Stonehenge

After Salisbury, we visited Stonehenge. Patsy really wanted to do this, so we all started looking into it.

Turns out that with forward progress and all, Stonehenge is now roped off, and you have to do your looking from a distance.

Patsy found some tour company that offered "inner stone circle" tours, but they wanted a skyhigh price. I think it was like $175 >per person<.

After digging some more, I discovered that they were merely repackaging an obscure but standard offering from the organization that actually manages Stonehenge: English Heritage Trust.

If you go to their website and take a look, you can find a link for the Inner Circle Access. This costs only slightly more than regular "roped off" access. You must apply ahead of time.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/plan-your-visit/

And bam! They let you go right into the middle of it.

Because these Inner Circle Access visits are outside regular hours, there are very few other people there. I think there were less than 20 couting the four of us.

Getting up close and personal with these megaliths made the visit. I think it would have almost been boring otherwise.

And I was surprised by the size of some of the stones! Far larger than I had ever imagined from merely looking at photos.

Odiham Castle (known locally as King John's Castle)

Near the Fox and Goose pub, the Basingstoke Canal winds its way across the landscape. And a short walk along the canal brings one to the ruins of a 13th century castle originally constructed by order of King John, signer of the Magna Carta.

As you can see, all that is left today are ruins. The stone facings long ago disappeared, leaving just the core of the walls.

Also note that the ruins are just setting out there in the middle of nowhere for anyone to come up to, with no sign of a ticket collector, nor a snack stand.

This place isn't all that big, nut it >is< really freaking old! Heck, even the Alamo doesn't come close to this bad boy's age!

The walk along Basingstoke Canal itself was quite picturesque.

A swan and her children we came upon.

Entrance to the Greywell Tunnel.

Did you notice the man lying upon his back? That's how they got the boats through the tunnel, since the tunnel had no side path.

Salisbury and Magna Carta

On to Salisbury!

Patsy severely wanted to see Stonehenge, so we planned a day trip.

Now, there is only so much time you can look at rocks until you get bored, so we included a side jaunt to nearby Salisbury to see "Magna Carta". Yes, just "Magna Carta", not >the< Magna Carta. (I have no idea why "the" is omitted. Perhaps it makes the document more endearing.)

I will not turn this into a history lesson, so if you aren't familiar with what Magna Carta is you must look elsewhere. The short story: King John had really aggrieved the barons and the church with excessive taxation and what not to the point he had to make a deal with them, the deal being recorded in Magna Carta. Mind you, he had no plan of actually observing the agreement, but at least it was finally recorded that a king would not himself be above the law.

This year is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, and England is in quite a dither about it. Well, not so much on the street, but definitely where the various official copies of Magna Carta are stored. (As the Internet and even the printing press did not exist at the time of signing, the document was copied by scribes and the copies were officially attested. These copies were then circulated so everyone could know, well, at least so the rest of the barons and the church could know.)

According to Wikipedia, Salisbury Cathedral holds what is likely the best preserved of the remaining four official copies of the document. Interestingly, two more copies are held within a couple of blocks of our lodgings at he British Library.

Salisbury Cathedral itself is nigh on 800 years old, so we were treated to a double dose of antiquity.

The cathedral grounds are quite extensive. This is the north entrance gate.

Within the gates, approaching the cathedral.

It's a tall one, boyo!

Through the cloister to the chamber in which the document is held.

Inside the magnificent Chapter House, where the document is on display.

The little lady speaking with Jeff is one of the docents in attendance who provided an abundance of interesting but obscure facts.

The central pillar of the Chamber House.

Interesting detail carving at the bottom of the central pillar. Kind of hard to make out in the picture. It is a dog kissing a cat.

And now inside the cathedral proper. We happened to be there the day of a mass Baptism, which explains the number of young people in their finery.

A model of the building of the cathedral. This really reminds me of the scene from Zoolander: "What is this? A cathedral for ANTS?!?!?"

Fox and Goose

On Saturday, I rented a car from Avis and we took a day trip to Salisbury to see the Magna Carta and to Stonehenge to see the rocks. More on that in a later post.

During my trip research I discovered a well regarded country pub midway between London and Salisbury, and decided to stop there for lunch: the Fox and Goose in Greywell, about a mile off the motorway.

This place epitomizes everything I had heard of English pubs: friendly regular customers, a menu of stout food, a fine selection of draft beers, and the dry wit of the proprietor. I missed out on the beers as I was driving, but Jeff seemed to relish his!

The half-timbered interior wrapped us in cozy intimacy.

Wonderful antique glass.

Sherrie's steak and kidney pie.

Arrived Safe, Sound and Tired in London

Have had a whirlwind weekend, and I finally have time to catch up on the blog.

We eventually arrived Friday at the St. Pancras International rail station, and made our way to the nearby apartments where we would stay the weekend.

Harry Potter fans may recognize this as the exterior of Kings Cross station from where the Hogwarts students would depart on Platform 9 3/4. But it isn't Kings Cross at all.

Truth be told, the exterior of Kings Cross is rather boring, and the filmmakers chose to use the stunning St. Pancras exterior as a "body double" for Kings Cross.

After resting up, we took off on a trek through Bloomsbury, Soho, Chinatown, Leicester Square, and finally Piccadilly.

In Soho, we came upon a new form of plumbing. I don't expect to see one of these in Texas anytime soon, though you do have to admire the compact efficiency of these quadruple stall fixtures.

And here is rock in' cool half-timbered building we saw as we traversed the rest of Soho.

Here's a shot of the delightful glockenspiel given to the City of London by Switzerland and Lichtenstein in 1985. We were fortunate to have come upon it as it was sounding the hour.

We had dinner at the posh Criterion Restaurant at Picadilly Circus. The walls and especially the ceiling of this 19th century restaurant are covered with mosaic tiles. Quite spectacular! (Sorry — I have no photos of it. The dim lighting made point-and-shoot photography a near impossibility.)

By the time we finished dinner, a light rain had started. Under the conditions, and as exhausted as we were, we opted to take the underground back to our lodgings. Well, we weren't the only ones ducking out of the rain. The train was as crowded as I've seen a subway. We made it safely home though, intact, and with all of our valuables still in our own possession!

In Paris Waiting for Train to London

Arrived safely – but tired – in Paris.

Now at Gare du Nord waiting for our train to London.

On The Road!

We have started!

Left the Austin airport this morning and currently in the lounge in Chicago waiting for the flight to Paris.

Here's our party:

Sherrie and myself

Jeff and Patsy

The Last Sunset

Last night, I watched the last sunset from our house that I will see for the next two weeks.

It was bitchin!

Can you turn on a red light?

Thought I better check if it is legal to turn on a red light.

The general answer is "no". Not in the UK. Not in the European Union. There are certain exceptions, but not many of them.

While looking, I found the fantabulous website DrivingTestTips.Biz.

This one is all about learning to drive in the UK. Dude! These guys are hardcore. They tell you all about those funny markings on the road, and what not to do when you want to park your car, and why you shouldn't attempt to "overtake" on a country road.

And check it! She is so freaking pumped about her L's. Or maybe she is learning to turn left or something.

One Last Mapfight

This one isn't really fair.

And we aren't even going there.

But take a look at Texas vs Lichtenstein!

Seriously. It's that little flea looking thing. Texas is 4351.51 times as big.

Groceries on Order

One of the places we will visit is a tiny village with about 150 residents tucked onto a Swiss mountainside.

No roads lead to it. You have to take a cablecar not unlike this one:

There is no grocery store and the only "restaurant" is the kitchen of a hostel.

We've got accommodations with kitchens so all I needed to do was find some groceries.

There is a grocery store in the next village up, but it will be closed for the night by the time we get there.

After looking into this issue, I learned that one of the biggest grocery chains in Switzerland ("coop") has online shopping ("coop@home") where I was able to order food, coffee, beer and wine too! The website can be configured for the English language, so the names of the products will be seen in English. (The German you see on the shopping list below was English on the shopping page: Red Wine Vinegar with Raspberries.)

The groceries will be delivered by the Swiss Post right to the door on the day that we arrive.

You have to give them some lead time; I placed my order today from my home in Texas.

Finally -- a useful purpose for the Internet!

About the Logo

A couple of weeks ago, I somehow stumbled across the website MapFight where you can generate area comparisons between different "countries" (though continents and subdivisions of countries are allowed as well).

I showed it to my travel buddies, in particular I showed "Texas vs France".

Patsy -- who you will meet in a later post -- thought it would be a great t-shirt to wear one day while on the trip.

I wasn't so sure of the wisdom of that move, but I did think it would make a clever theme for a blog.

Thus Texas Takes On Europe was born!

Here's how Texas is doing so far:

Texas vs. France Texas is 1.26 times larger
Texas vs. United Kingdom Texas is 2.87 times larger
Texas vs. Switzerland Texas is 16.86 times larger

Of course, we know that cuisine-wise, France is far ahead of Texas; and mountain-wise, Texas can't hold a candle to Switzerland; and the UK has far more Hogwarts than Texas.

Texas is still BIGGER.

And here's a big shout-out to the unknown programmer who put MapFight together in the first place. Thanks, pardner!

Texas is Now Part of France

Texas may have become part of France.

Or perhaps the other way around.

Since my last trip to Europe in 2009, I've become accustomed to the utility of my smart phone: mapping, asking Mr. Google questions, etc.

This trip I wanted data service in Europe. On the other hand, I did not want to pay the arm and the leg that my Stateside phone provider wanted to charge.

Much cheaper rates can be found. The provider I selected offered 1 gigabyte of data and 240 minutes of phone calls (including calls back to the states) all for the low price of 10€ (about $11). No contract. No setup fee. Such a deal!

I requested their starter package.

A couple of weeks later it arrived.

As you can see in the image, the French have apparently annexed Texas.

I wonder if they are still upset over that whole Freedom Fries thing.

Last Week of Waiting!

Whoot!

We've made it to the last week of waiting.

Next week at this time, we'll be winging our way through the air.

Au revoir!

Itinerary

Our itinerary for this trip is:

• 14 May - Leave Austin, fly to Chicago, and then off to Paris.
• 15 May - Land in Paris early, then take train to London.
• 16 May - Visit Salisbury, England and Stonehenge
• 17 May - Explore London
• 18 May - Take train back to Paris
• 19-20 May - Explore Paris
• 21 May - Drive to Switzerland
• 22-23 May - Explore the Gimmelwald area
• 24 May - Drive back to Paris
• 25-26 May - Explore Paris
• 27 May - Return to the States

Prepped Out

I have finally run out of things to think about in preparation for the trip.

Kind of a relief, but at the same time, kind of an emptiness. Identifying and solving so many different things has been tremendously enjoyable.

Here are just some of the investigations I have made:

• Best airfare and entrance/exit points.
• How to book Eurostar tickets.
• Suitable and affordable lodgings for all three of our destinations.
• Renting apartments in Paris (which we ultimately chose against).
• Upgrading my eight year old European GPS with a new model.
• How to return rental cars without having to park them overnight in London/Paris.
• How to buy groceries online and have them delivered in Switzerland on our day of arrival.
• How to get inside the barrier at Stonehenge without paying an arm and a leg.
• How to rent a houseboat on the Seine for lodging purposes (also ultimately chosen against).
• Where did La Grange, Texas derive its name? (Seriously. See more on this in the future.)
• Best choice in hiking socks.
• Setting up my American smartphone to use inexpensive European data plans.

Now with only 12 days left to go, I am going to just try to make it through the next two weeks without completely jonesing out. I am SO ready for dinner in Paris — and that won't even happen until the fourth night after we get to Europe.  Sigh ...

Launch of the Blog!

Less than two weeks to go for our big trip!

A year in the planning!

Soon to be actualized!