6.27.2010

A Day in the Country...

... or as Peggy put it, "It's like Busch Gardens!"

We visited an area known as the Cotswolds today, an area about 80 miles west-northwest of London. To get there required a car rental, which meant yours truly had to give it a go with the whole left-sided driving. I had some indoctrination of the concept through a couple of bike rides, and am able to drive a car with a manual transmission. But put the steering wheel on the right side of the car and require the shifting to be done left-handed, and well, it turns into quite a little challenge. (But one, I'm glad to report, we survived with no scratches or dents to cars or us!)

Anywho, the Cotswolds is a collection of idyllic villages filled with stone homes and stores, sheep pastures, hedgerows, narrow lanes and the occasional thatch roof. To Peggy's comment above, it is almost like stepping back in time a bit (sans the roller coasters, of course) as there is little new or modern about it. The geography reminded both of us of the part of eastern Pennsylvania where I grew up – rollings hills, patches of woods, etc. – but has yet to be set upon by developers.

We strolled around Moreton-in-Marsh and Bourton-on-the-Water, both great villages to while away some time. Chloe was still a bit tired from yesterday's excitement, so we visited by car the villages of Broadway and Chipping Camden. We were intrigued by some of the side roads that were characterized as "single track roads" (i.e. wide enough for one car.) So on our way back to London, we decided to take one and ended up a) going through a small village called Heythrop, and b) getting slightly lost, but allowed us to visit other villages like Bloxham and Barford St. Michael. Getting into these "out of the way" places was great as it got us away from the tour buses and crowds.


For pictures, visit this link.
For artsy fartsy pictures, visit this link.

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