Salisbury

No, it's not where salisbury steak originated. (I think that's a good thing?) It's one of the oldest cities in the UK - the Normans established a city there in the 11th century. When we stepped off the train, the city greeted us with mysterious fog. Sure felt medieval!

Facade of Salisbury Cathedral and me with my cool kid backpack

Salisbury is best known for its Gothic-style, Salisbury Cathedral, built in 1220 by a Catholic bishop. Lucky for us, the foggy morning turned into a lovely day, so we could embrace the town's charm.

Salisbury Cathedral along the Avon River

Cathedral's cloister

Brandon channeling his inner artist - John Constable painted this exact scene!

The inside reminded me of Westminster Abbey with its mosaic ceiling and carved choir stalls.

Ceiling mosaics

Choir stalls looking down the nave of the church

It has the tallest spire (point on top of the bell tower) in western Europe, and we saw the Guinness Book of World Records certificate to prove it! Brandon booked us a 120-minute tour climbing to the top of tower (332 winding steps!) and learning about architecture of the cathedral. It was so beautiful! 

Listening intently to the architecture lesson

View through the tip top of the spire

View from the spire window overlooking the body of the church

Cute little Salisbury

Salisbury is a quaint little English town with nice markets and pubs. We enjoyed a late lunch by a roaring fire, sipping on the locally-brewed, Badger Ale. EVERYTHING closed at five-o'clock on the dot, so we hopped the train back to London after a pick-me-up Earl Grey at a place called the Boston Tea Party – what an odd name for a place in the UK! It was a great little day trip. We definitely need to take more of those!

A Country Walk

A couple weeks ago, Brandon and I were craving some outdoor/green space. We hopped on a train to a little town 20 minutes outside London, Gerrards Cross. And we brought this face who rode her first regional rail!

Across from the train station was a public walking trail that stretched for miles. We picked a brilliant, autumn day – sunny skies, crisp breeze and 60 degrees. 

We planned a 9-mile walk that would end in a neighboring town and conveniently passed a pub around lunchtime. She waited patiently for us to finish our steak and ale pies.

We made friends of all sizes…

And took in the beautiful scenery. And began to understand why people live in the suburbs and commute into London every day.

St. Anne's church - just like elementary school :)

We had a fabulous time. This is my favorite photo of our little adventure:

We found the trail in a guidebook for country walks outside London. We can't wait to try the next one!

Madrid

Hello friends! Sorry for the delay in the Madrid recap. We've been experiencing some technical difficulties with the home computer. It's from 2008, and it just can't hang any more. We're saving up for a fancy new one as a Christmas gift to each other. 

Anyway, Viva España! We were only there for 2 days, but I successfully convinced Brandon that both Spain and Airbnb are awesome. Actually the cured ham, wine and rooftop apartment convinced him, but I'll take the win!

We went on a walking tour of the city to learn more about Madrid's history. Compared to my last tours in England, Germany and The Netherlands, seeing a European city unaffected by World War II bombing was quite different. No ugly post-war buildings hurriedly constructed amid centuries-old ones, many narrow, cobblestoned streets, and so many palm trees. That last part had nothing to do with WWII, but it was so fun! It felt tropical too, as it was sunny and 80 degrees. :)

We lunched at Fatigas del Querer ("Labors of Love") and had amazing cured jamon, chorizo, Spanish omelette and sangria. Then, because I made a poor attempt at speaking Spanish to our waiter, he kept bringing me free wine! And gave Brandon brandy! The wine cost the equivalent of $2, so it wasn't that big of a deal, but it was the friendliest city we've visited since Mexico and Belize. 

Took this for my niece, Isabel!

One of our favorite parts of the weekend was seeing a flamenco show. It was intense, passionate, and wonderful. I couldn't stop tapping my feet, the music and rhythms were so contagious. I can't wait to go again when we visit Seville in February, the birthplace of flamenco!

View from our flat

Parque del Retiro

Fontana de Neptune

If you haven't figured it out, the last couple photos are Brandon's artsy creations. He woke up to see the sunset both days! Crazy boy. But he takes a damn good photo!

We ended the trip by visiting the world's oldest restaurant, Botín. It's the longest-running restaurant without interruption of service or name change - since 1725. There's a Guinness world-record plaque on the facade of the building. Famous artist Francisco Goya worked here as a dishwasher before he started painting! Not to mention it had the best gazpacho I've ever had! 

They had their name on everything - even the curtains!

Really cool old Dutch tilework around the place. We walked through the kitchen to get to our table! Right where Goya worked!

You can sort of see the plaque above the entrance stating the credentials.

Adiós España, hasta February! Te amo!

Cowdog

You asked for it! Here is a whole blog post dedicated to a day in the life of Cleo, aka "cowdog." For those of you that aren't big animal fans, I will post a Madrid recap soon! 

Cowdog Diary:

Mum and Dad (because of course Cleo has a British accent now) dragged me into the cold for my morning walk. Even though I had so much fun running around the empty park-

I couldn't wait to snuggle under the covers from the big bed. Nap time!

In the afternoon, we went to my favorite place - Hyde Park! But we had to ride the scary red monster car. It's a little less scary if I hide between the legs of Mum and Dad.

But then I got to run!

And make friends!

And chase squirrels!

Then I did some tricks for Dad because that made him happy.

When we got home, I stared at Mum and Dad until they fed me dinner. It worked!

Then I helped them cook dinner.

After dinner, I guarded the house to make sure everyone stayed safe from the evil street cats.

Whew, what a day!

I love going to the park, but some days, I just like helping Mum post on the blog. Goodnight!

Thanks for reading the adventures of cowdog! To whet your appetite for the Madrid post, check out Brandon's flickr page. He's so good!

Stratford-Upon-Avon

Good morrow, dear readers! I am recently returned from a short trip to the birthplace of William Shakespeare, Stratford-Upon-Avon, 100 miles north of London. I decided to book a last-minute, solo getaway since B was out of town for work. Turns out, it was a great idea! As a Shakespeare fan, I was in literary heaven. Heck, even if I didn't know a single play, the town itself was cute enough to eat!

Avon River

Tudor architecture
The building on the right is owned by Harvard University, as the college's founder was from Stratford!

Wobbly beams

Rain couldn't damper my giddiness

The town library! Created by Andrew Carnegie

Avon River with Shakespeare Theatre on the right bank- those swans were after me!
Swans were everywhere. I'm assuming because it's one of Shakespeare's nicknames

I stayed at the White Swan hotel and restaurant, an inn and pub that dates back to 1450. It was lovely. My room included dinner in front of a roaring fireplace and a huge breakfast!

Hehe I loved this Macbeth privacy sign

I took a tour of the three historic homes in the city affiliated with the Bard (another of Shakespeare's nicknames; a bard is another word for a poet) - his birthplace, his eldest daughter's house and the land where his final house stood (also where he died.) Shakespeare (b. 1564, d. 1616) wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets in his lifetime. His work was well-received and loved during his lifetime, and tourists began flocking to Stratford almost as soon as he passed.

Shakespeare's childhood home.
It was also his father's glove-making workshop and store.

Where the Bard was born

The building was an inn and pub called the Swan and Maidenhead after his family passed away and before the Shakespeare Trust purchased it in 1847.

Many famous authors signed the birthplace guestbook, such as Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and John Keats. So of course, I made sure to sign it as well!

The next stop was Susanna's house, Shakespeare's eldest daughter. She married the town doctor, much to her family's pleasure! Their house was one of the "grandest" of the time.

Those iron poles are for spit-roasting meats - the main food source in 17th-century England. And today.

Lovely English gardens abound in Stratford

The last historic house stop in town was the property that formerly held Shakespeare's mansion and deathbed. A wealthy jerk had the building torn down after getting into a fight with the city council over taxes in the 18th century. The only thing left from Shakespeare's time is the well that used to be in the center of the courtyard. The house next door displays a museum exhibit to Will's former estate.

See the well?

Former estate turned into gardens

Building next door to former house. So pretty!

My last stop was the Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway, are buried. The lighting was horrible, so my photos didn't turn out too well. Will's epitaph says not to disturb his dusty bones. Nothing poetic or flowery at all! Just grumpy man words. But the church was beautiful.

The other draw to visiting Stratford is seeing a play at the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre. I was lucky enough to snag a last-minute (and cheap!) ticket to Much Ado About Nothing's opening weekend. The show was fantastic! And since I had some extra time the following morning, I booked a ticket for a behind-the-scenes tour of the theatre. I saw the makeup and hair room, played with fake blood, and walked around the stages of the two theaters in the building. So much fun! 

RSC Theatre - refurbished side

RSC Theatre - old side

Stratford was a great pick for my first solo travel weekend - short train ride, small, walkable town, and friendly locals. And lucky for B, I would go back to see another play any day!

Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow

That I shall say good night till it be morrow.

Romeo & Juliet

(I know, I'm a dork. But I had to throw one in! Also, I may have purchased a book of Shakespeare quotations organized by theme…)