Windsor & STONEHENGE

We are super cheap. This means that the idea of paying mega bucks to stand in line to see a few rooms in Windsor Castle didn't appeal to us. We did happen to be in town on a Sunday, though, which meant we could visit the Cathedral were Harry & Meghan married for free by attending a service. Sold! Please note that this was my second service in the Queen's church this year. It was also the only two times I attended church in 2018. Whoops!

We had time to pass before service to we wandered around town and again noticed how adorable it was. It really feels like a teeny, tiny London.

A local pub feeling festive

A view of the living quarters at Windsor Castle

The driveway. Yep.

We were amazed by this long driveway leading to the residences at the castle. The driveway is 2.64 miles long. I cannot imagine the maintenance time they spend on that thing!

Petefish.

It was finally time for service so we headed in amongst mainly locals. I guess most tourists are willing to pay for tours and don't just attend services. Strange. ;)

Looking up in Windsor Cathedral

Our view during church

The sermon was actually interesting and a little...politically incorrect. Jackson enjoyed more than I did, but it was just kind of surprising. The minister was upset about the term "Happy Holidays" taking the place of "Merry Christmas" and called it persecution and the erasure of Christianity. He said that by allowing Christ to be removed from the holiday it was no longer special. Again, I didn't agree with him and I don't find wishing someone a happy holiday to be something worth arguing over, but he felt strongly about it and I valued his opinion.

Typical gloomy day in Windsor

Handsome guy

The church was just lovely

Trying to get a photo of just how large the grounds are

Post-church Petefish

After we finished with church and walking through the city a bit more, we headed back to car and made the 75 minute drive out to see Stonehenge.

What is Stonehenge? I was surprised to learn that many folks were not familiar with this ancient semi-circle. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, two miles west of Amesbury. It consists of a ring of standing stones, with each standing stone around 13 feet high, seven feet wide and weighing around 25 tons. The origins of the structure are a bit of a mystery.

For some reason I'd always wanted to see Stonehenge so getting there felt a bit surreal. There is no traffic until you get close to the site and then it is stop and go for miles!

I couldn't bring myself the cull the photos I'm sharing so just scroll on by...

STONEHENGE

TOO EXCITED!

WHOA.

It was so windy, excuse my hair.

One last look...

We walked around the museum and then decided we'd better get on the road to Bath since it would be dark soon and the roads to Bath were a bit rural.

It took about an hour but soon enough we were checked into our quite nice hotel in Bath and out looking for some dinner. The hotel clerk mentioned a local pub as a great place for Sunday dinner. We got there and they were between meals (something that does not happen often in the U.S.) so we had to stroll around time and wait. Bath is so cute that this was not a chore other than we were pretty hungry!

How cute is this place?!

The BEST cheese dish EVER.

Our kind waitress recommended the halloumi fries with a sweet chilli dip. I had not heard of this kind of cheese, but she said we would not regret it. It turns out that halloumi is a semi-hard, unripened, brined cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk and will be served in Heaven. It was the most delicious dish. I'm tempted to get back on a plane right now just to have it again, honestly.

Post-life changing fried cheese--blissful.

I was excited as I guess Sunday roast is actually a lunch meal, not dinner, but they had some left and the chef made it new again for me. It was excellent. I always struggle to get enough veggies when I am traveling and this came with a dish of peas, too! Excellent!

BRITISH FOOD IS LEGIT.
SUNDAY ROAST & FISH N' CHIPS

We were quite happy with this experience! We wandered back to the hotel high on seeing sights we'd always dreamed of a heavenly cheese.