Old Sarum

Old Sarum was just as cool, or even cooler than Stonehenge. We practically had the place to ourselves too. 

Salisbury and Stonehenge

Sunday Edition #2

Oxford/Hogwarts

My parents always had this crazy dream that I would get an undergrad Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford. Needless to say that didn't happen. I have my doubts that History and History in Art majors are   the top priorities of the major universities these days. Hah, too bad we're not in the 19th century, those majors were much more in demand than they are today. 

The Great Hall at Christ Church College, Oxford.

This dining hall was the real inspiration for the Great Hall in the Harry Potter movies. 

Alice in Wonderland characters on a stained glass window in the Great Hall.

 Stunning courtyard at Christ Church College. Clearly more than the Great Hall inspired the Harry Potter set.

Hanging with the Queen at Windsor Castle

The flag flies when the Queen is in residence.

 

It's always worth it to be a bit of a dork

St. Paul's

Make that a very windy day at St. Paul's

Views from the balcony

 My younger brother's only request was that I "lean" on Big Ben. This was a time consuming and moderately embarrassing picture to take. But it's one of my favorites from the trip. That's usually how these things go.

I often find myself most interested in the back view of famous works. When was the last time you saw the back of an Easter Island statue?

Downing St.

 Outside the British Library

A statue of Isaac Newton in the courtyard of the British Library.

I actually only ran into the British Library to use the washroom briefly, but I ended up abandoning the boyfriend to fend for himself for some time, as I was entranced by the objects in the lobby area.

It's all about the details

A corner of a memorial to Canada's participation in the World Wars.

An ornate gate in London

We're still not sure. What is anti-climb paint?

Tower Bridge and the Tower of London

Tower Bridge

The Tower of London

Scaffolding was the order of the day when we were in Europe. Travelling in the off season was great, but it meant that we took some questionable pictures of many major sites. 

 A Tower of London raven. 

It is believed that: 

"If the ravens leave the Tower, the kingdom will fall."

A monument on the Tower Green. It is dedicated to those executed here, such as two of King Henry VIII's wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.

The poem on it reads: 

"Gentle visitor pause awhile : where you stand death cut away the light of many days : here jewelled names were broken from the vivid thread of life : may they rest in peace while we walk the generations around their strife and courage : under there restless skies."

We were enamored with these metal protectors of the Tower.

Sunday Edition #1

Tower Bridge

{Sunday Edition inspired by Snippet and Ink}

London by Night

View from the London Eye

 Although both the boyfriend and I were deathly ill during our time in London, taken down by a brutal cold we caught on the flight, we spent our nights exploring the streets of London. 

Most of our days in London were 9 hours of solid walking and sightseeing.

The lights of the London Eye

A spacious interior of a London Eye capsual

St. Paul's Cathedral

The Ten Bells Pub

We did a night walking tour of the White Chapel district, and this pub was our final stop. It is famously the "Jack the Ripper Pub."

Harrods