Our first hint that this might be different was the queue at the entrance. The line at two o'clock on a Sunday afternoon was half a block long. The gate in a typical stonewall was old, weathered and unimpressive. A plaque on the wall informed us that the property belonged to the University of Bristol. Once inside the gate, we entered what looked like a nice public building that could have been a school or collage building. Only then did I realize that this had once been a private home, a very big private home. A glance out the windows showed a 10-15 acre park. Even today I can't figure out where and how they got that much space (the advantage of getting there early, I guess.).
The very first question that anyone asks when we tell them that we are traveling about and seeing the countryside, is have you been to Bath? We decided to go to Bath on Monday. On Monday morning we looked out and the weather was rainy and gray - it really rained all day - we didn't go to Bath.
Tuesday Nancy had scheduled to have her hair done. In talking to the clerks at the neighborhood store, she got some new information and changed her appointment to Thursday at the City College (it gets a little confusing sometimes - Bristol has 100,000 college students and at least a half a dozen colleges). Thursday she had her -hair done- by the college students with the instructor supervising. The color looks good and it's a little short, but will grow out. Note: Everyone here talks to us and is quick to offer up advice - so much for the sterotype of English reserve.
Wednesday we met up with Ruth and did a day trip to see "bluebells". Bluebells appear to be a big deal here and I expected to see the hills covered with bluebells. Doesn't happen that way. The bluebells we saw grew under the trees in fairly open ground. They appeared in large patches but only when the conditions were right. Where they do grow, they cover the ground with a blue coating. It's very pretty.
Ruth took us across the northernmost bridge at the River Severn and headed Northwest. Sometimes we were in Wales and sometimes we were in England. The line between follows the Wye River - at least for a while. Our destination was the "Forest of Dean." The topography here was completely different from the Midlands. Lots of steep hills and narrow valleys mostly covered with broadleaf and some evergreen trees. There were periodic rock outcroppings with the base rock appearing to be granite.
We eventually ended in a park with an overlook into the Valley of the Wye. On the trail to the overlook appeared a substantial kiosk. The kiosk had souvenirs, ice cream and a kitchen with a nice menu. Since it was after noon, we had lunch. I had what was listed as a "Typical English Breakfast" - a poached egg, English-style bacon, two sausages, sliced tomatoes, baked beans with a sauce and a buttered baguette ? very substantial. We sat out in the patio area and enjoyed the views. Nancy had a BAM - a bacon and egg sandwich on a soft roll. Sort of like a large hamburger bun. BAMs also came with chicken (they were out), tuna or cheese
Ruth's driving style is unique. This area was her home ground - she had lived here for a while as a teenager - so as were driving she would say, "Oh! I didn't mean to go this way." With that being said, she would continue on the new road. As a result we had no idea where we went or how we got there. The countryside was lush and green, lots of bluebells under the trees, and a number of little towns sprinkled through the hills. Many of the little towns were old mining towns that Ruth claimed were pretty dull.
I have no feel for English houses. With my West Coast eyes, the houses are made of cut stone and brick and looked pretty grand (but small) to me. On the earthquake-prone West Coast, brick and stone are reserved for public buildings and really expensive homes.
Thursday night we went to a local Shakespearian play, "As You Like It". The theater was in Clifton - straight up from here with no direct bus route - we walked. The theater was quite nice - could have used some air-conditioning - with seating for about 300 people in "stadium seating". This was a college performance and except for fairly young people being cast as the next older generation with no make-up to help the illusion, the casting was quite good. The cast had strong players and we enjoyed the performance. The singing done by some of the cast was in character and fit the play.
I had originally planned to do the whole week on this page, but Friday we went to Bath and that deserves a whole page on its own.
Cheerio