Bath and Stonehenge continued...

Westbound, we headed towards Bath. Bath is located two hours west of London. According to our guide, at one stage, you can see the border between England and Wales on the horizon. I was looking forward seeing Bath because of Jane Austen.

 Excitement grew as we neared the city. The glimpse of the city between buildings was a sight to behold. Our bus driver expertly navigated the narrow streets of Bath as the buildings, well preserved, rose around us. I could imagine Jane Austen walking down the street as she imagined Jane and Elizabeth walking arm in arm.

We were taken on a minitour, being shown the round about with expensive houses, exiting as we head towards the road with the Roman Bath and Abbey.

 Here are some photos:

Stonehenge

Next stop was Stonehenge,  located one hour south-west of Bath.

I have been looking forward to seeing the Stonehenge for two reasons - a book I read about a female lead character who travels back in time, and the second was Doctor Who! The Stonehenge was the location of the Pandorica where the Doctor was kept a prisoner.

As I walked around following the path of millions of tourists before me, I, too, pondered what it was used for and what it would have been like. How a time machine would have been welcomed then! These stones are in the middle of this field with no stones or boulders near by. People would have had to carry them for kilometers. They stand proudly and in tact even after all these years.

Our tour guide informed us that there is a project underway to remove the road that runs next to the stones in an attempt to return in back close to it's nature state, surrounded by fields of green. A train would be build that will bring tourists in.

Some photos:

Next stop: Paris, France.

Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge

Before I left Sydney, I pre-booked a number of tours and day trips using Viator.com. I asked myself, what – realistically – do I want to see, with limited time and budget, while in England? I spent days thinking about visiting famous castles, and houses from the Grand Designs, stalking the Royal Family, retracing historical places where Jane Austen may have spent some time in.

In the end, I decided on a day trip which incorporates Windsor Castle, Bath and the Stonehenge.

Using "The Tube", I boarded the train on the blue line towards Victoria Station. Once there, I made my way to Victoria Coach Station where I joined the tour group. For the newbies, like me, Victoria Coach Station is about 5 minutes walk from Victoria Station. There were a number of tours  and it was essential to join the correct one, otherwise I would be listening to the tour in Spanish or joined another tour group going to another part of England.

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is located around 45 minutes away west of London. It is home to the Royal family, although they were not in residence. According to our guide, the Royal family is at their other castle, Balmoral Castle. That news was a little disappointing, it would have been good to run into Wills or Harry! (Not having much luck, no Doctor Who Stars and now no Royal family!)

As we drove closer to the Castle, seeing a glimpse from afar, I started to get a little excited. It dawned on me that I was in England about the visit one the Queens residential palaces. Wow, how blessed am I to have this opportunity?

The bus dropped us off at the Station, the same station that would service visitors arriving by train. We climbed a series of stairs, walked through a walkway of exclusive shops towards the Castle. We saw the signs pointing to Eton College, the exclusive School where Prime Ministers and the Princes went to School.

It felt surreal walking up the street towards the Castle. We were warned in advance that security was quite strict and should expect the same level of security as the airport. We headed towards the entrance, took to the line where tour groups have started to line up before, next to and behind us. Sure enough, we had to empty our pockets, placed our bags to be scanned and walked through a scanner.

Once all that was over, we were given a map and were told to follow the map to explore the grounds and state apartments.

Here are some photos:

Next stop: Bath and Stonehenge

First stop: London and Cardiff

My European adventure starts in London and Cardiff. This is day one.

After 24+ hours on the plane and crossing a number of time zones, I finally arrived in London Heathrow at around 6am. Tired but mainly excited, I hopped off the plane to an uneventful experience through customs and finally exiting the airport via the Heathrow Express. Thankful for the advise from colleagues who have lived and travelled in London, my train ticket was pre-paid in advance.

One of three pre-paid tickets received by mail.

Paddington Station, London, England

I got off Heathrow Express at Paddington Station, where my connecting train to Cardiff was departing at 9.30am. There was a buzz in Paddington Station as it is a major interchange, connecting local and country trains. I was also met with an added buzz of the Olympics, volunteers greeting the world's media as London was preparing to host the Para-Olympics. It was very exciting as I remembered my own experience with Sydney in 2000.

The first thing off my list was to buy a local SIM card. Vodafone is a massive carrier in the UK, and the man from the convenience store gave me the impression that Vodafone in the UK was very reliable.

Second was toilet and that in itself was an experience. I was not prepared for what was waiting for me when I descended from the platform. To enter, you had to pay! Before entering I spoke to the attendant who informs me that I can actually take a shower. I just had to pay 11 pounds at the baggage check-in. After 24 hours on the plane, I could not think of anything else better than this. A shower at Paddington Station!

At 9.15am, fresh from a shower, I made my way to the train carriage. I was on the quite carriage, sitting on a reserve seat near the window. I watched as trains come and go, leaving a trail of people behind.

Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay, Wales

One month prior to my travel, I decided that I would attend the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay, Wales. I was informed (or warned) on numerous occasions that Wales was in another country, and travel from London to Cardiff Bay would take at least three hours by train. Unfazed, I planned my first day around this.

The thing is, I love Doctor Who. I was not going to miss this opportunity to see sets, costumes and, perhaps, secretly hoping to run into the cast and crew. My session was at 1pm, hoping it was plenty of time to get there from London and back.

Cardiff Bay, Wales

When I arrived at Cardiff Bay Station, I enquired about a locker to store my luggage. There was none at the Station but I was told the closest one was at the Tourist Information Centre not too far away (10-15 minutes if you get lost!). Being a Sunday they closed early so I had to collect my bag by 3.30pm. With some time before my DW session, I decided to get on the Hop-On, Hop Off bus.

Here are some photos:

Sad to say, I did not spend that much time in Cardiff Bay. Part of me was hoping to run into the cast and crew of DW. Maybe next time...