England

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England
Dave B 4-14-07
I got up around 8 at my Dublin Hostel, got some breakfast at the hostel and headed for the bus stop. The person working at the Hostel said the bus stop just outside the hostel door goes to the airport. Once there I asked another person waiting for his bus and he said he doesn't think this stop does take you to the airport. He seemed pretty certain and suggested I ask the next bus driver. The driver said no and that I needed to go across the bridge and pointed in that direction. Once there I asked another lady who owned a business near this stop if this was right. She said no, that I needed to walk down the street to the post office. I started walking in that direction as she was very certain. At the next stop there were two other people standing there that had suit cases and the sign did make reference to the airport. The folks their said indead they were going to the airport. At last I was comfortable with this stop being the right one.

At Dublin airport I went to the check in area. At this airport they check each flight in at a time. I didn't see my flight on the board so I asked an airport representative if this was the right area. She looked up the flight on her list and said this is the right location, but they do not start checking people in until 2 hours before the flight so I was too early. That was a nice feeling. I went and had some lunch as it was around 11:30. I sat down and talked to a lady who was going to school in Belfast. She was from Texas.

After eating the quick meal I decided to go back to the check in area as it was within that 2 hours. There were people already checking in before me. The check in went smoothly and my backpack was acceptable for carry on hence no extra cost for checking a bag. Everything went smoothly and we boarded the plane. I am not sure if it's because of the cheapness of the flight or just this particular flight but we walked out on the tarmac to board the plane. The Ryanair plane had it's wing tips bent up for some reason and people boarded the plane from the front and back of the plane. I have not seen this before. It was a new plane and there were no assigned seats. I sat by a young lady who I learned was in medical school. I also learned that she is from an area north of Galway. She made the sign of the cross upon takeoff and landing. I asked if she was afraid of flying she said no she flies her herself. She said she flies a helicopter, which her father owns. She said he is a pilot himself. It's amazing what you learn about the people sitting right next to you. The lady on the bus was a doctor. The lady and guy sitting in front of me on the bust was a medical student traveling by herself and the guy was a phlebotimist. The guy and gal who offered me to sit on their armrest on the bus when I was standing was an Italian law student and a French event planner respectively. It's fun learning about your neighbors. They usually enjoy my story as well.

The flight was smooth and short lasting only about an hour. At the airport customs held me up for about 45 minutes. I didn't get it but it was something about what they put on my passport at Heathrow on my way to Dublin that required additional research. I told them I have only one traffic violation on my record and that was because I fell asleep at the wheel. Anyway eventually they got things sorted out and I was on my way. I went and bought a bus ticket that took me to the Hyde Park Bus stop. I knew this was close to the Hostel that Aimee Bailey recommended. As we drove through London I was pretty amazed at the size of the City. Urban Sprawl ran amuck. At Hyde Park I asked a Hotel attendent if he could help me find a hostel near Queensway. He said it is on the other side of the Park and he gave me a map. I started walking and the walk seemed to go on forever. It was a Saturday, and beautiful weather so Hyde Park was packed. None of the paths in the Park were straight they all ran at diagonals. I just walked on amazed at the sight. I couldn't believe the size of the Park and it looked like all 9 million people in London were in it. There were a group of kids playing Cricket and several roller bladers. People were in the boats paddling saw a few dogs but not many. As I made it to a park entrance location I realized I was off course. It is hard following these diagonal walkways. I think the entrance I was at is the Kensington Palace area. It is very beautiful with lots of statues. I stopped and took some pics. I then walked on and the pack was starting to get a little heavy. I suspect I had walked at least 3 miles in the park alone. This park makes Central Park in New York look small. Unbelievable.

I finally made it to Queensway and started looking for Hostels. I found a couple and they were a little more pricey than expected. After walking another 1/2 mile trying to find a cheap Hostel I finally resigned to getting one for 17 pounds which was a 6 bed mixed dorm, which is all they had left. The mixed dorms have generally been more quiet resulting in better nights sleep. From here on out these are the dorms I am going to try and get. Once getting to the dorm I decided to take a nap. I slept well for about an hour and then decided to walk aroud a bit. It was around 7 by now and decided to go for supper and spend some time on the internet in hopes of making a couchsurfing contact. I found a chinese place that also had internet access so I decided to do everything there. The internet access was only 1 pound for hour. This is a steal compared to what I was paying in Ireland. I was happy to see that given everything else here is so expensive and the exchange rate is bad. The food was good and the internet was good as well since a person had agreed to allow me to surf. I also looked at flights to Amsterdam and found a couple decent prices but odd times. I decided to put the flight decision off until the next day which was Sunday.

I went back to the hostel around 10 and was ready to call it a night. My roommates were a guy from Italy and a couple from Slovenia. We talked a long time. The Italian kid really liked to talk as well as the Slovenia. Everyone always talks in English. It seems to be the Universal language. It is the language of money. Finally we decided to call it a night about 1 and I was tired. I slept great that night.

4-15-07
I got up around 9 this day had some Hostel furnished breakfast. It was ok but not great. I was surprised at all the people eating muffins and spreading the chocalate spread on them. I tried it, but did not really like it. I decided to spend another night in the same dorm room as I slept great and liked my roomies.

I had thought maybe I would try and reach Aimee Bailee as she had offered for me to go with her and her boyfriend on a walk through a garden. This sounded great, but then I was concerned I might miss out on something big like the Tower of London. As a result I decided to spend the day walking around England as it is huge.

I decided to head towards the big stuff. I walked across Hyde Park and it had not gotten any smaller over night. I walked down toward the Covent Park area as Rick Steves said this is a good people watching area. It was about noon so I figured they should be out and ready to be looked at. On the way down I got turned around and discovered I was way off. There are not many grid like streets in London everything runs at weird angles and the streets change names frequently. I finally got back on track and walked through the Covent square area. It was ok but nothing great. Lots of shops etc. I noticed a lot of theatres. I didn't realize there was so much theatre in London. It was like Broadway in Manhatten. I would like to see a show but not sure it will work out. From there I walked towards the National Gallery to see some artwork. I stumbled upon Traflager Square which is at the National Gallery. I was astounded by the size of the buildings. Wow! You have to see it, words can't do it justice neither can pictures. Amazing. I went into the gallery and decided to take a free tour where people explain the paintings. The tour was great and I loved listening to the guy talk about the artwork. People who say they do not like art work really need to listen to someone explain it. I suspect their thoughts would change about artwork. I enjoyed this immensely. From here I decided to walk towards Parliament. In doing so I walked past an area where people were getting their pictures taken with the Royal Guard. I would not stoop that low and decided not to do that. I took pictures of other people doing it, but I was not going to sink that low. It seemed like such a joke to me. These guys were supposed to be guards, but had people all over them taking pictures. They did not seem to be protecting much as they could be overtaken easily by a person if so desired. They were simply there for the tourist. I bet they hated their job. It just appeared to me people were making fun of them.

Continuing on past 10 Downing Street where Bush's buddy (partner in crime) Tony Blair lived. The heat he received led to his leaving office. He said he were to leave office in the month of April but he hasn't yet. I suspect Britain will pull their troops out soon after he leaves.

I saw lots of cool statues along my walk to the Parliament. Finally I reached Big Ben. It delivered. It was awesome as well as the Parliament. I heard the mighty bells ring at 15 minute intervals. Very cool. I walked out onto the Westminister Bridge and took some pics of Big Ben and the giant ferris wheel on the opposite side of the Thames River. I took a pic of the Winston Churchill Statue across from Big Ben. This whole area is awesome. I was truly amazed. From there I walked past Westminister Abbey, but decided not to go in to see the dead people. It was 10 pounds to do so and I just didn't feel like spending the money as London is quite expensive with the current exchange rate. You have to leave somethings to do for next time!

I had a busy day and decided to head back to the Hostel. I went to my room and talked to the Italian guy there for awhile. From there went out for a quick bite to eat and internet usage. I was feeling like something cheap so I chose a pizza place ran by some guys from India or somewhere in that region? I chose a slice of pizza and a a slice of something else pizza like. The food was not very good. The shop owner also provided a small salad with the meal and I orded a can of soda. I knew there was a different price if you eat in or take it out and I knew it was substantial. I got the bill and it was 9.10. This was ridiculous for what I ordered. I told him I wanted a receipt. I tried to understand the cost and he said that the price was with a salad, which he just voluntarily through on my plate. I wasn't in a mood to argue with him about the price so I left as I knew I was going to end up paying that amount. Lesson learned do not eat inside the restaurant and make sure you get the price in advance. This kind of thing will come up again in the future.

When I got back to the Hostel spent significant time talking to the Italian guy and the Solvenian couple. The guy from Solvenia worked for the Slovenian tourism bureau and was in London on work. He said the first night they stayed in a hotel as his company was paying for it. The second night was on his dime so that's why he was in the Hostel. I suspect we must have talked for an hour or so and then called it a night.

4-16-07
I decided to spend this day walking around London again. I was truly amazed at all their is to see here. I took the bus to Victoria Station and then walked down to the Churchill statue near Big Ben. I wanted a picture by Churchill. The only other person near the statue was an older gentlemen and he said he did not know how to take a picture and I gathered he did not want to learn either so I propped my camera up on my fanny pack and got the picture taken. From there went to the Imperial War Musuem which was a pretty far walk I estimate at least 3/4 of a mile. I spent about 2.5 hours there. I was surprised at all the WWII equipment in this building from planes to tanks etc. It was very cool. They also had a Holocaust exhibit which is very terrifying. I am so proud of my grandfather and his generation for what they did in WWII. I hope the world never forgets what they did for the world. I agree with Tom Brokaw in categorizing them as the Greatest Generation. They must have been so scared. I have decided to alter my schedule so I can participate in the D-Day activities this year in Normandy. I will head to France in early June after spending the month of May in Italy. The museum also included a Trench Experience section where you walk through an area that is trenchlike with exhibits showing a soldier reading a letter from home and a soldier being worked on by a doctor and several other sound effects type things. I had lunch at the museum.

Around 1 I headed back up to the Westminister Bridge to check out the London Eye. This is quite the ferris wheel. The charge to ride was quite steep and I decided against doing it. I suspect it would have been a great view, but decided against it. I continued walking past all the shops along the ""other-side"" of the Thames River. This is supposedly the up and coming area of London with the other side of the Thames including Parliament and Big Ben areas historically the more popular areas. As I continued to walk on I talked to a lady from South Africa. She was doing a Soduko puzzle as she walked. She said she was staying in London looking for a job so she could stay a little longer. I walked past some sort of dungeon musuem on my way to the London Tower Bridge. I estimate this walk along the Thames to be about 2.5 miles. The Tower Bridge is awesome. Again you could go up in it for a fee and I chose not to. If I did everything you can do here it would chew up a lot of funds. If this was a shorter trip I would have definitely done them, but it's a long trip! A trip of a life time as Jay describes it!

After crossing the Tower Bridge I went to the Tower Castle. I really knew nothing about it, but there was obviously a lot of interest in this place based on the crowds. I learned later the Crown Jewels are stored here, which are still worn by the queen during royal events. Alsso this castle used to be a place where prisoners were held in addition to other things being done there. I walked through a prisoner entrance area where prisoners actually would have to walk through the water to get into the place where they were held captive. Seemed like a pretty interesting place but of course it comes with a fee and I moved on. I walked up the street for probably another mile before making it to St. Paul's cathedral. I was aghast at this sight. How many places are there like this in London? Absoutely unbelievable in size. I walked in and was dissappointed to see of course their was an admission fee. I noticed there was a different fee for unemployed persons. I told them I was unemployed and further described my situation. They said I wasn't the intention for the reduced fee. The one lady saw my Bruce Springsteen shirt and said although you probably need to go based on the shirt, which said ""Devils and Dust"" on the shirt. We had a great conversation and laughed a lot. The lady said ok we will give you the unemployed rate. I was only joking about that and told them I really do not think I am going to go in even for the reduced rate of 6.50 pounds or $13.00 with the current exchange rate. I told them I susect their are going to be lots of churches like this in Italy. They laughed and the lady instructed the man to give me a flier to show me what I was missing out on. I decided to keep on trucking and we all left with a smile on our face.

I decided to walk to the Covent Garden area where I decided to look for a beer joint that Rick Steve's had recommended that is run by some monks. I also ran into a few theatres that had shows playing. I really wanted to see a show so I checked out the prices. This is something I really enjoyed in New York and thought it is worth checking in to. The prices seemed fairly reasonable if you do not consider the exchange rate. I was given a flier illustrating all the shows playing. I decided to sit down and have a beer and think about which show I would like to see.

I found the place Rick recommended, but it turned out they are more a restaurant than a pub and you have to buy a meal. I only wanted a beer so went to a pub near there. I decided on the musical Chicago and text messaged the lady I was couchsurfing with. She said the musical is a good one, but she did not want to go. I really didn't want to have to worry about finding her place at night so I decided to not go. After finishing the beer I decidced to walk down to Parliament and watch a debate session. Earlier in the morning I had ask them about the public getting in, to watch the debating and they said it is indeed open to the public and that they would be in session until around 7:30 tonight. I walked past Buckingham Palace and past 10 Downing Street one last time before getting to Parliament. There was no line and I went right in. After several security checks I was in watching the debate. I had walked a long way this day and saw lots of stuff. The beer however had made me tired and I kept dozing off. A security guard came down and told me I needed to keep my eyes open. I stayed for about 10 more minutes and decided to call it a day. I was spent. As I walked out the security guard laughed and said it is hard to stay awake at times. They think about their politics and the politicians about like we do in the states as a big joke. It's unfortunate though they make major decisions for us and the world. Such that they have to be taken seriously.

I walked back towards Victoria Station and decided to stop and get a bite to eat. This time I got some food to go and looked around for a place to eat as I was not going to pay twice the price to stay there and eat it. I had a hard time finding anywhere so finally I walked into a McDonalds and ate it their.

I got on the bus and took it back to where the couchsurfing host lived. We talked for awhile and called it a night. I was spent.

4-17-06
I got up around 8 this morning showered and was off to Victoria Station to get a bus to Cambridge. This is a stop Rick Steve's had recommended. I got on a bus leaving around 10:00. It was a pretty uneventful trip to Cambridge. Once their, the bus dropped us off at a City Park. They said their would be another bus here at 4:30 going back to London's Victoria Station. I had about 5 hours to see the sights. I walked towards the City Centre to find a tourist information facility like I do at all new City's. As I walked their I walked past a bus station. I was wondering why we did not get off their. Might have been a different company not sure. As I got closer to the tourist information center I saw a big market selling breads, clothing etc. These style of markets are common in Europe. I saw a sign that directed me to the information center. Once there I asked the standard question which started, " I am going to be in Cambridge for approximately 4 hours. What do you recommend seeing in this time period?" Essentially they pointed me in the direction of the college's and the churches. They through around names like John Harvard, Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton. Some extremely important people had attended these colleges. I took my map and plan and went outside. I decided to check out the market just outside as it looked kind of cool and small enough as not to take up a lot of time. One vendor had a tent full of bread. I couldn't believe all the breads. He had an apple twist like thing that looked awesome and was very cheap so I decided to buy it. The pastry was very good. It is unbelievable how good the bread is over here.

I then began looking for the places noted on the map. I first went to King College. Their is a church across the street from Kings College that I think they referred to as the Campus Church. I think by that they meant Cambridge Univeristy students went their regardless of which college they actually attended. I walked through the church and was impressed by it. In the floor of the church there were tombstones written in the floor. The attendent said they use to bury the patrons in the floor of the church. It sounded like they had vaults under the church, but they quit that practice a long time ago. You could go up in the tower of the church for a fee, but I chose not to. If I paid to do everything possible I would spend a lot more money. Just have to pick and choose what I do.

Kings College is probably the most well known college in Cambridge according to the tourist information center. The church is huge. The kings of England are the ones that built the church. I guess you can compare it to the current politicians pet projects. It is comprised of essentially one big room with some small side rooms. There was a painting at the end of the building as well as cool stained glass at the alter. Exhibits explaining the building were in the rooms adjacent to the main hall.

Outside the main church building there's a large grassy area with a monument in the middle. A sign near the lawn said that students are in attendance and to respect their privacy. It is easy to lose sight that these places are working universities. Students walking around are noticed once a person looks away from these amazing buildings. All the tourism must get old for the students. I walked away from the school towards a park that I wanted to see. To get to the park I crossed a small walking bridge where people can take gondola rides. I also saw a few mallards roaming around. The park wasn't that great and I continued walking. I walked to the next school, which I believe was the oldest in Cambridge. I also walked past a building that mentioned Cambridge University. I was a little confused that there is not a college called Cambridge University. I went in and asked them what part of this town is Cambridge University since there's no college called Cambridge. She didn't really know how it all worked, but said Cambridge University is the admnistrative part of all the colleges. She said all the colleges are administrered by Cambridge University, but their is no one college called Cambridge University. I later found out from the guy working at Trinity College that all the colleges stand alone academically. He said a student can go to one college and get the same degree as a person in an adjacent college while taking all the classes at only the one university. I guess they save money on administrative cost by doing that. When asked, the guy said Oxford is the same way. It was nice to finally understand that. This is a lot different from the U.S way of doing things.

I walked on towards Trinity College. In doing so I walked past Pembroke College another college that I had heard of, but had no idea where it was located. In walking towards Trinity I walked near the market. This town is not very big. I was impressed with Trinity College. Like King's College their was an admittance fee to walk around the campus. I decided not to pay the fee and took a picture of the campus from the entrance. It looked very cool and I suspect had a lot of similaritys to Kings.

Around the corner there is another church, which I belive to be the oldest in Cambridge. They actually show a movie about Cambridge which discusses the relationship between the schools and religion. This intrigued me, but their was some maintenance going on and they were not presently showing the film. They said to come back around after 2 and they should be showing it at that time. I told them I would try to do that.

From there I walked back towards the City center. I saw a couple who had a pita bread bowl salad. It looked great. I asked the people where they had gotten it. They mentioned it being close to the McDonalds and kind of laughed. I told them I knew where the McDonalds was and walked in that direction. I asked around and finally found the specific place. I ordered what they had. I was surprised how long it took them to fix it and must have waited 15 minutes. I thought the salad would be ready in a few minutes. Cooking the veal is what took the time. I took my salad back out and walked towards Kings College looking for a palce to eat. In front of Kings College their were a lot of people sitting on a wall eating their lunch. I decided to join them. I had a nice talk with a lady who worked at King's College. She did not seem to be in a big hurry to get back to work as it was after 1 and that is when her lunch break ended. Anayway it was very enjoyable lunch with the great food and great conversation.

I walked back to the oldest Church area and decided to spend some time reading the displays that they had set up that talked about Cambridge through the ages. It discussed the changes in religions through the years and how the religious way of thinking at the time affected things in Cambridge. I suspect in a few hundred years the religions we currently believe in will be a lot different as well. It amazes me how through time religions change, but during current times people so fiercely defend their religion. Don't they realize in the future their religion in it's current form will probably change dramatically. I learned that Cambridge was derived from a bridge that the Romans built that crossed the Cam River which flows through Cambridge. The lady working there said the video was now ready to go and I watched it. It was pretty informative and I am glad I watched it. I needed to start working my way back to the bust stop. I grabbed an ice cream and went back to wait.

The bus arrived and I got on along with about 6 teenage girls that I had rode to Cambridge with. They seemed like extremely high maintenance types and I did not look forward to listening to them talk about boys, makeup, school in that whiny British accent. I remember thinking if everything is taking place that they are talking about their life is going to get very complicated. Who knows, but it was a long trip listening to all their stuff.

Finally I made it back to Victoria Station and got on the bus to my couchsurfing persons home. I made it back to her place and talked briefly and called it a night. We were both tired.

4-18-07
I got up around 9 and headed for Victoria Station as was getting to be the case for several days now. I got there and got a ticket to Bath. I had to wait about 30 minutes before getting on the bus. Once on the bus I got settled in and ready to head out. Just as the bus was ready to head out 2 women came running onto the bus out of breath and sat down right next to me. I was laughing at them and they seemed to be keeping their head about things as well. I started talking to them and it turned out they are a lot of fun . They are from teachers from Argentina. We talked about our trips and showed each other pictures. They really made the bus ride go by quick. There names are Lu and Gabby which are abbreviated names for my benefit. At one point we were in what appeared to a very modern City. I was surprised Bath to look this modern. I got off the bus and started to get my bags. I thought there would be more people getting off the bus than there were was as Bath was a final stop. As I worked to get my luggage Gabby stood on the steps and asked me if I was going to Bath. I said yep and she said this isn't Bath. It was another stop. I felt a little embarrassed and got back on the bus. Everyone had a laugh at my expense. That's ok I can handle it.

We continued on to Bath. Once there I walked with Lu and Gabby to the Hostel as I planned on staying at a Hostel myself. They had mentioned staying at the YMCA Hostel. On the way there, we stumbled across Bath's Backpacker's hostel and it seemed pretty good, but we thought we would check out a few other ones before deciding on this one. We checked out another hostel and the YMCA Hostel, but decided on the Backpackers Hostel. Lu had agreed to cook some spaghetti for supper and this was the only hostel that had a kitchen to use. The one other hostel had a restaurant itself and the YMCA did not have a kitchen. Lu and Gabby along with another Asian were staying in the same room as me. I have decided on the strategy of staying in mixed hostel rooms as they tend to be more quiet.

Lu , Gabby and I decided to walk around Bath and see some of the main sites. We walked to the Circus and the Crescent. From there we walked to the Bridge and over the bridge through the old roman buildings. Yea this place is definintely Roman. I would have never believed the Romans were so prevalent in England. Bath is very cool. I was going to walk up a hill to try and get a good shot of Bath at dusk. The sun was just setting. Gabby and Lu decided to go as well. Their was an open field that looked like it would be a good location to watch the sunset and I was surprised to see this area was public ground. There were lots of people walking their dogs and just walking in this area. The sun was directly west of us and it seemed like every picture I took the sun was being reflected off something that didn't allow for a good picture. We finally through in the towel and headed back to town. We rushed around looking for a place to buy some food. It was almost 8 and I was concerned most places would be closed. Fortunately we did find a place with the necessary ingredints. I had previously told them I would buy the ingredients if they cooked. They said their exchange rate was 6 pesos to 1 pound. Wow I felt rich and very fortunate at 2 to 1. They work very hard as teachers, but said it would be another 5 years before they could afford another trip like this. It saddens me to know people are out there working their butts off and do not have the luxurys I have been afforded just because they live in a different country. It's not because I worked harder or am smarter, it is just because I live in the Country that I do and they live where they do. Anyway we got the food and headed back to the Hostel.

Lu got busy cooking and Gabby went down to work on the internet. I had bought a bottle of wine as well and could not find a corkscrew anywhere. I thought for sure the Hostel would have a corkscrew. I got what I thought to be a sweet wine as Gabby and Lu said that is all they drink when they do drink. Normally they do not. The people at the Hostel were not that helpful and a little rude as pointed out by Lu as we tried to figure out a way to open the wine bottle. Eventually a guy at the Hostel just pushed the cork in the bottle. This was one way to do it, but not ideal. The wine turned out to be very dry so I was stuck drinking the wine myself as it was very dry. I liked it, but they didn't. Lu finished making the spaghetti and we ate. We also had some salad and cheese to go along with the meal. It was very good. Gabby asked to interview me as she had a tape recorder and wanted to play back the conversation to her students. I thought this to be great as she was trying to do things to help her students learn even on holiday. Lu was writing down all the english phrases and words that she heard to help her English speaking skills. We finally decided to call it a night around 12:30. The asian speaking roomate was working on her laptop and pretty much kept to her self. I had heard her early complaining to the hostel staff that she wanted her own room. Not sure what her deal was, but she typed on the computer for a long time even after the rest of us were ready for bed. I thought it was a ittle rude of her to continue typing with the light on. At least turn the light off while typing. I had previously asked the lady if it was ok to turn the fan on the air condition at night for some background noise. She said that was a waste of energy. I kind of agreed with her, but it sure would have made sleeping easier. Anyway this lady did not have much good cheer to spread. I finally just turned over and went to sleep. That's Hostel living you just have to kind of go with the flow. It turned out that I slept great that night.

4-19-07
I got up around 7:00 and of course late-night typing lady was a sleep. I felt like being noisy as I got up, but I didn't. I got my stuff ready to roll and then went down stairs to have some breakfast. The breakfast was ok, which is the case in most hostels. Nothing great. I was ready to get out of this hostel as I was a little sick of the staff here and their help are lack there of in getting the bottle of wine open the night prior. It was more than attitude than anything and I think the one staff member was intoxicated, which resulted in this attitude. Anyway I ate breakfast talked to Lu and Gabby and got my stuff and headed out. I asked the Hostel if they would store my bag there for the day. They said sure they would for a fee. I was like I will just take my bag with me. I went to where a bus service had a tour of Stone Henge. I had not called in advance as the flier indicated they meet there everyday. I stood there for about 10 minutes past the designated meeting time and they did not show. I talked to a couple from Oregon for awhile. The guy was an engineer and the lady in residency. I have run into lots of doctors on this trip. I really enjoyed talking to them. They were taking the stone henge tour in the afternoon. I told them I was not sure what I was doing. I had been waffling on whether to even go there. The City of Bath has tour guides giving tours of Bath at two times during the day. One was in about a 1/2 hour so I decided to go on one of those and they were free. I walked to the abbey to look around. The couple from Oregon were there and we talked for awhile. I told them about the free tours. They indicated they might do that. After perusing the Abbey I went to the meeting location and the couple from Oregon were there. As we waited we talked for awhile. The tour guide arrived and they decided to divde the people into 3 groups as they had 3 tour guides. I got the impression that these tours were very popular. THe price is right that's for sure.

I was in the same group as the couple from Oregon. We stopped at several notable buildings and went up to the Crescent and the Circus. The tour was worthwhile and it was great to learn some insight into what I had been seeing. I decided to go on the bus tour to Stone Henge and only had about a 1/2 hour between the end of the tour and the time the bus left. The couple from Oregon left the tour early so they would have time to get some lunch before leaving for Stone Henge. I only had about 5 pounds remaining, which I hoped would be enough to get me out of London. I bought a mini chicken sandwich for 1 pound. It was actually quite filling. I went to the bus meeting location and the couple from Oregon were getting on a bus that was different from the one I expected to see. They were going on a different tour than myself. My bus pulled up and I got on as well as about 6 other people. After some formalities we were on our way.

It was neat listening to the tour guide talk about some of the stuff along the way that I would have not known about without her insight. She said the canal that runs through Bath actually goes all the way to London. She said it was originally built as a mode of transportation, but then the steam engine came along that turned out to be better transportation. There were lots of house boats on the canal. The guide said the owners of the house boat have to move the boats every so often I think like 48 hours. She said after about 3 weeks time they would be sufficiently out of the City and they can turn around and go back through the City. I do not remember the exact number, but it was something like that. I guess they do not want anyone getting too settled. She said there are bars along the canal that cater to these folks. The canals are only about 40 ft. Wide. The guide said sometimes several boats will tie together and they will set up a play area for their kids. It all seemed a little claustrophobic to me and I think it would get old in a hurry.

A little further down the road the the guide showed us, where limestone pictures are in the hill sides. Evidently the owners of the land had their workers clear off the land to expose the limestone below and did so such that a design appeared. The picture we saw was of a horse. It was huge and could be seen from many miles away. I suspect we were around 5 miles from it and it appeared clearly.

On the way the guide gave us a myriad of theories on why Stone Henge was built. No one seems to know as this structure was built such a long time ago. I suspect it had something to do with the God the people worshipped back then as that was such a big part of their life. Again a religion that through time went away, but was steadfastly believed back in the day. Stone Henge is a sun dial and the day and month could be determined from it back in the day. Now certain rocks have fallen and it is not what it used to be.

As we approached it was actually kind of close to what I had envisioned. It was obviously in a very rural setting and their is a pen of sheep close to it. Their is a tunnel under the nearby roadway where you walk under the roadway to get to the sight. Also there are burial grounds in the adjacent landscape. The overall plan for the area is to have a bigger park with the burial mounds being a bigger part of the sight with better trails to them. Also they are going to try and reroute the roads such that their are no roads close to Stone Henge.

A free audio guide is given to each person visiting the site. At about 6 different points around Stone Henge you press a button on the audio device and it tells you about Stone Henge and the surrounding burial mounds. The main thing to do is to take pictures though. The Japanese were having a field day.

After the alotted hour we piled into the bus and headed back to Bath. I was glad I had went. It was pretty cool and really was not a let down in anyway. It is definitely an interesting place. One of the things people are amazed by is how some of the rocks were transported from Northern Ireland to Stone Henge and then placed where they are at. Some of the other theories are UFO's placed the rocks there. According to the tour guide there are more UFO sightings and occurrences in this area than in any other area of England. They also talk about about ley lines, which are lines of high energy around the site. One of the staff members at the site said if you take witching rods their are several locations around Stone Henge that they pick up these lines of energy. The tour bus guide asked me if I felt any energy in any locations along the site. I told her I did in the location of the elevatetd walkway and then I had belched and realized it was just indigestion. After saying it I wished I hadn't as it was a little too much of a wisecrack for the situation. I think she was somewhat serious with the question.

The trip back went pretty quick and was rather uneventful. I walked back to the meeting point of the free tours thinking maybe Gabby and Lou might be there as they were going to take the tour and that is where the tours end. I waited around but never saw them. I walked about 2. 5 miles out of town to a high point trying to get a picture. I asked a local about a photo location and he said keep walking that way. I walked further and all of the sudden the guy that gave me directions stopped by with his young daughter and said hop in I can drive you to the scenic point. He was extremely nice. He said you can then take the bus back down. I was probably 4 miles outside of bath and needed to take the bus to get back in time to catch my bus back to London. I got a decent picture of the City of Bath from this location but not great. After getting back to Bath I walked back to the KFC and got 2 more mini chicken sandwiches as I really liked the one I had gotten earlier in the day. From there I went to the bus station. At the station there was some fruitcake yelling some stuff that I did not understand. It's true every country has people that have some real issues. I watched a ladies bags for a few minutes while she went for some food. I told her when she got back that their was some people trying to get at her bags, but I was able to fend them off. She laughed and thanked me. We got on the bus and had an uneventful trip back to Victoria Station. At Victoria Station I decided to exchange some euros to pounds as I had forgotten I needed pounds for the bus to get out to Luton airport where I was flying out of to Amsterdam. I got about 10 pounds which I know they killed me on the exchange rate. Since it was such a small amount I was not too worried about it. I then went to turn in the London bus pass card, which they gave me 3 pounds back and then I got about 8 pounds back from unused money on the card. I didn't expect to get this much back as I had used it extensively and only had put 15 pounds on it to begin with. Wow I was now rolling in money so I decided to treat myself to a Burger King Whopper meal. Man did I feel loaded now after trying to get by for the whole day on the 5 pounds I woke up with. I sat down at the train station on a bench which is actually outside. The bench was really dirty and I was disappointed in that. The surround restaurants in the area were very nice, but there were people in the area and I assumed they would run me off if I would attempt to eat the meal at one of their tables. Their were pigeons walking all over the area I assume looking for a meal.

After finishing the meal I went back to the bus station to get on a bus to the airport. There were buses running out there all night and the cost was 11 pounds. I talked to the bus driver a lot. He was in Britian's army in the past and was station in Germany. We talked about politics some. I told him I still do not understand why we are in Iraq as the 3 reasons Bush gave me for going to war all turned out to not be true. He said well when you have nuts flying planes into buildings you have to do something about it. I told him that's why we went into Afghanistan not Iraq. Bush and his cronies tried to confuse people by saying Iraq and 911 in the same sentence and I guess it worked to a certain extent as I know people who actually believe a link was made between 911 and Iraq. I stated Europeans follow American politics more than Americans do. He said Sadaam moved his weapons of mass distraction into Africa. I mentioned that that sounds a little crazy to me. If that is such common knowledge don't you think Bush would be publicizing that to the world to help his image a little bit. Anyway I decided I better get off this topic a little bit are he may not deliver me to the airport at all. I feel like I can talk about politics without getting mad if someone disagrees with me, but some people are not that way and it seems to make them mad. We talked about other things like the crime in the City. He said Britain should just shoot these gang kids. This guy was a little bit extreme with his ideas. He also said Britain should seed some bad drugs into the supply and when a few people die from it the word will get out and people will quit using. I told him what about their addiction and don't you think people will still smoke it. I told him a lot of people are born into this world not having much of a chance from day one. Anyway I decided it best to kind of get away from these hot issues and talk about the sports in town and the weather. The ride to the airport took about an hour which was a lot longer than expected. The driver said Luton is a rat hole. He is definintely not on Luton's tourism bureau payroll. At the airport the bus driver had to wake up the lady in the back of the bus that had fallen asleep.

It was weird walking into the airport knowing I was going to spend the night there. I was kind of excited about the challenge, but yet realized it would not be quality sleep. As I walked through the airport I noticed quite a few other people that were spending the night with me. Most of the available seats were taken. Luton is a very small airport so I walked all around it so I would know exactly what I would need to do in the morning. In the check in area there were several people laying on the floor. I was confident of my morning task so I found a place on the floor at the end of the building. I decided to get out my sheet and lay it on the concrete floor. I got a few items out of my backpack including my alarm clock and asked an adjacent lady if she was spending the night as well. She said she would wake me if I was sleeping when she left at 4:00. My check in was at 4:00 with the flight at 6:00. What a peson will not do, to save a little money on a cheap flight.

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Photos

Stone Henge
A picture of me with some rocks in the background.

Elegant Bath
Are we in Rome are in England? This kind of architecture I was expecting in Italy not in England.

London Eye
The London Eye ferris wheel is behind me. This thing is bigger than it looks in this picture.

Hyde Park
See that building in the middle back of this picture. That's where I was dropped off the bus. I couldn't believe how big Hyde Park is. It makes Central Park in New York look small. I am quite certain I walked at least 2.5 miles to get to the point where I am in this pic. I was walking to my Hostel.

The Guard
This was a little too much for me so I chose not to have my pic taken with the guard. I suspect these guards hate their job.

No. 10 Downing Street
The entrance to the Prime Minister's humble abode.

Phone Booths
You see these phone booths all over the place in London. That's Big Ben behind me.

Westminister Abbey
This is Westminister Abbey. Lots of famous dead people are buried here.

Park near Downing Street
The Eye of London is shown in the background.

Flowers Near Buckingham Palace
This is a pic looking away from Buckingham Palace towards the Thames River.

Buckingham Palace
I ask to see the Queen but the guard said something about not having proper security clearance. I showed him my passport, but that did not seem to matter.

Buckingham Palace
The ever popular Changing of the Guard schedule.

Ben Ben from the Palace
Nice view of Big Ben from Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace Pic 3
The front of Buckingham Palace.

Queens Cap
Some prangster it appears took the Queens cap and put it on top this pole. Actually the road to Buckingham Palace has these up and down it.

Kings College
Cambridge University is made up of several universitys. Kings College pictured here is one of those universities.

Kings College Pic 2
Inside the church at Kings College.

Kings College Pic 3
Inside Kings College.

Kings College Pic 4
Behind Kings College.

Trinity College
Trinity College Entrance. Again another college making up Cambridge University.

Trinity College Pic 2
Just inside Trinity College.

Old Church
I think this is the oldest church in Cambridge.

Westminister Cathedral
A church near Victoria Station in London.

Winston Churchill Statue
This statue is just across the street from Big Ben.

Thames River
This is a pic looking across the Thames River to Parliament and Big Ben.

Atomic Bomb Casing
Lets hope none of these things are dropped again anytime soon.

Imperial War Musuem - Displays
Had some great displays inside the Imperial War Musuem of actual equipment used in WW II.

Tower Bridge
Amazing Bridge.

London Skyline
A picture of the London Skyline from the Tower Bridge.

Tower Bridge Castle
This castle is near the Tower Bridge and is where the Crown Jewels are stored.

St. Paul's Cathedral
Amazing Cathedral!

St. Paul's Cathedral - Pic 2
Entrance to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Bath Pics
Abbey in Bath

Bath - Pic 2
The Circus. Romans built these homes in a circle.

Bath - Pic 3
The Crescent. The Romans built these homes in a Crescent. Gaby and Lu are shown here. They are teachers from Argentina that I hung out with during my short stay in Bath.

Me, Gaby and Lu
A picture of some teachers I met from Argentina. Very nice ladies who were actually doing things to help their students even while they were on holiday. Great teachers!

Bath - Pic 4
A church in Bath.

Bath - Pic 5
Balloon over a castle in Bath.

Bath - Pic 6
Bath at sunset.

Bath - Pic 7
This sign was at the front desk of the Hostel that I stayed at in Bath. It plays on the stereotypes of travelers from variuos countries and I thought it to be very funny.

Bath - Pic 8
Nice Pic of Bridge. There are small shops along the bridge.

Bath Pic 9
Another view of the Crescent.

Bath Countryside
On my way to Stone Henge. They used to scrape away the hillsides and expose the underlying limestone rock in several different designs. In the middle of this pic is a horse.

Stone Henge - Pic 2
A picture of me with some rocks in the background.

Stone Henge - Pic 3
The humps are burial grounds around Stone Henge.

Bath
I walked with my backpack uphill at least 2 miles and then asked a guy if there is a good place to get a pic of Bath at a distance. He pointed me in the direction to walk. Later he stopped by with his young daughter and drove me to this location. Very nice man.

Luton Airport
This is where I slept in the airport.

Luton Airport -Pic 2
I was amazed at all the people drinking beer at 5:00 AM in the morning. I guess it is noon somewhere.

Up Up and Away
It's time to jet off to another location. Next Stop Amsterdam!

Comments

[Nancy R]

The sheet is pink.
Laundry error, right? Heh. Sounds like you're having a great time!

[Lucky Charms]

Yes it is Pink
I needed a sheet to take along and the last minute decision resulted in a pink one. Feel free to give me a hard time about that as I expect it. Leaving Amsterdam today... off to Rotterdam, Brussels and then taking night train to Milan. Have a great day.