Date: June 7, 2007
Time: 1:30 PM
Location: France
Next Destination: China
Estimated Arrival Time: 4:00 PM on June 8, 2007
Next Blog Entry: Whirlwind Tour of London
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Hanging with the London Locals
Monique and I had the privelege of spending time with some people who live in and near London. 
These nice folks were Chorleywood locals whom we chatted with at the local pub. They took our picture, so we took theirs. They are Brits to the core.
The next day, we had lunch with Monique's friends, Heather and "T". Heather is from So Cal. T is from Tonga. They met through mutual friends and the rest is history. They now live in London because T is a professional rugby player for a local team. How very English!
We had dinner with more of Monique's friends, John and Julie. John is the pastor at the American Church in London. They live down the street from Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. I was going to drop in and say hello, but they were in Los Angeles.
In case you're interested, here's the street name for your next visit to London.
These nice folks were Chorleywood locals whom we chatted with at the local pub. They took our picture, so we took theirs. They are Brits to the core.
The next day, we had lunch with Monique's friends, Heather and "T". Heather is from So Cal. T is from Tonga. They met through mutual friends and the rest is history. They now live in London because T is a professional rugby player for a local team. How very English!We had dinner with more of Monique's friends, John and Julie. John is the pastor at the American Church in London. They live down the street from Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. I was going to drop in and say hello, but they were in Los Angeles.In case you're interested, here's the street name for your next visit to London.Saving the Best for Last
The final chapter of "Quest for the Best B & B" is truly the best. The winner is North Hill Farm in Chorleywood of Hertfordshire. 
It is located north of London about 30 minutes by train (only 1 mile from the tube stop) and is only 20 minutes from Heathrow Airport. It provided the BEST breakfast with fresh fruit salad, fresh croissants, as well as the English standard of ham and eggs. It also had the best running trails. If you ever need to stay near London, you must check this place out. Do I sound like I'm advertising? I suppose I am. After all, a happy customer is the best source of new business.
The look of glee on my face is not only because of the items mentioned, but. . .
. . . they had horses! At last - my dream came true. If I don't return to the States, this is where you would find me.
. . . they had horses! At last - my dream came true. If I don't return to the States, this is where you would find me. 
In fact, I tried to talk Nigel (he and his wife own the farm) into giving me a job. It didn't work very well because my experience is lacking in farm skills.
I haven't given up hope. I was truly inspired and just may open my own Farm Stay B & B, but in the US somewhere.
I haven't given up hope. I was truly inspired and just may open my own Farm Stay B & B, but in the US somewhere. Flashback to Caerphilly Castle
To continue the story of my UK experience which took place several weeks
ago. . .
While at one of our wireless internet locations, we met a Welshman named Glyn Davies. He took the time to explain some of the Welsh language to us, as well as recommend a visit to Caerphilly (or Caerffili) Castle. We took his advice and visited Caerphilly the next day on our way back to London.
According to Glyn, it is the second largest castle in Europe. I'm inclined to believe him. It was my first visit to any castle and it was quite a sight. It had a moat, a drawbridge, a portcullis, cannons and many towers. 
Here we are, just a couple of princesses hanging out at our castle (hee, hee - just had to!).
I was quite thankful for Glyn's knowledge. The castle listed on our tourist map was Cardiff Castle. Because it was on our way, we drove past it. What a disappointment! I guess it was built by a rich guy in the last century or so. No comparison. 
ago. . .
While at one of our wireless internet locations, we met a Welshman named Glyn Davies. He took the time to explain some of the Welsh language to us, as well as recommend a visit to Caerphilly (or Caerffili) Castle. We took his advice and visited Caerphilly the next day on our way back to London.According to Glyn, it is the second largest castle in Europe. I'm inclined to believe him. It was my first visit to any castle and it was quite a sight. It had a moat, a drawbridge, a portcullis, cannons and many towers. Here we are, just a couple of princesses hanging out at our castle (hee, hee - just had to!).I was quite thankful for Glyn's knowledge. The castle listed on our tourist map was Cardiff Castle. Because it was on our way, we drove past it. What a disappointment! I guess it was built by a rich guy in the last century or so. No comparison.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Italian Interruption
The current gap in blog entries is due to being overtaken by the culture, art and beauty of Tuscany. I have been in Firenze (Florence), Cortona and Assisi. Here are a few pictures of things to come. . . 
Oh, and don't forget that AFRICA will be up next after the UK. Please stay tuned and thank you for your patience. Now I must get my beauty rest because Francesco and I have a date to see Pisa in the morning. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?
Oh, and don't forget that AFRICA will be up next after the UK. Please stay tuned and thank you for your patience. Now I must get my beauty rest because Francesco and I have a date to see Pisa in the morning. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?
Monday, May 28, 2007
Quest for the Best B & B - Part Four
This is Holly Farm. According to the guidebook, it is an award-winning B & B. That is how we chose to stay here in Llandrindod-Wells. As you can see, it has lovely grounds. Still no horses, though. Just sheep. 
It was fun to see the just-born lamb. The mother wasn't taking good enough care of her baby, so she was put in this pen. 
Our innkeeper was quite a character. I think she was fascinated by us Californians. I would say something and she just stared at me. Possibly she was translating in her head from English to Welsh. I'm not sure. I must admit it was a bit intimidating. It caused me to fill the empty space with more words. I find the memory quite amusing.
Hit the Deck!
Monique & I continued our drive toward the next farm stay in Llandrindod-Wells (another name I can't pronounce). Monique has a knack for finding back roads that provide the most spectacular scenery. We pulled over to take it all in. 
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a gigantic war plane flies over a hill directly toward us. We both stood there, frozen, not knowing if we should run for cover, hit the deck or just stare. We opted for the latter and fortunately no harm came.
The pictures cannot capture the size of the plane or feeling we had being out in the middle of nature and having our revelry interrupted so abruptly. We laughed for hours afterward at our experience. It's a good thing our slow reflexes didn't endanger our lives! I think the pilot must have had a good laugh at us and the look on our faces. I think he may have been messing with us.
Honey Ice Cream
Dolgellau is next to the coast of Wales in Snowdonia National Park. It was home of the first Quakers before they relocated to the States. There is a small museum commemorating their journey of faith. Monique and I decided to check it out. 
About 10 minutes into our stay, we were overtaken by a class of Welsh students on a field trip. They stared at us and discussed among themselves (in Welsh) who we could be and what we were doing there. It was fun to listen to them speak the native language. There was a time in recent history when it was forbidden by the English to speak Welsh. It's good to know that it is currently being taught in schools. 
We headed out to see the coast. We found a small bay to explore and stick our toes in the water.
We continued our drive along the coast and pulled over to take some photos.
About 10 minutes into our stay, we were overtaken by a class of Welsh students on a field trip. They stared at us and discussed among themselves (in Welsh) who we could be and what we were doing there. It was fun to listen to them speak the native language. There was a time in recent history when it was forbidden by the English to speak Welsh. It's good to know that it is currently being taught in schools. We headed out to see the coast. We found a small bay to explore and stick our toes in the water.
We continued our drive along the coast and pulled over to take some photos. It was there we met a mother and son out for an afternoon drive. He lives about 70 miles south near Cardiff and drives up once per week to take his mom out for honey ice cream. She lives in a retirement community down the road. She reminded me of my Covenant Manor residents and made me miss them! They invited us to join them for honey ice cream, but we declined. I now don't remember why. I will be on the lookout for honey I cream and remember these two.
Quest for the Best B & B - Part Three
We arrived in Dolgellau and found a quaint village.
I had envisioned our "farm stay" to be out in the countryside. As it turned out, it was just 1/4 mile from the center of town. Conveniently located - I could live that. Sadly, no horses on this farm. Just a name I couldn't pronounce (too many consonants), chickens, cows, cats and a dog (he looked like Jake - I miss my dog!).
During the night, a calf was born. Therefore, it was named Suzanne. Pretty cool, huh? Somewhere in the Welsh countryside my namesake is chewing on her cud.
Although some of my farm expectations weren't met, the beauty of Wales overrode any disappointment I may have felt. . .
. . . And with this amazing view to get me ready for the day, I was smitten with my first stay on a farm.
I had envisioned our "farm stay" to be out in the countryside. As it turned out, it was just 1/4 mile from the center of town. Conveniently located - I could live that. Sadly, no horses on this farm. Just a name I couldn't pronounce (too many consonants), chickens, cows, cats and a dog (he looked like Jake - I miss my dog!).During the night, a calf was born. Therefore, it was named Suzanne. Pretty cool, huh? Somewhere in the Welsh countryside my namesake is chewing on her cud.Although some of my farm expectations weren't met, the beauty of Wales overrode any disappointment I may have felt. . . . . . And with this amazing view to get me ready for the day, I was smitten with my first stay on a farm.
Croeso i Gymru!
After spending the morning utilizing wireless internet access (FINALLY), we walked around Ludlow to see what it had to offer. We encountered our first castle.
It didn't look worth the 6 pound entry fee, so here's the low-budget photo. Not bad. . .
It didn't look worth the 6 pound entry fee, so here's the low-budget photo. Not bad. . .Now onto the good stuff. Any guesses to what the blog title says? Here's a hint:
Welcome to Wales - land of much beauty, friendly people, narrow roads and the most foreign language I've ever laid eyes (or ears) on. For instance, to pronounce the double "LL", you need to almost make the jowls of your cheeks shudder while saying "SHH". Anyway, difficult to explain and even more difficult to say. Monique aptly said it this way: Welcome to Dolgellau, Machynlleth, Trallwng and other names we can't pronounce!
We enjoyed a late lunch in Welshpool (that one's easy) and visited the tourist center. It was there that Monique had a revelatory guidebook find that transformed the way we found our nightly accomodations. It's called "Stay on a Farm!" 
For those of you who don't know, I've always wanted to live on a farm (if only for a short while) in order to have a horse. Could this be more perfect? The woman at the center gave us a recommendation, I called the number and it was set. We were to stay on a farm in Dolgellau, a short hour drive from Welshpool. 
Welcome to Wales - land of much beauty, friendly people, narrow roads and the most foreign language I've ever laid eyes (or ears) on. For instance, to pronounce the double "LL", you need to almost make the jowls of your cheeks shudder while saying "SHH". Anyway, difficult to explain and even more difficult to say. Monique aptly said it this way: Welcome to Dolgellau, Machynlleth, Trallwng and other names we can't pronounce! We enjoyed a late lunch in Welshpool (that one's easy) and visited the tourist center. It was there that Monique had a revelatory guidebook find that transformed the way we found our nightly accomodations. It's called "Stay on a Farm!" For those of you who don't know, I've always wanted to live on a farm (if only for a short while) in order to have a horse. Could this be more perfect? The woman at the center gave us a recommendation, I called the number and it was set. We were to stay on a farm in Dolgellau, a short hour drive from Welshpool.
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