D&M Abroad: Tours of England:London, UK

London
September 19-26, 2012

After my second week of classes, I'm finally in a routine that fits my schedule. I can now make meals before, in between, and after my classes without stressing myself for time, or my fears of being late ha ha. I signed up for a sightseeing trip through the student life office here in London as well as many others of the students here to visit the ancient ruins of Stonehenge and the City of Bath to visit an old Roman bath house. We had a long day ahead of us and had reservations to each site so we had to leave early in the morning at about 7:45. Luckily for us, it was a beautiful day with the sun shining.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire. It is one of the most famous sites in the world due to its mysterious figurations. Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks each weighing at least a ton. Archaeologists believe the stone monument was constructed anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC.

The North-side of Stonehenge - 10:00 am

This is the first picture of me next to Stonehenge. I did a project about Stonehenge in grade school; so seeing it in real life was really cool to me. We weren't allowed to get close enough to actually touch the stones but on the summer and winter equinox, visitors can book visits to go up close and touch the ancient stones.

The South-side of Stonehenge - 10:15 am

There were many tourist groups lined up to see Stonehenge so we had to move swiftly. This is me again at Stonehenge, but looking at a different side of it. After our group made it onto the bus we headed to the city of Bath to see an ancient Roman bathhouse.

Roman Bath House (from above)

The Roman baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath. The house is a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing during vacations, or after times of war. There are four main features to see like the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum from the Roman bath. Visitors can see the baths and museum but cannot enter the water. I'm curious if the water always looked like, or if it's just algae from being exposed to the sun, and not being exposed to chemical treatment.

Roman Bath House (main floor-looking up to an old cathedral)

The architecture in the Roman bathhouse, and the surrounding city of Bath was amazingly intricate and incorporated many cultures. From this picture you can see Roman Tuscan columns form the bath, as well as the top of a gothic inspired church, with another circular building to the left of that. Trips like these made me appreciate unique architecture, unlike cityscapes where the buildings look very geometric and structural with less cultural significance.

Actual water of the Roman Baths

This picture is an up close view of the bathhouse water. I dunked my hand in just to say that I did it, but there was a film of algae, or a mold looking substance that didn't look too appetizing to bathe it. However, in 1979 a girl swimming in the restored bath swallowed some of the source water, and died five days later from amoebic meningitis. Tests showed that a species of amoeba was in the water and the pool was closed, and remains closed today.

Bath, England

This is a picture of a waterway in Bath that runs under a building, which ferrys can travel through.

Riverboats in Bath on the Kennet and Avon Canal

On an hour and a half break to venture through Bath on our own, my roommate Chris and I stumbled upon these narrow canals. It was amazing to see how little room the boats had going through some of the locks, and that people actually lived on these boats! The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of 87 miles made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. From Bristol to Bath the waterway follows the natural course of the River Avon before the canal links it to the River Kennet at Newbury, and then to Reading on the River Thames. In all, the waterway incorporates more than 100 locks.

Kennet and Avon Canal overlooking terraced homes in Bath

In the later half of the 20th century the canal was restored in stages, largely by volunteers. After decades of restoration work the canal was fully reopened in 1990. The Kennet and Avon Canal has been developed as a popular heritage tourism destination for boating, canoeing, fishing, walking, and cycling, and is also important for wildlife conservation.

Bath, England

This is a picture of the form of terrace housing used in Bath, which many of the homes are uniformly the same structure and conjoined.

Another trip I recently went on was with my Global Marketing class to the Chelsea F.C. (soccer) stadium. I have been playing soccer since I can remember so I was ecstatic to visit the stadium, yet alone for free! Chelsea isn't my favorite team in England, but it some of my good friends so I had to take pictures to show them when I get home. Arsenal Stadium, another English football (soccer) team is where I really want to visit.

Chelsea Football Club is an English football club based in Fulham, London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Their home is the 41,837-seat Stamford Bridge stadium, where they have played since their establishment.

The Pressroom of the Chelsea Football Club Stadium