October 31

This evening finds me in an airport hotel near Gatwick. The past two days have been filled with more new and memorable experiences.  You would think my first meal in Scotland would be haggis or chippies, but I ended up in an Italian restaurant eating the best darn gnocchi imaginable. On Wednesday, I toured Holyrood castle, The Scottish National Museum and Edinburgh Castle. Enjoying the “must sees” in any destination is important, but I enjoy everything I experience in between. Those who know me best are aware that I like to chat with strangers. I have done plenty of that. Moreover, I enjoy traveling through the countryside observing the landscape, the dwellings, and the farming practices. In the cities, I love to see the architecture, the statues, the landscaping, the alleyways, the fountains, the gargoyles...everything in between major destinations interests me as much or more than the main attractions. There are little things that I observe such as expressions and customs. Things like people taking their beer out of the tavern to mingle on the sidewalk outside the pub or walking on the left rather than keeping to the right. Later yesterday, I caught the train to York. I am very glad that I sprung for a first class ticket. Bigger seats, less crowded, free wifi, and complimentary food/drinks. I stayed at an Airbnb in York. Wonderful host and the accommodations were in the centre of old town. Last night I figured I should have bangers and mash just to say I did. The day began with tea and toast in the window seat watching people walk to work down cobblestone streets. Old York is bordered by a fortress wall has a walkway on top. I walked most of the fortress wall then joined a boat cruise on the River Ouse. Next stop was York Minster Cathedral, the second largest cathedral in Europe. Truly impressive. My final stop was Clifford Tower, the remnant of a medieval castle. I could have toured a couple more museums but I was museumed out so I caught the train for Gatwick through London Kings Cross. Traveling by train, making connections, finding the right platform, taking buses/subways, going up and down levels, reading departure displays/schedules...it’s a lot to handle when you’re a little old prairie boy. And now I am looking forward to home and routine and hockey and volleyball and my own cooking and phone calls to Mom and my loved ones and my Luv Bug.

October 29

I believe I closed my last entry in the wee hours of Sunday morning. I’ve put on a few miles since then. I went to the Anglican Cathedral in Oxford for Sunday worship thinking it would be pipe organs, church bells, long robes, pomp, and pageantry. Wrong!  There was a worship band, contemporary music, and no hymn books. There were tv monitors on the 500 year old marble pillars. The homily was presented by a famous author in a Hawaiian shirt and leather vest. Man, it was a rocking place. After touring Oxford, I boarded the train for Cardiff, Wales. The evening was spent watching NFL football in a pub. The brits were in a festive mood after a World Cup Rugby win. On Monday, I did a walking tour of Cardiff where there is a beautiful promenade along the harbour. I was surprised to see Wales has bilingual signs like we do in Canada. Welsh and English. I have to admit French is easier to decipher than Welsh. The train journey from Cardiff to Liverpool was long and arduous. There was flooding in Wales and power outages in Manchester. The trains carried double the passengers because of cancellations. Seeing Liverpool was worth the journey. Liverpool has an incredible vibe. Music everywhere. The clubs don’t close until 4:00 am. I didn’t sleep much. This morning I toured the harbour area before hopping on the Magical Mystery Tour. Very interesting for a guy who grew up in the sixties listening to the Beatles. In the afternoon, I had a relatively pleasant train ride to Edinburgh, but there was one near glitch. I fell asleep during the first leg of the journey. I would have missed my connection; however, two nice young ladies saw me sleeping so they banged on the windows to waken me. Phew!  It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon for a train ride through the hill country of northwestern England and Southern Scotland. Green grass, Sheep on hillsides. Compact little villages. Stone hedges. Oak trees. Wood lots. Loved the journey.

October 27

It’s 2:00 am. I’m in a guest lodge in Oxford, England. If you can’t sleep...blog. Last Sunday started with an Uber to the airport. If you haven’t tried the Uber app, you’re missing out. I had 3 seats to myself on the flight to Toronto which was a treat. Brian and Carole picked me up at the airport. They were amazed I had only a backpack but I had to travel light with the journey I had planned. Brian and Carole treated me like a king (self proclaimed though I am) for the next 4 days. The highlight for Brian and me was golfing on Monday. Brian and I competed against two of his buddies in a game called “Nicole millionaires”. For 16 holes, Brian was carrying me on his back. On 17, there was a huge carryover. Well, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. I stuck my drive 10 feet from the hole and parred.  There was some hooting going on!  Another highlight was reminiscing about our misspent youth in Kelvington. We sat in matching recliners talking about life, love, loss, and family. Wonderful time. I flew out of Toronto on Wednesday evening and landed in London at 9am Thursday. One of my sister, Paulette’s friends picked me up at Gatwick. I stayed with John and his wife, Dee, for the first day. They toured me around the south coast. We stopped in small villages with cobble stone streets, historic buildings, and quaint little shops. Of course , we had to stop for a pint in a pub that was established in the 1300s. We finished the day with fish and chips and tea before nighty night.   Friday started with a train trip to London Victoria Station. London in. Day with Alvin Kolach...Buckingham Palace for changing of the guard, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Golden Hind, Globe Theatre, Whitehall, Scotland Yard, Westminster, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Eye, and more. Yup, I set a new record for step count - 34570 steps. Yesterday, I toured The Royal Museum which took most of the day. The collection is beyond comprehension. The Rosetta Stone is the star attraction, but the collection of pottery, weapons, statues, petroglyphs, clothing, etc is too much to absorb. Apparently, the displayed items only account for 1% of the museum’s holdings. Incredible!   Getting to Oxford required some new experiences. I had to purchase a subway ticket from a machine, catch the right subway train,and transfer to rail train at Paddington Station. Mindbending experiences for a prairie boy. Leaving the crowds of London was a relief. October is not busy season. I can’t imagine being in London during peak season. The trip to Oxford was lightning quick. Trains can reach speeds of 300kpm!  After taking a bus to my accommodation, I went to a local pub for a beer and burger. I’m having a ball. Now I should try to sleep. The plan for tomorrow is worship at the Oxford Cathedral, a walking tour of Oxford, then on to Wales.

October 19

I just got back from Nashville on Thursday, and now I am off to Barrie, Ontario tomorrow to spend a few days with my old school buddy, Brian Hartzell and his wife, Carole.  On Wednesday, I am flying to England from Toronto.  I have an 8 day Brit Rail pass so I plan to see as much of England, Wales, and Scotland as I can squeeze into 8 days.  Nashville was great!  It was my second time there.  My gal and I took in to the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, and we spent a fair amount of time on Music Row.  There is no shortage of entertainment in Nashville.  We also toured Madame Toussad's Wax Museum where we got up close and personal with all the country and western stars.  Last Saturday, we attended a college football game between University of Nevada Las Vegas and Vanderbilt.  Our airbnb was only a ten minute walk from the stadium.  On Tuesday, we rented a car and toured the countryside around Nashville.  The highlights were a hike in Percy Warner Park, a walking tour of Franklin, Tennessee (lovely town with antebellum architecture right out of Andy of Mayberry), and Lieper's Forks ( an authentic small village in the Tennessee hills).  The weather during our stay was gorgeous...usually in the high twenties.  Our airbnb had a lovely deck on the east side where we started every day with coffee.  All in all, a great holiday.  Flights were all on time and everything went smoothly.  Only misfortune was Deb spraining her ankle on our hike.  My next blog entry will be all about my UK train adventures.  Until then...