Thyme Across The Pond

We left Glasgow and were up for 24 hours and but got home safely. I slept for the next 24 hours. I finally got the bags unpacked and laundry done yesterday and am ready to clear off my notes and remaining photos from my phone. The trip was amazing and I wish I had been 20 years younger and had had twice as much time to explore.  Scotland in general was my favorite with Glasgow at the top. I love that they take graffiti prone areas and white wash them once a month so new artists can have a place to work. The Highlands held a special place in my heart. It felt like home. They seem to have adopted building codes similar to Santa Fe where new homes resemble the old architecture. And the brogue is almost a foreign language. We truly are a people divided by a common language! I never need to be in London again. There is a lot of history and architecture of interest there but I can't handle the crowds. And if I ever have to go through Heathr...

We got to the train and headed off to Crewe, where, on weekends, you have to go to change for a train to London. We were arriving on one rail while our other train was meeting us  When we got to London at the Euston station we decided to splurge and hire a taxi. I dropped Mike off at the Churchill War Museum and headed off to take pictures, some of famous stuff and some lowly government buildings that needed a little attention. It was starting to rain and I saw something that was closer than expected. Since it was close and the lines were short due to weather, I decided I needed to go over and do the one thing I wanted to do in London. Pictures are poor quality but a record of my trip. Buckingham Palace back of Green Park  The weather just got worse so ...

Today is our last full tourist day and the plan was to go see Caernarfon Castle out in far northwest Wales. Having learned my lessons from the Chicago art museum (closed on Tuesdays) and the Churchill War Museum (must have reservations) I checked all requirements, dates and times. We are good to go. Except that the train schedule we were using did not point out there is no service to this area on Saturday or Sunday. So we have a whole day free. Since we still have valid train passes for anywhere, we made the decision the take a quick two hour jaunt over to London so Mike can see the Churchill War Museum, the one thing he was really regretting not getting to see. I will wander around and get pictures of all the tourist stuff - Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and whatever is close by for these legs to handle. Pictures later.

Ok Peggy, this post is for you and Jack. "Welcome to Wrexham" is a TV show that has been around about four seasons. It follows the true story of friends Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mc Elhenney who purchase a down on its luck football team in Wrexham, Wales and turned the team's and the town's fortunes around. Peggy and Jack are BIG fans and asked us to get a scarf from the team when we were close by. Here is our story. We got to the train station for the 15 minute ride to Wrexham and dropped into the cafe there for a healthy breakfast. The Chester train station is noteworthy because it was designed and built by Thomas Brassey who was a major train station developer in England back in the day. He gave the money to have it built and it held a record at some time for having the longest facade on a building. It was also built in one single year. This photo shows about half of it. This station connects us directly to Wrexham which has a flavor...