The time had come, it was time to LEAVE LONDON!!! I mean, not for good, just for the day. It was time to explore the English Countryside in a whirlwind fashion! After getting up earlier than ever before it was torture to drag myself out from under the covers, but I knew it would be worth it in the end. First we had to walk to the President's hotel around the corner to catch the bus that would take us to Victoria Terminal. Silly us thought we would be staying on this bus so we got nice and comfortable. WRONG. We were dropped off with a crowd of people at the station. After having to pay 30 pence to go to the bathroom we were ready to get on the bus and start our adventure. We lined up and boarded and of course assumed the bus wouldn't be full on a Thursday so we took the back seats hoping to stretch out. WRONG. There we all were crammed in the back of the bus where we would meet Philip, a young Brazilian in town to visit relatives. Here we are at the back of the bus.
Our first stop was Windsor castle. It took an hour to get there which was great because I got an hour nap. Ahhhh yeahhhh. We arrived at Windsor Castle a little nervous because there were rain clouds hovering above. Sadly we didn't really have long to worry about because we only had an hour and half before we had to be back on the bus. So after splitting from the group we rushed through the doll house exhibition and hurried down to see the changing of the guard. Of course we took a bunch of pictures along the way.
The Changing of the Guard was really interesting, certainly a lot of stomping and it lasted much longer than I expected. Still I enjoyed it and was glad I saw it in the end. Here's me and the guard. It was hard to resist just reaching out and trying to pet one of those fabulous furry hats.
So after a quick sprint back to the bus it was time for another nap, this time an hour and half and we would arrive our next destination STONEHENGE! We were so lucky, the rain held off and while the ground was a bit squishy, it was really quite awesome outside. Stonehenge was really beautiful. We weren't able to get as close as I wanted, but we were still pretty close and it was amazing to see such an icon in person. It's so hard to imagine these giant stones being dragged on logs for miles and miles. All the birds perched on the stones were just so picturesque and mighty mysterious. It was just such a relaxing visit to the most famous giant pile of stones around.
Back on the bus and time for another nap, 2 hours to bath and the rainclouds were finally deciding to have their way. Luckily the rain held off just long enough for us to arrive in Bath and walk into the Roman Baths. They were really beautiful. After walking through a little museum talking all about the Romans and their lifestyle (Luckily I had already learned all this in highschool Latin and was able to skim through) we finally reached the actual water. It was a lovely green color and looked pretty good to me, but I heeded all the signs saying DO NOT TOUCH WATER. I mean, personally I wouldn't have minded going for a dip, but rules are rules. I really think the rain falling into the pool only helped the whole ambiance. The water had turned the stones a vivid orange and the constant pitter patter of the rain and soothing sound of water entering the pool was really quite refreshing. I certainly felt more relaxed after leaving the Baths.
Sadly time was not on our side and we had to hurry from the Baths and take a quick tour of the town before heading back on the bus. After eating THE BEST SAUSAGE I think I've had in my life, we grabbed a quick cup of hot chocolate and it was back on the bus. 3 and 1/2 hours later we were once again back in London, tired, but with more pictures than ever. After a relaxing evening it was time for bed and DAY 12.
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