Above: Kristi and a very friendly Beefeater at the Tower of London.

Cheerio France, Welcome to England!
A homecoming 27 years in the making.

Kristi was an exchange student in the Cotswolds during her Junior year in high school and has always hoped to return. After 27 years, her dream came true: to re-connect with her host family, friends and places that were near and dear to her heart. It is especially tender getting to share with Neil, Meg & Micah one of the most influential and formative years of her life.  ​
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Micah and Meg read while travelling under the Chunnel on the Eurostar to London, which Rick Steves describes as a "20 minute non-event." Pretty much true, but still cool!

Cotswolds, England

Where we laid our heads| New Church Cottage, Tetbury
How long we stayed| 7 nights

The Verdict: Lovely! Tetbury was super for seeing Bath, Stonehenge, Wales & many Cotswolds Villages like Chipping Campden and Stratford-Upon-Avon. The quiet town was restorative after two-weeks of big-city life.

​Places we ate: Our strategy In England was to chose Pubs and Taverns for easy, not-too-expensive dinners. Tuck in!
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The Trainers arrive at St. Pancras, via the super-sleek, super-quick Eurostar Train from Paris. Over the past 6 weeks we've accumulated some extra baggage! On the agenda for London? Purchase something to lug our goodies home. (Which we accomplish a few days later at the stylish Cath Kidston Picadilly Flagship Store.)
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The Nobbly Biscuit. Oh my goodness! I have been missing these for 27 years!! First thing in the basket at the grocery store!
JOKE TIME
with Micah Trainer

"Where does the king keep his armies?"
"Why, in his sleevies!"
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COTSWOLDS
Some of our favorites:

London, England

Where we laid our heads| We split our time in London: 3 days in Belgravia at The Lime Tree Hotel, and 4 at The Grange Strathmore Hotel in South Kensington (with our week at the Cotswolds in between).
How long we stayed| 7 nights

​The Verdict: London is a busy city! It actually worked well to have the week split, especially since we had come from 10 days in cosmopolitan Paris. And, no surprise, 7 nights was a good START! If we did it again, would definitely prioritize more theatre shows.

London Pubs we enjoyed (we found Pubs to be just-right, casual, not-too-pricey choices for London where Micah could get a burger, and Neil a good Ale.)
"This amazing Summer Sabbatical which started almost 2 months ago with the Rick Steves Tour in Venice, Italy is now down to the final weekend. We are all working hard to savor and be present in every single moment (even the stressful ones!) and not think about the inevitable end."
​- Trainer Travel Journal