Greeting all.  I have been absent from posting for a few days.  We didn't have access to WiFi.  Too bad because you don't know what you're missing!  This country is just spectacular!  I am going to share the half of our last week in this post and the rest in the next. So pour yourself a beverage and settle in, this is going to take awhile.

Gloucester on a Sunday is very quiet to say the least. Which is good because I still managed to get lost...... Twice! I could see the steeple of the Church that we wished to visit, I just couldn't force myself to take the right street.  I need coffee. The navigator is not hearing any of it.  Park first, coffee later. I can't function without coffee so each time we approach the proper street, I see the coffee shop and miss the turn. We park, find my drug and the magnificent cathedral.  All is good and true with the world.  The English make coffee more familiar to our style in Canada, which is surprising given their propensity for tea. Still, the first sip on a bright, sunny, crisp English Sunday is....Divine.  OK, the cathedral check out below.

The foundations of this massive church were laid in 678, parts were added over the next 600 year culminating in what you see above.  We entered the church just as the Gloucester Cathedral Choir was warming up for their performance later in the day.  This is a choir that has been around since Henry the VIII.  It consists of 20 boys and young men that regularly perform around the world. The harmonies from the choir complimented the power emanating from this historic place.  For Harry Potter aficionado's, you might recognize this church as it was uses in the first, second and sixth movie.

What a spiritual way to start the day. The coffee was good too!  For the next few days, we are in the Cotswold.  If you only have a few days to explore England  then this area is an absolute must, every village is a postcard for the senses.  Oxford was the starting point for our discovery. This university town does not need an introduction. 

Just one of the many colleges.

 We caught some students getting ready for a spring celebration.

 Oxford has a famous market that has been functioning daily since 1774.  One wonders how many future world leaders walked amongst these stalls. Meat pies, quintessential British food.  The shopkeeper takes the pie of your choice, centers it on a stack of freshly whipped potatoes then drowned the lot in gravy.  2000+ mouthwatering calories of goodness. The smells coming from the ovens just make you want two!!!!

We left Oxford after a nice walk around the main arteries.  Even on a Sunday the traffic is heavy.  We are on the hunt for a different Cotswold experience.  We made stops at four small villages, Burford, Whitney. Minster Lovell and Strattford on Avon.  Each village was dazzling, built with golden coloured sandstone capped with a slate or thatched roof.  A storybook setting from every angle.  I am not sure if the pictures do these places justice.....they are extraordinary, examples of beauty, history and nature combined.

These are the black and white houses, found in Stratford on Avon.  A building style that is also typical of the area.  This village had at least two famous inhabitants.  William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway.  Her cottage can be seen below.  "Bill the wordsmith, as he was rumored to be nicknamed" was born in the home two pictures down. Seriously, only part of that story is true, I started the rumor regarding his nickname while having a pint in a local pub.  By now it has spread throughout the UK, new journals are being written about it and I heard that the pub where it all started has changed its name to the Wordsmith's Arms.




This area is littered with rivers that have been joined by locks. These locks are opened and closed by hand.  We happened to catch this tourboat going through.  It was interesting to watch the process.

Our last visit for the day was a tour of a 14h Century Tudor house.  It is called "Tudor World". This wood framed historic property is among the oldest in Stratford and has an interesting biography.  One of its owners, William Rogers, is believed to be the real-life inspiration for Shakespeare's Falstaff character.   Our guide for this adventure is going to walk us through the house for another reason........  

This place is reputed to be the most haunted house in all of England. Two ghosts in particular have been seen frequently: a young girl, Lucy and a nasty man named John.  Lucy worked as a pickpocket when the house was a tavern and brothel.  She died in the house after being trapped when the kitchen area of the house caught fire.  People often find things missing after a tour, only to have them reappear later.  The work of a pick pocket or coincidence?  Johanne has been looking for missing things ever since!  John was considered one of the worst criminals of the day, kidnapping young girls and doing unspeakable things before murdering them in the barn behind this site.  History says that the townspeople caught John red handed and proceeded to draw and quarter him in the courtyard. His death was long and painful.   While we didn't see any spirits today, (we heard some strange noises though) it was an entertaining story.

Tonight, we are staying in a castle called Dumbleton Hall.  The castle has roots back to 1534! They have an award-winning dining room in which we are going to enjoy a fabulous meal.

Unfortunatly, we forgot our camera (we were too hungry) so only the future bacchanales will be featured in this blog!