BACK FROM ENGLAND - "WE ARE THE GIRLS TO KNOW!"/POOT TOOT AND POST TOASTIES - OCTOBER 1987

OCTOBER 28, 1987

Wednesday

I’ve been home from England over a week. I had a wonderful time! Traveling was rotten, though. Everything that could have possibly happened to us..happened. Now it’s funny, then it was horrible.

The first afternoon there we realized we were NOT booked in a nice hotel but a hostel for college backpacking kids... The lady at the front desk kept saying "Mr. Boren, I assure you this is not where you want to stay." The jet lag had killed me and I just was finding an empty couch/seat to fall asleep. (I felt like Harpo in Night at the opera falling asleep wherever I could.) We were very fortunate that the lady there found us two very nice rooms at a hotel (what we might now call a house/bed & breakfast) right across from Hyde Park. We called a cab and they immediately took us there and we Napped!! We had dinner there and just rested that first night.

Walking around ole' London town, we toured the Tower, Tower Bridge and dungeons! We saw the place where Queen Anne was beheaded (I had seen Anne of a Thousand Days) not too long before and was fascinated by her story. The dungeons with the armor and death chambers was SO eery and interesting!

We went to Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe. For lunch, we ate at an Italian Pizza place where everyone spoke Italian. The waiters were SOOO good-looking! Two of the waiters came to Mom and Dad and asked my dad "Your daughters are sooo beautiful, May I kiss their hands?" He kind of laughed, Mary smiled and turned her head and me? I said "Of course you may!" and put my hand out! OH boy!

That night we had dinner at a great Greek restaurant (we were not fans of English food, so we ate different ethnic food every night! I loved the old fashioned London cabs.

Dad was worn out from the day and wanted to go to bed pretty early. Mom, Mary and I were not sleepy at all. We asked downstairs where a nearby, good pub might be and they pointed us just a couple of blocks over. There was singing and fun and everyone visiting with each other from various countries!! A barkeep? (bartender) named Jim kept coming over and talking with us. We told everyone we were from Texas so the piano player started playing "The Yellow Rose of Texas" really loud and sooo much fun!

We went there every night after dinner... and really got to know a lot of local AND tourists. From then on, when we walked in the pub, he started playing The Yellow Rose of Texas" and Mom said she liked "Hey Jude" so they played that a lot also. SO much fun!

Mary and I were going everywhere saying "WE are the Girls to know!!!" and laugh, laugh LAUGH! And, you know what? WE WERE!

We took a River cruise up and down the Thames eating scones... TRULY!

A tour of parliament and a ride on a triple decker bus.

SOO... the story goes... A man got off the triple decker bus, as we were getting on.. He lifted his fedora and exclaimed "Pip Pip & Cheerio" (to be funny..) And Dad with his quick quip replied "Well, Poot Toot & Post Toasties!!" Mary and I looked at each other and WAHHH - HAAA(w)HawED!!

At night, there we were again at the pub. Mary met a guy from Sweden (Swensin?) - who actually came to the cabin a few months later. I kept laughing and having fun with Jim - he reminded me so much of Robert Bevis, my dear friend who's Mom was born in England.

The guys took us out a couple of times - maybe more? and we went dancing in a London club! SO FUN!

Looking at our clothes, these were two different dates. I remember everything I had was sweaters, very tailored and warm!

The next excursion was the little town of Bath where all the Roman baths are - duh!

Pictures are of the Baths.

When we left there, we found this cute little chocolate shoppe where violinists/instrumentalists were playing Mozart's Eine kleine nacht (?) - which continued to be my favorite Mozart piece thruout my life.

The chocolate was soo delicious as you can see Mom enjoying it big-time.

Dad at Parliament and Big Bend behind him

Little town of Salisbury

Loved walking in the rain here

Somehow I got off the beaten path and went inside this little, beautiful chapel. I heard a boys choir singing thru the halls and followed their angelic voices. I happened upon their choir rehearsal.. I quietly ducked into the chapel and sat in the back and listened. Never have I ever, to this day, heard anything sooo beautiful and ethereal. Just lovely!

On this same trip/excursion, we saw Stonehenge! I kept calling it Stonehedge!

I have the cutest videos of Mom and me here.

SOOOO tired on the way back. In typical fashion, Mary and Dad slept and Mom and I were leading the singing with all the others in the back of the bus.

That night - ANOTHER fun-filled night at the pub with Swensen and Jim.

The little town of Windsor and tour of Windsor castle. The tapestries and art on the wall were exquisite. (Not that long later, 1990s? there was a fire and much of that was burned...)

After Windsor we went to Hampton Court. We

didn't go inside but the grounds were amazing! This is where the famous maze is - though to our chagrin, it was closed that day.

One of the last nights was a Medieval (REAL) dinner in England. We rode on a bus with a most FUN man who thought he was Tom Jones (he was Welsh.) We laughed all the way there and back.

We came back from this show really late, but since it was out last night, just Mary and I went to the pub (wish I remembered the name of it) and both Jim and Swensen were there. We walked all over London together til wee hours of morning - holding hands.

Jim and I were VERY frequent pen pals and stayed in touch for well over 2 years. I only have one letter I kept - I will post that July '88

Here is an envelope