Salisbury, England

Salisbury is an hour and a half each way from Waterloo, consisting of an historic cathedral with a 404 foot tower, good atmosphere in an ancient town, and enough creeky pubs to fill your belly, it has turned out to be a obvious choice for taking one of our best english day trips. 

We started our trip a little unprepared, forgetting to charge our battery. But with some negotiating at a local camera store for a charge and a cornish pasty later, we were back on track, heading to the cathedral with is not only the tallest in the united kingdom, but its also the tallest 14th century structure ever built! You can see the tallest church in the world on the link, which also includes all buildings, still standing or destroyed all make the list.

They also have a newer feature that doesn't date to the 14th century, a really cool holy water (fountain:-/). It Produced some really cool reflection photos!

We opted for the eight pound tower tour that is 90 minutes of behind the scenes action that ended up being just the two of us (popular tour, eh?). In the end, it proved definitely worth the price and we not only learned a lot about the construction of the church, but got to go to the top of the church tower, which is one of our favorite things to do (aside from trying the old pubs) when visiting new towns.

Here is us from the tower, only 220 feet up on the 404 foot tower (and spire).

When we left the church, we stopped at an old antique shop and Erin left with an early birthday present. The pot was the talk of the pub that we went to after the shop.

We got free inspections of the pot and even appraisals, from talking with the local "experts", it sounds like Erin got a good deal. Maybe she did; but a 3.6 pound pint of locally brewed Hop Back was definitely a good deal.  Below is the Haunch and Venison pub, everyone there (as well as some pub guides) rate it the best Haunch in the town. We didn't disagree.

Salisbury is definitely a great place for a day trip, spending the night would've been nice to, but 7 hours stomping around Salisbury is definitely a good adventure out of town!

Day Trip: Royal Standard of England Pub

If you find yourself in London on a cloudy Saturday morning and aren't sure what to do. Here's a hint...try the Royal Standard of England. This pub, which won pub of the year in 2009, dates back some 900 years. The interior suggests that is a true statement. 

Erin, Kate, Stuart and I headed out on the Metropolitan line until the end, where you take a 20 minute, 20 pound cab to the pub. About 75-90 minute trip in all, but it removes you from the hustle and bustle of the city. Alternatively, if its not closed the Marylebone train line has a train that drops you off about 1.5 miles from the pub at Beaconsfield station. 

The pub is sooo great, I think there are 3-4 fireplaces, more beams than you can count, a reliable food selection, and it allows dogs, which is a plus for the Stu and Kate. The bar oozes Old English Pub, which is why Stu's shirt complemented it perfectly. 

Our table was in a neat little nook that allowed for several hours of chillin with a real ale and nibblin on some treats. The beer selections at the pub are also great, with a handful of hand-pumped ales, some local regular taps, as well as a good selection of belgians. Its a great destination pub and restaurant that helps fulfill a great day in England!!

Hi Ho Bauer Take Six: Bath and the South Cotswolds

We started our next morning heading down to Malmesbury to drop Erin off at work, it was good to force ourselves up early to get towards the south Cotswolds and Bath. Our first stop for the day was Avebury, the step sister of Stonehenge that sees few pictures and fewer postcards. However, there is more more to Avebury than the side-road stop that is Stonehenge. Avebury is a little village that has been built around a series of stones as you see below, resting in their current place for over 4,000 years (I hope you are thinking, how the H-E double hockey sticks did they get rocks to that position 4,000 years ago!! - I was thinking the same thing when walking amongst the 50+ massive stones). Dr. Bauer is a big fella, and this rock dwarfs him. 

From Avebury, we made our way to Lacock, which is a National Trust village. That's correct, the national trust owns the entire, amazingly preserved village. It is very untouristy (at least in Sept) and walking the streets sends one back in time. Following a stroll into the 600 year old church in the village, we went to The George Inn for lunch. The pub, which donned the cover of the good pub guide in 2008, provided everything a good pub stands for, good hosts, comfortable old world furnishings, a massive fire and quality ale. 

The next town, one of my favorites of the weekend, is Castlecombe. What a great little town. It was recently named the quaintest village in England, which the town didn't even know they were in the running for the title! It is literally one street with more character than perhaps any other street in England!

We also stepped into the church, dating back to the 1300s. There is a really cool old tomb there that is from the founder of the town, who was part of the 4th crusade under Richard III!!!

After tearing ourselves away from Castlecombe, we made it to Bath. Getting in might be one of the most difficult tasks! There is only one straight shot into town and it always appears backed up. My faithful navigator Dr. Bow Wow took us the scenic route along the top ridge of the town (Bath is situated in a river valley), around hairpin turns dodging several oncoming cars on the way. It ended up being a shortcut that plopped us right in front of the town center and into a parking lot just a couple blocks away!

After we arrived, we spent the afternoon in the Church, checked out the Royal Crescent (which isn't unlike the royal crescent Erin and I live on) and strolling around town. We made it to three pubs that night and had a magnificent pizza dinner, of course stuffing ourselves too much! I recommend The Star as a must see pub! The next morning we went to the Roman Baths. This was honestly one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen, so well preserved!

One unique thing about Bath that I didn't know before is that the main bridge that crosses the river Avon in the city center has buildings on it and is quite reminiscent of the Ponto Vecchio in Florence, just not quite as colorful!

Inside Bath Abbey

After taking a historical tour of the city, we thereafter left Bath. I highly recommend it for an overnight trip if visiting London for a week. We then took the long way home, heading to the North Cotswolds again, stopping in the towns of Bibury, which is extremely eatable! The second photo is said to be the most photographed row of houses in England, Arlington row. 

Following a further visit to Northleach, which is also worth a quick stop, we stopped in Oxford to find not only the money tower from which you have seen photos on the blog before closed, but also Christ Church. Fear not, for the oldest buildings in town were still open....the pubs! 

We made it to the Bear and the Turf Tavern before Jason got a cramp in his neck and we had to head back to London! Again, you can truly see how people have grown since the middle ages and renaissance times!!

It was an amazing long weekend full of churches, pubs, village walks, laughs and all around great times! Thanks Bauer's!!!

Day Trip: Richmond Park; Erin's B-day Dinner

A couple weeks ago, Erin and I made our way to the 3rd ring suburbs, specifically to Richmond, a villagy-like suburb reachable either on overground or underground (district line), about a 25 minute journey from South Kensington. Upon arriving at the station, you are greeted by a cheerful high street bustling with commerce, and even a little Irish atmosphere!

We stopped at our go-to coffee spot, Paul, where we picked up a baquette for lunch along with our coffee, then meandered around the small sidesteets and down to the river Thames, which leads past Richmond from London on its way to Hampton Court. You could easily do a bike trip from central london along the Thames path to Richmond, alternatively, you could hire a boat!

After slowly making our way to Richmond park, which is said to be the largest in London, complete with its own nature reserve, we met a few Red Deer, which have amazing antlers! We added this one for Erin's dad...trigger happy anyone? You can see why Henry VIII used Richmond as his hunting grounds, given its proximity to Hampton Court!

After standing face-to-face with the red deer, we headed deeper into the reserve portion of the park and found this fallen tree, which had a perfect natural table in the middle. T'was the perfect picnic spot!

After getting our fill of bread, fruit and cheese, we wandered the many trails of the park, eventually running into this tree, which looks like it came out of The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. I was waiting for it to come alive while Erin was INSIDE of it!!! One of the cool features of the park were all the old, half-dying trees.

We wandered aimlessly around the park for another hour or so before heading back towards the town. There are many many pubs around here so if you want are looking for a great pub crawl location outside of central london, you have found one close to the city, but with lots of picnic and walking opportunities.  The pub we stopped at is called the Roebuck. The pub itself it great but perhaps its best quality is the view across the road where patrons are allowed to hang out with their beers. The barmaid even keeps a rack for one to drop their empty into! I had a Purity Mad Goose, which is one of my go-to English ales. 

The day before the trip to Richmond we went to a long-awaited dinner spot, the River Cafe. This restaurant, which I believe either has or had a Michelin star, is absoutely amazing. This is where Jamie Oliver started his career, and immediately upon entering you can see that the influence of this place has been embraced by Mr. Oliver (who just had his 4th child, Buddy Bear:) and still shows in his cooking, using lots of quality, fresh ingredients. The restaurant was quite pricey, but for a special occasion in London, look no further!

I forget every dish we had, but I distinctly remember the harmoneous combination of flavors in my starter, where the mint and fresh italian black figs with parma ham created an explosion of  tastes that actually caused me to make sound effects once I finished my first bite; like the 4th of July or Rollie's sound effects when he describes how he makes smores. I suggest you try it yourself! Call in advance about 3 months to get a table, the restaurant is near the Hammersmith tube stop on the District or Picadilly line. I should also mention the wine list, which features only italian wines, but an extensive selection. We had a bottle of Badia a Coltibuono, which is where James, Marissa, Erin and I stayed on our trip to Italy (Tuscany) in summer '08.

Day Trip: Canterbury, England

A few weekends ago, Erin and I were craving an excursion outside the city. With an abundance of day trip options, we wanted to choose wisely as free Saturdays cannot be taken lightly. We opted for a trip to the Southeast of England, specifically Canterbury. Much of medieval England history was written here, as Canterbury Cathedral was the head of the Catholic Church in England for centuries and is where the Archbishop sits today. 

Canterbury’s history dates back to prehistoric times, with a significant roman influence.  Christianity came to England in the sixth century where St. Augustine set up the Cathedral and it has since been central city in England. There are several monasteries, churches, an old priory, an inn dating to the 13^th century, and lots of great historical buildings and streets. 

Getting to Canterbury from central London is about as easy as getting lost in the medieval streets of the town itself. Trains depart from St. Pancras station every half hour on the Southeastern train link and take about an hour, with part of the journey being on the new high speed track. A round trip day ticket costs about $40.

The town is two blocks (5 minutes) from the old town, which still has a respectable portion of its medieval walls in tact. We spend the first 90 minutes just getting our bearings, checking out the old inn/hospital/chapel on the main street, where the gentleman working at the desk was extremely well versed on the history of the town.

After walking around some more, we worked up an appetite and got a picnic at a cute little café/gourmet foods shop and had a nice picnic along the river surrounding the old town. 

After lunch, we made our way to the famous cathedral, which is still where the head of the Church of England sits today. The church became a site of pilgrimage when King Henry II murdered his old friend Thomas Becket in the church after power struggles came to a head. 

I strongly encourage reading a non-fiction book by Ken Follett titled Pilars of the Earth, which focuses on the struggles between the Church, State, and people and culminates around the time of the famous murder. There is even stain glass depicting the famous murder. 

The church was impressive, larger than many, smaller than York Minster Cathedral, but without question the centerpiece of the town.

Following the church, we wandered around a little more before catching the 3:30pm train, capping off a highly successful and stress free day trip. 

Day Trip: Greenwich (Mean)Time

A few weeks ago, Erin and I took a lazy Saturday to make our way to Greenwich, which is on the eastern side of London, about 45 minutes commute from us on the opposite side of the city. Greenwich is the home to Astrological Museum and a Maritime Museum. It is best known for its maritime history and as giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time.

Along with establishing itself as an instrumental research center in plotting distances and locations at sea, Greenwich was home to impressive palaces that housed many of the Tutors, including Henry VIII. The area is now a UNESCO heritage site. 

When we arrived, we grabbed a cappuccino at the Greenwich market before heading up to the Royal Observatory, which is where the Prime Meridian was born.

Erin and I took the opportunity to kiss from each side of the world!

After wandering around and checking out the old time and mapping instruments, we headed for lunch at the Greenwich Union, which is the flagship store for the Meantime Brewery, one of the highest regarded in the country. They had about 8 Meantime beers on tap, from the common ones you can find at other bars (being the few that actually serve the beer) to seasonal taps such as Meantime Porter and IPA. I would agree with the critics that the beer is among the best I’ve had in England. The food is excellent gasto pub style food which makes it a must visit when visiting Greenwich. 

All in all the day was a success and it is a good day trip for those spending an extended trip in London. I would suggest if you are in London for less than a week, not to commit over half a day to the site, instead see places such as Windsor or Hampton Court.

Hampstead

Erin and I recently took advantage of a nice and sunny London Saturday and grabbed the Northern Line up to Hampstead to check out what is described as a village within the city. We arrived, walked around the city and poked into random markets, gourmet food shops, pubs and art dealers. The town center does indeed have a village feel to it and its worth exploring for a day if in London for an extended visit. Nearby Hampstead Heath park is also a relaxing escape that all visitors should take a walk through. There is a building on the massive park that was supposed to have a highly touted restaurant/cafe. However, it was closed for repair and replaced by a less exciting sandwich kiosk. Hopefully it'll open back up this summer. 

We of course made our way to two different pubs during the day to break up all the walking around the village and park. The first pub we went to was the Spainard's Inn and had a pint of Hooegarden and cloudy cider. The bar has been around since 1585 and is on the street that bisects the park on the way to the main building in the park. It is definitely on the tourist map (rightfully so). There is a huge beer garden in the back for warm summer days.

This is the park very close to the village center with great views of London in the distance. It's a great place to escape the city and enjoy the fresh air. 

The second pub we made it to was the Holly Bush, a brilliant pub up the hill from the tube stop with a great selection of beer on tap (Fuller's selection I believe, but they have some good alternatives to London Pride). The pub was one of the best we've sipped at since coming to London and I highly recommend it.

Oxford, UK

Sorry about the delay, but I finally have a little (very little) downtime to do a post or two. This is from our Oxford trip in December.  The weekend after Strasbourg and before returning home to the Minny, Joelskie and I took the opportunity to experience the Christmas cheer in Oxford. It wasn't too Christmassie there, but it didn't matter, as the night was reserved for a historic pub-crawl and the following day for meandering around the old city.

We took the Oxford Tube to Oxford, which picks up right in front of our place among other spots along the North side of Hyde Park heading into the city. The tube is really cheap and easy, making Oxford a great day trip from London. We arrived at about 8pm and went over to what we think was the first Oxford christmas market. It sure makes you appreciate the ones that have had 400 years of practice at the art. There were about 30 stalls that had nice goods, but it lacked the Christmas spirit that the other Christmas markets in Europe we've seen. It is in a good setting (at the enterance to Oxford Castle) so I think once it develops a bit, it'll be a great place to enjoy.

After getting an x-mas sausage into us, it was onto a pub crawl, which many would say can be wrapped into a history lesson as these pubs, through their ageless walls and warping ceilings have seen many generations of students, teachers, tourists and locals come and go. The link above highlights lots of Oxford bars.

The first place we went was the Bear Inn, dating back to 1242, making it one of the oldest in Oxford (the world too?). It is just two little rooms, one with a fireplace, and the age on the building shows by the slanted ceiling and floors, which have settled into their foundations nicely! The beer on tap is Fuller's and the fire is really cozy! I wouldn't be hesitant to say this is one of the top 10 best pubs I have been to. Mind your head!! I nicked this off google images, so thanks to he who provided!

After this pub, we went to the White Horse, one of the older pubs in town with slightly-less-shiftier foundations than found at The Bear. We started talking to a group of students at the bar who were in the midst of the 12 Pubs of Oxford crawl, led by none other than an Irish girl from County Cork.  We decided it was in our best interest to try and meet them at some of the other spots (without being intrusive), so it was onto the Turf Tavern.

This is another great pub of Oxford, dating back to the 13th century, who also contests to be the oldest pub in Oxford. Erin and I had gone here in 2005 when visiting, but it definitely deserves a repeat performance (once a week:). As you can see, the ceilings weren't made for modern humans! The pub is also set right outside the old city walls, whose ruins remain there today (albeit integrated into the nearby buildings). One of the students mentioned that it used to be popular for bare-knuckles boxing and cock fights, since they weren't allowed in the city. The beer on tap is much better than the other spots we went and had the greatest variety in the city.

Those were the two best pubs in my opinion, we went to four others that night, including the Turl, the King's Arms, the Wheatsheaf, and Grapes. They were all really nice pubs and unique in their own way. The Turl was the most old feeling, the King's Arms more of an Inn type pub, and the Wheatsheaf a long and narrow pub down a longer and narrower close that had good beer on tap.

After ending the night with a kabob, we walked around the next day, touring Oxford Castle and Christ Church College. Both tours, while expensive, are worth it. King's College is especially cool, the great hall used in the filming of Harry Potter and the King's College Chapel full of history, including a beautiful stain glass depiction of the assassination of Thomas Becket, who was famously murdered by King Henry's followers in 1170 at Canterbury Cathedral.

It is always fun just to wander down the narrow streets and taking in the history of Oxford. As you can hopefully tell, it was a quick, easy and successful night away in Oxford!