From The Strange Tours File

Last weekend was the big wedding in Great Britain. Meghan and Harry have begun their life as husband and wife. It's the story little girls love--meeting your prince and becoming a princess (actually a duchess). Bring on the unicorns. Like millions of others I watched, at least for a little while. I had to smile as the very solemn faced Brits listened to a very animated pastor deliver a message.

Well now the Brits have given me another thing to smile about. They have a great sense of humor. It's often unexpected and catches you off-guard. For instance there is a London tour company that takes you on unusual themed tours. The name of the company is London Loo Tours. Now if you don't know that the Brits use the term loo for bathroom or toilet it may not strike a chord with you and make you smile. I'm truly smiling as I write this.

So, there are four tours you can choose from, the original loo tour, the Bloomsbury loo tour, the Thomas Crapper's Times and, I'm sure what would be one of my grandsons' favorites, the Fart Tour. The description of the original tour sent me into peals of laughter:

Our classic route runs from Waterloo to the West End, exploring the potty politics of public toilets. From stories of intrigue to practical tips, this tour is an investment in your bladder future! Never be caught short again!

Okay moving on to the Bloomsbury:

We put the Loo in Bloomsbury! This tour travels from Euston Square to Holburn and plumbs the depths of the history of health and hygiene, investigating how the toilet as we know it evolved from scientific discovery and social convention.

Now that seems a bit more educational. Even more educational would be the Thomas Crapper Tour. While he's been falsely credited with inventing the flush toilet, he was still a marvel at depth plumbing inventions and has quite a few patents to his name. Here's the description of that tour:

This tour travels through the Kensington area where Thomas Crapper lived and worked. Learn about the man and the myths and legends that have followed him and his famous surname!

And I finish with the newest tour, the Fart tour:

The Fart Tour with Amber-Loo, which journeys through Soho to celebrate the fun and discover the facts of our greatest bodily function.

So, if you find yourself in London and getting bored with all the usual touristy stops perhaps you'll give one of these a go--if you're flush with some cash of course.

Merry Old England - Robin's Tights and Arthur's Sword

Camelot? For real? 
And Sherwood Forest does exist? 
But what about King Arthur and Robin Hood? 

As we have done in the past with trips to Ireland and New Zealand, our future travel plans include a round-the-country trip to England. While perusing several sites to add to that itinerary, I found an article on Smarter Travel.com that listed several mythical places to visit including Camelot and Sherwood Forest. Let's start with Camelot.

In Shropshire, England, you can follow the King Arthur Trail. The fourth largest city of Roman times in Great Britain, Virconium at Wroxeter is thought to be the site of Camelot. You see, researchers have discovered that there was a King Arthur. He was king of the Votadini tribe and he married a lady named Ganhumara. So, okay, that's close to Guinevere, right? Apparently if you follow the trail, the legendary pieces will all fit into place. It should be very interesting.

Now Robin Hood, according to legend, roamed with his merry band in Sherwood Forest. There really is such a place in Nottinghamshire. It was once a large forested area where royalty hunted deer. Perfect for the tales of Robin Hood, right? But wait! Tracing the personage of Robin Hood actually puts him in a different area.

The first known literary reference to Robin Hood was in 1377 and puts his birthplace as Lockersley in Yorkshire in 1160. Unfortunately there is no Lockersley in Yorkshire or Nottinghamshire for that matter but there is a Loxley in Staffordshire. Then too, there are other men who seem to fit the legendary figure of Robin Hood (none of them resembling Errol Flynn, I'm sure) and show up in other accounts. It all seems very confusing but then we are talking about men in tights.

Whatever the case, we would enjoy seeing Sherwood Forest and imaging the merry men and fantasizing about a perfect place called Camelot. Great Britain is a beautiful country with quite a historic past--legendary or not.