May 8, 1969

Stratford-Upon-Avon.  We left early in the morning from Russell Square and headed northwest to Stratford.  We saw beautiful Tudor homes in the suburbs of London.  Passing into the county of Buckingham we stopped at the Dashwood Arms in West Wycombe.  Doesn't that sound so romantic?  And they are still there!  I could write a book about all the restaurants that have closed in West Bloomfield just since I moved here in 1972.  As a matter of fact, I cannot think of one that still exists.  Even McDonald's left town.

From there we went on to Oxford University.  I still remember thinking it looked so much nicer than the university I attended.

By Chensiyuan [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

From there it was on to Warwick for lunch at the Porridge Pot, which is now the Harvester.  I made no mention of what we ate but I am guessing it was not porridge.  From there we went to Warwick Castle where the Earl of Warwick and his family lived.  We did not get asked to tea, alas.

By DeFacto [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

I seem to recall seeing pheasants roaming the property.  Then again, it was 49 years ago and I have trouble remembering if I shooed geese out of my yard this week or last week.

Leaving the castle we went on to Stratford to visit Shakespeare's birthplace and Anne Hathaway's cottage.


When I had my lengthy slide-show upon returning home, 410 slides, edited of course, one of my relatives had to be a smart--- and ask who lived in Anne Hathaway's cottage.  Ugh!  Relatives.

On the way home we stopped in Banbury for tea and Banbury cakes along with some other assorted pastries.  I made note of how delicious they were.

The drive back to London took us through Bicester, Aylesbury and Tring.  Along the 212 mile route we saw the church where Sir Winston Churchill is buried in High Wycombe, two of the Rothschilds estates and the home of Yehudi Menuhin.

Something to remember from our driver:  "We don't have a climate in England - we only have weather."  Rain and about to rain.

Paying for the hotel and the tour I spent $21.23.

Tomorrow we are on to the continent.

BTW, if I have anything wrong regarding cities or spelling, just blame it on my youth.