Visiting cousins

Sunday afternoon, Kevin came to the hotel and drove me to his house.  I spent a relaxing afternoon with him, his wife Sue, and their two sons Scott and Charlie.  The weather was beautiful, and we sat outside enjoying the sunshine and their lovely garden.  Sue prepared a wonderful Sunday dinner.  

Kevin and I watched some television, switching between a cricket match (which I find completely incomprehensible) and a World Cup soccer game.  The soccer game was scoreless until the last minutes when Belgium finally scored a goal and defeated Russia.  Good!  England and Spain have already been eliminated from advancing in the competition.  It doesn't look too good for Switzerland (they lost to France a few days ago), so I guess the only country I have left to root for is Mexico.  (Well, there is my home country of the United States, but are they a contender?)

After more than three weeks of fairly intense sightseeing, yesterday was just what I needed... a relaxing day, enjoying wonderful hospitality, company, and conversation with family.  Oh, good food too, but my waistline really didn't need that. 

This morning I took the train from Borehamwood back to St. Pancras Station in London.  Then I switched over to the Picadilly Line of the tube and traveled quite a distance to the southwestern outskirts of the city.  I got off at the Osterley Station, where I was met by another English cousin, Rosalie.  I met Rosalie briefly back in 2009 on my previous trip to England, and we have kept in touch since then via e-mail.  We went out to a nearby restaurant and had a leisurely lunch.  Rosalie is a sweet and charming lady, and it was so good to spend time with her.  The conversation was fascinating, especially her memories of World War II.  She was just a girl at the time.  Her parents lived near an air force base, and they opened their home to pilots who needed lodging.  Some of those pilots never returned from their missions.  The neighborhood was heavily bombed during the Blitz.  Her family's home survived the war, but many nearby houses did not, and some of her neighbors perished in the bombings.

(photo taken by our kind waitress)

After my respite of socializing with my cousins, tomorrow I plan to do some sightseeing in London.

The Hollywood of Britain

After spending most of the last three weeks in big cities, it is rather nice to be in the quiet suburban town of Borehamwood, located to the north of London.  This morning I took a pleasant stroll from my hotel down the main street through the downtown area of Borehamwood.  Unlike so many dying downtown districts in the United States, the center of Borehamwood appears to be very much alive with a wide variety of small shops, restaurants and businesses.  
 

Just down the street from my hotel are the Elstree Studios, which for 100 years have been the center of film making in Britain.

 

Borehamwood was, and, to a certain extent, still is, the Hollywood of Britain.  At one time, MGM filmed movies at Elstree Studios.  American movie stars such as Errol Flynn and Bette Davis worked here, and numerous British actors who became well known in the United States, such as Charles Laughton, got their start here.  Plaques along the main street commemorate British stars who were associated with the Elstree Studios.

 

Today Elstree Studios are used primarily for the filming of television shows, but technical and computer work for major motion pictures is still done here too.

 

Greetings from merry old England

This morning Phyllis went to Charles DeGaulle Airport for her flight home to the United States.  I, however, went to the Paris Nord train station to take the Eurostar train to London. (Fortunately, the Eurostar line was not involved in the French train strike.)  The Eurostar is a high speed train which reaches a speed of 186 miles per hour.  The trip from Paris to London takes only 2 hours and 15 minutes.  Around 20 minutes are spent in darkness as the train passes under the English Channel through the "Chunnel"

 

I arrived at St. Pancras Station in London right on time at 1 PM.  Fortunately, St. Pancras is also the station for the train to Borehamwood (the suburb where my cousin Kevin lives, and where my hotel is located).  A Eurostar employee was extremely kind and helpful.  He let me use his cell phone to let Kevin know that I was on my way.   The gentleman then took me to the ticket vending machine and punched in the information for my ticket to Borehamwood.  All I had to do was slip in the money.  I didn't have to wait long at all.  Borehamwood is on the line that goes to Lutton Airport, and a train leaves every 15 minutes.  A train was waiting on the platform, and within a couple minutes, I was on my way.

The train ride to Borehamwood took about 25 minutes.  Kevin and his younger son Scott, were there waiting for me.  Kevin drove me to my hotel, a part of the Ibis chain which has hotels throughout Europe.  I got settled into my room, and freshened up.  At 4:00 Kevin came back and took me to their home which is just a short drive from the hotel.  It was a warm, sunny afternoon (yes, sunshine in England!), and we sat in the back yard chatting.  An enormous, old oak tree dominates the yard, and even though Kevin and his wife Sue claim that they are not gardeners, there are lots of lovely flowers.  It was such a tranquil place in which to unwind after the day's journey.  Kevin and Sue then took me out for supper at a pub not too far away called The Battle Axes.  I had a very English meal of bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes)... very tasty comfort food.

Driving back through very green areas with lots a trees I almost felt as if I were back in Ohio. I told them that I felt at home, and Sue said, "You are at home.  You're with family."