Tag: adventure

Stonehenge

ah.rinLeave a comment

A while back, I had the chance to jump on a bus and take a tour of Stonehenge and the city of Bath. Honestly, I wasn’t as excited for Stonehenge because a ton of rocks, well, that’s just the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever heard of. As it was the first stop, I was more than ready to step off, take a quick glance, and move onto Bath. It’s probably one of the most photographed sites in the world and most visited sites in the UK, so it makes you feel like you’ve been there already, right? How many history textbooks have Stonehenge in it, or rather, how many don’t?

When our group actually got to the area, we learned that we had to take a shuttle to the Heritage site and then walk ourselves. The museum and tourist info site are where the shuttle bus is located; you can learn the history and take a quick break in there. The shuttle bus takes about ten minutes, plus or minus some, to actually get to the stones.

This is the distance from the stones.

From far away you can spot the stones and it’s actually amazing to see in person. I guess you could say I felt the magic from seeing one of the wonders of the world; it’s similar to saying I went to a castle compared to actually going into Neuschwanstein. Part of it, I think, is also the mystery surrounding how it was built. You can’t help wonder how and why, and also just savor the ancient beings in front of you.

Stonehenge was actually opened to the public with no boundaries but visitors were climbing on the stones and even scenarios of graffiti made the officials rope it off. When the solstices come by, I have heard there are large parties organized to see the sunrises, so plan accordingly! The walking path can get quite muddy, especially if you go after a rainy day.

My favorite picture from Stonehenge. Looks like we’ve traveled back in time.

The stones themselves range from one to a few stories high, depending which one you walk by. According to the experts, there used to be more standing, but just like how they were made, many people don’t know where or how they got there. Many helpful placards are spaced out on the walk and it helps explain the history and background of the site.

I went in February a few years back so I definitely needed a coat, but on the bright side, there weren’t as many tourists as I’ve been told. In the summer months it can be hard to walk down the path without bumping shoulders. I remember it was pretty windy but a peaceful walk. It does really make you wonder how they came to be and what happened while the stones were being constructed.

I would recommend going here if you’re exploring London, but I would combine it with another tour. It’s a good day trip if you go to Stonehenge along with a nearby site like Bath or the Cotswold. I gotta say, I had an amazing and hilarious tour guide, so that just amped up the experience for me as well. Go to Stonehenge to soak in the experience and history, not just to say you’ve been. The stones also are a good photographing subject; expect to get NatGeo quality pictures soon!

Hugs!

The Highlands

ah.rinLeave a comment

Ah, time for reminiscing. Another episode of of “What Happened to Me” shall start again! Cue the facepalm(s).

So this time, Little Ol’ Me was on the way to the Scottish Highlands by herself on a tour early last year. It is rather odd to be the only one in a group of twenty or thirty and stand on the side, watching everyone in pairs and small groups. But this was an exciting day, full of adventure and mountains!

  • That railway is magNIFicent.

It did start with a ton of snow and slippery roads in the morning, but we got to Loch Lomond and Glencoe in a whirl. So going north a bit, we arrived at Loch Ness in a rollercoaster of narrow and bumpy roads. At this time, it was around 2(?)ish in the afternoon and we were shown around the area, then left to be free for a couple of hours.

Funfunfun. We get back to the bus and suddenly our driver gives us this weird noise through the mic and says that we might have to stand by for little while because our bus wouldn’t start.

? ? ?

There were two groups of college kids that were on vacation who had to be back in Edinburgh by the next day and a lady (not the most organized) had a flight out of the city at night. So Panic spreads in the bus and people are making phone calls like crazy, the mother in front of me is growing with concern that she’s jittery, and I am in the back on my phone.

In around a half hour, we were notified that there was a mechanic coming down from the other side of town and he very quickly figured out what was wrong (apparently some of the batteries melted some part of the system under a panel in the bus…or maybe the batteries itself?)

I am totally downplaying this because it was really chaotic and our driver was slightly freaking out over prepping to make night reservations (just in case). But would you ever expect that the bus for a day trip to suddenly break down?

Also to add, in the earlier part of the day, parked on a cliff side (remember: mountains), the bus was starting to get faulty because it was shut off, but started to move on it’s own with me, another lady, and the driver. Imagine this in your head: a group of tourists taking pictures of mountains and their bus behind them starts rolling away in circles.

  • Right before we left the Highlands~

Ah, solo travel. What an experience. It all sounds really stressful, but I knew myself that I would be back safe and sound. Also, I get this story out of it. I still recommend to go and try travelling by yourself because you learn a lot more about your attitudes and behaviors in a new environment.

Until next time!