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When I wake up in the mornings I usually check the weather on my Phone. I was surprised to see this forecast for Spring Church. So I guess London isn’t so bad. It will be like the tropics when my parents come over!

One thing that seems to scare every American I am studying with is driving on the left side of the road. Really, what could be so hard? Well, it wasn’t. I’m sure I did some things wrong, my roundabout etiquette probably wasn’t up to par but all in all it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be!

I retrieved my car at 8am Friday morning. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t get the Vauxhall Corsa, but a Peugeot 207! Now that isn’t a huge upgrade but it did mean a larger motor, diesel economy and more space. Unfortunately it’s French! We all know how well the British and French get along. So the basics were: steering wheel on the right, manual transmission in the middle, and satnav stuck to the windshield. Fantastic! I set off into the Friday morning rush hour of northern London. Because of London’s Congestion Charge (pay £8/day to drive in central London) I couldn’t afford any wrong turns. I had to stick to the one exempt road which passed through this zone. I was immediately thrown out into stop and go city traffic on a different side of the road, a different car, and a manual transmission which I could manage fairly well. While leave I only stalled it once! So I followed the A40 (two lane road) west towards Oxford and then meeting up with the M40 (a motorway, equivalent to an interstate) which I took directly into the Cotswolds.

My first destination was the charming town to Chipping Norton.  I wasn’t going because of the charm! I followed a route suggested by the Chipping Norton website which provided my first experience through the countryside and my first experience on a B road (basically a back road). The view was absolutely spectacular. The roads were bordered by hedges that are used as fences and stacked stone walls. These walls are what have made the Cotswolds famous. They are just simply stones stacked to about three feet high. No mortar is used to hold them together, just gravity. Some have fallen, most are still standing. There are pictures of both of these in the Road Trip album.

I reached Chipping Norton mid-morning. The main reason for my stop here was to find Jeremy Clarkson’s house. I have coordinates for his house which I located on Google Maps and found a route there. I got turned around a few times trying to get there, my roundabout skills weren’t very good at this point! I finally found it and was sad to find it surround by a tall stone wall. I do have a picture of that and his gate though!! So with that out of the way I found a car park (parking lot), parked my little Peugeot and went for a stroll. Like I said earlier, its quite a charming town. There was a store for everything and no large grocery stores. Just like an old town. I had lunch in a small pub. Quite expensive for a small sandwich but everyone has to eat!

My next stop was recommended by a local. A small town on the Welsh border called Hay on Wye. I had made a reservation at a hotel for the night. My goal was to reach the town by nightfall which happens around 4pm these days. I had picked out a nice route which avoided all motorways and I did my best to avoid A roads as well. I spent a good bit of time on the B4077. I can say that this was my favorite road of the whole trip. It was winding with beautiful views, colorful trees and of course the Porsche Boxer which I kept playing catch up with! It was good fun and I’d love to drive that road again sometime.

I arrived in Clyro in Wales (the town where the hotel was at) at dusk. I checked into the hotel and relaxed for a bit. My eyes were stressed and my mind exhausted or maybe it was the other way round. I don’t know, I was too tired! I then headed into town. It was 2 miles down a dark, windy B road. Not exactly what I wanted to drive on at night. I did get a fantastic piece of lamb there, which I paid dearly for. You have to indulge yourself every now and again! Since the town was so far away there wasn’t going to be a wild, exciting evening ahead. I decided to walk around a bit (and took a few pictures) and then retired for the night on the top floor of the Baskerville Hall Hotel.

The next morning I awoke to a dreary sky, a full breakfast and the open road! I swung through Hay on Wye during the daytime, no pictures, sorry. I then set off for Cheltenham, the center of the Cotswolds. I wanted to make it there and another town before nightfall so I stuck to the motorways today. I reached Cheltenham, had a walk around. I found the Christmas Market which they had going on. I had a stroll around there, enjoyed the crafts and the Christmas music. Time was running short on my parking stub so I set off for Cirencester. I purchased a book which had different routes around the Cotswolds. I unfortunately got a little turned around and ended up in Cirencestester a bit earlier than expected. No worries though! I had a walk around. There had some fantastic buildings and the parish there was on par with the abbeys around England.

The day began to run short so I packed up, jumped in my little car and for the first time set the satnav for home. I think navigation is a stupid idea for enjoying the scenery and everyday driving. However I wanted to be back in the city before dark, so I punched in my postcode and away I went! I ended up coming into the west end of London at 4pm. Traffic was terrible and my left foot got the workout of it’s life. I dropped the car off shortly there after and caught the bus back to my flat.

It was truly fantastic to step back onto a bus and be driven once again. This was however one of the best things that I have done while here. I recommend that anyone who travels here to leave enough time for a drive through the countryside. It’s the only way you’ll be able to enjoy it at your own pace.

Last evening there was a celebration on Oxford Street to turn on the Christmas lights. Performers from X-Factor (not sure what that is) were there to sing, the Sugarbabes were there to sing as well (still clueless). At 6:15 they flipped a switched and the entire street lit up and fireworks went off! I have a few pictures to upload in a bit, so check them out!

This will be my last post until I return from my road trip. I should have my car around 8am my time. This should be interesting!!

I got the urge to explore a little today. I went to Kensington High Street to PC World. I needed some blank CDs for my road trip. Need some tunes! That was quite an adventure since the train running there is soo slow. I could almost walk to it faster! I then went to the oldest Harley Davidson dealer in the whole or Europe. I immediately switched back into American mode. It was quite weird. It was a nice place and they had a huge amount of bikes.

I then met a friend at Harrod’s. In the center of the store there are several bars which serve different types of food. We both got ice cream which was quite expensive but very good. Definitely worth the experience. We then took a stroll through Christmas World and attempted to see Santa. They have him rather locked away. Quite sad they do such a thing. I guess I’ll have to wait until I get home to see him.

They also had an Aston Martin DBS in the one front display window. This was of course, James Bond’s car in the latest movie, Quantum of Solace. I think it’s the best window display I’ve ever seen!

I’m getting quite excited for this weekend. I have my hotel booked, my routes planned, and I think I’m ready to drive!

More pictures can be seen in the London Randoms album. You can also click on the pictures above to enlarge them.

Last evening I sat down with my newly acquired road atlas and figured out exactly where I want to go and how to get there. I’ll be departing London’s King Cross, head due west through London just north of the congestion charging area (no wrongs turns!!), meeting up with the A40/M40 and heading north west towards the Cotswolds. My first scheduled stop will be Chipping Norton. I will get there through some nice back roads from the M40 suggested by a website. I want to spend as little time on the motorways as possible. I will then move onto Hay on Wye which is right on the Welsh boarder. I will spend the night there. I hear there are quite a few things to do around there and it is a very nice town. I’ll be up early in the morning heading back towards the Cotswolds to the town of Cheltenham and then on to Cirencester. After that I will then head back to my starting point.

My plans are very ambitious but I’m going to make the most of have my own set of wheels. I too am nervous about driving but I also don’t think it will be to bad. I spent some of last night studying the driving code and figuring out what some of the signs mean and I think I’m set. It will just be a little dodgey getting out of London at 8 in the morning.

Yesterday my class went on a field trip to South Western London to a Mosque. Islam has become a large aspect of life for some Londoners. We heard about some aspects of Islam while sitting in the Mosque and then were fed by the people there. There was some sort of rice, vegetables, and chicken in some sauce. The food was ok but like most food here, it was a bit bland. Very filling though! Yesterday was the ugliest day that I have seen here in London. It poured all day and of course, en route to the Mosque I stepped in a puddle and had a very, very wet sock. Such as life though!

I have done it! I have hired (rented) a car for this Friday and Saturday. I will be sticking around the Cotswolds (central part of England). It has many small villages, rolling hills, and is one of the many places that is much easier to explore by car. I am kind of nervous to drive but how hard can it be? Guess I have to brush up on my UK road signs and how to use a roundabout! I’ll keep you posted on how things go!

Unfortunately all the Ferraris and Lambos were book for this weekend and I have ended up with a Vauxhall Corsa. Hopefully I fit in it!

First off, I seem to have screwed something up a bit. I put up some pictures with absolutely nothing about written. This past Thursday massive stars and some store fronts turned on their Christmas lights for the first time. For right now it is only along Regent Street but others will be following from mid-November to early December. The Christmas lights maybe coming on, but it’s hard to get into the Christmas spirit right now.

Today is Remembrance Day here in the UK. A little of what it is about:

“Remembrance Day is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war.”

I believe this was my last chance to catch a glimpse of the Queen out in public. I do believe that I have a picture of her! So I went out early today, 9 30am to head down to the memorial. When I arrived security was strict as an airport and the place was packed! I did manage to get a decent spot to see everything and was promptly sealed off by the London Police. Trapped! So Big Ben struck 11:00 and there was two minutes of silence to mark the beginning of the ceremony. The marching band played quite a few songs and sounded brilliant! Next certain important people, such as the Queen, placed wreaths on the memorial and then the parade of veterans began. My there were quite a few of them! The parade seemed to last forever while we were barricaded in along the streets. Finally the last of the parade passed and we were released into the streets and made a mad dash for the tube stations. It truly was a great ceremony to witness and I’m glad I braved the cold for 4 hours for a small glimpse of the queen!

Enjoy what is left of your weekend! Mine is pretty much over as it is 5pm and it’s very, very dark out.

Football, a Saturday, and rain. Yes I am in England! I received a ticket to attend a football match between the Queen’s Park Rangers, a local team, and Cardiff City, from Wales. We were told to keep a close eye on the spectators. It seems that the reserved British throw everything out the window at these games. They have quite a few chants saying not very nice things about the other team’s mothers. The most striking thing was boy behind me who couldn’t have been much older than 10 screaming to the opposing team that they are freaking crap (edited, I’d like to keep my site rated PG!). It certainly was a very interesting time indeed! It was a terrible day for it, it poured nearly the entire game.

I do have a bit of advice for attending such a match, research BOTH team’s colors. Turns out that I showed up wearing the opposing teams colors, GREAT. Noting came out of it but you do get quite a few dirty looks.

This past Friday I finally got to see Quantum of Solace. It was a good movie with an awesome car chase first thing. At the end I had quite a hollow feeling. It was a good movie, not a great one. Still go see it when it comes out!

Tomorrow I’ll be attending the Remembrance Day Parade. Remembrance day is about the equivalent to our Memorial Day. The Queen will be out to lay a wreath on the memorial in London. I hope to catch a glimpse to her! I’ll report back with my findings.

Pictures will be up shortly of the football game.

This past week has been a total blur. I’ve had quite a bit of school work that’s been keeping me very busy. Our internet service has been up and down all week as well so I haven’t been able to post much. I do have a good bit to talk about but I’m on my way out the door shortly to go see Quantum of Solace (James Bond) before anyone in the US can! I should get some things up this evening so stay tuned!

Today’s Understanding Britain class had a little twist. We had two guest speakers (and their dog) in for class. They are homeless and living in the streets of London. The professor that teaches this class has a high interest in this topic. It is an interesting one indeed and provided a look into a sometimes misunderstood lifestyle. The UK is a welfare state and has provisions to take care of everyone. That is until you fall off the complete bottom as both of these individuals have. They are stuck in an endless loop of being unable to afford and do not have a permanent address for a passport and cannot get a job because of no official ID and no permanent address and no bank account for the previous reasons. It’s an endless loop which neither can get out. They rely on each other for daily survival and their dog brings a little happiness into their lives.

I’ve always thought this subject to be a little bit of a taboo but it was interesting hearing them speak and how they get money (basically begging getting around £7/day between the two of them) and getting food. It truly is quite a sad story and proves that some wrong decisions will lead to bad consequences. 

It was another gloomy day here in London. Rather cold and very wet. Tomorrows forecast is looking better though! This Saturday I’ll be going to a football game (soccer for you Americans) for class. Real hard work I know! From what I heard the crowds can get a little rowdy. There’s still a little time until that happens though. Good luck voting tomorrow! Make the right choice!