Category: England 4/2018 Page 1 of 2

After a quick “visit” with Security to explain the 10 pounds of rocks in our bags, we tasked Cat with getting us to our gate.

She has traveled a lot in her 10 years and we we’re quite proud of her ability to navigate through the airport and understand the arrivals/departures board.

We did have a bit of a giggle at the Toronto airport when we realized that the phone booths have now been replaced by charging stations! Caitlyn didn’t understand the irony but them, why would she?! I couldnt help but wonder, “What does a person do if they don’t have a phone?”

Our flights were uneventful. We were given comped dinner passes due to a short delay in Toronto and after 16 hours of travel we arrived in London.

We had a 2 hour drive to get to our hotel. We got settled in and decided to go for a drive to enjoy all things English. I actually drove while H navigated and to be honest I think we were all scared to death! It was so hard to a) remember how to drive a manual transmission, while b) remembering to stay on the left hand side of the road, while c) remembering to look right! I know my guardian angel was with me today! It did get easier with time but I would NOT say driving in England is like riding a bicycle.

We came across several thatched roof cottages. It is amazing to me that these roofs are able to keep out all of moisture and rain that is so common to England. It’s also ironic that they were a sign of poverty in the early 1900’s but now are a sign of wealth as people are trying to preserve the look of historical buildings.

I tried to introduce myself to the local firemen but nobody was home!

We had a great dinner at the local pub!!

We even came across someone elses painted rock. I guess it is a “thing” over here as well!

I am proud to say that I got my first bullseye in darts but have to admit Caitlyn beat me twice!

We had a lovely fish and chips dinner!

Afterwards we met up with some family and then called it a night.

We started our morning with a proper English Breakfast. It was a great way to start the day. I still prefer American bacon to English bacon but I am sure this is a debate that could go on for hours depending on what country you are from!

Part of the city walls were still standing in several places. It’s fun to think of all the people who have walked through these passage ways over the centuries.

There were tons of detailed stained glass scenes that were remarkable.

That said

We continued to the West Gate.

And then came to the Great Hall.

Howard’s mom even hand painted all of the name placards and we did manage to get a shot of the Gill men!

Today I went to Winchester Cathedral in Winchester. When we walked in someone gave me a palm since it was Palm Sunday. I completely lost track of what day it was. During mass I saw 3 priests and one if them was a woman!

I also saw a bishop’s tomb that was from 1367. The stained glass windows were so colorful and beautiful.

After we left we saw my aunt and uncle. We saw the Great Hall and King Arthur’s Round Table. It looked like a dart board. While we were there I pretended to chop off my uncle’s head and dressed up in silly clothes with my mom and dad.

After that me and my mom and dad went to my cousin’s wedding. It was so beautiful! I loved it! My other Aunt and Uncles were there and so we’re my grandparents.

The next day my mom and I drove to Stonehenge. I had to keep reminding her, “stay left, look right and shift gears.” I was disappointed that I couldn’t touch the stones but we still had fun and I pretended I did.

After we left we drove by the “Royal Artillary Battalion”. There was a great big tank. We pulled over and asked if we could look at it. I even climbed on it.

We drove back to London that afternoon and checked into our Airbnb…

H left with his brothers to go up North and visit with his family while Cat and I headed to Stonehenge and then to London.  Driving was scary as ever but I only got honked at once so I feel that I am improving!

We arrived to Stonehenge,  bought our tickets and boarded a bus which drove us to the Historical Site.

We walked along an asphalt path that was at least 50 yards away from the stones and filled with people. I appreciate the history behind the stones. I also admire the people who accomplished so much without the use of modern day tools.

That said,  Stonehenge was nowhere near mind blowing. It is more than just a pile of rocks but I was definitely expecting more.

I think it would have been a bit  more exciting and mystical if there weren’t 1000″s of tourists around with selfie sticks or if we could actually have gotten closer to the rocks to examine them in more detail.

That said, I am glad we went, I am glad we learned a bit of it’s history and Cat and I had a good time nonetheless.

I had read about Woodhenge on a cool app called “Roadtrippers” which was 3 miles away.  (Roadtrippers is a great way to find “Points of Interest” and “Things To Do” that are off the beaten track.) We spoke to one of the employees at Stonehenge and they said it was definitely worth checking out.

It took us about 15 minutes to get there and was completely worth the trip! It was less touristy and had a completely different atmosphere than the “famous” site a few miles away.  This is what it looks  like now…

and this is what it possibly used to look like.

We were the only ones there and I enjoyed the tranquility and experience so much more than Stonehenge. The lack of crowds made me feel like I was actually closer to the history and more in tune with the vibe of the site. We tried to figure out what the significance of the layout was and what kind of rituals took place here.

The exact appearance, purpose and status of these structures remains unknown. If they were indeed roofed buildings, they may have served many functions, just as churches and cathedrals did in the Middle Ages.

Afterwards, we drove through Larkhill,  a small town that hosts the Royal  School of Artillery.  I stopped at the gates to ask if we could check out the huge  tank that was sitting on the grass close by. He gave us permission as long as we didn’t take any pictures facing into the base.   I think it is possible he thought we looked liked spies!!!

Of course Cat was climbing all over it within seconds.

We continued on to Gatwick Airport to drop off the rental car. What a relief to make it back in one piece! We took the train into London and then  went to our Airbnb.

We had a great dinner at a local pub called the Lord Wargrave and a great chat with the manager named Jessie who had just moved to London from Australia.  After some amazing food and great conversation we called it a night!

We woke up the next day and headed to Buckingham Palace. We realized we were a day early for the Changing of the Guards but it was still fun to watch them march around for awhile.

We hopped on a double decker bus and cruised around town for a bit. We stopped at the Westminster Cathedral and caught the last bit of the Chrism Mass. The cardinal and 320 local priests and bishops were in attendance and filled up 30% of the church. We met Mary Regina who was absolutely lovely and explained the ceremony to us as well as a bit of the church”s history.

We decided to walk over to Westminister Abbey and came across a phone booth and post box on the way.

We walked on to Westminster Abbey and looked for Big Ben but couldn’t find it. It wasn’t until we were on the Westminster bridge that we realized it was under construction.

We walked over to the London Eye, watched a fun 4D simulation of the ride and then had the real experience. It was great to see London from the higher perspective.

We had dinner and walked over to the Old Globe Theatre and stopped by St Paul’s Cathedrals on the way.

The church doors were huge!

I had bought tickets for us to attend “The Little Match Girl” at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre over a month ago. I didn’t realize the Globe doesn’t open until April since it is an open air theatre  (think 40 degrees). Unknown to me, I had booked a show in the adjoining modern theatre in the same complex. I pleaded my case with one of the ushers and they gave us a 5 minute tour of the real theatre by ourselves. It was probably one of the best things I have experienced in London.

We had a silly ride home on the Underground and called it a night.

My mom and dad bought me tickets to see Wicked for my birthday and we finally got to go today.

The show was an amazing adventure about the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the South. The story was about how they became friends and the real story about how the Wicked Witch died.

The true story is that the Wicked Witch was not wicked. Whenever she tried to do something good, it didn’t come out right and people thought she was trying to be evil.

Our seats were amazing. They were in the second row. The oechesta underneath the stage was extraordinary! The band had about 21 people in it.

My favorite part was when the “Not So Wicked Witch” lived happily ever after with the Scarecrow.