It was refreshing to be back home for the beginning of November. Arthur enjoyed it as well even though he thoroughly enjoys his cat sitters.
In November, we had snuggles and snow, and someone decided he liked sitting on 3/4 of my pillow, which leaves very little space for me.
In late November, I took an extended vacation, which I hadn’t really done for years, and it was amazing. I traveled to the England, then I went on a river cruise through Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria, and made a stop in Finland on the way home.
Crossing the Atlantic
To make it a little easier, I decided to fly out of Toronto, directly to Heathrow in London. It’s always an adventure to try a new airport, and this time was no different. I had pre-paid for parking, and I eventually made it through the traffic to find the parking garage. I splurged and bought a business class ticket with miles and $, and it was worth it to have the space on the flight across the ocean. Was it comfortable? Not really, but it was space, so it did make a difference.
I rented a car after a lot of research, watching UK driver’s training YouTube videos, and taking countless practice driving theory tests. It was wonderful and scary and a learning experience. I loved it. My first stop was Stowe House, which is now a school. I imagined going to school there as we walked through the halls and just absorbed all the history. I loved the library.
I stayed about 40 minutes away from the airport in Milton Keynes. I got to shop at Sainsbury’s and M&S, which are two grocery stores that I wanted to see when I was there. I ate some familiar favorites and tried some new things, and I tried to stay hydrated. The Hobnobs were my favorite!
I drove out to see the big rocks at Stonehenge on Saturday, and I was surprisingly not jet lagged. You start at the visitor’s center, and then you take a bus out to the site. It was a windy, rainy day, but it was still a little busy.
After Stone Henge, I had signed up for a 3-hour walking tour of Oxford. It rained so much that day! Thankfully, it wasn’t cold, but I gave up about 2 hours in. It was an amazing city, and I enjoyed the TK Maxx in their indoor/outdoor mall. I used a great parking app to get a great spot called JustPark; it was so simple and convenient to book ahead of time and know where I’d be parking.
Sunday was a brand new day full of sunshine. After two days, I had a good handle on the driving and headed out to Stratford Upon Avon to visit Shakespeare’s childhood home. You guys. It smelled not great. While it was amazing to imagine this child growing up to be such a prolific writer, the age of everything was scented. Perhaps, it didn’t help that after it was a home and before it was a museum, it was a tavern….
My next stop on Sunday was Bletchley Park. I scheduled a tea service while I was there as well. I walked the grounds, including the pond, wandered through the outbuildings that were thoughtful recreations of what they would’ve looked like during the war, and very much enjoyed the amazing woodwork in the main house before tea.
I didn’t really consider myself an Anglophile before this trip, but I have to say that this leg of my vacation really fed my soul. Although I didn’t go into London proper, the English countryside was exactly what I needed to rest and visit beautiful examples of history across multiple centuries.
Next time – I’m flying to Budapest and boarding the river cruise.
The Adventures of Ms Haps & Arthur 
Wonderful update. I was in London two years ago and Austria a year before that. Loved both but wish I spent more time in the English countryside as you did. Stonehenge was amazing but I was sad we couldn’t get closer. Your update brought me right back to that vacation, afternoon tea, rainy days, buildings that smell like the centuries of history they carry…. loved it and thank you.
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