Collette Tours Archives - Big Guy Tiny Trailer

Year Three of Retirement

Year three of retirement looked a lot like one and two. The time went by so quickly! It is a bit scary how easy it has been to adapt to a very relaxed lifestyle. I still love that we can basically sleep as much as we like. However, we do like getting up early to maximize sunshine. I can’t seem to get enough of that.

My husband and I are together 24/7 and most of the time it is fine, but sometimes we get on each other’s nerves. But, he is still my best friend and I can’t imagine doing this retirement thing with anyone besides him.

Family

It is good to be able to spend as much time as possible with family. Our grandchildren are in their teens and beyond now. We had another grandson graduate high school this year. Even our great grandchildren are no longer babies. The passage of time is so easily seen through our grandchildren and especially our great grandchildren.

Our son got married, so we have a new daughter. But, they moved out of the country this year. They are happy and we are happy for them, but hope we will continue to see them often. This year, they visited several times and we were very grateful.

Travel

Our favorite retirement pastime is traveling. This year we traveled by plane, train, coach, and camper. All were a blast! We know that our ability to travel can end abruptly at any time, so we cherish this time of mobility and exploration.

Camping in the 400

Most of our traveling time was in our T@B 400, which we had for the entire year. We took one fabulous 3,000-mile trip, Long Summer Trip 2019, with Friends Old and New , that included a üCamp Rally, five new states to add to our map, an island with wild horses, Shenandoah National Park, and the gorgeous Outer Banks.

Year Three of Retirement Big Camping Trip — Our Big Camping Trip

We attended our second üCamp and it was so much fun despite quite a bit of rain and muddy conditions. This rally left us even more impressed with nüCamp as an RV brand.

Winklepleck Grove Campground — Winklepleck Grove, the site of üCamp 19

The T@B 400 really increased our comfort while camping. It performed beautifully for our five week long trip and some smaller ones. We sold our T@G early in the year and it was sad to see it go, but we love the 400. No regrets whatsoever!

Third year of retirement camping — Comfortable in our 400

A highlight of our trip was seeing wild horses in our campsite at Assateague Island. It was so exciting to see them.

Wild horses at Assateague Island — Wild horses in our campsite

The Outer Banks were even more beautiful than anticipated. We were in a small campground in Rodanthe and were blessed to experience the most beautiful sunsets over the sound.

Many of our camping trips were with groups. We camped a couple of times with our friends from dancing and a couple of our camping trips were with the Southeastern T@Bs, T@Gs and Friends. We also attended the Tiny Christmas Campout for the third time.

Winter Getaway to Miami

Miami was our winter getaway for this third year of retirement and it was more fun than we could have imagined. We stayed at the Dream Hotel in Miami Beach, which was in a fabulous location. It was a couple of blocks from legendary Ocean Drive and the Beach. The weather was clear, warm, and sunny during our entire stay.

Tear three of retirement in Miami Beach — Beautiful Miami Beach

We tried to take in all the local sights of interest to us including Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Wynwood Walls, the Holocaust Memorial, Little Havana, and the Wolfsonian Museum. We also took a bus tour of the city and one to the Everglades for an airboat ride.

Lastly, Miami gave me one of my favorite short haircuts ever. I spent the rest of the year trying in vain to find someone local to replicate it.

The United Kingdom

This was our first trip to Europe since retirement and it did not disappoint. We booked a Collette tour through Alabama Public Television. Collette Tours has become our favorite guided tour company. This tour had two spectacular inclusions that are not always available, Highclere Castle (the Downton Abbey site) and the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland. Both were wonderful beyond words.

Military Tatoo — Military Tattoo in Edinburgh Scotland

I have wanted to visit the UK for many years and this was truly a dream vacation.

A Train Ride to NOLA

We traveled by train to New Orleans in May with our Viking Dance Group. It was our first time to travel by train in the United States. We loved being able to hang out with our Viking friends while visiting this historic city. It was quite lively because our hotel, the Saint Marie, is in the French Quarter.

Year Three of Retirement in Jackson Square — Jackson Square

Dancing

I am sad to say that our ballroom dancing has fallen by the wayside a bit. It declined over the years as my husband’s knee issues progressed and we have forgotten much of what we knew. I hope to revive it some in 2020.

Fortunately, we did attend some dances, including our Viking group’s Leadout. The theme this year was “Around the World in 40 Songs.” Everyone dressed to represent a country and ours was Scotland. My husband’s legs were the focus of much attention. He is a bold man!

Third year of retirement Viking 2019 Leadout — Viking 2019 Leadout

Year Three of Retirement Health Issues

This year was our healthiest one to date because I fought respiratory issues for three months the first year and my husband’s had knee issues and then pulmonary embolisms which made it quite challenging. In year two I was good, but knee replacement occurred for my husband and it was not easy.

While this year provided more mobility for my husband, I learned that bronchiectasis is the reason for my decades old respiratory issues. I started getting sick in late October and ended the year still trying to get over the repeated infections. However, I have high hope for a Kirklin Clinic specialist I am seeing in January.

Conclusion

This third year of retirement, 2019, was truly wonderful. It was not perfect or without its challenges, but it was wonderful to be able to live this year as we did and especially to be together. Time is passing though and nothing is guaranteed for tomorrow. As a plaque of mine says, “Dream as if you’ll live forever, Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.”

Three Years of Retirement — Anniversary Dinner

London and York

London and York were a part of a United Kingdom tour that we booked. It was Collette’s British Landscapes Tour through Alabama Public Television. Since we were traveling in August, the high season, it meant longer days, better weather, but unfortunately larger crowds. As a Downton Abbey fan, I was excited that Highclere Castle, the location of the show, was part of the tour. Our tour group of 38 people had nine nights in the UK, but we really saw a lot in those few days.

London

During our visit, London was extremely crowded. However, there is history and beautiful ancient architecture in abundance to make it worth the challenges. Our hotel, the Leonardo Royal Hotel, was a few blocks from the London Tower. It was very nice and just a couple of blocks from the London Tube.

Unfortunately, London was hosting a bike race the weekend of our visit, which greatly hindered our tours ability to get around and caused significant delays. Still, we saw quite a bit.

London Tower

We had a few free hours, so we walked to the Tower and purchased tickets. The Tower has an interesting history dating back to the 1070s. Currently, it houses the Crown Jewels and the infamous Tower Ravens. However, in the past it imprisoned and tortured many famous people. Unfortunately, we were so jet-lagged that we were pretty much walking zombies.

The famous Tower Bridge was a sight to see. We walked to the north side of the river and sat on a bench, but were soon nodding off. Not feeling safe to sleep on a bench, we headed back to the hotel.

Dinner was with the group at The Inn of Court. I had a meat pie and minted green peas that I liked, but my husband did not like most of his meal. It was our first real opportunity to get to know some of our traveling companions.

Highclere Castle

Highclere Castle is in Hampshire, a couple of hours away from London. It is the home of the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, but is more widely known as the filming location for Downton Abbey. Our coach transported us there from London on our first full day. I was thrilled to be seeing it in person.

The castle was even more than I expected. The rooms were incredible—so opulent, but still familiar. One would almost expect to see a cast member from the show appear.

A King Tut exhibit is on the lower level of the castle. The 5th Earl of Carnarvon and a colleague discovered the tomb in 1923. Consequently, the castle houses an extensive collection of artifacts, including the mummified remains. I had no idea it was there, so it was an added bonus.

We had tea and scones with clotted cream and jam at a cafe behind the castle. Next, we had cocktails made with a special gin that had botanicals from the estate. Flavored gin is a pretty big thing in England right now.

Grounds of Highclere Castle — Tea and scones at the castle

Photos were allowed outside and in the garden, but not inside. The gardens were lovely and so peaceful.

Highclere Castle Garden — Highclere Garden

Highclere was everything I hoped it would be. So we arrived back in London with a few hours free. The bike race still had roads blocked so we just walked the areas near the hotel and had dinner at a nearby pub, The Minories. The fish and chips was quite good.

Tour of London

First, a local guide took us on a tour of London in the Collette coach. We saw many rather famous landmarks including Westminster Abbey, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, and Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, Big Ben was behind scaffolding while undergoing renovations.

London from the Tower Bridge — London from The Tower Bridge

Westminster Abbey In London — Westminster Abbey

We saw the end of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. I could not believe the number of people in the area. The changing of the guard was exciting to see—the prancing of the horses, the precision of the marching, and the music. So we loved it!

Victoria Memorial atBuckingham Palace — Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace

London’s Fab Food Tour

Finally, we went on walking tour of London’s food with Eric, a local guide. It began in Spitalfields, a local market for food, fashion, and arts. There has been a market at that location for over 350 years. I would love to go back and spend more time there.

We had wine and cheese at Bedales, a small serving of fish and chips at Poppies, a full curry meal at Aladdin on Brick Lane, ales at The Pride of Spitalfields, and bread pudding at The English Restaurant. The fish and bread pudding were favorites of our group. Eric also gave us an overview of the history in the area. So, well-fed and educated on the area, we took the Tube, London’s subway, back to our hotel. Our second day in London was over and we were to head for York with a stop in Cambridge the next morning.

The English Restaurant in London — The English Restaurant

Cambridge

We stopped at Cambridge for a couple of hours on our way to York. Cambridge University has 31 colleges, with some dating back to the 12th century. It is a beautiful city with ancient architecture everywhere one might look. However, with limited time, we focused on King’s College, founded by Henry VI in 1441.

While there, we has crepes at a local restaurant. However, it took awhile for them to be served, which really cut into our time.

York

York was founded in 71 AD by the Romans, but it is famous for the Magnificent York Minster and its city walls. We spent one night just outside the city walls at the Doubletree.

City Walls

The city walls were interesting because they encircle the City Centre. At 3.4 kilometers long, hence they are the longest medieval town walls in England. While walking them, you can view sections of ancient Roman walls.

The Minster

The York Minster is perhaps the main attraction in York. Its official name is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York. It is the second-largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe. Construction was from 1230 to 1472. It is still an active church and a service was occurring while we were there.

The Shambles

The Shambles is a medieval shopping street which has overhanging timber-framed buildings, some dating to the fourteenth century. It has mistakenly been attributed to Diagon Alley in Harry Potter films. It certainly has the look.

The Flavors of Yorkshire was an option we took on our tour. It included an ale tasting and a three-course dinner at the Chopping Block at Walmgate Ale House. The restaurant is in a 17th century building that is reputed to be haunted. The roast beef with Yorkshire pudding was quite good and I have become a big fan of sticky toffee pudding, which was served at most of the restaurants.

York was such fun! We would have liked more time in York, but that was true of all our stops. The next morning we departed early for Edinburgh. However, we stopped at Hadrian’s Wall on the way.

Hadrian’s Wall

The Roman Emperor, Hadrian, built a 73-mile wall between England and Scotland in A.D. 122. It was constructed using nearby materials. In some places it was almost ten feet wide and over sixteen feet tall. It’s purpose was to keep out the Scottish people. Today, it is a National Trail. The section we visited was right next to some beautiful horses.

The next leg of our tour is in a separate post, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Summer Tour.

We so loved seeing London and York! It would be great to go back someday.

Tag: Collette Tours

Year Three of Retirement, Still Loving It