On a 200+ year old transport route aka the Stratford Canal, we cruise for a week. Today is our last day, sunshine, swans, green tunnels of oak.

Lock keepers formerly assisted the barges, sending cargoes, later mail and passengers between towns. This canal links Birmingham to the River Avon and hence to the Bristol Channel via the River Severn. Prior to the age of railways, the canal was a more reliable, safer, faster means of transport than roads.

Cottages for the lock keepers are barrel roofed on this canal- the builders apparently using the formwork for the arched bridges to assist the construction of the cottages. Some are able to be rented for holidays now,

The orher unique feature is the cantilevered iron bridges, the gap between the 2 sections allowing the horse's tow rope to slide through, avoiding unhitching and thus time wasted.

Sunday in Florence, instead of in Siena. Train track work. So we head through quiet streets (it is only 8am) towards the old centre. There we find thousands of green shirted citizens, either in a fun run or supporters thereof, a police band, a Krishna group and a solo violinst. As well as a melee of tourists children dogs mixing with Florentians young old small.

We venture into the Orsanmichele, a church celebrating women, once a granary. The 14th C guilds helped fund the church. A sculpture outside the church celebrates saints and tradesmen.

Yesterday we retreated to the green oasis of the Orto Botanica or Giardino dei Semplici, established 1445 by Cosimo Medici, to wander through the medicinal/conservation focussed tall and tiny plants. An ancient cork tree, a tiny South African tulip. And a ceramics exhibition in the vast orangerie type greenhouse.

A diverse charming exhausting city.

Henry VIII and Martin Luther both in their ways upended the Roman Catholic church. And evidence of why lies in the magnificent palaces in Rome, some of them paid for by ‘Indulgences’. A wealthy sinner could avoid eons in purgatory by buying an Indulgence. Martin Luther attacked this practice and started the Reformation.

Henry VIII seems to have been motivated to destroy the English monasteries partly driven by avarice, partly by revenge with a soupcon of ego and politics thrown in.

Monumental crumbling fascinating. A short dip into ancient and modern worlds. Links to English history predating our rhymes - Constantine crowned emperor when in York for example.

And through this website old friends are contacting us.

Fronting the Thames at Richmond is a 1620s house, home to aristocrats who managed to survive the Civil War despite being buddies of Charles I. The menfolk debunked to France leaving the women to avoid the destruction of the Puritan army. How they managed this was not detailed.

The walled gardens appealed more than the rich decorations and opulent lifestyle of the house. Maybe a little touch of jaundiced jetlag?

Thanks to our tech savvy and delightful neighbour this timely blog function is now in place. Slow Travel's blog is not appropriate for this journey, Santiago a lovely memory. So now every flat surface in the house has piles of stuff, half of which are probably not needed. Any journey seems to start in the vortex of advancing deadline, multiple lists, gleeful anticipation. Bring it on!

leaving will be painful, but friends and family await.