Sunny Day in London

On a sunnier day than expected in London, I decided to spend most of the day at the parks. I visited Regent's Park and pretended to go to the Zoo (admission is too expensive!). I walked up Primrose Hill and got a view from there of the city. Then I walked down Paul McCartney's street, Cavendish Avenue. I also passed the Abbey Road crossing on my way to Marlebone High Street and Baker Street. Then I walked on for a picnic lunch in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, finally to the Victoria and Albert Museum. At the museum, I saw a few watercolours by Beatrix Potter, but I had missed the big exhibition of her work there last year. I'll have to just read about it in the book Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature.

First stop, Daunt Books!

Marylebone

York Gate

The Regent's Park

View from Primrose Hill

Paul McCartney's Street

Albert Memorial, Kensington Gardens

Victoria and Albert Museum

Beatrix Potter, "Guinea pigs gardening"

Beatrix Potter, "Design for a greetings card"

Beatrix Potter, "Mouse reading 'The Day's News'"

Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature

Tea

Kensington Palace

That is all for now. Thanks for reading!

St Fagans National Museum of History, Wales

 After visiting Bath, I took the train to Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Just outside of Cardiff is an open air museum based on the design of Skansen in Stockholm called St Fagans. It was a beautiful day to spend outside, and seeing the sheep and baby lambs made my day! One of my favourite buildings there is the reconstructed medieval church St Teilo's (Llandeilo Tal-y-bont). The wall paintings have been recreated to look as they would have in the 1520s. 

Sheep at St Fagans

Farmhouse

Workmen's Institute

Longhouse

Cottage

Walking at St Fagans

A Tudor door

St Teilo's

St Teilo's

St Teilo's

Aquamanile and drinking horn

Reconstructed Stone Age huts

I actually enjoyed visiting the little town of Chepstow in Wales more than Cardiff (there's no more Doctor Who Experience!). From Chepstow, I took a bus to Tintern Abbey. As part of the conservation work in the early 1900s, they stripped the ivy and other plants growing on the structure. So in modern times, the abbey doesn't look quite so romantic as it did when Wordsworth composed his poem. I had a picnic lunch listening to spring birdsong. Here is a sample of what it sounded like: Tintern Abbey. 

Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey

Fish carving on the wall at Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey

Chepstow Castle

Knitting pattern treasure trove from Chepstow

Thank you for reading! Next stop London!

Bath and Avebury

 I enjoyed walking around the city of Bath! The buildings are distinct from other English cities because they are mostly in the Georgian style (I think). Other cities I have visited are very Victorian looking. I am no expert in architecture, but I noticed that in Bath there are many buildings made of light, sandy coloured stone with prominent pillars. No stripy timbered structures here. The effect really brightens things up! And I noticed several curved streets—most famously The Circus, but also Royal Crescent and Camden Crescent. I stopped in at the Jane Austen Centre, a museum with a focus on Austen's time in Bath. Actors dressed as her characters give a ten minute talk about her life and family and there are also artefacts to see. Then I walked to one of Jane Austen's residences in Bath and had a picnic lunch in Sydney Gardens. I loved browsing a yarn store called Wool that I happened to see out the window of the hostel I stayed at. Another highlight was Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath. 

Pump Room (image from Google)

The Roman Baths

Bath Abbey

The yarn shop Wool

A quiet street

The Jane Austen Centre

Circus VW

View from Camden Crescent

River Avon from Grand Parade

Jane Austen's House

Sydney Gardens (image from Google)

Sally Lunn's, the oldest house in Bath

Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights

Gillard's of Bath

Persephone Books

Topping & Company

Heart shaped pizza at Franco Manca's

On the way to Bath, I stopped in the village of Avebury in Wiltshire. There are standing stones there as old as Stonehenge. It was a very windy day, but thankfully not rainy or wet. The grass was long. I saw forget-me-nots, dandelions, nettles, tulips, daffodils, and lilacs. Bushes and trees are starting to get new growth, though most trees are still bare. It is a lovely spot, even though people do go overboard on the whole crystal powers thing. I really loved getting out of the particularly flat landscape around East Anglia and also, being out of any cities, walking on the soft earth instead of pavement.

Avebury from above (image from Google)

Stones at Avebury

Wishing Trees

Windy day in Avebury

Thanks for reading! Look for my next post on St Fagan's National Museum of History in Wales, Cardiff, Chepstow, and Tintern Abbey coming soon.