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Our London adventure started off with a wander around f the neighbourhood of South Kensington and a visit to Holland park. The flowers were in full summer bloom and we took in the lovely atmosphere and the rarified locality with super luxury homes and villas in abundance. we visited the Leighton House Museum which was a stunning Art Nouveau residence unlike anything we had ever seen.
After a nice dinner out and an adjustment period to time we awoke the next day refreshed to further explore London. First stop was Kensington gardens through to the Victorian and Albert Museum along with a visit to the Natural history museum and of course the Royal Albert hall
we wandered over to harrods and the streets of Chelsea and took in the sights through to the edge of Hyde park.
Trafalgar Square was beckoning and we caught up with Shelly Gardiner who was living in London at the time and we token the sights of Covent Garden Markets before continuing our wander around central London.
The next day Shelly joined us again for a visit to Big Ben and then a cruise up the River Thames to Greenwich and the Naval College as well as the Greenwich meridian line at the Observatory.
The stunning stripped Townhouses of Kensington
The fabulous Golden Horn Replica ship at Greenwich
Greenwich Naval college sights and the Locks at Camden Lock
Amy, Beth and John visited the Modern Design Museum and the Tate Modern whilst Ann recovered from not feeling well.
Our lovely apartment building in south Kensington.
We caught up with the Beamers on Hampstead Heath and enjoyed a lovely dinner with Sharon beamer at her home nearby
The Tower of London is always worth a visit along the embankment.
The next day we ventured up the River Thames to Hampton Court Place which was a real eye opener seeing the shift within the one building from Tudor style Palace of 1530 to the more elaborate French inspired Baroque Palace that was added in 1689
The gardens were stunning and the layout stretched on through to the river making it such a desirable setting
Coming back from Barcelona we dropped Amy off at the Airport at Heathrow and headed down to Chichester and Bognor regis to begin our Souther England exploration. It was totally charming and we stayed overnight at a B&B and spent the day liesurley wandering the towns in the region on our way to Salisbury.
The Cathedral at salisbury was outstanding and that Spire really sets it off admirably. The perfect Gothic symmetry and beautifully set in its expansive grounds. we stayed the night in town and visited an very old historical pub for dinner that had plots and intrigues to tell of tales wild and fanciful and a whole lot of fun.
The anticipation of visiting Stonehenge was massive and it did not disappoint. we were able to get right in amongst it all on the edges and feeling the energy of the various stones was fascinating. The place has an amazing energy about it and we all felt it right through us. still amazes me how it was all executes preciscley.
The farmland around this region of Wiltshire and thevrolling green hills are stunning g at every turn along the roads. Our next destination was Bath in Somerset and wow what a revelation it was. One of the best preserved sandstone cities in the world and its design features and layout was stunning. We stayed at a lovely Guest House near the weir on the river Avon so it was a fabulous place to stay and gave us easy access to all the sights.
The Gardens in full bloom in the Parade gardens were stunning and then the visit to the original Roman Baths was a real highlight for us
Seeing the original structures still in use was amazing and to taste the waters was simply gross!! but such a great experience
Next door is bath Abbey and a stunning piece of gothic pile it is, beautifully proportioned and stunning executed in every detail.
It is amazing who you can bump into when travelling the world and as we are wandering the streets of bath we hear someone yell out…Go home aussies, go home! and there in from of us are friends from Melbourne Phil and Jane Webb. We enjoyed that night with them at dinner and had a fabulous Ghost night tour around Bath with them as well.
The Circus of bath is one of those Architectural masterpieces that define an age and this victorian example of whimsy and flair is standing proud today in all its sandstone glory.
On our way back to London for our flight home we made a few lovely detours and the first was Castle Combe, claimed to be the cutest village in England i can understand why…it was sooo cute and was the village used in the film Dr Dolittle. The quaint stone bridge, the original shops and stone houses along with the manor House it really was picture postcard stuff. Of course there were ducks and geese everywhere so Dr Dolittle still lives on.
Quintessential English country village in every way
Our last stop was Windsor castle and the adjoining village of Eaton and of course a tour of the Castle was essential. It did not disappoint with its lavishness and its abundant history at every turn.
