May 17-18, 2003

May 17-18, 2003

We are headed to O’Hare airport tonight to begin our adventure into the English countryside. As we are waiting for the taxi, I lift Aimee’s suitcase and bulging backpack and give her a reminder of the need to pack light when traveling internationally. She ignores me.

Our overnight flight arrives in Heathrow bright and early in the morning. As I pull our backpacks from under the seat, I notice Aimee’s is wet. Uhoh! It looks like something has leaked from a metal box attached to the underside of the seat in front of us. Thinking it is some battery that has leaked acid, I complain to the stewardess. After deplaning I stop in the “loo” to rinse off whatever chemical dripped on it. On opening the carry-on I find one of the many (quart-size!) bottles of shampoo and conditioner Aimee packed burst soaking the backpack. I am glad it is not battery acid but I hand it back to Aimee with a stronger packing reminder. I hope she heard me this time!

After going thru customs, we stop at the rental agency to pickup our car. Somehow there is a mix-up on our reservation, and there are no automatics available. But they will have a manual “stick” shortly. It is bad enough getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road, it will be even harder with manual transmission where the gearshift is on the left. Our trip is not starting off so well. Remembering we are on vacation, we chill and have some English tea while we decompress. After getting the car we circle the airport a few times till I get used to English driving. We will survive.

From Heathrow our first stop is nearby Windsor Castle. It is the largest castle in England. Before entering we buy the British Heritage Pass. Since we are going to visit many historical sights I am expecting it to be a bargain despite the high expense. From the town of Windsor we walk up a steep hill into the castle. The Round Tower or keep dominates the interior. This central “motte and bailey” was originally built by William the Conqueror. Its strategic and scenic location along the Thames River made it a favorite of English kings and was greatly expanded through the years. It seems like things are happening here and most of the castle is blocked off. The queen must be home. The southeast side of the castle is all park and we just take a quick peak out the gate at it.

In 1215 King John was besieged here by a revolt of English Barons. They forced him to sign the Magna Carta. It called for the first limits on the king’s power and is considered an important milestone on the development of democracy. We drive the five miles to Runnymede where the document was signed. It is mostly just an open field but it surprisingly has a memorial to our JFK.

From Windsor we drive west to Salisbury and visit the Salisbury Cathedral in the middle of town. This 13th century Gothic cathedral has the tallest spire in England. Next-door in the Chapter House is displayed the best-preserved copy of the Magna Carta. Only four exist. Funny we didn’t see a one at Runnymede where it originated. We spend the night at the Rokeby B&B. We walk into town for typical English pub grub at the Market Inn.