(9-11-2019) Wednesday Day 3 London – Stonehenge – Bath – Exeter (2 Nights) Hotel = Mercure Southgate 4* Southernhay East, Exeter, EX1 1QF UK Phone +44 1392 412 812 Average 66 high 50 low 25% rain Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel 4* 156 rooms. Dates back to 1852. The theater, a castle and cathedral are nearby. Classic units have countryside views. 24-hr restaurant. Gym and fitness center. Make tea in the room. Indoor pool. PIctures of hotel look lovely. Reviews - Breakfast good. Staff polite. Nice pool. Good location if you can walk ten minutes to city center. Buses available on High St. and Exeter Central Train Station is a 10-minute walk away.
We were in the Tower Hotel lobby ready to depart at 7:45. We were late leaving by almost an hour because traffic was so congested around the Tower the bus did’t arrive. The guide said a 5 minute trip took 50 minutes to get to our hotel. It took us even longer to get out of London. I am wondering if they are considering any expressways or if they have them and the tour companies don’t use them.
TOUR INFO "Meet your Travel Director and commence your journey through the rolling green and golden landscapes of rural Wiltshire to Salisbury Plain. We tread in the footsteps of druids and pagans at Stonehenge, before traveling to UNESCO-listed Bath with its elegant Georgian façades and the centuries-old Roman Baths. Our home for the next two nights is the historic cathedral city of Exeter, where we will enjoy a memorable Welcome Reception this evening at our hotel. (Full Breakfast)"
Phone says 5,192 steps, 2 miles and one floor climbed.
My INFO Salisbury Plain's boundaries have never been defined, but it is estimated to cover 300 square miles. It is a chalk plateau with thick deposits of soft porous white limestone. It is the largest remaining area of alkaline grassland in Northwest Europe. Large areas are used for military training. Also known for its archaeology, Stonehenge is one of the best known landmarks.
Stonehenge consists of a ring of 13 feet X 7 feet standing stones. Each weighing about twenty-five tons. The ring is surrounded by Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments and is located within earthworks. Archaelologists believe it dates back to 3000BC-2000BC. I just walked around to pass the time and didn’t go to the stones again. The crowds were huge and my group stood in line for over 30 minutes to get on a bus to ride to the stones.
Bath (See earlier posts). Today’s info. We visited the Roman Baths. I focused my attention on the end of the tour because I was tired last week by the time I got there. I went to Bath Abbey, an 8th century church founded by a Benedictine Monastery. The focus was and still is - worshipping God, helping the poor and welcoming all people. Reading about the restoration of the flooring was very interesting. They are being assisted by college students and professionals. There were many beautiful memorials mounted on the walls, lovely stained glass windows, an amazing fan vaulted ceiling, and 891 ledgerstones or flat grave stones that make up much of the floor. The church is also taking advantage of the thermal springs and using them to heat the stone floors. This will save them at least 50% on utility expenses.
Phone says 5,192 steps, 2 miles and one floor climbed.
My INFO Salisbury Plain's boundaries have never been defined, but it is estimated to cover 300 square miles. It is a chalk plateau with thick deposits of soft porous white limestone. It is the largest remaining area of alkaline grassland in Northwest Europe. Large areas are used for military training. Also known for its archaeology, Stonehenge is one of the best known landmarks.
Stonehenge consists of a ring of 13 feet X 7 feet standing stones. Each weighing about twenty-five tons. The ring is surrounded by Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments and is located within earthworks. Archaelologists believe it dates back to 3000BC-2000BC. I just walked around to pass the time and didn’t go to the stones again. The crowds were huge and my group stood in line for over 30 minutes to get on a bus to ride to the stones.
Bath (See earlier posts). Today’s info. We visited the Roman Baths. I focused my attention on the end of the tour because I was tired last week by the time I got there. I went to Bath Abbey, an 8th century church founded by a Benedictine Monastery. The focus was and still is - worshipping God, helping the poor and welcoming all people. Reading about the restoration of the flooring was very interesting. They are being assisted by college students and professionals. There were many beautiful memorials mounted on the walls, lovely stained glass windows, an amazing fan vaulted ceiling, and 891 ledgerstones or flat grave stones that make up much of the floor. The church is also taking advantage of the thermal springs and using them to heat the stone floors. This will save them at least 50% on utility expenses.
Notice Jacob’s Ladder on the left and right.
Saw some interesting tombs.
Fan vaulted ceiling.
On the way to Exeter, we drove through the village of Pennsylvania which was founded by Quakers. It had about six houses and because they are Quakers - no pub... The British like their pubs, maybe that’s why no one lives there.
Our stops today felt rushed and I was glad I visited both sites last week and had time to appreciate them. It has been a long day on the bus. We got to our hotel at 6:45 and dinner was at 7:15. Finally, back in my room at 9:15.
Exeter is a cathedral city in Devon, England. It is located on the River Exe. Exeter Cathedral (1050), is an Anglican church. Notable features include misericords (after folding up a seat, find a shelf-like form intended to support a person in a partially standing position during long prayers), an astronomical clock and the longest continuous vaulted ceiling in England. There are fifty misericords dating to 1220-1230 and 1250-1260. At 96 meters, it is the longest uninterrupted medieval ceiling in the world. The cathedral was badly damaged in WWII, but luckily many important artifacts had been removed in anticipation of the attack. Minstrel's gallery (1360) has twelve carved and painted angels playing medieval instruments. The North Tower contains one 4.1 ton bourdon bell. The South Tower has twelve bells hung for change ringing. It is the second heaviest peal of 12 bells, second only to Liverpool Cathedral in weight.
Exeter is a cathedral city in Devon, England. It is located on the River Exe. Exeter Cathedral (1050), is an Anglican church. Notable features include misericords (after folding up a seat, find a shelf-like form intended to support a person in a partially standing position during long prayers), an astronomical clock and the longest continuous vaulted ceiling in England. There are fifty misericords dating to 1220-1230 and 1250-1260. At 96 meters, it is the longest uninterrupted medieval ceiling in the world. The cathedral was badly damaged in WWII, but luckily many important artifacts had been removed in anticipation of the attack. Minstrel's gallery (1360) has twelve carved and painted angels playing medieval instruments. The North Tower contains one 4.1 ton bourdon bell. The South Tower has twelve bells hung for change ringing. It is the second heaviest peal of 12 bells, second only to Liverpool Cathedral in weight.
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