After picking up a Ford Mondeo at Europcar around noon, we headed north out of London towards the university town of Oxford. Unfortunately, the clutch died just as we rolled into Oxford, so we ended up having an oh-so-British lunch at McDonald’s while waiting for the AA Truck to come. Two hours later, we were comfortably ensconced in our new car, a roomy Volkswagon Passat, and on our way to Blenheim Palace, home to the eleventh Duke of Marlborough (who actually lives in the East Wing), and the birthplace of Winston Churchill. It was awesome. Huge ornately decorated gates open onto the grounds which feature several flower gardens offering fine sculpture, manmade lakes, fountains, and mazes. The palace contained memorabilia of Churchill’s school days, as well as his civilian and military history. Several rooms featured priceless paintings, tapestries and hand-carved furniture, including an invitation to Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981 in the Long Library. Highly recommended!

From there, we drove up to Warwick (pronounced "WAR-ick) to stay with our friend, Angela, in Hampton Magna. We settled in, then went for dinner at The Old Tudor Inn, a local pub. Bill tucked into some steak & ale pie, I had the rump roast, and Angela went for the Chicken Tikka. It was good, albeit bland. (Pass the salt and pepper…) I had my first taste of Spotted Dick here, and immediately fell in love with it (a vanilla cake-like thing with currants in it, topped with warm vanilla custard). Really.

Thursday, May 28th

We awoke to sunny skies, with few clouds. We admired the Warwickshire countryside as we drove the few miles to Stratford-Upon-Avon, home of all things Shakespeare. The River Avon was beautiful with sightseeing boats available for hire. We did some shopping, and I actually found the rare Brittania beanie baby I’d been seeking at a shop called "Much Ado About Toys" on Windsor Street, but at 450 pounds, it was a bit beyond my price range. We had a tasty deli lunch, and then Angela went off to work, while Bill and I drove a bit south to the Cotswolds – a small area in the heart of England that simply personifies "quaint".

We began in the tiny town of Chipping Campden with its thatched roofs, and made a loop through the hamlets of Broadway, Longborough, Stow-On-The-Wold, Chipping Norton, and Moreton-In-Marsh. Many of the buildings, dating back to medieval times, were built using "wool money", since the Cotswolds sheep grew the finest wool. Most are made out of limestone, which has a distinctive golden hue in the sunlight, similar to buildings found in nearby Bath. Stone slates comprise most of the roofs. Fields of yellow (rapeseed) and blue (linseed) separate pastures dotted with sheep. With its stone fences, thatched cottages, and pastoral ambience, this is the most pristine of English countrysides. Shopping is fun here. Wool products and Elaine Rippon’s hand-painted silk scarves make wonderful souvenirs. I liked the Cotswolds so much that if I were to go back to England, I’d definitely spend at least a day or two there. By this time, Bill had become an old pro at driving on the "wrong" (left) side of the road, and we’d even come to appreciate the convenience of roundabouts. Would citizenship be next?

We met up with Angela and went out to dinner at our friend Andy’s favorite pub, The Cockhorse, where we had to stoop to get through the doorway. It’s also famous for a low-hanging ceiling beam that’s conveniently labeled "Duck or Grouse". One of the regulars practically split his sides, laughing at the memory of the many unsuspecting folks had conked their heads against that infernal beam in his presence. We picked up a copy of The Beer and Ragged Staff, a publication put out by CAMRA – the Campaign for Real Ale, Warwickshire Branch. Motto: Give Your Drinking a Purpose – Join CAMRA Now! This missive featured a list of Warwick pubs, and a Summer Calendar ("Tuesday, August 4th – Warwick Crawl starting at the Old Fourpenney Shop"). The highlight of the meal was dessert – Apple Granny – kind of like a slice of apple pie with melted caramel on top, all floating in a bowl of warm vanilla custard. It was to die for. We spent the evening chatting and then drove home and off to bed.

Friday, May 29th

Up early, we visited Warwick Castle (once again using our trusty British Heritage passes to get in free), arguably the most well-preserved medieval castle in England. The original Norman castle was built in 1068, and in 1264 was sacked by Simon de Montfort, champion of Parliament against Henry III. It was rebuilt in the 14th century, when the huge outer walls and towers were added, mainly to display the power of the great feudal magnates, the Beauchamps and the Nevillles - the Earls of Warwick. We took in the Armory (exhibits include Oliver Cromwell’s helmet and a fully armored knight on horseback), the Great Hall and State Rooms (filled with arms and armor, furniture and curiosities), the Dungeon, and Madame Tussaud’s tableaux of wax figures that illustrate the castle’s history. The grounds border the River Avon, and feature a miniature "mother-in-law" castle. Periodically, falconry exhibitions, medieval banquets and other special events are offered.

On the road again, we drove about 150 miles, stopping in Tadcaster for a pint at a local pub, before arriving at York, our destination. We found an inexpensive B&B called Evelyn House on Bootham Street where we got a nice, large room. The room faced a portion of the city wall, and was within walking distance of Yorkminster, shops and restaurants. Since everything was closed, we decided to get some dinner and hit it for the night.

Saturday, May 30th

Brief spots of sun along with mild temperatures made this a nice day to explore York, one of the oldest cities in England.

York began as a fortress called Eboracum, built in AD71 by the Romans. Here, Constantine the Great was made Roman Emperor in AD306. The Vikings gave York its present day name, derived from "Jorvik". The Viking influence is still apparent in local terminology. A "gate" in York is a street (Williamsgate, Deansgate, Micklegate, etc.), and a "bar" is one of the four gates which allow entrance and exit through the city walls.

The west towers of Yorkminster, the largest gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, dominate the city. Here you’ll find the largest collection of medieval stained glass in Britain. The Choir Screen, placed between the choir and the nave, is a 15th-century stone screen that depicts kings of England from William I to Henry VI, and has a canopy of angels. Extremely cool.

I attended an evensong service at Yorkminster, which was (no pun intended) heavenly – the acoustics were out of this world! Bill continued his search for the perfect beer at Ye Old Starre Inn, the oldest pub in York.

All over town, we saw adverts for the York Dungeon claiming that it was "a perfectly horrible experience" - and it was. Avoid this cheesy tourist trap. There’s tons of shopping, with many small shops and botiques lining the small medieval streets. Tiny alleys called "snickelways" still dot the town. All in all, York was one of my favorite cities in England.

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