Thursday, September 23, 2010
Cheerio England!
Goodbye for now, but we hopefully will see you soon! This is the final Winston and Rosemary podcast; our ode to England. We hope you've all enjoyed reading and listening to our adventures. Stay tuned, because even though we're back in the states, we may have another blog for you to follow. As usual, please click on the link of the blogpost title to hear our podcast. Cheers for now!
Love always,
Winston, Rosemary and our dog son Ethan
The Final Day of our Journey
Cheers readers!! I'm sad to say, but Rosemary and I are reporting on our final day in England. It's very bittersweet and we enjoyed this trip immensely. Thanks to everyone who made this possible as it was definitely a trip we will never forget. We loved England so much and we will definitely be heading back some day. So, without further ado, here is the recount of our final hours in London!
After the most awkward English breakfast at The Cymbeline Guest House, we headed to McKenchnies Independent Tea and Coffee shop. It was a cozy little coffee shop just on the edge of the town center. We enjoyed lovely vanilla lattes and accessed the free wi-fi since we couldn't at our guest house. We spent about an hour in the little shop and headed back to The Cymbeline to check out. We then made our way to the train station to wait for our final train ride; our 11:40 to London. We arrived in London just around 2 p.m. and navigated the tube station a few stops until we arrived back at the London and Britain visitor information centre. From there, they helped us book a hotel for our final night in town. We wanted an upgrade from our last two guest houses and felt we deserved nice accommodations after lugging around luggage and making numerous train rides across England. They got us a reservation at The Grovesnor adjacent to the Victoria rail station. The hotel was very English and very nice. Rosemary was quite excited because we upgraded to the air-conditioned executive suite - the first air-conditioned room we had all trip. After freshening up, we decided to grab a bite to eat and hit up the town to take some final pictures and soak in the city one last time.
We decided to eat at The Victoria - a pub just down the street from The Grovesnor. Rosemary ordered a coke and I had the Young's Cask Ale. We ordered nachos to share and I went with the sausage of the day and Rosemary ordered the first grilled chicken sandwich of her trip. The nachos were tasty and after we finished those, our main dishes were served. We both enjoyed them. After Rosemary's second coke and Winston's Pimm's Cup, we headed out.
We went to the Westminster Tube stop to get some more pictures of Big Ben, Parliment, red telephone booths and other English standards. Afterwards we made a stop by Kensington to do some shopping. After visiting a few stores we stopped by Marks and Spencer to pick up a few grocery items for the hotel room (namely orange juice, water and coke) and we headed back for a relaxing final evening.
We reminisced about our trip, began the packing process and said goodnight to London for one final time, for the next day we would be heading back to the states on a plane. Goodbye for now England, we'll see you again soon!
After the most awkward English breakfast at The Cymbeline Guest House, we headed to McKenchnies Independent Tea and Coffee shop. It was a cozy little coffee shop just on the edge of the town center. We enjoyed lovely vanilla lattes and accessed the free wi-fi since we couldn't at our guest house. We spent about an hour in the little shop and headed back to The Cymbeline to check out. We then made our way to the train station to wait for our final train ride; our 11:40 to London. We arrived in London just around 2 p.m. and navigated the tube station a few stops until we arrived back at the London and Britain visitor information centre. From there, they helped us book a hotel for our final night in town. We wanted an upgrade from our last two guest houses and felt we deserved nice accommodations after lugging around luggage and making numerous train rides across England. They got us a reservation at The Grovesnor adjacent to the Victoria rail station. The hotel was very English and very nice. Rosemary was quite excited because we upgraded to the air-conditioned executive suite - the first air-conditioned room we had all trip. After freshening up, we decided to grab a bite to eat and hit up the town to take some final pictures and soak in the city one last time.
We decided to eat at The Victoria - a pub just down the street from The Grovesnor. Rosemary ordered a coke and I had the Young's Cask Ale. We ordered nachos to share and I went with the sausage of the day and Rosemary ordered the first grilled chicken sandwich of her trip. The nachos were tasty and after we finished those, our main dishes were served. We both enjoyed them. After Rosemary's second coke and Winston's Pimm's Cup, we headed out.
We went to the Westminster Tube stop to get some more pictures of Big Ben, Parliment, red telephone booths and other English standards. Afterwards we made a stop by Kensington to do some shopping. After visiting a few stores we stopped by Marks and Spencer to pick up a few grocery items for the hotel room (namely orange juice, water and coke) and we headed back for a relaxing final evening.
We reminisced about our trip, began the packing process and said goodnight to London for one final time, for the next day we would be heading back to the states on a plane. Goodbye for now England, we'll see you again soon!
The Blue Room
Good day readers!! We hope you're having as good of time in the states as we are in England! We're so glad you decided to tag along via our blog and we hope you've enjoyed reading and listening to it as much as we've enjoyed creating it. Our time in England is coming to an end and it's very bittersweet for us. With that being said, let's catch you up on our Sunday events!
We started our day with an early breakfast at Brown's Guest House. Rosemary enjoyed cornflakes, toast, fruit and yogurt and orange juice while Winston had a very light breakfast of wheat-a-bix, toast, orange juice and coffee. It was decent, just as the day before and from there we finished packing up our belongings, checked out of the guest house and grabbed a cab to the train station. We were about to embark on the final leg of our trip. Can you guess where we were heading?
It's a small town, northwest of Oxford. It is the birthplace of one of literature's greatest figures; part of it's name is an American cosmetic company; the Bard walked on these grounds. Any takers? 5...4...3...2...1, okay, no guesses? Stratford-upon-Avon was our next stop. We took the 9:40 train from Oxford, had one change to make and arrived in Stratford just after noon. We had a short walk to the tourist information center and they helped us book a room at The Cymbeline Guest House. Fortunately, there was not a college week or weekend going on and it was rather easy to get a room. The guest house was just a short walk and we went to check in from there.
When we arrived, we were greeted by an older English gentleman by the name of Keith. He had us sign the guest book and then he lead us to our room. The guest house was very authentic. Lots of antiques, English and Shakespeare memorabillia and every single room was decorated in a different color. We were a bit excited about the authentic and cute nature of the house until we realized that we had to ascend four flights of narrow stairs with all of our luggage! Yes, we had to lug Rosemary's 90 lb. suitcase up those stairs. After we made it to the room, we were pleasantly surprised. It was the fifth and final room in the guest house and it sat at the top of the stairs. The room was decorated in blue and quite roomy compared to our room at the previous bed and breakfast. What made this room quite fitting is it was blue and there were flow blue plates on the wall; very similar to the "blue room" in Rosemary and Chloe's childhood house. After climbing all of those stairs, we took a quick break and tried to access the complimentary wi-fi, which we quickly realized didn't work:(
After the break, we decided to head to the centre of town in Stratford, explore and grab a bite to eat. Rosemary and I weren't feeling that great and it was a very slow and sluggish day. We walked around and saw the historic buildings that were very representative of Shakespeare's time. They were very charming and definitely brought a different feel to the town. Much different than the other areas we visited. It was great because London, Brighton, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon all had their own vibe, culture and feel even though they were just hours away from eachother. Each place was historic in it's own right and it was embedded in how the inhabitants went about their daily lives.
We were getting hungry after walking around a bit, so we decided to grab a bite to eat at the oldest pub in town, The Garrick Inn. We had to wait about a half hour for a table, so we headed to the bar for a drink. Rosemary had a coke and I had the cask Old Speckled Hen; which was fantastic. After our drinks, our table was ready. Rosemary opted for the cheeseburger and I went with the beef and ruddles ale pie with mash. The food arrived and it was absolutely delicious. The beef and ale pie was one of my all-time favorites on the trip and Rosemary enjoyed her burger. After dining, drinks and chatting, we decided to head back out and explore Stratford before the shops closed early. We visited a few stores, saw Shakespeare's birthplace, took some pictures and generally enjoyed our afternoon.
After everything closed down, we headed toward the Church of the Holy Trinity to view Shakespeare's grave. We paid three pounds to go view the gravesite and take a few pictures of the oldest part of the church. Afterwards, we walked through the very old cemetary and sat on a bench in a shaded area. We then headed back to the guest house for an afternoon break. We didn't really head out after the break because we didn't feel very well. There wasn't any "take-away" places in town, so we settled with some snacks at a convenience store and called it an early night.
For our adventures across the countryside closed and we were heading back to London the next day to spend our final night in the place where our journey first began.
We started our day with an early breakfast at Brown's Guest House. Rosemary enjoyed cornflakes, toast, fruit and yogurt and orange juice while Winston had a very light breakfast of wheat-a-bix, toast, orange juice and coffee. It was decent, just as the day before and from there we finished packing up our belongings, checked out of the guest house and grabbed a cab to the train station. We were about to embark on the final leg of our trip. Can you guess where we were heading?
It's a small town, northwest of Oxford. It is the birthplace of one of literature's greatest figures; part of it's name is an American cosmetic company; the Bard walked on these grounds. Any takers? 5...4...3...2...1, okay, no guesses? Stratford-upon-Avon was our next stop. We took the 9:40 train from Oxford, had one change to make and arrived in Stratford just after noon. We had a short walk to the tourist information center and they helped us book a room at The Cymbeline Guest House. Fortunately, there was not a college week or weekend going on and it was rather easy to get a room. The guest house was just a short walk and we went to check in from there.
When we arrived, we were greeted by an older English gentleman by the name of Keith. He had us sign the guest book and then he lead us to our room. The guest house was very authentic. Lots of antiques, English and Shakespeare memorabillia and every single room was decorated in a different color. We were a bit excited about the authentic and cute nature of the house until we realized that we had to ascend four flights of narrow stairs with all of our luggage! Yes, we had to lug Rosemary's 90 lb. suitcase up those stairs. After we made it to the room, we were pleasantly surprised. It was the fifth and final room in the guest house and it sat at the top of the stairs. The room was decorated in blue and quite roomy compared to our room at the previous bed and breakfast. What made this room quite fitting is it was blue and there were flow blue plates on the wall; very similar to the "blue room" in Rosemary and Chloe's childhood house. After climbing all of those stairs, we took a quick break and tried to access the complimentary wi-fi, which we quickly realized didn't work:(
After the break, we decided to head to the centre of town in Stratford, explore and grab a bite to eat. Rosemary and I weren't feeling that great and it was a very slow and sluggish day. We walked around and saw the historic buildings that were very representative of Shakespeare's time. They were very charming and definitely brought a different feel to the town. Much different than the other areas we visited. It was great because London, Brighton, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon all had their own vibe, culture and feel even though they were just hours away from eachother. Each place was historic in it's own right and it was embedded in how the inhabitants went about their daily lives.
We were getting hungry after walking around a bit, so we decided to grab a bite to eat at the oldest pub in town, The Garrick Inn. We had to wait about a half hour for a table, so we headed to the bar for a drink. Rosemary had a coke and I had the cask Old Speckled Hen; which was fantastic. After our drinks, our table was ready. Rosemary opted for the cheeseburger and I went with the beef and ruddles ale pie with mash. The food arrived and it was absolutely delicious. The beef and ale pie was one of my all-time favorites on the trip and Rosemary enjoyed her burger. After dining, drinks and chatting, we decided to head back out and explore Stratford before the shops closed early. We visited a few stores, saw Shakespeare's birthplace, took some pictures and generally enjoyed our afternoon.
After everything closed down, we headed toward the Church of the Holy Trinity to view Shakespeare's grave. We paid three pounds to go view the gravesite and take a few pictures of the oldest part of the church. Afterwards, we walked through the very old cemetary and sat on a bench in a shaded area. We then headed back to the guest house for an afternoon break. We didn't really head out after the break because we didn't feel very well. There wasn't any "take-away" places in town, so we settled with some snacks at a convenience store and called it an early night.
For our adventures across the countryside closed and we were heading back to London the next day to spend our final night in the place where our journey first began.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Oxford in Pictures
Quite ironic, seeing as how there are soooo many bicycles in Oxford
The Garden Cafe in Oxford
Hertford Bridge, Oxford
Radcliffe Camera, Oxford
Anthony Gormley's statue on Blackwell's Art and Poster Shop, Oxford
Oxford Blue
Cheers from Oxford loyal followers! Today, we're going to recap our first full day in Oxford.
We started the morning with breakfast at Brown's Guest House. Rosemary had the cornflakes, toast, yogurt and fruit, orange juice and coffee. Winston had toast, scrambled eggs, orange juice and coffee. The breakfast was decent, however, it wasn't anything like Mark's breakfast from Nineteen Guest House in Brighton. After an early breakfast, we hopped on the number three bus to the Oxford city centre and walked to the train station. We had to purchase tickets to our next location. Where will Winston and Rosemary be heading next? Any guesses? 5...4...3...2...1, guess not. Tune into the next post to find out where we head off to next. Until then, let's get to the rest of our Oxford Saturday.
After purchasing our tickets, we headed to a coffee shop called the Missing Bean. It was a superb coffee house that held true to the Italian coffee shop roots. No flavors, no frills, only fresh espresso and coffee. I ordered a latte and Rosemary had the iced latte. It was quite tasty and the baristas performed some of the most amazing latte art I've ever seen. It was a bit too strong for Rosemary, but it was just the jump start we needed for the day.
We did a lot of exploring in Oxford after the coffee. In fact, that is pretty much the M.O. of how we approached each day in a new area of England. We didn't partake in a lot of tours and exhibitions; we just walked around, looked at the main sites and tried to get a real sense of the city and it's vibe and culture. We feel we really achieved that. We walked by numerous amazing structures in Oxford, including, but not limited to University of Oxford, Trinity College, Magdalen College, Radcliffe Camera, Oxford Castle and Bodleian Library to name a few. Oxford is just an amazing place. It's a huge college town and it's just bursting with activity and history. The architecture is absolutely breathtaking. For those of you who don't know, here's a little history on the University of Oxford:
- University of Oxford was the first university in the English speaking world
- Students from more than 140 countries and territories make up the student population of more than 20,000
- Over a third of the student body comes from outside of the U.K.
- Teaching at University of Oxford existed in some form since 1096
- Student population grew immensely when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris
After exploring and shopping at some stores and boutiques, it was time for lunch. We decided to go into a small pub called The White Horse that was located on Broad Street. We had to step down into this small pub and it was like stepping back into time. There was very little seating, a fully stocked bar of great English beers and it was bustling with activity. Winston ordered the fish and chips and Rosemary was excited to see a chicken fajita on the menu. Winston ordered an Oxford Prospect beer and Rosemary had a Pepsi. The food was delivered shortly and the fish and chips were absolutely delightful. In fact, it may have been the best fish and chips I had on the entire trip (could be why everyone in the entire pub was ordering the dish). Rosemary's fajita left a lot to be desired. I guess she'll never learn that you don't order a Mexican dish at an English pub :)
After a little more exploring and some down time at Brown's Guest House, it was time for an evening drink and dinner. There was a small pub that was just down the street from our guest house and it had received great reviews for it's atmosphere and handmade pizzas. So, we headed to The Fir Tree. We were greeted with a warm environment, a good beer selection, a rasta English bar tender and the John Butler Trio playing over the speakers. I ordered the Green King St. Edmounds and Rosemary had a Beck's. The bar tender was extremely friendly and we were really digging the vibe. However, our spirits were slightly crushed when we found out that they don't serve any evening meals. The bar tender recommended a few places to eat and we decided to take him up on one of them. After dinner, we had all the intention of returning to The Fir Tree, but that didn't quite work out. A small pub just a few streets down named The Oxford Blue was the choice. It was a small "hole in the wall" pub that had a few "townies" present. We ordered a few drinks and debated the menu for awhile. After waiting for the lone bar tender to finish his own dinner, we ordered. Rosemary had the lasagna (which seems to be standard pub fare in England) and Winston ordered a bacon cheddar burger. The food was decent, but the atmosphere did not compare to The Fir Tree. After finishing our food and drinks we decided to call it a night and head back to the guest house.
It was a good day in Oxford and we really enjoyed seeing the city. It was a good choice for us and tomorrow was the beginning of our next adventure.
We started the morning with breakfast at Brown's Guest House. Rosemary had the cornflakes, toast, yogurt and fruit, orange juice and coffee. Winston had toast, scrambled eggs, orange juice and coffee. The breakfast was decent, however, it wasn't anything like Mark's breakfast from Nineteen Guest House in Brighton. After an early breakfast, we hopped on the number three bus to the Oxford city centre and walked to the train station. We had to purchase tickets to our next location. Where will Winston and Rosemary be heading next? Any guesses? 5...4...3...2...1, guess not. Tune into the next post to find out where we head off to next. Until then, let's get to the rest of our Oxford Saturday.
After purchasing our tickets, we headed to a coffee shop called the Missing Bean. It was a superb coffee house that held true to the Italian coffee shop roots. No flavors, no frills, only fresh espresso and coffee. I ordered a latte and Rosemary had the iced latte. It was quite tasty and the baristas performed some of the most amazing latte art I've ever seen. It was a bit too strong for Rosemary, but it was just the jump start we needed for the day.
We did a lot of exploring in Oxford after the coffee. In fact, that is pretty much the M.O. of how we approached each day in a new area of England. We didn't partake in a lot of tours and exhibitions; we just walked around, looked at the main sites and tried to get a real sense of the city and it's vibe and culture. We feel we really achieved that. We walked by numerous amazing structures in Oxford, including, but not limited to University of Oxford, Trinity College, Magdalen College, Radcliffe Camera, Oxford Castle and Bodleian Library to name a few. Oxford is just an amazing place. It's a huge college town and it's just bursting with activity and history. The architecture is absolutely breathtaking. For those of you who don't know, here's a little history on the University of Oxford:
- University of Oxford was the first university in the English speaking world
- Students from more than 140 countries and territories make up the student population of more than 20,000
- Over a third of the student body comes from outside of the U.K.
- Teaching at University of Oxford existed in some form since 1096
- Student population grew immensely when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris
After exploring and shopping at some stores and boutiques, it was time for lunch. We decided to go into a small pub called The White Horse that was located on Broad Street. We had to step down into this small pub and it was like stepping back into time. There was very little seating, a fully stocked bar of great English beers and it was bustling with activity. Winston ordered the fish and chips and Rosemary was excited to see a chicken fajita on the menu. Winston ordered an Oxford Prospect beer and Rosemary had a Pepsi. The food was delivered shortly and the fish and chips were absolutely delightful. In fact, it may have been the best fish and chips I had on the entire trip (could be why everyone in the entire pub was ordering the dish). Rosemary's fajita left a lot to be desired. I guess she'll never learn that you don't order a Mexican dish at an English pub :)
After a little more exploring and some down time at Brown's Guest House, it was time for an evening drink and dinner. There was a small pub that was just down the street from our guest house and it had received great reviews for it's atmosphere and handmade pizzas. So, we headed to The Fir Tree. We were greeted with a warm environment, a good beer selection, a rasta English bar tender and the John Butler Trio playing over the speakers. I ordered the Green King St. Edmounds and Rosemary had a Beck's. The bar tender was extremely friendly and we were really digging the vibe. However, our spirits were slightly crushed when we found out that they don't serve any evening meals. The bar tender recommended a few places to eat and we decided to take him up on one of them. After dinner, we had all the intention of returning to The Fir Tree, but that didn't quite work out. A small pub just a few streets down named The Oxford Blue was the choice. It was a small "hole in the wall" pub that had a few "townies" present. We ordered a few drinks and debated the menu for awhile. After waiting for the lone bar tender to finish his own dinner, we ordered. Rosemary had the lasagna (which seems to be standard pub fare in England) and Winston ordered a bacon cheddar burger. The food was decent, but the atmosphere did not compare to The Fir Tree. After finishing our food and drinks we decided to call it a night and head back to the guest house.
It was a good day in Oxford and we really enjoyed seeing the city. It was a good choice for us and tomorrow was the beginning of our next adventure.
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