Canuckk

Enjoyed the content and style from all writers of this report.
I admit I made some location notes from your experiences. If possible, could you share your source for finding hotels or B&B's? I have spent the night trying to find triple rooms for stays throughtout the countryside of England/Scotland with very little success.
Enjoy your new schoolyear.

VolCrew

Thanks for your positive comments and all the input for DW’s trip planning. For those still reading this report:

jent103: Yeah, I can identify with that. It can be funny how we cling to things. I still have the first 35mm SLR I ever purchased, a Minolta SRT-101, and all the prime lenses that accompany it in those pre-zoom days. For our western tour last summer (http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...s-710-2509.cfm), DD and I got up early to photograph the Grand Canyon sunrise, albeit sans tripods. It is something you have to do, I guess.

fanshawe: LOL. Glad to hear someone recognized that reference. I still listen to Ian occasionally.

Maudie: I don't remember hearing the train at all. I think DD and I both liked #34 because we had more space there. And it is a short, pleasant walk to the city wall.

kerouac: It is a long report, but I hope you have found your bearings by now.

Hooameye: Ha! Of course, over here we use the word "sidewalk" to describe the improved walking surface used by pedestrians adjacent to whatever-you-call-the-thing-where-the-cars-drive. I hesitated to use the words "carriageway" and "motorway" in fear that they had some special technical meaning. What is the difference between the two?

sassy_cat: Thanks for the feedback. I spend most of my limited forum-time elsewhere and was not sure how that input would be received here.

europeannovice: If you would like to read more about Oxford, our first trip there is documented in http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-day-trips.cfm. BTW: I just read your European Extravaganza report (http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...travaganza.cfm). I want to go to Paris, too, but I think traveling with you may be too much like traveling with DW (“…because our day was not yet done…”). Ha. Whew. I was interested in your description of Kew. I had read of Robert Fortune’s involvement there in For All the Tea in China (Sarah Rose) and was curious.

Janisj: Again, my trip timing did not coincide with the British Grand Prix (I remember your post from our 2008 trip when we visited the Silverstone Classic). But, as you can tell, I am still reliving the memories of my Wales rally experience.

Yk: Thanks for your encouraging words to DW. I just read your report London/Oxford Trip Report - 6 days of art, music, historic houses - a journey through English history (http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...lish-histo.cfm ). Marvelous detail. We are Morse, Lewis and Foyle fans, too. Please give me a link to your “Germany April 2007 solo trip: $143/day” report.

Isabel: To my dismay, DW is slaving day and night to post pics. I think a link is forthcoming.

Irishface: What is the saying? “Never let your schooling get in the way of your education” or something like that.

Happy trails, all.

texasbookworm

canuckk--How did I find B&B's Well it wasn't very scientific! First I would googlemap bandb in a specific city which would give me lots of dots; I would pick an area I though would be convenient for walking; I would then google several of those and/or look on trip advisor, which I always read with a shaker of salt handy; and then I might post the name on this forum. I also had some guides, like Rick Steves and Frommers, which I would cross reference. I'd pick 4-6 in a city/town, look at their website (and this eliminated several which didn't have rooms for 3), and then email each for availability and price. Then I'd decide. I would definitely go back to each of them except the one in Durham; I would definitely stay in the neighborhood of each of them. Each, except for Durham (and this wasn't a consideration in making that reservation) was within pretty easy walking distance and had free parking, of some sort or another, for the car. It did take lots of hours of internet searching and then diligent emailing to secure the rooms about 8 months ahead. Oh, and they averaged about 90-95 pounds for three.

scotlib--taking high school students (just 5) and a parent

Canuckk

After reading your approach in selecting B&B's, I can appreciate the emotion behind the first sentence of Chapter 2.
Guess all hours of my weekend will taken up by your outline for homework.
Thanks,texasbookworm, for the strategy.

Maudie

Thanks Volcrew, the price seems reasonable compared to a few others I have checked, we will be there over a weekend and a lot of the B&B's put up their prices.

Loved your photo's, sigh. We have only about 9 months of hard savings till we are there.

Maudie

PS, especially loved your photo's of St Pauls, Parliament House and the Bridge at night - we missed seeing that last time as we stayed out at North Earling. Can't complain as it was free accommodation but spent far too long on the tube back and forth. This time we are in Central London and making sure we spend time for our "night shots".

I can relate to what you are saying about finding accommodation - many many hours spent sitting in front of this computer too!

PatrickLondon

>>I hesitated to use the words "carriageway" and "motorway" in fear that they had some special technical meaning.<<

Carriageway: That part of any sort of road that vehicles run in (roadway is also used)

Motorway: A specific type of road designed for fast motor vehicles only (modelled on the German autobahn).

irishface

Maudie, where did you find the link to Bookworm's photos? I have gone back through this report twice and cannot find the link. Am I blind or is my computer leaving info out?

texasbookworm

irishface--no you are not blind!!! I made a mistake, posted a url DH thought was not anonymous enough, and am working on making another link--thanks for your patience--I should have up the same pictures via a new link by this evening!

texasbookworm

(woops, hit submit instead of preview)--Anyway, I asked editors to delete my post and it looks like they did. If you can bear with me, do check back later this evening and see if I've got the new link up!

SandyBrit

texasbookworm & VolCrew:

I just found your delightful trip report. I chuckled when I read your comment about bar soap - that is my DH's choice.
Many thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.

Canuckk - B&B's have a look on http://www.smoothhound.co.uk or http://www.theaa.com

Sandy

annhig

I chuckled when I read your comment about bar soap - that is my DH's choice.>>

as opposed to what exactly? scrubbing oneself with cinders? oil and a scraper as per roman [or was it greek?] athletes? i really don't get why using a bar of soap is a matter for hilarity, or even comment. but then, I'm just a brit.

thursdaysd

Just finished reading this. Thanks to both of you for a great report! I've lived in the US for the last 35 years, but it reminded me that I still miss the UK. Neat that you went to Rye - used to go to that area on holiday.

BTW, for Oxford fans, the NY Times Travel section had a piece on staying in university dorms a few weeks ago, including in Oxford. I can't find the article, but this is the booking site referenced - http://universityrooms.co.uk/ (not the best site for London - go directly to the university sites there) - I'm looking forward to staying in Keble College next year.

texasbookworm

If you want to see about 100 of our 6000+ pics, I think this link should take you to Photobucket and a slideshow. A lot of our favorite pics have us in them and we don't post pics of our family, but there are still enough of places and scenery here to give you a flavor of what our days looked like. (I'm sorry about the posting of a link this morning that I had to get rid of!) Again, thanks to all you who gave us feedback:

http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/...view=slideshow

yk

Volcrew, thanks for reading my Oxford/London trip report! Here's the my Germany April 2007 TR link:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...of-spargel.cfm

Just FYI, if you click on my screenname, you'll get to my profile page. Scroll down towards the bottom and you can find a list of all the TRs I've posted here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/prof...ripreports.cfm

SandyBrit

Hello annhig:

VolCrew said "I like bar soap" - it made me chuckle because that is my DH exactly. I have been taking a bar soap along for years for those places that only provide liquid soap.

I also am just a brit.

Sandy

annhig

aha, liquid soap. what will they think of next?

[sorry sandy - i just didn't get why anyone would care about the type of soap, and wrongly assumed that this was a remark by one of our US cousins. mea culpa]