Windsor Castle

My University offered a day trip to Windsor Castle - it was quite pricey, and a long days journey from our Uni, but totally worth it!  The castle did feel a bit like an amusement park (mostly because the pavement walking up was new, and the whole place reminded me of Disneyland) but it was very pretty.  It was also huge - I only saw a small part of it, of what they let the public see, but it was very grand and (obviously) had a lot of history.  Also the Queen was in residence the day we went!  (As you can see in the image below - the flag is up and out!)

Unfortunately, like most places, they don't allow photography inside, but I do have pictures of the outside!

Windsor Castle

Flag = Queen!  But, no, I did not see her.  (Unlike everyone else on the bus, I knew she wasn't an attraction feature at the castle, haha.)

And this is where I really felt like I was at Disneyland!  The street is made of materials that are too recent and don't fit the castle!

Going into the town of Windsor.

The Crooked House - unfortunately there wasn't enough available seating for us to eat inside :/

The walk back up to our bus.  It is kind of nice how the castle is placed at the top of the hill, and how town leads into it.  Very picturesque, and "feels" how a town with a castle should feel, if you know what I mean...

Bath, UK - A Very Quick Trip

While in England, I visited one of my father's business friends for a weekend.  He was kind enough to drive me to Bath for a quick, afternoon trip.  While there, we saw the Roman Bath house (as well as a lot of great Georgian Architecture!)

And let the photos commence!

The cathedral.

Inside the Roman Bath House...had actors and actresses in Roman costume as well!

Metal curses - if someone stole something, or offended someone, some people wrote a curse against them and threw the curses into the baths, hoping they would come true.

At one of the inside baths.

View of the baths and the cathedral.

A random, but cute street :)

More Georgian Architecture (I think...)

A short, but great trip full of beautiful buildings and a historical lesson on the Roman Bath house in Bath!

Literary Europe IX - Jane Austen's House at Chawton

Hello!!!  Still running behind in my posts, but working on catching up!

Shortly after my trip to Norway, I took a day trip out to the English village of Chawton to see Jane Austen's house there!  (There are a total of 3 - I think - one in Bath, one in Winchester (which I blogged about previously here) and the one in Chawton (near Alton), which is where the museum is.)

The house was great to see and walk through.  However, while the museum clearly did their best to put together the history behind Jane, since Cassandra burned most of her letters, she still remains a mystery.  Which leaves some difficulty for the museum.  There was a lot of information on her relatives, some info on Jane herself, and some belongings of hers and her family, though greedy me wishes there was a bit more (though, of course, it's not really the museum's fault that the information just no longer exists).  Besides the lack of info on Jane, the museum was a great place to visit.  It was a cute, quaint house (though feels bigger on the inside than the outside, oddly enough).  (Also, for anyone planning a trip there, it may have been a bit easier to get to by car, but my taxi drivers were quite entertaining to and from the train station.)

But, while I could sit here and ramble on and on about the house, I might as well show you some pictures of it instead!

Side of the house, and current entrance.

The actual donkey carriage Jane and Cassandra used!

Kitchen.  Separated from house.

Lock of Jane's Hair!  (And in the corner, one of the toapz crosses Jane and Cassandra owned.)

They believe the original entrance (the one used by Jane's family) is where the window is now.

Dining/breakfast table.

Okay I was pretty excited to see this - this is Jane's writing table!  Very small, but fitting, I'm sure.  Apparently she'd eat breakfast with her family, then sit at this table and write shortly after.  Also they think her family took on extra chores so she could spend the mornings writing.

Jane & Cassandra's bedroom!

A replica bed of the one they might've had.

Another room upstairs, now used for museum purposes.

Hall way leading to various rooms.

Side of the house - view from the (dye) garden.

Back of the house.

Not the most photographic background, but proof I was there!

 

Across the street - a recommended pub and tea room.

I opted for the tea room...totally worth it!

Had some great Darjeeling tea, but also possibly the best cake I've ever had in my life!  Light and airy and perfect and delicious!  And great for those sugar lows!

Clever name for the tea room :)

Some other cute houses around Chawton :)

One of the houses decided to name themselves this after one of Jane's stories.

Didn't go on the full "Austen Trail" but did explore around the area a bit.

Jane's mum and sister are burried at the small chapel/church down the street.

All in all, a great time at Jane Austen's Chawton home!!!