My feet are tired – The Final Chapter
We have come to the end of our trip across the pond. These last few days have been very hectic as we try to cram in so many final places to visit. It seems we have walked till we are ready to drop. However, we still have more to see. I keep telling my feet they will get a chance to rest once we are back home.
We left Stratford and sped down the motorway towards Bath. This is a very old city. The buildings in the city center are tightly packed together. Parking was at a premium and we had to watch carefully for the Long Stay Parking signs. We eventually found the lot and had to drive around a bit until a space opened up. Of course, it was a pay and display lot (parking meter without the parking meters in front of each parking spot) where you needed a minimum of one pound for two hours time.
The drive down took a few hours so I was in need of a rest room. The British are so civilized. They have pay toilet areas near the parking lots. You do have to pay 10 pence to access the toilet, but they are very clean. This is because they look something like you would find on an airplane with a few major differences. After you pay, the door slides open. You enter and the door slides closed. The inside is much larger than what you would find on an airplane and made totally of stainless steel. There is a narrow baby changing area hanging off one wall. A sink is built into the wall with a button to push to get warm air to dry your hands. You need to press a button to get the toilet paper which dispenses in a long strip from an enclosed receptacle. The whole toilet area is made of stainless steel with just a rim to sit upon. Of course there is a sign saying that vandalism will not be tolerated and violators will be prosecuted (I guess they have camera taking pictures whilst you are inside). Finally there is a timing counter up on the wall telling you how many minutes you have left to finish your business. This counter is very important for you to keep track of. You need to exit the area before it reaches zero. If you are still inside, you will be sanitized along with all other surfaces with a cleaning solution and vacuum suction to get rid of excess water. It’s all very civilized of course.
The Roman Baths were amazing. This was the reason we took a couple of hours to stop in Bath. It blows your mind that in the middle of this busy area filled with modern day shops selling mobile telephones and other high tech equipment you have a historic building situated right at the center where an ancient Roman Ruin exists. The history was fascinating though I don’t know if I would want to get into the very green looking water. However, you can still feel the heat rising from the pools telling us that the water is still flowing over some very hot areas underneath the city.
We left Bath and sped along to an area I was keen to revisit – Avebury Circle. This area is filled with Standing Stones actually older by 200 years than Stonehenge. The stone circle is over a mile in diameter. What makes it different from Stonehenge is that you can actually get up and feel the stones. The circle is not intact like that of Stonehenge. The village of Avebury cuts the circle into 4 pie shaped wedges. There are parts of the circle visible in each wedge. The stones are usually cordoned off by fences with gates you can walk through without charge (they get you at the car park with pay and display). The fences are there to keep in the sheep which roam freely among the stones. The sheep serve two purposes. They mow the grass to keep the area neat and they leave their droppings to discourage people from camping out overnight. You also have to watch carefully where you are walking. Howard had to scrape some droppings out of the treds in his shoes. I loved being able to hug a stone and feel the energy.
Our final stop for the day was Stonehenge. The ring is still complete and is much smaller - maybe a football field in diameter. You can’t get right up to the stones, but you can walk around the area, seeing the stones from all different angles. It was a special time for us. We had arrived late in the afternoon close to sunset. We walked around the circle taking pictures from all the different angles. We even waited a bit to take some pictures as the sun was starting to set over the stones. It was a bit surreal. I hope our pictures do it justice. Howard was really enthralled by the whole experience. The only part that was discordant was road noise from the traffic speeding by on a very busy roadway intersection. You think of Stonehenge as being in the middle of nowhere. It is in that there is nothing built up around it. However, instead of just one roadway going past the area, there is a major intersection not more than 500 yards away. It made it a bit difficult to meditate or imagine the sounds of times past when the circle might have been used.
We left Stonehenge and somehow managed to find our way to the B&B just outside of Salisbury without getting too lost. We were staying at a B&B Farmhouse. The place was built in the 1700’s. The oak beams were still in place. In a couple of places, braces had been added to keep the beams together. You could just imagine cooking in the large fireplace which was located in what was now the dining room, but then the original kitchen. Many rooms have been added over the years as have modern conveniences. The grounds were a gardener’s dream. Fruit trees, flowers, streams, & pastures. Of course there were horses and dogs. The setting is one built for relaxation. We were sorry that we only had the one night to spend before we set off once again.
Our last two nights were to be spent in a town called Frimley. It is close to where a former B&B guest of ours lives in a village called Yately. We have stayed in touch with Dorothy over the years and were looking forward to seeing her again. First, we had some final places to visit. Having left the B&B, we ventured back into Salisbury to see Salisbury Cathedral and view one of 4 remaining copies of the original Magna Carta (40 original copies were made with Kings Seal attached). This is a document which was so very important to Howard’s father, who had been an attorney. It is the basis for all constitutional law in the world. We stopped for a brief moment for what Howard calls another purchasing opportunity in the gift shop. I needed to pick up another tea towel. I do intend to use all of these towels which I am collecting. It will enable me to relive sections of our trip each time I see them.
Our next stop had not been on our original plan of places to see. However, one night we were watching the telly and there was a travel section regarding a special room at Wilton House. One of the Earls, had built a double cube room 30 feet high by 30 feet wide by 60 feet long)to house his personal Van Dyke collection of family portraits. It is the largest collection of Van Dykes in existence today (even larger than the Queen’s). The ceiling in the room was beyond description and the art collection spectacular. It seems that Howard has managed to drag me to art galleries without my being aware. He likes the art, I like the buildings. There was also a single cube room that had other art work. Of course, there were many art pieces collected from visits to Europe in centuries past.
Our final stop for the day was to Winchester Castle. This was another unplanned stop that came about after viewing a program on the Telly. There was a table in the Great Hall that, legend has it, was King Arthur’s Round Table. As Winchester was the original capital of England this seemed most likely. We had to view this relic for our friend John Gewecke who has an affinity for this time period.
We left Winchester right at rush hour. We missed the turn we were supposed to take and to avoid getting caught in the rush hour backlog, took a back road to catch back up with the motorway once again. Things were fine until we had to get off for the town we were to stay in for the night. There was not only road construction on the motorway and rush hour traffic, but also a lorry overturn spilling diesel oil across the roadway in the city street we needed to use. Needless to say, this snarled traffic. The signs were hard to read, traffic was a nightmare and after more than an hour and a half of trying to get onto the right road Howard was in a panic attack state. We finally pulled into a pub that served food. We called the B&B, got better directions, waited for the traffic to pass and sat down to dinner and a double drink each. It ended up we were only two minutes away from the B&B. We got into our room and collapsed.
Our final day was spent with our friend Dorothy. She came to the B&B and we all drove to Windsor Castle (the Queens Family ancestral home). The place is bigger than Buckingham Palace. We viewed a special Doll House that is an exact replica of the Castle down to running water and electric lights. It has furnishings that would have been those used during Queen Mary’s time. Also in this section were two dolls complete with wardrobes given by the French to then Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. It was not the type of thing that I would give a child to play with, but it sure was nice to look at. Of course, everything was made by French designers. The collection was complete with furs, jewels, gloves, shoes, evening dresses, lingerie, day dresses, hats, play clothes, etc. etc, etc. The day was perfect. The rain even held off until we were ready to leave. We returned to the B&B for a while. We needed to reorganize and packup all of our treasures. It was a good thing we bought that extra bag.
Our final night, Dorothy and her husband Ron took us out to dinner at a lovely restaurant. We had a lot of laughs. The boys talked cars. We ate until we were so stuffed we couldn’t move. A good night sleep and we are finally at our last breakfast.
We are anxious to fly out. We will be happy to return home to driving on the “right” side of the road.
Hope you all have enjoyed our journey.
T&T getting ready to leave England
We left Stratford and sped down the motorway towards Bath. This is a very old city. The buildings in the city center are tightly packed together. Parking was at a premium and we had to watch carefully for the Long Stay Parking signs. We eventually found the lot and had to drive around a bit until a space opened up. Of course, it was a pay and display lot (parking meter without the parking meters in front of each parking spot) where you needed a minimum of one pound for two hours time.
The drive down took a few hours so I was in need of a rest room. The British are so civilized. They have pay toilet areas near the parking lots. You do have to pay 10 pence to access the toilet, but they are very clean. This is because they look something like you would find on an airplane with a few major differences. After you pay, the door slides open. You enter and the door slides closed. The inside is much larger than what you would find on an airplane and made totally of stainless steel. There is a narrow baby changing area hanging off one wall. A sink is built into the wall with a button to push to get warm air to dry your hands. You need to press a button to get the toilet paper which dispenses in a long strip from an enclosed receptacle. The whole toilet area is made of stainless steel with just a rim to sit upon. Of course there is a sign saying that vandalism will not be tolerated and violators will be prosecuted (I guess they have camera taking pictures whilst you are inside). Finally there is a timing counter up on the wall telling you how many minutes you have left to finish your business. This counter is very important for you to keep track of. You need to exit the area before it reaches zero. If you are still inside, you will be sanitized along with all other surfaces with a cleaning solution and vacuum suction to get rid of excess water. It’s all very civilized of course.
The Roman Baths were amazing. This was the reason we took a couple of hours to stop in Bath. It blows your mind that in the middle of this busy area filled with modern day shops selling mobile telephones and other high tech equipment you have a historic building situated right at the center where an ancient Roman Ruin exists. The history was fascinating though I don’t know if I would want to get into the very green looking water. However, you can still feel the heat rising from the pools telling us that the water is still flowing over some very hot areas underneath the city.
We left Bath and sped along to an area I was keen to revisit – Avebury Circle. This area is filled with Standing Stones actually older by 200 years than Stonehenge. The stone circle is over a mile in diameter. What makes it different from Stonehenge is that you can actually get up and feel the stones. The circle is not intact like that of Stonehenge. The village of Avebury cuts the circle into 4 pie shaped wedges. There are parts of the circle visible in each wedge. The stones are usually cordoned off by fences with gates you can walk through without charge (they get you at the car park with pay and display). The fences are there to keep in the sheep which roam freely among the stones. The sheep serve two purposes. They mow the grass to keep the area neat and they leave their droppings to discourage people from camping out overnight. You also have to watch carefully where you are walking. Howard had to scrape some droppings out of the treds in his shoes. I loved being able to hug a stone and feel the energy.
Our final stop for the day was Stonehenge. The ring is still complete and is much smaller - maybe a football field in diameter. You can’t get right up to the stones, but you can walk around the area, seeing the stones from all different angles. It was a special time for us. We had arrived late in the afternoon close to sunset. We walked around the circle taking pictures from all the different angles. We even waited a bit to take some pictures as the sun was starting to set over the stones. It was a bit surreal. I hope our pictures do it justice. Howard was really enthralled by the whole experience. The only part that was discordant was road noise from the traffic speeding by on a very busy roadway intersection. You think of Stonehenge as being in the middle of nowhere. It is in that there is nothing built up around it. However, instead of just one roadway going past the area, there is a major intersection not more than 500 yards away. It made it a bit difficult to meditate or imagine the sounds of times past when the circle might have been used.
We left Stonehenge and somehow managed to find our way to the B&B just outside of Salisbury without getting too lost. We were staying at a B&B Farmhouse. The place was built in the 1700’s. The oak beams were still in place. In a couple of places, braces had been added to keep the beams together. You could just imagine cooking in the large fireplace which was located in what was now the dining room, but then the original kitchen. Many rooms have been added over the years as have modern conveniences. The grounds were a gardener’s dream. Fruit trees, flowers, streams, & pastures. Of course there were horses and dogs. The setting is one built for relaxation. We were sorry that we only had the one night to spend before we set off once again.
Our last two nights were to be spent in a town called Frimley. It is close to where a former B&B guest of ours lives in a village called Yately. We have stayed in touch with Dorothy over the years and were looking forward to seeing her again. First, we had some final places to visit. Having left the B&B, we ventured back into Salisbury to see Salisbury Cathedral and view one of 4 remaining copies of the original Magna Carta (40 original copies were made with Kings Seal attached). This is a document which was so very important to Howard’s father, who had been an attorney. It is the basis for all constitutional law in the world. We stopped for a brief moment for what Howard calls another purchasing opportunity in the gift shop. I needed to pick up another tea towel. I do intend to use all of these towels which I am collecting. It will enable me to relive sections of our trip each time I see them.
Our next stop had not been on our original plan of places to see. However, one night we were watching the telly and there was a travel section regarding a special room at Wilton House. One of the Earls, had built a double cube room 30 feet high by 30 feet wide by 60 feet long)to house his personal Van Dyke collection of family portraits. It is the largest collection of Van Dykes in existence today (even larger than the Queen’s). The ceiling in the room was beyond description and the art collection spectacular. It seems that Howard has managed to drag me to art galleries without my being aware. He likes the art, I like the buildings. There was also a single cube room that had other art work. Of course, there were many art pieces collected from visits to Europe in centuries past.
Our final stop for the day was to Winchester Castle. This was another unplanned stop that came about after viewing a program on the Telly. There was a table in the Great Hall that, legend has it, was King Arthur’s Round Table. As Winchester was the original capital of England this seemed most likely. We had to view this relic for our friend John Gewecke who has an affinity for this time period.
We left Winchester right at rush hour. We missed the turn we were supposed to take and to avoid getting caught in the rush hour backlog, took a back road to catch back up with the motorway once again. Things were fine until we had to get off for the town we were to stay in for the night. There was not only road construction on the motorway and rush hour traffic, but also a lorry overturn spilling diesel oil across the roadway in the city street we needed to use. Needless to say, this snarled traffic. The signs were hard to read, traffic was a nightmare and after more than an hour and a half of trying to get onto the right road Howard was in a panic attack state. We finally pulled into a pub that served food. We called the B&B, got better directions, waited for the traffic to pass and sat down to dinner and a double drink each. It ended up we were only two minutes away from the B&B. We got into our room and collapsed.
Our final day was spent with our friend Dorothy. She came to the B&B and we all drove to Windsor Castle (the Queens Family ancestral home). The place is bigger than Buckingham Palace. We viewed a special Doll House that is an exact replica of the Castle down to running water and electric lights. It has furnishings that would have been those used during Queen Mary’s time. Also in this section were two dolls complete with wardrobes given by the French to then Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. It was not the type of thing that I would give a child to play with, but it sure was nice to look at. Of course, everything was made by French designers. The collection was complete with furs, jewels, gloves, shoes, evening dresses, lingerie, day dresses, hats, play clothes, etc. etc, etc. The day was perfect. The rain even held off until we were ready to leave. We returned to the B&B for a while. We needed to reorganize and packup all of our treasures. It was a good thing we bought that extra bag.
Our final night, Dorothy and her husband Ron took us out to dinner at a lovely restaurant. We had a lot of laughs. The boys talked cars. We ate until we were so stuffed we couldn’t move. A good night sleep and we are finally at our last breakfast.
We are anxious to fly out. We will be happy to return home to driving on the “right” side of the road.
Hope you all have enjoyed our journey.
T&T getting ready to leave England
posted by Toot and Teaser | 1:40 AM
1 Comments:
Welcome home! I would love to go out for tea sometime.
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