ARUNDEL, That's in South England, ya'll

If you have a chance to stay in Arundel, do it! We visited here on our first trip to England in 2006. There is so much to do in this little town built on a hillside. Relaxing by the river Arun, antique shopping, rummaging through the book shops, eating, and of course the history. If you are a history buff, you will not be disappointed. Architecture buffs, you will be thrilled!

We arrived early afternoon and made the very short walk from the rail station to the Arundel Hotel where we stayed. A very comfortable and one of the most reasonably priced places in Arundel. The staff was incredible. I hope they are still there!
As with all the places I've visited in England, we walked up a flight of stairs to our room with our HEAVY luggage in tow (one of the best reasons to pack light)we found our room comfy and in suite (the bathroom was in our room)and stocked with a hot water pot, teas, and biscuits (cookies). Also remember, you most likely will not have an ice bucket or machine any where in the building. But I asked the sweet girl you see pictured here for ice and she gave me all I wanted. So just ask for ice if you want it.

We made the short walk to city centre and spent the rest of the day, browsing (since Arundel is on the hillside, make sure and wear comfortable shoes)and grazing at the pastry and sweet shops. When it came time for a real meal we ate at the Red Lion. I had the fish and chips, and Olivia ate the steak pie. Both were yummy!

The town closed up pretty early, can't remember what time exactly, so we went back to our hotel. The locals congregate at the bar inside and it's fun to sit and listen to all the town news. The internet is there too.

Breakfast is included in the room cost, and what a breakfast! Eggs, bacon (ham to us) beans, tomatoes, sausages, hot cereal, and toast served in a pretty sunroom. Eat big there and snack the rest of the day if you are on a budget. And that is exactly what we did. The second day was devoted to history. We toured the Arundel Castle, the Fitzalan Chapel, and the Arundel Cathedral. PLAN ON SPENDING THE ENTIRE DAY DOING THIS!

I'll start with the castle.

It is still a family home. Can you imagine that???? Therefore, it is closed for part of the year. Go to: www.arundelcastle.org/_pages/03_visitor_info.htm for the dates it is open, and more information.

There are no words for how incredible the castle is. Imagine being in the castle keep (where the king's treasures were kept)that was built a thousand years ago??? You will see the ancient part and the up-to-date family areas. Three are a thousand acres of parkland! Beautiful! The gardens are breath-taking, there is a resturant and gift shop. You will see incredible art, furniture, books, and learn so much from the guides. I learned that the steps in the keep were purposly made narrow on the right side when assending so the attackers would be hindered from sword fighting (as most were right handed. Lucky were the left handers)


The Fitzalan Chapel is on the grounds of the castle. It is actually split in two by a screen. One side is an Anglican parish church, the other the Fitzalan Chapel, the private chapel of the Dukes of Norfork which is Catholic. This chapel has quite a history. You will find tour guides there who will tell you how the chapel was once used as a stable while under seige. You will see where the horses chipped and broke the intricate carvings around the tombs.
The gardens around the chapel are simply lovely. The Arundel Cathedral is georgeous inside and out. While we were there a gentleman was playing the organ. I was told that it is one of the finest organs in England. Not bad for an 135-year-old instrument.

Arundel is a great place to make daytrips from. We went to Dover from there. However, don't make the mistake I did. Not being familiar with the train systems, I assumed that I could go straight from Arundel to Dover. Not so. The train went back up to London and down to Dover. There was several problems with the trains and the trip took hours to get there, cutting deep in our Dover time. Littlehampton is close by if you are interested in spending time on the beach.

All-in-all, I found a kindred spirit with all the "southern Englanders" The people were friendly and helpful. I'd love to go there once more.

Southern England

We have finally moved into our house in the middle of the woods. So deep in the country that we had to find a way to get hooked up to the internet. After much inquiry and searching we found Hughes Sattelite and are now reconnected the the world. My office is looking pretty sad right now. Everything is in boxes. That has been the reason for my delay on relaying my view of Southern England. Just a few more days and I will post on Greatham, Arundel, Dover, and a some of the villages in between.

After that blog, I will turn my attention to Central America for a bit.

I want to thank all of you for reading this blog. I have readers from eleven countries now and I appreciate everyone of you.

Since the dollar is so weak against the GBP and the Euro and who knows what other currencies, I want to invite you to continue visiting the USA. This is a vast country that is just waiting for you to explore. If you are interested in a particular region, or if you have a particular interest and want me to do some research for you, please write me and I will report back complete with pictures. I have friends all over this great nation who will gladly give the information that will make your visit to our wonderful country an excellent and satisfying one.

Either comment on this blog or write me at: lindacapple@gmail.com

Oh, I had to post my "Dover Sheep" pic. My hostess, Mandy, from Dover was kind enough to stop her car on a narrow road in the rain while I took this shot. I'm telling you, I love sheep. They are so much more interesting than the herds of cows I look at in the fields here in Arkansas!

Baaaath or Bawth

One of the most awkward words for me to say in England (and believe me I had trouble with a lot of them) was "Bath." You see, in the UK "a" is prounounced "aw." When I try to say "Bawth" I feel like I'm trying to be pretentious, but the lovely linguists in England look at me funny when I sound like I'm calling sheep saying "Baaath."



Oh well, no matter how you say it, Bath is a lovely place to visit. As I wrote in my last post, we couldn't find a place to stay in our price range in Bath, so we went to a B&B close to Gatwick Airport. From there we decided to make a day trip to Bath. Shortly after arriving, I realized we had made a baaaaad decision. No one can do justice to this incredible town in four hours. Especially if you are a dreamer like me. I could have spent four hours in the park imagining Jane Austin writing there!

Instead we walked every street. We didn't even eat! The first place we visited was Bath Abby (pictured at the beginning of this post) and the Roman Baths. The we toured every street of the town which was already being decorated for Christmas.

Exhausted we ended up at Parade Gardens Park where Pultney Bridge crosses the River Avon. There we collapsed and drank in the beauty. Bath is a lovely place to visit in the fall. (just make sure it isn't a bank holiday!)

Bath has soooo much to offer from nature, history, arts, and of course shopping. Plan on making it your home base and take day trips from there. For information on places to stay and all the wonderful things to do that we missed go to www.bath.co.uk.

I would have liked to have seen the older homes on the outskirts of town and experienced all the walking tours. But another time. I hope I may return there someday!

Up next, South England.

GLAS"GLOW"

While on the train zipping to Glasgow I started a conversation with my seatmate. (If you've been keeping up with this blog, I know that doesn't surprise you! ) He asked where I was going and I answered, "Glasgow."

"Oh, wanting to do a bit shopping are you?"

"No, just seeing the sights. I'm from the US. Plenty of shopping there."

He nodded and went back to reading his paper. I thought his comment a little odd. But when we got off the train and hit Buchanan Street I understood. The shops were a lot how I remembered "downtown" before malls, only multiply it by ten! Buchanan Street, Sauchiehall Street, Argyle Street, are lined with fun shops, furniture stores, high fashion retailers. For all you "Mall Shoppers" there is the Buchanan Galleries shopping centre in the middle of Glasgow city center which boasts of at least 90 of the most popular retailers. All I can say is bring lots of money and comfy walking shoes.

Fortunately, for my pocketbook, I'm not much of a shopper. I eat, I like art, architecture, and history and Glasgow didn't let me down.

First order of business after leaving the station was to locate our lodgings. My sis-n-law had enough of hostel life so we reserved a room in the Smith Hotel on Sauchiehall Street. A Scottish angel noticed our clueless expression on where to find the hotel, took pity on us and gave us directions. So with our refridgerator size backpacks we trekked the 1 1/2 mile walk. Fortunately, it was downhill. I didn't even want to think of the return trip!

Smith Hotel was clean and secure. Our hostess was pleasant even though I couldn't understand a word of her English and she couldn't understand me. So we wrote each other notes. She put us on the third floor. Ugh, more stairs! The bathroom was right across the hall, so that was convenient.

Note: I've found no elevators in B&Bs or budget hotels. Think about that when you pack. Also, prepare yourself to see guys walking from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Men! They don't have body image problems at all. Especially those who need too! Wish I were that liberated!

Included in the hotel price was a full Scottish breakfast which was enjoyable. I saw something new there. One offering on the menu was "beans on toast." It was literally what we in America know as canned pork and beans, poured over toast. A man next to me had a plate full and really seemed to enjoy it. Go figure.

After resting a while, we set out to find an internet cafe, our lifeline. Just around the corner was a tiny coffee shop named, Hal's Coffee Shop. He had one laptop but we seldom had to wait for our turn. The times we waited we enjoyed some of the best coffee I've ever drank.

Glasgow is more modern than Edinburgh. If you love art, this is the city for you. There you can peruse through the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, and the Gallery of Modern Art. If you like the theatre, you will not be be disappointed. The only frustration you will experience is having time to visit them all.

If you love architecture, be sure and visit the University of Glasgow.

It is situated by a beautiful park, Kelvingrove. There are lush walks and jogging trails. The River Kelvin runs through it. There are many beautiful places to rest and reflect.

As I mentioned earlier, I like to eat! We came across Parker's Bar in the West End of Glasgow. It looked pretty busy, always a good sign when the locals are there, so we decided to give it a try. I was really hungry so I ordered the "tried and true" Steak and Ale Pie. It was really tasty, and I embarrassed myself by eating it all.

For the evening meal we chose Sutherlands Restaurant which was close to our hotel on Sauchiehall Street. And at Sutherlands I took the plunge and ordered Haggis. In case you don't know, Haggis is a Scottish dish that contains meats that would horrify my "food safety" husband.

Haggis usually contains sheep lung, heart, liver, onion, spices, oats, and is cooked in a sheep stomach. It is served alongside neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes)

I knew this, so the first bite was daunting. I found it to have the same mouth feel as ground beef and the nutmeg gave it such a pleasant taste. I liked it! In fact, I'd eat it again!

One other place I'd like to recommend is O'Neill's. This Irish Pub has great food. I ordered the Irish Stew, Olivia had the chicken breasts on colcannon, (mashed potatoes and cabbage) and Chee Chee had the Quorn Sausage Skewers. Oh, and when they "pull" your Guinness into the glass they form a shamrock in the foam. Kind of like swirling the top of an ice cream cone. Nice touch!

TIP:

A lot of our time in Glasgow was wasted trying to find lodgings for our next stop. We ran into a problem because it was a school holiday for the entire UK. Every B&B and hotel in our price range and beyond was full. If I had known this, I would have arranged for lodgings before we left the US. But we didn't want to be slaves to a schedule. Good idea, but bad results.

Make a note of the school schedules in the UK.

Academic year 2008-2009
Autumn term
Autumn Half Term: from 27 October 2008 to 31 October 2008
Christmas Holidays: from 22 December 2008 to 02 January 2009
Spring term
Spring Half Term: from 16 February 2009 to 20 February 2009
Easter Holiday: from 06 April 2009 to 17 April 2009
Summer term
Summer Half Term: from 25 May 2009 to 29 May 2009
Summer Holiday: from 23 July 2009 to 31 August 2009

If your trip falls into one of these holidays, make your arrangements before you come. That way you won't waste time at the computer trying to find a place to stay.

I finally found a B&B close to Gatwick. Since Chee Chee was leaving several days before Olivia and I we decided to stay there for her conviences and make a day trip to Bath.

We had a plan, and it was time to leave. I dreaded lugging that backpack on the 1 1/2 mile walk uphill. But I think what really made my steps heavy was because I was leaving Scotland.

LOVING EDINBURGH

“But to see her was to love her, Love but her, and love forever”~Robert Burns

The only thing I didn't like about my visit to Scotland was that I couldn't stay at least two months. Heck, I could have spent that long just in Edinburgh! What a beautiful city. So rich in history and such beautiful people.

We spent two days on the Royal Mile, a feast for the eyes, the senses, and taste buds! It is one Scottish mile long and is the main thorough fare through historical Edinburgh. You will see shops of all kinds, many Scottish souvenir stores complete with men in kilts playing bagpipes, dress shops, Kilt makers, woollen mills, wonderful eateries and pubs.

Of course, my weakness is history. I have a permanent crick in my neck from looking up at the beautiful architecture. It is a good thing the mile is pedestrian friendly because I didn't watch where I was going.

If you love history you will want to spend a lot of time at the castle. This place is amazing. It is like a little town of it's own and if you have an imagination as big as mine, you will want time to recreate what life must have been like there. Be sure and take advantage of the audio tour guide, better yet the guided tours. When I return I think I'll for that. It has great historical information. I had to laugh when I heard about the One O'clock Gun that is fired Monday through Friday. The reason it isn't shot at twelve, as one would think it should, is because of the famous frugality of the Scots. After all why shoot twelve shells when one will do?

And the Crown Jewels! Don't miss them. Don't miss any of it.

Walking in Edinburgh is a lot like walking in San Francisco. It seemed that we were always walking up hill, climbing steps, and walking up another hill. All that walking made us hungry, so we stopped in a pub called BUDDY MULLIGANS PUB. It was really roomy for a pub and the food was great. They have a soup of the day, jacket potatoes (we call them baked potatoes) fish cakes, Sandwiches, salads, all day breakfast, steaks, Irish Stew, Steak and Guinness Pie (yummmmmm) and, of course, haggis. I hadn't worked up my courage to try that yet.

We like Buddy's so much we went there for lunch and for dinner. It just so happened that the World Cup Rugby championship was being played that night between South Africa and England. We stayed to watch. I didn't know what I was watching, but it was exciting! Also try a place called The Malt Shovel. Ask for their Butternut Squash Soup.

Be sure to visit the National Art Gallery. My favorite painting was of Hagar crying. I could feel her emotion, her pain for her child. It is an incredible work.

Since we decided to extend the same courtesy to Scotland as we did in England by not driving, we walked everywhere. Being on a tight budget prevented us from taking taxies. This limited our tour of Edinburgh, but we managed to fill our days on and around the mile.

After a couple of days of city life, we escaped to the Firth of Fourth. I've already described our hostel experience there, but not the long, quiet, walks along this beautiful shore. The one thought that kept running through my mind was, I can't believe I'm here. We walked about a mile to a little harbour village called Cramound. On the way I noticed a building to my left. It was a Roman bath built centuries ago. It wasn't open to the public, but still, to see something built so long ago right there. What fun!

While we walked about Cramound we found a pub called Cramound Inn. We had fresh tomato soup, fish, fresh bread, oh, so good. The staff was friendly and went out of their way to serve us. We had a great experience there.

After only only four days in Edinburgh, we had to leave for Glasgow. Some day I want to return and prowl to my hearts content. Until that day arrives, I will relive my days there remember how much I love the town of Edinburgh.

Next up, Glasgow!

SCOTLAND!

Hi Everyone! I apologize for the long time between posts. My husband, Neal, and I are trying to finish our home in the county and it has taken our time from dawn to dusk. Hmmmm, sounds like a vampire movie!

I hope to elaborate in a post aobut our time in Edinburgh sometime this weekend. We had such fun and ate a lot of great food. The National Art Gallery, Wow! So many things to do and see. In fact, I think my husband and I will return to celebrate our 30th anniversary which occured this January 15th. He is a Campbell and I am a Leslie. We need to go back to our roots!

Anyway, pictures and recommendations will be coming along this weekend!

ONE YOUNG THING AND TWO MIDDLE-AGED BROADS IN HOSTELS

Okay, here's the scoop. If you want cheap, stay in a hostel. If you want sleep, stay in a B&B.

I mistakenly thought that since we were visiting the UK in October the hostel scene would be quiet. Wrong. Maybe it was noisy because of thirty rowdy French men gathering together for the Soccer World Cup contest between England and South Africa, maybe it was noisy because of a school holiday, maybe it was noisy because of that reunion of Australian guys. All I know, it was noisy!!!!

All I know is that doors slammed 50 times a minute. Drunk men relieved themselves in the female bathroom showers, and what sounded like hundreds of seventh graders screamed and giggled up and down the halls. There hasn't been a sleeping pill made that could drown out all that noise. Besides, sleeping pills and coed dorms in hostels are probably not a good idea!

On the positive side, I never felt unsafe. The rooms and beds were clean and the staff was friendly and helpful.

All that said, I recommend staying in a B&B if at all possible. However, If you decide to stay in a hostel, here are a few tips:



*Of all the hostels we stayed in I recommend the Globetrotter Inns. The beds were comfortable and had curtains you could close for privacy. There was also a reading light. They use a cashless system which was nice. You put your money in a machine and stick in a card they provide and it "loads" the amount on your card which you swipe for each transaction. We stayed in the Globetrotter Inn at Edinburgh. It was situated on the Firth of Fourth. Beautiful. There were wonderful walking trails, a quaint little town close by with a delightful pub. If you want to go into city centre, there is a shuttle. They also had a 24 hr. bar. Which the Australian fellows enjoyed until the wee hours of the morning, and the rest of us were ready to stuff socks in their mouths! Which brings me to my second tip:

*Do not get a room close to the bathrooms! Or under stairs.

*It is worth the money and your sanity to get a double room far away from the main floor, or a room that sleeps four, max. Be careful though. For what you pay for a double room in a hostel, you may be able to stay at a B&B.

*I took locks and a sleep sack (full sheet, folded in half and sewed up one side) I didn't need them. Globetrotter had lockers in the rooms and provided the key. All the hostels provided clean sheets and duvet covers.

*My flashlight was a great idea!

*When you first arrive pay for only one night. Most do not give refunds. We payed for two at the Edinburgh Backpackers Hostel. Our first night was horrid! That's were the drunk French men made the female showers their urinals. Because of how the hostel is built, noise echoes up the stairwell that spirals to the top floor, reverberating in every room. After a night of doors slamming I wanted to move to another hostel, but we were stuck. Arrrrrgh!

All in all, I'm glad for the experience of hostels. And I as I mentioned earlier, I would stay in the Globetrotter Inns again. However, as far as all the other hostels go, I will leave the adolescents and twenty-somethings who are nocturnal by nature.

I have to have my beauty rest!