Happy St Patrick's Day!!

The Cotswolds

I don't get out of London enough! Jon and I went away again last weekend, for a quick jaunt around the Cotswolds and once again I was amazed at how much I love the English countryside yet never see it!

We stayed in this beautiful hotel just outside Cheltenham, an old 15th Century manor house called the Hotel De La Bere, after the family who owned it. It was really gorgeous, everything creeked and rattled but had so much charm. We ate in the dining hall with stained glass windows and scary looking family portraits looking over you, and had a room up a narrow stairway in the tower which made me feel spooked out and Rapunzel-like all at the same time!

We spent the weekend driving the "Romantic Road", a route through the scenic Cotswolds (although I guess it's pretty much all scenic). It took us through lots of cute little towns and villages and parts of the hilly countryside with spectacular views. Jon drove the whole weekend, he's getting to be quite nifty behind the wheel now. It's almost like he's always driven on the wrong side of the road!! We were quite lucky with the weather and although it was cold it was clear enough to appreciate the views and imagine how even more stunning it would be in the summer when everything is green and lush instead of varying shades of yellow and brown. I also forget how friendly people are outside of the city too. We stopped and walked around a few of the villages, which was a bit like walking back through time, and ate good pub lunches by roaring log fires.

Our next trip will have a slightly different feel to it. We're heading off to the Big Apple in a couple of weeks and I am very excited about it. I'll be back with more on that!