DAY 3
Cambridge, Belvoir Castle, York

We were introduced this morning to a full British buffet.  I enjoyed the fried eggs, hash browns shaped like potato pancakes, grilled tomato halves, sautéed mushrooms, croissants, and fruit.  After stuffing ourselves, we joined our tour members.  There were 19 of us total, an assortment of people from the States, Australia, and Canada.  I thought our kids would be the youngest, but one Australian mother was there with her two teenage sons.  The rest were older, sedate folks.  The bus, or coach as they call it, seated 43, so we had plenty of space to ourselves.   Huge windows gave us plenty of viewing from any location, and the seats were comfortable.  Our bus driver John was a friendly sort.  Allie the tour guide was a perky woman with bobbed brown hair.

We departed the hotel at 8 a.m., driving through London traffic, past rowhouses of brick.  Men scurried to work wearing dark suits and carrying briefcases or wheeling totes, while ladies wore business outfits.  Chimneys dotted the rooftop landscape.  We passed mansions converted into hotels, parks, statues, and roundabouts.  We noted traffic lights turned yellow before changing to both red and green.  Then we veered onto a highway.  Roads were well paved with good directional signs.  The coach was so comfortable that soon we were nodding off into naps.

Arriving at Cambridge, we emerged into the chilly air to get a quick glance at majestic Queen’s College, shady parks, and quaint buildings before being let loose to run into a few shops.  There is quite a shopping mall behind the main street but we didn’t have time to linger.  A quick pit stop at a public toilet–they don’t use the euphemism of restrooms like we do here– and we were on our way again.  The guide told us how British residents don’t have to pay for university.  Students are admitted to Cambridge based not on academics, but based on an interview to see if they fit in.  The dons, or professors, work with students on a one-to-one basis.  There aren’t any large lectures.  Rather, independent study is the norm.

Back on the coach again for the next stop: Belvoir (pronounced Beaver) Castle, home of the Duke of Rutland and his family.  This impressive castle sits atop a hill and looks just like the castle of your imagination.  In fact, it’s been featured in films so you may have seen it before.  Inside, we were awed by the displays of weaponry like swords and spears, suits of armor, family portraits, tapestries, grand staircases, gilded parlors, library, kitchens, and much more.  If only we’d had hours to spend here, but we also had to eat lunch and visit the gift shop before meeting back at the bus at the allotted time.  That’s the only disadvantage of a tour like this.  We just got a glimpse of everything, but then again, it’s called The Taste of Britain for a reason.  If you want to explore further, you have to return another day.  I would have liked to examine each room more thoroughly, to admire the fantastic art collection, to gaze at the ornate ceilings, and to imagine the secret passages that must be hidden behind the paneling.  For now, I’ll have to be happy reading Regencies and historical romances that give me the flavor of life in one of these glorious settings.

Onward from here to York, a medieval city where people used to dump sewage into the streets and where, according to the guide, a group of Jewish citizens were persecuted and murdered in ancient times.  No wonder perfume became so popular.  People held perfume soaked handkerchiefs to their nose to avoid the stench.  Plague was rampant here too, but fortunately, all traces of those sad histories are gone except for the buildings.  We had ample time to shop before meeting back at the bus, although my daughter and I could have used a couple of hours more!

We stayed at a Ramada hotel for the evening.  Dinner there was included in the tour, so we chatted with our fellow guests until everyone retired, weary and eager for the next day’s adventures.