Jolly ol’ England

Jon: After a nice, albeit short, time in Iceland we hopped further across the pond to England on the last day of September. Our arrival point was the Gatwick Airport, which is south of London and much smaller than Heathrow. It was a very quick cab ride to our accommodations at Melville Lodge Guesthouse in Horley, a smallish city with wood clad houses and some old world charm. An early check-in allowed us a much needed nap before we were off to explore town and mingle with locals in a pub for dinner. The pub was idyllic on the exterior, but a bit commercialized within. Sadly, most we found have been bought by one chain or another. “Progress.”

We spoke to Brian, one of the guesthouse caretakers, during breakfast our first morning and decided to head into London while there was a good weather window. He was quite helpful and pointed out that we should make the most of our time when we can. We caught a mid-morning train to the city. It was a treat for me to revisit a place I’d previously been and liked so much. Sharing it with Amy made it even better. We walked all over, then walked some more. Our feet took us to just about every sight on the must-see list. We worked from the Tower of London around Tower Bridge, past Saint Paul’s Cathedral, through the Borough Market, past the Globe Theater, on to Parliament/Big Ben, then Westminster Abbey, and finally Buckingham Palace. We followed the Thames River as often as possible as we made our way.

The weather was near perfect, sunny and warm with just an occasional breeze to remind us that fall was closing in. After wrapping up our city tour, we headed to Victoria Station to catch a train to Horley. We quickly learned that rush hour may not be the best time to board and opted for a craft beer, or two, at a brew pub across the street. These ended up being the best beers we had in England. We made our way back after things calmed, marginally, at the train station. Another pub for dinner with all the charm outside and all the standardized, commercial, menus and options inside. Oh well.

With our flight to Austria closing in, we moved north of London to be closer to Stanstead Airport for our departure. A jerky and hot coach bus ride took us to the airport where we figured out next steps. Not wanting to stay on top of the airport, we worked to find a place in a small town called Thaxted. The town of Thaxted is quite small, in the country, and amazingly picturesque with a windmill on the outskirts and a beautiful church in the center that was started in 1340 and completed in 1510. A number of Medieval homes can still be found scattered about town as well. It was a great place to unwind, slow down, gather ourselves, and plan for our next leg to Austria. We ended up at the Swan Hotel, which had lots of charm outside and in. Though owned by a chain, it wasn’t immediately obvious. For one, they allowed dogs in the pub – we love dogs! We stayed two nights in Thaxted and spent our free time walking the paths and trails that braid through town and the countryside.

After an enjoyable whirlwind tour of London and a couple surrounding communities, we were whisked away for another red eye flight. Off to Austria! More to come soon.

(Dates: Sept 29-Oct 3)