TRIP PLANS 2015: LONDON, THE COTSWOLDS and CAERPHILLY WALES

Houses of Parliament by the Thames

Richard the Lionhearted

'm just starting to plan my travels for 2015, leaving here August 28 with my first stop being LONDON.

I've been there so many times it's almost like returning 'home'. But each time I go I love to see new things (and there's lots to see in London!)  This time I think I'll visit the Tower of London as I haven't been for some years. And of course I'll browse around all the old familiar haunts.  I'll be staying at the Indian Y as usual (breakfast and dinner included) and it's right in the Bloomsbury area with a lot of historical houses including the one where Virginia Wolf lived which is right across the park from the Y. 

Queen Victoria monument

The London Eye

I always go on the London Walks and this time I notice there is one called "The Cotswold Walk" which really interests me as I haven't been to the Cotswolds for years either.  You meet a the Paddington train station and go from there for the day. These walks are always so much fun and this one sounds outstanding.

THE COTSWOLDS is an area in S. central England

roughly 25 mi (40K) across and 90 miles (145 Km) long just south of Stratford-on-Avon to just south of Bath. The name means "sheep enclosure in rolling hillsides" ("wold" meaning 'hills')  The name is derived from the 12th century "Codesuualt" or "Cod's-wold" - Cod's is high open land (old English) or it could come from Brittonic name "Cuda"  - a mother goddess in Celtic myth who was thoughtot reside int hat area.  Cotswolds is famous for its honey-colored limestone villages.  http://coswolds.com  

 Caerphilly Castle

After that, I'll be heading to WALES to visit my cousins in CAERPHILLY (where my dad was from). I love going there and every time I do I visit 'my castle', the Caerphilly Castle, one of the most magnificent in the UK.  I'll only be in Caerphilly for a couple of days before heading to Cardiff to catch a flight to Alicante, Spain where my friend Inka will meet me to take me to her home town farther along the south coast to Torrevieja.  

Me, in front of my castle.

NEXT STOP: SPAIN