Time to Show Off the Countryside

After two days of nonstop walking in London, Lynette and I decided to jump in the car on Friday and head for Stratford upon Avon via Bourton-on-the-Water.

Bourton-on-the-Water is in the Cotswolds off the beaten path and I have been wanting to check it out since our first trip to Stratford last month. Lynette's visit was the perfect opportunity. I was anxious to show her just how charming the English countryside is. Around every corner there is yet another picturesque scene - fabulous! We parked the car and set off towards the small village via a meandering walkway next to a crystal clear and very shallow moving stream. The bottom of the stream is covered in pebbles and it is kind of mesmerizing to watch just a few inches of water flowing swiftly over the wide stream bed. As we approached town it became quickly evident that we would have to have tea at one of the charming cafes along the main street so we could take it all in. This was our first encounter with "clotted cream" and scones!

I won't get into the details of Stratford-upon-Avon again but we were able to finish all of the historic homes of William Shakespeare and his family this time around. As an aside, I am on a mission to find a coat rack, given the complete lack of closets in our flat! As we poke around these little towns I am determined to find one in an antique store or something but so far, no luck. Another interesting observation is that some things are universal. For example, we had to hit up McDonalds in Stratford to use the facilities and came upon three teenage girls doctoring up the skirt of their school uniform. Out with the plaid one that went with the blazer and blouse! They all pulled out black mini skirts, tied the shirts fashionably at the waist and changed their shoes - voila, they were ready for the after school scene! Who hasn't seen that transformation of the Xavier outfit at Scottsdale Fashion Square?

But I digress...time to head home to Swindon and show Lynette some hospitality. Good thing Mike made reservations for us at Thai Orchid - in my defense, I have been out all day!