Stonehenge and Roman Baths

We did a one day tour of Stonehenge and the Roman Baths with one of a company that specialises in tours. It was great because they would pick you up from a tube station instead of you having to meet them at their designated location.

Our day started at 7:30 am as we had to leave our flat by 8:20 in order to arrive at our meeting point on time. We arrive to Earl's Court tube station at 8:40 and walk to our meeting spot. Our bus finally arrives at 9am. It is a small charter bus that seats about 55 people with 2 seats on each side. We check in and the tour manager correctly guesses who we are. I thought, "Wow he is pretty good." Well, he only got it because "well, you aren't Brazilian nor do you look Asian. So I think I had a pretty good chance at guessing who you are. Boy am I racist." At that point I wanted to sing "We're all just a little bit racist" from Avenue Q.

Beth and I were able to find seats together and our journey began, so we thought. Our trip manager announces that a couple missed the bus at Victoria (15 minutes on the tube to Earl's Court) and that we were going to wait for them. No big deal, they were to be arriving at any moment. 5 - 10 minutes later, the couple arrives.

We're off to our first destination - Stonehenge. I never was too excited to see Stonehenge because, well, it is a bunch of stones in a circle. But as our tour manager gave us the history or the lack thereof, I began intrigued. Henge refers to circle or hanging, so Stonehenge mankes sense. Each stone weighs about 50 tons and took over 600 men to carry just one. How they were able to do this back in Roman times, I have no idea, but I am not the only one who doesn't know. Apparently, it is a huge mystery as to why the stones were placed where they are today, how they got there, and why the circle formation. One myth suggests that Merlin the Wizard moved the stones, while for others it was giants. Who in the bloody world knows. We spent a good hour just staring at the stones and listening to the audio tour that was provided.

In addition to listening about the stones and how they might've arrived, there are several boroughs placed around the stones and the area. Boroughs are burial sites. You'll see in some of our pictures the smaller looking hills around Stonehenge. Back in the day, people were buried one on top of the other in these boroughs. But you had to be of high rank in order to be buried here. Weird and creepy.

Not only were we treated to the wonderful history of Stonehenge, but also the scenery. The scenery was much like home with green pastures, some corn, sheep, pigs, and cows. We were really surprised to see cows and pigs, but I guess how else are they going to get their milk and bacon? Import it??? The cows looked just like they do in the commercials. Black, white and clean.

We headed to Bath which was about 1.5 hour drive from Stonehenge. Again beautiful scenery. As we made our way closer to Bath, our tour manager gave us a quick history of Bath. All of a sudden we are on top of a hill and can see the city of Bath beneath us against the surrounding hills. It was an absolute sight and wish the shutter speed on my camera was fast enough to catch it.

Never having been to Bath, I didn't really know what to expect. I think I thought it would be more historical than it was. The most historical part of it was the Roman Baths themselves. However, the city is still very beautiful. Many of the streets are for pedestrians only so that makes the experience so much better. Words can't really explain my experience at Bath. So you must check out our photos on our Facebook page.

Can't wait until our next trip!!!

Time Flies....

Where in the world did September go? And of course, the months before that??? We have been here for over 6 months now and it feels like only one. Our first month was spent living in a lovely hostel with a room the size of our current living room. We were sharing bathrooms, showers, and kitchens. Although our hostel room was okay (for Beth, it was just fine but someone in this marriage has to have standards!!), I am a bit apprehensive about staying in another one.

The things we have experienced so far are absolutely lovely. Moving to London has indeed been a bit empowering for me. From having to live in a flat 6 times smaller than my house in Ankeny, giving half my closet away to charity, to finding a new home for our dogs. All of these were very hard for us to do, but I'm sure they would be hard for anyone.

In my job, I assist expats (mostly Americans) in finding a new home to live in London. Many have the impression that they will be able to find something suitable that costs the same as what they currently reside in. Meaning, they believe that since they can live in a nice 2 bedroom flat for 600 in the states, it'll happen in London. Let's not even talk about the exchange rate because many forget about it. Just compare apples to apples for one month- 600 in the states vs 600 in London. 600 in the States will get you a nice 2 bedroom if you live in Iowa or some place similar. In London 600 will get a bedsit. A bedsit is one a room that only has a bed in it because it is soo small. With these you may have to share a kitchen, bathroom, and shower. Obcviously 600 goes a little bit farther in the States. Then there are the clients who are the students. Mom and Dad have travelled with them to find them a flat because the student accomodations are just horrendous ( this truly is the case though). Here's the thing that just bothers me - most of these students are living in flats much better than mine and costs more.

For example, we had two students from New York arrive and their budget was 550 per week, which is over 2000 per month. ( the rent here is based on a weekly basis) . We found some pretty nice flats for them and they were able to move in soon. Well, we had a slight hiccup with the estate agent and the landlord and had to take these two out again. This time around their budget shot up to 650 and they were even more picky than the first time. 650 per week!!!!! They have a really nice two bedroom flat with a porter (doorman) right in the heart of Kensington & Chelsea ( one of the most affluent areas in London). They are only 20 21 years old and their flat is costs almost 3 times as much as mine. On the lighter side of things, I do have a good time taking a look at the photos as we conduct the search for them.

There are the rich kids and the ones who will not give up their dog even if they were living in a bedsit!!!! I think these people are very selfish to be bringing their dog over to London. Here are my reasons - 1) Hardly any space unless inside or out you are lucky enough to afford a flat with a communal garden or a private garden 2) dogs need to be quarantined for up 6 months before you are able to take them home 3) there are hardly any landlords that will accept pets within their building. It was very difficult for us to give away our dogs, but we knew that it was something that needed to be done. Now maybe if we only had one dog and it was 10lbs, we might've risked it. But I will NEVER be caught with a dog that is less than 50lbs. You hear that, Beth, I will NEVER be caught with a dog less than 50lbs. Beth would like to get a smaller dog if we move back to the States. What's the point in even having a dog if they are that small????

Sorry for my little rant on my clients. I just felt like sharing that information with you.

Back to how time is flying....

All of the things that we have done so far are amazing, and we've only just begun. Prior to my having a job, we really had to watch what we were spending. Even still we have to watch, but are able to spend more on weekend trips. Since we've been here, I've been to the Tower of London, the Monument, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Southbank, Trafalgar Square, Tate Modern Museum, St. Paul's, Paris, Brighton Beach, and seen random performances that have taken place at festivals or in the park.

We still have places on our list that we need to hit like Barcelona or Madrid, Dublin, Amsterdam, Greece, Croatia, a wine tour in the South of France, Oxford, Leeds, Windsor Castle, and Scotland. Oh and a tour of Italy - not the one from Olive Garden!!

Just this weekend we were able to hit the Roman Baths in Bath and Stonehenge (my next blog). We've got some pretty nice photos on our facebook page. If you don't have facebook, then you will have to wait until we see you. We'll show you the photos on my Ipad.