London and Paris

We've been having a lot of fun, and we are very busy. Tomorrow we leave for Zurich and the New Year. Today we went shopping in Paris, but we didn't buy anything except S bought a scarf. (hers was not warm enough for all the SNOW!!)
It was very cold. We had Hot Chocolat and Jambon de Paris sandwiches for lunch and gyros for dinner. We tried to go to Les Catacombs, but the line was sooo looong and they told us we would never make it to the front before it closed. K was sorely disappointed, especially since a quick shopping stop by S probably made us arrive to late. Ah well, such is life.

i would walk 500 miles...

K and i walked to Broadway yesterday. It was lovely, but a long walk. By the time we got there, I was determined to find a cab to take us back to Chipping Campden. We ate Shepard's pie at the Horse and Hound. Yummy, I just love English food. We walked all around Broadway until the sun started to set. At this point we began to realize that cabs were a little harder to come by out here in the Cotswolds, especially on Boxing day. Oh horror! we saw that we had no choice but to walk the entire six miles back with the sun quickly setting. There was a small outdoor shop at the edge of town, so I bought a warm hat while K picked up a torch so we could see in the muddy fields. (silly us, itwas warm when we left so KandI didn't bring hats or gloves!)
Our journey back begin with a lovely hike 2 miles uphill (STRAIGHT uphill). Luckily it was still light outside as we had to walk right next to the road. We made it to the top of Fish Hill just as the sun was setting. From this point it was all tromping through fields and meadows. At one point we heard the loudest squawking noise coming from the trees. Suddenly two wild pheasants flew out of the trees. They were beautiful. I sang every Christmas song I could think of to keep us going for the next four miles.
When we finally made it back to the hotel we could barely walk. I guess we should have been excerising a bit more before our trip. The jacuzzi tub was such a blessing. That night the dinner started with the best parsnip soup I've ever had. Ok, it was the first time I'd ever had parsnip soup but it was excellent. Then we had roast beef with a homemade horseradish sauce. Mmm. K and I finally retired with full bellies and a wonderful sense of accomplishment.
Currently we are sitting at the train station in Moreton-in-Marsh waiting for the train back to London. I have a full day of shopping planned. It seems every store in London is having huge post-Christmas sales. K is insisting on at least a few museums...I guess if there's time...
lots of love!!
S & K

Trains Planes and Coaches

We arrived in London at 7:45am Christmas Eve day. S had no trouble sleeping on the plane, but K was unable to resist watching old episodes of the Sharpe's Rifles series. We had a nice big English breakfast (with beans and mushrooms!!) before traipsing around London. My two favorite charity shops were on the list, along with every shop at Oxford Circus. Unfortunately, we were too tired to actually buy anything. There were looooong Christmas Eve lines. The train to the Cotswolds left at 13:22. We arrived in Moreton-in-Marsh just in time to miss the bus. So, we went to this fabulous pub with a crackling fire and had a pint while waiting for the next bus. Finally we arrived at the Noel Arms. The manager took us to the room and told us it was the finest room in the hotel, complete with HUGE whirlpool tub. Yay!! A nice hot bath was just the thing before dinner. K and I were so exhausted by dinner that we barely managed to stay awake. We fell asleep about 8:30 and slept until 7 this morning.

Christmas Day
We woke up and exchanged a few small gift. K got a new book and S got some fabulous makeup. We had breakfast then went for a fantastic walk around Chipping Campden. Now we are sitting waiting for our 5 course Christmas Day lunch. More to come...