round-the-world in 2005
previous country : index : next countryUnited Kingdom
June 2 - June 7, 2005
Just a short stay in England as we are coming back after a flying visit to the continent. Read about the second longer stay here.
02 Jun 2005 London, England
London Calling
Arriving at our hostel we tried to get a few more hours of sleep. At lunchtime we headed to the tourist information centre to gather details on London and England. We started with a self-guided walking tour which took us past Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, a visit to the National Gallery, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben, the River Thames, and London Bridge. We had to save some of the walk for tomorrow as being so tired we needed a rest. It was an overwhelming amount of heritage and history for one day. The oldness of this place is amazing to us colonials. On the way home we sampled some typical English fare - fish and chips.
03 Jun 2005 London, England
More Amazing Sites
We completed some of the sites of our unfinished walking tour by making good use of the underground. We started with an inside view of Westminster Abbey, a Tate Modern art gallery, then St Paul’s Cathedral. In the afternoon we ventured to the British Museum, and made a trip to Lords - the ‘home of cricket’. Here we got some real English weather, it started to bucket down with rain. We escaped by jumping on a red double-decker bus, making our way to Oxford St for a stroll, then a visit to the famous Harrods department store.
04 Jun 2005 Bath, England
Time for a Bath
Today we went to Bath, as our original plan of visiting Drewy in Cambridge fell through. Firstly we dropped in to Camden Town markets to see all the funky (and punky and eccy) UK clothing. We caught a later bus to Bath than hoping and arrived in the south-west Georgian town around 7pm. Bath is famous for having the only natural hot springs in England.
05 Jun 2005 Bath, England
Bathing in Beauty
We went on a free walking tour which was highly entertaining, outlining some of the history of this beautiful 18th century town. Rob was impressed because most of the architectural design was by John Wood the elder and his son John Wood the younger. Part of the walk was done in drizzle. The rain cleared up enough for us to take an afternoon walk along the canal - well we actually walked along the river, which we thought was the canal, which explains why we could not follow our map. It was a lovely walk just the same. With the Bath Fringe Festival on, we tried to catch some free outdoor activities in the evening but to no avail as they were cancelled due to rain. Oh to be in England during summer.
06 Jun 2005 Bath, England
Taking a Bath
We visited the actual bath of Bath, where Kings and Queens have visited and is thought to possess healing powers. They are old ruins, excavated from Roman times. After lunch we went for a walk though the picturesque countryside, around the hills overlooking Bath. The sun decided to show its face, with the weather fining up. We also dropped into Bath University and the English Institute of Sport Department located there. In town we found a nice English pub for a quiet pint of ale. In the evening we were entertained on the ‘Bizarre Bath’ walking tour run by a comedian and magician.
07 Jun 2005 London, England
A day of travel today, a bus from Bath back to London. A pity as the weather has turned beautiful. Some housekeeping in the afternoon, with an unsuccessful attempt to catch up with Clare's Aunty Ellen and Uncle Jim. Instead we did some planning for our next leg to Turkey.
next we fly to Turkey.