Jolly Ol' England

After a rather inauspicious start involving a departure change (thunderstorm canceled Monterery - LAX flight; re-booked through San Fransisco requiring a one-way rental car to get to SFO on time), and an "inoperable" plane (requiring deplaning and waiting 5 hours for a new plane & crew), we finally arrived in Manchester, England. Whew!

We met up with friends Stacy & Robert, who took us to Fountains Abbey. Henry VIII had this abbey demolished when the Anne Bolyn troubles were taking place.
They also took us on a drive through the Yorkshire Dales, with a late lunch at the Wensleydale Creamery - Yum!! Here's a picture of the Yorkshire Dales:
We also met up with Rachael & Paul (the soon-to-be-wed happy couple), and the others here from "across the pond" for dinner last night. We packed a lot into our first fun-filled day here in Yorkshire.

Oh! And check out our view of Clifford's Tower from our hotel:
Pretty darned awesome!