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!!

Edinburgh and St. Andrews - Nov 2010

A civilised pint it was, with all the Jane Austin classics perched behind our pint-sized table, leaning on the 2007 good pub guide. Of course we opted for the latter, identifying the pubs Joel and I couldn't quite make it to during our June 2009 visit. This was Kay's bar, a classic pub in the "new town" in Edinburgh....I advise you check it out.

I was in Edinburgh for a project for work for 10 days with a couple colleagues. Of all British cities, this is one of the best places to be. The project entailed long hours that were rewarded by occasional warm glasses of scotch following the 10pm departure at work.

The good thing was that on the weekend I was in town, my sweetie came to visit and we actually got some sun one of the days.  

On the Saturday in Edinburgh, we took the free city tour, which is really nice for the first 90 minutes, but gets extremely long. We opted out of the second half and made it to the Bow Bar for a drink. Also highly recommended.

One thing that can't be replaced, a visit from your wife when you are out of town (coming up on three weeks in Houston; which seems like an eternity when you are away from home).

That night we had a nice dinner and the next morning instead of doing the castle tour, which we have both done in the past, we took the train to St. Andrews. The train is really handy, just over an hour and £16 round-trip. It was Sunday, which worked out well since we didn't have our clubs. On Sunday's, the Old Course is closed for play and open for walking.

It was amazing to feel the history when walking across the stone arch bridge on the 18th as so many golfing legends have done in the pass. When I crossed it, I said a little prayer that you'll be competing here for the Claret Jug someday, Scottie.

Following the course, we wandered around the town, concluding this is a good half day trip as there isn't a whole lot besides golf, though I am sure friends who have studied here (Megan) would argue otherwise.

All in all, Edinburgh is an amazing city with tons of history and great pubs. St. Andrews is definitely worth the detour, but more so if there is an Open on or a tee-time booked. 

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!!!

Hi-Ho Bauer Take SIX: The North Cotswolds

Finding a perfect phrase to describe the Bauer's is easy....Gettin-'er Done!! There aren't many people who have visited us in each capital city we have lived in over the last....dare I say (dare, dare) 7 years. No sir, the only other qualifier would be Lissa. If I were the government they'd get the medal of honour. If I were Bud Selig, they'd win the pennant. No no, we aren't keeping score, the hi-ho Bauer take six doesn't mean anything....

We started off the evening with a pint at our local, the POW or Prince of Wales, in the fabulous patio, and that was the start of the countless samples of English Ale we would consume over the next 8 days. The Price of Wales is nice as there is no pubco that owns the pub, so no dictating what beers are served on the taps (if there is, they have all guests on the taps:). Following this was dinner at a local tapas restaurant, Pinata, which was average when you compare to the heavyweights of London, but would be a top tapas place in most cities. From there it went downhill, or shall I say downstairs, at the Trailer of Happiness, where they served lots of Hooray Beer (Red Stripe), not to be overlooked by their speciality, the volcano, a drink literally in the mold of a volcano that feeds 2-3 and it flaming. This is why the photos are not suitable for small children.

The following morning we did some stretching to get rid of the toxins, grabbed the usual morning remedy (Paul's) and headed to Kensington Olympia where we rented the car for the next four days. We got the usual mini-Mercedes that gets a gillion miles per gallon (or litre shall I say to be in proper English-speak).

From there we meandered to the Cotswolds, through a couple cute villages to Hook Horton, where (what is becoming a common theme) we took a brewery tour of Hook Norton Brewery, which has been brewing in the same family since the mid-1800s. The building, while very old-school, resembles a lego building a novice lego builder would put together. But it does the trick and they brew using traditional methods, using a steam engine to power the brewery.

There is actually a stout recipe from pre WWI that the grandson of the descendant who first brewed it had to discontinue due to supply shortages during the Great War. All the beers were great, as was our tour guide, whose wife works at the Hook Horton history society.

From here we briefly wandered around the village, complete with several thatched roofs and an 800 year-old church. Take note, as our visits to these villages are unsurprisingly similar. A stroll, a church, a pub. You might think we should be ending the trip at Betty Ford, but in actuality, the best way to experience a village's history is to venture into its local. The constant in these English villages over the hundreds of years are two things, the church and the pub.

From here we went to Great Tew, which arguably had the best pub of the trip, an "eatable" mishmash of thatched roof, ivy covered walls, and beams, really friggin old beams. You can almost predict within 50 years of a pubs origination by how low you have to duck to get through the door, especially Dr. Bauer. This pub, the Falkland Arms, is a keeper.

Great pub 'eh? From there we took the extreme back Cotswold roads to Chipping Norton, where we went to yet another historic pub, The Chequers, that was recently featured in great NYtimes article that inspired our trip. Chipping Norton is a pretty cute huggily town, but not eatable.

After this, we had dinner at an unbelievable country restaurant called the Kingham Plough, which we read once had a Michelin Star (although I didn't confirm with the source). Star or not, this place was great. It is a MUST visit if in the north Cotswolds. Save room for dessert!

Following dinner we made it to our hotel, The Noel Arms, in Chipping Campden, which is a great spot to spend a couple nights on your Cotswold's holiday. We made it just in time to have a pint of Ale and walk around the quiet streets, checking out the 700 year old market where one can easily picture the wool traders of the past exchanging goods on market day.

The next morning we did a bit of hiking, starting by checking out a section of the Cotswolds Way outside Chipping Campden.

Afterward we walked around town, below is the aforementioned market. You really can picture the 1500's bustling market which is now replaced with tour buses of q-tips and flashing cameras (mine included)!

We then jumped in the car and headed to some Tricky Dick mentioned Cotswolds towns. I made some silly comments like eatable and huggily earlier, which are actual adjectives used by Rick Steves (i.e. Tricky Dick) in his book of England. The next town, called Snowshill, was both. Just a little square, a phone booth and a pub that served Doddington's, a one-of-a-kind brewery that is not powered by steam, but instead by the waterfall flowing in to the lake adjacent to the brewery. They don't bottle the beer, but instead sell their kegs to less than 20 nearby pubs. Pretty unique. Also a family run brewery (that doesn't offer tours).

After grabbing lunch at a great spot called the Plough (unintentional to visit two Ploughs), we parked at Lower Slaughter to do the hike from Upper to Lower Slaughter, a Fodors recommended walk. It was great having to close all the gates behind us to keep the sheep in while we followed the wandering river between the two towns.

We actually saw a Sasquatch in one of the fields chasing sheep around, I think its the first ever captured in a blue polo and a Rick Steves backpack.

After evading a near death at the hands of the Sasquatch (who by the way needs to shave 3-4 times every 8 hours to avoid getting his neanderthal beard caught in fencing while chasing farm animals), we made a quick stop at Burton-on-the-Water before returning toward our hotel in Chipping Campden. Naturally, I had to take a photo of the water in "the Water". Its a cool town, but I would recommend checking our the Slaughters, which are only 5 minutes away.

On the way back we stopped in Stow-on-the-Wold, which has arguably the oldest continuously running hotel in.....the WORLD; dating back to the 900s. Below is the pub where Edward III had a pint of ale before a battle in the 1330's - crazy.

We had sunset in a little hamlet overlooking a church (over another pint) at a spot called the Churchill Arms. The pub is a proper gastro-pub that I would recommend having dinner at if in the area.

An amazing first two days in the Cotswolds; everything is so close so you can do so much! Next up, Cotswolds part II...

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.