The plane was de-iced before we left snowy Oslo very early on Tuesday.
Somehow we ended up in business class and had a rather nice breakfast and other perks--rather like the Seinfeld episode where Jerry is in 1st class and Elaine is in coach.
Waiting for the bus from Heathrow to Woking train station.
It took 20 minutes on the bus just to leave the airport--Heathrow is enormous and busier than ever.
At Woking, we got the train to Portsmouth.
Having a sandwich on the train...
...and watching the English countryside pass by.
The train was very empty!
Peter finds this sign endlessly amusing.
Remember the snow in Oslo? Well, things are blooming here.
The Portsmouth Cathedral.
More blooms getting underway.
Inside the church.
An older church right near the water...
...with school rugby practice just next door.
Walking along the shore at Portsmouth harbor. It was very windy!
This is an impressive observation tower from which you can see the Isle of Wight on a clear day (not this day).
Some waterfront pubs.
And some waterfront people.
Fishing boats.
We went from Portsmouth to East Sussex to visit our friends, Annemieke and Mark (not pictured here).
They live in this beautiful former shepherd's cottage, which they have lovingly remodeled.
You can see it here near the right of the photo; it's called Crowlink End.
From the same viewpoint as the previous photo, looking south toward the ocean.
The wind was rather intense and was all the reason we needed not to get too close to the edge of the cliffs.
These white cliffs are called The Seven Sisters and are every bit as impressive as those at Dover.
We cast some looooong shadows in the English countryside.
It was a beautiful morning (bright golden haze on the meadow included).
The waves were quite large.
A closer vantage point.
It wasn't very chilly, but the wind kept us bundled up.
Looking east.
Annemieke and Mark have one of Adina's paintings in their living room.
They took us on a driving tour of the countryside (Mark grew up nearby), and we saw things like this white horse...
...Lullington Church, the smallest church in England...
Small church, but big bench, enjoyed here by Adina and Annemieke.
Mark and Annemieke in front of the church.
The church seats about 25 people.
And more odd things on the hills...this is The Long Man of Wilmington.
This nearby yew tree is about 1400 years old.
We had lunch in this cozy pub in Alfriston.
The building on the right of this photo was the first ever to be listed with the National Trust.
The Cuckmere River in the South Downs.
We then took the train from Polegate to London...
...where our first order of business was to find Indian food (here at Soho Spice)!