Double Rainbow!!!!

Today was a great day! I didn't walk a thousand miles or see a million things, but I got to go to towns I have never been to and see things that were all new to me. There was one in particular I had wanted to see since I last left London three years ago. Because of time constraints (so much to do and so little time), I didn't get to go and see these things since they are quite a distance from London. Today I had scheduled a day trip to Windsor Castle, Bath, Lacock, and finally, drumroll please... Stonehenge. I don't know why I was so excited to see it, but I was! And it did not disappoint.

This day trip started at 7:15 this morning when I was picked up at my hotel by the tour group. I was taken to Victoria station to meet up with the rest of the group. It was quite a mix of people age-wise, they were almost all American, and there was even a group of people my age who I ended up talking with and hanging with most of the time. We all boarded the bus at 7:45 and were headed out on a full day tour. I was slightly concerned for one reason though: apparently it's illegal to use the bathroom on coach buses in England. Ummmm, not okay. But once we got on the bus, I noticed there was one (and I even sat right by it); however, it had to remain locked as long as it was in England because of that law.  I was so nervous about this that I barely had any liquids all day. Luckily I survived and basically peed twice at every stop we went to so there wasn't any emergency necessary. Phew.

When we hit the road and got out of the city, I loved driving along the countryside and seeing the cute cottages along the way. It was almost straight out of the movies that are set in the English country. I felt like I was right in the middle of The Holiday. Perhaps I should do a house swap with someone here and let them live in my tiny little NYC studio apartment? Maybe I'll be as lucky as Cameron or Kate were in the movie. Hmmm...

Our first stop of the day was Windsor castle which is basically the weekend residence of Queen Elizabeth. It's right by Elton John's home and also near Eton (where William and Harry went to school).  Although the grounds were huge, we couldn't tour the whole castle because obviously much of it is in use. My first stop in there was the Queen Mary's Dolls' house. It was a room dedicated to toy Dolls and their massive Dollhouse that is like a complete replica of part of the castle. It was pretty awesome and if any little girl had that as their own, I'm sure they would blown away.

Next up was the State Apartments which were not really apartments at all, but just a bunch of royal rooms. Each room I saw was beautiful and intricate and regal, but I feel after seeing so many castles last summer, they all start to lose a little bit of jazz for me. I get it, royals are rich and have over-the-top everything. The ceiling designs and tapestries and decor are incredible, but after a while it all starts to look the same to me. There was one room though that really stood out to me and that was St. George's hall. This is where all the state dinners are held. It was empty when we walked through it but when a state dinner occurs, a very long banquet table goes in there and and is set with all the amazing China (which was also on display). When all is said and done, it really must be an incredible site, especially with all the power of the country leaders in there too. (Fun Fact: The butlers even measure the distance of all the place settings when they set it up so it looks absolutely perfect and even.)

The last thing I saw at the Castle was St. George's Chapel. Let me tell you, my feelings on churches/chapels is very similar to my feeling on castles: there is such as thing as seeing too many and after a while they all look the same. Sure, there was pretty stained glass and intricate details in the ceiling and paneling, but I was in and out of there after a quick lap and ready to hit the road to Bath.

I didn't know what to expect from Bath, an entire city that is a world heritage site (the only other entire city categorized that way is Venice). It is known for its hot spring water and it's large student population. It was a cute little town, but beyond some shops and a church, both of which that I had zero desire to go into, there wasn't much else to see. Except of course the Roman Baths. Although the entry fee was not included on our day tour, I felt I had to go see the baths because it's what the town is named after. I also didn't want miss out on them because of the admission fee. I don't want to miss out on something while traveling because of the price, especially if it's a place I know I will most likely not visit again. Luckily, I had brought my Hunter student ID with me for possible discounts and actually used it at this museum (and at Tower of  London too with my prepaid tickets) for a slight discount. (Every little bit helps!) I only had a half hour in the baths (because I spent the other half hour wandering a bit) and although I felt a bit rushed, I didn't want to skip them all together and it ended up being the perfect amount of time. They were pretty cool and its insane to think that these are so ridiculously old (like, really, really...really old!) and that people bathed in these actual baths. At the end of the tour they have a running tap of the hot spring spa water which has all the "good-for-you" minerals in it (which is obviously why people bathed in them). I took a cup full of it and after the first sip I had had enough; it was gross. It was hot and tasted like blood water.  Iron must be a prominent mineral in the water because of the taste. I probably should have chugged the rest to get the healing properties, but I really didn't like it. Also, quick question: I know bath houses exist today, but what are they used for? Does everyone just wade together (or by gender) in a giant hot pool? And for fun? Or for healing? Or both? Anyone know? My inquiring mind wants to know.

Anyway, after Bath, it was finally time (it was 3:00 by now) for lunch in the medieval village of Lacock. Apparently some of Harry Potter was filmed there as well as some Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice. I've haven't seen any of these things so nothing looked familiar to me, but some of the filming sites were pointed out and they were really cool looking. Lunch was at an adorable pub called the George Inn that has been open since 1361. I ordered fish and chips (duh) which were absolutely delicious; however, I could have used a second helping. The serving size was small and I was still very hungry after that meal but whatever, it was finally time for Stonehenge. I'd eat later. 

When we finally got there, it was like 10 degrees cooler and raining. When you get to the visitor center at Stonehenge, you have to take a shuttle out to see the stones. They are roped in so you can't get super close but it was still pretty fucking cool. I could have walked around in circles for hours staring at it and seeing it differently each time. I didn't have hours to do that and it began to pour, so I only did a few laps. However, once the rain stopped there was a teeny rainbow peeking out which was very cool to see. I don't think I had ever seen a rainbow in real life that I could actually remember. After walking around for a half hour or so, I headed back down to the visitor center and it started pouring again but it didn't last long. I ran to the bathroom and when I got out, the rain had turned into a mist and there was the most beautiful, perfect double rainbow I have ever seen. I was totally in awe of this. Like how could this be real?? Not only did I see that mini rainbow up by the stones, there was this massive double rainbow right in front of me. It was pretty incredible and totally made up for the crap weather. It only made the Stonehenge experience that much more awesome. It was really the perfect ending to the tour. We took the bus back to the city, I grabbed some food at the supermarket and made my way back to the hotel. I had been gone for almost 14 hours but once again, it was a great day!

I'm really torn about what I want to do tomorrow. I am taking a spin class early in the morning but then want to try to go Oxford. However, I also want to get to the Top of the Shard early in the morning. That seems to be the only time of day that is perfectly clear outside. Around ten everyday, the clouds start to move in and become a permanent fixture, along with some form of precipitation. Anyway, I am still very much up in the air if I can do Oxford after that and if train tickets will be available. It will probably be a game time decision based on the weather but I also have no problem staying in the city and wandering a little more; perhaps checking out some other neighborhoods a bit. I love this city so much and am sure that no matter what I do, I'll have a blast.