Sunday, March 25, 2018

Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath--day two of London Adventure 2018

The guard moving off shift
This morning, Jérôme, made me a breakfast sandwich (bread and cheese). Nicole packed me a few fruits and crackers for my tour. Jérôme even walked me to the bus stop as they had figured out the best route for me to meet up with the tour. The bus ride took about an hour and I easily located the meeting place for the tour.

Stonehenge  
Our first stop was Windsor Castle which is one of the places that the Queen resides. She was not at home so there was no chance of running into her. I enjoyed touring the grounds and the various rooms of the castle. I even saw the parade of the changing of the guard which was unique!

Next up, we drove to Stonehenge. Visiting this location has been on my bucket list. Had I come one day earlier, I wouldn't have been able to see it because of the snow! As it was, one walkway to the stone wasn't cleared of snow but, the rest of the area was cleared. Most of the snow had melted from the previous day leaving what had been cleared along the roadways as a reminder of the significant amount that had been there!

Dwelling interior
It was windy and cold. I thought that the sky was particularly interesting. At the visitor's center, there were some replicas of the homes that were thought to have been in the area when this was built. I liked looking at the home furnishings. Each dwelling was furnished differently so each was worth a peek!

The last stop of the day was Bath. The Romans built the structure. I enjoyed walking through the rooms. There are hologram movies that are played in many of the rooms to give you an inside view of people using the baths back in the day.

The main bath
I thought that pumping the water, holding it in place with a lead lining, as well as building a structure to house it all, was amazing design and skilled workmanship. In its day, the amount of people who used the "spa" were varied and many. Now, the water isn't filtered so the baths aren't operable; but it was unique to see it.

I was also amazed at the stonework for the flooring and foundations. Various techniques were used and updates were made over the years.

This day, I walked 8.7 miles. The previous day, I walked 6.5 miles and my knees were swelling; but my feet were okay! The reason I walked a couple extra miles was that coming back to my daughter's, I missed turning on a particular street so I had a more scenic route!

6 comments:

Diane-crewe said...

well you will be fit by the time you go home! lol x

Janice Smith said...

I’m glad you are having such a wonderful time. Enjoy every minute.

She Quilts It said...

I visited all of these areas a few years back. All of them are very interesting and it sounds like you liked them too.

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Diane, the knees aren't holding up well to the walking which is a bummer. I can only ignore the pain and the swelling so long. . .sigh. . . .oh, for the advantages of youth!

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Janice, thanks. It has been amazing to see the sights that I've read about and seen pictures of in person!

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Joanne, I did like seeing these sights. It is an experience to see the sights in person!