Larry’s Travels – England

Larry Travels to England

England July 16, 2015

A few weeks ago I made a short work trip to England and hastily made hotel reservations before I left. The hotel was about 10 miles from Heathrow Airport. The taxi driver who took me to the hotel said that I would arrive just in time for the changing of the guard. I asked, what guard? He told me the hotel was across the street from Windsor Castle – what luck!

Since I arrived at 10 a.m. Tuesday I used the day as a travel recovery day. Late that afternoon I was able to explore the surroundings – I was in the middle of an English tourist mecca.

William the Conqueror was the founder of Windsor Castle and he reigned as king from 1066 to 1087. There has been a whole lot of history from then until now and many occupants have lived in the castle. The current occupants of course are the Queen of Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip.

The grounds next to the castle were spectacular and the community of Windsor had a lot to see. I’d recommend anyone traveling to London to make it a point to stay a day in Windsor.

Wednesday evening after work Mike from Fluid Controls Limited and I went to Bath for a walk around and dinner. Bath is famous for the old Roman baths that have been excavated and restored. According to Wikipedia the Roman conquest of Great Britain began in 43 AD but the relationship between Rome and Britain was much older. Great Britain was on the “places to conquer” map before the time of Christ.

The mineral springs that feed the Roman-era structure have a history much longer than that of the Romans. The Celts used this place, centuries before and the water still flows hot today.

Bath is a beautiful city to see and well worth a visit. Stonehenge is not far from here either although I didn’t get to see it this trip.

A pub is a common place for a meal and a pint. The pub is a gathering place for locals and their families. It can’t be compared to a bar in the US, it’s just different. The atmosphere is quaint and it’s a place where one can take their family for a meal. There are many restaurants but pub food is my preference. The meal in the photo was a steak and ale pie, mashed potatoes and fresh green peas, beans and kale.