Hello, luv!
Hi there!
My name is Martha and I am a single, retired woman from the Denver area who is a big fan of Rick Steves tours. Since my first trip to France in 2012 I have been hooked! I am in love with England and decided to take the Villages of Southern England tour in the fall of 2018.
ENGLISH VILLAGE ADVENTURE
Hello there!
Thanks for stopping by my little spot on the internet! Glad you could make it....
In late September, 2018, I flew from my hometown of Denver to big city London for the Rick Steves' Villages of Southern England tour. I had previously been on two other tours in England and found I love the country. I have ancestors from there and wonder if the fondness I feel is from my DNA? In any case, I was ready for more!
I am a retired single woman and live a quiet life with my little dog, Tucker. He is a really good "personal trainer" and we take long walks daily. He is always ready for a walk and knows all the good places to sniff around the neighborhood!
Hey, Rick!
I had the good fortune to see Rick in person at a travel show in Denver. He was just as high energy and fun in person as he is on television! Having been to Europe and learned lots from previous guides I already knew many of the general travel tips he discussed but I still enjoyed seeing him in person. It was just like he jumped out of my television!
About this scrapbook
This scrapbook is organized by the towns of our overnight stays. If you want to know about a particular place, you can click on the name on any page header. Or, you can follow along chronologically by clicking the button towards the bottom of a page. Simple, hun? I should mention that the "London" page is a bit different, I put information there about the time I was in the city both before and after the tour. So, not so chronologic. Also, don't forget to look at the sliding gallery of pictures at the bottom of the page.
On each page there is a section on the right (mobile version is towards the bottom) I call "Brit Bits." In these boxes I chat about things that caught my fancy in England. Most of the pictures are from this trip with a few from previous adventures. If you want to know what it is like to go on a Rick Steves tour, check out the last page, I have talked about the tour experience there.
The words that I have written are my recollection of what I heard, my apologies if there are inaccuracies!
If you want to chat with me or have questions, I have included a contact section both on this page and the last one. I would be happy to hear from you!
Just one final note, if you are still interested in what I have to say, here are the links to my previous scrapbooks for other Rick Steves tours.
Best of Europe in 21 days, 2016
While I am posting links, here is one for information on this tour:
It was a great tour, you should check it out!
Our merry group of travelers
There were 25 tour members and we lived all across the United States--from Bronx to Seattle, from Pennsylvania to Alabama to Texas. Including me there were three women traveling as singles with the rest being couples. All were friendly and there was not a grump to be seen. While I will leave off the names, here are photos of my fellow travelers.
You may notice us wearing red boxes hanging from our necks. These are the "whisper" system that allowed Mark to talk to us without shouting. I have been on tours both with and without these devices and they are great! They may not be the most attractive jewelry, but they allowed us to move around (or sit or take pictures) while we learned about where we were.
BRIT BITS:
The best people
I love the British people. I find them so kind and gentle. Sometimes it takes a bit of chat to get them to open up, but it is worth it! If you can get to see the dry British humor, it is a bonus for all. And, there is the language thing. They speak (mostly) the same one I do, so communication is straightforward.
On this tour we had three individuals who were tasked with showing us around and they did a marvelous job...
Mark was the main guide. He was also the leader on the England tour I took and I was thrilled to see him again! He is originally from Devon and Bath and is a huge history fan. Across the two tours his breadth of knowledge astounded me. I ask a lot of questions and he always had an answer!
Steve was in training to be a Rick Steves guide and was learning the ropes from Mark. He lives in London and has been a long time guide there. I chatted with him a bit and he is personable and knowledgeable and will make a good guide. He had a notebook with him and was taking copious notes from what Mark said!
And then there was our driver, Paul. Anyone who can maneuver the giant coach on the tight country roads is a Rockstar in my book. And he was one of the best! But Paul was more than a driver, he was a member of the group and had a great personality. He was always happy to chat with tour members and had a ready smile. I bet he can get crazy when he is off duty!
