Mary Ann: We’re learning a little bit about the rhythm and flow of our work here at Woodbrooke, and one thing we’ve found is that a short trip on our day off refreshes and revitalizes us enormously. Plus it’s such a temptation to be surrounded by all the richness and beauty of ancient history and what a pity it would be to miss it!

So last week we chose nearby Warwick (pronounced War-ick) as our destination. It was a short 30 minute train ride, leaving from beautiful Moor Street Station. It’s a lovely little place, quite different from the rather unattractive and very much larger New Street Station which is only a ten minute walk away. The tickets were 5 pound sixty pence each (about $11.20) and we had roomy seats in a clean coach with a table at each of our places.

Warwick is a fairly small town, best known for its medieval castle which is one of the largest in England. However, since it’s a rather steep price for admission and needs a good 3-4 hours to get through, we decided to postpone that adventure until another time. However, there were plenty of other sights to see, and wonderful streets to meander through. First, though, since it was almost noon when we arrived, we headed out on an expedition to find a good place to eat. Right in the heart of the town, in Market Square, we found a wonderful pub called The Rose and Crown, right across the street from The Tilted Wig (Don’t you just love these English pub names??!!) Don got chips with his sandwich, and, of course, they turned out to be large French fries, but we skipped the “pud” (dessert) menu altogether…..which left us room to stop by the local pastry shop to buy a Cornish Heavy Cake which was rather like a currant scone. Very yummy!!

We toured the very large St. Mary’s Church. The crypt, the lower level of the church, is the oldest part, built in 1126. About a third of the town was destroyed in a fire in 1694, including the rest of the church so it’s only 310 years old. We also saw the Lord Leycester Hospital (which never was a hospital at all) and several other Elizabethan buildings, along with a couple of pretty gardens. Another successful English outing!