Right Over to Bolsover

Well we’re back in the UK. There are many strategies to deal with jet lag, and Len and decided to stay up all day. We headed over to Bolsover Castle to check out the home of the Cavendish’s. The castle was started in the 13th century, and was built up to its current size in the 17th. The castle was partially ruined in the civil war by the parliamentarians, but was restored and was passed on to the English Heritage society in the 1950’s. What impressed me the most was the view of the countryside, and the size of the stables. It must have been magnificent to command the entire valley. I got a bottle of souvenir beer from Ballard, a Wassail (ale with spices typically served at Christmas time), that I tried sometime during the week.

We checked into our hotel and then went out to look for an American football game. I thought it would be neat to not be the most uneducated sport fan in the room for a change in the UK. We stopped by the Babington Arms (http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/pubs/pub-details.php?PubNumber=507) for some real ale. I had the Amber Chocolate Orange Stout which recently won a bronze medal at the GBBF. Outstanding, but the good beer was certainly preparing me for a good night’s sleep. We found the game at the Walkabout (after the Chelsea vs. Liverpool game wrapped up), an Australian steakhouse in the center of town, and watched the Patriots play the Ravens. The beer was cold lagers (Afraid of the Dark, Lager Boy?), and I enjoyed a Toohey Extra Dry. We only made it through the first quarter before I started to fall asleep in my chair. Back to the hotel, I made it to my room and made it to sleep. This was the start of another great week in the UK. - 5205

"You can’t have a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer." – Frank Zappa