Welcome home
I got home from my trip to the UK and Ireland last night. A 9hr flight that on the clock was only 4 hours. I was able to watched movies all the way. It was a pretty good flight.
Getting off the plane, the weather reminded me I was no longer on vacation. Welcome to Texas and 96° at 8:45pm
Spending the rest of the day doing laundry at my sister’s before heading home tomorrow.
London last day
So I’m sitting outside the London Science Museum waiting for it to open. Getting here, I just had a nice walk through Hyde Park from my Hotel. On the way I’ve seen lots of cyclists, joggers and moms pulling or sometimes pushing small children on scooters. Strangely I’ve not seen any roller blades, skateboards or roller skates.
Updated on the lack of skateboards, just saw a guy on one, and it was motorized so that may not really count.
The Science Museum was pretty cool, well the levels that were not crawling with school children. I just avoided the floors that had the “hand’s on” activities.
Old Steam engine
Examples of polyhedra
An old calculating machine
The National Art Museum was very interesting. I can see why some painters are famous. Some of those paintings could pass for a photo from a distance. Sadly you can’t take photos in the museum so I have nothing to show. But I liked the work of Paul Ruben and Monet. I bought a 95 piece puzzle of “Water lilies” by Monet. They have a cartoon by Da Vinci that seems to have been the beginnings of a painting idea that never got painted. The painting “Sunflowers” by van Gogh was on loan to a Museum in Amsterdam. I only mention that cause of the van Gogh paintings in the museum, it was the only one I like 😦
View of Trafalgar Square from the steps of the Art Museum
On the way back from the Art Museum I tried to stop by and see Sherlock, but as you can see the queue was a bit long.
The line to get into 221B Baker Street.
Salisbury Plains
Today is the last day of the tour. We are heading to the Salisbury Plains and then London by 4pm. My trip won’t be over though, I still have an extra day in London before returning to the States. Time to see the other free museums of London, but more of that tomorrow.
First stop Glastonbury and King Arthur’s tomb (yeah right, it did today what it did in the past separated a pilgrim and his money and left it with the Abby.)
King Arthur’s grave.
Glastonbury Abby
Next stop Stonehenge.
Stonehenge parking lot (will be gone by winter of 2013)
There is a new visitor center being built about half a mile up the road. This old one is going to be torn up and then grassed over to resort more of the original circle of Stonehenge. Its scheduled to be open the Winter of 2013. There will be a shuttle bus that takes you to the site. If you plan on trying to get into the stone circle, you are only allowed to do that during the summer or winter solstice. You will just have to deal with the crazy druids preforming their “ancient rituals”. Back in Glastonbury there was an actual witches store and more than 1 store that sold “magical” items.
Me in front of Stonehenge, hard to smile in the bright sun.
Stonehenge
I think this is the location of the Summer Solstice.
The spacing of each archway coincides with the sun rising between the opening of each month.
5468 km traveled as the trip comes to an end.
Plymouth
Here is the hotel in Exeter followed by a gray squirrel I saw running around the garden
Day 2 in Exeter has us traveling to Plymouth.
Plymouth Bay
Location of the pier the Mayflower left from in Plymouth
light house at Plymouth Hoe Park
Looe for lunch. A nice small beach and a beautiful Saturday to enjoy it.
Roadway arch by the beach in Looe
Stopped near a place called Pillar Bridge for some drinks.
Pillar Bridge
purple flower near Pillar Bridge
On to Dartmoor to get some photos of Dartmoor ponies. They are free range horses that as you can see will come right up to the coach. There were also hairy cows and sheep roaming free along the road.
This mare wanted to get onto the coach and come back to the hotel with us.
Free ranging horses in Dartmoor
Exeter Day 1
Leaving for Exeter today which is south west of Cardiff. Sadly I didn’t get to see Torchwood nor did I spot the Tardis
First stop this morning is Bath well our stop is more of a traffic jam at the moment.
Finally made it. All I can say, the Romans were very good engineers to build a huge bathing complex around a small natural hot spring.
View from bath level
View of bath from level above
The area over the entrance to the bath
The remaining head of the statue of the goddess of the bath
The Abby across from the Roman Bath ruins
Me in front of Bath Abby
Bath Abby
Dinner tonight at the restaurant was grilled salmon. Over my 3 weeks here in the UK and Ireland I’ve noticed that some sort of fish is always one of the main or first course dishes at all meals. Wonder if that has to do with these countries being an island? 😉
Chester and more
Well I’m in England again but it was just for the night. Cardiff today, but first a tour of Chester
and some ancient Roman sites.
Ruins of Ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Chester
Lunch in Ludlow
Walking back to the coach, I was blessed by a bird from the heavens. 😦 So I bought some chocolate to forget the bombardment
Chocolate Cow 🙂
On to Cardiff
Farm land
View from my room
Dinner tonight at a castle.
Ceiling of Upper chamber of Cardiff Castle Clock Tower
Floor of upper room of Cardiff Castle Clock Tower
Entertainers from Cardiff Castle Banquet
Cardiff Castle
To Wales
Hopping a ferry this morning heading to Wales. My mobile data will work again 🙂 and Stonehenge is sometime in the next few days.
Stopped at the longest named train station.
Lunch in Caernarfon.
Off to Chester.
There are more photos related to the above ale.
View of the river from the Corn Mill Bar
Upstream from the Corn Mill Bar
Old Fort viewable from the Corn Mill Bar
Close up of water at the Corn Mill Bar
We stayed at The Queen hotel in Chester.
Saw a working Roman aqueduct.
Roman Canal System
Boat navigating the Roman Aqueduct
Roman Aqueduct 100s of feet above a river
The Horseshoe pass.
View from above Horseshoe Pass
Horseshoe Pass
Dublin Day 2
Off for a tour of Dublin via the coach.
Bridge in the shape of a harp in Dublin
Book of Kells, which is a very old manuscript of the Bible. (sadly no cameras are allowed )
Library at Trinity University in Dublin
This afternoon (12:15 pm) is the tour of the Guinness brewery.
Went to the Irish History Museum
More Swords
Ancient spurs.
Sword display at museum
And the Natural History Museum
Leaving Ireland tomorrow and heading to Wales. One thing I’ve learned is a pint of Guinness is cheaper the farther you are from Dublin.
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