London, episode 15. In which I attempt to pay the Bard.

Our Scottish adventure also included a much-needed visit to a local laundrette to refresh that favorite shirt of mine (among other necessities), so it was back in wardrobe (and photographic) rotation during our visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Mari and I have come up with a pretty basic formula for what to pack for one of our two or three week adventures; for me, it basically involves dividing the number of full days on the road by four and wearing that number of shirts twice before doing laundry halfway through the trip.

Travel Algebra anyone?

During our 20-day Olympics adventure that meant doing laundry on the 11th day after I had worn my 5 favorite shirts twice in successive rotation.

I won't get into any more (TMI) detail, but fresh undergarments are a daily must.

You be your own judge (and jury), of course, but I would much rather spend one morning or evening of a three-week trip at a local laundromat soaking up some local color than devote precious daily itinerary time to washing clothes in the compact confines of hotel bathrooms.

Back to the slightly more interesting story behind the Palace photo... Mari is a big fan of British royal history and (like her adventuresome husband) all things British, so we were thrilled to find ourselves a mere hop off of our hop-on-hop-off Edinburgh bus tour from the historic royal estate.

Home to British monarchy since its origins in the 12th century, Holyroodhouse was once home to a favorite of Mari's, Mary Queen of Scots. We could not pass up an opportunity for a visit which included an extensive tour inside several buildings including the ill-fated queen's personal apartments.

During a visit to Mount Vernon, just outside Washington, DC, I once experienced what could best be described as "a moment" when faced with George Washington's comfortably worn desk chair, still in position and on display in his study. More of a moment than even visiting his well-tended and stately tomb on the sprawling grounds just outside. This was personal. Walking through Queen Mary's chambers was much the same. So very personal and so relatable. History comes alive given this type of opportunity and I highly recommend a visit to the palace (and Mount Vernon, of course) should you find yourself in either vicinity.

The well-kept site has terrific planning information and photographs.

royalcollection.org.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse

Following our three days in Scotland, Mari and I enjoyed a lengthy (about 330 miles and seven hours) and very lushly scenic train ride through England to our final pre-Olympics stop, Stratford-upon-Avon.

I was a bit sad to have less than a full day (but a wondrously poetic night) to devote to such a significantly historic and scenic site, but we made the most of our limited time upon Avon with several scenic walks (main street pictured at right) and an exciting evening performance of a favorite play at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, right on the River Avon.

A Bollywood reinterpretation of Much Ado About Nothing was just what I needed to remind me how powerful and universal Shakespeare's themes and clever dialogue still were hundreds of years after first wittily written.

It was indeed rewarding beyond compare to enjoy a performance so close to Shakespeare's ancestral home.

The next day was Sunday, our first full day at the Olympics.

Another train journey (about 90 miles) would finally deposit me and my beloved (don't forget our giant luggage with freshly-laundered favorites!) in London, leaving in our wake so much anticipation, so much excitement, and so many colorfully emotional memories that even my most revered Bard would hearken in trepidation to face the dauntless task of enveloping them in the subtle rhythms of his beloved iambic pentameter.

Whew!

When Mari and I first crossed the cavernous threshold of the ExCeL Centre that Sunday evening for the first of thirteen zealously and meticulously scheduled events, we were more than ready to shake the weeks' travel dust from our sensible trainers and settle into the final week of our Olympic-sized journey.

A midweek mini-break at our favorite country estate next time.