A Birthday Done the Cotswold Way

I never know how to start these blog posts, but I'm starting this one by saying SORRY!! I know it's been a while since I've updated but I wouldn't count on this being the longest gap between posts. My to-do list suddenly got very busy this week -- not only is there a ton of schoolwork to be done here, this is also the week that applications are due for things like next year's campus jobs and housing. While I have a tiny break I thought I'd update you on the Cotswolds.

On Friday morning we boarded a bus and headed to Broadway Tower which is at the second highest point of the Cotswolds (which, by the way, means something like "hills of the sheep enclosures"). It was literally built for no other purpose than to be a place where one could look out and see for miles in all directions. Well, mission accomplished, I'd say, because we climbed to the top and it's a marvelous view.

It's worth mentioning that they didn't make us hike to the tower without first offering us breakfast. There's a newly-refurbished cafe that we stopped at and boy did everything smell delicious. I limited myself to a hazelnut hot chocolate (which was pretty outrageously priced, but it was my birthday after all).

After descending the tower we had the option to take a once-in-a-lifetime hike through one and a half miles of the Cotswold Way or be total duds and sit in the cafe before meeting the hikers at the end of their journey. (Honestly I can't imagine why anyone stayed behind. It was all downhill anyway.)

Views like this the whole way down...

...which prompted many refrains of "The hills are alive..."...

...plus the chance to get up close and personal with real English sheep butts.

But go most of us did, with only a few staying behind. With Andrew and his retractable walking stick leading the way, we hiked down the picturesque hills into the village of Broadway.

Walking through the small town in a group of about 40 Americans wearing wellies and backpacks was hardly inconspicuous but we do things our way.

We met up with the bus outside the village and continued on our way to the village of Bourton-on-the-Water. We were only there for about an hour, and only got to see as much of the town as we passed on the way to lunch, but it was a really cozy little place that reminded me a lot of Salisbury because of the way there is a river that cuts right through town.

Snapped this sneaky pic of our chaperones crossing the bridge.

Lunch was at a cafe that specializes in fish and chips. I'm starting to sense a real addiction to that crispy, fried goodness...

Also, I got this shot for all of my Baltimore peeps:

Unfortunately I never got to see how their Birdland compares with ours but I guarantee theirs is a lot more quaint.

After lunch we left the "Venice of the Cotswolds" (their words, not mine, though I didn't get a picture of the sign to prove it) for the Rococo Garden in Painswick. The Garden boasts the largest collection of snowdrops in England and let's just say I was given no reason to doubt their word.

Snowdrops.

Snowdrops EVERYWHERE.

And then we ended the day the way we started it -- with chocolate in a cafe.

Served, as with all things British, with a personal pot of tea.

decorations in the garden restaurant that I fancied were for me

Back on the bus, the staff had everyone sing Happy Birthday to me (and Andrew too! It was his birthday the day after.) which was a self esteem-boosting way to end the day.

Unfortunately they don't give you birthday passes on homework, so I'm going to wrap this post up and go spend some time with Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. If anyone has any tips on getting through the first two books of the trilogy in a week, I welcome the advice.