Bath - Stonehenge

Belushi's Bath

Leaving London for Bath was a decision caused from lack of available beds at the hostel in Shebu*
St. Christophers has a sweet deal for 2 nights in Bath and free trip to Stonehenge for £33.. thus it was decided by Grant*, Emil & myself to head to Bath for a few days and leave the rapid pace of London.

Grant n Me

*Shebu - English slang for Shepherds Bush.

**Grant and Emil I met in the hostel in the Shebu.

Along the river Avon Bath,
with the St John the Evangelist-
Roman Catholic Church

Bath -
is a ceremonial city in the county of Somerset in the South West of England, 156 km west of London. Initially established as a spa resort by the Romans in AD 43 (it is suggested that its older than that though). The town is built around hot springs and are the only naturally occurring ones in the United Kingdom.

St Michael's Church

We arrived in Bath in the early afternoon, and made our way to the St Christopher's hostel where we were staying. As with this chain of hostels it was above another Belushi's bar.

We where in a fairly good location and had St Michael's church right on our doorstep. It is an impressive sight, with medieval origins this church was built in the 1830's (with its predecessor dating to 1742)

Bath Abbey

The Abbey Church of Saint Peter & Saint Paul (or Bath Abbey) is a Anglican Parish church and former Benedictine monastery. It was founded in the 7th century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries. It is an example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture and has an amazing history. It is the largest and most impressive of the churches in Bath.

Weir on the River Avon

The river Avon runs through Bath and is controlled and has been shaped by wiers. Is is a very scenic little town, and was notably colder than London and also notably cheaper.

mmm chocolate

We checked out the town and settled in for the night heading to a pub up the road for dinner. We found ourselves surrounded by barely dressed uni students on a pub crawl, thus transforming this peaceful little village into a loud fluro, raucous madhouse, it looked a lot of fun :) There are a quite a few uni's in Bath and bringing with it lots of students.

picture of a picture of Stonehenge

The next day we went and sourced our Stonehenge tour, the pick up point being only a short walk from the hostel. Its about an hours drive through the country side, travelling through small villages and seeing some interesting sights.
I got to see some examples of houses with thatched roofs, saw the Westbury White Horse*, and some random tank road signs.

Westbury White Horse

* The Westbury White Horse is a hill figure on the escarpment of Salisbury Plain. It is said to be the oldest of several white horses in Wiltshire and belived to have been created in 1742, and restored to it current shape in 1778. They are carved out of the hill side and consist of white chalk.

Stonehenge is located right on a highway and cordoned off by a fence. Despite not being able to get up close and touch the stones, it is still an impressive place.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire. It is composed of earthworks surrounded by a circular setting of large standing stones, and is at the centre of the most dense Neolithic and Bronze age monuments in England. It is believed to have been erected about 2500 BC. There is still a lot not know about the site, although evidence has been found that indicates it served as a burial ground since its earliest beginnings.

The surrounding area is also littered with burial mounds, these have been used to bury the dead in Britain from 2900 - 800 BC.

We got a headset and walked around listening to some of the known facts and history. The site is in a large grassed area with not much else around which make the stones a fairly prominent landmark.

We just casually strolled around taking it all in, Stonehenge is an amazing place and there is so much unknown about it that it remains fairly mystical. A lot of people are not impressed by the 'Stones' but I think it was definitely worth the trip. There is just something about the place that was moving.

Roman Baths

The Roman Baths are a big tourist attraction in the town. There are four major features, the Scared Springs, the Roman Bath house, the Roman Temple and the Museum holding finds in the Roman Bath.

On our the final day Grant and I went to the current Hot Baths, that you can actually swim in. We where able to get 4 hours for the price of 2 due to a deal with our train tickets. This was the perfect way to spend our last afternoon, relaxing in a heated pool on the roof of the bathhouse in Bath and enjoying the steam rooms. Very relaxing and therapeutic, just what the doctor ordered....

From here it was back on the train to London, where I am still deciding where to go next... I am just planning to finish out the week, and see some more of Europe!!! YEW

Roman Bath House

Seeing the sights of London.... finally

Back into the Bush, again...

Into the St Christopher's and the good old Belushi's Bar - This place has become my home away from home.
There is actually a live feed into the bar through this link!!

(Emil should get the thanks for notifying me of this.. it is well wicked- I often used it to see what was happening in the bar, without having to go down and check :)

The plan was to chill around London for the next 2 weeks, I especially needed to do some sight seeing in London, and have some much needed recovery time!!

Hyde Park

After a few days of recovery I finally went out and (you guessed it) did some sightseeing in London :)
First stop was Hyde Park (this is only about a 20 minuet bus ride away (and takes even less time on the train lol)

Art Exhibitions in Hyde Park

Walking through the park there was some art exhibitions set up, these where definitely cool.

You can actually see me in this picture
------>

The Albert Memorial

This is a picture of the Albert Memorial and you can see The Royal Albert Hall behind it.
I walked through the park along the Lancaster Walk, which just cuts across it and comes out at the monument.

Wellington Arch

From here it was past the Wellington Arch on the way to Buckingham Palace. This Arch (and the Marble Arch found in the North of Hyde Park) where planned in 1825 by George IV to commemorate Britain's victories in the Napoleonic wars.

 

Victoria Memorial

This is the Victoria Memorial, and is situated in the Queen's Garden right out the front of Buckingham Palace. It was completed in 1911, and is constructed of 2,300 tons of white marble. The sculpture has a nautical theme which are expressive of London's naval power.

Buckingham Palace

Me at Buckingham Palace, I think this is the first time I have ever worn a scarf (and certainly not to be the last).
I didn't get to see the changing of the guards that day but I think it is just as the name suggest's :)

Next stop was St James park on the way towards the centre of London city and the River Thames. These crazy little critters climb the fences when they think you have got food to give them...

Hence there is a lot of fat little squirrels throughout most of the parks in London.

Big Ben

Finally I got to see Big Ben, a major landmark I really wanted to see.
(another tick of the list :)

It is the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world, and the third largest free standing clock tower.

Despite the overcast day, it was still an impressive sight.

The London Eye

The London Eye or Millennium Wheel,is a 135 metre tall Ferris wheel and the biggest in Europe.
It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, with over 3.5 million people visiting it annually, and is just across the river from Big Ben.

House of Lords

There are a lot of other sights I did see throughout the day that haven't got a mention so far. I passed The Cenotaph and The House of Lords in my travels and got to experience Harrods
- England's most famous (and expensive) department store. I went inside for a quick look - it was absolutely mammoth!! it occupies a 20,000m² site and has over 50,000m² of selling space... Absolutely Freakin Huge!!!

Mortimer Street

Some of the sights of London ✔ done... It had been a good day, thanks to Emil who helped me navigate around town, he has made a good impromptu tour guide now in more than 1 country :)

Me wearing some randoms hat.
Probably drunk lol

That night we kicked it with Paul a mate from Oktoberfest, and got to see some pubs and clubs around London which I hadn't seen, and proceeded to get pretty wasted.

Another great day in London Town.

First Beer of the Day

During the next week I went with Olli to the Camden Markets. This place was a sea of entertainment. There is lots of street artists, food stalls and plenty of shops. I had a magician pick on me - he took a £5 note off me for his act, then at the end of his set proceeded to produce it from the inside of a walnut which was inside an egg.... (this was his only good trick, and it made me stay for the whole act lol)

Street Performer

This guy was actually pretty good. The picture is of him juggling machetes on a giant unicycle. He was on this thing for at least 20 minuets doing various tricks (which was a feat on its own).

Camden was good fun and a nice easy morning, there was lots to see and good food to sample. Definitely worth the visit.

This plaque was in Camden, and was a good find. There is a lot of these interesting things that can be found around London. Sometime you just have to be lucky to find them :)




(link to FB pics from around London)




It was good to see more of London then the inside if a beer glass, although that has given me lots of fun memories as well :) Despite what it may seen there is more to travelling than just the beer, although it has been an integral part.


Signing off for another round. Be back again soon.. Morty :)

Volksfest Stuttgart - Oktoberfest tour final hoorah

The Schiller memorial

Stuttgart is the 6th largest city in Germany and is the capital of Baden-Wüttemberg, (which is one of the 16 states of Germany). It is a becoming a major centre of industry and research, with world famous automobile companies and state-of-the-art science & research facilities.

Neues Schloss

It is located between vineyards and forests ...with the Black Forest only about an hour away and vineyards coming right into town. It is also a renowned cultural city, through its Opera, ballet programs and art galleries.
____________________________________________________
Recapping, on the last blog, and finalising my time in Munich....

Beer Hall

We returned from our journey to the Neuschwanstein Castle for our final night in München. Emil and I headed back into the town centre to check out one of the famous Beer halls, to get a feed and sample a few beverages.

Upon returning to the hostel it appeared that Oktoberfest had arrived back at the hostel bar....there was singing and dancing to all the great Oktoberfest songs (check the link..this song is classic), the English lyrics can be found on this site. Everyone was extremely messy, most before they had even stepped foot into the hostel, after all it was the last day of Oktoberfest!!!

Johnny Rockstar

The next morning our busabout tour group checked out, most still recovering from the night before... we all piled back onto the bus driven by our trusty driver 'Johnny Rockstar' and headed straight for Stuttgart.. to Volskfest....
Yet another beerfest YEW :)

Cannstatter Volksfest

Cannstatter Volksfest: Is an annual 3 week (17 days) festival in Stuttgart. It takes place from the end of September to the beginning of October and overlaps with Oktoberfest in Munich. It is held on an area called the Cannstatter Wasen, the Wasen area is located in the Stuttgart city district of Bad Canstatt near the river Neckar.

We arrived in the early afternoon, and where staying at Hotel Espenalub..... a real hotel, with a real bed :) This is the white building in the picture to the left. (after the green scaffolding)
We checked in, then went on a tour of Stuttgart. It was a lovely city (as all German cities have been).
(Stuttgart pics - FB)
There is so much history in Europe that Australia just doesn't have! I mean there is the Eureka Stockade and Burk and Wills for example...(lol :)) but these things just don't compare.

The reality is I was largely oblivious to a lot of the early history in Europe... as unless you study history at school in Australia you have very little exposure to it.

mmm beer

With Volskfest awaiting we headed back to prepare for our last celebration of all things that is BEER!!.

We made a short bus trip up to Cannstatter Wasen, and prepared ourselves yet again... Volksfest is more of a local event rather than international event and we definitely stood out arriving in our orange busabout T-shirts.

the Fruit Column

In many ways it is very similar to Oktoberfest; there is an amazing atmosphere and the enjoyment of beer in Steins is the norm. It still had all the rides you could want (including the worlds biggest mobile Ferris wheel), there where the beer tents, live music and great beer drinkin food... the only things it lacked where the stupidly busy crowds of Oktoberfest.
This was the place for me :)

The 'Fruit Column' is symbolic of Cannstatter Wasen, it is a wooden pillar decorated with fruit which stands 26 metres high and weighs 3.5 tons. It is a symbol that recalls the origins of the Cannstatter Volksfest as an agricultural festival.

We arrived early afternoon and made our way to the Stuttgarter Hofbräu tent to join in the festivities. Included in our prize package where 2 free Steins of beer and half a chicken, (sweeet :) and so minus a small tip for our beer wench our first drinks where free....

(these are always the best kind of drinks :)

The afternoon started off slowly for me as I was still recovering from my many consecutive alcohol fuelled nights, but after 2 steins I was strangely no longer suffering from these ill effects.... I guess after 2 litres of beer it is easy to forget why you where feeling this way in the first place...lol

Wasen-Hasi

This smiling giant rabbit is Wasen-Hasi, it has its origins from the Swabian folk-song "Aufm Wasa garset Hasa..." which translated literally means "the rabbits browse on the Wasen..." It is the mascot for Volkfest and has only been around since 2007.
Emil and I decided that it was a good idea to get a snapshot with this happy rabbit, and I have since posted this picture on Hostelworlds website noting 'winners of Oktoberfest comp'

Booster Max 4G is on the right

After our 2 Steins, Emil and I decided to hit the some of the rides (having not gone on any so far). It was decided that after 2 it should be okay but any more would spell trouble. The first ride we went on was the Countdown Freefall, which was similar to the giant drop (Dreamworld). This was too easy so we stepped it up and went on something a bit more intense, the Booster Max 4G fit the bill, this was gold! It spun you around and went upside down and had a great view from the top.

Maxximum

Still not satisfied we went looking for something more extreme again and we came across the Maxximum. Emil and I where the only ones on the ride, so Emil asked the staff to make it go to the Maximum!!!...this was not a good idea, and really shook me up (literately). It was intense and when I got off, could not do any more!! I was out, (Emil tried to get me go on rides more but I couldn't do it)..

Beer Wench

Back in the Stuttgarter Hofbräu house it was pumping and everyone was looking well sourced, so there was nothing to it but to join in again :)
MORE beers required!
(thanks to Paul & Inger for this great pic, its a beauty)

Still feeling a little shaky from that last ride I decided to order my (free) half chicken and roll. This has got to be the best thing I have ever eaten!!! It was simply amazing :)
(a thanks to Bumpy for this pic).

We must have had some of the best seats in the house, right in front of the band, two tables back. Throughout afternoon and into the night the band was smashing out the classics (and not so classics :), there where flames shooting out the sides of the stage and they really engaged the entire audience.

The rest of the evening progressed as expected, messily :) there was lots of dancing on tables, singing and general drunken shenanigans.

I got pushed off my chair while dancing, twice!! by the some idiots who were mucking around behind us.

Inger n Me

The first time I fell on about 5 steins and did not spill any (CrAzY) the second time I wasn't so lucky (and neither was Inger :( I am still very sorry about that Inger) I fell spilling beer all over her & me as she was trying to eat her dinner.
I had a sore lower back for about a week from that fall...

NB: dancing on things can be dangerous in a crowded beer hall, especially after a few litres of beer. :)

We stayed until closing that night, it had been a great day of drinking!
Volksfest is awesome :) And I highly recommend it, especially if you have done the Oktoberfest thing before.

Me n Emil

We staggered out to try and find the train. It was quite hard for our drunken group to stay together in the mass of people exiting the grounds and did manage to loose half of them on the way station (which was 200 metres away (lol)). Re-grouping, we jumped on a train and missioned away from Volksfest
Some people decided to go out into the Stuttgart night-life (even though it was a Monday night).

I went back to the hotel deciding I had, had enough...

in the great words of Marg Simpson
Marge: "Homer you are overstimulated lets get some beer into you and its straight to bed"
Homer: "WooHoo, BeerBeerBeer, BedBedBed"
:) :)

Our final day in Stuttgart, we had enough time before we flew out to check out the Mercedes Benz Museum. Still feeling a little raw, I grabbed my last German breaky (which I have been missing lately) then jumped onto the bus and  headed to the venue.

The museum is huge, I must have taken at least 50 photos (FB link) while I was in there. You get a lift to the top and them work your way down in a spiral manner. It covers the entire history of the motor vehicle as we know it.

Pope Mobile

We spent our remaining time wandering around this amazing museum with our audio guides. It was a great way to spend the morning. There is some really cool things in there, such as; the Pope Mobile, a 4WD from Jurassic Park, and car owned by John Lennon (all Mercedes).

Our flight was booked for late afternoon from Stuttgart, so after some lunch made our way to the hotel to await our departure.

Having now done Oktoberfest for the opening and closing weekends I feel I have now done it properly :) The busabout tour is a good way to see the Beer festivals and would highly recommend it.
I have met some amazing people, most now I'm friends with on FB, and some I have even seen since and had more drinks with :) in London...

In the great words of Damo,
        "what happens in Oktoberfest stays on facebook"
(this has become apparently true, with many a drunken photo appearing with my name on it, lol)

Sunset over Europe

All good things must come to and end, it was time to leave Germany for London again!!!

I was due for another recovery period (which my liver was eagerly anticipating).

Although I did buy a litre bottle of single malt scotch whiskey @ the duty free store on the way out :)


        Until next time, same bat time same bat channel :)