"Follow your nose and enjoy your holiday!" Kate, the pottery lady...

The Griswolds have almost completed their UK adventure. Tomorrow we leave on a ferry... to some of our Irish roots.

Before we give the latest...here are some answers to your questions:

• The VW Van is a dark blue.
• No "Bashowers" yet. We have usually had stand-up showers, but last night in Ruthin, we had a bath with a shower with a glass door that only covered 1/2 of the bathtub. Strange, but it was a hot shower.
• We are all wearing our deodorant; however, some of us (me included) may have to have some odor eaters or "peds" as Jennifer and I called them on the last European tour.
• Italian food is the best food in England.
• Our B and B in Bath reminded me of the Chocolate Biscuit from one of my other journeys. (Jennifer...pass this blog on to Cindy and Tracy). You all would have loved the bedding and the breakfasts.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007:

• We left Bath after a great visit at our B and B. Charlie the parrot greeted us and said goodbye to us as we left. I also forgot to write that we got to make our own orange juice through a neat machine. You just stuck 3 oranges in and out came a freshly squeezed cup of OJ.
• The VW headed through the Cotswolds of England. These quaint towns have inspired us all to come home and make our own English gardens.
• Northleach: had a neat curch and graveyard.
• The minivan headed to the grocery store and then drove on to Bibury, a quaint little town where there is a trout farm and a beautiful little stream going through the town. We also visited Arlington Row, a row of houses in that small town.
• Next, we sped up one of the motorways to Stow-in-the-Wold. We shopped and browsed and didn't buy a thing.
• The Blairs drove through Moreton-in-the-Marsh and headed north to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Stratford is the place where Shakespeare was born and spent some of his life. We got to the museums and house a little late, but there wasn't much to see. We did the "check, check" and made out way out of town.
• As we ventured out of town, we made our way to WALES! We had driven 270 miles from London on one tank of gas. We arrived in WALES at 8:40 p.m. or 20:40.
• To end our day, we drove through the beautiful Snowdonia Mountains to Ruthin.

Thursday, June 7, 2007:

• This morning, we left the Castle Hotel and walked to the Ruthin Castle. There, we met 2 lovely ladies dressed in medieval garb and one gave us a tour of the castle, while the other one showed us how to spin wool from all of the many SHEEP that we see here.
• Then we stopped at Kate's Pottery on a country road and bought a few treasures. She was delightful in her pink and white polka dot rainboots and planting attire.
• The VW van zipped up the road and headed to Betsw-y-coyd, pronounced "Bettus-coyd." This neat town is in the valley of the Snowdonia Mountains, a gathering for hikers and other nature-lovers. We ate our picnic lunch in the park and then headed on to Canaerfon.
• Canaerfon: A medieval town, home of a castle built by Kind Edward I. We toured the castle and then zipped on the road again. Whew! Are you all as tired as we are?
• Conwy: We stopped in this seaport town to rest for the night before we leave on the ferry tomorrow. We are at the Fishermore B and B with a delightful couple, Cath and Peter. (His daughter is a children's book author, so I'll probably bring home some souvenirs.)

Well, that is the latest. We'll write again in Ireland!