No, I haven't forgotten I have a blog to write . . .

Where does the time go? It's been five months since my last blog entry! For those of you who actually enjoy this, I am sorry. I know I sort of left you all hanging somewhere on our Cuban trip, and I promise, I will return to the Cuban trip, but before I do, I've decided to add an entry or two about the trip we took in September/October.

Our five week adventure actually started in late September. Sam and I landed at London Heathrow Airport, and our old friend Keith picked us up and took us to his home on the southern coast of England, where we stayed for a few nights. 

Keith is currently living in a small village called Mudeford, in the borough of Christchurch, Dorset. Although he has since moved to a different house, during our visit he was still living at Gundimore Gables, a very fine, old home with quite a history, and a lovely view of the sea and the Isle of Wight! 

 
While we were there, Keith showed us a good time at his local pub, the Haven House Inn, where we had authentic fish and chips with his brother and sister-in-law.

And on another day, we enjoyed  "cream tea" at a tea room in Christchurch, after getting a tour of the town, 

the Priory Church, and the castle ruins.

On Keith's sister-in-law's advice, we took a drive to another village called Burley, a charming place with tea houses, lots of shops specializing in all things "witchy," and the Queen's Head Pub, built in the 16th century, which was apparently frequented by smugglers and highwaymen.

On our most sunny day, the three of us took the ferry over to Hengistbury Head Nature Reserve for a really nice hike. Along the way, we passed rows of tiny beach houses, colorfully painted, but mostly closed up for the season.

And from the top of the head, we could look back toward Avon Beach and Keith's home. Beautiful day!

On our final morning, before Keith dropped us off at the airport to catch our flight to Paris, we had a big English style breakfast at a cafe on the beach, and then we made a brief stop at Highcliffe Castle, where, as often happens during our travels, there was a wedding going on!

Thank you, Keith, for making our visit so very enjoyable! We will definitely do it again sometime!

(As I have said in the past, whenever you see a word highlighted in blue, it is a link to more information. Click on one of the blog photos, and you will be able to see them enlarged. If you would like to see a few more photos from our visit to England, go to my Flickr page.)