Two Trips Out of London

Tuesday Rosie had a day off of work so we opted to hop a tour bus for Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath. I'm not always a big fan of tour buses, as they don't really give you enough time to see everything, a fact admitted by our great guide Trevor who called them a "sampling" of different places.

First was Windsor Castle, which the current Royal family is named after (not the other way round). It was changed from the German Saxe-Coburg in 1917 for obvious reasons. The Castle has hosted dignitaries from Napoleon III to George W. Bush (keeping such popular figures far out of London I guess.....) and is an amazing sight. Henry VIII is also buried here with Jane Seymour. It's a really cool castle and I wish I'd had more than the two hours allotted to us, but it was enough to see the state rooms, the tower and the chapel where Henry VIII is buried.

After that it was off to Stonehenge. One of the most amazing sights on earth. The current Stonehenge dates from 2300 B.C and is in remarkable condition for the age. It was sunny out but cold so we stayed for about 45 minutes, which really is enough time to take it in (although you could really just stand there looking at it all day). I feel silly writing about it as everyone already knows what it is and what it looks like, but seeing it in person is an experience that everyone should have.

Finally it was off to Bath, which may replace Princeton as my favourite small town ever :) It is home to the Roman baths and a Georgian city. We spent most of our time in the Roman baths, now in ruins but still an amazing sight. You can see where Roman Britons would have swam, bathed and relaxed in an ancient world sauna. Although Britain was a late member of the Roman empire it was still part of it for over 300 years and the effects of the empire can be felt to this day (cities such as London, Chester, Manchester and Bath can all trace their origins to the Romans). The city itself is also the brithplace of Jane Austin and much of the city retains that Georgian era look. The exception is that abbey which is a huge, Gothic building. I really wish that I had had more time in Bath, and if I ever return to the southwest of England I will have to spend the night there.

After that it was a three hour trip back to London and home to bed.

The next day was another early start as I was off to Canterbury, a 100 minute train ride east of London. It is famous mostly for the Cathedral which was a major pilgrimage spot for Catholics before Henry VIII, the site of the murder of Thomas Beckett and the destination of the pilgrims of the Canterbury tales. The town itself is small and has a certain charm to it, though the four hours I allotted myself was MORE than enough. The cathedral is amazing and surprisingly does not get any funding from the government and so relies on donations for it's maintenance. It also allows photography (something St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey do not). As with most sights in England, adjectives such as amazing, breathtaking, great, surreal etc. all apply. The city of Canterbury, as with Bath and Oxford has a great small town vibe, though it is an oddly different one from the cities west of London. I had been told that Kent had it's own feel and it really does.

Anyway after the Cathedral and a look around town I headed back to London to have a relaxing evening after two days of heavy travel.