Blogs from Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Excess at Exeter - Piprey on wheels Exeter beckons me to its quay- far away from the maddening crowds of London. Being peak summer holiday season, I booked for a one night weekend stay instead of two. Devon and Cornwall have officially declared drought. Adapt and progress is the mantra of recession in England. Excitedly, I finished last minute packing like putting my toothbrush into the bag. I caught the local bus to Heathrow airport bus station and Flixbus coach to Exeter. In all the confusion, I noticed my local bus arriving late on the bus board. Hence, walked up to the other bus stop. Well in time but the panic was most unnecessary :) The coach driver ( Flix) stopped at Reading. I got off and explored a lovely fabric shop with a loads of ... read more

Today we left London proper and headed off to the Salisbury Plains and the UNESCO site of Stonehenge. Our day began early: 6:15 am a wakeup call, bags out at 6:45 and departure at 7:45. We were up on time and pleased to see the weather was cloudy but dry, with a temperature forecast to be around 55. Another fabulous breakfast of meats, fruits and breads,washed down with coffee and freshly squeezed juices were enjoyed. Feeling well fortified we headed off to the bus for the 2 hour trip to Stonehenge. Unfortunately, we got off to a bit of a late start as one of our traveler's bags got lost on the trip from one hotel to the next. Fortunately for all, they found it. But we lost 20 minutes of travel time. No worries, we ... read more

At the beginning of each year I look at my wish list of destinations and then decide, based upon circumstances, where to spend my two or three week vacation time abroad. Linda and I will take separate vacations for the fourth year in a row as one of us has to stay home to take care of our dog Bonnie. Linda will take her three weeks or more to visit family in PA and CT after I get back. On 1 Feb I bought a ticket from Denver to London and return to JFK for $368.43...cheaper than flying R/T from Denver to the East Coast! This year I plan to take my vacation in three parts: starting on 30 April, the day after Linda's birthday, I will fly from Denver to London. Once in England I ... read more

Another town that we had read some about was Exeter as we knew we could get their easily by bus. After finding out about the Exeter Cathedral and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum that are located there we had another day trip planned. With further research we found that they offer free 90 minute tours by the Red Coat Guides and that on the day we were going there was one being offered about the Tudor period. You didn’t need to make a reservation, just show up. The bus left Dartmouth at 7:55AM, had a short layover in Totnes (long enough to get a coffee) and then arrived in Exeter by 10:30AM. This gave us a little time to wander around a bit before we met the guide at 11:30AM. Fortunately it was a small group ... read more

Due to inconsistent internet access, I lost my previous writing :( again! To recap - We spent our last full day in Devon in its capital city of Exeter. Exeter is a great metropolitan area with a beautiful cathedral and large courtyard at its center. There are shops, street musicians and artisans that surround the cathedral area. We had our typical afternoon tea, which we will greatly miss! Not just for the delicious, melt-in-your-mouth scones with clotted cream but also for the pause that it allows for. A pause that requires nothing from its participants except for presence. It allows for conversation and reflection. I did not see people on cell phones or using digital devices. It was good ol' conversation at every table, on every day. After a day of sightseeing, we came back to ... read more