UNITED KINGDOM TRAVELS, JULY AND AUGUST 2002

IN WITH THE IN CROWD

We have done some really nice bike rides and touring over the last week.  We went through the resort towns of Bourton-on-the-Water and Stowe-on-the-Wold, but preferred Upper and Lower Slaughter.  They were very quaint and not as touristy.  We did a very nice ride on the little back roads around Northleach, and also a wonderful ride around Duntisbourne Abbots.  We took the city tour of Gloucester and visited an ancient Roman Villa.   I just blows me away to visit a church, which was being attended 1000 years ago, or stand in the marketplace of medieval times, or walk on the mosaic tiled floors laid by workmen 2000 years ago.  I can feel the spirits seeping out of every crack and crevice.

On the way home from one outing we stopped by to watch the Polo match with the toffs.  Actually it was Polo-X, which is a sport similar to Polo, except the riders use little nets attached to long sticks to catch and throw a ball instead of hitting it with clubs.  This is a very active, exciting game to watch.  The horses must be very well trained to play in this game.  There is lots of galloping and bumping.

A few days latter we went to take a tour of Sudeley Castle.  This is the castle where some of Henry VIII’s wives lived, and also his daughter Queen Elizabeth I.  Katherine Parr is buried here, and we visited the chapel, which houses her crypt.  The castle is owned by the Brockelhurst-Dent family, and Lord and Lady Ashcombe (she is the widow of a Brockelhurst-Dent, and married Lord Ashcombe later) actually live in the castle.  Part of the structure is open to the public, and there is an excellent display of artifacts, photos, and autographs of famous people, all pulled together by excerpts from the diary of Emma Dent.   She had writings signed by many famous people of her time, Byron, Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Mark Twain, Thackeray, etc.  In addition, there are numerous beautiful gardens.

After finishing our visit to Sudeley Castle we headed down the road.  We stopped at a Cricket match.  We watched the Bowler throw the ball, and the Batman stepped up to the pitch, but he was leg before wicket, so that was the end of the over.  When the opposing side stepped up to bat, they hit a good one, and the fielders were popping creases.  They finally hit the wicket and dislodged the bail.  Next it was time for tea, and we all sat out for a time.  If you are having trouble understanding what happened by my description, you should know that no one can understand this game (including me) unless they have been trained to it from birth.

The captain of the White team was Lord Ashcombe, and the captain of the other opposing team was Hugh Grant.  Don claims he had a nice chat with Lady Ashcombe and one of her guests, possibly Kate Winslet, and I am quite sure that as Hugh stepped up to the plate for the second inning, he gave me that famous smile and a little salute.