Windsor Castle and Stonehenge, UK

The weekend past, Bern and I,  plus my parents decided to take a road trip to visit a few attraction sites ie Windsor Castle and the famous Stonehenge. We rented a car, thinking it was a good idea, considering the number of people travelling. But a word of caution to those wanting to drive in and out of London- the traffic itself within London is ludicrous! It took us longer to get out/into London than driving to those destinations. You will also incur a 8 pound/day congestion charge if you travel during weekdays.  Again, mass crowd at all these destinations- be prepared to queue.

Windsor Castle was our first stop. Beautifully little town, with a massive English castle on top of a hill. The olny thing that was annoying was that you cannot take photos inside the castle. Did not have that problem in Fontainebleau, France. To be honest, I have forgotten two thirds of the info heard on the audio guide and actually prefer the grandeur and style of Castle Fontainebleau, with its sprawling gardens.

Stonehenge was definitely more interesting (although Bern would beg to differ). It is a prehistoric monument built in 3000 BC. Nobody really knows why it was built. There are many theories and myths, from use as religious ground to astrological studies and a calendar to tell the months and seasons. The outer circle is made of sarsen stones, and the inner bluestones. It is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites.

The stone lying flat on the ground (thought to previously be erect) is known as the slaugther stone, named as such because it would turn red when wet.

After a long day (some bits frustrating- traffic jams, stoooopid Tom Tom, queues), we headed to our hotel and had a pub meal at the Running Horse in Swindon.

We are off to Italy in a few days. The weather looks superb and I get a funny feeling that we would be eating A LOT of gelato- yummy.