We stayed in London for three more nights after returning from Paris. My husband and I decided to book a different hotel because we wanted to be in another section of the city for the sake of variety. The previous hotel we stayed in at the beginning of the tour near the Marble Arch area was excellent, but we already explored the Marble Arch neighborhood as well as Oxford Street and part of Hyde Park. This other hotel is situated in the south banks of the River Thames and is c

The city of Bath got its name from the Roman Baths, its famous landmark and one of the ancient world's most renowned religious spas. The people of Roman Britain built this around 2,000 years ago and regularly visited the site to worship the goddess Sulis Minerva (the original Roman name of this place was Aquae Sulis ) and bathe in the natural thermal springs, which were believed to have healing properties. As Roman authority faded from Britain in the early 5th century, the ba

We did not want to leave England without visiting Bath, one of England's prettiest cities. Sitting on a landscape of rolling hills astride the Avon River, it is both charming and elegant, exuding an air of small-town simplicity, yet oozing with sophistication. Located in the ceremonial county of Somerset in southwest England, Bath is a historic Roman and Georgian spa city. It is famous for its hot springs, stately Georgian architecture, medieval heritage buildings, and of cou

We booked an outing to Stonehenge, which is about 90 miles west from London. This needs no introduction. I suppose everybody knows what Stonehenge is, though nobody is absolutely sure what it is for. I have read so much about this prehistoric monument but have not formed an opinion yet as to what its purpose is. The myriad of studies, research, analyses, theories, speculations, assumptions, and even conclusions on the Stonehenge have contributed to its mystery. I had long dre

Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire. Situated in southern England's rural heartland near the edge of the Salisbury Plain, its history dates back over 5,000 years. I had always wanted to see this place, so we booked a day trip from London. It took us about an hour and a half to get there from downtown. Along the way, I enjoyed the countryside view and even nudged my husband from his bus nap (he always falls asleep on bus, train, plane, and car rides) to tell him about t

We met our official Tour Director and regular tour mates at the hotel lobby that morning. Majority were from Australia, two couples were from New Zealand, a family from the United States, and a solo traveler from Canada. Aboard the bus, our Tour Director told us that it was just our temporary transportation. It would take us from London to Dover, but after we cross the English Channel to France, we would transfer to our regular tour bus - a more luxurious model with a nicer w

Our first full day on London was jam-packed with activities. We started with a half-day city tour on a bus booked through a local tour company. After breakfast, we were picked up at the hotel lobby and off we went to have a panoramic drive around the main districts of London, starting with Parliament Square. We made a quick stop at the Westminster Abbey, but managed to only peek in because a private wedding was supposed to start in a few minutes. We just bought souvenirs at t

I was glad that our nearly-three-week exploration of Western Europe would start in London. Among all European cities, London topped my "to visit" list. As a young child, I remember spending a lot of time in the school library reading every book available on Medieval and Tudor England. So, you can imagine how excited I was to finally go there. I touched down in London a little before noon. Since my husband’s flight from Tel Aviv was not scheduled to arrive till that night, I m