To England: London Town, Part One. I Have Arrived! Or, Big Ben, Westminster, and Museums.

I waited around Coventry for a bit later train, thinking I could miss some of rush hour...I showed up around 6 which is late for leaving, but just the right time for everyone arriving from London to be clogging the station. Whoops. Once in London, I got a bit lost trying to find my hostel, I either walked right past it or jogged a block away from the right street on the very corner it was on.

I spent a lot of my first few days in London getting stupidly lost.

On Thursday morning after a lot of fumbling, I finally made it to the Eye and Big Ben/the Houses of Parliament. I got giddy in a touristy way I don't usually, thinking "I am HERE, I am IN LONDON."

Can you blame me? Iconic.

I was listening to an audio walking tour by Rick Steves and really enjoyed his voice in my ear while I was looking around at things. It also kept me from feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by the large crowds everywhere.

I went into Westminster Abbey at a very busy time of day (I'd been trying to sneak in before the crowds, but my getting lost negated that and put me in the thick of them).

It was different than what I was expecting, based on my experiences with Spanish cathedrals. Spanish cathedrals are packed with side chapels. Westminster had a few chapels but mostly graves, tombstones, memorial plaques, monuments EVERYWHERE. I loved the graves of Mary I and Elizabeth I especially. A hidden gem was the monk's chapter house off the cloisters. I was awed by the ancient grandeur of the Coronation Chair. I especially loved the note that the Stone of Scone had been returned to Scotland, where I'd be seeing it before too long...

I ducked into the Churchill War Rooms. Very interesting but claustrophobic, especially with how crowded they were. Recommended for any interested in Churchill or WWII.

I continued on up to Trafalgar Square, which was buried underneath the beginnings of some kind of music stage.

I went to the National Gallery and wasn't too impressed. Sorry. The last time I went to Spain overwhelmed me on art and I'm still not recovered. Highlights: that weird Dutch wedding portrait (the Arnolfini Wedding Portrait), some Van Gogh Sunflowers, Monet Water Lillies and Bridges.

Later I went to the National Portrait Gallery. It was really interesting to see some of the more famous portraits, like Queens Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, and Queen Victoria.

My legs ended the day super sore, I think from the influence of Warwick Castle the day before. My diary notes that I got lost again, too, though I don't remember how now. I must've gone out of the Tube station heading in the wrong direction. Typical for my first few days.

To England: Shakespeare's Stratford

After my misadventure of a day in Oxford/Blenheim (in preceding post), I ran into more travel snags getting to Stratford-Upon-Avon. I had to take the train through Banbury, but when I got to Banbury, there was no longer a train to Stratford. I was told to go to Leamington Spa and they would get me a taxi from there--but the next train to Leamington Spa was very delayed.

WELL. By the time I finally made it, I was more than ready for a relaxing time, which is exactly what I got in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I spent an evening and one full day there and that was plenty to see just about everything I wanted. Had a great meal and my first Pimm's the first night, in the lovely Old Thatch Tavern.

Woke up early the next day to see Shakespeare's birthplace. Lots of tourists, little emotion. I also felt like it was poorly explained: I spent most of my time in a fog of confusion trying to remember if this was his actual birthplace or reconstructed or just what was going on? Thanks for no explanations?

I did get to see my first First Folio which was exciting.

Went back that evening to get a photo without tourists clogging up the facade. The smell of Subway a few doors down still hung in the air, though...

That site was BUSY so I was kind of shocked how nicely empty the other places around town were.

I visited the church where Shakespeare is buried.

What a human.

Then I went to Hall's Croft, where Shakespeare's daughter Susana lived with her doctor husband. That was my favorite because it was the most like a proper house and actually explained things to me.

After that, I popped in to Nash's House and New Place. Nash's House belonged to Shakespeare's granddaughter and husband, and New Place is the site of the giant house Shakespeare bought after he made some money, sadly torn down by some dude who was tired of tourists (I can only half blame him). Not a ton to see there.

Later in the day I went to Anne Hathaway's Cottage (above) (Shakespeare's wife's family home), which was a nice mile-or-so walk across a neighborhood and through a park. Fun tippy stone floors and thatched roof and also a garden and woods. Large.

The only one I missed was Mary Arden's Farm (Shakespeare's mother), because it was a bit out of town. I'd do the day again and rent a bike to get there, for sure. I could've done it all except I went back for a nap in the afternoon. (I do vacations right, people)

One of my favorite things about Stratford--besides the slow, easy pace and the quiet evenings after the tourists went home--was the mix of centuries. 21st century storefronts set into 15th century half-timbered uppers. I thought about the way that this isn't Williamsburg, preserved for all time and static, but a place people have actually been living and using and leaving their mark for hundreds of years. The mix of centuries makes it feel lived in and, perhaps ironically, makes it easier for me ti imagine life in the past, when people were living vibrantly and feeling modern for their age, maybe feeling like the timbering was new-fangled and therefore ugly.

I also LOVED my B&B. I love staying in single rooms because they are just the perfect size for one little traveler like me with one little bag like mine. So cozy. The owner was a fast-talking Frenchman and he made everyone feel right at home and did his best to get us all interacting, which is much appreciated by a solo traveler. I lingered over breakfast on my full day there, talking to a lovely family of Swedes about IKEA and Swedish food and Minnesota and I don't even know what all else.

Preceding entry explains about my day between Stratford and London. In leaving Stratford, I felt daunted by the prospect of entering London but I soon found a good home there.

To England: Side Trips, Part One

I had a few days built into my schedule as sightseeing days en route to my next destination. This got a bit complicated as I was always weighed down with my backpack--no matter how light I tried to pack, there is something unpleasant about running around loaded down, so finding a place to leave it is a must. Still, more challenging is time management, especially when trying to string a few sites together at the whim of bus amd train schedules.

Trip one, between Bath and Stratford-Upon-Avon: Oxford and Blenheim Palace

Easily the most disappointing/frustrating day of my trip. I made it to Oxford a bit behind schedule thanks to the trains. Was able to leave my luggage at a hostel by the train station for a few pounds. The next bus to Blenheim wasn't for awhile so I decided to see a bit of Oxford first--mistake. I should've waited for the Blenheim bus and done Oxford after.

I bought a walking tour map of Oxford but was barely able to complete the one small loop, while moving at breakneck speed, before the later Blenheim bus I'd picked out.

Proof I was actually in Oxford. 

Blenheim was a disappointment. It just didn't seem that great to me. Palaces/manor houses aren't really my speed (to make a sweeping statement, history and architecture generally bore me between like 1650-1939) and I thought this one would be SO great I'd enjoy it but I just didn't. An EXPENSIVE bust.

Also, annoyingly difficult to take a half-decent photo of. 

Bustled back to Oxford and ended up sitting in the train station for about an hour before my train, too tired/short on time to see anything else.

Not a good day. Learned a ton of lessons though. Next time, I'd spend more time in Oxford and skip Blenheim completely. I'd still like to go back to Oxford.

Trip Two, between Stratford-Upon-Avon and London: Warwick, Kenilworth, and Coventry

This day was better. I was a bit nervous about touting my backpack around all day but it wasn't too horrible.

I started out on a bus to Warwick Castle, where I was able to store my bag in a locker.

 I was expecting Warwick Castle to be Disneyland'ish, and it was.

But it managed to not be completely void of character and it had some great ramparts walks.

After that, I took a bus to Kenilworth, then walked around the town with my backpack a ton, trying to get to the castle.

Was it worth the giant uphill climb under backpack duress?

Yes. (Especially after I left my backpack behind the counter at the visitor's center...) I could've stayed there all day taking photos.

Besides the beauty of the place, it was once home to Robert Dudley, lover of Queen Elizabeth.

Which is the type of history right up my alley.

Finally, I took the train to Coventry and just managed a quick poke around the bombed out cathedral (WWII damage) before it closed.

After dinner, I took an evening train into London for my adventures there!