On Thursday, March 8, I had originally planned to do an all day tour of Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath and Lacock (pronounced 'lay-cock,' there's a joke in there somewhere), but due to low demand, it was moved to Friday. So I swapped my Thurs and Fri plans and did the hop on hop off bus tour in London on Thurs. I took two different lines and got in all the major highlights, including taking my first official pic with my Seahawks 12 flag in front of Buckingham Palace (**Tip: find legit tourists and ask to take their pics in exchange for taking yours).
It was partly cloudy and a bit chilly and windy, but I opted to sit on the top open part of the busses anyway, which was great for pictures, but I'm now fighting a cold (yes, I know the cold is a virus, but I'm sure it didn't help.) Had a nice fish and chips lunch across from the Tower of London and actually drank beer! (If you know me, you know I never drink beer, so this is a rareity). I figured....at a pub, may as well partake! :)
On Friday, my cold had gotten worse and it was cold and rainy. Nonetheless, I'm in Europe and have a lot to see and do! Drank some Emergen C, took a Zyrtec and stocked up on tissues. Tour bus boarded at 7:45am and we were off first to Windsor, where the Queen lives. I dont give a rat's ass about the royal family, but it was part of the tour, so...
I opted not to go into the castle (again, didn't care) and just took pics of the outside to satisfy my photography itch for old architecture and walked around the little town. Had a Cornwall pasty (yes, spelled correctly and not to be confused with 'pasties'..haha) with meat and potatoes inside and chatted it up with the two gals working at the little shop. One had a LOT to say about Senor Trump. The general vibe I've gotten from people so far is that he is not liked and only cares about money. But so far, my worries of people being jerks to me because of Trump haven't been validated, which is good.
Back to the bus and more riding through the English countryside. A one point, we saw a random Starbucks in the middle of nowhere. Rest stop, I guess, but was a bit odd. Also saw a random Nissan dealership in the boonies.
We moved on to Stonehenge, something Ive wanted to see for a ling time. The staff was very nice and one of them regularly hand feeds a random bird that hangs out on the grounds. Got my 2nd Seahawks flag pic, took a few pics of the stones, then went back to the visitor center/gift shop. Was just too cold and rainy to hang outside for long.
Off to Bath next, which is a cute little City known for its Roman Baths. Did more exploring including going to a historical or restaurant known for its buns. Good opportunity to warm up by getting some tea and a bun with lemon curd and clotted cream, which was delicious. Obviously my low-carb diet is on a brief pause right now.
Final stop, Lacock. Not much here, just a cute little village used for a lot of films incl Downton Abbey and Harry Potter. We encountered a horse that was apparently afraid of umbrellas. It freaked and almost threw its rider! He was fine once we all put ours away. Really weird! Lacock is without (at least from plain view) most modern tech. And apparently nobody there owns property, they just rent and there are rentals for those on holiday.
I was exhausted and feeling sicker...ready to go back to my apt and pack, but still needed dinner. Thankfully most restaurants in London are open pretty late, because it was pushing 9 o'clock. Took an Uber to a Vietnamese restaurant...though a bit fancy for my taste. I dont like my pho 'pre-constructed,' I prefer to add my own basil, mint, jalapenos, hoisin, Sriracha, etc. I've had better pho in California and Oregon. Meh.
Items lost: one umbrella
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