Blotch

Yes, I'm putting a new word out there. I won't explain it. I'll just leave it up to all of you to figure out. If you're still not sure where I came up with it after reading this post, then bless you. It means that you have unsullied ears. Now, on to why it's taken me so long to post about our last adventure.
No, it's not because I was abducted by aliens after visiting mysterious Stonehenge, our first place of interest on a weekend visit to the Cotswolds. It's still just as mysterious. Even after listening to the audio tour, I have no more knowledge of it's purpose than I did before. I'm not even sure why they bother with the audio tour, actually. All it really said, over and over again, is that archaeologists and anthropologists still do not know what Stonehenge was for. Okay, so tell us what kind of rocks they are on a display board, ditch the audio tour and lower your admission price. Luckily, as members of English Heritage, we didn't have to pay. I'm not sure it would have been worth it, other than to say, "Been there, done that."
No, it is not because after visiting Bath I was inspired to immerse myself in the complete works of Jane Austen, one of Bath's most famous residents. Nor, did I undertake a rigorous spa regimen after learning of the long known benefits of natural springs and spa treatments at the Roman Baths. Try as might to enjoy Bath, I was suffering from a terrible annoyance attack. This is much like an anxiety attack, but instead of being overcome with anxiety, I was overcome with, you guessed it, annoyance. I'm not even sure where it came from. Perhaps it began when our faithful, trusty TomTom led us down what appeared to be a dead end. And let me tell you, a dead end here is a real dead end. Narrow streets and a full size American car and you start wondering if you're ever going to get turned around or if you'll just have to drive in reverse the whole way back. Maybe it was the tremendously steep hills that made us feel like the car was going to roll over backwards. I distinctly remember physical symptoms at this point. Maybe it was riding the double decker bus down these same streets. I'm certain it had a lot to do with the number of people in the town center, and the Roman Bath Museum. Spaces in England just seem to be generally smaller, and not well designed, so I frequently feel like people are pressing against me more than I would like. Bath was the perfect storm for causing my annoyance attack.
No, it is not because I have been so lost in love with my husband after visiting the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Although, I did find Stratford-upon-Avon quite charming, and was able to see how this place might inspire such great work, especially the romantic setting of his wife's childhood home and where Shakespeare would have courted Anne Hathaway. Doesn't that just look like the quintessential English cottage? It is the pictures from Stratford that made me decide that I must include a slideshow at the end of this post in order to include more images of this lovely hamlet in this already lengthy post. After many aggravations on this trip, Stratford was a ray of sunshine, except when it was time to eat, but more on that in a minute.
No, it is not because after visiting Gloucester Cathedral our entire family was cast in the latest Harry Potter film. You may wonder what the two have got to do with each other, but if you find yourself looking at that picture and thinking it looks vaguely familiar, it's because it is the second floor corridor of Hogwarts, outside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. This was another fun stop. It is not necessarily my goal while in England to visit every Harry Potter filming location, but I do intend to see a few, and this was the first. It's been fun because Kyle and I are both reading the Harry Potter series right now, so we've gone back and rented the movies and we were able to easily recognize this corridor. Gloucester was a fun stop. It was Sunday, so everything was very quiet, aside from the church, where the boys' choir was practicing for the Sunday service. We wandered through the main area of town and hardly saw another soul, a welcome change from the press of humanity we encountered in Bath. And, the other thing about our visit to Gloucester that makes it stand out is that we never had to stop to eat. Has anyone figured out where this is going?
The reason I haven't posted about this last trip is because I had some complaints, which I normally try to avoid posting about. I usually end up posting eventually, but only after having the chance to look at my rants with some hindsight, providing me with perspective to write a post that is more laughs, less whining. However, I have not manged to put a positive spin on this last complaint. I hate going out to eat in England. HATE IT! And that is saying a lot because in the States, it was one of my favorite things to do. It was the only time anyone ever asked me what I would like to eat, made it for me, then cleaned up afterwards. But here, the entire dining out experience causes me nothing but aggravation. First of all, booking. When is the last time you made a reservation at a restaurant? It seems like every restaurant here requires that you book in advance, even the ones for families. Which brings me to my next point. The nicer places, and I don't really mean fancy, just cleaner looking and with better food, they won't allow children in after lunchtime. Annoying! It makes it hard to find a place to eat on vacation. And the whole pub thing is just not appealing. Most pubs have a bar side and a family side, but it's still the same building and lots of the pub customers hang out outside. Of course this is all assuming you can find a restaurant in the first place, because they are not lit up, they barely have parking lots, which are rarely full (doesn't really scream good restaurant), and they are not inviting. I miss dining out so much I would consider a trip to IHOP a pleasure at this point. So there you have it. I hope I didn't bore you all with my complaints about living and travelling around in a foreign country. Seems pretty bratty, huh? That's what I thought, hence the procrastination. Oh well, I guess I'm just a brat. Self acceptance is key, right? Here's the rest of the pictures.