More of England

Windsor Castle.....we went on a bus tour out to several different places in the country. On the way there we drove through little villages.....So picturesque, the things post cards are made of. There were homes with thatched roofs and little English lanes that they are so known for. Windsor was interesting. I had an idea that it would be out in the countryside far away from towns or other people. But, it is really bordered by the town. There is an open-air mall right across the street and lots of little shops and homes right there. I was super surprised by this. My favorite thing here was a dollhouse built for one of the princesses. It is amazing with electicity, plumbing, and even a garage. There is real china, silver pieces, and beautiful furnishings. I have always been a sucker for a dollhouse.


Changing of the guard at Windsor.




When we left Windsor we stopped at this little inn for fish and chips. It was really good. This little inn was cozy with a huge fireplace along one wall. It was not lit of course, but I could just imagine being there in the winter and how great it would feel. It was raining while we were there. We also ate yummy dessert. Mama and Alex had an apple crumble with a custard sauce. I had sticky pudding with custard sauce. So great. I know I said you don't go to London for the food......but, I have to say, it was wonderful. Stand by my assessment overall, though.


From there we went through the beautiful countryside to Stonehendge. We were interested, but it is nothing more than rocks in the ground. It IS amazing that these ancient people were able to bring these stones miles and miles to this spot and that they worked for generations (like 20 generations) on building it. I think of the people of the BofM and how that many generations changed so drastically and it is a miracle that people felt so passionately about doing something for that exteded period of time. Very interesting.




Beautiful, beautiful Oxford. Oh, Oxford is a beautiful town and university. It is the location of the church that was used to film the Harry Potter great hall scenes. We didn't stay here long, but long enough to see some amazingly old and intricate buildings.




Back in London, the next day at Regent's Park, we went to see A Mid-Summer Night's Dream by Shakespeare in an Open-Air Theater. The theater was wonderful. The stage was pretty small with a half wall on stone along the back. The play is done with just 6 actors playing 3 roles each. It was so funny and done very well...to my oh so experienced eye!! Right.....but, it was great. We loved it and the park where it is located. Ranked as one of our favorite things we did.




The next day on to Westminster Abbey. Paid twenty dollars to just go inside this church!! Alex opted to sit outside at the park next door and read his book in the park. One thing on his list of must-dos. So, Mama and I paid a fortune and went in. There is a chapel inside called the Ladies Chapel with a ceiling carved from stone. It looks like lace. It is just amazing the detail in places like this..I marvel at the time and attention commited to this. Although it is beautiful and amazing.....it is also a little freaky. There are monuments filling the Abbey to the brim dedicated to kings, queens, lords, soliers, knights, poets, musicians....everybody except Christ. Just saying.....it was interesting.

The Millineum Pedestrian Bridge across the Thames River. Opened for just a few hours a few years ago and had to close for several years becase is swayed too much when people walked across.




Oh, did we LOVE this play....we went to Shakespeare's Globe Theater to see The Merry Wives of Windsor. I cannont say how much we LOVED this experience. The play was hilarious, the music was fun, the theater is interesting. It was MY favorite play. It makes me want to not pass up opportunities to see productions when they are here or close to here. I just loved it. Good stuff......