The touristy part of my trip to England!
Aug. 19th, 2012 06:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beelikejYesterday I shared photos of my first two days in London. To do more than the usual bookshopping and theatre-visits and to make my trip more like a vacation, I had booked a touristy tour. On Thursday, August 16 I had to get up real early for a sunrise pick up at a nearby hotel for a roundtrip with a guide (and a group) to Stonehenge, Lacock and Bath. To find out why these places are more than just silly names, I present my photospam of day 3: the Stonehenge Sunrise Tour.
Part 1: Stonehenge
View from my hotelroom at 5.15 a.m. I figured it was okay to skip my 30 minute exercise regime for an extra half hour of sleep;)
It's still mostly dark outside when I walk from my own hotel to the Russel Hotel, where I will be picked up at 5.35 a.m.
After all the passengers are collected, it's about a two hour drive to Stonehenge. Look,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tanisafan: a plane!
Not far now!
Tadaah. It's 7.45 when we get to the entrance. The stones next to the sign are examples of the two different types of rock used at Stonehenge. More information at Wikipedia;)
Through a tunnel under the busy road our group crosses the street for a first view.
This is a composition of two photos. Our tour has special privileges and is allowed to get inside the roped off area before the site opens for other visitors.
Another composition to capture the whole width of this structure.
So many wonderful views.
I'll let you enjoy them in silence for a while;) Click 'view image' for a closer look!
This rock is nicknamed "The Face".
In the background you can see some campers/vans from druids and other people who want to spent nights close to this historic and spiritual site.
Hi, it's me! This should give you a better idea of the size:)
There are a lot of old inscriptions (Roman graffiti:)
These are marks from the transport. (There are different theories about how the rocks were brought here)
It's so wonderful how the light and shadows change all the time.
So big.
Another lovely point of view. I'll be quiet again;)
After being allowed inside the circle, we had time to walk around the official path (I'd say that's about 20-50 meters from the rocks)
Here you can see the trench and low grass-wall that surround the structure; that is believed to be the oldest part of Stonehenge, that was a special place even before the rocks were set up. Archaeologists believe the stone monument was constructed anywhere from 3000 to 2000 BC.
It was very windy up on this hillside:)
Hi, it's me again!
And a final view before it's time to leave.
Walking back through the tunnel with a wallpainting of what the original structure probably looked like.
Part 2: LaCock *giggle*
After an hour on the bus, we arrive at our second destination: the village of Lacock *giggles* (What?)
Almost the whole town is owned by the National Trust, which means houses have to be preserved in their original state. Most of the buildings are 18th century, but a couple of them date back as far as the 13th century (The Abbey was established in 1232)
What makes is relevant to my interests is that Lacock has been used as a film and television set, notably for Pride and Prejudice (BBC 1995) and Cranford (BBC 2007). It has also made brief appearances in Harry Potter films The Philosopher's Stone and The Half-Blood Prince.
Before walking through town, I had tea and toast in the 15th century George Inn.
This is an original turnspit: on the side you see a treadmill which was turned by a (tiny) dog to rotate the roasting meat above the fire:)
Memories of the filming of Harry Potter! Notice the house with the blue door that Harry and Dumbledore are passing; it's right across the street from the Inn.
Dame Judi Dench was here for the Cranford series. That was such a joy to watch. *chinhands*
The sign says: "Quintessentially English". :)
Another significant building from Harry Potter. (I need to check the films, please comment if you recognize it!)
The house with the blue door!
To prove that I was there ;-)
No comment *giggles some more*
Inside the town's cathedral.
Ladies of LaCock and Finger Mice. *bites lip*
Took the photo up above secretely inside the Wilshire Craftshop;)
The street I remembered from the Cranford series (sans cars, obviously;)
A final glimpse at the Abbey. The tour didn't go inside, but that was were a couple of interior scenes for Harry Potter were filmed.
Part 3: Bath (the town, not the tub)
Driving from LaCock to Bath we passed this railroad-tunnel. Significant because it was designed/build by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, whom you might remember from our trip to Bristol last January:)
I have no idea what this lion is, but I spotted it from the alley that our guide led us through on the way into the center of Bath and I just had sneak away from the group to take a photo. So gorgeous.
The oldest stone house in Bath (1482). The (possibly made up) Sally Lunn lived here, creator of the famous Bath buns. (that I'm NOT making up;)
First view of the Cathedral and Roman Bath.
What the flowers and plants hid in the photo up above:)
After a quick look around at the square in front of the huge cathedral, we went into the main attraction: the Roman Bath.
There are four main features: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum with items found on the site, such as coins and jewelry. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century, that includes the statue of Caesar in this photo;)
The Roman Baths themselves, filled with water straight from the hot spring are below the modern street level. There used to be a giant roof overhead.
More in depth information at Wikipedia;)
Fascinating details everywhere!
The oldest part of the structure dates back to 76 AD. Very impressive.
On top of the photo you see the original Roman led piping that transports the water from the hot spring to the big bath. It's still functional. The bath itself is lined with led plates that are also still sealing the bottom of the pool. Isn't that amazing?
I wandered around the Roman Bath for an hour and a half, which meant I had only about twenty minutes left to explore Bath on my way back to the bus. Such a pretty town.
It's about two and a half hours back to London. This is Solsbury Hill (from the Peter Gabriel song;)
At 16:08 (4:08 p.m.) I was dropped of near the Gloucester Road Tube station, where I could get on the Piccadilly Line back to my hotel. (Also right next to a Boots, so I could stock up on Aussie shampoo and Johnson's Baby powder:)
The obligatory photo of a poster on the Underground:)
That was the end of the tour. But my day wasn't over yet! I got a hot wrap at Pret a Manger and had dinner in my hotelroom before going into town for the evening. Remember that play from Wednesday that was sold out? I decided to give it another go. So I brought my book and went back to the Cottlesloe theater to stand in line with other hopefuls...
... and this time I was lucky! I managed the very last returnticket for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time! I even got a prime seat (if you've read the book you understand how cool that was:)
Definitely the highlight of my week; what a wonderful play! Brilliant translation of the novel onto stage and great performances. The set design and choreography were magnificent. I do hope they manage to transfer the play to another venue so more people can see this. Absolutely perfect theatre.
Here's a great (spoilerfree!) review bynick730!
Nighttime view of Waterloo bridge from the Southbank: moving light projections of all sorts of sports.
Looking at Waterloo bridge from the pedestrian bridge at Embankment. See the javelin figure on the left?
View of the London Eye at night:)
Loot day 3. How funky was it that my prime seat in the theatre had number 59? In the envelop was a mathproblem with a note telling me how special I was:)
Final bath :'( Special pink bubbles for the occassion (The Comforter = blackberry), it was like soaking in lemonade:) I finished reading book 2 Catching Fire.
Day 4: traveling home
Last English breakfast. I'm gonna miss you, sausages and eggs.
I had some time to walk around St Pancras station before settling down in the waiting area with book 3: Mockingjay.
15:00 (3 p.m.) Late lunch on the Eurostar: scones with raisins and salted caramel drinking yoghurt. Omnomnom.
In Brussels I caught a connecting train all the way to Rotterdam (yay!). There I had time to buy dinner (19:27) before catching the train to Z.
I finished the book right before I arrived there (21:14). *big, big sigh*
The end.
*hugs computer and all of the internet*
Part 1: Stonehenge
View from my hotelroom at 5.15 a.m. I figured it was okay to skip my 30 minute exercise regime for an extra half hour of sleep;)
It's still mostly dark outside when I walk from my own hotel to the Russel Hotel, where I will be picked up at 5.35 a.m.
After all the passengers are collected, it's about a two hour drive to Stonehenge. Look,
tanisafan: a plane!Not far now!
Tadaah. It's 7.45 when we get to the entrance. The stones next to the sign are examples of the two different types of rock used at Stonehenge. More information at Wikipedia;)
Through a tunnel under the busy road our group crosses the street for a first view.
This is a composition of two photos. Our tour has special privileges and is allowed to get inside the roped off area before the site opens for other visitors.
Another composition to capture the whole width of this structure.
So many wonderful views.
I'll let you enjoy them in silence for a while;) Click 'view image' for a closer look!
This rock is nicknamed "The Face".
In the background you can see some campers/vans from druids and other people who want to spent nights close to this historic and spiritual site.
Hi, it's me! This should give you a better idea of the size:)
There are a lot of old inscriptions (Roman graffiti:)
These are marks from the transport. (There are different theories about how the rocks were brought here)
It's so wonderful how the light and shadows change all the time.
So big.
Another lovely point of view. I'll be quiet again;)
After being allowed inside the circle, we had time to walk around the official path (I'd say that's about 20-50 meters from the rocks)
Here you can see the trench and low grass-wall that surround the structure; that is believed to be the oldest part of Stonehenge, that was a special place even before the rocks were set up. Archaeologists believe the stone monument was constructed anywhere from 3000 to 2000 BC.
It was very windy up on this hillside:)
Hi, it's me again!
And a final view before it's time to leave.
Walking back through the tunnel with a wallpainting of what the original structure probably looked like.
Part 2: LaCock *giggle*
After an hour on the bus, we arrive at our second destination: the village of Lacock *giggles* (What?)
Almost the whole town is owned by the National Trust, which means houses have to be preserved in their original state. Most of the buildings are 18th century, but a couple of them date back as far as the 13th century (The Abbey was established in 1232)
What makes is relevant to my interests is that Lacock has been used as a film and television set, notably for Pride and Prejudice (BBC 1995) and Cranford (BBC 2007). It has also made brief appearances in Harry Potter films The Philosopher's Stone and The Half-Blood Prince.
Before walking through town, I had tea and toast in the 15th century George Inn.
This is an original turnspit: on the side you see a treadmill which was turned by a (tiny) dog to rotate the roasting meat above the fire:)
Memories of the filming of Harry Potter! Notice the house with the blue door that Harry and Dumbledore are passing; it's right across the street from the Inn.
Dame Judi Dench was here for the Cranford series. That was such a joy to watch. *chinhands*
The sign says: "Quintessentially English". :)
Another significant building from Harry Potter. (I need to check the films, please comment if you recognize it!)
The house with the blue door!
To prove that I was there ;-)
No comment *giggles some more*
Inside the town's cathedral.
Ladies of LaCock and Finger Mice. *bites lip*
Took the photo up above secretely inside the Wilshire Craftshop;)
The street I remembered from the Cranford series (sans cars, obviously;)
A final glimpse at the Abbey. The tour didn't go inside, but that was were a couple of interior scenes for Harry Potter were filmed.
Part 3: Bath (the town, not the tub)
Driving from LaCock to Bath we passed this railroad-tunnel. Significant because it was designed/build by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, whom you might remember from our trip to Bristol last January:)
I have no idea what this lion is, but I spotted it from the alley that our guide led us through on the way into the center of Bath and I just had sneak away from the group to take a photo. So gorgeous.
The oldest stone house in Bath (1482). The (possibly made up) Sally Lunn lived here, creator of the famous Bath buns. (that I'm NOT making up;)
First view of the Cathedral and Roman Bath.
What the flowers and plants hid in the photo up above:)
After a quick look around at the square in front of the huge cathedral, we went into the main attraction: the Roman Bath.
There are four main features: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum with items found on the site, such as coins and jewelry. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century, that includes the statue of Caesar in this photo;)
The Roman Baths themselves, filled with water straight from the hot spring are below the modern street level. There used to be a giant roof overhead.
More in depth information at Wikipedia;)
Fascinating details everywhere!
The oldest part of the structure dates back to 76 AD. Very impressive.
On top of the photo you see the original Roman led piping that transports the water from the hot spring to the big bath. It's still functional. The bath itself is lined with led plates that are also still sealing the bottom of the pool. Isn't that amazing?
I wandered around the Roman Bath for an hour and a half, which meant I had only about twenty minutes left to explore Bath on my way back to the bus. Such a pretty town.
It's about two and a half hours back to London. This is Solsbury Hill (from the Peter Gabriel song;)
At 16:08 (4:08 p.m.) I was dropped of near the Gloucester Road Tube station, where I could get on the Piccadilly Line back to my hotel. (Also right next to a Boots, so I could stock up on Aussie shampoo and Johnson's Baby powder:)
The obligatory photo of a poster on the Underground:)
That was the end of the tour. But my day wasn't over yet! I got a hot wrap at Pret a Manger and had dinner in my hotelroom before going into town for the evening. Remember that play from Wednesday that was sold out? I decided to give it another go. So I brought my book and went back to the Cottlesloe theater to stand in line with other hopefuls...
... and this time I was lucky! I managed the very last returnticket for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time! I even got a prime seat (if you've read the book you understand how cool that was:)
Definitely the highlight of my week; what a wonderful play! Brilliant translation of the novel onto stage and great performances. The set design and choreography were magnificent. I do hope they manage to transfer the play to another venue so more people can see this. Absolutely perfect theatre.
Here's a great (spoilerfree!) review by
nick730! Nighttime view of Waterloo bridge from the Southbank: moving light projections of all sorts of sports.
Looking at Waterloo bridge from the pedestrian bridge at Embankment. See the javelin figure on the left?
View of the London Eye at night:)
Loot day 3. How funky was it that my prime seat in the theatre had number 59? In the envelop was a mathproblem with a note telling me how special I was:)
Final bath :'( Special pink bubbles for the occassion (The Comforter = blackberry), it was like soaking in lemonade:) I finished reading book 2 Catching Fire.
Day 4: traveling home
Last English breakfast. I'm gonna miss you, sausages and eggs.
I had some time to walk around St Pancras station before settling down in the waiting area with book 3: Mockingjay.
15:00 (3 p.m.) Late lunch on the Eurostar: scones with raisins and salted caramel drinking yoghurt. Omnomnom.
In Brussels I caught a connecting train all the way to Rotterdam (yay!). There I had time to buy dinner (19:27) before catching the train to Z.
I finished the book right before I arrived there (21:14). *big, big sigh*
The end.
*hugs computer and all of the internet*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-08-19 07:46 pm (UTC)I didn't know about the village of LaCock (heh) at all, but looking at it, I obviously remember if from Cranford and P&P (I am assuming they used the same street for the village scenes, I always felt like Cranford looked very similar to Meryton!
I don't remember that estate from Harry Potter, could it be the one in the opening scene of Goblet, where the caretaker dies?
You got to see the plaaaay! Awesome <3. Those night time Thames pictures are stunning by the way. Making me want to go right now :D.
no subject
Date: 2012-08-25 09:46 am (UTC)Ladies of LaCock FTW \o/ Such a sweet place. I now want to watch the bitchy ladies of Cranford again. :) Clearly I also have to put Harry Potter on my list as well. Research.
That play was the best. I was so thrilled I got to see it.
no subject
Date: 2012-08-20 11:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-25 09:48 am (UTC)