After four days in London, it was time to board the Zuiderdam for a new leg of our journey. First we had to get there. We checked out of the Holiday Inn Express in London and took a taxi to St. Pancras Train Station. When we have our luggage with us, a taxi is the …
From August 2024
John Wesley’s House and Chapel
When I was researching this trip, especially the four days we would have in London, I found the John Wesley walking tour of London. I printed out a map and kept it in the trip folder for reference. I’m glad I printed it out because I haven’t been able to locate it online since, although …
Churchill War Rooms and Trafalgar Square
Tom and I waited until our last day in London to go to the Churchill War Rooms. Lots of people told us we had to go there and we wanted to, but our last day was the only day we could get tickets. We started the day with a visit to Foyles Bookstore, the largest …
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is the 13th most visited tourist site in London. That ranking surprised me because it felt like it was probably #1 when Tom and I visited there during our time in London. The #1 site, in case you are wondering, is the British Museum. The Tower of London gets a million more visitors …
Tower of London and the Tower Bridge
The day after our tour ended, Tom and I headed to the Tower of London. We started the morning by sleeping in and got up at the luxuriant hour of 8 a.m. We had a leisurely breakfast because we didn’t have to get our suitcases out or be on the bus at any particular time. …
Stonehenge
Does everyone who goes to England visit Stonehenge? I’m not sure what the percentage might be, but it is probably pretty high. You will be glad to know that Tom and I were not the exception. Visiting Stonehenge was the last thing on the itinerary for our Insight Vacations Tour of the United Kingdom and …
Dartmoor and Plymouth, England
The penultimate (love that word) day of our Insight Vacations Tour, we went to Dartmoor National Park and explored Plymouth. We only spent a few hours on the bus which was a very nice change. After loading up in the morning, we met a guide named Emma, who styles herself as “Dartmoor’s Daughter.” She grew …
Roman Baths in Bath, England
The day after Ludlow, we went to see the Roman Baths in Bath, England. Bath is a delightful city on its own, but the #1 thing to see in Bath is the Roman Baths. So we thought that would be a good place to start. After we got our tickets, we went through the entrance …
Ludlow Castle in Shropshire, England
Our second day in Wales wasn’t really in Wales very much. The highlight of the day, Ludlow Castle, was in England. Our tour traveled along the border between England and Wales, so we went back and forth. This is an area called the Welsh Marches. The term was originally used to designate the place where …