Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Bath - Oh It Was A Long, But Awesome Day - 5.30.09

So today, I woke up at 6:45 and took a quick shower. I then headed over to the tube station (with my camera, food, an extra battery for my camera, and my ticket) to Victoria Station where I had to walk a few blocks to get to the Victoria Bus Depot. On the way, to the bus station, I stopped to get a croissant and a doughnut. They were delicious - the best croissant I had since I got here.

I then went to the bus station and finally our bus - Evans Evan Tour 21 - was called. My bus (full with 52 people) was the first to leave - I had a window seat so I got lucky! It was a nice coach bus and our guide was very knowledgeable and funny. We headed toward Windsor Castle and on the way, we saw a huge beer brewery, and saw some great museums and houses. He pointed out the chimneys on the houses etc. He also described why cars drive on the left side - it is because when there were horses and carriages, the horses are left handed.

We finally arrived at Windsor Castle - one of the first tours there. We went through, what was once a train station, but now it is full of great shops. We then headed over to Windsor Castle and got our tickets and got our audio tour. We noticed that the Queen's flag was also flying - meaning that she was present in the Castle. The Queen of Windsor loves Windsor Castle and comes here quite often. We saw her bedroom, but we didn't see her. That is why the family is the Windsor Family - because her family loved it so much. Also, the Windsor Castle is right near the Airport - so you see and hear many planes. Anyways - we went into Windsor Castle and saw a great doll house of the Buckingham Palace - they even have toilets that flush. We couldn't take pictures inside the Castle and security was very tight, so I couldn't even take them "illegally." We also saw the state rooms and some other grand rooms. Next, we were going to see the changing of the guards, but it was cancelled for some reason. Instead, I went inside the St. George's Chapel (inside Windsor Castle) where many queens and kings are buried. Then, I went to the royal guards to take some pictures with them. I think one of them got mad at me because he stomped his feet right before I got there. After that, it was time to head back to the bus - I grabbed a hamburger on the way back. Some people were late though...but we got off to a good start.

Next, on the way to Stonehenge, we saw mistletoe trees, and some farms, pigs, sheep etc. We also saw canola and other farms too. Most of the eggs (actually not refrigerated in the stores), chicken, lamb and pigs are all free range. We actually saw where the movie Babe took place too!
Also, on the way to Stonehenge we saw many burial mounds where they buried an individual person (one mound per person). We also passed a "thing" that was not in earth - it is the only one on earth and no one knows what it is - it does not look like anything from earth - we were moving too fast to get a picture, but it looks like a helicopter but without any of the blades. We also learned that there are many crop circles around that area too.

At Stonehenge, there were two stones that we could touch - one bluestone and one sarsen stone - one of them was much hotter than the other. The Stonehenge was very impressive, and although there are many theories: for alien purposes, a calendar, for the moon phases etc, it was just impressive, although a little smaller than I thought it would be. I guess on the winter solstice and winter solstice, it is very popular because the sun rises in a same position or something happens.

As we left Stonehenge, we almost left two people behind (the same people that were late at Windsor Castle). We saw some awesome sights on the way to Bath. It was an hour and a half drive so I slept a little, but when I woke up, it was just beautiful - almost like Italy. I took some pictures, but we were moving, so it was kind of hard. On the way, we saw some mounds in the mountains that are used as bases for the military. We also saw a huge horse that was carved into the mountains. We also saw the smallest prison in London (mostly used for transporting people). Finally, we saw a military base used to train soldiers. We also saw various cities where Harry Potter was filmed.

We entered Bath and saw Jane Austin's house. Most of the houses are very old - and the half moon window above each doorway is different to be able to distinguish your house in the dark before house numbers. Instead of street signs too - the name of the street is carved into the building.

We got to the Roman Baths and went through Roman ruins too. It was quite impressive and the water is very warm (maybe it will heal me of whatever I have - even though I do not know if I have anything), and steamy. I then walked around Bath and it is very historic. The Bath Cathedral is also very impressive too. We saw also some street performers, one in particular played this drum pan, which sounded beautiful. I bought his CD! Instead of asking for a five dollar bill, Londoners just ask for a fiver.

On the way back, we went through Bath Circus where the rich people live. We saw Nicholas Cage's house (he sends his children to the most expensive schools). Also, Johnny Depp lives in Bath too. We also saw a post office and we learned that the English stamp is the only stamp that does not have the country name on it - instead the reining monarch. We also saw where Pride & Prestigious was filmed. On the way back, we saw some more beautiful sights and we also went through Pennsylvania , England (which took 10 seconds because it is so small). We made some great time too back to London (2 1/2 hours). I took tons of pictures too!

Tomorrow I am heading to Greenwich and and then going to do so of my work for school.

Cheers!