Henley-on-Thames

Scott and I decided to forgo our trip to Bath last weekend for a "leisurely" 9 mile Saturday bike ride downstream to Henley-on-Thames. The "bike path" that the map showed turned out to be little more than a fisherman's trail along the Thames! Hee hee! We finally got so frustrated with the weeds that were taller than we were, the 2 foot wide clearance, and the stinging nettles (not to mention having to walk our bikes) that we turned back and crossed the river to see if it was better on the other side. It was, but not by much. Determined to press on (we were 3 miles downstream at Sonning by this point) we found ourselves riding in a cow pasture with big black and white dairy cows gazing lazily at us as we tried not to hit the tree roots by the riverbank and get pitched into the river. We had to lift our bikes over several fences (maybe 5) along the way and walk our bikes in many spots... but we made it!!!! We were so very sore by the time we got there, but it kind of felt good knowing that we'd done it! We just tried not to think about the return trip.

Henley-on-Thames was gearing up for their yearly regatta which is taking place this week. Evidently it's a very posh deal. Anyway, the town was gorgeous and very quaint. It's in the foothills of the Chilterns, and, as the name suggests, right on the Thames river (just like Reading and Caversham). We saw where the Wind in the Willows museum was and had a picnic lunch in a field between it and the river. There were little kids playing cricket near us, and we heard an English mom call her kid a cheeky monkey! Hee hee!

Scott and I walked around the town and window shopped. We found a rare bookshop where I got to hold a £50,000 (that's ~$100,000) first edition of Ian Flemming's Casino Royale. We were also allowed to handle a special limited first edition of Fahrenheit 451, signed by Ray Bradbury, whose cover was made of a material containing asbestos. Cheeky publishers! We stayed and chatted with the bookshop owner who kept bringing out treasures from behind lock and key for us to see and handle. She was one of the nicest and most interesting people we've met over here. We saw and held a first edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and she told us of how they'd just purchased a signed copy of Jane Austen's Emma at Sotherby's for over £200,000. Evidently there are only 9 known books ever to have been signed by Jane Austen, and this was one of them. It had just been sold to an american collector for an "undisclosed sum". Such an awesome shop. Here's their web address should you care to check it out: http://www.jonkers.co.uk/

Bless that bookshop owner for another reason: she informed us that we could take our bikes home on the train. EUREKA! I was no longer dreading the trip home! Previously our understanding was that only foldup bikes were allowed on the rail system. Man. For £4.80 each it was a bargain to stand on the train holding our bikes. We had to change trains once, and the smaller stations don't have lifts from one platform to another, so we had to carry the bikes up and down flights of stairs. But no matter! This was definately preferable to riding them the 9 miles back, I thought!

We're both still sore and a bit sunburned from our most recent adventure. It was alot of fun though! I'm really glad we did it. But before I try something like that again, I'm seriously thinking of investing in this new bike seat: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000VEG97I/ref=s9subs_c3_at3-rfc_p?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0BXPMDSW8575VY9TFVB3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=139042491&pf_rd_i=468294

Until next time,

Barbara