30 Days in England: Day 30 (the end?!)

How do I end this? I’ve known for days that today was coming (duh!) but nothing amazing comes to mind when I think about bringing this all to an end…I couldn’t settle upon anything to end it! (Because I wish it didn’t have to end!)

It was a pleasure sharing so many little pieces of England with you all!

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral

The Roman Baths and the City of Bath.

So I decided just to reshare, to relive some of the highlights of my journey.  Especially for those who joined part way through or near the end!

There were two posts about Oxford, one of my very favourite cities of all! Part 1 and Part 2, as well as a specific post on the Bodleian Library.

I also loved the “theme” days… starting with Pathways of England on to the theme of epic Gravestones which also became two posts, Part 1 and Part 2.

Of course our windows and doors days…!

It really has been SO much fun to do this! And this won’t be the end…! 🙂 I have more pictures of England and many of my trip to Germany.

Thanks again to everyone who came along for the ride, everyone who came back every day! I appreciate all the support!

Always, Aims

30 Days in England: Day 29 (Jane Austen House)

You may have picked up on the fact that I mentioned Jane Austen and some of her works during my month long England posts.

This plague is on the outside wall of the Jane Austen house and says, “Jane Austen lived from 1809 -1817 and hence all her works were sent into the world. Her admirers in this country and in America have united to erect this tablet. Such art as hers can never grow old.”

The Jane Austen house is in a little village called Chawton. And they’ve restored the house and grounds for visitors.

The kitchen. I can imagine Jane and her sister Cassandra spending many happy hours here.

Outside the kitchen door…

Jane and her sister made this quilt (yes, by hand! 😛 )

Their bedroom.

Of course, Jane Austen’s writing desk. It’s easy to picture her here, writing those classic stories, morning light coming in through the window.

Her father’s desk.

I have very few pictures from the interior because it was a “no photos” zone. However, I asked one of the staff and she allowed me too take some without a flash…so I raced back in and snapped a few. 😉

My sister and I walking in the garden path beside the house… Jane and her sister Cassandra walked here often. (To read more about why this is such a special moment read this post. I wrote it to my sister a couple of months ago.)

The front of the house.

Can’t believe it’s June 29th…and tomorrow is day 30…! 😦

Always, Aims

30 Days in England: Day 28 (Epic!) Doors

Along with the phenomenal windows, haunting gravestones (part 1 and part 2!), enchanting pathways…I also fell in love with all the epic doors and doorways…(ok this also includes a couple archways!) 😉

A simpler cozy set…

A few with a medieval feel… (looks like these could’ve come right out of a story book, eh?)

…these don’t really fall into a specific category, haha.

A epic door post wouldn’t be complete without a picture of 221b Baker Street, London. (For all you Sherlock Holmes fans!) 😀

Hope you enjoyed it… I know it was a “pic heavy” post, so if you actually read the whole thing…virtual high five from me. 🙂

Jane Austen house tomorrow!

Always, Aims

30 Days in England: Day 26 (London)

After yesterday’s taste of the Tower of London, naturally today touches on the actual city of London. Yes, I forewarn you, a small taste 😉

Could’ve spent an entire day in the National Gallery alone!

There aren’t more pictures of Trafalgar Square because they were setting up for an event so there were chairs and screens etc. all over the place… however, I did snap a picture of the Canadian Embassy 🙂

St. Martin in the Fields Church…(if you ever have the chance go inside it’s worth it!)

Buckingham Palace.

Of course, a visit to London would not be complete without shopping at Harrods. 🙂

I just liked the architecture of this building (as seen from Tower Bridge).

While we were there, a boat needed to pass under Tower Bridge…which I thought was cool 😀

Well, I saw many of the “must see” (places/landmarks) of London… If (when?) I go back, it would be fun to see more of London… As I mentioned earlier…you could spend years there and not discover or see it all! So, I must be satisfied with me “little taste”. 😀

Always, Aims

30 Days in England: Day 26 (Tower of London)

View of the Tower of London from Tower Bridge.

Today begins (perhaps a few 😉 ) posts of the city of London.  I spent two days in London during my “England trip”. (I’m convinced you could spend years there without discovering it’s entirety.)

So today’s post touches (very slightly) on the Tower of London. This is the very first castle I was able to see and touch for myself in real life…definitely a day to remember!

So, why are there ravens there? Legend says that the presence of ravens at the Tower of London will guarantee the continuation of the monarchy…

I loved seeing “arrow slits” with my own eyes….it’s one of those things you read about in books and finally understand the concept when you see it for yourself.

Traitor’s Gate… (kind of self explanatory. They did bring traitors through here…later to be imprisoned or beheaded.)

Once again… pictures can’t begin to capture everything!

Some of the famous people who have been held (even briefly) in the Tower of London include William Wallace, Sir Thomas More, Anne Bolelyn and Catherine Howard (both were wives of King Henry the Vlll. They are both buried in the chapel at the Tower of London, as well as Sir Thomas More.) Thomas Cromwell. Lady Jane Grey (also her husband) they are also buried in the Tower chapel. Princess Elizabeth (future Queen Elizabeth the l.) William Penn, a Quaker and the man who founded Pennsylvania… and of course many more.

Again, it was that amazing feeling of walking streets, seeing views, that countless people have seen before myself… Walking streets Kings and Queens (from various countries) walked.  Nothing compares with “reliving” history in this way!

Always, Aims

30 Days in England: Day 25 (War Memorials)

In almost every city, every village (no matter how tiny!), there was some sort of memorial to either WW1 or WW2 (and quite often to both!)

Maybe I noticed because I’m Canadian and we joined when England did in both World Wars? These are some of the examples of the different ones I saw.

No matter what your view is on war, wether you “believe” in it or not… Both world wars happened, that fact can’t be denied. I think that memorials are important, because they did happen, and we shouldn’t forget it…especially those of the younger generations. Perhaps partly to remind us to never let it happen again?

Some were epic and grand…

While others were simple…

Yet all served as a reminder that people served, and people died.

Lest we forget…and something similar happens again.

 

Always, Aims

 

30 Days in England: Day 24

Flowers growing out of a stone wall…

I didn’t really settle on a “theme” for today.  Just a few random pictures that I like that either got “missed” or I forgot to add them to another post.

I guess I just ended up with too many favourites! 😉 There’s just something beautiful about a picture…an untold story, especially when it comes to historic places and “old countries” such as England.

Ok, I’ll stop at four.  Missing all that “green” in England today…

Always, Aims

 

30 Days in England: Day 23

Keeping it simple today… just a few pictures from the shores of Bournemouth.

The shore was covered in shells!

Have a spectacular weekend!

Always, Aims

30 Days in England: Day 22 (Windows!)

So hum, England has some really amazing windows…!

While sorting through my pictures, I realized I have an “odd” assortment of pictures of various windows…

I know it’s kind of a “different” theme, but if I can feature (two!) days on English gravestones… a window theme isn’t weird at all 😉

What else can be said of them? I like that windows let in light! 😀 (Imagine living in a house without them!)

Haha…wow ended up with more than I thought! 🙂 I think one of the things I noticed was the intricate detailing…

I think that will be all for today 🙂 If you’re “stuck” inside today…hopefully there’s a window nearby!

Friday! woohoo!

Always, Aims

 

30 Days in England: Day 21 (Roman Baths)

Yesterday was a tiny peek of the city of Bath.  A good chunk of the day we spent in Bath (sounds better when you pronounce it with a British accent by the way!) was spent in the old Roman Baths.  Wow…was that ever amazing!

The architecture was outstanding!

Down inside was just as phenomenal…but I really had to pick and choose my pictures (especially when trying to fit the entire Roman Baths into one post!)

Old tiles…used for heating.

An indoor round bath…

Back outside but down below

Looking up

Visiting the Roman Baths was totally worth it… there’s so much history and information.  Re-reading this post, I realize I’ve barely scratched the surface…hopefully it’s just enough to make you want to visit! 😉

Always, Aims