After a long trip from Genoa by trains planes and automobiles we arrived on Monday (18 Aug), after dark, on the train in Cholsey. After a ten minute walk we managed to find the next door neighbor of the Wheatley’s our house exchange partners. We found the house to be lovely with a nice garden and a nearby flock of sheep bah-ing. The next day, in pouring rain, we got up our nerve to drive the car (left hand drive, of course, and stick shift) and after a brief white knuckle drive we arrived in Wallingford, the nearest real town (3 miles away) where a farmers market was underway. This quaint town dates from before the 9th Century with a number of very ancient buildings and a lovely bridge across the Thames River. Nearby were remnants of an ancient castle. On the way home we drove through some other nearby villages, some with a number of thatched roof houses (Clifton Hampton and Brightwell-cum-Sotwell). The more we saw of the area the more we realized what a terrific home base it is for exploring rural England.
On Wed. we drove to Oxford (about 17 miles) took walking tour of the colleges and browsed through some shops. Although we did not visit the inside any of the colleges, the buildings were stately and very beautiful carrying their several hundred years of age gracefully.
Thu we got a bit braver and took a long car trip through some very quaint Cotswold villages on to Stratford-on-Avon where we visited Shakespeare’s birthplace (very touristy) and a quick glance at Warwick Castle, a restored castle with actors playing the part of medieval characters
The following day, on Dahlia’s Birthday, with sun finally peeking through the clouds, we took a pleasant long walk from Cholsey, which along the Thames path. The mostly riverside path was lovely, meandering through woods and fields. We gorged ourselves with blackberries growing abundantly along the path and watched all sorts of recreational boats gliding past, enjoying the summer day: kayaks, motor boats narrow canal boats/house boats, and old coal carriers converted to recreational use. We stopped for lunch at a cute restaurant we stumbled upon along the river the “Beetle and Wedge” pub. There we discovered a new pretty and refreshing drink called Pimms, a gin based lemonade cocktail poured over a bunch of fresh sliced fruit and cucumbers. After lunch we continued our hike by islands in the Thames and stopped to watch locks in the river in action. We finally ended up in the town of Goring and returned to Cholsey by train. It was a charming afternoon with wonderful weather..
Saturday morning we were invited for coffee with the next door neighbors, a wonderful warm and friendly Italian couple who have lived here for over 40 years. Despite their advanced age they have a large garden in their back yard, with fruits flowers and vegetables, beautifully designed and manicured. We came home loaded with home grown tomatoes, cucumbers and basil for salad and a warm heart.
After another walk through Wallingford we picked up our friends Shelley and Arnold who had just flown in from Los Angeles and to join us for the rest of the week. We drove around to give them a quick preview of some of the quaint villages in the area and then had a delicious dinner at the thatched roofed Red Lion Pub in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell.
Sunday: Blenheim Palace was beautiful. We took a self guided tour and then happened on an impromptu “servants’ tour” by 2 very talented actors who gave us a glimpse into what the life in the Palace was like in the old days, from the perspective of the servants. Very cute, funny and unexpected..As “His Grace” the Duke was out of town we were able to get a guided tour of the private apartments of the Duke of Marlborough. Finally we took a walk through the beautifully manicured grounds with huge lawns, mature trees and lovely formal garden. On the way back we stopped in Oxford and walked around the town and the college areas. We witnessed a ceremony of raising the upcoming London 2012 Olympic flag on top of the tower by the “Lord Mayor” (a she) and watched a Bangladeshi pair of dancers perform a lovely dance below the tower
Monday we took the train to Bath. Took a very informative 2 hr. walking tour of the town, learned about the history and the beautiful Georgian architecture, visited the incredible Roman baths and the beautiful Abbey with its impressive fan vaulted ceilings and had a wonderful Indian lunch.
Tuesday 26 Aug – With our friends Arnold and Shelly we set off on a two hour drive through the quaint little towns of the Cotswolds. These were old wool and sheep market towns and went into decline after the wool market collapsed about 100 years ago. Not much has change about them although the have been restored and now are a great tourist attraction. Among the towns where we stopped were Moreton-in-Marsh which was wonderful, and we took a long walk on through the country side from Upper Slaughter to Lower Slaughter and back and a walk around Chipping Campden. After returning hone we a dinner at a nearby pub called the Beetle and Wedge, located right on the River Thames.
Wednesday 27 Aug – We drove to Waddesdon, the Rothschild estate, near Aylesbury. We took tour of the mansion and gardens which were beautiful. From there went to Oxford for to shop for souvenirs to take back with us as we prepared to return home.
Thursday 28 Aug – On our last day we packed, cleaned the exchange house, took bus to Heathrow Airport and visited with Dahlia’s friend Sandy before flying home.
