We are out early this Sunday morning, driving to Heathrow Airport to drop off our car and take the tube into London for the last leg of our journey, saying a sad goodbye to the Cotswolds and looking forward to something completely different.

We decided to keep Saturday low key, as we are worn out, and Elaine and I both have annoying chest colds.We stopped in at Paul and Hilary’s for coffee at 10, and then drove to another Cotswold town, Cirencester, very close by. It turned out to be one of our favorites. It was Market Day, where people set up booths to sell all sorts of things, from clothes and jewelry to artisanal breads and cheeses. We walked through the market, held on a very old (as in VERY old) square.

On one side of the square is the Cirencester Abbey, site of a religious order for over 900 years. The abbey was filled with flowers that I first thought were artificial, until we realized they were setting up for a wedding.

But the best part of the abbey was the model of it made entirely of Legos!

We wandered around town, peering into closes lined with shops, popping into a bookstore, and buying cheese to take to P and H before landing at The Fleece for lunch. It took 45 minutes for our food to arrive, but it was tasty and the atmosphere was cozy. One strange thing about English pubs and restaurants is that most welcome dogs. There were 3 dogs in our vicinity. Most are well behaved, but every once in a while, one will let out a loud bark that makes us jump!

We left by 3:30 to give ourselves time to rest before going back over to Paul and Hilary’s. I took a delightful nap, then we worked on plans for London. At 7 we walked to Paul and Hilary’s for the last time, meeting two more of their beautiful grandchildren, Archie and Oscar. Hilary multitasked her way through overseeing bath time and bedtime while making a lovely dinner of Boursin-stuffed chicken breasts, peas and zucchini, and new potatoes.

We spent 6 days with Paul and Hilary, and never ran out of conversation. They were so hospitable and so interesting. But most of all, they are kind and caring humans. I am grateful to have had this time with them.