VTT Postcard - Day 3 - Still In The UK

My cousin and I did not have any plans for this day as I had pre-arranged a trip to Stonehenge, Bath and Salisbury. I left early that day and navigated the Underground system on my own to land up at the Golden Tour offices. Imagine my dismay when I was told the trip had been cancelled due to the weather. They offered me another tour though, one that would take me to Windsor and Bath. Afraid I’d end up not seeing much of London, I took the offered tour.

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle was a surprise. It’s a pity that no photography was allowed inside. The group saw some pictures of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret in their younger years. Followed by what seemed to be endless displays of tableware used in the castle. We visited the State Apartments. The architecture and design of each room were stunning. The Christmas dining table was set as if the Royal Family was coming out any minute.


I was most impressed with the paintings in each room. I used to see them in pictures and never really cared much for them. But when I was in the presence of real paintings, I understood how talented the painters really were. With whatever was available to them at the time, how did they make the canvas come to life?


We arrived around 2pm in Bath and proceeded to The Roman Baths. Also a nice tour although I felt a bit like part of an unfinished excavation. It seems they were still discovering some parts of the site. The main bath looked like a big shallow swimming pool with hot springs underneath because of all the smoke. It was not really tempting to touch the water as it looked dirty.

Inside The Roman Baths

After the tour of The Roman Baths, I went into town. Thought I would look around some more. By this time I was starting to worry about my camera battery. I packed the charger in the luggage and there were still no word as to getting the luggage back. At the rate I’m going, my battery would run flat and I would not have any photos for the rest of my trip. This made me sad.


I found a luggage store first and decided to buy a hand luggage instead to keep all my “new” stuff together. Further walking revealed a camera shop and I decided to try my luck. The guy at the shop was so helpful and sold me a charger…which actually worked with my battery! I was so relieved.


Around 4pm, we left Bath and I was left feeling quite good about the whole thing. For me, the trip had started to go well indeed.


That night, I got back at the hotel at around 7pm. Just missed the cut-off for the Contiki Basement and so was not able to meet my group beforehand. It was still early so I thought I’d have dinner. I was kinda missing Nando’s so I made my way to Soho, London’s Chinatown. The meal was every bit as good as back home. Or maybe I was just hungry.


I got back to the hotel at 9pm and thought I’d have an early night since tomorrow would be the day the real tour started. This was one of the earliest nights I turned in whilst in Europe.