As I previously mentioned, Salisbury has long been a busy crossroads and market town. In fact, it is claimed that the town was first settled as long ago as 500 BC during the Iron Age, although its location then was slightly north of town and the settlement was known as Old Sarum. The settlement was … Continue reading
After breakfast yesterday, we took the extended tour of the interior of Salisbury Cathedral which included a 334 step hike up the spire, the tallest in Great Britain – at 404 feet! I know this because the Guiness Book of World Records has certified it, as evidenced by a plaque inside the spire where the … Continue reading
We left Eastbourne yesterday morning for an excursion to Wales, although we’re taking a couple days getting there. I have enjoyed driving here in the south of England where the roads, though narrow, are always picturesque and the people pay attention to their driving, rather than trying to talk on the phone, text, eat, drink … Continue reading
When the Normans, in the person of William the Conqueror, first arrived in Dover in 1066, they found that they were not the first ones there. Not by a long shot. In fact, the Romans had built a lighthouse on the bluff above the White Cliffs nearly 1,000 years earlier. And, there was a church … Continue reading
The English heritage Trust has done a remarkable job of restoring the inside of the Great Tower and recreating a medieval atmosphere. The main entrance to the Great Tower is through a forebuilding, over an internal drawbridge, then up a flight of steps. Here’s the entrance through the forebuilding, taken from within the inner bailey, … Continue reading
Yesterday, we drove to Dover to see the Dover Castle, the White Cliffs and the Ferry Port. It was a two-hour drive each way and well worth it. In this picture, you can see all three sites: Dover Castle on top of the bluff at the far left; a ferry leaving port, just to the … Continue reading
A couple days ago, we visited Pevensey Castle where William the Conqueror established a military base upon invading England from Normandy in October 1066. After William had set up his defenses at Pevensey, he and his Norman troops engaged King Harold and his Anglo-Saxon soldiers at the Battle of Hastings, just a few miles away. … Continue reading
Everyone has heard of the white cliffs of Dover: the chalky, sheer cliffs that are an English icon. We’ll get there on this trip; possibly, tomorrow. But, it turns out that the most beautiful white cliffs along the southern coast of England are those right near where we’re staying. The formation is called the Seven … Continue reading
Happy Easter, everyone! This afternoon, we decided to drive to Brighton, England’s version of Key West; it’s about 45 minutes west along the coast from Eastbourne. The weather here in England this Spring has been variable: cool and sunny one day; drizzly and cold the next. Today is drizzly and cold. After arriving in Brighton, … Continue reading
On Good Friday, we visited Pevensey, a village just five miles from where we’re staying. The English countryside is wonderful for hiking and there is a “country walk” (as the trails around here are called), starting at the Pevensey train station. After leaving the station, the walk follows the Eastbourne Road to the High Street … Continue reading
On Thursday, which happened to be Maundy Thursday, the Christian holy day commemorating the Last Supper, we drove to Canterbury, the seat of the Church of England. The Church of England was established by Henry VIII in 1534 when the Pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry someone … Continue reading
After walking out on the Eastbourne Pier, we drove a little further down the coast to Beachy Head (I just love the place names here in England) where there are numerous hiking trails along the coast through farm and pasture land. It’s simply beautiful! From the top, we took a photo back toward Eastbourne. We … Continue reading
Today we drove into Eastbourne for a lunch of fish and chips. Afterward, we walked out to the promenade along the beach to the Eastbourne Pier. Right at the entrance to the Pier, we came upon two British icons: the double-decker bus and the red telephone booth. The Pier was built in 1870 and, though … Continue reading
We landed at Heathrow Airport in London yesterday and were greeted by this guy. Imposter! No. Actually, this is Toby, our cab driver, who met us at Arrivals after we cleared UK Customs. Toby shuttled south us to Eastbourne, on the English Channel, a two hour drive. Our home exchange is a second floor condominium, … Continue reading
I was taking care of some last minute things on my computer before we head to the airport for our home exchange in England when I came across this picture that I thought might be appropriate to post on the blog:
On the way out to Brownsville, we took the most direct route after leaving the Florida panhandle. But on the way back home we wanted to drive along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast as much as possible. That meant that we were going to have to take ferries on the way back (they were … Continue reading
The drive along the Texas coast in some places is really fantastic. There are frequent, long expanses of empty beaches and at one point I saw a pod of dolphins from the road as I drove along. Dale was fascinated by the shrimp boats trawling just off the beach. But the drive along Galveston Beach … Continue reading
We left the southern tip of Texas and drove north to Corpus Christi where we camped on the beach at Mustang Island State Park. In the morning we were awakened by an attack of the birds right outside the RV windshield. Dale was starting to feel better and decided to go for a beach drive … Continue reading
Before we left South Padre Island, I drove to nearby Brownsville, Texas, to see the border crossing into Mexico. We neglected to bring along our passports (having packed them in our luggage that is sitting at home awaiting our upcoming trip to England), so I knew I couldn’t cross over into Mexico and return through … Continue reading
We had a really long driving day from Louisiana to Brownsville, Texas (540 miles), but here we are now on the opposite side of the Gulf of Mexico from Florida. In the Keys we watch the sun set over the Gulf, but here on the Texas side we watch the sun rise. We’re on South … Continue reading
We’re in Louisiana having the RV serviced after visiting Kyle and Kelly for a couple days in Gainesville. We left Gainesville Monday morning and drove along the Gulf coast, stopping for dinner in Apalachicola, a fishing village known for its oysters. We knew this was the place as soon as we stopped the RV – … Continue reading
It started to rain, so they closed the roof. There was a full moon over Miami. At the old stadium, we’d be getting wet now. And so, it begins…
We’re at the Miami Marlin’s first game in their new stadium against the University of Miami Hurricanes (it’s an exhibition game) with our friends from Germany, Suzanne, Frank and Lennart. We have great seats by first base. It’s a good thing that there’s a sliding roof because it looks like rain tonight.
We ended our day with a tour of the Mormon’s Conference Center, completed just a little while before the 2002 Winter Olympics that were held in Salt Lake City. The Conference Center is huge! It will hold 21,000 people, covers 1,800,000 square feet and has a four acre rooftop park, complete with pine trees and … Continue reading
On the ground floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, the Mormons have a computer facility for genealogical research. Most Mormons have researched their lineage because they believe that they can bring salvation to their ancestors through prayer but, first, they have to know who to pray for; ergo, their interest in genealogy. The main … Continue reading
The Road Less Traveled 