Break Time! (long)

Welcome to another edition of Bryan's British Bistro.  Again its late, but you were expecting that weren't you?  "What could it possibly be", you ask?  I'm glad you did... you see, I was planning on doing my usual one on Sunday but it was pointed out to me that Sunday was Valentine's Day and I would almost be obligated to do a "theme post".  Now as you probably know, my love life is non-existent (so no plans to talk about) and I didn't think another post on the subject of the commercialization of Valentine's Day was really necessary.  Then I was going write one yesterday, but the trip took more out of me than I first thought (up at 6am - back at 10pm) so I was just wrecked (I did manage to post my pictures though :).  So here we are on Tuesday and I'm ready to go! *

* I'd like to thank my Arts Degree, without which, this last paragraph of rambling emptiness would not have been possible...

As many of you are aware, it is now half-term in the UK which means I have this week off!  Being much more settled compared to the last half-term (I actually have a cheque book, credit card and savings now :D), I have quite a few more options.  Yesterday, I exercised one of those options and went on a day bus tour to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath.  Now this blog is already going a bit long (boy do I like my words), so I will try to keep my description brief.  As mentioned above, the pictures are available on the blog link and my Facebook page.

Our first stop was Windsor Castle which is still used as a royal residence 6 weeks out of the year (the Queen thinks its more family oriented for things like Christmas).  It is the oldest occupied castle, being built by William the Conqueror in 1070.  Originally it was a small motte and bailey which later improvements were added and a town grew around it.  The motte and bailey are now used as royal archives and are not open to the public.  I also learned that the monarchy only costs each British taxpayer 67 pence/annum - far less than I first thought.

It was a facinating place.  Unfortunately, I was only allowed to take pictures in the castle proper (outside) - no recording or photography was permitted in the state apartements which was a great shame.  Some of those rooms were magnificent (while others were absolutely ghastly... way to dark and done up).  I particularly liked the collection of sketches on display.  They actually have inspired me to try it out - I may go out and by some charcoal and sketch pad today.  Of course, my favorite part was the armoury section.  Dear lord, soooo many weapons and armour in so many different styles.  Apparently it was so interesting that one lady couldn't pull herself away in time to get back to the bus before it left... luckily for her, the tour manager stopped the bus and drove her up.

Afterwards, we left for the only disappointment in the tour - lunch.  We stopped at a pub where the food was mediocre and overpriced... quite the tourist trap.  However, when you're hungry and not given any other options, you pay it.

The next stop was to the mysterious Stonehenge which really is smaller than you think.  Most of the attraction the place has for me is knowing the mystery surrounding it.  On the ride up, our guide described some of the historical highlights (this is as close as I can remember it).  There were two separate groups who lived there:  the first small group came around 6000 years ago, dug the circle and stayed for maybe 50 years before disappearing; the second, larger group, came around 4500 years ago, erected Stonehenge, lived there for 500 years or so, then disappeared as well.  The second group has been dubbed "Beakers" as the first burial mound that was excavated contained a beaker-like cup.  New evidence has been found of a larger settlement than previously thought, putting the numbers of Beakers in the thousands instead of hundreds.  There was also a burial mound containing a 4000 year old archer from Sweden.  All of this information is being published in a book coming out in Novemember to re-evaluate existing theories on Stonehenge... if you're into archeology, the guide recommends it.

Our final stop was the city of Bath.  It was built upon the Roman City of Aquae Sulis ('the waters of Sul') which was (and still is) famous for its healthy hot springs.  Legend has it was discovered by a leper prince who observed his pigs rolling around in some muddy water which seemed to sure their sores.  He began bathing there as well and his lesions disappeared within 3 days.  The site became a center of worship for the Celts (and later Romans) who set up altars to Sulis and Minerva respectively.

The city has been forgotten and rediscovered several times over the centuries, but it became the Bath we know today when John Wood (backed by Ralph Allen) redesigned the city using the yellow stone quarried nearby (funny enough, the quarry was owned by Mr Allen - imagine that).  Its quite a pretty place - nice Georgian architecture with a river running through it.  The oringial Roman Baths aren't used by the public due to water safety issues (the original piping is made of lead as well as concerns about infectious disease).  There was a new bore-hole sunk in 1983 in the pump room which provides drinkable water for visitors to try and there are more modern baths for visitors to use.

Ok, so I think I've bored you sufficiently for today.  I don't have any firm plans for the rest of the week (save for a dinner on Sunday) so my plans are pretty up in the air (as usual).  The rain is starting to slack off, so I may venture out to get some food and art supplies.  It is kind of nice not having to do anything... I really could get used to this "sleeping till half 9" thing :).