Should still be there and a very beautiful country. I’d love to return one day but it’s not at the top of the list currently
It’s a great country to visit, and I have been very many times over the last 40+ years - sometimes 4 times a year - but am reluctant to go with the present regime.
Actually Trump makes travel in USA more interesting. I also have been visiting the place for over 40 years and now everyone engages in discussion on the President. Most just want to apologise.
And their economy is travelling ok for many , so it is not as bleak as I have seen in the past.
I am back to Texas in a few weeks and then a week in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado riding horses. Not my idea of fun, but you have to be part of the team.
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Friend of mine just got back & was disturbed by the attitude & behaviour of hordes of MAGA hat wearing, brainwashed Trump Jugend touring Washington DC.
Zero interest in ever going to the US of A. No wish to be gunned down or have to tip every person who gives you the time of day.
Besides because I visited Syria just before the trouble started, I think I now need a CIA interrogation to get a Visa to the USA.
I heard you have to tip those who gun you down as well. It’s a bit harsh.
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Does anyone have ideas on what to do around Oxford? I have 4 days there this summer when I collect my post doc in cosmology** started doing some research and it seems there is a lot to do there and within day trip range. Help to narrow it down would be great.
**possibly not true… fine… for a wedding
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Not my experience, but Washington DC is a wierd place. Lots of local tourists especially around this time of year, July 4 and all that, and they all seem to have a funny dress sense.
However it is a place you need to visit to look at all those buildings that get attacked and blown up in Action monies.
Tipping in a great pain, and now many place just add “service charges” on top of the bill.
Bad news is that it is becoming endemic in Europe as well, and will be ramped up here in the future.
Will you have a car? I’d check out the wonderful colleges of Oxford primarily, but then the Cotswolds is an easy drive and you could easily see a few of the best villages in one day.
Yes, we’ll have a car so can get out and drive. Any towns in particular? Pubs or restaurants?
On the river there is some of the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen. Maybe boat trip to Abingdon or somewhere. There’ll be some great riverside pubs.
I was fascinated by Oxford. The Bodleian library of any interest? You won’t be all that far from Stratford-upon-Avon.
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I’m under the pump today but when I get home I can give you a few ideas. I spent a couple of months at my cousins house in St Albans so did quite a few day trips in the area
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this is what they are doing here - had this is a couple of restaurants. So the owner takes all the tip, but pays their staff more plus benefits. One place still had a line for additional tip, while for this place this was it.
Oxford is just fantastic, especially during University term when it teems with students and the pubs are packed, but lots of fun.
I always saw myself as the English Literature Professor, tutoring all those big-busted English girls. a bit like Michael Caine in Educating Rita. Sadly Mrs Foxes over the journey had other ideas.
On our last trip there we stayed at a B&B called Whispering Cottages and it was just delightful.
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Bourton-on-the-Water would be one of the best (an hour drive), but you could do some research and hop a few in a loop back round to Oxford.
That said, Oxford has plenty to see in itself. I was traveling with a baby so getting to the best
pubs and restaurants wasn’t a big priority when we went. Others might have some faves.
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Unfortunately sickness has delayed us but we’re looking to head into south east South Aust for a week or so. Looking at a Port Fairy stop over and then over the border to Coonawarra area and some wineries of course and then across to Mount Benson and maybe south along the coast and then mosey on back. Know sweet fa about the region but it looks interesting on the map, coastal lakes etc. No interest in heading north to Adelaide etc, done that. Any tips about things to see and do south of Mount Benson or around Coonawarra? No interest in fishing however.
The SE is a wonderful area and Mt Gambier is probably my favourite city in SA. The wineries in the Padthaway/Coonawarra area are fantastic and if you into caves I’d definitely suggest the Naracoorte caves or the Princess Margaret Rose caves at Nelson. Being a volcanic area there are plenty of sinkholes and lakes around Mt Gambier. Not the best time of the year to see the Blue lake but it’s still impressive nonetheless. Mt Schenk is an extinct volcano close to Mt Gambier that is a decent hike to the top offering views of the crater and surrounds.
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Blue Lake was starting to go grey a month ago.
Umpherston Sinkhole is worth a squiz, but might be more than a tad cold at this time of year.
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Ok, firstly Oxford itself is a wonderful city with great buildings and scenery. In summer it can be packed with tour buses but it’s a very easy city to navigate away from the hoards. Several very good museums of which my favourites were the University Museum and the Ashmolean which is the oldest museum in England. Both have some wonderful and extensive exhibits. The university buildings are scattered throughout the city and good to wander around. May want to check if they still do the hop on hop off bus tours as they are a good way to see the sights. Some real good trendy bars and restaurants dot the city. There was a cool bar called Kazbar that was Moroccan themed and did great tapas also I recommend the Turf Tavern as one of the best pubs in town. Sunday lunch at a pub is a long-standing English tradition and you will have no problem finding a good one in any town or village. A short distance from Oxford is Blenheim Palace which is a stunning manor house and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, the gardens and exhibitions are well worth a look. For something different the Uffington White Horse is only 20 mile out of Oxford where you can also see the legendary Dragon Hill. Plenty of great towns and villages in the area worth a look with Painswick being my favourite although Circencester, Burford and Tetbury all are fantastic. The Cotswolds extend almost to Oxford and as such there are hundreds of puctureque villages, rivers and rolling hills in the area. If you have time visit The Slaughters which isnt gruesome as it’s name would suggest. It’s the twin village of Upper and Lower Slaughters and are just absolute postcard villages.
Hope that helps a bit, it’s a wonderful area and you could easily spend a few weeks there
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