Windsor
Together with a couple of friends, I went to Windsor Castle. We were lucky to skip the queue using our friend's Navy card. While photos inside the castle were prohibited, I loved seeing the intricate, yet humongous Queen Mary's Doll's House which was finished in 1924 and includes electricity, running water, and even a fully stocked wine cellar! We also marvelled at the incredible St George's Chapel which is home to the Order of the Garter. The audio guide was very informative and required about an hour to listen to all of the history. Down one end of the chapel, is Queen Elizabeth's resting place. I found seeing her grave very emotive, although there were too many people in the space and we were shuffled along quickly.
After the castle, we walked down The Long Walk which is a 2.64 mile avenue leading to a sculpture of George III on horseback.
Bath (Aquae Sulis)
I was very fortunate to be able to catch up with my friendship group from Spain. We went to the Roman town of Bath, once known as Aquae Sulis.
The most important thing to do in Bath is visit the Roman Baths which date back to 75CE. It's not cheap to visit, at €16.50 for a weekday student, pre-booked ticket, but I did spend over two hours there and I had a very informative audio guide, narrated by Bill Bryson. And at the end of the tour, you get to sample the thermal water.
The Baths were rediscovered in the late 19th century and they're built upon the only hot spring in the UK. I particularly liked reading the messages to the Goddess Sulis Minerva that had been written on rolled-up, thin sheets of lead and thrown into the spring (see below). Some were asking for good luck, but the majority were asking her to curse the culprits who stole their bathing suits, etc.
Aside from the baths, we also visited the iconic Royal Crescent housing, the Christmas markets, and Pulteney Bridge over River Avon.
Bristol
One of the girls I worked with in Greece lives in Bristol now and she took me on a tour of the city which included the impressive Clifton Suspension Bridge. Bristol has a lot of young people, alternative cafés, and lots of live music. I thought it was very liveable and I loved the accent.
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