The Abbey in Bath. Unfortunately we toured Bath on a Sunday, so the Abbey was closed to the public. The facade featured a relief carving of a ladder with angels crawling up it. (as seen in the center of the picture) It's seemed really unique to this Abbey, so I had to capture it. Overall, Bath was a fantastic town full of gorgeous Georgian architecture.
The Roman Baths in Bath. This was quite a disappointment for me. I guess it was just less than what I was expecting. The interior of the ruins were really interesting... They had drawn images of what the baths would have looked like in their prime versus what's left in tact in the present day. This picture shows the largest outdoor bath and the location where the water flows from the spring inside the building. (The lower level, right corner... where the two people are standing)
Warwick Castle. Visitors are able to climb the stairs to the tops of the 3 towers (seen straight ahead from left to right in the picture), but I didn't due to a phobia of worn-down enclosed stone spiral staircases. Scary. And it was really high up. Visitors are able to tour the entire castle because it's no longer inhabited.
The Tower Bridge over the River Thames in London. Such a lovely bridge... hard to believe it actually folds up to let ships through. It was really chilly when I walked across it, sort of dampening the effect. You would not believe the amount of tourists in this area because the London Tower is right beside the Tower Bridge.
Borough Market... Possibly best kept secret in London? I'm not sure how secret this market is, but definitely a must see in London. I thought I loved markets before I came here. It's nestled right off of and below the London Bridge. So much variety... produce, turkish delights, all kinds of dead animals (including rabbits), cheese wheels, bakery stands, all sorts of specialty stands, and the all-important cornish pasty. LOVE LOVE LOVE
One of the better produce stands at Borough Market. Produce stands in America usually only contain staple fruits and veggies, but these stands carry tons of varieties of things. Things that we would find obscure.
Westminster Abbey. I think this was the first legit cathedral I had ever seen. Rose window and all. It's so odd to study such things though books and pictures and then see one in the flesh. The Last Judgment was beautiful, plus there is a decent sized Mary and Baby Jesus directly below it. (though not seen in this picture)
Took the tube the whole way to Greene Park just to visit Harrods. I really wanted a Teddy. It's a nostalgia thing. I would say worth seeing, just for the majesty of the interior architecture. It's completely Egyptian revival and art nouveau. The only sections of the store tourists will ever visit are the candy shop and the gift shoppe, which is where I got my Teddy.
The Tudor style. This building stood out from all the rest: the design of the glass panes and the tiering of the stories. Found in Ludlow, England on the border of England and Wales. The town was a midpoint stop when we were travelling from Cardiff, Wales to Walsall, England (near Birmingham in the Midlands). The small, quaint town (as if any town in England is not quaint) boasts it's own castle, though we had no time to visit it.
Windsor Castle. Windsor is about 20 minutes outside of London or at least London's Heathrow Airport. I know this because we visited Windsor on our first day in England, travelling there directly from the airport. This picture shows where the moat once was. To the right (up the hill) is the tower. This castle is still inhabited by the royal family, and is known to be the favorite residence of Queen Elizabeth II. When we visited, the Queen's flag was flying, signifying that she was in residence at the castle at that time. (She is in residence here most of the time... the royal family hardly ever resides at Buckingham Palace) The most stunning part of this castle is, without a doubt, St. George's Chapel. Absolutely the best architecture of the entire trip; stunning organ and wood carved ceilings with pendants. It's incredibly difficult to find images of the interior of the chapel... It's certainly well-guarded.
I loved England. I'm going back someday. Soon.
Love, from Lititz, PA. (Yes I am home... until Thursday)
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