BATH

My visit to Bath was on August 6th 2006. A very Hot Sunny day too.
Again it was part of my Holiday with my friend Dana, who was In the UK for two weeks. Bath is a very Interesting City , with it's Roman Baths, that have just been renovated at great expense. The Buildings In Bath are Limestone, like all Cotswold buildings are. Very attractive buildings Indeed. A variety of shops there and the pleasure gardens are well worth visiting.
Pulteney Bridge is a popular landmark In Bath, designed by Robert Adam and commissioned by landowner William Pulteney, and next to it is Pulteney weir, which is Impressive Indeed, built to prevent floods which had affected the lower part of the City in the past. "Sally Lunn's" house (Photo above) is thought by some, to be the oldest house In Bath. In 1680 Sally Lunn , a refugee, came to work at that bakery, bringing with her the French recipe for Brioche. The buns became very popular and the house a popular meeting place too. The house became known as "Sally Lunns".
Bath Abbey was completed In 1617 and very Impressive Inside & out.
It was Initially a Monastry in 676, then In 1090 the abbey was replaced by a Norman Cathedral priory. Eventually being replaced in 1539 by a new abbey.....not completed till 1617.
The Royal Crescent is another Impressive sight In Bath, completed in 1774, after taking 7 years to complete. A terrace of 30 grand houses , attracted very wealthy people who would rent a house for a season. If you take the Sightseeing bus trip, you see this Crescent and from the top deck, should get a decent photo too.
The gardens next to the Pulteney Bridge are Ideal to relax in and there are deck chairs near a bandstand and a cafe or two as well.

WARWICK CASTLE

I visited Warwick Castle during August 2006, while Britain was enjoying a nice Warm & Sunny spell of weather. In the morning I'd been to Stratford with my friend Dana, then we carried on to Warwick at lunchtime. Unfortunately parking was not easy at that time of day and we had to park In the town of Warwick Instead. So to get Into Warwick Castle Car park, it's wise to go there during the Morning. The visit Itself was very Interesting as there was the Jousting going on , with the Horses & riders taking part in that event. Quite a colourful sight with the Horses in costume as well as the riders. Also there was a Bird of Prey exhibition, watching hawks and Eagles swooping low over spectators heads! We also visited parts of the Castle, Including the Dungeons , which are very damp & dismal to say the least. A Gibbet cage hangs from the ceiling. Hard to believe we used to torture people In that way years ago.
So the Castle has seen many a gruesome death In it's day. There is an Exhibition of swords and body armour, plus Oliver Cromwell's death mask (Photo above) together with many other Items connected with battle & armoury. The Ghost tower is a popular attraction there, with actors playing out the scene of the murder that occured there.
The areas around the Castle have many events and the Bowman is one of them.
Also a Rat Catcher...showing how they dealt with Rats in that time.
The Interior of the Castle has many Figures that are very lifelike Indeed. Such as Henry VIII and his Six Wives, plus many other Royals made into Wax work figures.
The "Kingmaker" exhibition is also worth seeing and also the Great Hall with its suits of Armour and Impressive displays there. Prices for admission to the castle are not cheap, but then there is enough to entertain the family all day there. So worth it overall I guess.
The town of Warwick is also worth walking around too.

LONDON

I visited London during my Holiday this Summer in August. I was with my friend Dana and we did a lot of Sightseeing within a couple of days there. Starting off with the "Sightseeing Bus", which lasts 2 hours and allows you to view many of the Famous landmarks and sights in the City. Sitting on the top deck is a must! Having Sunny dry weather was a big bonus too.
Then we took advantage of the "Free" River Trip, as part of the Bus Ticket, so that was very good and a 50 minute cruise followed. Again viewing the Landmarks along the Thames, such as the Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, Tower Bridge...etc, etc. We took many photos and a few are Included above. After the River Cruise , we headed over Westminster Bridge, to get our 8pm Flight on the London Eye. That was a memorable experience and great views too.
At first I felt a bit frightened of the heights!!....but as it moves so slowly, you hardly notice you are moving at all. But the sights from up there are very Impressive Indeed! It's a 30 minute trip and well worth it. Booking your tickets in advance is recommended too, as I did.
Saves waiting in a very long queue.
Next Day we saw Buckingham Palace, then walked through St James Gardens, onto Horse Guards Parade, to view the Changing of the Guard. Something i'd never seen before.
Quite a spectacle with the Guards & Horses all dressed Immaculately.
Then we walked on and past Downing St, noticing the Prime Ministers house through the gates...patrolled by armed Police of course!. Then we headed for Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, where we spent a while looking at the Pictures. Later we headed to Covent Garden and saw the various stalls & shops which are so varied but very Interesting.
Also we Included a visit to the Theatre Museum, with its artifacts from Theatres around London and the Characters that performed on stage too.
In the evening we went to the Lyceum Theatre, to see "The Lion King" show.
A very Impressive production Indeed, with superb costumes and effects. A colourful array of Characters, the actors dressed as Animals and based on the Disney film too.
Afterwards we had a welcome Pizza!.....before heading back to our hotel.
Next day, the final day we had there, we visited the British Museum and saw the Egyptian room with the Mummies exhibition. First time i'd been there too and we only saw a small section of the Museum, as we had to head home in the afternoon. So a very nice visit to London and i enjoyed it far more than I expected. We walked to most places and used the Tube once.
Hopefully we'll see even more on another visit.

MOLDAVIA (Romania)

This Summer I visited Romania again, to see my friend Daniella there and her family.
This time we toured the Northern part, known as Bucovina, in Moldavia. A very Scenic and wonderful area Indeed. The Photos above show how varied it is I think.
We visited around 5 Monastries , which have these paintings on the walls, Inside and outside, painted centuries ago, but still largely visable even today. Many are being restored too.
The detail in the paintings is amazing. I was'nt allowed to walk around these Monastries in my Shorts!.....so I had to wear a skirt type of clothing over them. As they term it "Indecent", to have your knees on view! A bit embarrasing though to wear those.
Anyway we had great weather the whole week, other than one Thunderstorm, which soon passed. We stopped at various stages for breaks, as the distances are very long Inbetween each town. So we had to take water and food with us each day. The Countryside is very nice there and the farming methods are so more Eco Friendly than in Europe. Not many tractors in sight, but mainly scythes and pitchforks, to make Haystacks or load up Horse carts. The people working in the fields all day long, then travelling home on their Horse & Carts.
I was amazed at the Sunflower fields, which were many acres Indeed. A cheerful sight to see.
At the Monastries, the Nuns were seen there working or attending to their daily business,wearing Black clothing. Their balconies were very colourful, decked in pelagoniums all around the walls of the Monastry (Photo above). In fact all the gardens around these places were very colourful indeed and plants seem to thrive well in that area.
In the evenings we found a place to eat, mainly Pizzas and a welcome drink, after a Hot day touring around. So another Interesting holiday spent in Romania.

CORNWALL. (Part 2)

This visit to Cornwall, was between June 20th-24th 2006...my second in two years.
Again I stayed at the "Trebray B&B" in Bodmin, which I like, as not only is it central to visiting places, but you are assured a friendly welcome and a comfortable stay too. So when I go again, I will stay there. My first day after arrival, was to "Bodmin Gaol", which was Interesting as well as an insight into how prison life was in those days. The Cells feature models of former prisoners and details of their crimes commited.....which in some cases, were trivial by todays standards!. But still resulted in hanging. I then had a meal there , in the resturant afterwards.
Next day was a trip to "Port Isaac", a small fishing village on North Coast of Cornwall and also the setting for the current TV Series, "Doc Martin". So i was able to spot a few of the buildings used in that programme. Often much different to how they appear on TV.
The School as an example, is a Pub & Resturant!...but was a former School.
So after a few photos and a Cheese & Onion Cornish Pasty....I ventured off to "Boscastle", the scene of the horrific floods on August 16th 2004.......the last day i was there!!
So it was nice to see how things were progressing since that day. Many of the damaged buildings were repaired and some still being re-built, including the "Harbour light" shop (Photo above) and on my Boscastle page, you can see how it was originally. They seem to have re-built it very close to the original, which was nice to see. The weather was much better and so I could take better pictures and get a good view from the lower part of the Harbour, looking back towards the village (Photo above). After a nice Cream tea!....I set off to Padstow.
I had'nt been there since 1978 so did'nt remember it much. But it seemed a lovely place and quiet too. I enjoyed a bag of Fish 'n Chips around the harbourside......till a flock of seagulls decided to finish them all off! So i had a walk around the streets in padstow.
Next day was a trip to St Ives, Newlyn & Mousehole.....all in the South west area of Cornwall. In St Ives i was approached by a Gypsy woman, who proceded to tell me my future and events in the last few months . That was amazing!...as she seemed very accurate on everything she told me. Though i'll need to wait to see if i live to be 92...as she predicts!
After a few photos in St Ives & Newlyn, I set off to Mousehole village, which was a very pretty fishing village indeed. I spent around 3 hours there. Scenic and peaceful around the harbourside.
I had another meal there and yet another Cream tea.....a must for me on holidays!
After leaving Mousehole, i went over to "St Just" and saw a few old Tin mines and the Lavant Steam Engine building (Photo above).
The final day was Falmouth and "Lost Gardens of Heligan"....In Falmouth i visited the Maritime Museum and saw a collection of boats , some from former races across the seas.
Then i walked the streets of Falmouth and had a Banana Milk Shake, before heading over to "Heligan" to admire the acres of Impressive gardens there. Different sections dedicated to certain types of plants, Including Tropical Tree ferns and other exotic species.
I could'nt see everything in the time i had though, as by then my feet were aching!.
So maybe another visit there oneday. I finished off my day, with a trip to "Jamaica Inn" on Bodmin moor, for an evening meal. The Inn having a very Haunted reputation to this day!
With many reported Ghostly happenings there, in certain parts of the Inn & hotel.
So that alone makes it a special place to visit.
Next day was the return trip home to Burton. Again it was a very nice Holiday In Cornwall and helped by good weather this time. Hopefully another trip there in the near future!