Day 14: London + Bath

I arrived home, safe and sound, on Friday night....and I'm slowly readjusting to real life. Fingers crossed that by tomorrow I will wake up in the right time zone :-).

=============================
My final morning in London was spent at Hampton Court Palace....entering another world. As an avid fan of The Tudors, I was familiar with the place, and eagerly awaiting my visit. Since it was just a short drive from where I was staying, it made sense to leave it to the last day.


I arrived early, so I think I might have been the first visitor to pass through the gates once it opened. In fact, they were still unlocking all of the doors, etc., so it was a little wait until I was able to put my bags in a locker....but all worthwhile in the end. It was a peaceful day, and apart from several school groups in some parts of the Palace, it was quite quiet (in complete contrast to almost everywhere else I visited in London).











The grounds and gardens are equally lovely....and I had a nice walk around outside. I also went in the historic Maze....and was quite worried for several minutes that I might not find my way out in time to make my train! Eventually I found the wheelchair exit, and decided to cheat and use it instead rather than risk getting really lost.




Before I knew it, it was time to catch my train to Bath. Within minutes dropping off my bags at my hotel in Bath, I was wishing that I had allowed more time to explore the area. The short walk to the Roman Baths was quite pretty....



And once I started my self-guided tour, I really felt as though I was stepping back in time. I think the Roman Baths Museum will be the place that I really came to appreciate the audio tour (prior to this I didn't really have much patience for them, and seemed to abandon them quite quickly -- when I even bothered to pick one up....). I think that the main difference here was that there were frequently several options to choose from, and once I had sampled the Bill Bryson commentary (and loved it!), I was hooked and only choose the red squares from that point on....







The Roman Baths was yet another reminder of how much history proliferates England. Canada in comparison is such a new country, that something or somewhere that has been around for 100 years is considered historical......whereas in the U.K., many places have been around for several centuries and some for millennium.

Following the advice of the innkeeper, in the evening I sought out the Mayor's Walk -- a free guided walking tour of the town which is held daily, and a few nights a week as well in the summer months. Even though it got dark early on in the tour, it was still quite worthwhile and a great way to learn more about the development of the town. I would have loved to have been able to take in a daytime tour and get another person's take on the town (all of the walks are conducted by volunteers and influenced by whatever questions are asked...so I imagine that no two would be the same).







A lovely first day in a lovely town.

Day 13: London

Monday was my last full day in London....and it was sure another packed day. I walked over to the Tate Modern from the train station, and wandered around. I had big expectations for this site, and sadly I left feeling a little disappointed.


There were some interesting paintings and photography on show, to be sure....but just not quite as much as I was expecting and fewer pieces that I really loved (especially in contrast to MOMA in NYC). And there were lots of wide open spaces that seemed to require a lot of unnecessary walking (given the amount of walking I still had to do that day!).








They did have a really awesome book shop, though, so that was a definite plus! :-

From there I walked across Millennium Bridge, crossing the Thames and heading for the Tower of London. Once on the other side, I decided to save my feet (and some time) and cheat a bit by taking the Tube.

The Tower of London was really fabulous! In spite of the crazy admission prices (£18), it was totally worth for me. Steeped in history, there is so much to see and explore.....aside from the various rooms and buildings themselves, I was able to see the spectacular Crown Jewels and amazing armour and weaponry from several centuries (including various pieces from Henry VIII). With so many diverse exhibits, and the ability to wander at your own pace, I easily spent about 4 hours there.
















There are also really great views of Tower Bridge from here. Sadly I didn't end being there at the right time to see it lift open....but still an impressive sight none-the-less.


When I left, I was thinking that I should go and do a bit of shopping (I was still hoping to find a couple of gifts), but while I was considering my options on the map, I was reminded that I hadn't yet made it to the National Portrait Gallery. So I made a mad dash over, and in hindsight was thrilled with my choice.


I was only able to take a handful of snaps before I got into trouble.....ooops! ;-)

As with most galleries and museums in England (the only places I visited where I had to pay were: Courtland Gallery, Tower of London, Hampton Curt Palace and Roman Baths Museum in Bath), the National Portrait Gallery is free. There were lots of wonderful old portraits of the Tudors which I particularly enjoyed seeing. Not having to pay to get in definitely helps to keep expectations in check -- my only regret is that I didn't have more time to explore and that this is one of the (seemingly few) places that doesn't permit photos.