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Published: September 6th 2006
Chimneys Everywhere!
I think I'm going to have nightmares about Chimneys after I leave England. BathMum and Dad arrived tired and worn out from the long flight but still managed to stay up ready to see all the big sights of Olney. 10 minutes later we had seen all the big sights of Olney. More accurately though, we did see more of Olney in one half day than I have seen in my whole 5 months there.
Keen to get underway, we hopped in the car they hired the next day early and set off to our first destination, Bath. We were guided straight there by the satellite navagation system installed in the car which made things super easy. As we approached Bath, we traversed a ridge that looked down the deep valley and across the stunning view of the buildings of Bath.
Bath is one magical place. A UNESCO World Heritage City and lucky enough to be in constant supply of water very high in minerals that is perfect for bathing which gives the city it's name. First settlements by the Romans gives the city most of it's magnificent architecture. We did take a free walking tour that is supplied by the city which gave a great history on the city and it's
importance.
The next destination was just a short distance away in a field. Stonehenge has been around for long time. In fact, it's quite remarkable that they were already being pillaged for their stones before the pyramids were even finnished. Today they are a highly protected national monument and getting close enough to touch is impossible. However, a lot of people think that there is no need to pay the entry fee as you get a good view from the road. Yet after I paid and wandered around, I think it's worth it. No, you can't get close enough to touch but this has it's advantages. Being able to get pictures with no one in them which is one of the hardest things to do with famous ancient sites like these but with Stonehenge, it's made a little easier with this rule. As far as Stonehenge itself, it's not an overwhealming sight but the main attraction is the mystery that surrounds the whole thing. With all the study and investigation that has taken place, much is still not known about it.
After Stonehenge we headed north to Manchester. Manchester is rather an unattractive place with little going for
it apart from it's apparent legendary night life. We did, though, take a tour of the Manchester United stadium which was quite an interesting insight to almost hallowed ground. A short trip from there took us to our last town in England, York.
Out of all the places I have been in England, York is my favourite. The first thing we did was stroll the 1.9 miles around the medieval wall the surrounds much of the city. It's possible to walk on top of what is left of the wall which is quite a great walk. Within the city itself there is a street called "Shambles". I don't know if the saying "...in a shambles" came from this street but it wouldn't surprise me. Most of the buildings are buldging at the walls and none of the door frames, windows or much of the foundation are straight. How it all stays together is remarkable.
We ended the day by visiting the overwhelming and impressive York Minster. I have to say that after all the cathedrals, churches and chapels I have seen throughout Europe, York Minster is still just downright impressive. One of the first things I noticed was
the height of the roof. I found out that at it's highest, York Minster reaches a staggering 197ft. To put it another way the wingspan of a Boeing 777 is just 2ft longer than that. There is a myriad of rooms and little chapels all around and of course, the massive main areas. It was all quite amazing.
We have now come to the end of England as we are heading to Scotland tomorrow. It's been great and it has given a fresh breath to the country I have been living in for about 5 months.
Cheers for the comments all. Until next time.
PEACE CAMO!!!
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Ian and Ruth
non-member comment
the olde country
keep the info flowin. Good to see you are now in a white man's country (or so it was once). Don't keep the oldies up too late