European Vacation Day 4 - July 2022

 Day 4 - July 13, 2022 London, Windsor, Stonehenge, Lacock, Bath

We went to London because my husband had to attend a conference for work. He was booked all day so Boogs and I went on a Viator Tour bus trip to Windson, Stonehenge, Lacock, and Bath. I booked the tickets about a month before our trip. Viator really did a good job of organizing everything.

We took a cab to Victoria Station to get on the tour bus. Boogs and I grabbed a bite of breakfast at Pret Cafe in the station. 

Boogs gave me the side-eye when we chose our seats. We sat on the upper level of the bus. There were lots of empty seats on the top level. Boogs ended up moving so he could have an entire row to himself.

First stop on the tour was Windsor. When I booked the tickets, an hour tour inside Windsor Castle was included. Unfortunately for us, the Queen was in residence at Windsor Castle so we just wandered around the town while we waited for the tour to continue onward. Boogs and I were not interested in shopping at the souvenir stores.

While walking around, Boogs and I wandered into a little park. There was a maze game on the grounds, so we decide to play.

Boogs "won" because he cheated.

So, I got him back by having him pose like Humpty Dumpty on a wall. This was actually on a miniature golf course.

There was a canal next to the little park. We watched the Queen's swans swim around for a bit.

I enjoyed looking at the live aboard boats that lined the canal.

Next stop on the tour - Stonehenge. I was really looking forward to visiting Stonehenge. I have always been fascinated by the mystery of its history. We were able to walk all the way around the circle of stones. They were roped off so you could not get too close. I only wish we had had more time on this stop of our tour. The admittance ticket gave you access to explore the Stonehenge Landscape, which includes the burial mounds out in the fields surrounding the circle. I could have spent hours at Stonehenge, walking along the trails and spending more time looking at the exhibition and visitor's center. 

You could almost feel the history in the air when you were close to the stone circle.  

We tried a little forced perspective. Boy is Boogs strong!

Boogs and I enjoyed looking at the Neolithic Houses just outside the exhibition center. I could not imagine living in the one room house.

We did stop in at the gift shop so that Boogs could pick up a souvenir. He chose a Stonehenge Tankard.

We drove through some pretty countryside on our way to Lacock. There were also tank training areas along our route. We saw 5 tanks practicing maneuvers. 

We were very happy to make it to our next stop to have lunch at The George Inn. The George Inn is a historic pub in the National Trust village of Lacock, which dates back to the 13th century. I had the Beef and Stout Pie (like a beef pot pie) with mashed potatoes and green beans. Boogs had Fish & Chips with minted peas. Of course, he did not eat the peas. 

There was actually a working red phone booth.

The next stop on our tour took us to Bath. Bath was a beautiful city. Again, I wish we had had more time to stay and explore. The Abbey was stunning. There was a gorgeous park I really wanted to wander through, but it had an entrance fee. Our stop in Bath was not long enough for me to justify paying the entrance fee. I also would have like to take the little boat cruise on the river.

The architecture of the Abbey was amazing.

Boogs and I bought ice cream at a little shop and enjoyed eating under this tree. I tried clotted cream flavored ice cream and Boogs had banana with toffee. It was delicious. I had to include another tree picture for my Mom. Isn't that... interesting? The tree is called the Ancient Plane Tree. It is one of the oldest architecturally planted trees in the world. It was planted as a sapling in 1793.

The park with the entrance fee.

Looking at the boats and birds in the water.

Last look at Bath as our tour bus headed back to London.

We had a great day on our tour. It was dark and late by the time we got back to London. We grabbed a black cab, went back to the hotel, and went to sleep.