Expensive in London, but the rest of the country is lovely…..

I have been in and out of London pretty much every time I go to Europe.  I really have only stayed one night in the city with a friend.  The rest of the times, I have my little sleeping spot at Gatwick Airport behind a big sign or at one of the other airports in the city.  However I was enlightened when I finally saw the rest of the country especially up North.

London is an expensive crowded city but it has its charm.  Its always nice to duck into a pub to have a few pints and some pub food which is my favorite thing to do.  I also like leisurely strolling around and seeing all of the sites that have made it popular in history.  Across from Westminster Abbey, you will sometimes find some people protesting something which is always a welcome site.  Many of the tourist attractions are all in the same area or a short Underground ride away.  Accommodation is always expensive here and this is why I prefer to stay at the Airport.  Charming City though, just not for me…

Taking a bus up north, this is the real England I wanted to see.  With stops in Oxford, York, and Stratford, I fell in love with it.  The cities are big but still with a small town feel to them.  I fell in love with York as everything was in walking distance of the city center.  I went on a haunted ghost tour here which was more comedy than anything.  As we headed up to the Scottish border we had to stop at Hadrian’s Wall, which was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian.  It was average at best, but being a history teacher, I just had to see it…..

Coming in from Wales before arriving back in London, it was my goal to finally stop at Stonehenge.  Along the way we stopped at the Ancient Roman city of Bath (which obviously has been remodeled from Roman Times).  This was a beautiful small city with many day tours (like me) coming in.  When we finally got to Stonehenge, I was a bit disappointed.  This is a major tourist attraction in the world but was really not that impressive at all.  The highlight of the time there was my light-saber shots that I got!!!!!