All Chris told us was we were going on a walk and that Lisl would be joining us. Little did we know what was in store for us!
Let's start with the ubiquitous English narrowboats which we have grown to love!
It was a great way to start the day...
...and still have time to meet Lisl at 10 a.m.
We even had other views along the way,
including finding out Bath's Dutch sister city is Alkmaar,
approximately 55 miles north of us here in the Netherlands.
We were in for a surprise when we met up with Lisl at 10 a.m. (top right).
She and Chris are part of a nature group and we were joining them that day!
The leader of the gang that day was the gentleman in the middle-left image (above)
with his super-sized telescope for bird watching.
The birds happened to be perigrine falcons, nesting in the box of the upper church window
What a way to start our nature walk!
Continuing on...we wound our way around some of the Bath Locks
and actually watched a narrowboat passing through. Lucky timing.
While we see this all the time in Holland, it was different here...much more narrow.
Astrid was in heaven!
Suddenly we were really out in nature. Open fields.
Passing scenes that are soooo English, especially on a misty-rainy day.
Can you imagine anything more idyllic than this! Buttercups everywhere, soaking up the mist.
At this point, we were ready to enter the first of two cemeteries: Smallcombe Cemetery.
While others were finding all kinds of flora and fauna...
Astrid, Chris and I were off wandering. Astrid and I LOVE old cemeteries.
Some of it was pretty treacherous, actually. M U D D Y.
At one point, Astrid slipped and fell...after which we thought we had had enough.
Except for the fact we were now at the entrance to the Bath Abbey cemetery.
As in FAMOUS CHURCH cemetery! How could we say NO to that!
See what I mean? With views overlooking the city...to die for. HA!
We wound our way back through town...
(yup, that's Bath Abbey in the large center image above)
See Astrid's jeans? She really did slip and fall.
But what a trooper, cleaning up even MY shoes.
How's that for a day in the English countryside! See why we have fallen in love with England!
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There is still one more post to do on the 2012 England trip...of things on the farm....
AND a post to do on a trip to Amsterdam this past Friday when we met up with blogger Tor from Norway and a new blogger friend, Silvie....
AND the weekend we just spent in Laren (Gelderland) doing the photo shoot for Mart Martorell's new glassblowing shop's Grand Opening....
AND my early birthday celebration in Giethoorn the weekend after we returned from England! Giethoorn is Holland's Venice...but more on that when I get to it.
I guess you could say I have my work cut out for me, yes? See why I call this my job!?!
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Oh yes. All that and it's my turn at Vision and Verb today,
on WTMI = Way Too Much Information. :)
Gloriously beautiful! I love how there is country right outside those English towns. I hope Astrid didn't injure herself. And oh, it is lovely that we in the land of the living can enjoy such enchanting cemeteries. :-)
ReplyDeleteRuth: Gloriously beautiful is so right, sister. I've become quite an anglophile! Astrid did not hurt herself...except maybe her pride. It was dreadfully slippery, so I'm amazed we all didn't fall down. In the end, it was totally worth it, especially now after seeing all the images again. And yes, what is it about loving cemeteries!!!
ReplyDeleteWe had no clue what we were going to do that day. Only that we would meet Lis and have a walk.
ReplyDeleteWhat we saw on the route was amazing, we stepped back a few hundred years, when we came to the cemetries. Okay, it was a 'little' muddy on our way back. I think I was afraid to injure myself when falling. Nothing got hurt, yes my pride. Now I can laugh about it :)
It is a saying, 'you have to try everything once'....
I would do it again, but then I would come more prepaired.
The boats are a delight, I was so lucky to see one got into a lock.
A great day, with great pictures. Thank you again for making the collage and re-live the day.
Astrid: As they say, all's well that ends well. We had a blast, after all was said and done. It was a good day. We say things we would never want to have missed. What great memories for our last full day in Bath. Thanks for sharing it with me!
ReplyDeleteOH, those photos are just soooo tempting me to go there too!!!! I think it would take me months to explore this area, I just love it all and could go on for ages. But the sign is hilarious, so fitting with a toilet sign text in Bath(room?). Haha...
ReplyDelete(How funny that one of my recent posts also were toilet-related!)
LCT: You would LOVE the entire Bath area if you have never been there yet. Seriously. We have been there 2 years in a row now and still have only scratched the surface, I'm sure. Do go if/when you get the chance!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I did notice our synchronicity with the toilet reference. :)
That was some nature walk! what a variety of place and experience.
ReplyDeleteAnne: Thanks. I have really grown to love the Bath area. It's really wonderful. I don't think there's anywherte in England I haven't grown to love, truth be told!
ReplyDeleteRe-read the post once I had more time.. LOVE all of the photos.. But here is something to ponder... Do you ever go anywhere that you don't find interesting? I think I know your answer.. You always seek and find what's interesting wherever you visit! :)
ReplyDeleteET: Good observation, Jen! I think you're absolutely right--I find everything interesting! Always short of eyes. Always soaking everything up like a sponge. I can't imagine being any other way! :) Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say I love the photos of the fields but I really love all of them, especially the Bath Abbey cemetery. I like reading headstones and imagining what the person's life was like or looking at what must be a whole family and the dates.
ReplyDeleteHahaha on the signage, English humour!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness you had a fun time in England. I wonder if you met up with Tracy too.
Maery: I always feel "short of eyes" when I go over the images for these posts, so I can imagine how you must feel. Thank you for stopping by to comment! I love cemeteries, too. What is it about them, I wonder...besides that they're so quiet. :)
ReplyDeletePC: You can't quite beat English humor, Maria, can you! And NO, we didn't see Tracy this time. She got the memo but I think either missed it or was just too busy with all that was happening in her life at the time. She doesn't sit still, as you know! :)
Such busy, busy girls! I would really love to visit Bath and those cemeteries, for sure, and that last little narrowboat is perfection!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing another amazing journey.
Love those photos. Especially that last one. Priceless!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely short of eyes to borrow Astrid's phrase... so many marvelous images... it must take you HOURS to put them together in such wonderful collages!
ReplyDeleteI hope Astrid didn't hurt herself too badly. (the older we get, the longer it takes for bruises, etc. to heal)
I'm also short of time to get ready for my next adventure which has crept up on me while I've been totally sidetracked with STUFF (some boring, some fun). So I'm off to BV&V and then back at it here at the house!
Victoria: The older I get, the shorter of eyes I seem to become! I know the feeling. Thanks. It does take a lot of time to do these posts, as only you would know, but I think of them like a job, 8 hours every day. That keeps me very busy, as you'd imagine.
ReplyDeleteAstrid did not hurt herself when she slipped and fell. It was mainly just muddy and a mess. We didn't know what we were getting into when we started the day, so were unprepared. But in the end, we were able to laugh, which is all that mattered.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by again. You're crazier than I am!
You have had such a marvellous time in England, in spite of the rain and falling in the mud. I love to walk round cemeteries too.... sad places, but very informative, and photogenic too! I've been sticking close to home recently.... some health issues that are making me a bit nervous. But soon to be dealt with I hope.
ReplyDeleteSham: Your neck of the woods, I know! I have fallen in love with the UK...everything I have seen thus far! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your health issues! More in an e-mail....
You have seen such pretty scenery. We went to Wales in 1968 – I still remember it but it’s time to go back. I went to Bath alone but did not see as much as you did – did not go into a cemetery. Your pictures are truly like open windows into England. I have been there so many times and there are other countries to be visited (which are not so expensive) but England is still calling me. I should not think about a trip there while I am on a trip away from home right now… We are celebrating our 45th today and will have a late lunch on famous Beale Street in Memphis today. I’m ready to see more pictures on England and Amsterdam though.
ReplyDeleteVagabonde: Now that we live so close to the UK, I want to make sure we see as much of it as possible. There may come a day when it will be too expensive for me. too! Thanks for coming with me on these trips. And congratulations on your 45th. What a great milestone!
ReplyDeleteOhmyohmyohmy - the cemeteries are wonderful. And look at that lush greenness - just splendid photos, and obviously a splendid trip.
ReplyDeleteI rather like the unmanicured look of the old cemeteries - it took me a minute to realize that's the difference that was catching my attention. People around this country can manicure their cemeteries to death. ;)
SA: Yes, indeedy. That's exactly it, Linda. These cemeteries are indeed "unmanicured" and that's what makes them so wonderful. I especially like your last sentence, how people can manicure cemeteries in America to death! HA!
ReplyDelete...I'm pea green with envy...
ReplyDeleteMargaret: I know what you mean! It would be fun to swap shoes every so often. :)
ReplyDelete