United Kingdom – Oxford, The Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon, Chester & Liverpool

Flights from Warsaw to London with LOT Polish Airlines were only $58 each including checked luggage so it was a great way for us to get to the United Kingdom to start the next leg of our adventure. The whole reason for this European getaway was to attend a wedding in England so after nearly 2 months of travel, we were finally getting to do what we came here for – celebrate with Jason and Hanna! The UK has never really been on our radar in the past due to prohibitively high costs but once we started to look into our options here, we found that there was a ton for us to do on the cheap. Even more so since we have a lot of friends living here that we could crash with. Our first 4 nights were spent in Oxford with Leanne and Ryan. What a great base to see this beautiful university town, explore the nearby Cotswolds, and attend a reunion with our travel buddies from Africa (Matt, Ruth, Hoff, Lars and Andreja). From Oxford, we made our way towards Straford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Our next stop was the wedding! Jason and Hanna’s ceremony was held at Park Farm, a rustic country wedding venue in Shuckburgh. We spent 2 nights here with friends and family to celebrate their union…what a gorgeous place to get married! The day after, we stayed with Jason and Hanna at their house for a night in Bidford before making our way to Worcester to spend more time with Ruth and Hoff and meet their mini-mes. From Worcester, we made our way to Chester which was an unexpected highlight. Such a gorgeous historic district and we would have loved to spend more time here but had to make our way to the Wirral Peninsula to link up with Kendra and George. So much fun hanging with these guys as they showed us all around their neck of the woods and nearby Liverpool. Phew, we are more than halfway through our time in the UK and time is flying by fast. Next up will be another week or so exploring Wales, Devon, Cornwall and London.

Avebury stone circle

The Red Lion Pub is the only pub in the world surrounded by an ancient stone circle

Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths

Pulteney Bridge across the River Avon

Posing in front of the Royal Crescent with Ryan and Leanne

The Castle Inn; Castle Combe

View of the cottages at the Castle Inn, a 12th century pub in Castle Combe

13th century memorial dedicated to Sir Walter de Dustanville; St Andrew’s Church in Castle Combe

Houses next to Bybrook River in Castle Combe, named England’s prettiest village in 1961

Cotswold stone cottages at Arlington Row; Bibury

Hoff and Robby at the Bear Inn; Oxford

Andreja, Ruth, Lars and Becky at the Bear Inn pub

Oxford reunion with these amazing peeps!

Wall mural; Oxford

Towering at 144 feet, Magdalen Tower is the tallest structure in Oxford

Punt boats on the River Cherwell

Martyrs’ Memorial (erected in 1841 in memory of three Protestant martyrs who were burnt at the stake in 1555); Oxford

Randolph Hotel; Oxford

Shrine of King Taharqa; Ashmolean Museum

Egyptian artifact on display at the Ashmolean Museum

Nubian shabtis (funerary figures); Ashmolean Museum

Tombstone of Claudius Agathemerus and Myrtale; Ashmolean Museum

Display at the Ashmolean Museum showing that classical statues were actually vibrantly colored (the pigments faded over time)

Tiles from Iran depicting the story of Yusuf and Zulaikha; Ashmolean Museum

The Plough at 38

Sunday roast with Matt, Robby, Lars and Andreja at the Plough; Oxford

Checking out St Mary's with Matt, Lars and Andreja

Gargoyle on the tower of St Mary’s

Incredible views of Oxford from the 13th century University Church of St Mary’s Tower

Radcliffe Camera is a neo-classical building of Oxford University that houses the science library

Bridge of Sighs; Oxford

Lion and unicorn coat of arms; Oxford

Union Jack flags inside the Oxford Covered Market

Christ Church Meadow

Group photo at the Christ Church War Memorial Garden; Oxford

Andreja and Robby playing “Guess Who?”; St Aldates Tavern

The Cotswold Arms; Burford

Standing under a wisteria vine at Providence Cottage; Burford

Old gravestones outside the Church of St John the Baptist; Burford

Storybook style houses in Burford

The aptly named Vine House; Burton-on-the-Water

The Looking Glass antique store at Bourton-on-the-Water

Bourton-on-the-Water is an idyllic village known for its honey colored stone architecture

Bridge over River Windrush; Bourton-on-the-Water

Bourtanical restaurant; Bourton-on-the-Water

Squeezing into a red telephone box; Bourton-on-the-Water

The best pasties at the Cornish Bakery; Bourton-on-the-Water

Cotswold Motoring Museum; Bourton-on-the-Water

Hill View Cottage; Bourton-on-the-Water

Garden gnome; Bourton-on-the-Water

Town center; Stow-on-the-Wold

Becky stands between two ancient yew trees at St. Edward’s Church; Stow-on-the-Wold

The Talbot at Stow-on-the-Wold’s market square

Handmade fudge; Stow-on-the-Wold

Buildings on the High Street are built from limestone known as “Cotswold Stone”;

Chipping Campden

Chipping Campden Market Hall

Chipping Campden Town Hall

Thatched roof house; Broadway

High Street shops in Broadway

The Lygon Arms hotel, a luxury boutique hotel in Broadway

The Broadway Deli food store

Wisteria on Broadway’s High Street

Amazing fish and chips at the Swan Inn; Broadway

Church of St Michael; Stanton Village

Stanton is a typical Cotswold village devoid of shops or commercialization

Traditional cottages in the small village of Stanton

The Old Post House; Stanton

Thatched roof cottage in the village of Stanton

Dinner with our amazing friends at Antep Kitchen, a nice Turkish restaurant in Oxford

Leanne and Ryan’s adopted cat

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage; Stratford-upon-Avon

Masons Court is a fine example of a medieval Wealden Hall house and is located in the center of Stratford-upon-Avon

The Shakespeare Memorial Fountain, a historical monument and Gothic clock tower in Stratford-upon-Avon

The White Swan dates back to 1450, making it one of the oldest pubs in Stratford-upon-Avon

The Old Thatch Tavern became an ale-house in 1470 and still serves beer today; Stratford-uon-Avon

Shakespeare’s Birthplace - William Shakespeare’s childhood home in Stratford-upon-Avon

Hotel Indigo; Stratford-upon-Avon

Medieval half-timbered houses of Stratford-upon-Avon

A vintage car drives through pretty Stratford-upon-Avon

Gower Memorial is a monument dedicated to Shakespeare with heroes of his stories in statues; Stratford-upon-Avon

Detail on the Gower Memorial

Clopton Bridge across the River Avon in Stratford-upon-Avon

The Boat House; Stratford-upon-Avon

Becky making sandwiches for lunch

The road leading to Park Farm; Upper Shuckburgh

Flower girls at Jason and Hanna’s wedding

Dressed in our best to celebrate Jason and Hanna’s big day!

The lovely bride with her father walking her down the aisle

Reunion with Rebeca and Jeremy at Jason and Hanna’s wedding!

An Oasis reunion with Rebecca, Jason, Jeremy and Hanna

The Fleece Inn is a National Trust historic country pub in Bretforton

The Cottage of Content sounds more like a brothel than a pub

A jubilee themed woolly postbox topper to celebrate 70 years of Her Majesty the Queen’s reign

Gloucester Cathedral

Gloucester Cathedral’s claim to fame was being used in several Harry Potter films

Cloister with a fan vaulted roof; Gloucester Cathedral

Effigy of Elizabeth Williams who died in childbirth; Gloucester Cathedral

Gloucester Cathedral ceiling

Tudor House Museum in Worcester

Half timbered houses of Worcester

Marble pulpit in Worcester Cathedral

Interior view of Worcester Cathedral

Riverside view of Worcester Cathedral

So amazing to spend time with Ruth and Hoff and meet their adorable kids!

Valle Crucis Abbey (Valley of the Cross) is a Cistercian abbey located in Denbighshire, Wales

Chapter House; Valle Crucis Abbey

Eastgate Clock; Chester

The Chester Rows as seen from the Eastgate Clock; Chester

Chester Town Hall

Chester Cathedral choir stalls

Wooden choir ceiling; Chester Cathedral

Saint George slaying the dragon at Chester Cathedral

The Water of Life sculpture at the Chester Cathedral

Traditional Tudor English style houses in Chester

Wirral bank of the River Mersey at Eastham Country Park

Old fountain that was part of the 19th century gardens and zoo at Eastham Country Park

Becky and Kendra at The Tap, a biker pub next to the Ferry Pier with views of the River Mersey

House in the model village of Port Sunlight where the Lever Brothers built a community to support the workers in their soap factory (now a part of Unilever)

Port Sunlight War Memorial

Reclining Venus neo-classical marble sculpture at the Lady Lever Art Gallery; Port Sunlight Village

One of 100 life sized figures at an art exhibition called “Another Place” by Antony Gormley; Crosby Beach

Street art in Liverpool

The Beatles wall art in Liverpool

Becky at the most popular street art in Liverpool. Paul Curtis’ “Wings” depicts the wings of the mythological Liver Bird, the symbol of the city of Liverpool