We drove through luscious green county with thick green grass, big old trees and quaint hedge rows. There were fields of bright yellow flowers that we learned were Canola. Our director explained that they are working on a new strain that is not so bright as it "dazzles" drivers on the highway.
We learned we were in coal country and thought we were seeing a huge nuclear plant but it was coal.
It is wonderful to ride along and listen to our director, Henry, explain things and tell stories as he teaches us the history of the area. It is fascinating and we won't remember it all, but it sure makes more sense than memorizing books and facts in school where I just couldn't picture it all. At one point we went by a sign that read Sherwood Forest and Henry explained the whole theory of who Robin Hood was (he was actually a group of people righting wrongs) and that the forest was actually farm land belonging to nobility and used for hunting.
We went by pretty little lakes and saw people tent camping and fishing. We saw many elegant horses, cows and sheep. I love this lush country.
We saw a small group of windmills and Henry didn't sound enthused. I guess they're in every country. We stopped at a service stop and it was just like home in this pretty country side. They offer gas, toilets, clothing and food. However the food they offered was much healthier than in the states.
This is Henry, our Tour Guide, who reminds us of my brother, Gary, humor and all.
Our first stop to explore was in the old, walled city of York, which is said to be the most haunted city in Britain. It dates back to the Celts being invaded by the Romans. Unbelievable! So much to learn! We walked through cathedrals, an old dungeon and along the wall.
The wall around York that was built by the Romans.
This was a view from the wall with York Minster in the background.
The York Minster.There were town squares with people performing, delicious food, antiques and interesting shops. Some of it again, made us think of the Harry Potter movies.
We love that Henry explains things as we travel, then we walk with him a bit in the beginning to get our bearings and then off we go. Sometimes we hook up with others from our group and sometimes we happily wander on our own. It was great.
We ended the day in New Castle which is an industrial town and is struggling a bit. Bob and I walked to the city center. The shops were closing but the pubs were going strong as people watched the soccer games. Back at the hotel we met up with more Australians for a drink and an interesting discussion on travel there. They are fun!
We go to Edinburgh tomorrow. We're anxious to see Scotland and we'll have quite a bit of free time to explore. Good on ya!
