Day 2

Our first trip started off with a stop at St. Paul’s Cathedral. This was the site of

the 1981 Royal Wedding HRH Prince of Wales Charles Windsor and Diana Spencer. A

magnificent cathedral with a crypt below it that has many historical figures. Most

notably, Lawrence of Arabia and Lord Horatio Nelson.

Historical note, Lord Horatio Nelson was an Admiral in the Royal Navy who

commanded the HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. It is unfortunate, however,

that despite the British victory, Lord Nelson ultimately lost his life in the battle. This

man is quite revered in British history. In fact, there is a statue of Lord Nelson in the

middle of the aptly named Trafalgar Square.

Our next stop was perhaps considered the most famous building in all the

United Kingdom, Buckingham Palace, the home of Queen Elizabeth II. We got there at

a good time because the changing of the guard was taking place. It was fascinating to

learn that the military headgear worn by the guards indicated where in the United

Kingdom they are from.

As an Anglophile, there were two locations I had to check out, the first was

221B Baker Street, the home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, the world-

famous detective. As a fan I could not resist taking a picture wearing a deer stalker

hat and pipe. The second stop was to the MI-6 building. Future reference, it is illegal

to take a picture of the building.

Day 3

Beauty is a term that we throw around loosely, however beauty is a term that

cannot describe Hampton Courts. Hampton Courts was used as the residence for

Cardinal Charles Wolsey who was the aid to King Henry VIII. Now as an amateur
historian, I cannot in good faith continue without telling a little bit of the history of

King Henry VIII. Henry VIII or Henry the Horny (as I like to call him) was famous for

three things. 1) breaking with the Catholic Church and becoming the Head of the

Church of England so he could divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, 2) marrying and

beheading Anne Boleyn and 3) cutting off the heads of his wives. In fact, while at

Hampton Courts he was informed of the beheading of Anne Boleyn. The beauty of this

palace is not outdone by its size. While nobody currently lives there, there is a full-

time staff in place to help with upkeep. Hampton Courts has many prized possessions,

its numerous gardens, the wilderness and the “Vine.” Interestingly, the “Vine” is the

biggest in the world with certification by the Guinness Book of World Records.

While we are having a packed and busy day, we had our next stop at the

famous Stonehenge. Stonehenge means “hanging stones.” What could have made

these stones hang the way they were. One thing is for certain, it is breath-taking.

Our last stop of the day was the city of Bath. It is a beautiful city, and there is

evidence of the Roman Empire found in the Roman Baths, which are quite

horrendously green colored, one could wonder if it was the summer home of the

swamp monster or the creature from the Black Lagoon.

Day 4

Stow on the Wold, if there is not an older city in all of England then hit me,

because this is one old city. Stow on the Wold, an old sleepy English town has many

famous stories attached to it. One of the most famous stories is attached to the creator

of Middle Earth.

Jonathon Ruel Ronald or J.R.R Tolkien the author of The Hobbit, The Lord of

the Rings and The Silmarillion, was influenced by this town. In Stow on the Wold, there
is an old church and while Tolkien was walking through these doors with 2 yew trees

on both sides, he said he felt like he was walking into another world. He used this as

his inspiration for the Doors of Durin and the Dwarven kingdom of Moria.

The other area used as inspiration for Tolkien was the town of Morton in Marsh,

which he used as the inspiration for the village of Bree. In Fellowship of the Ring, the

village of Bree is where the hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin are set to meet up

with Gandalf. Walking through this village you can see the inspiration from the

architecture.

We continued on to Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace and burial place of the

bard and playwright himself, William Shakespeare. His burial place is located at the

Holy Trinity Church and is said to be cursed for an inscription on his grave says:

“Good friend for Jesvs sake Forbeare, To Digg the Dvst Encloased heare. Blese Be Ye

Man Ye Spare Thes Stones, and Cvrst be he Ty moves my Bones.” Or in plain English,

“Good Friend, For Jesus’ sake forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the

man that spares these stones. And cursed be he that moves my Bones.”