Stonehenge

Ah, Stonehenge.  When people say "its a pile of rocks on a hill", they are right.  Pretty much sums it up.  But still one of those things that you should see if you have the time and inclination.  We were lucky to visit on such a beautiful day.  The hill is about 15 minutes drive outside of Salisbury.  And it really is just kinda out there, all by itself. 

Our guide gave us a good story about what they have discovered and do know about Stonehenge.  They have a good idea of where the stones came from (several hundred kilometers away).  There is also some carbon dating types of science that helps date when it may have been built.  But the biggest mystery still remains - why are the stones there?  And what do they mean?  Lots of hypotheses, but no one really knows.

 

Because of problems with people defacing the stones and trying to jump off the top of them (this is near one of the largest outdoor music festivals in the UK, so plenty of people out here under the influence), you aren't allowed to go up to the stones.  This was about as close as you can get.  Apparently they do open it up on midsummers day in June, but hundreds of thousands of people are known to come. 

Stonehenge visit: check!

Salisbury Cathedral

The main attraction in Salisbury is the Cathedral.  I have found that every major cathedral boasts something special - the longest aisle, the most royal weddings, the oldest crypt, etc.  This one has the tallest spire in England, at 404 feet (yes, I had to Google that to remember).

The inside of this one photographed well.  I don't know if maybe it was just better light than others, or maybe the right time of day?  But I think they turned out well!

They have a very modern baptistery right in the middle of the center aisle.  This is a full submersion tank, although the reflection of the ceiling is so beautiful, you can't even tell it has depth.

This is looking towards the spire from the cloisters. 

Just off this hallway in the cloisters is a small museum that holds one of the four original copies of Magna Carta.  This is thought to be the best preserved copy, as it was "lost" and not on display for several hundred years.  We were able to view it, but no pictures were allowed inside.

Salisbury

While Mom and Helen were visiting, we took another day trip - this one to Salisbury and Stonehenge.  Unfortunately, I'm reached my limit of little facts I can remember from tour guides and also, I waited over a month to blog this one.  So its going to be a little short on informative details.  But lots of pictures! 

On the train, but looking a little stiff for the picture...

That's a little more fun!

Salisbury is about an 90 minutes by train west of London.  The area has had a town or village since as early as 3000 BC.  We walked through a beautiful park going from the train station to the city center.

 

This is near the city market.  We had lunch at a restaurant just nearby. 

 Mom and Helen, enjoying the nice weather!

I don't think this house was anything significant, I just like the red door.  :) 

Some other topics

So I was hoping to write a few posts about things here in London and my new lifestyle that is so totally different from what I was doing in Georgia.  Turns out I’m not very creative at coming up with ideas that you all might find interesting to read (and I might enjoy re-reading in the future)!  So I’m going to copy from some other expat blogs – those more creative and funny than me.  I find lots of blogs that have “top 10’s” or FAQ sections, so I’m going to steal their questions and put in my own answers. 

TRAVEL FAQ’s

1. Which airport would you like to never see again?

Charles de Gaulle in Paris. A 3 hour layover should be more than enough to enter an airport and get onto a connecting flight, especially as we arrived on time and the second flight departed on time.  First was the bus when we deplaned to take us to the terminal.  I was on that bus about 45 minutes. Then a crowded waiting room to get on another bus to get to the next terminal. Then the next bus ride.  By now nearly 2 hours had passed since landing. Then security at the new terminal. Finally, a run - not a jog but a dead sprint - to get to the gate on time.  Seriously – 3 hours should be enough. What’s wrong with this airport?

2. What is your travel nightmare?

Maybe getting abducted like those girls in “Taken”? Nah, I’m probably too old to be sold into white slavery. J But ending up somewhere unsafe would be pretty terrible.  There are lots of scenarios that would be inconvenient (cancelled flights, lost hotel reservations, stolen wallet/passport) but I can’t see how one would be much worse than the others – they are all a headache and could ruin a trip.

3. Would you rather stay in a fancy hotel and do less activities or stay in a hostel and do more activities?

Somewhere in between. I don’t prefer to share a bathroom in a hostel or be in a dorm with lots of kids 10-15 years younger than me. But I also don’t splurge on hotels if the trip is for sight-seeing. A clean, basic room with the essentials in a safe neighborhood is my standard.  I’ll save hotel splurges for somewhere fabulous, like Hawaii or Bora Bora.

4. Do you have any pre-travel rituals?

Not really. I’m an extremely slow packer but no rituals.

5. What is your favorite airline to fly with?

In the US, I find the big ones are pretty similar so I usually stick with Delta – I live in Atlanta and it makes sense to keep all my miles in one place.  In Europe, I prefer the “nice” airlines – British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa – but they are more expensive.  I hate the discount ones (Ryanair, Easyjet).  You end up spending more $$ to get to the airport, pay for your bags, the hassle of no assigned seating so you stand in a queue for an hour before boarding.  It may be cheaper, but you’ll still pay one way or another. 

6. If you could take a trip anywhere in the world, where would you go?

That’s really tough, especially as my travel list keeps getting longer the more places I go. It could change daily.  Right now I’m obsessed with Asia because I’ve never been.  And yesterday I read a fabulous article about Boracay in the Philippines, so that sounds really good right now!

7. How do you survive long-haul flights?

I’m crazy, but I LOVE long flights.  To be fair, I don’t do them all that often. I love the uninterrupted time. There is nothing else I can do. Nothing else I should do (like working, cleaning my flat, exercising, etc.). Just 8-12 hours of time to nap, eat, read and watch movies.  It’s a vacation unto itself.

8. What is your favorite stamp in your passport and why?

The next one – I can’t wait to get there.

9. What are your top 3 necessary items for travel?

Camera, a book and sunscreen. 

10. What is your off-the-beaten-track trip in your current home?

Nearly all of London is covered in tourists and if you are only here for a few days, that really isn’t long enough to see the subtle differences if you hang out in a less touristy area. It will all look the same to you.  So I would say – leave London for a day. Go to Bath, Brighton, Winchester or one of the gazillion castles within a 2 hour train ride.  Include a village walk, a teashop lunch and a pub dinner. It’s nice to see what England has to offer outside of London. 

More to come later like this!!

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court!  This is my first visit to one of the royal residences since I've moved to London.  Hampton Court was the main home of Henry VIII and other royals after him.  We took the train out from Waterloo Station.  My favorite part of going to Waterloo is always the Krispy Kreme stand.  British bakery donuts are not as good as American ones, but Krispy Kreme is!

 

Hampton Court is a large complex with several buildings and gardens surrounding.  This is the drive leading up to the main entrance...

And some nice little statues that line the front gate.  I especially like the dragon.

 
 
 

 The first courtyard had this fountain that originally flowed with wine for visitors to have a drink upon arrival. 

They also had these odd little wooden statues in various places around the courtyard.  I'm not sure what the point was, but generally they looked like they had frequently the wine fountain!  And they made great photo ops.  Aunt Helen made a new friend.
 

And so did I!

We toured the Henry VIII section of the palace that included the living spaces and public rooms that were occupied by Henry and his wife (wives, really, but only one at a time) during his reign. They had a pretty good audio guide that led us through the tour.

We also toured the kitchens, but I didn't end up with any great pictures of that.  They have most of the original kitchens set up to give visitors an idea of the volume of cooking and the methods used during the time.  There was a fire with about a dozen spits in front of it for roasting meat and pots that I could take a bath in.  It was very impressive. 

 

There was also a special exhibit about the Royal Bedchamber in the newer section of the palace.  No pictures were allowed, but generally it was not as scintillating as it sounds.  :)  Finally, we toured some of the gardens, which were as beautiful and impressive as the bedchamber thing was boring.  Look at these great sculptured bushes that almost look like cartoons!



 

One of the private gardens that the royals would have had exclusive access to.



 A few more views of the gardens...

 

 

Mom and Aunt Helen taking a little break!

 

I'm a slacker blogger

I knew this was why I never became a writer.  I am over a month behind on posting what I've been up to.  And originally I thought that during this late summer travel break I would have some funny and witty postings about life in London.  But instead I keep scheduling stuff to do on the weekends and evenings and now I'm more behind than ever! 

I have a post coming in a few minutes about my daytrip in early June to Hampton Court.  My mom and Aunt Helen visited for two weeks in June.  My sister and brother-in-law just left London this morning after a week visit.  I've also been to Stonehenge, Salisbury, Wimbledon, the Cotswolds and Finland since then!  In the next few months I have trips in planning to Spain and Portugal.  I have some ideas about a couple of other day trips around the UK and at least two more international trips.  Lots more exciting blogging to come - if I can keep up with myself! 

In the meantime, we've had a "heat wave" in London.  It has been over 80 for more than a week now!  I'm loving it.  I hope there will be enough warm days to wear each summer outfit approximately once before it gets cold and rainy again.  Keeping my fingers crossed!