Blog Archives

London Bridge is Falling Down

30/3/2014

Or... opening up, as luck had it.

On our second last day in London, Melissa and I met up with her cousin Shane, who is living and working over there. He was kind enough to give us a guided tour of the City and the area around Tower Hill. He was even nice enough to look up when the bridge was due to open that day, so we would have the chance to glimpse the iconic sight!

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Bath

28/3/2014

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Bath is somewhere that I could have spent a hell of a lot more time in. Our final stop on the day tour (see stops one and two), we arrived in Bath just as the sun was setting, around, oh, 3.30pm. I still can't get over that. It was beautiful though and well worth the effort. The Roman Baths were interesting, and made for some really pretty photographs, but what I enjoyed the most was actually the town itself. The Christmas Market was adorable, full of interesting people and cute little stalls. I bought a little wooden frog that makes croaking noises and some delicious caramelised peanuts, a delicacy that was foreign to me prior to this visit. There was one little shop I visited where I had to descend down some steps into the tiniest space, there was barely enough room for the mini drinks fridge I was seeking. Apparently the town is a University town, making it all the more appealing as a place for me to return to. I would love to explore the place more, especially in the day light. I would've liked to explore the abbey and the surrounding areas, as well as all the other things the town has to offer, but the tour was only meant to show me the highlights, and I suppose it achieved that.

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Stonehenge

22/3/2014

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Say what you will about Stonehenge, I really liked it. It was fascinating wandering around the edge of the circle, wondering about the mysteries surrounding the stones. English history is something I find really interesting to study so Stonehenge was a definite must for me to see.

I am still amazed at just how green the English countryside was. In Australia, for those who do not know, the countryside is a mixture of dark greens, blues, yellows, oranges and browns. Whereas, in contrast, the English countryside was this vivid green that only seemed to get brighter as we moved away further from London.

I wish it were possible to wander through the ancient relics, but I understand the spiritual and historical significance for people. It was the same when I visited Uluru (it is forbidden to take photographs of certain areas around the giant rock, as it offends the Indigenous peoples). Still, it would be fascinating to get a closer look. Alas, I shall have to suffice with these photographs, including the very touristy shot of myself taken by Melissa. Occasionally touristy photographs are a necessity.

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Windsor

10/3/2014

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I spent a day on a tour, visiting Stonehenge, Windsor and Bath. It was a whirlwind day to say the least but in my eyes it was well worth the effort. The English countryside is beautiful, so much greener than anywhere I've ever seen before. At Windsor Castle there was much pretending to be knights and queens and the like which, if you have visited Queen Elizabeth's residence, is really very appropriate. Inside the castle the walls are lined with swords and suits of armor. The rooms we saw were lavishly furnished in styles rather appropriate for what is the oldest inhabited castle.

The castle itself is rather beautiful, rising up above the town of Windsor in a way only a castle could. It was amazing though, the town is in a flight path and massive airplanes flew right over our heads creating a rumbling. Apparently the Queen has triple-glazed windows to block out the noise.

I really did enjoy my time at Windsor though, the castle was fascinating to visit. It is so rich in history, like much of Europe. I am still struggling with the concept of thousands of years of history in one small place.

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SQUIRREL

2/3/2014

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I first came across these strange furry little creatures in Saint James' Park. One jumped onto the path in front of me, resulting in my squealing "Squirrel!". They are so people friendly, that one on the fence in the photo below was feeding out of a person's hand! Also, the above photograph was taken with my 28mm lens, signalling just how close they are willing to get to you. I was so pleased to actually see one though, it was pretty much the one English thing I wanted to see. There are no squirrels in Australia, I have seen my fair share of possums, kangaroos and wombats, but a squirrel is something they don't even keep in a zoo. Ask Mel, I was jumping around the park after that first initial encounter, I was so happy!