Regent's Park

I spent Sunday at the London Zoo and walking around Regent's Park. It was a nice, relaxing day.

In Regent's Park, I took pictures of the many flower gardens and tress. This picture, of a pretty purple flower, is why I love my camera.

Oxford and Wicked

Oxford UK

This latte was one of the best I've had. Only in Italy, have I had a better latte. The little cafe, where I drank this yummy coffee, was very close to Christ Church. For all you Harry Potter fans, Ante Hall (at Christ Church) becomes Hogwarts Hall via movie magic.

Harry Potter isn't the only famous child connected to Oxford. Alice from "Alice in Wonderland" has real roots in Oxford. And there is a very cute little shop near Christ Church devoted to all things "Alice." A short walk from Alice's Shoppe is Carfax Tower.

Carfax tower is a remnant of a 14th century church. There are about 100 very narrow steps to the top of the tower. The view at the top, is incredible. Well worth the walk up the steps. Then comes the decent back down the same steps....I was very thankful when I was back on solid ground. Narrow, twisty steps don't really agree with me, especially when the steps were built for someone about 5 inches shorter then me.

After a day full of walking, shopping and seeing Oxford, I took the train back to London. And saw Wicked. Wicked is the best musical I've even seen! The US tour will be in The Cities later this year, and I will be buying a ticket to see it again. Wicked is awesome!!

I made it to Stonehenge!!!!

I took the train from Wimbledon to Salisbury. In Salisbury, I took the "Stonehenge Tour" which is really just a tour bus that takes you to different sites in the area. Once on the bus, an audio track tells about the history of the area.

For example, during WWII, the Germans used Salisbury Cathedral as a navigation "marker" for their planes. This is why no German bombs were dropped near the Cathedral.

Stonehenge was awesome! It's amazing to me that people have been coming to this area for over 5000 years. The ditch, which is hard to see, was started in the Neolithic period. The Blue Stones were brought 240 miles from the Preseli Mountains in Wales. And the Sarsen Stones are massive! It was just amazing to see this magical, prehistoric engineering feat.

After Stonehenge, I went to Old Sarum. Old Sarum is huge earthwork settlement. Occupied by iron age settlers, Romans, Saxons, and Normans. The site is in ruins now. But it was fun to explore! The views were incredible!! As I was walking around the main earthwork, I realized I was by myself. I was walking toward this tree and suddenly felt like I was in a Jane Austin novel. Totally cheesy, I know. But the thought made me stop walking and just enjoy the moment.

Salisbury Cathedral is impressive. And the town of Salisbury is just lovely. The streets are narrow, and the canals are beautiful. Walking toward the Cathedral, I was a found a "Poundland" the British version of the Dollar Store. There was also a bookstore with a large Twilight display in the window. And a Starbucks! Of course, I had to stop for a latte.

Saturday, May 1, 2010.

Today was a full day of sightseeing in London.

I started the day at Westminster Abbey. I decided to use an audio tour guide inside the Abbey. I am really glad that I used it. There is so much history in the Abbey and so much to see, I know I would have missed a lot with out the audio guide. I was sad that pictures are not allowed inside the Abbey; Only in the Cloisters. So I don't have my photos from the Abbey.

After the Abbey, I walked along Parliament Street to Trafalgar Square. There was a protest rally at Trafalgar today. It was an interesting place to people watch.

Next up was the National Gallery. I was able to see works by Monet, Manet, Seurat, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, and Van Gogh. Sunflowers is one of the most beautiful paintings I've ever seen. I loved it! And there were several Monet's on display, so I was in art heaven. The National Gallery is a favorite!

After I left the Gallery, I wasn't for sure where I wanted to go. I decided to walk be down Parliament St again. I stopped at the Horse Guard and watched the changing of the Guard. Then I walked to St James' Park.

St James' Park was so beautiful. The flower gardens were alive with color. There were swans in the lake. It was so peaceful in the park. I explored the park for a long time, ending up at Buckingham Palace. As I was walking to the St James Park Tube station, the sky opened up and it started to rain.

All in all, a fun day.