Day 6: London, England

London, United Kingdom

Way to go Cavs!! What great news to wake up to 🙂 I noticed this morning I’ve been averaging about 22,000 steps per day so far on my trip…guess those tea breaks and cappuccino have been keeping me going! Today I departed into West London for a tour to Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge. My group was larger than I’d prefer, but I found it easy to see all I wanted without much distraction since I’m traveling solo. As we left town, we passed Harrod’s (can’t wait to stop there tomorrow) and Harry Nickels. Learned you can literally buy anything at Harrod’s; a woman recently bought her significant other a helicopter and had it wrapped and delivered to their home (Sorry, Bry…figured we can’t buy without a helicopter/pilots license ;))! Harry Nickels has a local art academy decorate with new store fronts each week to keep it constantly updated and seasonally appropriate. Also drove past one the oldest Catholic Churches in town, and Fullers Brewery. Upon arriving to Windsor Castle in Berkshire I learned the Queen frequents this castle and spends her birthday here each year (her preferred weekend home). I can see why…charming in such a grand way (over 900 rooms vs the 600+ found at Buckingham Palace). It was constructed in the 11th century by Williams the Conqueror and still functions today with over 500 people working/living in it. On display here is Queen Mary’s Doll House – it’s enormous and everything fully functions in it (running water and working electricity). Every room was lavishly elegant, but I most liked the Grand Hall (loved the contrast between the wood ceiling and gorgeous chandelier), St George’s Hall, and the Grand Reception Room! Unfortunately you really can’t capture pictures of anything inside, but enjoy the ones I did get of the grounds. After touring the main rooms, we proceeded to see the changing of the guards and St George’s Chapel before continuing on to Bath. I even spotted “Royal Ice Cream Trucks” which I thought my niece (Riley) and nephew (Crosby) would be happy about! Bath reminds me of a town you would come across in Tuscany. Loved the quaint details and could definitely see the Roman influence. The beautiful church, Bath Abby was founded in the 7th century and thought the city you can also spot the Georgian era of stonework throughout the city. In the 17th century is when the Roman Baths drew attention due to their claims of healing properties. You can certainly see what a larger social gathering place this would have been with the rooms upon rooms of different steam/hot water/warm water/cold water spas. In the 19th century Jane Austen lived in Bath. After exploring these main sites I enjoyed lunch at a cafe – ordered some proper fish & chips with a 1/2 pint of cider (my favorite sized beer ever, just the right amount) and explored some of the local shops. Time to leave Somerest (City Bath is in) and travel to Stonehenge. We continued our adventure along the rolling hills and had quite the picturesque drive through the country side. Spotted farms for cows, sheep and pigs. Then we arrived to the famous burial grounds. It is believed that Stonehenge was built somewhere between 3000/2000BC and is evidence suggests it was used as a burial ground from the beginning. You cannot enter the middle of the circle, but because of the seasonal tie to the structure (aligned to the sunrise of the summer solstice and sunset of the winter solstice) it also could have been some type of calendar. The fields around the structure also have various burial mounds that human remains and brass personal items have been found. The larger minds are sed to be tribal leaders while lay people had sallow grave sites. I’m glad to have had the chance to see this memorable structure on such a beautiful day. This was a long day of touring (got back to Kristina’s just before 9PM), but I had the chance to take in so much today 🙂 One more full day in London ahead!