Spring Vacations!
Hello again! I am still recovering from the last two weeks of traveling, both with the family, and then RaeChel. It was wonderful to get out of Bristol for a while and see some new and old places, although I am ready to be back and get in the swing of things again. I think some photos will do a better job of showing the various places I went, so here are a few to highlight my trips!
This is the Abbey in the town of Bath, famous for its Roman Bath houses. The actual baths are recessed underground, and were originally enclosed, although today there is no roof.
This next photo is the following day when we went to visit Caerphilly Castle in Cardiff, Wales. Another beautiful day, and the remaining walls and buildings were amazing!
This is of course Stonehenge, and when there with the family, we were lucky enough to get spots in the early morning tour, which takes place before it opens to the public, and you can walk among the stones, which was wonderful, since it was very misty, and there was frost on the ground when we first arrived.
After our Stonehenge tour, we stopped at Salisbury for a bit to see the Cathedral, which dates from the 13th century. Continuing on to Eastbourne, on the Southeast coast of England, we spent a few days exploring the surrounding area, which, along with Dover, is famous for the white chalk cliffs.
Following Eastbourne, we ended out trip in London for 3 nights, followed by Ben and Pat flying back to Wisconsin, Marty going to Spain to see Laura, and me meeting RaeChel at the airport for our trip to Paris. Needless to say, Paris was wonderful, although RaeChel did have her luggage lost for a couple days. It was wonderful to be back, since it had been 10 years since I had gone with the family. Many things were just as I remembered them, although, as with any city, there were signs of continued modernization.
Then, on our last night before returning to England, RaeChel and I met up with Laura and Cassie who were coming to visit friends. We went to a lovely restaurant in the heart of the Jewish quarter, the Pletzl, and enjoyed platters of mix and match veggie dishes, spreads, and concoctions.
The following day RaeChel and I took the Chunnel train back to London, then the bus on to Bristol, where we stayed for a two nights, taking an all-day tour to see Stonehenge, the Avebury Cirle, Lacock, and Castle Coomb (the latter two being traditional English villages).
This house above was in Lacock, and, along with the High Street, was used in the filming of Harry Potter. In the second film, there is a flash-back to Harry's parent's house. This is the house used for that scene!
After Bristol, RaeChel and I went back to London for a few days before she flew home. No problems with luggage on the return trip, thankfully! Following her departure, I went to stay at a freind's house (Steve) who lives on my floor. Just south of London, the town of Cheam is a charming little subburb of London, and about a 30-40 minute train/subway ride from downtown.
That gets me to yesterday, when Steve and I drove back to Bristol, and I'm using the weekend to study and get a head start on my final essays, which are due mid-May.
This is the Abbey in the town of Bath, famous for its Roman Bath houses. The actual baths are recessed underground, and were originally enclosed, although today there is no roof.
This next photo is the following day when we went to visit Caerphilly Castle in Cardiff, Wales. Another beautiful day, and the remaining walls and buildings were amazing!
This is of course Stonehenge, and when there with the family, we were lucky enough to get spots in the early morning tour, which takes place before it opens to the public, and you can walk among the stones, which was wonderful, since it was very misty, and there was frost on the ground when we first arrived.
After our Stonehenge tour, we stopped at Salisbury for a bit to see the Cathedral, which dates from the 13th century. Continuing on to Eastbourne, on the Southeast coast of England, we spent a few days exploring the surrounding area, which, along with Dover, is famous for the white chalk cliffs.
Following Eastbourne, we ended out trip in London for 3 nights, followed by Ben and Pat flying back to Wisconsin, Marty going to Spain to see Laura, and me meeting RaeChel at the airport for our trip to Paris. Needless to say, Paris was wonderful, although RaeChel did have her luggage lost for a couple days. It was wonderful to be back, since it had been 10 years since I had gone with the family. Many things were just as I remembered them, although, as with any city, there were signs of continued modernization.
Then, on our last night before returning to England, RaeChel and I met up with Laura and Cassie who were coming to visit friends. We went to a lovely restaurant in the heart of the Jewish quarter, the Pletzl, and enjoyed platters of mix and match veggie dishes, spreads, and concoctions.
The following day RaeChel and I took the Chunnel train back to London, then the bus on to Bristol, where we stayed for a two nights, taking an all-day tour to see Stonehenge, the Avebury Cirle, Lacock, and Castle Coomb (the latter two being traditional English villages).
This house above was in Lacock, and, along with the High Street, was used in the filming of Harry Potter. In the second film, there is a flash-back to Harry's parent's house. This is the house used for that scene!
After Bristol, RaeChel and I went back to London for a few days before she flew home. No problems with luggage on the return trip, thankfully! Following her departure, I went to stay at a freind's house (Steve) who lives on my floor. Just south of London, the town of Cheam is a charming little subburb of London, and about a 30-40 minute train/subway ride from downtown.
That gets me to yesterday, when Steve and I drove back to Bristol, and I'm using the weekend to study and get a head start on my final essays, which are due mid-May.