Day 1: Meeting the Group
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You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. - C.S. Lewis
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Afternoon Tea at Millennium Gloucester
Meeting up with our tour group we discovered advantages and disadvantages to being a group of six traveling together; we immediately realized that we knew more people in the tour than anyone, but we had the most difficult time finding a "travel buddy" that was not a traveling companion.
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We partook of that quintessential British experience, high tea on our first day with our tour group. We were in awe of the quantity of food. Every time we emptied a plate, new sandwiches, scones and desserts would appear. We also learned some high tea etiquette: always use boiling water to make tea and always put cream in your cup before tea.
High tea has food that makes everyone happy - salmon sandwiches for the sushi crowd, ham sandwiches for the men, tomato and cheese for the ladies and eggy salad that delights us all.
The ultimate is the warm scones pilled high with a choice of four jams plus a generous dollop of clotted cream. And then there is dessert. The top tier contains mini chocolate eclairs, white triple layer cake with strawberry icing and individual tiramisu. We all ate way too much!
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Our Tour Guide, Roy Nicholls
Roy was a local, an archaeologist and a long-time Rick Steves’ guide, making him an excellent leader for our merry tour group which ranged in age from grade school to retired. During orientation, we were heartened by the fact that Roy, who is from Southern England, pronounced words like “idea” and “schedule” in the proper British way, loved trains and deplored being late (or less than five minutes early) to anything. Over the course of our tour, we got a chance to talk with him about everything from his research on British archaeology to his love of train station hotels and his ambivalence about the British monarchy. He provided thoughtful commentary on paintings in the National Gallery, quality recommendations of where to find good fish and chips, and even an unscheduled tour of the British wing of the British Museum. The last of these was an awesome opportunity to hear Roy in his element, sharing the history of early Britain. We are forever indebted to Roy for teaching us the proper way to make a cup of tea: boiling water (not that monstrous microwaving process Americans are so fond of), milk in the cup first, and you can put jam and clotted cream on scones in whatever order you want. Cheerio!
Riding "The Tube"
We wasted no time learning the public transportation system hopping on "the tube" and riding one station. The Tube is one of the world's oldest subway systems, and features below and above ground trains that run far outside the city to locations like Oxford and Wimbledon. While a little overwhelming at first, we quickly got acclimated to interpreting the complex web of interconnecting lines on the map and were ready to explore London - both with the group and on our own. That said, public transportation was not without its challenges. Jody almost got left behind by the group while she was distracted taking pictures of posters of the Queen in one station.
Read: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the first HP book not edited to "American English" to brush up on loos, lorries, and snogging
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Watch: Alice in Wonderland, a study of promptness, tea party etiquette and the rules of croquet
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Listen: Queen, because they are British and very dramatic
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Taste: Scones with jam and clotted cream (a thicker, sweeter whipped cream) and Lady Gray tea for a true English experience
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