Arduous Travel to say the Least
Arrived in the Cotswolds a week ago. In our 5 months of travel, that travel day was the worst so far. Started with an Uber ride in Liverpool rush hour traffic. Then 4 different trains. Four different trains means 5 stations. And transfers usually including up stairs to cross tracks and down the other side. You’re right, we are not THAT OLD. It is just the cumulative 100 kilos we are dragging along with us. 100 kilos is about 220 lbs. Stairs are dreaded. Then a long wait for one of the only buses running this season. Made longer by the bus stop (not station) at night, next to the closed down train station, in the dark. For about 1.5 hours. No Uber, no taxis and we have no idea where we are or where we are going anyway. Then a bus trip to Chipping Campden. So 220 lbs is a lot to cart around. But it is worth it to have a pair of dry shoes to put on when the others are wet. Ok, and another 4 pairs too. There are some comforts that are just worth the weight.
We arrived just at the end of another small English village’s Christmas celebration. Luckily our cottage is super well positioned only steps from the bus stop. And next to a cool pub with a real fire burning, chock full of well-behaved dogs, some of them wet. And right next to a market. Over the week we went to the market for single items with about as much trouble going downstairs to the kitchen. And right next to several trail heads that got us out into the cotswolds. I am finally over my bad cold, and Mark finally caught it. But it is a good place and time to take it easy. We are finally experiencing normal rainy English weather.
Pub Culture
We are spending some time every day in a pub. Us and everybody else. The pub culture is really something the US is missing out on. The food is usually good although the menus are starting to look alike. People here drink a lot of cider, but we still have not gotten hooked on it. To me, it tastes like sweet sparkling apple cider with the aftertaste of feet. But the ales we are enjoying. First time we had a proper live ale, we sent it back. It was nearly room temperature and had no head. No froth, no carbonation. But that is the way it is supposed to be. Lagers are served at 3C, ales at 11C. Real cask ales have no artificial carbonation. The beer is hand pumped from casks. Proper ale is still alive; the carbonation comes from the live activity of the beer in the cask. It is usually locally brewed, so we hardly ever see the same one twice. There are all kinds of flavors and colors. Now that it is cold, the warmer beer is welcome. Usually the pubs are in really old buildings, often several small rooms. There is usually a fire burning in each room. And dogs. We have been in small pubs about the size of our living room, and have looked around, under tables, and counted over 20 dogs. Manners to put our guide dog to shame, these dogs do not make a peep.
Washing Machine Drama
Washing machines are different here; different from ours and different from each other. They are much smaller than US machines, and take forever. At every stop I have to dig out the manual and learn how to use the washing machine. Some are both washers and dryers in the same machine. Every one of those so far has allowed a break between washing and drying functions, so I can remove stuff I don’t want to dry. But this one is set up to do the whole program. I tried to select no drying, but at the end, the door stayed locked. So I gave in and let it dry. Still locked. I tried running different programs, still the door stayed locked. 24 hours and 9 cycles, clothes are still hostage. We finally had to call the landlady and she called service. It is Thursday night, we leave Saturday, so one business day to get a repair done. We were a little tense about that. We had an arranged tour so we would not be home all day. But when we got home, the door was open (to the washer) and the clothes were still damp! Dryers here do not overdo it that is for sure. But it was scary, We don’t have enough clothes to lose half in them eaten by a rogue washing machine.
Visiting the Cotswold Towns
We visited several postcard towns with even cuter names like: Burton on the water, Moreton in Marsh, Stow on the Wold, Upper Slaughter, Stratford on Avon (birthplace of Shakespeare), and several more. After all the touring, I think Chipping Campden was a good choice even though I only chose it because I liked the name. Most of these towns look like Disneyland. They are tiny! With tiny rivers going through them. These rivers are maybe an average of 6 inches deep. With mini stone bridges arching over them and a few resident and very happy ducks. Tiny cottages doting all over, some with thatched roofs, all with Cotswold limestone. Every so often a few folks (or a huge string of pensioners) will emerge from a hidden path, muddy and wet from rambling. People like to walk from town to town all over this area. In Stow-on-the-Wold we went to the oldest pub in England. Dating from the year 947, so over 1000 years old. Room after room of low ceiling beams and fireplaces. For the first time it occurred to me how many germs must have resided on those walls: plague, tuberculous, the flu of 1914, and the cold of 2018 that I am leaving behind everywhere I go. Also in Stow-in-the-Wold we saw the door of a church flanked by 400 or more year old yew trees that has inspired some door in the Lord of the Rings book. There are a lot of Lord of the Rings sights here because JRR Tolkien lived in the Cotswold’s.
Still seeing tons of sheep and lots of pheasants. All the birds are bigger over here. Jays are the size of crows and doves are the size of our seagulls (but the gulls here are tiny). Here in the Cotswolds is the first time I have missed gardening. Even though nothing is happening in the Winter, you can tell how important gardens are to everyone here. Cotswolds must be the gardening mecca of the universe. I wish we were here in the Spring and maybe we will have to return.
Then Back on the Banksy Trail
Tomorrow we head for a few days in Bristol and then on to Cornwall for another cottage let. This one on the Sea. I am really looking forward to that. But in the meantime Bristol has a lot to offer and we will need to hit the ground running to get it all in in the few days we have. I expected to spend most of our time in Bath. Bath is the more touristy of this pair of cities. It is the site of ancient Roman baths and still has a bath culture (which we love). We planned to spend time at the baths, both the ancient one and the spas. But, now we have a change in plans because Bristol is Banksy central. We have really gotten interested in street art while touring Europe. Banksy is a very famous street artist. He is anonymous, but is believed to be from a town close to Bristol. And Bristol has a lot of his work. We have seen his murals in Berlin and also London. And you know who he is because he is the artist that buried a shredder in the frame of a picture of his that sold at auction for over 1 Million and then the shredder shred it. It was all over the news last Summer. So we will be traipsing all over Bristol to find his street art.
Now for the language lesson portion of my postcard. We have learned more English speak.
- When things are stolen, here they are “nipped”
- A jumper is a sweater. It took us forever to figure out what a jumper was.
- It is flu shot eason. Here it is a flu “jab”. Just about the most appropriate description for a vaccine don’t you think.
- Here is my favorite, I can’t wait to tell you, but I wish I could see your reactions (some of you)… In England passing gas is referred to as a “Trump”. A young mother explained to us that it is causing some confusion with children these days. That was a real case of laughing out loud.
- You don’t take out the trash, or dump trash. Here you tip your rubbish.
- Rubbish is the most versatile word in the language. It is their word for trash. But also applies for almost anything negative. If you feel bad, you feel rubbish; look bad, you look rubbish; if you are not good at something, you are rubbish at it; bad boyfriends are rubbish; poor quality anything, is rubbish, etc.
- Pensioners are retirees.
- Rambling is hiking.
More English speak:
Foods. Ordering food here is almost as exciting as any other country where we do not know the language. Here are some examples:
- Aubergine = eggplant
- Courgette = zucchini
- Gammon = pork steak
- Sultana = raisins
- You already know chips/fries, chrisps/chips