As it was a beautiful albeit chilly day today, the great outside beckoned. We journeyed to the Stourhead estate near Wiltshire, which contains a Palladian mansion, the village of Stourton, gardens, farmlands and a magnificent parkland, centered on an artificial lake.
Monthly Archives: October 2018
Escaping from the city
We were so lazy today. Got up and lounged till noon, when we headed off for Waterloo Station on our way to friends in Dorset.
A quiet place to think things over
By no means did we become experts on Charles Darwin today, but we did visit the home where he did his studying and thinking before publishing his world-changing theories.
Visiting with William Morris
Today we went to visit the home of William Morris, whose Pre-Raphaelite friends often came calling there in the 1860’s. While Morris was dreaming up his marvelous wallpaper designs, they were put to work decorating the new home.
Time for a change
We waved goodbye to Porto and to Portugal today, all the while admiring its ultra-modern airport, as we headed for London, and the possibility of some very welcome cheddar cheese.
In which we meet the heart of Porto
We have all heard it said that work is what you make of it. Today, we met Anabelle, who took a job as a lavatory matron, and determined that her toilet would be the best in Portugal – and maybe the world.
Transported by Porto
Today we were moved around by the hop-on bus, so we got to see a lot more of Porto, in no particular order.
Like moths to the flame
No matter how a city tries to modernize – particularly if it got the urge in the architecturally frightening 60’s and 70’s – many of those which are attracting tourists today have gone back to earlier times and resurrected icons of the past. Here in Porto, trolleys from early last century have been reintroduced andContinue reading “Like moths to the flame”
Living the expatriate life
For many of the first 500 years of the Christian era, a Roman posted to Conimbriga in what is now Portugal would have felt right at home.
Higher education in the high town
We have a great view of the university from our room. It sits atop the Alta, the upper part of Coimbra. Today we explored it up close.