England

Trip Date: November 2016

The final leg of our trip was through the English countryside. We flew from Ireland to Birmingham where we rented a car and headed for the Cotswolds. It was hard to believe that we were finally on the home stretch of our trip, but there was still lots to see so we were definitely excited about that. 

The Union Jack is the flag for the United Kingdom

England is the largest country in the United Kingdom and has a population of almost 55 million people. The capital and largest city is London, where we started our vacation, and the official language is English. The land that is now England has been inhabited since the Upper Palaeolithic period or as far back as 50,000 years ago. Not wanting to state the obvious, but the island of Great Britain is filled with a rich and colourful history.

England (dark green) as part of the United Kingdom (light green)

Our first destination was Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace, but we needed to make a quick stop in the town of Warwick to see Warwick Castle. Warwick Castle is what I picture when I think of a medieval fortress. We arrived too late to tour the inside, but were treated to some great views from around town. The castle was originally built by William the Conqueror back in 1068, but was redone in stone sometime during the 12th century.

Warwick Castle along the River Avon

One of the towers in Warwick Castle

As previously mentioned we were headed for Stratford-Upon-Avon which is the birthplace of arguably the most famous writer in the English language; William Shakespeare. We arrived after dark and wandered around the town, ultimately arriving at the Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare's grave is located. The church was closed and his tomb was inside so we just toured around the outside before moving on.

The Holy Trinity Church

Christine standing next to our Citroen Cactus!

A Jester Statue in Stratford-Upon-Avon

This is the home where Shakespeare grew up

We were on the road again early the next morning as we wanted to make several stops along the route to Burford. First up was the mysterious Rollright Stones near the village of Long Compton. The Rollright Stones are a collection of three monuments; the Whispering Knights, the King's Men, and the King Stone. The three monuments range in date from about 3,500 to 1,500 BC and each had it's own purpose. 

According to legend the names of the Rollright monuments are derived from a King who met a witch who challenged him:

"Seven long strides shalt thou take and if Long Compton thou canst see, King of Englad thou shalt be." 

Off went the King, shouting, "Stick, stock, stone as King of England I shall be known!" 

On his seventh stride the ground rose up before him in a long mound. The witch laughed and cackled, "As Long Compton thou canst not see, King of Englad thou shalt not be. Rise up stick and stand still stone, King of England though shalt be none. Thou and thy men hoar stones shall be and I myself an eldern tree." 

The King became the King Stone and his men the King's Men stone circle. The Whispering Knights were members of the King's army that were behind the rest of the group secretly plotting against the King before happening upon the scene and being turned to stone themselves.

The King's Men stone circle was a gathering place for Neolithic People approximately 4,500 years ago and is built from natural limestone boulders that were found within 500m of the circle. It was built in the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age and archaeologists assume there were about 105 stones standing in a circle that would form a complete barrier. Today there are only 77 stones remaining.

The King's Men

The King's Men Stone Circle

The Whispering Knights are believed to be the remains of an ancient burial chamber

It's believed that the King Stone was erected to mark a Bronze Age cemetery

We made a brief stop at Stow-on-the-Wold, a picturesque English town with a lot of character. We even caught the Remembrance Day procession as they made their way from the centre of town to the church for the ceremony.

Market Square in Stow-on-the-Wold

We stopped for lunch in Bourton-on-the-Water, which is known for it's stone bridges over the River Windrush. The sun was shining and the fall colours were still present, making for a beautiful afternoon in town.

The River Windrush flowing through town

One of many stone bridges

Bourton-on-the-Water

Sometimes domestic ducks like to hangout with wild ducks. This domestic duck was looking for handouts with all of his wild cousins!

Christine and I have a pretty big adventure planned for 2017!!

Me, Christine, and Sarah enjoying the day

Our final night in the Cotswolds was spent in the small town of Burford. It was very small so there wasn't much to see other than St. John the Baptist Church. We did manage to find a few pubs that evening though!

St. John the Baptist Church

It's always a little creepy to me when the cemetery is in the front yard of the church

After one night in Burford we were on the road again and headed for Bath, a city known for its Roman-built baths. The entire city became a World Heritage Site in 1987. We spent most of the day exploring the city and touring the ancient baths.

The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, or more commonly known as Bath Abbey, was founded in the 7th century

Pulteney Bridge crosses the River Avon and is famous for having shops built across its full span on both sides 

Over 2,000 years ago the Romans built the finest religious spa in norther Europe around Britain's only hot spring. Originally built in 70AD, the Roman Bath complex was used for public bathing and religious ceremonies for hundreds of years. Today the entire area is an important historical site and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United Kingdom. The steaming hot water still fills the Great Bath everyday as it did all those years ago.

Entrance to the Roman Baths

The Great Bath with Bath Abbey in the background

This is the Sacred Spring and was off-limits to bathers

Our last attraction of the trip was one I was most looking forward to; Stonehenge. No other historical site carries as much mystery and intrigue as Stonehenge. This prehistoric monument is believed to have been built between 3,000 and 2,000 BC, but no one knows for sure what its true purpose was. The entire site is set within the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.

Sarah and Christine walking towards Stonehenge

Stonehenge

The Heel Stone

Prehistoric stone monument

Sarsen Stones and Blue Stones

Me with Stonehenge in the background

The final selfie of the trip!

I think it's pretty evident that we had a great time on this vacation. Christine and I had always wanted to see the United Kingdom, but it wasn't very high on either of our lists (for whatever reason), so we were more than pleasantly surprised with how much there was to see and do. We were there for two weeks and covered plenty of ground, but I feel as though we just barely scratched the surface considering how much history there is. I enjoyed my time in all three countries (England, Northern Ireland, and Ireland) and would gladly return to any of them for some additional exploration.

London, England

Trip Date: November 2016

At the beginning of November Christine and I boarded a plane for the United Kingdom. We were definitely bitten by the travel bug again (our last big international trip was to Cuba) and needed to get away for a while so we had planned a two-week vacation for England, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. Neither of us had been to any of those countries before, but WestJet had an incredible seat sale during the summer so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see a few new places. Our vacation started in London, England where we spent five days exploring the historic city.

England's Flag

London is the capital city of England and its largest city with 13.8 million people in the metro area. London sits on the banks of the River Thames in the southeast corner of the island of Great Britain. The city has been a major settlement for more than two millennia and was originally founded by the Romans around year 43.

London's location within England and the island of Great Britain

After an overnight flight we landed at London's Gatwick Airport and boarded the train that would take us to the city. Although jet-lag was a real concern we didn't want to go to bed after getting to the hotel and waste one of our days in the city so we headed out to see a few sites. We were staying in the city of Westminster, which was pretty central to many of London's biggest attractions. We walked from our hotel to the River Thames and made our way towards the Palace of Westminster. The palace was built in 1016 and is the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords; the two houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The palace is most famous for Big Ben. Most people believe that Big Ben is the clock tower on the north end of the palace, but the name's actually in reference to the heaviest of the five bells located within the tower.

The Elizabeth Tower is the home of the Great Clock of Westminster and Big Ben

Across from the palace is Westminster Abbey; a 700-year-old Gothic-style church. It is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs.

Westminster Abbey

As the sun was sitting low in the sky we made our way to Trafalgar Square, a popular public square in central London. The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, which was a British naval victory during the Napoleonic Wars in 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar in Spain. Trafalgar Square is dominated by Nelson's Column, a 51-metre (170-foot) memorial to Admiral Horatio Nelson who died during the Battle of Trafalgar. The National Gallery, which houses art from the 13th to 19th centuries, occupies the norther portion of the square.

Trafalgar Square at sunset

After our evening of site seeing we were pretty wiped so we called it a day. We still had several days to explore London and we wanted to be well rested. The next day we decided to buy passes for the hop-on hop-off bus tour. The buses basically pass all the major sites that we wanted to see and since it was the off-season the 24-hour pass was valid for double that amount of time for the same price. To reach the bus stop we walked through Green Park, one of four Royal Parks in London, and came across the Canada Memorial. This monument was designed by Canadian Pierre Granche and commemorates the Canadian Forces killed during the First and Second World Wars. Canada Memorial is conveniently located near Canada Gate, one of the entrances to Green Park. The gate was a gift from Canada in celebration of its contributions to the then British Empire. 

Canada Memorial in Green Park

Canada Gate marks one of the entrances to Green Park

Our first stop on the bus tour was St. Paul's Cathedral. This Anglican Cathedral was built in the late 17th century during a major rebuilding effort in the city after the Great Fire of London. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. St. Paul's sits atop Ludgate Hill; the highest point in the city and is one of the most famous and recognizable sites in all of London.

St. Paul's Cathedral

The silver dragon marks the the boundaries of the City of London

A section of the original London Wall that enclosed the whole city dating back to the 2nd century

Across the street from the London Wall is the famous Tower of London. This historic castle, originally built in 1066, sits on the banks of the River Thames. Over the years the Tower has served a variety of roles including an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office, and currently as the home of the Crown Jewels of England. The Tower of London is also famous for its ceremonial guards, the Beefeaters.

The Tower of London

The Tower of London with the White Tower (right) prominently displayed

Spanning the River Thames and visible from the Tower of London is one of London's iconic symbols; the Tower Bridge. The bridge was constructed between 1886 and 1894 and stands 65 metres (213 feet) tall.

London's famed Tower Bridge

Included in our bus package was a tour down the River Thames. Our guide was phenomenal for this short cruise and we were able to get a different perspective on many of London's biggest sites.

The Tower of London's White Tower as viewed from the water

A river view of the Tower Bridge

The London Eye and the Palace of Westminster at sunset

A visit to London wouldn't be complete without seeing the royal residence, Buckingham Palace. The palace has served as the London residence for the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom since 1837. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, 98 offices, and 78 bathrooms and continues to be the venue for many royal events and ceremonies.

Buckingham Palace

Eventually we made our way over to Hyde Park, another Royal Park and one of the biggest parks in all of London. We entered the park via Hyde Park Corner, a major intersection where six streets all converge. Here you will also find the Wellington Arch; a triumphal arch commemorating Britain's victories in the Napoleonic Wars. The arch was built between 1826 and 1830 by Decimus Burton and was originally intended to be an entrance to Buckingham Palace.

The Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner

Hyde Park is divided by the Serpentine and the Long Water. The park was filled with beautiful fall foliage and despite the rainy day we still enjoyed exploring the park and seeing all the resident waterfowl.

Various species of waterfowl looking to be fed along the Serpentine

One of the highlights of our time in London was taking in a Premiere League football (soccer) match at London Stadium. We managed (somehow) to secure tickets to West Ham United vs. Stoke City. We were a little nervous as West Ham had been in the news recently due to brawls and fist fights in the stands during games. West Ham is a notoriously tough team with even tougher fans, so we needed to stay vigilant. We didn't know exactly what to expect even though we'd previously been to a game in Brazil and I attended another while in China. To be completely honest the West Ham fans were pretty tame during this 1-1 draw. They were more subdued than the Brazilian fans in Rio. Maybe it was the threat of banning all fans from future games and playing in an empty stadium that calmed everybody down.

London Stadium was used as the Olympic Stadium when London hosted the 2012 Summer Games

Enjoying a pre-game beverage outside the stadium. West Ham's nicknames are The Irons and The Hammers, hence this logo.

Inside the open-air stadium

During our last evening in London, while Christine was napping, I headed out for one more walking tour along the river. I was rewarded with different views of previously seen sites, but was more than happy to just be out exploring this beautiful city.

The Palace of West Minster and Big Ben across the River Thames

One of London's iconic red telephone booths. I think they're more of a tourist attraction now as the only people I saw inside them were taking photos and selfies!

London was definitely one of my favourite parts of this entire trip. The city is just so big, with so much history! There is an endless supply of things to do and see that you're never bored. I hope to get back to London at some point in the future and spend more time there, but we didn't have much time to reflect on our stay as we needed to catch a flight to Belfast in Northern Ireland.