Catching up

Monday night we headed into London where Bev's sister Denni had gotten us wonderful seats at a dress rehearsal performance of Private Lives. It has provided us with many tag lines as we ride through the English countryside. It was delightful meeting Bev's sister, about whom we have heard so much. She was as lovely as promised. The next morning, Roger and Chris dutifully showed up and we set out to cycle through the English countryside. Those of us who have been following our blogs for years might remember our account of our trip from Canterbury to Dover. Rain, hail, punctures, tall hedgerows, stinging nettles. This is different. Not every place has hedgerows, so there is actually scenery. Exactly what you might expect for English countryside. Our first destination was Thaxted, a village whose name actually means "thatched rooves." We ride past s windmill, forded a stream, had tea in a place called Finchingfield. We would be hard-pressed to find a more traditional English scene: a duck pond, ancient buildings, a guild hall. Our inn had a marvelous dinner and a full English breakfast, just perfect for cycling. Thursday was Thaxted to Sudbury. We detoured so that we could visit Holders Meadows, a town named after us! We frightened some sheep, travelled cross-country through grassy fields on a bridle trail, and ended up in Sudbury. We opted that night for Prezzo, an Italian chain which serves fabulous food with excellent service. On the way we stopped for lunch in Halsted, where our friend Bev grew up. Their flat and photography shop was just across the street from a church whose bells thoroughly annoyed Bev's father. We paid homage to the places she lived and enjoyed a great meal served by Andrea from Hungary. After lunch we visited a round church, built by the Templars (see the Da Vinci Code) where we were lucky to come upon the church being cleaned and set up for this weekend's service. Traveling with a former Archdeacon of the Anglican Church has its advantages. Chris knows her churches. We spent the night in a beautiful spacious bed and breakfast and set out on a short day. Tea was in Levanham, an incredible Medieval town. We enjoyed tea there, despite the drizzle. It was like stepping back in time. Their church was gorgeous, St. Peter and St. Paul, which we visited. It was one of the "wool churches," a church built from wool money. The day ended in Bury St. Edmunds, where we attended Evensong at the cathedral and then enjoyed an authentic English pub dinner. Shepherd's pie and fish and chips revived us. Tomorrow we head through New Market to Saffron-Walden. We are already planning our trip from DC to Pittsburgh next year. But first: mani and pedis in Stevenage next week.