City of Bath ( 06/04/10 )

The first of my 2010 escapades around England took me to a place I so long awaited to discover being a fan of Jane Austen's novels and fine 18th century architecture, and I must say that Bath and its many charms truly enchanted me.

My first glimpse of the town was a stunning view over the river and one of the most charming bridges I have ever seen.

Then a stroll through the town took me from the Roman Bath to the beautifully preserved historic part of the town where almost every building is an enchantment in itself.

After a spot of lunch at Sally Lun's, I embarked on the City Sightseeing Bus which took me around the town to the Royal Circus, the Royal Crescent and beyond up the hills which offer a stunning view over the city.

The Royal Crescent was of a scale I truly had not imagined and with the surrounding lawn areas filled with daffodils, a unforgettable sight in itself.

The nearby Victoria Parc was beautiful with its great entrance guarded by two giant lions statues and the lake so peaceful in the late afternoon.

I love Nature and my visit to Bath coincided with one of the first lovely Springtime days of the season has truly enchanted my senses.

Britain truly is a one of the best places in the world to enjoy Springtime in all its glory !

I do hope to have the pleasure of visiting Bath again for its Christmas markets...

Here are a few pictures of my escapade to Bath...

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/369098100.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/821119101.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/441111102.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/738209103.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/160717104.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/982149105.jpg

The next escapade took me to the City of York...

City of York ( 15/04/10 )

Unlike Bath, I did not have much expectations from York and I must admit that my knowledge of the town was quite limited to the House of York so I visited for the first time on a beautiful Spring day with a totally opened mind and was I in for a pleasant surprize indeed !

I left my car in the carpark outside the city walls and just could not resist climbing up the steep and narrow staircase leading to the walls and walk around the town as the first visitors would have done and seeing these perfectly preserved walls filled with thousands of daffodils in bloom on each side were a truly unforgettable sight !

I then ventured into the town through a very pleasant street with a great variety of shops leading to the Bridge upon the River Rouse and the other side viewed from the bridge was pleasant indeed.

But the surprise - I should say the amazement - really came when I entered the Medieval District which is very large in size and wonderfully preserved with a unique architecture and a variety of shops second to none.

At its very heart, one finds the truly magnificent Minster which Nortern Europe's largest Gothic Cathedral and standing at its feet truly gives a scale of insignificant can a human being be compared to the sheer size of some monuments.

The nearby parks were in bloom and very pleasant places to sit down and enjoy.

And last but not least, the cherry on my cake undoubtebly was the National Railway Museum which features some of the rarest locomotives of the world including a replica of Stevenson's Rocket, The Mallard and the Flying Scotsman to name but a few. Being a passionate modeller ever since I was 7yo when I started building my first railway model network on a HO scale, I simply cannot express my joy at seeing those "giants of steam" standing in front of me.

I maybe French but I love finding quaint little places for my afternoon tea and the place I found was just one of the cutest I have seen so far as it was in one of the towers at the entrance of the bridge over the River and a cappuccino and a Victoria Lemon sponge were the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Yes ! I truly was enchanted with my visit to York and its many charms !

Here are a few personal pictures of my day in York...

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/566203400.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/593806401.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/953935402.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/306998403.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/544285404.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/234548405.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/695947406.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/114576407.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/955187408.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/596368409.jpg

Here are a few pictures of my day in the beautiful City of York...

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/829296410.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/646240411.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/668252412.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/132981413.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/230221414.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/858663415.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/909897416.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/350757417.jpg

Welcome to London Town ( 16/04/10 )

Living in Windsor, I have been to London hundreds of times but guess what, just like a Villager, I have my boundaries and only go to certain places over and over again and often neglecting others.

On this very windy and rather chilly day of mid-April, I was meeting my Friend Christine whom I had not seen in a while and we decided to spend the day gallivanting around London. Unlike myself who like a certain level of comfort when I travel, Christine is a true Explorer with a keen interest in countries which are yet to be discovered and her trips around the world took her from Siberia to Ethiopia, Yemen to Afghanistan. Needless to say that she loves walking and so do I so we made a quite energetic pair in London that day.

We met at the Opera House and walked to Covent Gardens which are a place I love to visit and revisit and which are celebrating their 200 anniversary this year ! This a vibrant place where there is always something happening and that day was no exception.

We then walked all the way to Westminster where we intended to take our first boat ride in years ! Isn't this a shame going to London at least 3 times a week and never have taken a boat ride

As we were approaching the Thames, the wind got very intense and rather chilly so we opted for a spot of lunch before embarking on a mini cruise that would be by all means "refreshing" to say the least !

We found an old pub near Whitehall where we enjoyed a heartwarming hot meal with a pint of Guinness for me and Cider for Christine.

Revived by this collation, we embarked on the sight seeing boat and courageously went onto the top deck. The cruise took us from Westminster Pier to Tower Bridge passing by the Tower of London and with a good view of the London Eye, the Tate Gallery, and so on.

I was especially attracted to the London Bridge which truly is a sight when approached by the river.

We then walked by Westminster and Big Ben until we reached the delightful St James Park which took us to Buckingham Palace Road and Green Park, Jermyn St and then Picadilly St which was our destination for afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason.

Fortnum & Mason has been my favorite place for afternoon tea for years for its unique old world charm, charming etiquette and delightful cakes and ice creams.

Needless to say that after braving all day winds which would not have been out of place in Mary Poppins and walking miles upon miles, sitting down in front of pot of Orange Pekoe was pure heaven

Here are a few pictures of our day in windy London, a great moment to remember for me and Christine :)!

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/3876661.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/8846952.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/6940943.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/5038174.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/5628155.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/6727976.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/5988587.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/6874908.jpg

Here are a few pictures of our day in windy London, a great moment to remember for me and Christine !

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/2158289.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/41761910.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/82519611.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/87608213.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/65993014.jpg

http://img10.hostingpics.net/pics/12365415.jpg