We’re in our last couple days here in England, so I’ve been going through my photos today, posting pictures from our time on the road, like my last post about country roads. Here’s another amalgamation of photos from our drives; this one is about some of the road signs we enjoyed. The English have excellent … Continue reading
We enjoyed driving through the English countryside and villages and didn’t find it difficult getting around or understanding the rules of the road or the road naming system here in the south of England. The roads are given letters and numbers. Expressways are classified as “M” roads, the arterials as “A” roads, and the country … Continue reading
There aren’t too many places that you can get down to the shore between Eastbourne and Brighton, but one of them is Saltdean. I previously posted pictures of the white cliffs of the Seven Sisters area that I had taken at Saltdean and yesterday we decided to drive back there to walk along the base … Continue reading
This afternoon we drove to Rye, another nearby medieval town. We parked near the old town gate. The village has existed since Norman times, but was completely burned to the ground by the French in 1377, with the exception of the fortress tower, now known as Ypres Tower, and possibly the city gate. Nevertheless, it … Continue reading
In 1666, a fire started in a bakery that got out of control and consumed most of the city of London within the confines of the old Roman wall. Most buildings at the time were built of wood and the fire raged for four days, destroying the original St. Paul’s Cathedral and over 80 other … Continue reading
We didn’t stay at the Tower of London for very long since we’ve been to several other castles that we’ve found to be much more interesting for their history and authenticity. I don’t mean to say that the Tower is anything other than a “must see” in London; it’s just that it is clearly maintained … Continue reading
Our day, yesterday, started at Parliament House on the River Thames. Since it wasn’t raining, we thought we’d get in as much outdoor time as possible, so we decided to walk along the Thames to the Tower of London, the opposite direction compared to the ferry boat ride from the day before. We started on … Continue reading
Yesterday, it rained all day, so we looked for things to do indoors. First, we took the bus to the National Gallery. It was fairly crowded with people seeking shelter from the rain (there is no entrance fee), so it took us a little time to locate the part of the collection that we wanted … Continue reading
We’re in London for three days to see the city, after taking the train in from Eastbourne. We arrived at Victoria Station in London and took the Tube (the London subway), to Marble Arch station, then walked from there to our hotel, the Radisson Blu Portman. Arriving at the hotel, we discovered that our room … Continue reading
We had heard that the Bluebells would be in bloom during our time in England, so after touring Alfriston we went searching for them. We found a farm near the Abbott’s Wood that had created a “Bluebell Walk” through the forest, so we stopped and went for a stroll. The Bluebells had not yet fully … Continue reading
On Friday, we visited the nearby old town of Alfriston before going on a country walk in the Southern Downs. Walking down the street in Alfriston was like stepping back in time 600 years. The buildings you see here were constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries and are still in use. We had lunch … Continue reading
By 1200 A.D., the Normans had built wooden palisade fortresses all along the southern coast of Wales to garrison their troops for incursions inland against the native Welsh. Starting in the early 1200s, the Normans began to replace these wooden fortresses with stone castles. These substantial structures were strategically placed to secure and link the … Continue reading
After the Norman conquest of England, William the Conqueror extended his invasion into the adjacent kingdom of Wales. Wales had been settled earlier by the Celts who were also present in what is now Ireland, and to the north in what is now Scotland. The Normans occupied the southern part of Wales in fairly short … Continue reading
After our encounter with The Birds (hat tip, Joe), we visited the Tenby museum which was in the white building on the top of the bluff near the old Norman tower. Inside, I took this picture of a painting that shows the old, walled city of Tenby as it existed in the late 1400s. The … Continue reading
Tuesday, we set out to explore Tenby in the morning. The hotel we were staying in, Hotel Atlantic, was right on the esplanade that ran along the edge of a cliff that fell away to the beach. We crossed the esplanade and took these pictures of Tenby beach, first to the south, then to the … Continue reading
We’re in Tenby, known to the Welsh as Dinbych-y-Pysgod. The letters might look familiar, but the words here are totally indecipherable to me. Normally in our travels, once we reach the farthest point in our trip, I like to post a map. While it’s possible that we’ll get a little further tomorrow, since we checked … Continue reading
Byw Yw Surffio: Welsh for “Surfing is Living.” We drove to the Gower Peninsula in Wales this afternoon and stopped for lunch at the Kings Head Pub in Llangennith for lunch. At the bar, I counted 20 different types of draft. But what really caught my eye was the surfboard hanging overhead. I soon discovered … Continue reading
We are baseball fans. But while baseball has been with us since the mid-1800s, it’s just not as old as cricket, the British national past-time. It turns out that cricket – that other bat and ball sport – was first played in southern England (where we’ve spent our time, so far) way back in the … Continue reading
Today, we visited Bath, a city known for mainly four things: its Georgian architecture; its Roman Baths; its Abbey church; and, shopping. We partook of all four. “Georgian” architecture refers to the time-period of the Kings George, that is, the Hanoverian Kings, King George I through King George IV, who ruled Great Britain for most … Continue reading
We’ve been staying in an old manor house for the last two nights that’s more than 500 years old. Our room is on the top floor in what used to be the attic. There’s not much of a story about the place that I know, but I thought I’d post pictures of it just because … Continue reading
Today, we traveled back in time even further than our other posts, back to 3,000 BC, to visit Stonehenge and the henge at Avebury. Uncharacteristically, I will not provide an historical background for these photos; mainly because the history of the henges is unknown, other than the fact that they were man-made about 5,000 years … Continue reading
We stayed in Wiltshire County near Westbury last night, but just before checking in, we went looking for the Westbury White Horse, cut into the chalky hillside in 1742. Although it was raining, we drove to the top and hiked out to the overlook in our rain jackets. It was really cold. But the close-up … Continue reading
Late yesterday, before looking for somewhere to spend the night, we visited another ruined castle, Old Wardour Castle, built in the late 1300s as a noble family’s residence. The castle was not planned to be constructed for defensive purposes, but was supposed to be a luxurious and showy estate. And it no doubt was magnificent … Continue reading
As I previously mentioned, Salisbury has long been a busy crossroads and market town. In fact, it is claimed that the town was first settled as long ago as 500 BC during the Iron Age, although its location then was slightly north of town and the settlement was known as Old Sarum. The settlement was … Continue reading
After breakfast yesterday, we took the extended tour of the interior of Salisbury Cathedral which included a 334 step hike up the spire, the tallest in Great Britain – at 404 feet! I know this because the Guiness Book of World Records has certified it, as evidenced by a plaque inside the spire where the … Continue reading
The Road Less Traveled 