Ron and Kathy's Mid Life Adventures: Bath, Oxford, Liverpool, and More

On the left you can see photos of the Fab Four
getting haircuts

It’s hard to believe that we arrived home one week ago after 36 hours of travel. It’s nice to be back, but we already miss Hazel, our 17-month-old grandchild. After the one-month lease on our Airbnb expired, we used our remaining 10 days to play tourist. It felt so good to get out of London.

Bath

We took a crowded train to Bath, site of the 1^st to 5^th century Roman baths. It’s also the place where wealthy aristocrats wintered, where Jane Austin had spent time, and the site of weekend raucous bachelor/bachelorette parties, which explained the crowded train scene. The baths were truly amazing, especially when one thinks about the great distance from Rome, the size, engineering, and artistry.

Overlooking the Roman baths

We did something unique—at least for us. We rented E-bikes and rode about 38 miles to Bristol and back along the Avon River and an old railroad bed, initially built in 1844. The railroad closely follows a canal tow path bult 100 years earlier. The bikes were fun, but not needed on a crowded, level railroad grade. Maybe we’ll get electric bikes when we get older.

Ready to ride the canal and railway path to Bristol

You can a few more bath photos at this link.

Cirencester

Before oxford, we spent a night in a 160-year-old former pub in Cirencester. This was a delightful town and one of the earliest Roman settlements in Britain. We caught the Monday farmers market, did a walking tour, and visited the town’s very well-done archeological museum. I had my first try of fish and chips, and they turned out to be my worst meal of the whole trip. A spectacular French dinner that evening made the world (and my greasy mouth) feel right again.

View from our double deck bus from Cirencester
to Oxford

Oxford

We rode a double-deck bus on small roads through dozens of small towns to get to Oxford. Those drivers are heroes to us they way they can navigate tight spaces. Now that we’ve been to Oxford, we want to watch the Harry Potter movies again. What a magical, fun, and historic city! Its gothic buildings can be—and often are—a movie set. Bookstores, specialty shops, and good eateries are everywhere. And then there is 1100-year-old Oxford University, which dominates the city. It consists of 38 colleges, such as Exeter, Christ Church, Trinity, and Merton. It’s the alma mater of J. R. Tolkien, Lewis Carol, C.S. Lewis, many prime ministers, and Rhoades Scholars. We took a guided walking tour of the university and later bought our way into an audio tour of the magnificent Christ Church campus, the site and/or inspiration of several Harry Potter scenes.

The dining hall that inspired the
Harry Potter Hogwarts set

The Christ Church College of Oxford University

You can see more photos of Oxford and the Christ Church buildings here.

Liverpool

A fun magical mystery tour

We found Liverpool to be gritty, yet energetic, and friendly. And what’s a trip to Liverpool without a pilgrimage to many Beatles landmarks? We engaged Ian, a cabbie, musician, and self-proclaimed Beatles expert, to show us the sites in his tricked out electric cab. Ian gave us the back story on their childhood and teen years as he showed us their homes, schools, venues, and song inspirations. Yes, Penny Lane exists. The barber shop and bus stand are still there, but the fire station is being converted into a residential condo.

Beyond the Beatles, we visited a gigantic cathedral, ate at Cuban and Indian restaurants, and enjoyed Liverpool’s redeveloped waterfront and maritime museum, which had very interesting Titanic and Lusitania exhibits. The city is undergoing a transformation from a hardscrabble industrial and port city to a cultural, educational, service and tourist economy. In fact, it is one of the 100-most visited cities by international tourists. The scars of WWII are still present, including a bombed home across the street and a few doors down from where Ringo was born. Here is a link to moreLiverpool photos. The homes are in the order of Ringo (2), Paul, John, and George.

View of Liverpool museum from Maritime Museum

London and Hazel

We returned to London for two nights for our final ‘Hazel fixes’ and Covid tests timed for our departure. It has taken nearly six weeks, but she really warmed up to us. She even asks for us during meals and story time with Shanti and Alan. Now, that’s progress! Dropping her off one last time at day care was emotional for all three of us. We can summarize some aspects of our trip by paraphrasing the credit card commercial:

Hours on the shuttle van and on the London tube: 8
Hours on a plane: 32
Hours at airports: 10
Pieces of lost but eventually found luggage: 3
Days in quarantine: 7
Covid tests per person: 5
Hours of lost sleep while on Hazel duty some nights: numerous
Money spent for outrageously high-priced coffees and meals: too much
Time spent with Hazel: PRICELESS.