land at Dover and 2) we saw an exploded church, almost destroyed, in the Nazi attacks, at Dover. Old St. James. Very sobering.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Today Sheryl and I discovered the joys of train travel. We woke up early to catch a 7:55 from Charing Cross and when the train left at 7:48, we knew we were in trouble. Thankfully, we switched to the right train and were on our way.
Trains are a lot more… jouncy than I’d have thought. It was neat to see the English countryside, which actually reminded me a bunch of home, except for the sheep.
Dover was very nice. We walked a lot. We walked up to Dover Castle and got a great view of the town. Then we got a nice surprise, as they had opened up some tunnels which had been used as a hospital and Naval Base of Operations during WWII. Very neat. We got up to Henry II’s Keep and saw some great sights. I wish we’d have been able to stay longer up there; I’d have liked to have done more, but like Sheryl said then, we’re going to see several more castles.
We walked back down and got some nice pictures of the Dover Cliffs, which weren’t as white as some pictures I’ve seen, and headed back to the station. We rode to Canterbury and got to see the Cathedral which in many ways was as amazing as Westminster, although the latter was still more… deep? I don’t know, the sheer amount of history at the Abbey was astounding.
Canterbury was stellar and huge and beautiful. I had to pay two pounds to get to take pictures, but it was worth every pence. I shot a lot of stained glass windows and Henry IV’s grave, as well as Edward the Black Prince’s grave.
Sheryl and I then headed back on the hour and a half journey back, which seemed to take longer. We then vegged for the night, meaning Sheryl slept and wrote postcards, while I watched the UEFA Championship, where Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0. I wish Manchester United had been in it, but they lost in the Semis. Oh, well.
Tomorrow we move our base to Oxford, Inkling’s country, C. S. Lewis, Tolkein, Charles Williams. I’m looking very much forward to it.
Oh, two surprises I forgot to mention. 1) We saw a Hovercraft land at Dover and 2) we saw an exploded church, almost destroyed, in the Nazi attacks, at Dover. Old St. James. Very sobering.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Monday, April 25, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Three
Tuesday, May 23, 2000 London
Today was another tiring one. We started off toward Hyde’s Park looking for a breakfast place, but never found one and ended up at Burger King, which made us wish we’d picked McDonald’s.
From there, we hit Paddington, then Charing Cross Station to get our tickets for the trips to Dover and Canterbury tomorrow, then Oxford on Thursday. It took awhile, but we finally got it all straight. Then back to Piccadilly for a gift, then to the British Museum.
We got badly turned around and were headed completely the wrong way on Oxford Circus, finally turned back, and eventually ended up at the Museum. It was neat, but there was a lot of construction going on so it wasn’t very nice looking. We saw Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Celtic treasures. Probably the best for me and Sheryl were the Parthenon pieces, an almost completely restored Naiad temple, part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Rosetta Stone. There was more, but it got tiring after a while.
We made our way to Harrod’s. Tottenham Court Road Station was closed for some reason, so we walked to Leicester Square, then tubed to Harrod’s. This was amazing; a full London city block devoted to a store! 5 Stories! Unbelievable. I got some cigars and Sheryl wandered. We didn’t get to see the Diana memorial, but that wasn’t too disappointing.
We headed back to Barry, rested, then ate dinner at Aberdeen Steak House. It was good, and then we saw Les Miserables. Beautiful. Outstanding. The first half didn’t do much for me, and I almost fell asleep several times. It wasn’t that it was boring; it had merely been a long day. I got a drink and was much better. Then the relationship between Marius and Eponine came up and her unrequited love, then death to be with him nailed me. I was hooked from then on to the end. We came home, called some family, and retired.
Tomorrow to the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury. Should be fun.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Today was another tiring one. We started off toward Hyde’s Park looking for a breakfast place, but never found one and ended up at Burger King, which made us wish we’d picked McDonald’s.
From there, we hit Paddington, then Charing Cross Station to get our tickets for the trips to Dover and Canterbury tomorrow, then Oxford on Thursday. It took awhile, but we finally got it all straight. Then back to Piccadilly for a gift, then to the British Museum.
We got badly turned around and were headed completely the wrong way on Oxford Circus, finally turned back, and eventually ended up at the Museum. It was neat, but there was a lot of construction going on so it wasn’t very nice looking. We saw Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Celtic treasures. Probably the best for me and Sheryl were the Parthenon pieces, an almost completely restored Naiad temple, part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Rosetta Stone. There was more, but it got tiring after a while.
We made our way to Harrod’s. Tottenham Court Road Station was closed for some reason, so we walked to Leicester Square, then tubed to Harrod’s. This was amazing; a full London city block devoted to a store! 5 Stories! Unbelievable. I got some cigars and Sheryl wandered. We didn’t get to see the Diana memorial, but that wasn’t too disappointing.
We headed back to Barry, rested, then ate dinner at Aberdeen Steak House. It was good, and then we saw Les Miserables. Beautiful. Outstanding. The first half didn’t do much for me, and I almost fell asleep several times. It wasn’t that it was boring; it had merely been a long day. I got a drink and was much better. Then the relationship between Marius and Eponine came up and her unrequited love, then death to be with him nailed me. I was hooked from then on to the end. We came home, called some family, and retired.
Tomorrow to the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury. Should be fun.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Sunday, April 24, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day Two
Monday, May 22, 2000 London
Another full day today. We got up just in time for our breakfast today and got out on the town. We tubed to St. James Park and walked to Buckingham Palace, which was neat and all, but not too wonderful. We then walked down toward Westminster. On our way, Sheryl had to use a phone and as we looked up, we caught our first glimpse of Big Ben. It was very cool. We then walked to Westminster Abbey, which was amazing.
Westminster has this overwhelming sense of history that covers you. You see the graves of kings and queens and poets and politicians. It is a nearly thousand year old church built be Edward the Confessor. Even words don’t really contain it. Again for history buffs like me and Sheryl, every corner held another amazement.
Once we left, we crossed the Thames and walked down toward Big Ben and Parliament. We got some good video and hopefully some good pics as well. Those places are so big that pictures don’t really give a good sense of their size and stature.
We headed to Trafalgar Square and got some nice shots, then ate at a great restaurant called the Texas Embassy, which sells Tex Mex and was a nice taste of home.
We hit the National Gallery of Art and saw some wonderful paintings: DaVinci, Michaelangelo, Gainesborough, Turner, Van Gogh, Degas, Sweurat, and Manet. However, our favorite was a picture of Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, and Parliament, by Monet, a favorite painter of Sheryl. Neither of us had known he’d painted London so it really pleasantly surprised us. We ended up buying a print for home to go above our bed.
We headed back to Barry and Sheryl slept, while I read the Evening Standard. We then went to Piccadilly Circus to see American Beauty. I really enjoyed it, although Sheryl didn’t seem to like it as much. We hung around Piccadilly for another little bit before heading back.
Tomorrow we have Hyde’s Park, Harrod’s, and the Brit Museum again. We’ll see what we get to.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Another full day today. We got up just in time for our breakfast today and got out on the town. We tubed to St. James Park and walked to Buckingham Palace, which was neat and all, but not too wonderful. We then walked down toward Westminster. On our way, Sheryl had to use a phone and as we looked up, we caught our first glimpse of Big Ben. It was very cool. We then walked to Westminster Abbey, which was amazing.
Westminster has this overwhelming sense of history that covers you. You see the graves of kings and queens and poets and politicians. It is a nearly thousand year old church built be Edward the Confessor. Even words don’t really contain it. Again for history buffs like me and Sheryl, every corner held another amazement.
Once we left, we crossed the Thames and walked down toward Big Ben and Parliament. We got some good video and hopefully some good pics as well. Those places are so big that pictures don’t really give a good sense of their size and stature.
We headed to Trafalgar Square and got some nice shots, then ate at a great restaurant called the Texas Embassy, which sells Tex Mex and was a nice taste of home.
We hit the National Gallery of Art and saw some wonderful paintings: DaVinci, Michaelangelo, Gainesborough, Turner, Van Gogh, Degas, Sweurat, and Manet. However, our favorite was a picture of Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, and Parliament, by Monet, a favorite painter of Sheryl. Neither of us had known he’d painted London so it really pleasantly surprised us. We ended up buying a print for home to go above our bed.
We headed back to Barry and Sheryl slept, while I read the Evening Standard. We then went to Piccadilly Circus to see American Beauty. I really enjoyed it, although Sheryl didn’t seem to like it as much. We hung around Piccadilly for another little bit before heading back.
Tomorrow we have Hyde’s Park, Harrod’s, and the Brit Museum again. We’ll see what we get to.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Saturday, April 23, 2005
England Scotland Travelogue - Day One
Sunday, May 21, 2000 London
This was a long day. It really started yesterday in Nashville on our flight to Toronto which was ok. Our layover in Toronto had good and bad points. Good: It was short. Bad: Pearson is a lousy airport. No gate notices, poorly designed. Lousy. The trip here wasn’t too bad. The flight was full and I honestly slept through most of it. Sheryl wasn’t able to, mainly because she’s such a light sleeper. This of course affected her throughout today.
We arrived in London about 6:30 AM GMT. Customs was no problem and we caught the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station, which was great, since our B & B is only three blocks away, within sight of Paddington. No bears around though. We dropped our bags off at Barry House and headed out. We took the Tube out to Piccadilly Circus in search of the Tourist Info Center, but since it was only 8AM, it wasn’t open yet. So we ended up having breakfast at a traditional British restaurant, McDonald’s I think it’s called, and then decided to head to the Tower of London.
The Tower was pretty good. We did an audio tour, which was interesting to both me and Sheryl, but that was mainly because we both like history. It was mainly about prisoners and such. A minor problem perked up when rain started. I was ok, but Sheryl’s anorak wasn’t heavy duty enough for English rain and she got pretty wet.
We toured through the White Tower, seeing a lot of weaponry and an original copy of the Domesday Book. To see a 1000-year-old book was… amazing, even though that word hardly describes it. We saw the Crown Jewels as well, which made me wonder if such opulence is only for us, the paeans, since I would imagine that if someone were around it all the time, it would be old hat (no pun intended).
We left the Tower about 12:30 and had lunch, fish and chips. We decided to forgo the British Museum today, since we were exhausted, go get Sheryl a new jacket and head back to the B&B. We tubed to Piccadilly and wandered around for a bit. We found the TI and got some good info. The woman from Scotland was talky, but helpful. We found a sporting goods place, Lillywhites, and I found a great Manchester United jersey, but didn’t get it, yet. We found Sheryl a new jacket and finally Tubed back to Barry about 4.
Our room is small with a double only and a shower and toilet and desk. It’s functional and faces the street. We can hear a lot.
We slept from 5p to about 10p. We got up and put our stuff away and got organized for tomorrow, which should contain St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey. Of course, today was supposed to contain the British Museum and we didn’t manage to get there, so we’ll see what happens.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
This was a long day. It really started yesterday in Nashville on our flight to Toronto which was ok. Our layover in Toronto had good and bad points. Good: It was short. Bad: Pearson is a lousy airport. No gate notices, poorly designed. Lousy. The trip here wasn’t too bad. The flight was full and I honestly slept through most of it. Sheryl wasn’t able to, mainly because she’s such a light sleeper. This of course affected her throughout today.
We arrived in London about 6:30 AM GMT. Customs was no problem and we caught the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station, which was great, since our B & B is only three blocks away, within sight of Paddington. No bears around though. We dropped our bags off at Barry House and headed out. We took the Tube out to Piccadilly Circus in search of the Tourist Info Center, but since it was only 8AM, it wasn’t open yet. So we ended up having breakfast at a traditional British restaurant, McDonald’s I think it’s called, and then decided to head to the Tower of London.
The Tower was pretty good. We did an audio tour, which was interesting to both me and Sheryl, but that was mainly because we both like history. It was mainly about prisoners and such. A minor problem perked up when rain started. I was ok, but Sheryl’s anorak wasn’t heavy duty enough for English rain and she got pretty wet.
We toured through the White Tower, seeing a lot of weaponry and an original copy of the Domesday Book. To see a 1000-year-old book was… amazing, even though that word hardly describes it. We saw the Crown Jewels as well, which made me wonder if such opulence is only for us, the paeans, since I would imagine that if someone were around it all the time, it would be old hat (no pun intended).
We left the Tower about 12:30 and had lunch, fish and chips. We decided to forgo the British Museum today, since we were exhausted, go get Sheryl a new jacket and head back to the B&B. We tubed to Piccadilly and wandered around for a bit. We found the TI and got some good info. The woman from Scotland was talky, but helpful. We found a sporting goods place, Lillywhites, and I found a great Manchester United jersey, but didn’t get it, yet. We found Sheryl a new jacket and finally Tubed back to Barry about 4.
Our room is small with a double only and a shower and toilet and desk. It’s functional and faces the street. We can hear a lot.
We slept from 5p to about 10p. We got up and put our stuff away and got organized for tomorrow, which should contain St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey. Of course, today was supposed to contain the British Museum and we didn’t manage to get there, so we’ll see what happens.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
Friday, April 22, 2005
England Travelogue Intro
First things first. Please pray for Ira Hays, newborn son of Joe and Laura Hays in NYC.
I’m going to do something a little different with the blog for the next two weeks.
Five years ago, Sheryl and I took a two week trip to England and Scotland, May 20 through June 3, 2000. This was before Kinsey was born and I had decided to quit teaching (Did you know I taught high school English for six years?). One of our dreams before we started our family was to go to England and Scotland without the encumbrance of children, so we saved up for the entire year, asking only for money as gifts for birthdays and Christmases. We had a great time. Honestly, it’s one of my top three memories behind getting married and Kinsey’s birth. It was a trip that lived up to every expectation I had and exceeded them.
The reason this is in the forefront of my mind is that Sheryl and I have agreed to participate in a trip to Loughborough, England in October with some singles from Otter Creek. I hesitate to call it a mission trip, since I’m starting to believe that my entire life is a mission to expand the Kingdom of God. We’re going to work with the local Church of Christ there and help with their Holiday Bible Class (HBC), roughly analogous to our Vacation Bible School here in the states. We’re really looking forward to it and even embarking on the adventure of taking Kinsey with us. Here's another explanation for the trip.
So, starting tomorrow, I’m going to post a travelogue that I kept on our trip back in 2000. I'll post everyday for the next two weeks, except for one day that you'll understand on the next day.
I hope you enjoy experiencing a little of what we did and post your comments.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
I’m going to do something a little different with the blog for the next two weeks.
Five years ago, Sheryl and I took a two week trip to England and Scotland, May 20 through June 3, 2000. This was before Kinsey was born and I had decided to quit teaching (Did you know I taught high school English for six years?). One of our dreams before we started our family was to go to England and Scotland without the encumbrance of children, so we saved up for the entire year, asking only for money as gifts for birthdays and Christmases. We had a great time. Honestly, it’s one of my top three memories behind getting married and Kinsey’s birth. It was a trip that lived up to every expectation I had and exceeded them.
The reason this is in the forefront of my mind is that Sheryl and I have agreed to participate in a trip to Loughborough, England in October with some singles from Otter Creek. I hesitate to call it a mission trip, since I’m starting to believe that my entire life is a mission to expand the Kingdom of God. We’re going to work with the local Church of Christ there and help with their Holiday Bible Class (HBC), roughly analogous to our Vacation Bible School here in the states. We’re really looking forward to it and even embarking on the adventure of taking Kinsey with us. Here's another explanation for the trip.
So, starting tomorrow, I’m going to post a travelogue that I kept on our trip back in 2000. I'll post everyday for the next two weeks, except for one day that you'll understand on the next day.
I hope you enjoy experiencing a little of what we did and post your comments.
2005 Thoughts
Post Trip Thoughts
Day Thirteen
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One of the trip
Intro
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