England and China: Armchair Travel Series

The Hagers embark on a 16 day, whirlwind guided tour to CHINA, starting with Beijing. First stop: Tiananmen Square - worlds largest square, filled with thousands of tourists. Very soon after visited the "Forbidded City" and caught glimpses of rooms showing past lavish lifestyle of emperors and their innumerable concubines. Next, the Great Wall of China, totaling 4000 miles long, with endless views of Yan Mts. A plane ride took them to Wuhan with a visit to the Hubei Provincial Museum. At Yichang, they boarded a boat for the Yangtze River Cruise and sailed upstream, stopping at the Three Gorges Dam Site. Transferring to a small riverboat, they cruised the Shennong Stream, switching to a sampan for a close-up view of the "local minority people", continuing through the Three Gorges, viewing breathtaking scenery. Disembarked for a mini tour to Fengdu Ghost City, climbing 400 steps to reach the top. Next a visit to Chongqing Zoo, housing Pandas. They flew to Xi'an to visit the famous Terracotta Armored Warriors, nearly 8000 life-sized warriors unearthed, along with their horses and 100 chariots found buried in pits with their Chinese Emperor. Attended a Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show. Flew to Shanghai and bussed to Suzhow, enjoying a canal boat tour of the city, noted for its canals and bridges. In Shanghai they strolled along the waterfront promenade, The Bund, the city's financial district, and later visited the Shanghai Museum. That evening the tour ended with an acrobatic show. It was a jam-packed trip with surprises and adventure. Next trip - England.
The Hagers visited the beautiful Cotswold region of ENGLAND. Rented a car and toured Tewkesbury Abbey, claiming a church has been on the site for over 1200 years. Drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon and visited Shakespeare's home. Next was Sudeley Castle, begun in 978 AD. Other visits included the picturesque village of Bourton-on-Water and the Cotswold Motoring Museum, housing mainly pre-war and some post war English sports cars of all makes and models. The Hagers drove to Cumbria in the famous Lake District, checking in at a B&B in the ancient village of Hawkshead. They happened on the home of Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, standing adjacent to their inn. Veering north they drove to the village of Grasmere where William Wordsworth, famed 18th century Romantic poet rented Dove Cottage in 1799, and viited the Wordworth Museum next door. Walked a few blocks to his final home until his death, in 1850, Rydal Mount House and Gardens, overlooking Lake Windermere. Then on to Ravenglass to ride the Ravenglass and Eskdale miniature railway, "Lal Ratty". The narrow gauge rail and rail cars were just wide enough for the Hagers to sit abreast and enjoy the ride. Next morning headed to York and toured the National Rail Museum, the world's largest collection of trains of all kinds, visited the York Minster, started in 1229, the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern England. Spent hours at the York Castle Museum and later walked the top of the ancient York city walls and gates and sampled the city's pubs and restaurants, ending their wondrous visit to this historic island. Photos by Pauline