Melissa's UK Adventure - Day 11

Today was the last day of our tour. This morning at breakfast you could tell because everybody was just a little sad. It didn't help with the weather. When we woke up the sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. But we spoke to soon, all day it would pour cats and dogs and then just as quick it would stop. My first thought was no problem because this was only the second day of rain out of 11. Then I remembered that we were going to be outside a lot and I thought great. And to make matters worse, I got a really bad cold 2 days ago. But I was not going to let anything get me down because we were going to Stonehenge today.


After breakfast, we were off to the city of Bath. It rained the whole way there, but as soon as we pulled into the city, it stopped. We had about 2 hours to explore, so I headed towards the Roman Baths. The line up was super long because it was a Saturday and alot of tour groups were there. It would have been too long for me to get in, but they did have one part of the smaller bath for you to see free of charge and with no line up. So I went to see that and then just explored the city. Just before we needed to be back at the bus, it started to pour hard again.

Next we were off to the city of Salisbury. Once again the whole way there it poured, but when we got to the drop off spot it stopped and the sun started to shine. The main attraction here is the huge Gothic cathedral, which inside has the Magna Carta. We started following all of the people, because once again it was really busy, and ended up in a small room. We did not know where we were but when we looked around, there was the Magna Carta in front of us. The thing is, you needed to pay admission to see it, but they thought we were with the other tour group so we got in for free. We had a bite to eat, and once again, it started to pour.

Next it was a short 15 minute drive to Stonehenge. It was raining, but as soon as it came into view, the rain stopped. It was almost as if someone up there knew that this was number 2 on my bucket list, and they stopped the rain just for me. As we drove up, there must have been over 1000 people waiting in line to buy tickets. With my tour, we didn't get to go in, but we got to stand about 50 meters away and take all the pictures we wanted. It was almost better this way, because you can not get that close to the rocks anymore, and we saw the same thing for free. I can not even think of the words to say to describe the feeling that I had seeing them in person. I have watched so many shows about them, but when you see them in person, it just took my breath away. I just stood there and stared, and even with all of the other people around, I felt like I was all alone. It was amazing and I feel very grateful that I got to see them. On the way back to the bus, I was looking for the gift shop and ran into our tour director. He said that the only way to get into the shop was to buy tickets, but he went over and talked to one of the security guards and they let us in. It was cool and we only had about 5 minutes to shop, so of course we grabbed what ever we could and headed back to the bus. And once again, it started to pour. What awesome timing we had today, I think the gods were on my side for once. Back on the bus, we found out that we were the only ones who got any merchandise.

Arriving back to London, we got to the hotel and said goodbye to everybody. Tomorrow Sharon and I are going on the full day London tour that got cancelled from before. It should be fun.


Street in Bath




Street in Bath




Sculptures on the side of the church in Bath




Roman Bath




Church at Salisbury




Grounds of the church in Salisbury




Stonehenge



Melissa's UK Adventure - Day 10

Today we had a very early start. Breakfast was at 6am and we were on the road by 7am because we were taking the ferry from Ireland back to Wales. Sharon and I were at the front of the bus today, and you get to see a lot more up there. Maybe a little too much, these drivers are nuts. You think that when they see a big motor coach, they would give way for us. No they don't, they just squeeze their way in between us and the curb. It is crazy.


We boarded the ferry today in Rosslare, Ireland which is on the south east tip, at around 8:30 am and we were heading to Fishguard which is on the south west tip of Wales. Once again we drove the bus on, but this ferry was way bigger then the last one. It has been raining all day, so the Irish Sea was quite rough. Right from the start the ride was very rough. We were rolling all over the place when we were sitting in the chairs, and when you walked around, you really needed your sea legs. The crossing was about 3 and a half hours, and by the time we docked, everybody was glad to get off.

Once we landed in Wales the weather was no better. But we were not going to let this bother us. We were on our way to Cardiff to see the castle. Cardiff Castle reveals more then 2000 years of the city's history as a Roman Garrison, a Norman stronghold and in Victorian times was transformed by the Marquess of Bute and his eccentric architect William Burges into a gothic fairytale fantasy. It was too bad that it was raining today, because some parts of the castle were closed due to them not wanting it to get wet. But we were still able to see lots of things. We went into the Castle apartments and saw some bed rooms, the main dining room and the library. We then went into the Norman Keep and climbed all the way to the top to see the entire grounds. That was one of the hardest things that I have done. The stairs were the original stone spiral ones and they were very slippery because of the rain. It was very cool to see everything and now I can say that I have been in a castle.

After that we went to the hotel which is just outside the city centre of Cardiff. Tomorrow is the day that I have been waiting for for this whole trip. We are going to Stonehenge.

Ferry

Cardiff Castle

Cardiff castle

Inside the main hall

Ceiling

Dining Room

Murals

Melissa's UK Adventure - Day 9

The wake up call this morning was at 8am, and we needed to be on the bus by 9:30am. But when we got down to the lobby we were informed that the bus had one of it's windows broken last night. The driver had to go and get it cleaned up and a temporary one put in. So we were delayed until 10:30. Once we got the bus back we were on the way to Kilkenny where we would be stopping for lunch. Kilkenny was another medieval village, but this one actually had a castle. Took some pictures and we had some pastries in one of the cafes. We were then back on the bus to Waterford. The crystal factory is no longer running, but they still have a show room for visitors to look in. There was a lot of nice things in there, but they were all very expensive. The rest of the day is free time for us. It has been another quit day, but the next two will be very busy, so we should enjoy this while we can.

Road on the way to Kilkenny



Kilkenny



Castle at Kilkenny




Castle again



Waterford crystal show room



Item for sale



I almost bought this one



River in front of our hotel in Waterford



Melissa's UK Adventure - Day 8

Today was a lazy, relaxing day. We did not have to be at breakfast until 8am, so we got to sleep in a little bit. After breakfast we boarded the bus and had a sightseeing tour around Dublin. It lasted for about 2 hours. We saw lots and learned tons about the city. After the tour half of the group got off the bus to spend the rest of the day on their own. I stayed on the bus to visit the small country town of Glendalough, which means The Glen of the Two Lakes. It is only about 40 km away from Dublin, but it feels like you are a million miles away. This village is renowned for its Early Medieval monastic settlement by St. Kevin in the 6th century. I have never seen such an amazing place in my life. It has a round tower which stands 30 meters high, it reminded me of Rapunzel's tower. It also has a Cathedral and a grave yard. I took so many pictures because every time you looked somewhere new it was even more beautiful then the last. After looking around, Sharon and I just sat at a cafe at the foot of a mountain and just took it all in. We then drove back to Dublin and had the rest of the day on our own. We did some shopping and then just relaxed for the rest of the night. It was a good day today, just what we needed after the long, busy days that we have been having. Tomorrow we are off to Waterford.




Queens University in Belfast




Performers at the Irish Cabaret




Performers at the Irish Cabaret




Where's Waldo?  i found him in Dublin




At a park in Dublin. this cross was put here because the Pope visited and held mass here.



The tower at Glendalough



The tower and church at Glendalough




The Irish country side



Pictures

Old Town in Edinburgh



Edinburgh Castle



Queen's Bedroom on the Royal Yacht Britannia




Drawing Room on the Royal Yacht Britannia




Stirling Castle




Monument for William Wallace




Ceremony of the Haggis




Haggis




Drive along the Scottish Coast Line



The stone that makes curling rocks comes from this island




Our ferry

  


Inside the car, and bus hold on the ferry