Drizzle greeted us as we left Bristol this morning and did a quick tour of the city. We stopped and saw the SS Great Britain. She was the longest passenger ship in the world from 1845 to 1854 and is now a museum anchored in Bristol. After that, we did a quick stop at the Clifton Suspension Bridge. We couldn't driver over it as the coach is too heavy but we were able to stop nearby and get out to take some photos. It spans the Avon Gorge and was built in 1831 but not completed until 1864.
After those quick pit stops, it was off to the Roman Baths in Bath. Those Roman really knew how to build a spa. It's quite a marvel to their skills and ideas. Plus they made it look really nice too. The mineral waters still bubble up there, coming to surface at around 70C. While you can no longer bath in them, there is a fountain at the end of the tour that will allow you to taste the mineral water. In case you're wondering, it had a very metallic taste. After spending some free time looking at the Bath Abbey and wandering the nearby shops, and finally located my parents who couldn't follow the simple "meet me at X" instructions, everyone trooped back onto the bus and headed for our very last stop on the tour.
Stonehenge. What a way to end a tour. Built between 3000 and 2000 BC, scientists and researchers still aren't 100% sure why it was built or know entirely what it was used for. The rain had stopped and the skies had begin to clear, with the sun popping out just before we arrived. To help keep the area pristine, the welcome center, museum, shop and restaurant are located about 2kms from the stones and you get onto a shuttle bus to go to the stones. They are impressive. Seeing these stones standing together, in the middle of a flat plain just adds to their natural awe. They're toughly 13 meters tall and 7 meters wide and weigh about 25tons. Each. How they got there is also a bit of a mystery, especially since some of the stones came from an area in Wales. So very impressive. Standing there, looking at them while the wind blew across the field, it was easy to see the magical appeal of this place. I'm very glad I got to see it and experience the wonder that is Stonehenge.
Leaving Stonehenge, we entered into the final stage of our journey, the drive to London. It took us about 3 hours, mostly due to the terrible traffic we encountered once we hit the edge of London. Two broken down vehicles didn't help matters at all. We got back to our hotel safely, unloaded our bags and said our goodbyes.
We opted to stay at the hotel for dinner and ended up seeing 3 other groups from our tour there and passed about 3 other groups while walking through the lobby.
Mom and Dad head home tomorrow. We'll have breakfast together and then the car is coming to take them to the airport and I'll be left to my own devices in one of the most amazing cities in the world. I think I'll have a quiet day tomorrow. There's a rather large shopping mall very close to hotel, so I'm thinking that checking it out would be a good plan. I'll see how much sleep I can get tonight.
Speaking of which, it's time to sign off and get into bed.
Good Night!
Sarah
XOXO
No comments:
Post a Comment