World Travel with Bob: UK

Showing posts with label UK. Show all posts

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Updated Travel Plans for 2026 - December 2025

Once again, we have a fairly busy travel schedule for the upcoming year. Where will we be traveling in 2026? Here is a brief summary.

Planned Elbe River Destinations

Elbe River

This trip starts in Berlin and will take us on a river journey along the Elbe River. We'll end this trip in Czech Republic. The last river trip we took was during our visit to the Christmas Markets in 2024. During that trip, we traveled on the Rhine and visited Germany and France cities and villages. One great thing is that the weather should be much warmer than winter in Europe.

Southern Mediterranean

We've traveled in the Mediterranean on several cruise lines but never in the south or Northern Africa region. This time, we'll visit Tunisia, Algiers, and Morocco. We're looking forward to exploring the ports that will be new to us.

New York City

Our last trip into New York City was in 2018. On this very short 2026 trip, we have tickets to see Sting singing in the third adaptation of his "The Last Ship." We saw the first adaptation of this musical in New York in 2014.

We also have tickets for “Maybe Happy Ending.” This show was nominated for ten 2025 Tony Awards in 2025 and won in six categories, including Best Musical.

Source: MaybeHappyEnding.com

We're looking forward to dining at a few of our favorite theater district restaurants.

Eclipse Cruise

We have a longer ocean cruise that is a round-trip from the East coast of the US. The itinerary includes Greenland, Iceland, The Netherlands, Newfoundland, Norway, Nova Scotia, and UK. Mid-trip, the ship will stop and, hopefully, clear skies will prevail so that we can view a full eclipse. We'll be bringing our eclipse viewing glasses as well as a wide range of clothes for the different temperatures we'll experience.

San Francisco Presidio

This three day trip has become almost an annual summer activity. We enjoy hiking on the expansive Presidio grounds and having a meal in downtown San Francisco. This year, we've scheduled our visit so that we can view a couple of museum exhibits, as well. A well-timed summer visit also means escaping the very warm temperatures of the Central Valley for the cooler San Francisco Bay Area.

What Lies Beyond 2026?

Surprisingly, we have already reserved three 2027 international trips. These focus on Brazil, Scandinavia, and a trans-Pacific cruise. In 2028, we plan to sail on a Southeast Asia cruise in the spring and perhaps arrange a South Korea and Japan land visit to view the fall colors.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Our Travel Continues in 2018

We're starting to get ready for another trip. As we're fond of cruising, much of this trip will be on a small ship. The ship will embark on a transatlantic voyage that will bring us from the US to Canada, Iceland, Scotland, southeastern United Kingdom (UK), up to several northern Norwegian ports and back to the UK. Once we finally reach solid land at the end of the cruise, we'll embark on a driving trip through the eastern area of the UK.

Since most of the trip will be on via a ship, at least we don't have to pack and unpack every few days. The downside of a cruise itinerary is that we only have one day in a particular port to take advantage of local sites. We've been researching our port stops and have arranged a number of scenic and historic tours.

One of our biggest challenges is packing. With a self-imposed limit of one duffel each, this means that we're not bringing along many changes of clothes. Due to the weather extremes we'll likely experience, we also need to pack for both cold and wet weather. We have access to washers and dryers and this will help reduce our clothing needs. Though past experience tells me that we'll be pretty tired of our clothes selections at the end of the trip.

What are some of the highlights we anticipate viewing on this trip? Below is a sample of the activities on our list.

A visit to "David Bowie Is," an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. This exhibit is at the end of its five year international tour. The exhibit is said to permit visitors to immerse themselves in Bowie's music, clothes and observe how he was influenced by science, fashion, people, art, events and sexuality. Over 1.8 million visitors have seen this exhibit as it traveled from the Victoria and Albert Museum to Chicago, Paris, Berlin, Toronto, São Paolo and Melbourne. If you're a fan of David Bowie, this is a must-see exhibit.
With our first-time visit to Iceland, we hope to visit several national parks to view volcanoes, hot springs, geothermal lakes, lava fields and geysers.
A return visit to Scotland that will provide opportunities for castle, palace, garden and distillery visits.
A first-time visit to ports along the coast of Norway, as far as up to Tromso. If the weather and seas cooperate, we should be able to make a return visit to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Some of these port visits will be focusing on museums and local attractions, others will provide an opportunity to stretch our legs on a hike. For example, in Flaam, we'll take a scenic rail trip up to the high mountains at Myrdal and then ride mountain bikes about ten miles back to town.
A stay on the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral, Mother Church of the Anglican Communion and seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. This will be our home base for UK day trips by car. Each day, we'll return to the welcoming cathedral grounds perhaps not unlike those previous weary travelers on a medieval pilgrimage. With some spousal urging, I changed my original car reservation for a manual transmission vehicle. I suppose there's no need to add to the confusion of driving on the left side of the road with the need to shift with my left hand.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and Heart Mountain
In the fall, we scheduled a first-time visit to two National Parks. Through a fund-raising auction, I purchased a three day hotel stay at Jackson Lake Lodge, in Grand Teton National Park. Given our proximity to Yellowstone National Park, it only made sense to add a three day visit to this park as part of the trip. We hope to arrange a few hikes and even a rafting trip down the Snake River.

There aren't many airports that serve this part of the United States. With this in mind, we decided to fly back out of Billings, Montana. Along the drive to this airport, we'll make a detour to visit the Heart Mountain Internment Camp, in Wyoming. Along with 14,000 Japanese Americans, my mother and her family were relocated to Heart Mountain. The family entered the camp in September 10, 1942 after a temporary relocation from the San Francisco bay area to the Santa Anita Racetrack, near Los Angeles. At Santa Anita, the family and other Japanese Americans were required to live in horse stalls. Arriving at Heart Mountain Internment Camp, the seven family members moved to barrack 24-12-E and departed Heart Mountain between February 1943 and June 1945. This is an important historical event that needs to be remembered and lessons gleaned from what was essentially forced incarceration.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

UK Travel Article, Part 2 - 2016

The second part of my International Travel News article on UK travel was published in July 2016. The story can be downloaded from the above "Articles" tab.

The article picks up from our Oxford departure and describes our visit to London. The final section of the piece shares information about a transatlantic crossing on Cunard's Queen Mary 2.

Enjoy!

Saturday, May 7, 2016

UK Travel Article, Part 1

An overview of my Spring 2015 six-week UK trip can be found in the June 2016 print and online versions of International Travel News. This overview is split into two parts, with the second part to appear next month. All three of my published articles, including the most recent, can be read via the above 'articles' tab.

Writer's Cut: My original 7,000 word submission on UK travel contained additional side trip details. This content was removed from the published material in order to keep each of the two articles within a more manageable word count of 2,500 or less. Examples of eliminated information include a discussion on Blarney Castle, Glastonbury Castle, Nunney Castle, Avebury, Bowood House, Sudeley Castle, Broadway Tower and Blenheim Palace.

If you're interested in reading the original submission, containing additional travel detail, please visit this link.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Windsor, May 25, 2015

Before leaving London for Southampton, we spent our last day in London on a side visit to Windsor. We had planned to make this day trip earlier during our week stay in London. However, I suffered through a cold for a few days upon our London arrival and decided to save the long day trip to the end of our London visit.

The town of Windsor, located in the Berkshire county, can easily be reached from London via train - with one train change. The primary tourist draw in Windsor is - not surprisingly - Windsor Castle.

Building of the castle started in the 11th century by William the Conqueror and modifications continued thereafter.

The castle grounds cover 13 acres and visitors can walk through St. Georges Chapel, the State Apartments and Queen Mary's Dolls' House. As the Queen often stays at Windsor Castle, many areas are not open to visitors. About 500 people live and work in the castle. Foreign visitors are often entertained in Windsor Castle and ceremonial events continue to take place there. Close to 1 million visitors tour the castle and grounds each year.

The entry fee is £19.5 for adults and tickets can be purchased online or at the castle gates. If you know the date of your visit in advance, its best to order an online ticket to avoid a lengthly queue. We found it best to arrive early, tour the castle grounds and then exit to town for lunch or afternoon tea. The town of Windsor is well-suited to tourists, with many eating and shopping locations to choose from.

Eton College is a short walk from the grounds of Windsor Castle. Crossing the River Thames, we made our way through town to the college buildings. As school was in session, we were unable to see much. Hearing cannons being fired, we crossed a school parking lot and were able to watch a college rehearsal for a Battle of Waterloo reenactment.

We completed our Windsor visit around 4pm and returned to London by train. The remainder of the day was spent packing, going out to dinner and cleaning the apartment before our departure the next morning.

This is the last installment of photos from our UK trip. The remainder of the trip was spent on the Queen Mary 2, transiting across the pond.

Aerial View of Castle Grounds From Wikipedia

Monday, July 20, 2015

Blenheim Palace, May 17, 2015

I'm returning to my project of uploading photos from our UK trip. Too many recent household projects, assisting my parents move and consulting took my attention.

We visited Blenheim Palace on our way from Chipping Campden to Oxford.

Blenhiem Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre site. Designed by John Vanbrugh, around 1704, it was presented to John Churchill by Queen Anne. The gift was in recognition to Churchill's contribution in the fight against the French. There seems to have been some question in respect to the scope of the gift and building cost overruns caused family flirtations with bankruptcy. The palace is now controlled by a board of trustees.

The house is the residence of the Duke of Marlborough and is the only country house in England to hold the title of "Palace." The current 12th Duke of Marlborough is Charles James, who succeeded his father in 2014.

Sir Winston Churchill, a first cousin of the 9th Duke of Malborough, was born in Blenheim Palace.

The park-like setting and elaborate palace rooms were beautiful. We added a tour of the state apartments and were able to see some of the rooms used by current overnight guests.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Glouster Cathedral and Sudeley Castle, May 13, 2015

Today was another transit day, taking us from Bath to Chipping Campden. The plan was to stop along the drive to visit Glouster Cathedral and Sudeley Castle.

A bit of trivia: Why are there several village names in the Cotswolds prefixed by "Chipping?" The word likely refers to a market area and these particular villages functioned as larger central markets, sometimes for wool and other local products.

It took about an hour to arrive at Glouster Cathedral. We joined a guided tour and learned a lot about the original Norman architecture and how the cathedral was remodeled several times. We spent some time looking at the stained glass windows - the guide pointed out the hierarchy of some panes and figures and scenes depicted by panes. Similar to Wells Cathedral, we could see where some windows had been repaired in a kaleidoscope fashion. We also saw the King Richard III burial memorial.

After our visit, we stopped by the cathedral cafe for a lunch of soup, bread and an almond dessert cake. We purchased some cookies and water at a local Sainsbury grocery store and resumed our now 30 minute drive to Sudeley Castle and Gardens.

Sudeley Castle was built in the 15 century and has prior castle evidence on the grounds from the 12th century. Similar to Bowood, Sudeley is privately owned but some portions of the castle and grounds are open to the public for a fee (11 pounds per person). The castle has a rich history as Katherine Parre, the last wife of Henry VIII, lived at the castle for a short time and was buried in the castle's St. Mary's Chapel. She is the only queen to be buried on private grounds. We enjoyed seeing the gardens, chapel and pheasant enclosures.

The final portion of our drive took about 30 minutes to reach Chipping Campden. There we met Sally and Paul, the owners of The Chance Bed and Breakfast, and received keys to our home for four nights. We are staying in an upstairs room, separate from the main house, with a king-size bed and ensuite facilities. While this unit was physically separate from the main house, entry was through the main house.

For dinner, we walked into the city center, about ten minutes away, and found an Indian restaurant, Maharaja. The dinner, accompanied by a Carlsberg beer, was a delicious departure from our past meals. We walked back and were in our room around 8am. Sally surprised us with cupcakes to take back to our room as we passed through the main house for the evening. Quite a treat to end our long day.

GLOUSTER CATHEDRAL

SUDELEY CASTLE AND GROUNDS

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Avebury and Bowood House and Gardens, May 12, 2015

Once again, at 10am, we started another day trip. Our first destination of the day was Avebury, about an hour drive from Apsley House.

Avebury covers over 280 acres and within this area lies an inner circle of great standing stones, with two inner stone circles. The purpose of these Neolithic and Bronze age sacred monuments is still unknown. Many of the stones, over time, have been broken or removed for other purposes.

Also located in this complex managed by the National Trust and English Heritage organizations is the Avebury Manor House. The manor house recently received updated interior furnishings and decorations by the BBC. The BBC then broadcast a series special that focused an Avebury Manor. Each manor room was decorated to a different time period. A docent was available to describe the furnishings of each room and invite guests to actually try out the furnishings, such as table setting, an exercise chair and beds. Some of the room details were amazing. For example, the room adjacent to the bedroom had an oriental style wall paper with whimsical cartoons of regional life – only if you looked very closely.

After lunch in Avebury, we continued our drive to Bowood House and Gardens. Bowood is a Georgian country house, originally built in 1725, residing on 100 acres. Over time, the main house was reduced in size but it was still quite large. The house is currently owned by the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne. Selected rooms of the house and gardens were open to the public for a nominal entry fee.

The immense property, imposing house and expansive gardens were very special. It would take hours to explore the property and we had just about an hour. We wandered through the public rooms in the house and then spent most of our time enjoying the garden areas.

We left Bowood at 3:30 to return back at our Apsley House hotel in Bath. Of course, some of the time was spent in circles as I missed some round-about turns in the central city of Bath.

Our final dinner in Bath was at the Circus Cafe and Restaurant, in the central city (between Circus and Royal Court). Given limited central city parking, we decided to take the bus into town and walk from the bus stop to the restaurant. This restaurant was known for a new take on British cuisine. Betty had a John Dory fish dinner and I had a duck wrap dinner. We shared a half bottle of Pinot Blanc and a large side plate of perfectly steamed vegetables. We splurged with a chocolate and rhubarb/ginger desserts and called for a taxi to take us back to Apsley House.