Ambleside, UK. 8/31/2019

Tonight, I had my post completed and the whole thing disappeared.  I am posting in segments now, hoping I am not working in vain.

Phone says 4.2 miles, 10,402 steps and climbed 7 floors.  

After our boat ride, I wandered around Ambleside.  I took a lot of pictures of the houses made of stone and stone walls.  The town has a lot of character and a lot of sporting stores.  There were many hikers and their dogs on the streets.  

The Bridge House is the oldest house and most photographed house.  It has served a variety of purposes.  It was the bridge to a larger house and has also been an apple storage building and is now in the National Trust.  

I met a local man in the cemetery and we chatted about his lovely town.  He loves America as he has visited many times.  His brother has lived in Nashville for over fifty years.  

The Mill Stream.  

8/28/2019 Moreton Family House

8/28/2019 Woore with Kate and Russ

Today, Kate and Russ and I went to the Black and White House, home of the  Moreton Family.  It is definitely a wonky, half-timber manor house built about 1504 by William Moreton.  Various family members added on to the house until about 1610.  There is a moat around the house because they thought it would help stabilize the building, but the moat did not help.   Perhaps, it was just a status symbol.  The Moreton Family was very proud of their wealth and flaunted it with the extensive use of glass and by adding on to the building.    After owning the house for 450 years, the family transferred ownership to the National Trust.

The reason the building is so wonky is the weight of the stones on the roof and it is built on soft ground.  Family members tried to shore up the buildings and the National Trust has worked to improve stability.  The top level is the wonkiest, because the top story was not built on the walls below.  The narrow jutting part to the left of the entrance is an attached outhouse with the waste dropping into the moat.  Perhaps that is why they drank beer, it was safer than the water.

After this house, we went to a phone store and discovered that my phone which was not working yesterday was working today.  I can make unlimited calls and send texts in Europe and I have lots of data.  We had a lovely visit with Kate’s sister Janet and her husband Brian and enjoyed a great dinner at a local pub.  Kate helped me make some decisions about tours that I needed to select and fine tuned my plan to get to Highclere Castle.  It was a rainy day, but very enjoyable.  Heading to Liverpool tomorrow. 

The top level is the wonkiest, because the top story was not built on the walls below.  The narrow jutting part to the left of the entrance is an attached outhouse with the waste dropping into the moat.  Perhaps that is why they drank beer, it was safer than the water...

 

Manicured gardens behind the house.



Note the thickness of the stones.


After this house, we went to a phone store and discovered that my phone which was not working yesterday was working today.  I can make unlimited calls and send texts in Europe and I have lots of data.

We had a lovely visit with Kate’s sister Janet and her husband Brian and enjoyed a great dinner at a local pub.  Kate helped me make some decisions about tours that I needed to select and fine tuned my plan to get to Highclere Castle.  It was a rainy day, but very enjoyable.  Heading to Liverpool tomorrow. 

Carvings near the entrance to impress the guests.

Original wood panels.

This is not carved stone.  It is delicate lime plaster strengthened with animal hair and created on a wooden frame.

Drink the beer, the water could kill you.  The manor had its own brewery.  Men, women and children all drank beer.

Some members of the house were very superstitious.  Over 200 burn marks throughout the house indicate they were trying to keep the evil spirits out.

 
This was my lunch at the house, soup and a huge serving of bread.


The Courtyard in the center of the house.

This was a rare find during the remodeling, original wallpaper.  Around the top is a Bible story.

Maps. List of hotels for Tours one and two.

Map of Collette Tour beginning Thursday 8/29 and ending 9/8/2019.

C9
Map of Trafalgar Trip 2. Beginning 9/9/2019 and ending 9/22/2019.

Map of Grand Circle Travel Tour 3. River Cruise Basel to Antwerp.  Zurich 9/22 to 9/25.  Lucerne. 9/25 - 28. River Cruise 9/29 to 10/12 Basel to Antwerp.  Bruges 10/13-16.  Manchester 10/16.  Philadelphia 10/17

Arrival in Manchester to Woore, UK Tuesday 8/27

Arriving 8/27/2019  Tuesday

RUSS and KATE’s  2 nights 8/27 & 28

$$$ in UK, Scotland and Wales = Pound Sterling (GBP)L 5 L10, L20, L50 L100 are most common notes.  Pence 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, and L1 and L2  Start with L300.  

From the air, England is very green with a lot of farmland.  

Kate met me at the airport and we road the train to Crewe.  Russ picked us up at the station.  My phone is not working with the SIM card I purchased, so we will be trying another SIM card tomorrow.  

Kate and Russ live in the village of Woore.  The village is located on the boundary of Cheshire and Staffordshire counties.  It is mostly residential with a few small shops, a Post Office and general stores on the village square.  Their home is lovely, especially a new sunroom.  

“Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday and all is well.”

9/10/2019 Tuesday London

(9-10-2019)  Tuesday Day 2 London Sightseeing and Free Time  Average 68 high 55 low 21% rain

Tower Hotel  Call 44 800 330 8005, 44 207 523 5063 St. Katherine’s Way, St. Katharine’s and Wapping, London, E1W 1LD, UK (4.2 star)  Reviews Riverside.  Opened 1973. Located on the north bank of the River Thames and the east side of the Tower Bridge.  Near the Tower of London, the Shard (London’s Highest viewing platform) and more.  Near HMS Belfast, WWII Royal Navy battleship, St. Katherine’s Docks, Butler’s Wharf, City Hall. Reviews indicate staff is good but hotel needs a make-over.  Elevators are slow, only two worked and indicator lights were erratic, several compliants that AC doesn’t work, long lines at breakfast.  XI bar was good, Vicinity Bar was bad.  Long lines at check-in.   No refrig.

NOT the Original Hotel = Park Plaza Riverbank  (Full Breakfast) 18 Albert Embankment, Lambeth, London SE1 7TJ UK  (4 star) Near Big Ben, the London Eye (15-minute walk, Westminster Abbey (10-minute walk) and Tate Modern.  Close to the Underground and the River. Soundproof rooms.   Low water pressure, sporadic air conditioning, long lines at check-in with rude, inept employees.  There is a pool.

"Join a Local Specialist today for a tour of the city's iconic sights. See Big Ben and the imposing Houses of Parliament on the banks of the Thames, then Buckingham Palace, the official UK residence of the UK's sovereigns since the mid-19th century. The rest of the day is yours to explore London - an effortless mix of centuries-old heritage and modern sophistication."

I went on the included tour, which was my third ride around London.  Interestingly enough, each guided ride was a bit different.  We went by Kensington Palace where Will and Kate and family live but it is shielded by trees.  I’ve watched a few episodes of Victoria and Albert on PBS.  She was devastated when Albert died at 41 and spent a lifetime building memorials to him.  It was interesting that her subjects donated the money to pay for them.  

I also saw part of the changing of the Queen’s Life Guards.  They are the Household Calvary Mounted Regiment.  The mounted guard has been in existence for 100 years.  They stand guard at the original gate into the Royal Palaces.   This guard change takes place every day.