{"id":25026,"date":"2014-11-09T19:27:37","date_gmt":"2014-11-10T00:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=25026"},"modified":"2014-11-09T19:46:31","modified_gmt":"2014-11-10T00:46:31","slug":"latest-trip-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=25026","title":{"rendered":"My Trip to Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Greetings, everyone. \u00a0It has been so long since I have written a blog post that I am not sure if I still know how to do it. \u00a0I spent all but three days in October traveling, and then when I came home, Jordan told me that WordPress had switched things up a little.\u00a0 I&#8217;m trying to figure out the sizing of the photos so please be patient with me.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve been up to&#8230;..<\/h3>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-24806 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/IMG_1157-430x323.jpg\" alt=\"Pittsburgh-DC by bike\" width=\"430\" height=\"323\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/IMG_1157-430x323.jpg 430w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/IMG_1157-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">First up, I bicycled along with Jordan and Mr. Right from Pittsburgh to DC, but you have already read about that <a title=\"Our Bicycle Trip from Pittsburgh to DC\" href=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/2014\/10\/07\/bicycle-trip-pittsburgh-dc\/\">here<\/a>.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20236 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/100_0911-430x286.jpg\" alt=\"Cotswold Way\" width=\"430\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/100_0911-430x286.jpg 430w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/100_0911-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">Then we were home three days and took off for England where we spent a week and finished up the Cotswold walking tour that we started last year. \u00a0(You can read about that one <a title=\"The Cotswold Way\" href=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/2013\/10\/13\/the-cotswold-way\/\">here<\/a>.)<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-25028 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF1003-430x242.jpg\" alt=\"Metz, France\" width=\"430\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF1003-430x242.jpg 430w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF1003-1024x577.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">Then Mr. Right and I boarded the Eurostar to Paris and took another train from there to Metz, France. \u00a0We then rode our bicycles from Metz through Luxembourg and Germany to Amsterdam. \u00a0Jordan and I teamed up on a marathon of blog writing and compiled all of the October posts before I left. \u00a0Whew! \u00a0That was a struggle to come up with twenty-plus topics, take photos, and write about them before I left. \u00a0So, if you thought we were a little bit off our game, that could be why. \u00a0A big thank you goes to Jordan who held down the blog fort while I was away.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-25029\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Cotswold-1-1024x341.jpg\" alt=\"Cotswold 1\" width=\"870\" height=\"290\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Cotswold-1-1024x341.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Cotswold-1-430x143.jpg 430w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">Although I don&#8217;t want to bombard you with photos, I would like to share some of the highlights with you.\u00a0 Today I thought you might enjoy seeing some shots from our Cotswold walk.\u00a0 The Cotswold Way works like this:\u00a0 It is an eight day walk from Chipping Camden to Bath in the Cotswold area of England.\u00a0 Last year we walked four days to Chipping Camden.\u00a0 This year we started on the other end and walked from King&#8217;s Stanley to Bath.\u00a0 The entire eight day walk is 100 miles long, so we walked around 50 miles in four days.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-25030\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0888-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"DSCF0888\" width=\"750\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0888-1024x577.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0888-430x242.jpg 430w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">We stayed in charming bed and breakfasts along the way.\u00a0 This is the Grey Cottage in King&#8217;s Stanley, and it was one of the most charming and inviting British B &amp; B&#8217;s we have stayed in. \u00a0The hostess made fires in her fireplaces for us and even prepared a scrumptious dinner for us.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-25031 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0891-e1415572458784.jpg\" alt=\"DSCF0891\" width=\"750\" height=\"423\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">The Cotswold Way cuts through privately owned farms, so we often had a chance to get up close and personal with the animals.\u00a0 These guys ran right over to us when we stopped to check our map.\u00a0 I think they were hoping we had treats for them.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-25032\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0907-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"DSCF0907\" width=\"750\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0907-1024x577.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0907-430x242.jpg 430w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">We didn&#8217;t have the best weather, as you can see, but the foggy\/rainy weather created a great moody atmosphere.\u00a0 This year&#8217;s section of the Cotswold Way was a lot hillier than the section we did last year. \u00a0After all, wold means top of the hill. \u00a0The first day we walked 16 beautiful miles (36,000 plus steps on the Fitbit), and much of that day was straight up and straight down, but it was spectacular. \u00a0The steep slopes and wet socks teamed up to cause some uncomfortable blisters that I had to deal with the rest of the week.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-25034\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0952-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"DSCF0952\" width=\"750\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0952-1024x577.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0952-430x242.jpg 430w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">I love old cemeteries, and we passed many of them on our walk.\u00a0 They were usually in church yards, and the churches offered a place to rest and get out of the rain. \u00a0We ate our meals at pubs, and they were used to seeing wet and tired hikers come in for a break. \u00a0They were all so welcoming and kind to us &#8220;Yanks.&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-25033\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0935-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"DSCF0935\" width=\"750\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0935-1024x577.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0935-430x242.jpg 430w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">Since we had to walk across farms, we also had to cross some freshly plowed fields.\u00a0 They were kind of like walking in quick sand.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-25036\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0956-577x1024.jpg\" alt=\"DSCF0956\" width=\"423\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0956-577x1024.jpg 577w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0956-182x323.jpg 182w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/DSCF0956.jpg 1840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 423px) 100vw, 423px\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">When we arrived in Bath, we had this wonderful courtyard view.\u00a0 I took the taxi into Bath on the last day with our friend so that we could enjoy some of the sites there like the Jane Austen museum.\u00a0 We like to go to Europe in the off-season to avoid the crowds, and October proved to be a perfect time to visit. \u00a0We made sure to pack the right clothes for hiking and biking in cool weather so we could have fun without being uncomfortably cold.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">Jordan treated us with a visit when we returned home, and Yankee flew down for the week-end.\u00a0 I just took them to the airport for their flight home.\u00a0 She and I got a lot accomplished, and we are excited to share it with you.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Take care.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greetings, everyone. \u00a0It has been so long since I have written a blog post that I am not sure if I still know how to do it. \u00a0I spent all but three days in October traveling, and then when I came home, Jordan told me that WordPress had switched things up a little.\u00a0 I&#8217;m trying [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25026"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25026"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25047,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25026\/revisions\/25047"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}