Friday, November 14, 2014

6 Days England Summer Solo Travel (United Kingdom)

London - Salisbury - Bath - Warwick - Oxford tour
June 27 to July 03, 2014

"I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." - Isaac Newton

My 34th country to visit, 30th solo backpacking trip, 11th country to visit in Europe, and of course, usual budget do-it-yourself itinerary from arrival to departure.

The name "England" is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means "land of the Angles". The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages. England is the largest of the four "home nations" that make up the United Kingdom. It is also the most populous of the four with almost 52 million inhabitants (roughly 84% of the total population of the UK). The former capital of England was Winchester until replaced by London in the 12th century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England

Big Ben view from Thames River cruise on Westminster Pier

the famous England's landmark, the Stonehenge

Tower Bridge (not the London Bridge) view from Thames River cruise on Tower Pier

This another race against time, very short backpacking researched in somehow detailed manner has a compressed itinerary designed as follows; 

June 27 Friday: London City (Heathrow) Arrival in the afternoon 
June 28 Saturday: London City tour 1st day (Westminster & Tower Hill) 
June 29 Sunday: London City tour 2nd day (Wimbledon, Kensington & West-end Shows)
June 30 Monday: London City tour 3rd day (Royal Air Force Museum, Central London)
July 01 Tuesday: Salisbury (Stonehenge) and Bath City (Roman Bath, Abbey & Royal Crescent) 
July 02 Wednesday: Warwick Castle and Oxford Castle 
July 03 Thursday: London City Departure (Gatwick) in the morning
 

TOTAL BUDGET : USD1,544.87 = PHP67,974 (18% went to plane ticket)

timezone - +0000H UTC;   capital - London;   language - English
currency - Pound 1 GBP = 70 PHP = 1.7 USD 
visa - Filipinos need to apply 1st before travel (how to apply tourist visa in UK?)

Princess Diana portrait inside Kensington Palace

London Parliament building and the iconic Red Telephone Box


"Miss Saigon" before the show starts

Interesting Facts about England (United Kingdom): 
1. English people consume more tea per capita than anybody else in the world (2.5 times more than the Japanese and 22 times more than the Americans or the French).
2. The Slimbridge Wildlife & Wetlands Trust is the world's largest and most diversified wildfowl centre. It has the largest collection of swans, geese, and ducks on Earth, and is the only place where all six species of Flamingo can still be observed.
3. Mother Shipton's Cave near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, is England's oldest recorded tourist attraction. Its owner, Charles Slingsby, fenced off the site in 1630 and started charging visitors to gape at this so-called petrifying well. The mineral-rich water from this uncanny spring has the ability to give objects a stone-like appearance after a prolonged exposure.
4. English people have the highest obesity rate in the European Union (22.3% of men and 23% of women). They also have the highest percentage of overweight women (33.6%) and the 6th highest for men (43.9%).
5. French was the official language of England for about 300 years, from 1066 till 1362.
6. Public schools in England are in fact very exclusive and expensive (£13,500/year in average) private schools. Ordinary schools (which are free), are called state schools.
7. British police do not carry guns except in emergencies.
8. Silburry Hill, in the English county of Wiltshire, is the largest man-made earthen mound in Europe. It was built about 4750 years ago.
9. Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest royal residence in the world still in use. It was originally constructed in 1070 and rebuilt in stone in 1170.


Queen's Guard inside Tower of London

Tower of London

Royal Air Force Museum of London

Arriving from London Heathrow International Airport; 
Kuwait Airways flight arrived almost exactly as per schedule. I arrived 1730H and immediately walked fast to immigration lane. London Heathrow airport (LHR) immigration officer I encountered was somehow relax. I handed-over my passport and given only a single question "what will you do in London?". After less than a minute, I was in full smile going outside and looking for the train bound to Paddington station where a train connection has to be made for another train station where my hostel was located.

Anyways, I divided this wonderful journey into different set of posts to be more specific on its content;

1 comment:

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