Sentimental Journey

Old May 21st, 2016, 08:32 PM
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Sentimental Journey

My sister Diane said parts of this trip could be a scene from a movie like “Saving Private Ryan”. The movie opens in the modern day at a country church in England then goes back to New Year’s Eve 1943 and the story that brought us to the church more than 70 years later. I hope that I can do it justice in a trip report.

My father was a tail gunner on a B-17 in England during World War II. He lost his right leg in combat but to my sisters and I as children, he was our dad and he just had a wooden leg. That was our family’s normal. On New Year’s Eve 1973, when we were old enough to understand, he told us the story of that mission. Over the years we had heard other stories about his time in the service that were funny or interesting but this one he told only once.

Years later, thanks to the internet, my sisters and I connected with a man in England who is affiliated with the veterans of my dad’s bomb group. They no longer hold reunions but he continues to make connections with veterans’ families and offered to show families around the area where Daddy’s unit was based. My husband and I took him up on that offer and built a two-week trip around it. We would stay in Bath and London and make several day trips from London.
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Old May 21st, 2016, 08:47 PM
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Looking forward to more.
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Old May 21st, 2016, 10:42 PM
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Me too! We have done trips with the same theme, so will be interested to read the details of yours.
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Old May 22nd, 2016, 06:40 AM
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Me as well! Most B-17 bases were in East Anglia where I live. I would be interested to know where he was stationed.
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Old May 22nd, 2016, 08:44 AM
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Heimdall, my father was with the 305th Bomb Group stationed at Chelveston.
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Old May 22nd, 2016, 08:47 AM
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Monday May 2
Arrived at LAX early for our flight thanks to little traffic, quickly got through security and to the gate. We had booked through Delta but were on a code share operated by Virgin Atlantic. We splurged for Premium Economy and easily found our seats as each section boarded from its own entry. The Boeing Dreamliner is a beautiful plane. We stowed our carry-ons in huge bins above our seats and settled in. We had flown the Airbus A380 in Economy Plus on Air France but the area around these seats did not seem as spacious. The tray table came out from between the seats which was awkward however the TV screen might have been better quality than Air France. Cabin crew seemed very professional and helpful. I got a little sleep overnight but poor Mr. Wonderful did not.
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Old May 22nd, 2016, 05:10 PM
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Tuesday May 3
We landed at London Heathrow at mid-day and were soon through customs and passport control. It was so quick we wondered if we had gone the right way and had somehow missed something. Our driver from Celtic Horizons was waiting with our name on a sign and we were headed to Bath via Stonehenge. While researching how to get to Bath from Heathrow I discovered this company will pick you up from Heathrow and allow you to visit a site along the way to your destination. Since our flight landed about noon we had the time and it turned out to be worth the money. We had reserved tickets online for 3:00-3:30 based on Celtic Horizons’ recommendation and were right on time. Norman, our driver, also stopped at a Starbucks along the road to allow us to get a little caffeine so we alert enough to enjoy Stonehenge. We started the self-guided tour in the visitor center then out on the path to the standing stones. It is designed so the visitor approaches on the footpath and can see the monument in the distance and growing closer. You can get relatively close despite the fence; we took lots of photos and spent about an hour at the monument. It was amazing to see Stonehenge in person.

Back in the car for another hour we tried to stay awake talking to Norman but it was a losing battle. Finally we pulled up to the Kennard hotel in Bath. We found our golden yellow room was one flight up on the street side and had private bathroom with stall shower. The tile in the shower was sparkling clean and the bed was comfortable. After settling in a bit Mr. Wonderful read menus in the lobby and chose Sotto Sotto for dinner. The hotel is just over the Pulteney Bridge from the center of town and is a fairly level and easy walk. Sotto Sotto is near Bath Abbey but we never got to try the food as the heat was on way too high so we didn’t get past the door. We walked further and came upon the Firehouse Rotisserie and gave it a try. Mr. Wonderful had a duck quesadilla and I had salad and pizza. Not too adventurous on my part but it was all very good. Back at the hotel we finished unpacking and got some pretty good sleep for our first night in England.
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Old May 23rd, 2016, 12:40 AM
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on for the ride.

I'm convinced the trick to Heathrow, is don't land at the same time as the flights from the Caribbean.
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Old May 23rd, 2016, 08:17 AM
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How do we coordinate that Bilboburgler?
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Old May 23rd, 2016, 08:25 AM
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Wednesday May 4
We were awake fairly early and ready for breakfast before 8:00am when they begin serving in the downstairs dining room. There was a good selection of hot and cold foods but we stuck to cereal, porridge and fruit. The tea and fresh orange juice were very good. I am a tea drinker and the Kennard served the best. Staff were very accommodating and gave us a good start each morning of our stay.

After breakfast we walked to the Roman Baths and followed the audio tour which was interesting. It was amazing to me to see this Roman structure right in the middle of Georgian Bath. It was beautiful and fascinating to see how it worked and wonder about who might have visited centuries ago.

From the baths we walked to the Abbey which is nearby. It is a beautiful church and was dubbed the “Lantern of the West” by Queen Elizabeth I for the many stained glass windows. We had lunch at the Roman Baths Kitchen which we tried because our tickets to the Baths gave us a discount at the restaurant. We had a nice lunch but forgot to use the discount. After looking in a few shops we found jet lag catching up to us and went back to the hotel to nap.

After our naps we went walking around Bath and peeked in some shops. We took a lot of photos and used the time to check out restaurants for dinner. We decided on dinner at an Italian restaurant called Joya near the weir (perhaps because we missed out on Italian the night before). The hostess made a big deal about us not having reservations and wondered if she could seat us. She took us upstairs where only one table was filled. When those gents left we remained the only diners up there throughout our meal.
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Old May 23rd, 2016, 08:58 AM
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"The hostess made a big deal about us not having reservations and wondered if she could seat us. She took us upstairs where only one table was filled. ">>>>>>>LOL, Scootoir.

What a nice tribute trip to your dad.
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Old May 23rd, 2016, 04:56 PM
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Thanks TDudette, he was my hero.
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Old May 23rd, 2016, 06:07 PM
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Along for the ride! -- hope you end up w/ the same thrills and chills I experienced retracing my Dad's footsteps in the Battle of the Bulge (My Dad was stationed in the UK too -- first in Scotland and then down in the SW before heading to France)
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Old May 23rd, 2016, 09:11 PM
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Definitely chills janisj.
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Old May 23rd, 2016, 09:15 PM
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Thursday May 5
This morning we took the hop on/off bus to the Jane Austen museum near Queen’s Square. It is a small museum in a Georgian house that provides some information on Austen’s life, her family and writing. Our guide portrayed Kitty Bennet with youth and enthusiasm suited to the part. One exhibit I liked showed possible likenesses of Jane Austen and another clothing of her times. There was a shop and tearoom and while the tearoom prices seemed reasonable (£16.50 for tea with sandwiches, a scone and cakes) it was too early for lunch.

Leaving the museum we walked east on George Street to explore this area of the city. There were lots of restaurants so we made our way reading menus. We had a mind to have lunch and then get back on the hop on/off bus to view the Royal Crescent and take the route back to the Abbey where we would switch to the Skyline Route. While walking we decided to head back to a restaurant we saw but must have taken a wrong turn (not sure how, it wasn’t that far). We didn't find the place so kept walking around until we came to a place called Jolly’s Tea Room. I was attracted by the words “tea room” and encouraged Mr. Wonderful to look at the menu which he liked. The room wasn’t too frilly, in fact it was rather modern and elegant with grey, silver and white colors. We found out it was part of Jolly's Department Store. I was served afternoon tea on a 3-tiered tray while Mr. Wonderful had a savory tartlet with a cold vegetable salad. The scones were better at Patisserie Valerie but the sandwiches and sweets were very nice. Mr. W had to help finish off the sweets. How lovely to be drinking delicious English tea.

After lunch we drove past the Circus and the Crescent and through some gardens. As I mentioned there are two routes for the hop on/off bus and in the afternoon we took the Skyline route with views over the city. It was a lovely day in the open air on the upper deck of the bus. After the bus tour we returned to town and shopped a bit. Found the Cath Kidston shop and bought a gift for a friend. Love that shop but never seem to buy myself anything there.

We decided to return to the Firehouse for dinner which had good food and service. This time I had roast chicken which was amazingly good. We saw plate after plate heading out of the kitchen so were not alone in our thinking.
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Old May 24th, 2016, 08:38 AM
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Friday May 6
Today was our long-awaited Cotswold tour with Mad Max Tours. We walked to the square near the Abbey Hotel to meet the bus and our driver guide Colin. We were a group of about 12 (16 is their maximum for a tour group) from the UK, US, Australia and the Netherlands. Due to the Badminton Horse trials the planned route would change to avoid a lot of traffic. This was a bit disappointing as we would not get to see Tetbury and Stow-in-the-Wold. In their place we would be visiting Bampton which was used for exteriors for the village in Downton Abbey. We began the day in Castle Coombe and ended in Bibury which were my favorite stops. If we had made those two and the lunch-time stop in Burford that would have been satisfying enough for me, well and maybe a little more shopping time in Burford.

In Castle Combe we were invited by a local woman to step into her garden which she was restoring. She was an American who divides her time between Castle Coombe and Santa Barbara (CA) and is restoring her Cotswold cottage including creating a knot garden. She had recently purchased the home from an older woman who Colin said liked to chat with the tour groups walking through the village, sounds like the new owner is carrying on the practice. In Bibury in the afternoon we strolled Arlington Row, around a wetland area and near the Swan. It was really lovely with perfect weather. Colin was a personable and knowledgeable guide. I would highly recommend a Mad Max tour.

On our return to Bath we didn’t feel like a big meal so had sandwiches at Pret a Manger then ice cream for dinner. After the ice cream we realize we left our day pack at Pret and rushed back. They had just closed but we managed to get the workers’ attention and a young man knew exactly what we wanted and brought out the pack. Trouble averted. Back at the hotel we packed for the train to London on Saturday.
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Old May 26th, 2016, 01:54 PM
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Saturday May 7
We were packed and ready to leave early and after another good breakfast said goodbye to our hosts at the Kennard. We had called a taxi to take us to the station. As we waited on the platform one of the rail staff told us we could upgrade to first class for only £15 on the weekend. We decided to do this hoping the carriage would be quiet and chose one of the front 2 cars as directed. After the next stop the conductor came around to check tickets and we asked about the upgrade. He told us we were in standard class and would have to move to the next car. It was quiet enough so we decided to stay. The woman sitting across from us said they had recently changed from 2 first class cars to only 1. Most people don’t realize this so the forward car tends not to be full and remains fairly quiet. At Reading a lot of people got on, every seat was full and the car buzzed with conversation.

We arrived at Paddington Station and caught a taxi to our hotel, the Thistle Holborn, the Kingsley on Bloomsbury Way. It was a mouthful and sometimes confused taxi drivers so I memorized the address. Our room was not ready so we had lunch in the lobby bar and relaxed until it was. We were staying 10 nights and I had contacted the hotel directly to reserve after checking out rates online. We also signed up for free breakfast online. I directed my email to the manager and asked for a room upgrade since we were staying so long—he obliged. It was a pretty nice room with a king bed, a sofa and some extra space. The bathroom was pretty small but seemed newly remodeled and had good storage space. Our room was away from the street and seemed to have no wall in common with another room. It was also close to the elevator but we didn’t hear a sound from it, the hotel seemed very quiet.

On this particular weekend it was very warm in London and neither of us had packed any warm weather clothes to speak of so we walked to the Marks & Spencer near Covent Garden. I bought a linen blouse but Mr. Wonderful was out of luck. A dozen years ago Mr. W bought a couple of golf shirts in Paris when temperatures were in the 90s for a few days in September. We have sworn that from now on we will always pack a couple of T-shirts. When we got back to the hotel we walked around the nearby streets looking for dinner and settled on a little Italian place on Museum Street called Amarcord Museum. One young waiter managed all the tables and did a good job of it.

We were ready for our London adventure.
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Old May 27th, 2016, 07:55 AM
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Sunday May 8
This would be the warmest day of our trip at 81 degrees. Wearing my new linen blouse we walked south on Drury Lane to the Strand and the Courtauld Gallery in Somerset House. We enjoyed seeing some beautiful Impressionist paintings. There was a colorful Picasso painting of yellow irises and a Seurat “Man Painting a Boat” that I liked. We had a scone, tea and cappuccino for elevenses sitting outside under an umbrella in the museum’s café. We continued viewing some of the galleries before visiting the shop and buying some gifts. Musuem gift shops are often my favorite places to shop while traveling. We strolled along the Strand, bought tea at Twinnings and stopped at good old Pret-a-Manger for a rest, some water and people watching.

When it just got too warm we took a taxi back to our hotel to relax a little. We never really did have lunch but we travel with granola bars for just such an occasion. Later we set out to find a place for dinner and came upon the Dalloway at the Bloomsbury Hotel. We sat outside on the terrace to enjoy the evening. Mr. Wonderful started with a beer and I had a glass of rose which I am partial to. The food was good, there was a family seated near us with an adorable toddler to visit with so it was a nice evening before our memorable day on Monday.
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Old May 27th, 2016, 08:28 AM
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I'm enjoying your report. I too stayed at the Kennard in Bath and liked it a lot.
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Old May 27th, 2016, 08:41 AM
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Upon googling knot garden, I found some beautiful arrangements. Very cool.

Your hotel looks super and I loved the Courtauld Gallery--just the right size.
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