Bed and Breakfast

Our B & B in Bath. Our room is on the second floor, left window. The proprietors are retired music teachers.






This is the view from our room.







This is our B & B in York. Our room is on the second floor, left window.







This is our room. It has a four-poster bed with drapes, and a sitting area located in the bay. Most B & B rooms have coffee and tea available.

Some Curiosities

On a trailer being towed by an RV, is the Smart Car, a joint venture of Swatch (the watch people) and BMW. We saw quite a few of these in Scotland.

Leans a little to the left, wouldn't you say? The ground floor is a nice little antique shop located just across the street from Norwich Cathedral.

Inside the walls of Dover Castle. This spiral staircase wound its way from the great hall to the roof. I think it makes about 6 complete turns and could be a little dizzying.

We're not sure what type of business is located on the ground floor of this building. Located in Canterbury, we turned the corner and this is what we saw! Double-click on the image and check out the front door.

Located in York, this one dips in the middle.

Pronounces antee-clockwise. Ah, the English, they have a word for everything!

York

York Minster is one of the larger cathedrals in England.

York was settled by the Vikings and for many years was a Viking center.







This is an area known as The Shambles. The street is actually one car wide. The upper floors of the buildings are cantilevered and in some places are only a few feet apart.

Nottingham

This is the pub called Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem. It has been in continuous operation since 1189. The rear part of the building is carved into the castle rock. The original medieval castle has been destroyed and has been replaced with a Georgian structure.

You just can't go to Nottingham without seeing Robin Hood. This is a life size bronze sculpture of Robin himself on the outside perimeter of the castle grounds.

Duxford Aircraft Museum

At Duxford, you can see vintage aircraft in various stages of reconstruction.

There are a number of very unusual aircraft. Most were used by the Allies during World War II.

You know, I just counldn't resist. This is a vintage B24 painted with the shamrock and my name!

The White Cliffs of Dover

A close-up view of the cliffs from Dover Castle. From a small outcropping you can see the cliffs upon which the castle is built.





A somewhat more familiar view of the Dover cliffs as seen from the city docks. When facing away from the cliffs, on a clear day you can see France which is only about 14 miles across the English Channel.

Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Cathedral, the central location for the Church of England.






The Pulpit, all carved oak, is large, heavy looking and incredibly intricate.








In medieval times, Royals and persons of importance were burried within the cathedrals.

This is the area in the cathedral, to the left of the main altar area, where St. Thomas Becket is believed to have been murdered by four knights. Pope John Paul II and the current Archbishop of Canterbury, knelt and prayed together here.

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle is located in Maidstone. The castle was abandon for a number of years until an heiress bought it for 180,000 pounds in the 1920's. After a few million to refurbish it, the castle became quite a showplace. Part of its extensive grounds were sold off and those remaining are only small part of the original

grounds. There is a golf course on the property. There is also a bird sanctuary. We saw ducks, peacocks and a few black swans. Leeds Castle, unlike many of the castles in the Northern England and in Scotland whose interiors are still the bare stone, has highly decorated interiors and appeared to be quite comfortable. This is a central court yard with a fountain and greenery.




Michele is standing amongst the giant rhubarb. We couldn't believe the size of the stuff. We're not sure if it is edible, but I'm not sure I want to know!

Jim is standing next to the largest tree we have ever seen. We believe it is the largest on the property.

H. M. S. Victory

The H. M. S. Victory has been in permanent dry dock in Portsmouth since 1929. Victory survived the bombings of World War II, a nearby building was hit and the ship suffered minimal damage.

Admiral Horatio Nelson's private quarters aboard his flagship. The Admiral's quarters, located in the stern of the ship are surprisingly spacious. In the foreground is the dining table where formal dinner parties were held.

Jim is standing beside one of the cannon. H. M. S. Victory has 80 guns on 3 decks.

A view of the stern from ground level. The top row of windows is Admiral Nelson's quarter. At the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Nelson was shot by a sniper and died aboard ship a few hours later.

Bath

Bath Abbey, an excellent example of medieval architecture with bell tower and flying buttresses.







Sally Lunn House is famous for Sally Lunn Buns. A bread baked in a large muffin tin instead of a loaf pan, and an excellent restaurant.










Who Will Buy...? If it looks familar, it should. It is the Royal Crescent, and was the residence of Oliver's grandfather in the musical of the same name. The town homes are mostly a door and 2 windows wide. However, the interiors of the homes are all different.


Bath, like Chester and London and many other Brittish cities and towns, was built by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago as a military outpost. All the cities were walled and many walls still remain. Here is one of the original Roman gates to Bath were military personnel or visitors would enter the city.

Chester

The Town Crier stands in the town square and calls out the news and Royal Decrees.






Called The Medieval Rows, the mid-level that looks almost like a porch, is a continuous walkway of shops. It was the first mall built about 500 years ago, and still in operation today.






An archeological dig: a Roman amphitheater is exposed.

Isle of Man

Much of the United Kingdom and Ireland was settled by the Vikings. Here in Douglas on the Isle of Man is the Viking Center which details the history of the Vikings.

Our friend, Patrick-a Texan to his core, spent a short time in this house. Patrick's mother is Manx, his father English, and they moved the family back to the Isle of Man. They lived here for about 2 years and then returned to Texas.


Transportation by train is very popular in the UK. The flower baskets are a beautiful addition to the train station. The use of flowers is very common in applying decoration to building facades, and the effect is quite pleasing.




This was our final view of Douglas, Isle of Man. Jim and I boarded the ferry for the crossing of the Irish Sea. We landed in Liverpool about 3 hours later and began the next part of our journey: England.

Portree, Isle of Skye

At the docks in Mailiag, we sat on a bench and enjoyed a fish and chips lunch. We had a guest eyeing up our lunches.





The fishing boats in Mailiag at low tide.






A view of Portree, Isle of Skye




One of the main streets of Portree. We stayed in a hostel. Jim and I had a small bedroom tucked away in the rear of the first floor. We did our own cooking in a large kitchen, most of the sleeping accommodations were dormatory style.

Scottish Castles

Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye.





Aillien Donan Castle. Used in the movie "Highlander" and in one of the James Bond movies.

The Castle Keep in Aillien Donan Castle.

The Harry Potter Train

ALL ABOARD!! It's the Hogwarts Express. This is the actual train used in the Harry Potter movies. It was a surprise for the kids who purchased overpriced Harry Potter merchandise and had a great time.

Here are the kids from the bagpipe band playing cards and having some snacks.

The end of the line Mailiag, Scotland where we boarded the ferry for the Isle of Skye.