UK visit August 2024

We spent the first couple of nights in Madrid, a beautiful city and jam packed with tourists, where we also met up with my wife's Spanish relatives, some of whom she hadn't seen for 30 years. A long lunch of tapas was followed by strolling the old streets and then a late coffee to say goodbye.

Then we flew to Gatwick with Barajas being jam packed being a holiday and landing in the UK was a relief after a short flight. We then got a train and were met by my daughter, after which we collected an Indian takeaway in Hereford.

We spent a few days there, then drove to my brother's house near Stroud, then on to Warminster, Sidmouth, Totnes, towns where my other sisters live and finally back to Hereford.

Tonight we're staying with friends near Birmingham where we'll be having an Indian meal after a couple of pints in their local and hopefully have a couple of quite days before heading off to Barcelona and the Spanish/French coast on Monday.

Here are a few pics of our visit so far, Plymouth Hoe being one of my favourites and always the feeling that we're walking on history:

South Wales

At the pub in Hereford

Plymouth

More to follow...

Quote from Rice

Great to read about your first couple of weeks, Splinter . It sounds like a great vacation, with a chance to meet up with relatives in both Spain and various cities/towns in the UK.

You’ve mentioned two Indian meals already, which makes me wonder if Indian food is something you’ve been missing in Argentina? Or is Indian food even more prevalent in the UK these days?

Next stop: Barcelona and on up to the French coast. Will you go all the way to the Riviera?

yes, we have been missing Indian food and it's always been popular in the UK and possibly even more so now because there is more choice. We also had fish and chips, twice!

Probably just a day trip into France because we love it so much.

This is Llanthony Priory, built in 1118 and destroyed by Henry VIII in 1539. It's hard to get to, but worth the trip and you feel it around you, not to mention the tranquillity.

Quote from Rice

Llanthony Priory looks like a place where you could sit down on the grass and contemplate all the things normally pushed out of mind because of the pace of everyday life.

Why did Henry VIII destroy it? Revenge against Rome?

Now we need a pronunciation lesson, please?

Because of his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and separation from the Catholic church, he went on the rampage, destroying churches and monasteries.

How Henry VIII’s Divorce Led to Reformation | HISTORY

Henry's personal circumstances would drive him to break his Catholic ties and found the Church of England.

www.history.com

Quote from Rice

Well of course I knew of Henry’s breaking with the Catholic Church and starting his own. But wasn’t he so much smarter to just steal the beautiful old Abbeys, Priories, etc from the Catholics (to wit: Westminster Abbey) rather than destroy them?

You would have thought so.

On the way back from Droitwich we stopped in Worcester to visit the cathedral. The moment you walk through the doors, your breath is taken away by its sheer magnificence. I have never seen a building quite so beautiful.

King John is buried there as is Arthur, Prince of Wales, elder brother to Henry VIII, heir to the throne and married at fifteen to Catherine of Aragon.

Arthur died in the same year, Henry then married Catherine but divorced her because she couldn't bear him a son. How different history would have been if Arthur had lived.

I hope EZE isn't affected on Monday when we fly in.

Hijo de puta! (watch the vid)

Gremios aeronáuticos relizaron asambleas sorpresivas en los principales aeropuertos del país y varios vuelos se vieron afectados | TN

We'll have to keep tabs on this.

Quote from Rice

Thanks, GlasgowJohn . I’m relieved for us, but concerned for Splinter .

We're flying back on Air Europa and landing on Monday at 0740 if that makes any difference.

Well, the trip is almost over and we fly back on Sunday, arriving in BA on Monday morning.

So far, we've slept in ten different locations, been to four different countries including England, Wales, Spain and France, but on the whole we've been lucky enough to stay with family and friends. That's not to mention my daughter lending me two of her cars which, as you can imagine has been an enormous help, although at Barcelona airport we hired a Nissan Juke Hybrid which was superb.

Has the UK changed? It's a question I ask myself, but the answer is yes, but not too much. The very essence of Britain remains, even if many of the employees are Romanian, Polish, Indian or other.

And let's be frank; it's almost impossible not to make comparisons with Argentina, with which there are very obvious differences.

My sisters don't lock their doors to go shopping, there are no bars on windows and no one worries about the safety that we constantly worry about in Argentina. Naturally, I'm referring to my family who live in countryside locations, so it would be different in big cities, one would imagine.

But let's be honest. As an expat, it's hard not to make comparisons, even if you tell yourself you shouldn't. A trip to a supermarket in Spain, UK or France is like entering Aladdin's Cave - the choice is overwhelming and delightful, so my eyes are out on stalks in every visit.

On the other hand, I have accepted the shortfalls of Argentina and have no reservations about returning. In fact, I'm looking forward to it because it is now my home, in spite of all its chaos, crazy prices, lack of real choice and instability. I no longer have a problem with all that, but I do wish it would drag itself out of the third world attitude, but that's another subject altogether.

Just walking around England and Wales is a real pleasure. The tranquillity, the history, the feeling of not being under potential attack, the beauty of the countryside and all its blazing green, mountains, hills, up to and including the crappy roads and ridiculous speed limits which everyone obeys.

Traffic here is overwhelming. So many cars, so little space. But heck, t 'was always thus.

Anyway, I'll just leave this from Frankie...