London to Bath: 5 Days of Pure Bliss in the U.K. (Part 1)

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Well it's been a few days since I returned from the United Kingdom and I still can't believe that I got to go. Despite going alone, it was by far one of the best trips of my life and one of the best experiences that I've had since being here in Europe. Maybe it's because I've dreamt about London for a very long time and trust me, it didn't disappoint. I am a nut for British authors, actors, their accent, and the amazing architecture and I think we all have a little romanticized view of what the lower part of the United Kingdom and London looks like. Who wouldn't? It's the land of Harry Potter, Churchill, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the bangers and mash, fish and chips, Sherlock Holmes, J.M. Barry who wrote Peter Pan, Queen Elizabeth the 1st and 2nd, Prince William (so cute), Manchester United football paraphernalia, Henry VIII who had 6 wives, Hyde Park, Princess Di, Jack the Ripper, Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet (two of my favorite actresses), and some of my favorite authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A.S. Byatt, and Sarah Waters.

So I was pretty excited as the day finally came. It didn't start off the greatest as I stayed out way too late at a birthday party for our Italian friend, Eugenia. It was such a blast and it was mostly just a bunch of people talking and dancing and having a good time. But it's also not the best idea to go to bed at 3am when you still need to pack and catch a bus at 10am. No worries though. I got up at 9, showered, finished packing and then ran to the bus. Luckily, I caught it in time and headed downtown then caught the airport bus and ended up there with enough time to eat something before catching my flight.

The flights went by pretty fast, but I was really tired when I got there. And Heathrow was HUGE, customs was HUGE. I think the Immigration room was larger than my high school gymnasium with a lower ceiling. Nevertheless, after filling out my Landing Card and explaining why a 22 girl would come to London alone without knowing anyone, I headed on my way and went downstairs, walking along to find the Underground (the tube) to get a schedule for the next morning. I ended up getting a free bus ride ticket from the info desk and some advice about the next morning and then went outside to catch the bus to my hotel for the night. And what pulled up? A beautiful red double decker bus...my first ride on one. After getting to the hotel, I took a bath, ordered some food, ironed my shirt, and totally passed out.

Day Two started around 5:30am and by 6:15, I was checked out of the hotel. I caught the Hoppa Bus, got off at terminal 3, and caught the Underground, the Piccadilly Line. While I waited to get on, you could feel the rush of air as the train was approaching and I was just smiling while standing on the Platform, way excited to start the day even though it wasn't even 7am. It was about 45 minutes to Green park where I switched over to the Victoria Line heading to Pimlico. I got off there and walked a couple blocks up the street, a marble-pillared street in Victoria full of gorgeous white townhouses all connected until I got to the Astor Victoria Youth Hostel. I paid, dropped off my luggage, and headed to Victoria Coach Station, a 10 minute walk away to catch the Evan Evans Tour.

By 8:45, I was on a big red bus with a bunch of other people, mostly English speakers, heading towards Windsor Castle as our Scottish tour guide, Sheila, told us about the surrounding area while our bus driver Jill weaved her way through traffic. It was a short ride to Windsor and we got off, walked up the hill, and entered the gates of the official private residence of the queen and the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. It was absolutely gorgeous with its garden, towers, and rich vivid history. And there was a sort of elegance to it. We all got audio guides to lead us around so I listened as I walked across the grounds, looked up to the Round Tower to see the queen was not there (the EU colors were flying), and made my way to Mary's Dollhouse and the State Apartments. Along the way, I saw some art including a drawing by Da Vinci and when I got to the dollhouse, it was just breathtaking. Of course, no pictures were allowed though. But picture a 7foot tall, up to 4 feet wide, four floor, immaculate royal dollhouse that even had gold-plated tiny dishes and even a crown. It was amazing.

The State Apartments also were not allowed pictures because of security issues. But it's where the Queen holds her State dinners and past royalty had certain drawing rooms and bedchambers we explored covered in art and much more. I had two favorite rooms -- one of them was full of swords on display with ruby crested handles and glittering from the jewels embedded in it. The second room was just full of this gorgeous red wallpaper and lining it were gold-plates and designs. It was just amazing and what you think a royal palace used to look like. Sadly, after touring everything and getting some lunch, it was time to go. So I hopped back on the bus with Jill, Sheila, and the almost 60 other tourists and we were off to Stonehenge. And once we were officially in the middle of nowhere, we pulled up to see the huge Sarsen and Bluestones staring back at us. It was such a gorgeous site and kind of mesmerizing as you approached and thought of the irony and unexplained history. Why would people 7000 years ago drag Bluestones 240km to this spot in the middle of nowhere? What did it really represent? Was it really a tribute to the gods or the sun and stars or some way to tell time? Or is it a marker, marking this spot as some special area of energy or a place for other beings to spot it? No one really knows or every really will, especially since it seemed to have been rebuilt and had burial grounds near and under it. And I of course took twenty million pictures from every angle and walked all around it, looking at it in different ways. Ah, just gorgeous and I was still smiling after we left.

Our next and last stop of the day was the Georgian city of Bath. This city is made of pure limestone and was just breathtaking as you wove down a hill to see a flash of limestone against the backdrop of the hills. I didn't get some amazing pictures until we got to Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths. We went to tour the natural thermal springs in Bath that used to be used by the Romans. The water has never been treated and is the same green water that used to flow there. It was quite a sight to see, but the displays and such were kind of dry in their appearance. You just weaved around and I snapped some pictures and read of how people used to write curses and throw them into the water, hoping they would come true. And it was very nice, but after a bit, I wandered outside to go see more of the city. And after walking a block or two, I saw the sign for the Jane Austen Centre and followed it around the corner. After all, what is Bath without a little Austen? She did live there for awhile even though I read somewhere that she didn't really like it. And my favorite book by her, Persuasion, because it's all about second chances and making things right, was partially set in Bath. So I wandered to it and was greeted by a gentleman that made every girl swoon as soon as they walked in the door. And he "escorted" me to the beginning of the exhibit and said to take my time. So I wandered around, reading about Jane, seeing some of her best quotes as they painted the scene, and saw the picture of some men in her life. But Jane even wrote that it is a regret to marry without affection so she held out for it, never married, and yet we'll never know if she really ever loved anyone. By her novels, you would think so, but again...who knows? Sadly, my time was cut short and I had to make my way back to the bus and we headed back to London.

It was only a short walk back to the hostel from the station and I even saw the theatre where Wicked was as I was going the following night. And I walked through the streets (after getting lost but eventually finding my way) thinking of how lucky I was and what a day it had been. I got back to the hostel around 9pm, met my three other roommates, took a shower, crawled on my bunkbed and wrote a little, then passed out, excited for the next morning. And it came very quickly after some mild sleep. But I got up before 8am, got dressed, went downstairs and ate some breakfast and talked to this girl who was struggling with being in the city alone, and wandered back to Victoria Station to go catch the bus for the Original Sightseeing Tour. Because it's winter, I got a 48hour ticket and could hop on and hop off on three different tour routes all over the city. It was great and such a deal. I grabbed my headphones, boarded the bus, took a seat on the top of the double decker, and snapped away.

I rode around for almost 2 hours before ending up at Buckingham Palace to catch the ending of the Changing of the Guards. It was a gorgeous display that happens every day in the summer and every other day in the winter as long as it's not raising. And the guards just change out shifts but must do it in a ceremonial way. Sadly, the queen was not there, but I did get a good shot of the Palace before catching lunch around the corner and shopping for some souvenirs for my family. And then it was a retrace of my steps (I did that a lot so the pictures are not grouped together) to go ride the London Eye and get some great shots of the surrounding area. And then I went for a walk across the bridge over the River Thames over to Parliament Square to take a shot of Winston, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, saw the protest of the war going on in the square, and entered Westminster Abbey.

I won't go on and on about the history of Westminster Abbey except to say that most of the greats are buried here, kings and queens of the past, princes, dukes, countesses, poets, writers, painters, and it is where the coronation of the monarchs is held every time a new one takes the throne. And so I got my audio guide and listened as Jeremy Irons (the actor from The Man In the Iron Mask, etc...) narrated the tour, telling the rich history. You couldn't take any pictures but the inside was gorgeous as most European cathedrals and abbeys are. And I weaved around, taking my time, reading the great names, seeing the tombs of monarchs laying next to their life partners, and just took in the abbey. And my favorite area was called the Poets Corner where there were some authors buried like George Eliot, Harding, Tennyson, Keats, Shelley, and they had tributes to the greats even that weren't buried there like Shakespeare, Austen, Henry James, the Bronte sisters, and many many more. It was absolutely gorgeous. And then, a few minutes later, I stumbled across the tomb of one of the most influential men in my life, Charles Darwin. Who would've thought the father of Evolution that proposed the bible may not entirely be true and published work that debunked creationism would be buried in this prestigious Abbey? That is why I love London!! And so I snapped a picture when no one was looking and wandered over to the Newton tomb which just reminded me of The Da Vinci Code. And after seeing the tomb of the unnamed soldier, I headed out to catch the bus and return to Victoria.

It was around 4 or 4:30 when I caught the bus and I went back to Victoria Station, made a phone call to my mother just to say "Cheerio, Love" to her, and ate some dinner. Then went to my hostel to get ready. That night was the night I was going to see the play Wicked and the show started at 7:30pm. But I should save that for the next part.

To be continued in Part Two...

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Photos

Hopping on the Victoria line
Brixton - reminded me of Sarah Waters