Chasing the Olympics with no luck - England - July 2012

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Sometimes (very, very few though), we travel to see family outside of the locations they live in. So this is one of the few exceptions. My brother plays cricket in England for half the year so we figured we would make a trip out of it - see him and the queen at the same time. The visa was a pain, but we did get it 5 days before we were hoping to go so we bought the tickets and we were on our way. Just getting on the plane was a whole new adventure in itself as we were able to check in 35 minutes before the scheduled departure time (did not know that was possible). Travelling east has become a favorite of ours - we catch a late flight out of JFK/Newark and we land at our destination at sunrise.

We knew the Olympics was taking place in England at the same time (this was really one of the reasons why we wanted to go) so getting a car was sort of hard, but we managed. We landed, got our stuff, and headed over to the car rental place where we got a very small car (this gets interesting later on). And we were off. We made a rest stop and picked up some food and Starbucks. My brother is a little north of Manchester so we had a ways to go from Heathrow. It was a Saturday afternoon and traffic was terrible.

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON was right on the way so we took a slight detour to visit Mr. Shakespeare. The town itself was very quaint. Parking was a pain in the ass. We found a big grocery store about half a mile outside of the center of town so we parked there and just walked into town. The town itself was very busy, hustling and bustling. We walked around to try and catch a Shakespeare tour, but it seemed like we were too late so we grabbed a map and went for it. NEW PLACE (SHAKESPEARE HOUSE) was first on the list. An old house with creaky wooden floors. The house itself was nothing special - the displays, quotes, pictures were pretty cool, but the real highlight was the garden. The flowers were blooming and beautiful. Funny enough this site is still used as an excavation site as they are still digging up artifacts from the 16th/17th century. It's also set-up really cool for kids since it takes them through a "treasure-hunt" in that there are all these various stations where kids are exposed to the excavations and how the process works. In the process they also get to do some of their own digging and exploration. The part I loved most was the sculptures. They had these sculptures that were made so that each sculpture represented a complete Shakespeare play. The forms, figures, and shapes of these sculptures were amazing and utterly hilarious at times. See the attached pictures for examples.

We just kept walking and exploring the town - walking into old churches and structures as we went along. At times we were somewhat lost, but then we would see a tour group and just follow them for a couple minutes until we found something else that peeked our interest. We ended up at TRINITY CHURCH WHERE SHAKESPEARE WAS BURIED. Definitely worth the 2 pound donation to see his burial place. There are some interesting quotes in the little area. We walked by the theater where they perform the Shakespeare plays and it was almost gut-wrenching to have to leave town without seeing an actual show. We barely made it into the HOUSE WHERE SHAKESPEARE WAS BORN. It was what seemed like a pretty modern place and all around you have some re-enactors acting out certain Shakespeare parts. Again definitely worth a visit. Well it was time so leave since we still had a ways to go.

So on our way we were to Rawtenstall where we met up with my brother and stayed for the night. The next day we were treated to some lovely English sunshine while my brother played cricket. I love English pies - yeah I know that is out of nowhere, but I love pies. Definitely try it when you can. That same night we were off to Scotland which I described in a previous blog. We had a great time in Edinburgh. Our car was tiny and we had four adults and luggage for 2 days. It made for some interesting travels. On the way back from Edinburgh we completed the EDINBURGH TO NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE drive. We crossed over into England at Carter Bar. The first part of the drive was through NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK. Not much to see in the way of animals, but the scenery was spectacular. Rolling, bright, deep green hills with little white-dotted sheep filling in the picture. The misty day just added to the beauty of the drive. Our visit to NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE was very short (as in one hour short). We still had a ways to go to our final destination, well... Our final destination was back at Rawtenstall, but we were on our way to Whitby as a first stop. If you know anything above the locations of these two towns you will know that they are way, way far apart from each other. It seemed like we were crawling on our way to Whitby - it just seemed to take forever. The only reason for this massive detour was the fact that Whitby is famous for its fish and chips - especially at the MAGPIE CAFE. We finally made it to this lovely seaside town at around 8 at night. We parked and walked the little streets filled with shops. The Magpie was packed but after a little bit of a wait we were shown to our table - this fish and chips better be good, because we drove a long, long way. We started with some oysters and mussels which was really good. For the entree at our table we had the fish and chips with hake and also haddock. We also got the fish platter which is in essence fish-and-chips 4 ways - made with 4 different kinds of fish. It was fascinating tasting the 4 different kinds of fish and experiencing the completely different tastes and textures of the fish. Yes the drive was totally worth it. Definitely some of the best fish and chips we have ever had. The night/day was far from over. We still had to make it back to Rawtenstall which was about 3 hours away and it was around 11 already and we only had a paper map to go by and... Well - I tend to push cars to their limits when it comes to the "gas empty" light. Well - Whitby shuts down around 10 - that includes gas stations. So we drove around and asked some people taking a nice evening stroll as to where we can find some gas. The reply was - ahh just find a hotel/ guesthouse since there is nothing close that is open. We finally were told there was a town about 30 miles away where we could potentially find gas. So we started out with a lot of tension in the car. Up and down the hills with as much neutral drive as we could. Well, we ended up making it and got gas and we made it back home at around 3 in the morning. What a day. Awesome times.

We were determined to "break-in" the kids and show them how you "go on vacation". Sitting around and relaxing is no way to have a vacation. The next day we chased them out of bed by 10 and we were off to our next adventure - YORK. An old city with lots of old-city charms. A big part of the city is still surrounded by a wall. It was really hard to find parking, but we finally managed to find some quite a ways away from the city center (yeah parking in general is just not fun in this country). First up was YORK MINSTER. What a magnificent structure. Around and around we walked and just admired the outside of the minster and all the bells and whistles that was added to the outside of this building. So many intricate carvings, nooks and crannies... We are always amazed at the amount of detail on these buildings. There is no way you will find this much detail on any modern buildings and I think this is what makes these buildings so special, unique and fascinating. We were just in time for the daily chorus performance so we stuck around. The inside was amazing with an incredible nave. We did not spend too much time inside since it was close to closing, but it was really pretty and we would highly recommend a visit. We never knew this but there is a lot of ROMAN HISTORY in York so there are many roman columns and other effects that are indicative of a roman past.

We walked through THE SHAMBLES STREET with its curve and fascinating little stores selling things you won't find in many places. We ended up at BETTY'S FOR AFTERNOON TEA. Just something you have to do in England - afternoon tea - and where else better in the area than at Betty's. The girls got afternoon tea with champagne and the boys did the traditional afternoon tea. The TARTS, FINGER SANDWICHES (SMOKED SALMON and YORKSHIRE HAM) were delicious and the pastries, deserts and other sweet things just as good. Just an awesome time. We made a quick trip to YORK CASTLE. A small structure sitting on top of a grassy hill. Even though the signs clearly said to stay off the slopes we tried our best to run up the grassy slopes without getting grass stains. Well, all 4 of us probably would have made it clean, but we started to tackle each other and just slip sliding on our asses down the grassy slopes. So definitely cannot tell you much about the castle, but the grass slopes were awesome.

Well who would have known, but this was our actual reason for coming to York - HUNTING GHOSTS IN YORK. So we found a lone wolf doing GUIDED GHOST TOURS (they all claim to be the original and first to do the tour and to only speak the truth). Our guide was a self-proclaimed history buff and local expert on York history. As with most ghost tours it really is more about the tales and legends and history than the actual hope of seeing a ghost. To THE TREASURER'S HOUSE FOR GHOSTS we went - none were found. To THE SHAMBLES FOR GHOSTS we went - none were found. All over York we walked on the lookout for ghosts - none were found. But the tales and legends about digging up graves for treasure, Roman legionnaire ghosts roaming the streets at certain times and murders and killings were pretty awesome. York is probably a little bit out of the way for most people, but definitely worth a visit on a trip to this part of England.

Next up was MANCHESTER - we took one of the big red double-decker buses into Manchester. It was a very quick visit. First up was MANCHESTER CHINATOWN. Yes - Manchester has a pretty big Chinatown. Who knew? And on top of it all they have some pretty good dim sum so we went to YANG SING FOR DIM SUM. Yeah it was pretty good - I guess pretty comparable to New York City dim sum. Next up was a quick visit to the Manchester Art Gallery which was pretty good as well. Next up was old Trafford soccer (football) stadium. It was the opening day of the Olympics. Somehow we were hopeful that that we somehow get tickets. I love Manchester United so this was quite the experience for me just to be at old Trafford. Needless to say we did not get tickets - we were really bummed. The atmosphere was awesome - people from each country wearing their gear and supporting their country. We walked around the stadium a couple times and then headed back to city center. There was some tents set-up with big screen tv's so we grabbed a couple beers and just watched the games on the big screen.

And for our last day we decided to head up to THE LAKE DISTRICT. It was only a couple hours away and most people we met just said to absolutely do the Lake District. Through winding roads we drove with greenery and sheep everywhere. Over hills and through valleys we went until we finally got to BOWNESS-ON-WINDERMERE where the expansive WINDERMERE LAKE lay. It was a balmy day - I guess considered balmy in England since it was about 70 degrees. We walked the town and decided to rent a "boat" and go around the lake a little bit. Bowness Bay Marina was our selected choice where we rented our "boat" for about $50 for 2 hours. It was comfy with a table and plenty of space. It does however really only go about 10 miles an hour - probably could have moved faster rowing. We still had a great time exploring the little islands and bird life around the lake. The town itself was neat with little stores and English pubs. We just continued driving and got completely lost at some point. We did find some other lakes and saw really incredible scenery. The roads were narrow and every 5 - 10 miles there was a tiny town with old buildings and lots of character. At one point we took a dirt road and found some old ruins that just appeared out of nowhere. We parked our little car and started WALKING/ hiking. Up we went and found some awesome ruins/ rocks, picturesque trees, and stunning scenery around us. All of a sudden we saw sheep running a couple hundred feet above us. It was very obvious that someone/ something were herding them. A couple broke away and started heading our way through some thick bushes. They got to us with a couple babies and were stuck. And just like that the farmer appeared way up above. He started making his way through the thick bushes to find his lost sheep. He got all the way down, said hi in a thick, thick accent, and was on his merry way. We explored a little more and found an old cave - explorers? No we did not dare going into a very deep cave, because it just looked really dark and scary. Who knows what was in there? Below where we parked there was a stream running so that was our next target. We walked around in the stream taking pictures and playing around - by this time it was about 50 degrees so it was freezing, but we literally felt like we were 13 years old again. What an experience - we had a blast. The road less traveled never disappoints. The next issue was finding gas - yeah this is tricky when the towns are this small, we have no maps, and no clue where we really are (also again this recurring gas theme). We made it with no bars left. Yeah - it was an awesome day and we would highly recommend a visit to this area of England.

It was time to head home. We made the long drive back to LONDON. We had 1 day left before flying back to New York. We dropped off our car at Heathrow and took the subway (tube) back into London. Hotels were at a premium since the Olympics started the night before. We found a hotel in East London. At the time when we walked there it looked a little rough, but we were pleasantly surprised the next morning. All I know is that we walked and walked with our luggage everywhere - up and down subway stairs. We finally found the hotel, but were only there for a brief moment before heading out again. Next is a crash course in how to see London in 18 hours. Ha ha. Buy the 1-day pass for the subway. It is worth it. Other advice. The subway from Heathrow to central London is about 45 minutes. The hotels at the airport is a lot cheaper than those in central London, but it's a hassle having to take a 45 minute subway ride back to the airport at the end of a long day of exploring. So your choice - dollars or convenience. Anyway...

We exited the subway (tube) by the London Tower. We were beyond hungry having not eaten all day long. We had a couple restaurants we really wanted to eat at, but both turned out to have private parties for the night (freakin Olympics). So we settled on Hung Drawn & Quartered (a pub) where we had fish and chips w/ peas and a true English style pie with beers). After being satisfied we crossed the LONDON TOWER BRIDGE with the huge Olympic rings hanging from it. Yeah it was a cool bridge and a cool sight/ picture with the massive rings hanging from the top. Not sure that it matches Brooklyn bridge in wowness, but never-the-less a pretty cool bridge. Everyone was in a great mood (giving the Olympics credit for this) and there were just a cosmos of people everywhere (most likely tourists visiting the Olympics, but I would also have to imagine that in general London is very multi-cultural). We crossed the bridge and just started winding our way up the river along the side. We walked and walked and walked and just enjoyed the sights. There were concerts everywhere. There were parties everywhere. There were big screens up everywhere. It was a very, very festive atmosphere. We walked past museums, Shakespeare shows, churches, etc. We reached the LONDON EYE, went up, and took in the whole spectacle from up high above London. Yeah it was cool - a little expensive for a 30 minute joyride, but well worth it. Big Ben was up next and it was also pretty cool finally seeing Big Ben up close and personal at night time. It was a long day. We tried really hard to somehow get tickets for some of the Olympic events, but no luck. Very disappointing, but still really cool to be in London while the Olympics are going on.

The next morning we woke up and finally found a restaurant on our list - BRICK LANE BEIGEL BAKE. It was a short walk and we found it. A BAGEL AND SALTED BEEF and a BAGEL AND SALMON was our choice. It was really good. The salted beef was awesome. Really awesome. The salmon and bagel was not Russ and Daughters, but it was still good. We wandered around the neighborhood. They had all kinds of street fairs and Sunday morning things going on. Little stores and people just setting up shop on the side-walk (or sometimes in the middle of the street) to create a flea-market. Fresh fruits and vegetables everywhere. Yeah it was really cool to experience this. It started pouring during our walk so we got pretty soaked. Fun times. We caught the tube and went to the Olympic village. It was right next to a super huge outdoor/ indoor mall. Again we were denied any access so we just had to stare from afar and wondr what could have been. We were not ready to give up hope yet. We caught another train and set off for Wimbledon. Maybe we get lucky with tennis tickets?!?!?! It was a little bit of a walk from the train to Wimbledon. Halfway there we got absolutely poured on. So yeah even if we got tickets there would have been no tennis. Fun times again. We loved it.

Well that was England. Awesome scenery and friendly people with a lot of history. Parking was always a problem - even in the smaller times. Getting hotels was not too hard - we were always able to find a place last minute. There are lots of speed cameras around. Stick to the speed limit.

So on the trip we were able to cross off seven things including The Lake District, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Hunting Ghosts in York, London's Tower Bridge, Brick Lane Beigel Bake, Manchester Chinatown and driving from Edinburgh-to-Newcastle-Upon-Tyme. So 212 down and 5,569 to go.

Til next time from Olympic fever

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Photos

Lake District
The same tree

Stratford-Upon-Avon
The "black-and-white" houses

Shakespeare Garden
Close-up

Shakespeare Garden
More close-ups

Shakespeare Garden
More close-ups

Shakespeare Garden
and more close-ups

Shakespeare Garden
Keeping with the trend

Shakespeare Garden
Nikkie having a grand old time

Shakespeare Garden
more...

Shakespeare Garden
From not as close

Stratford-Upon-Avon
Pretty awesome having Shakespeare as "local author"

Stratford-Upon-Avon
Pretty awesome sculpture - each of these represent an entire work of Shakespeare

Stratford-Upon-Avon
Pretty awesome sculpture - each of these represent an entire work of Shakespeare

Stratford-Upon-Avon
Pretty awesome sculpture - each of these represent an entire work of Shakespeare

Stratford-Upon-Avon
Keyhole in one of the churches

Stratford-Upon-Avon
Somewhere in town

Stratford-Upon-Avon
Throwing a "fit"

Stratford-Upon-Avon
Love her

Stratford-Upon-Avon
Shakespeare quotes

Stratford-Upon-Avon
Shakespeare quotes