England Highlights

 

I had a quick opportunity to accompany my favorite guy on a business trip to England and of course, I said, "Absolutely!" It was a first trip to England for me and I was determined to pack as much as possible in a short amount of time. I found the train system very convenient to use for travel within the country and made use of it, minding the gap, of course, to make my way to various areas while my guy was conducting business.

After arriving at Heathrow, we had dinner and stayed near the airport for the night. The next morning he and his coworkers headed for Coventry and I headed for the train. I made my way to Stratford-upon-Avon - the birthplace of Shakespeare. My 10 years as an English teacher and 11 years as a librarian set the precedent of an entirely geeky day visiting all things Shakespeare!

My lunch before heading to tour the city.

Shakespeare's childhood home and birthplace

The room thought to be Shakespeare's parents and where he was likely born.

Many writers, actors and Shakespeare enthusiast over the years visited the home for inspiration and etched their signatures into a 3 paneled window in the home. It is not just a display.

Of course I visited the Stratford-upon-Avon public library

Stratford-upon-Avon was a very charming city. I found the people to be very friendly, and I greatly enjoyed the history and visiting all the Shakespeare sites. When my guy returned from work we attended a play by the  Royal Shakespeare Theatre. It was a very modern interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. They did a great job! 

Monument to the Bard - his childhood home is in the back right.

Stratford-upon-Avon

The Guild Church and Guild Hall - the hall housed the school during Shakespeare's time and records still exist of his time as a student.

I love the small architectural details.

Beautiful windows in the Guild Church

One of the school house rooms where Shakespeare attended.

The next morning, I caught an early train to Oxford to spend the day there sightseeing. I had scheduled a tour of Bodleian Library at Oxford University. It was stunning!! Honestly, all of Oxford was absolutely gorgeous!! After my tour of the library, I made my way down to Christ Church College. I didn't realize that University of Oxford is actually made up of 39 different colleges. The entire town seems to be academia. The buildings are stunning!

Just a vignette that caught my eye.

Always look up!

Stairway to the library

Initially, books were not allowed out of the library because they were so expensive so they were chained to a bar and students had to stand along the stacks to use them.

A small part of the beautiful library.

One side of the quad outside the library

Opposite side of the quad outside the library

Christ Church College

All the winter vines caught my eye.

The Hall at Christ Church College where dining takes place. We were told it was the inspiration for the dining hall in the Harry Potter movies. I haven't watched one though, so I can't verify... sorry Harry Potter fans!

Entrance to the church on the campus - I like the pic because you could view the doorway but also the reflection of the quad to my back, my reflection but also, if you look closely, you can see people inside the church.

So many beautiful doors.

After a tour of Christ Church College, I made my way to a covered market. It was filled with food, shops, flowers, candy and lots of people. I had a wonderful lunch there and perused the various stores then headed to the University Church because it has a tower that can be climbed to get great views of the city. When I arrived at the church, they were just beginning a piano recital. I sat and listened for about 30 minutes and the pianist was outstanding! 

Covered market in Oxford

Potted flowers and bulbs were everywhere we visited.

My lunch at the market - goat cheese and roasted vegetable

Chick pea and spinach soup

University Church

The climb up the church tower and it's 127 steps was worth it! The view was stunning- all four sides. 

Just one side of the stunning views!

After leaving the church, I walked around the city, did some donut research and eventually made my way back to the train station to head to Heathrow to spend the night at a nearby hotel.

The next morning, we headed to the center of London. We visited the Tower of London as our first stop. I didn't realize that it was actually the first castle ordered for construction under William the Conqueror in 1066 after the Battle of Normandy. The Tower is also the place that stores and guards the Crown Jewels - HUGE jewels!! I am actually not sure how the crowns are balanced on their heads! The Tower also has a very sordid history involving the imprisonment of various citizens and the mysterious disappearance of two young brothers who were the heir to throne and his younger brother. Their uncle became the next king instead. Bones of two children were found years and years later on the property. Very suspicious! If you get to visit The Tower, I highly recommend taking some time to speak with one of the many Yeoman Warders also know as Beefeaters. They are The Tower guards and they and their families actually live in the Tower property. The guard we spoke with was very friendly and super informative!

Tower of London

Tower Castle - in the center of the property

One of the Tower ravens. Ravens have been living at the tower for hundreds of years and are considered good luck. 

Some of the Tower homes - those with green doors are homes of the Yeoman Warders

Our friendly Yeoman that shared lots of info.

Tower Bridge

Westminster Abbey was on my list and our next stop. Sadly, I was a little disappointed in it. I mean the structure was stunning but honestly, I left thinking they needed to shut it down for a couple of months and do a major deep clean. Entrance included a self-guided tour which was informative but after a while, I really could only hear about so many dead people. I knew people were buried there but there were way more people calling Westminster Abbey their final resting place than I realized! 

Westminster Abbey

Area where the coronations are held

Poet's Corner

The monument to the left of the door was in memory of the church librarian's wife.

In the same area of the Abbey was Big Ben and the Parliament building. Both were beautiful!

Big Ben

After leaving Westminster Abbey, we headed toward Buckingham Palace. I mean, can you really visit London without seeing the Palace? We walked through a beautiful park on the way. When we made it to the Palace, I was surprised that it wasn't super crowded in the area. Basically all you can see is the very elaborate fence and gate, the Palace guards with their famous bearskin hats and a little peek into the inner courtyard area. 

St. James Park with a view of Buckingham Palace in the distance.

Buckingham Palace

We walked through Hyde Park on the way back to the hotel and warmed up a bit before heading to dinner. I was determined to eat British pub food so that night I had fish and chips!

We were up fairly early the next day and headed to Paddington Station to catch the train to Newbury. Newbury is the closest train station to Highclere Castle and that's where we were spending the morning! If you don't know what Highclere Castle is then you probably aren't a Downton Abbey fan. I was super thrilled to be visiting because one, it's stunning and I love old buildings and two, it's where a majority of one of my favorite TV shows was filmed. I love just about any period piece and Downton Abbey is at the top of my list of favorites. I enjoy the history, the costuming, the setting... My guy was a great sport and tagged along to indulge me.

Goofy faces as he feigns boredom LOL

I was NOT disappointed with this visit. Our guide did a great job telling us the history of the home - yes, it is someone's family home, and mixing in tidbits about Downton Abbey. The current Earl and his family don't live there full time but family photos were throughout. All of the furniture with the exception of a few small pieces was used in the filming of the show. We weren't allowed to take any photos inside of the home. But trust me, it was beautiful. 

Currently, the 8th Earl is in residence. Interestingly, the 5th Earl was very interested in archaeology and discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun. As part of the tour, the family has an archaeology exhibit on the property filled with artifacts that are 3000-5000 years old! Some of the artifacts from his dig were sold to The MET in NYC.

After the tour, we were served tea, cakes, soup, finger sandwiches and desserts. The gardens and property were completely open for us to explore and the entire setting was just beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

We headed back to the train station and back to London. We did some shopping in London and found another pub for dinner - steak and ale pie! We ended the evening and our time in London with a nighttime ride up the Thames.

London Eye

Big Ben

Tower of London View

Tower of London and Castle View

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge