We had an early morning breakfast.  It was delicious.

On the bus!  Our driver was Urick and our guide was Rob.

We made our first stop at 8:45am. Very nice rest area.  There was a pond with koi and a waterfall.  I took a  picture of the fish.

There were also lots of flowers being sold.  I just love the flower stalls in England.

While I was there I bought Diana’s Smarties.  One gift down and two more gifts to go.

We got back on the bus and headed out to Ann Hathaway’s cottage.  The drive was beautiful and the scenery was pretty.

Love the thatched roof.

 

10:00pm  After the rest stop we went on to Ann Hathaway’s cottage.  Unfortunately they had some work being done and it spoiled the pictures.

Nicole  in the back of Ann Hathaway’s Cottage.  It was really strange what we did.  It was something like out of “A Christmas Vacatioin.’  We ran off the bus, crossed the street from the house and then stood in a group to have our picture taken then we had to run aback to the bus and we left!  Not more tha 15 minutes total.

We headed up to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace.

Passing beautiful homes as we traveled.

Unique looking streets.

The Shakespeare Theater.

 

This was a street that was closed to autos.  It had some really unique shops.

I just love Beatrix Potter.  We traveled to the Lake District later in the week to see here home.

 

Now to the house Shakespeare grew up in.

Nicole entering the house.  We saw a short movie and then g got to tour the house.  I only stayed downstairs.  My walker would not make it upstairs.Fireplace in the bedroom to keep warm.

Bed next to the fireplace.

Dining area.  Fireplace is to the left where all the cooking took place.

Shakespeare’s father was a glove maker.

Back of the house.

The gardens in back of the house.

Nicole and I sitting in the garden.

Front of House.

After running into a hundred or so Red Hat Ladies, Nicole and I stopped for a quick bite of lunch.

We shared a roast beef and horseradish sandwich and some lemonade.  It was very good and just enough.  We had such a big breakfast just a few hours ago, we weren’t really hungry .  We knew we had to have something to eat because dinner wouldn’t be unti around 6:00pm.  I bought some post card for a friend and a British car for Ian.  Everyone had a gift now except Allison.

We got back on the bus and headed to York.

Good bye, Shakespeare.

Before leaving I made sure we had our pictures taken in their phone booth.  There are very few left because like the US, everyone in England has a cell phone.

Driving to York.

 

Arriving in York.

York

York  Minister is the largest Gothic cathedral in England.  The towers of i’ts west front rise 174 feet and it’s nave is an imposing 138 feet wide and 276 feet long.  The west front includes the window known as the Heart of Yorkshire because of the shape of the tracery near it’s top.

 

 

 

An Inn in York.

Lovely street in York.

Street artist.

York

York

Lovely flowers in window boxes.

The Golden Fleece Pub

Close up of the Golden Fleece.

Love the top of the roof.

More flower stalls.

Crazy person juggling swords blindfolded.

After the show.

 

York is a beautiful wall  city.  The wall is very old but most of it is still standing.

Nicole sitting on the wall.

Another picture of the wall

Lendal Tower.  Every night, a great iron chain, stored in the tower, stretched across the river Ouse to Barker Tower on the opposite bank.  The chain prevented boatmaen from entering the city without paying tolls and it protected the city in trouble times.

Information on Lendal Tower.  It is now a private residence.

Nicole and I just to the left of the Lendal Tower.  The River Ouse is in the backround.

Beautiful lamp on the bridge by Lendal Tower.

Enough for today.  I have to clean my house.

Blessings!