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*(please note; all images on this blog are copyrighted and must have written permission from Chris Brandley Art for any use whatsoever.)

 

 

It's always been a dream of mine to see the countryside of England. I have this crazy, insane passion to travel to Europe; however, I haven't been able to make it back there for almost 20 years...UNTIL NOW! In July, my brother casually mentioned he was going to go to Italy in October, and just threw out the question: "Do you want to go with me?" He even gave me full reign to plan our trip. We were going to have a one night layover in England, until I began to excitedly tell him all the things in England I wanted to cram in. He ended up extending our time in England by 2 more nights! 

I am a research queen when it comes to planning things...especially trips. I discovered "The Cotswolds" in England and booked a tour. WOW, am I glad I did! By definition from google, "The Cotswolds is a rural area of south central England covering parts of 6 counties, notably Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. Its rolling hills and grassland harbour thatched medieval villages, churches and stately homes built of distinctive local yellow limestone."

The bus took us to 4 of the many villages. The 1st stop was Bibury.  Be still my heart! just as we got off the bus, the clouds began to dissipate and the beautiful sunlight filtered through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next village was Burford. It was a little bigger than Bibury and more touristy, but still amazing. We had lunch at this adorable pub, the Cotswold Arms. 

 

I had the traditional Fish n Chips. It looks bland, but it was actually really good!

 

And for dessert...mmmmm

 

 

The inside was just as quaint, and it reminded me of the way my dad and I remodeled his bathroom. (That will be a future blog!)

 

 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the sun came out in England!!!

 

 

 

This must be where my faux finishing brushes came from!

 

Even the British dogs enjoy art.

 

The third village in the Cotswolds was Bourton on the Water.  It had lots of shops, ice cream parlors, stone bridges over the pond, ducks and birds, and I'm told penguins, although I didn't see any!  BTW, just in case you are interested in buying a home in the Cotswolds, they are only a mere 10 million pounds. (That's roughly $12,242,449.47). 

Apparently, James Bond filmed a scene in "Die Another Day" in this particular village. I'll have to go back and watch it again!

 

Motor Museum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's soooo difficult to narrow down the pictures! I took over 3,000 while in Europe, so this is just a taste. :)

The last village in the Cotswolds that we visited was Stow on the Wold. It is the highest point in the cotswolds.  "Stow" means "Holy Place"; "Wold" is "Hilly area"...and it delivered on both accounts. We walked the peaceful grounds of St. Edwards church, and as we entered, the organist was playing a hymn that my mother used to play.

Click here to see inside the church and hear the organ music.

 

Stow on the Wold is also known for their ancient wool making. They used to raise sheep and them drive them through "tures" (very narrow alley ways) to keep control of them.

Click here to see an example of these very narrow "tures".

 

 

 

I love how this church has a dog dish outside for any thirsty canine strolling about!

 

The trees framing this door of the church remind me of a hobbit's home.

 

Of course I had to stop and pet every dog and cat along the way. You'll be seeing lots of dog and cat pics throughout my Europe journey!

 

Since Stow on the Wold is known for their tea houses, we had to make a pit stop and have some Earl Grey and tarts.

 

 

Went upstairs to use the "WC" aka "Water Closet", and found this lovely view of the church yards.

 

 

 

Stow on the Wolds also hosts the oldest hotel in the UK..."The Porch House" built in 947 AD.

 

 

On the way back into London, the bus driver stopped to let us see this thatched roof house. As you can see, there are a couple pheasants sitting on the roof. There were abundant pheasants flying around the area, our bus had a close call with one, but thankfully missed it!

 

Check back soon, as I will have at least one painting from this area done for the next blog!

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