Weekending in England
Riccardo and I were invited to England over the past weekend. While there, we had a little time to do some sight-seeing. I was really astounded (really, ASTOUNDED, no exaggeration) at the beauty of the English landscapes. I had NO IDEA how lush and green and picturesque the country is, at every turn. I'm sure the rainy weather that is necessary to achieve such remarkable scenery is no picnic (literally), but luckily we didn't have to contend with that, as our 4-day tour was simply "lovely."
Our first tourist destination: Stonehenge. What a surreal place that is! Riccardo and I looked like the tourists we were with audio walking tour recorders pressed to our ears the entire time, but we did manage to pry ourselves away from the historical overview for long enough to take plenty of pictures. My theory about Stonehenge: it's an ancient calendar and sundail. Either that, or something having to do with witchcraft!
At Stonehenge Riki was quickly sucked into a membership offer. We ended up paying 69 pounds (about $160 CN) to become part of the British Heritage Club, a membership that gains us free access into over 400 UK heritage sites over the next 15 months. I guess it was a good deal, since that day we saved ourselves over 25 pounds, and the proceeds go to a non-profit organization that funds the restoration and/or up-keep of these sites. It also funds free guided tours of most locations - we LOVE these!
Wondering what to do next, since Stonehenge doesn't take very long to "experience," we flipped through our new membership book. We found one entry, Old Wardour Castle, to be in close proximity and headed on over. The castle and grounds were fabulous, and the audio tour was equally so.
Finally, we started the 2+ hour journey back to Redditch, and along the way, stopped off in Salisbury. We toured the city a bit, got separated when Riki was locked into a beautiful cathedral after closing time, and had a delicious meal at a trendy English pub (where "Salisbury steak" was, suprisingly, not on the menu).
I can't wait to do more tours in the beautiful UK!
I was NOT locked in!!! Just took the other exit, ey mate. Was a lovely time, wouldn't you say?