What I did on my spring vacation - Part 2

Hi, it's LeeB. back with my travel diary.  My previous entry ended in Bordeaux, France.  We pick up here:

Day 7 Bordeaux to Doncaster

I am back in the UK after leaving cloudy and cool Bordeaux behind. Flight to Gatwick was fine and I met up with a friend at Kings Cross. She had arrived earlier from the north so we chitchatted till my train was ready to board.

Bordeaux weather followed me here too but I saw my friend's smiling face at Doncaster station so that was a nice welcome. We went to the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery (free) which had a photographic exhibit and some nice pottery on display (see photo below).  Saw a little bit of the town but it was rush hour so we made our way to Sainsbury's for some quick grocery shopping and then to my friend's house.  Her mom is a real sweetheart. I bought her some chocolates from Bordeaux and she very much appreciated them -- and even offered some to her daughter and me.

I have now seen their garden, which is very lovely -- colorful and full of birds looking for food.  My friend's house is cozy and decorated with lots of her photos and her mom's paintings. I am having a great time.

Tomorrow we are off to visit Chatsworth House & Garden, a stately home, rain or shine.

Day 8 Doncaster

Woke up around 6:30 a.m. to a thunder and lightning storm.  My friend took me on a short tour of Doncaster town Center. Not a whole lot to see but we did go to the shopping centre and walked around a bit. Then it was on to Chatsworth.   Rain, fog, rain, fog, rain, fog -- well, you get the idea. I thought I was back in Seattle in November -- seriously.

Once we got to Chatsworth we decided to eat lunch first and both of us had baked potatoes with mild cheddar cheese. Dessert was some meringue thing for my friend and I had chocolate cake.

Then it was on to explore the gardens.  (See photo below.)  Even though it was not the best of weather days, there were lots of people out and about.  Needless to say, my friend and I took lots of photos.  Then we saw some baby ducks.  Unfortunately mama duck saw us and gave chase for a bit.  The rain then started in earnest so we did a short exploration of the maze and then made our way into Chatsworth House itself.  The building is quite lovely, lots of paintings, pottery and statutes all over the rooms that are open. We took some photos but we both enjoyed the garden more.

We checked out the various shops at Chatsworth and then it was back on the road "home" in pouring rain. We saw a little patch of blue sky but then has since disappeared.  Tomorrow is an early start to catch our train to Taunton to visit the wilds of Somerset. Stay tuned!

Day 9 Wells

I hunted down a computer at a store here in Wells as Dunster doesn't have an internet cafe.  I know, the horror!

Weather has been alternately sunny and rainy.  Today we are in Wells and have visited the Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral (see photo below).  Wells is famous for its gorgeous cathedral, and the Bishop's Palace, which contains wells to supply water, and is how the town got its name.  The Palace is surrounded by a moat and is full of beautiful gardens.  If you have seen the movie "Hot Fuzz," parts of it were filmed here.

Day 12 Dunster to London

Back in London after arriving about 12:30 p.m. I'm in civilization again -- with internet cafes!!!!!!!!!!  So, when last I posted, I was in Wells. We drove (well, my friend did) back to our B&B in Dunster and I did a walkabout round the town taking photos at sunset.

Saturday dawned foggy in Dunster but the sun eventually broke through the mist.  Our first stop was Conygar Tower, which is up a huge hill across town from Dunster Castle.  My friends and I managed to slip and slide through some muddy parts and burned off breakfast.  Then all three of us explored the gardens and water mill just below Dunster Castle. That took quite a bit of time and then we finally entered the castle proper. Nice furnishings but as it is a National Trust property, no photos were allowed inside.

After that we went to Porlock, where we visited Greencombe Gardens. The owner, an elderly lady, had a stroke earlier this year, so an American man and his wife came over to take care of her. She was just being wheeled into the garden when we arrived so it is nice to see she can still enjoy her creation. The gardens are quite large, not as large as Chatsworth, but still worth visiting.

After that tour, we popped into Porlock town for a quick walk around and then went to Selworthy, a very small village managed by the National Trust. There is a whitewashed church there, a couple of graveyards, and some thatched roof cottages (see photo below). All in all a very picturesque town.  

If you are ever in Dunster, I highly recommend staying at the Millstream Cottage. Sue, the owner, was just so friendly and welcoming and chatty. I really enjoyed talking with her about all the places she has lived. She really made the visit to Dunster worthwhile to me.

Days 13 and 14 London and Paris

Sunday night was devoted to a pub meet at the Star Tavern in Belgravia with a bunch of friends, both Americans and UKers.  Didn't want to stay up too late as Monday morning I had to catch the 5:46 a.m. Jubilee line first train (tube) from London Bridge to St. Pancras. Arrived just past 6:00 a.m. and my friend, Jan, was right behind me. Our trip to Paris was uneventful as most of the north of France was misty and we couldn't see anything.

We met up with a friend, Sylvia (an American who lives in Paris) at Gare du Nord and she took us to the art deco restaurant across from the station. We decided to go to the Eiffel Tower (just to take photos) so Sylvia found the correct bus and we passed through "wedding gown town," as well as "sex shops galore town" before we disembarked just past the Arc de Triomphe. We walked over to the Eiffel Tower and from then on (with a quick stop at a boulangerie so I could get a warm chocolate pain), we walked and walked and walked, following Sylvia as she pointed out various sights.

After our marathon hike, we had a 2-1/2 hour lunch at one of her favorite restaurants. I had two shrimp wrapped up in some crackly stuff and a side order of potatoes. Sylvia and Jan had mushrooms. Plus we had lots of bread. Dessert was a sort of chocolate cake for me and Sylvia and Jan shared a soufflé. We then waddled out of there for more of a walk, but this time to Sylvia's flat.

Sylvia's apartment is located near Le Bon Marche department store and it is quite lovely -- and very Parisian.  We just stayed for a little bit as Sylvia had to pick the kids up from school. Sylvia gave us Metro tickets and told us which Metro stations to look for but Jan and I managed to miss them. We asked a taxi driver who just pointed us in one direction and then I asked a young man standing at a bus stop. He ended up walking us to the Metro station, after asking us where we were going, and escorted us to the correct place. What a sweetie!

The check in process at Gare du Nord wasn't very organized, considering the ease of St. Pancras but we managed to finally get on the correct train. Sylvia had told us to explore her neighborhood but if Jan and I had, we would have missed our train. Just drizzled a little in Paris but on the way back to London, it was quite dark and stormy. But once back in London and at the pubs, the weather wasn't important.

Day 15 - A visit to the Houses of Parliament

After sleeping in for a bit, I was off and running at about 9:00 a.m. I had to meet up with my friends at the Houses of Parliament about 11:15 so after walking around a bit, I found a place to stand and spent time sticking stamps on postcards.

Our tour guide was the research assistant to the MP (Member of Parliament) for Taunton.  Our tour guide was a lovely young lady who took us through the great hall (the only place photos are allowed -- you can imagine how I felt about not being able to take photos anywhere else) and then we visited the chamber where Queen Elizabeth hangs out prior to the opening of Parliament.

We also visited the chambers of the House of Lords (very pretty) and House of Commons (eh!). Found out where the expression "toe the line" came into being -- an MP (or whoever or sitting in the first row in chambers) mustn't step over the line. Our guide told us lots of stories, including one about an MP earlier this year having some sort of illness and how two other MPs (former doctor and nurse) came to his rescue. The story never made the newspaper.

The paintings and statues decorating the Houses of Parliament are quite lovely and I would have liked to have studied them more but there were many many tour groups in the chambers whilst we were there so I am just happy to have seen as much as we did.

After lunch in the Jubilee Cafe (where I absconded with a goodly pile of "House of Commons" paper napkins -- free souvenirs!), we were then shown to the place where we would get in line to see the procession of the Speaker and the Mace prior to watching a session of the House of Commons.

We were given a program about what was to be discussed (transport) and sat down to watch the show. Tv screens are provided so if you can't see the MPs below the seating area, you can watch them on tv.  After that, it was off to do more shopping and walking around now -- the rain seems to have stopped for a bit.

Stay tuned for the finale, Part 3, coming soon! (For Part 1, click here)

tags: lee  travel  

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