Romans and Royals and Stones, Oh My!

Hey all!

Time for another update! I hope you guys got to look at some of the pictures-- I won't have nearly enough space to post them all on here.

So, as I said, we went on a day trip last Friday to Stonehenge, Bath, & Windsor Castle. We hopped on a bus from Victoria Station, and we actually had a knowledgeable guide who told us a bit about each location before we got there. She said very quaint british things like "higgledy-piggledy" and had a stuffy accent--she was really funny (unintentionally, I think).

First we went to Windsor Castle, which is said to be Queen Elizabeth's favorite residence. When she was active in Parliament, she used to leave early on a Friday afternoon, drive (by herself) to Windsor for the weekend, and then return to London on Monday (to live at Buckingham Palace during the week). Now that she's older she doesn't move around as much, so she actually wasn't there. Her standard would have been flying on the castle, we were told. Anyway, it was her favorite home, where she has family Christmases and likes to go hunting with her dogs and horses or whatever.

The castle is situated in the town of Windsor, which is small but posh, from what we could see. There was a little Galleria of shops ("Royal" shops), and you could see the castle rising right in the middle of the town, atop a hill. Apparently William the Conquerer had a bunch of castles built around England to keep his subjects in check, but Windsor is the only surviving one. I took some pictures of the castle itself, and a little courtyard garden inside. First, though, you'll see the security we had to go through! Pretty much like the airport, except I didn't have a laptop to take out.








Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures inside the State Rooms, which is where I spent most of the 2-hour stop. I went through Queen Mary's Dolls' House collection--which basically consisted of one MASSIVE dollhouse (about 30-50 rooms) encased in glass that you could look through to see the little miniatures. Some of the rooms were labeled (kitchen, maid's quarters, parlour, king's bedroom, princess's bedroom, etc.). Then there was a gallery room with painted portraits of Prince Charles and the Queen, as well as priceless drawings from the Royal Collection (including a bunch of old Da Vinci drawings).

Then I went through a series of really beautifully decorated private chambers. There were rooms that aren't used anymore (like the king's bed chamber and dressing room), a suite that Napoleon III (I think?) stayed in, with his and his lady's initials on the bed, and a dining room that is still used for state visits. A few rooms were destroyed in a fire in the early 90's, I think, so they used that opportunity to restore them to their original decadent decor. I also saw a suite of Henry VIII's armor; I think that's like the third time I've seen one, in various stages of girth.  (semi-related note: my boss was complaining today that his "gout" was acting up

1 I didn't even know that really happened to modern people, sine I'e only heard of it in the context of Henry. I had to look it up on Wikipedia.)

The castle was pretty cool all in all. I listened to info about most of it on this audio tour guide that came with the entry price. You press a number whenever you walk past a certain sign that has one written on it, and then hold it up to your ear like a phone to learn information about where you're standing.

On my way back through the village and royal shopping centre, I grabbed something at a place called EAT. It makes you think of Urbana Garden but it's actually kind of a posh chain around England (we have several in London, but I'd never had it), similar to Pret a Manger (not bothering to find the accent marks!). I got a really yummy sandwich and a fruit cup with kiwi and pomegranate seeds. As I was walking past the shops I spotted a Jo Malone boutique, which I've ALWAYS wanted to go in. It's a perfumery that lots of celebrities shop at, and if you know about me and perfume then it's pretty self explanatory. She even gave me a free sample of White Jasmine & Mint...in a bag....with a bow..... I have to check this place out in London sometime and explore the smells!




While eating our lunches on the bus, we drove past Ascot. We couldn't see much except for a few white fences and a big statue of a man on a horse (Can't remember who that is...oops), but we were told that on the rare occasions the Queen expresses emotions, it's usually at Ascot--when her horses are doing well or poorly.

About a half hour later we got to Stonehenge. Although it was still a brisk temperature, by this time the sun had come out and Stonehenge looked beautiful and perfect! Just like I'd always imagined...(except, of course, when I was little I always imagined I'd be able to go up and stand by the stones, to compare size. You can actually get like 10 yards away I think...but I'm not the greatest judge of distance). There were pastures all around and sheep bleating in the fields, so it made for a very picturesque setting. It reminded me a bit of Ireland. But then, almost every part of the UK countryside does....

Here are some pictures of The 'Henge:







After that, we drove on to Bath. Bath is the site of several parts of Jane Austen's novels, as it was a very fashionable retreat town during the Georgian period. According to our guide, it went out of fashion for a while but is now becoming extremely popular and trendy again. What drew people there a few centuries ago is the same thing that drew Romans there when they established a post there: the baths! Fed by a hot spring, the Romans were able to direct and enclose a source of warm water to bathe in. It was considered very spiritual, as they didn't know where the water came from or why it was hot. The Celts who worshipped at the springs attributed them to Sulis, the equivalent of Roman goddess Minerva (and Greek goddess Athena) and thought it was imbued with her wisdom. The Romans kept the reference and named the town Aquae Sulis and built a sacred spring and temple to Minerva.

Then, in the 1800's, many British elite viewed it as a health spa destination. They thought various chronic ailments could be cured and general well-being enhanced with enough hot baths...but I don't think it usually worked like that. (What was that weird movie set back in the early 1900's about that? I can't remember...but I vaguely recall seeing something about it...)

Anyway, here are some pictures of the baths:







The steam was actually rising from them, and when you stuck a hand in it was definitely warm. There was also a museum attached that had a model of Bath and several restored mosaics, floor tiles, and other artifacts. The city itself was beautiful, especially when we were around there at sunset. There's lots of Roman architecture, white buildings, fancy shops, and gorgeous vistas from the hilltops. We got VERY little time there compared to how much I would have liked to spend (and nothing at all to do with Jane Austen!), so I think I'll probably arrange to go back.

The rest of the weekend I felt pretty yucky and had a headache, but it's pretty much better now. I'm trying to cut down on the Red Bull (I'm embarrassed to say that yeah, I drink them now....I can't stand that much tea like everyone else drinks in the morning here).

This weekend, my roommates are going to Malta. They were trying to find someplace warm and cheap but I don't think it's really going to be that warm there...we are still in the Northern hemisphere in February, after all. Daniel's coming down tomorrow (Thursday) night since he has no class on Fridays. I have to work a half day on Friday (don't HAVE to--but offered to, since our other designers will all be gone), but then we'll do something that night, as well as Saturday and Sunday.

And on Saturday night.........*drumroll, please*.......we are going to watch a live performance of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!!!!!!! Yes!! It's a favorite musical of both Daniel's and mine, and it's being put on at Her Majesty's Royal Theatre. It's supposed to be one of the most elaborate productions of the show in terms of costuming and sets. I don't want to talk about how much I paid for it, but it's SO worth it because I've wanted to see this musical and I wanted to see a live production in London. Now I'm killing two birds with one stone, and doing it with someone who appreciates my Phantom passion!!! The current actors playing Christine and the Phantom are the youngest ever to play them, I think, so that will be interesting.

Don't forget to look at my photo album for other pictures of Stonehenge, Bath, Windsor, and Wales! (See previous entry for link).