I had made this trip years ago, with my good friend Cindy, freeloading with her group of students doing a semester in London. On that trip, I remember being somewhat underwhelmed by Stonehenge and overwhelmed by the cathedral at Salisbury….
We had an absolute blast at the horse races last night: Kempton Park Racecourse, just three stops from Shepperton. I had no idea what to expect, but I’d read about it as “things to do” in Surrey, so I dragged…
We’re all a bit exhausted: since Arthur arrived, we’ve had our debit card suspended, called the U.S. to clear it up, been to the British equivalent of Walmart to stock up on food for the flat, been to Windsor, toured…
Had the experience of someone not understanding me: We’d been to a cafe near the train station almost every day, and they have a really good mocha, but on my third visit, it was a different cashier. When I ordered…
The weather was spectacular today, so we took advantage by exploring Hyde Park. We went via Buckingham Palace, then took a double-decker a few stops, and ended by renting bicycles. The only form of transport we didn’t squeeze in was…
We arrived safe and sound. Our “host,” Philip, met us at the airport, and I immediately made the mistake of starting to get into the car on the driver’s side (Alex, providing me with running commentary, said “strike one”). Anna…
In the last couple weeks before our trip, we have shared in the sadness and tragedy that our dear friends the Suttons have endured, and still are enduring. That has made leaving, and leaving them, a bit hard. Michelle, there…
When I was planning to go down to the huge (huge!) mercado near El Centro in Cuernavaca, I was warned of a few things: always keep you purse in your hand; wear tennies (not sandals) because there is garbage on the ground; and, if you want to take a picture…
The last day of my trip. I spent it hiking straight up a mountain to an archeological site: a small pyramid covered in graffiti. It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for my last day…
We got to the Hacienda de Cortes just as the sun was beginning to set, so the lighting gets a bit worse as the pictures go on. Hopefully they give a sense of both the ancient (i.e., 1530s colonial hacienda) and the new (2000s spa resort).