Yes the jet lag is worse going to England than going to the US. We were all up at 3 AM here. Got all of our office lists lined up by 5 and now we have to wait till 9 to make calls. By 11 AM we will be back asleep.
Regarding the US drivers. The law says that you must come to a complete stop before making a right hand turn at a red light. So much for the law. Oncoming traffic always has the right of way. This rule is widely ignored and leads to some horrendous accidents especially in the winter when the 80 year olds are about. (In England we must note that you can NEVER turn right or left when a light is red, you can ONLY move when they go green!!)
Things we enjoyed:
1. Dursley is a charming town with all the basic necessities close at hand. I had a great time walking to the news stand every morning.
2. Great bakery on Parsonage Street with tea room in the back.
3. The Old Spot was a tremendous pub especially on Wednesday nights when the local musicians came in to play. We met some wonderful people there and the beer of course was awesome. I have to go to Oxford in 3 years for a reunion and I am going to make it a point to take my chums there for a visit.
4. The information centre at the pool complex has a wonderful assortment of maps for walkers in the Dursley area but you have to ask for them. I took a solo ramble on Saturday up Downham Hill, met some wonderful animals and had a great time getting lost. Your countryside reminded us a great deal of western Maryland.
5. Gloucester. Stunning Cathedral, good restaurants, good shopping but pricey. A full day's outing.
6. Berkeley Castle. Tremendous value and a real treat to visit. Very capable tour guides.
7. Bristol. This was the highlight of the trip for Noah. Dave and Buster's. The kids played and Karen and I read. As long as we threw 20 quid at them every hour they were fine. The whole complex there seemed just like an American shopping centre.
8. Forest of Dean. Beautiful countryside and very touristy. Nice for a day trip.
9. Stow on Wold, Burton on the Water, etc... An American vision of Old England. Picture perfect with an odd assortment of gift shops offering a never ending supply of Beanie Babies. A good day trip.
10. Oxford. I have been there 6 times before but never during summer. I won't make the same mistake again. Huge crowds of people. Much more pleasant when school is in session.
11. Bath. Very crowded and I was about to write the town off until we visited the Roman Baths. This really got our attention. The baths are worth the trip. The city itself is only OK.
12. OwIpen Manor. A complete rip off They charge more for a visit than Berkley Castle and you see 3 rooms in various stages of decomposition. The garden is a joke. The roof is about to give out. I think the owners are just milking this cash cow for all it is worth until it implodes. The road into the grounds is a mine field. A complete write off.
13. Restaurants. The Tandoori places and the Balti are quite good. Other than that there really isn't much to choose from. The best priced food was in the Bell Hotel (did you know it's haunted?) but the quality was average though Noah swears they make one of the best hamburgers he has ever tasted! The Chinese carry out near the police station was closed and the Fish and Chips place on Long Street should have been closed a long time ago.
14. The Eclipse. Made a picnic of it up at the Long Barrow in Cam. Big crowd of friendly people there. The clouds obscured the show right at the climax but hey we tried.
15. The house. Had a heck of a time finding it since it is almost invisible to see from the road. Nobody in town knew where you lived (even the people that rented you a house while the new one was being built !?) Very comfortable layout with a great kitchen. We could live in a packing crate but it would have to have a good kitchen.. We love your stove and were trying tofigure out a way to take it home with us. The binder with all the appliance information was well laid out and the Post lts on the cabinets were genius. We didn't use the formal dining room but we don't use the one here either. The solarium was a perfect area to relax and read in. I was the one to use the play room but I could never get my CDI golf score lower than +6.
The location was great and the people in Dursley were wonderful. I went to Communion at St. James Sunday and everyone made it a point to say hello.
We were quite pleased with the way the exchange worked out and we are looking forward to the trip in May to Australia. Like you this was the first time for us but all in all you can't beat the fact that going to another country and getting out of that hotel tour guide rut certainly gives you an insight that most visitors do not enjoy. Let us know that you got in all right.
Kind regards
Mike Richards
P.S. You folks pay way too much for petrol.
