Bards
and Battles TourTours Around the U.K.
Bards
and Battles Tour
On a fine day in November, I plowed off with AstralTravels on the Bards and Battles Tour which would take me to Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace and final resting place), through the Cotswolds and finally to Warwick Castle. It was one of the most beautiful and perfect days I can remember and I had the most wonderful time.
Of all postcards I've ever seen, this must have been the most appropriate after the year
that I had.
The more I study
The more I know.
The more I know
The more I forget.
The more I forget
The less I know.
SO WHY STUDY?
:)
Why indeed?
The beautiful leaves of Oxford - fall. My favorite time of year!
After an hour or so in Oxford, we plowed off to Stratford-upon-Avon, saw the supposed
house that Shakespeare was born in and, if we had extra time, we could trek off to see his
final resting place. So off I went. This is on the path to the church.
Aaaah, the wonder of fall
While walking to the church, I saw this at the bottom of a tree. I thought that this was
so romantic.
"Jean Williams
1922-1997
She loved this place"
Finally, the church. Here, Shakespeare was married and later buried with his entire family
and wife.
From Stratford-upon-Avon, we plowed off to Warwick Castle which has got to be the coolest
castle I've ever been to. You could climb the towers, visit the dungeons, see the inside
which was filled with wax figures from Madame Tussauds to recreate life back in the day
and visit the gardens which were beautiful. By far, though, the best part was in the
torture rooms which held 15th-18th century torture implements and also included a real
Rack (gotta love the torture chambers!). This is a view from atop a tower.
A view from one tower to the next
An inside corridor of Warwick castle - this one lined with rifles and swords (on the
walls)
A photo of me in the garden enjoying the countryside! (and is that shopping I see?)
Pilgrim's
Progress Tour
A very early morning, me and Katie plowed off to Canterbury, a famed place of pilgrimage,
and the site of Canterbury Cathedral (don't look now, but Thomas Beckett was 'decapitated'
in this church!). After purchasing a photo-taking license, I made this quite long
conglomeration of the nave (with a little itty Katie).
A beautiful, small village up in the Cotswolds was our next destination and we spied on a
wedding and found 'The Street' (that's how small this town was ... only one street labeled
appropriately 'The Street')
Last, but not least, was Leeds Castle which had an interesting castle interior (lots of
bird photos) and a LARGE expanse of land surrounding the castle which contained a huge
herb garden, a real maze, a bird zoo, ponds, lakes, and thousands of birds flying about or
swimming in the lakes (those black swans were beautiful). Me and Katie plowed through them
all quite quickly (I don't think I've ever seen Katie move that fast!)
It was fall, fall, fall. The most amazing colors were everywhere and they made everything
a little more majestic.
My favorite part was the maze, which was actually a little difficult. We spent a good 15
minutes traipsing through the tall hedges until we found the exit at the center. From the
moment we beat the maze, I knew that someday i would have a real-life maze in my backyard
when I grow up. All I need now is a HUGE castle to live in with a matching backyard.
I thought that this sign was most appropriate... and most disturbing.
And it's amazing to me how these signs can be everywhere and yet people still feel the
need to stick their fingers into the cages of large birgs with sharp beaks. People truly
are quite dumb sometimes.
Flatmates!!
And thus concludes my travels with AstralTravels. They were fantastic tours and I would take them again in a heartbeat!