November 11, 2016 – From the Cotswolds to London

Over the past two days we have thoroughly enjoyed the Cotswolds of England. It is a land of honey-gold stone buildings with moss-covered slate roofs. Beautiful and quaint villages are around almost every bend. Between villages are rolling hills and valleys where grazing sheep idle the day. Stone walls line the narrow roads between villages, and elegant manor houses are abundant throughout the countryside. Our cottage in Burton-on-the-Water has been lovely and spacious, a moment’s walk into the heart of the village where shops and eateries are abundant.

We drove up to Warwick, with its famous castle, right out of the Middle Ages storybook we read when we were young. One could see in the mind the knights in shining armor riding over the mote into the castle. We watched owls circle above our heads and land on a trainer’s arm. We saw many live peacocks in the peacock garden with its topiaries of peacocks around a spraying fountain. We walked the main rooms of the castle and marveled at the cross bows and the catapults.

We spent another day in the Blenheim Palace, the only non-royal palace in England. It is a marvelous structure and is the home of the Duke of Marlborough, the descendant of the great military general of England who led the armies of England to victory eleven times. As a result, the monarchy granted the first Duke money to build the palace on 5,000 acres that belonged to the monarchy. The only rent payment for the land is the presentation of a French flag to the monarch each year in a regal ceremony in Buckingham Palace in London. That is still the rent price to this day. The palace is stunningly beautiful. So are the grounds of the palace. We took time to enjoy the day with a leisurely stroll on our sunny day.

All throughout our trip, the trees have been in fall mode. This was especially true here in England. Driving through the Cotswolds, we often drove under golden tree archways, in some stretches for quite a length. Allen kept spotting pheasant, sometimes dozens meandered the fields close by. All of this shouted, “Autumn!” We spent the evenings in cozy pubs and quiet time by the roaring fire in our living space.

Our trip now comes to a close. We arrived in London today and fly home tomorrow after a God-blessed trip with wonderful friends. WEG