Stonehenge and Salisbury-June 30

Grey stones seem like grey font....the thought of digging a ditch with a poor dead deer's headdress, now wouldn't that make for a BAD day. And besides that a really deep and really wide ditch. When you dig a ditch like that do you push the dirt to the inside or the outside, because you would be using your hands to do that -right? Oh no, I forgot, as Hugh said I would grab for my handy Oxen shoulder blade, to do scooping. Actually I think I would like that job better than dragging big grey rocks for over 200 miles. Which one is better for the Core?

For whatever reason, the builders chose the isolated location of Stonehenge, it is nestled in beautiful landscape. I took many pictures of the surrounding countryside.

As for Salisbury, the Magna Carta is of course the most memorable event of the day. As I listened to the Docent, her wealth of information was marvelous. What was that written in -a font of 4? I'm quite sure it is not Times New Roman 12. And Those young men will definitely get an "A" in their English class in manuscript.

What a town of pleasant nice people! Cheese scones with coffee- um um.

When we arrived early, there was no traffic. Hats off to our planners who got us there early.

By the time we were leaving, you can see the people coming to Stonehenge- reminded me of the traffic in "Field of Dreams"- which Stonehenge is kind of huh?

LIttle Car that I would actually drive- 

but I agree with you Dr. E. I liked the hot little BMW better

and the "little roll" inside of the big roll fell to the Floor in Salisbury-so of course I could not pass up the Photo Op!

Part Two of Monday June 28

I really love nature, so throughout the day I tried to frame my buildings with trees or to use grass, flowers etc. in order for Nature to soften the size and monochromatic look of the exterior of the buildings. Monochromatic color to me is Regal and makes a dramatic statement. As a practicer of Feng Shui, I am drawn to the water in the fountains and even the oscillating sprinklers.

Sometimes, as in my first picture in this group, the angles of the building itself are perpendicular to the ground even though I angled my camera as I snapped the picture.  When viewed from a distance, it almost seems as if the buildings are on top of each other, but as Hugh told us, "London has a great proportion of Green Space" in spite of it being the third largest city in Europe.

The fourth picture in this grouping seems to plain for the neighborhood in which it was sitting!

Westminster Abbey, the Eye, Parliament and "Wicked"

Wow what a day!  After a wonderful excursion at "Wicked" and the Tube ride home, I am frantically posting today's blog and as it is 12 midnight, it of course rolls over to Tuesday...but for me it is still Monday night.  

I can appreciate the honor and respect that the the British feel for their royalty as they have generations of that value embedded within their Democratic, Monarchistic Culture. The ornateness of the finer points of all aspects of their Culture's Buildings is something to behold. Admittedly they have provided great joy, protection, and living and working spaces for much longer than the USA has been in existence. They are truly a splendor. The mere size and magnitude overwhelm the imagination!

London June 28 Sunday

This morning we rode the coach bus to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London and many numerous sights I would not have seen if I hadn't done a tour. We joked that it was the Three hour Tour, but it was exceedingly fun. Hugh is so very knowledgeable and full of anecdotes. Trying to take pictures out of the window I tryuly had to apply the knowledge from David's "digital photography" book in an effort to obtain decent photos.

On the way, I saw  The Eye, which by the way my nauseous tending self, will be on tomorrow at Five before I head off to see "Wicked." I toook videos of the Changing of the Guard at the Palace, but Flickr and Facebook take so very long to load at night, that I do not have those on the sites.

I personally walked down to the REAL grocery store, which I think was Wainscote or something like that anyway.  Wrote in my Moleskine journal while indulging in a Latte on Bloomsbury and then stopped at the STA Travel center to find that Ireland may be out of my price range.

 We have a full day tomorrow, and it should be so much fun.

London June 26 Walking Tour/Fun

Friday, June 26, tres meetings.....first Orientation to being a International University Student. All of the warnings and admonitions and relaxed reminders would have applied to me in 1967....but alack alas I won't probably be hitting the pub on Friday night and downing five ales.

If I did I might need the bicycle Ambulance viewed here. He could rush through traffic and blink his Blue lights to get me to the A & E quickly or the Casualty.  Neither sounds very good does it? The neighborhood walk with Tim was very fun and I especially loved the Cheese Shop, where I purchased Unpasteurized English Stilton Cheese to go with my Arugula Salad(affectionately referred to here as "Rocket" leaves) and Fresh Bing Cherries.  Downed with Alphonso Mango Unconcentrated Juice from Indian Mangoes  Over there near the Orient.

Then I took a LOOOOOng walk to Primart-London's version of Walmart. Yes, all the phenom stores on Oxford and I went to Primart. 

Wimbledon

Well,I looked up Wimbledon...won't be doing that. If I would like to see the 2010 event, I can purchase a chance at one of the tickets drawn in the lottery next year. Just might have been kind of cool to have taken a picture in the Venue.

Journaling while in Europe

Usually in the summers, at least before I began my FSU Project LEAD program, I would read and luxuriate in all the books that I could not relax with during the school year while I graded English papers. Now I teach Intensive Reading for FCAT and read either YA Novels or Textbooks in my free time after class. Last summer, I did read the Twilight Series. 

One summer I read the most recent biography of Meriwether Lewis. He served as the illustrator and journalist for President Thomas Jefferson. My journaling will be memorable and exciting for me. I look forward to recording fun times and adventurous capers in my Moleskin Journals and employing technology with my Webpage and Blog.