Trafton’s European Tour 2024-2025

Bath, England 12/6/2024

Greetings from beautiful Cadiz, Spain.

We are doing something a little different this year, Cindy and Kate wanted to tour England, Ireland and Scotland. I’ve been there before, so I headed to my favorite city, Cadiz , Spain

So, I’m writing the Blog from Spain, with Team C&K in England, meaning it will be different, especially with my terrible spelling and punctuation!

Bear with us as we move on, stiff upper lip and all!

Ok, Cindy’s writing this about here’s and Kates tour.

Beautiful December morning in Bath, England. Bath is the only city in the UK that is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We are staying right in the heart of Bath, so we began our lovely walking tour beginning with the Royal Baths (we didn’t partake ourselves) but admired the beautiful architecture. Of course it was the Romans who discovered the thermal waters which are still enjoyed today.

Then on to Bath Abbey, again so beautiful. Bath is well known for its Christmas Markets and it’s in full swing! All the streets are lined with different and unique booths.

Some of the other sites we saw were the Pulteney Bridge and the very famous No. 1 Royal Cresent with its lovely sloping park. Again we were blessed with great weather.

Driving on the British side😜

Dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant below the Airbnb in Bath, must say that looks delicious!

The famous waters of Bath, soaking pool.

Did you know the English love Scotch, I don’t mind it me self 😜

For those Jane Austin lovers we had to stop by the museum gift shop just to check it out. Found a beautiful little produce stand, then it was off to lunch. Delicious!

After lunch we headed back to our apartment to change clothes and go for a very popular hike called the Bath Skyline trail. We enjoyed the hike and the views were awesome. Along the way we discovered that Bath has numerous canals surrounding it. Many are lined with barges that people live in.

Enjoyed our day very much. Off tomorrow for a driving trip through the Cotswolds. The weather turned rainy this afternoon with more to come tomorrow. Oh well…we are in jolly old England!

Ok, that’s it for today, Jolly good and that!

Adios Amigos

London, England 12/4/25

Greetings from cold, but mostly dry London.

Day two of the adventure continues with another walking tour of London.

We love London and have visited here before but love returning. I think one of the reasons why is that we use the underground extensively.

The underground is safe, reasonably priced and can take you anywhere.

Traffic in London is relatively light as everyone uses the Tubes to get around .

Ok, before we go anywhere, a Full English Breakfast. The baked beans cause quite a stir, but they’re delicious!

First stop Buckingham Palace,

Ok, walking through the park now.

A short walk takes you to Westminster Abbey

You need to take a tour here, so Cindy and Kate went in while I people watched.

Beautiful, beautiful place and unbelievable history. You could easily spend the whole day here.

But we must walk!

The giants of the UK have statues in the park next to Westminster.

Walking down to parliament. It’s been restored and it’s beautiful.

In 1940, an incredible battle was waged over the skies of London! It’s was a battle to save freedom from Nazi Germany.

People from around the UK came and participated in the battle. The Germans were relentless in bombing London, thousands died!

This monument stands in thanks to all who helped to save the world from fascism.

Walking through Soho now. Quite the happening spot.

On to Covent Garden. Quite the busy place with the holidays.

Ok, that’s it from London!

We’re heading to Stansted Airport, where I’m flying to Spain and Cindy and Kate are picking up a rental car and touring England, Ireland and Scotland.

P.S. Another 12 mile day…that’s 25 miles in two days! So much for a slow start!

Cheerio from London Town

London, England 12/3/24

Greetings from beautiful London Town, busy England.

Quite a long trip over, with flight delays and layovers, but after a hectic 24 hour odyssey, we made it to our Airbnb in the Notting Hill neighborhood of London. Kate had already made it to our Airbnb in London, so it was an easy check in.

Cold beer at the local Pub…I feel better already!

We checked out the local pub, The Cow. It was fantastic. Ok, time for a little dinner!

Of course, it’s Fish and Chips, with onion rings and mushy peas, an English specialty.

Ok, up bright and early as we have a full day ahead! First stop, the local diner for the Full English Breakfast. Yes, those are Baked Beans, tomatoes and mushrooms, standard English breakfast fare…delicious!