After we left Paris, my dad and I headed to London. We stayed in a hotel and went to the Tate Britain on our first day, but then straight away headed out west on a little road trip. We booked a bed and breakfast in a tiny town called Lynmouth in Exmoor National Park. It was probably the most adorable town I've ever seen - like a mix between The Shire, Disneyland, and Cape Cod. It was right on the shore, but also hidden in a valley of huge mountains, so it allowed for amazing views of the sea (and even Wales on the horizon). We spent a day walking around and took a little hike along the cliffs. Some goats even crossed our path! It really gave me a feel for the beautiful, but very very different landscape of England (as opposed to Tuscany). I didn't mind the chilly winds or overcast sky - it actually was very atmospheric. Definitely reminiscent of "Wuthering Heights" or "The Secret Garden". There was something enchanting about the endless fields of the moors stretching out of the ground on high cliffs by the sea.
Secret Garden anyone?
Yeah. Secret Garden.
Dad on a cliff!
Tea and crumpets after a chilly walk
Sheep dots
Heathcliff lives here
Watersmeet
New Years Eve we went to pub in Lynmouth and had some really good seafood - something I wasn't sure I would otherwise experience during this year. Then we watched "The 400 Blows" at the bed and breakfast and drifted off to sleep listening to the fireworks on the bay at midnight.
Our journey back to London the next day was a bit hectic, as was all of the driving (it's the other side of the road! so scary!). We made a bit of an error and ended up heading towards Bath instead of Stonehenge, so we decided to visit that instead. I had no idea Bath was such a lovely city! The architecture was beautiful - all very classical and Roman influenced. The actual museum of the Roman Baths was really fascinating. I highly recommend visiting because it's incredibly informational, but also fun. You can tell the curators really care about the history of this place and want visitors to imagine what it might have been like. I think we stayed there for 3 hours alone. I'd love to go back to Bath for a longer stay, because it looks like it's very pedestrian and quaint, but also pretty posh and lively.
Gorgon head
Stones from rings found in the drains of the bath
Collect 'em all
Head of Minerva
Remains of original groundwork in front of the Temple of Minerva
Steps to Temple of Minerva
Sacred Bath
Look familiar.. maybe our kitchen floor?
How they heated the floors
Full moon driving back to London
Finally we made it back to London. On my dad's last day of his visit, he went out to explore 'Blake's London' - a lot of the different parts of London that William Blake lived or worked, and he visited Blake's grave (the real one). We met with a member of the Blake Society to learn more about him and his life in London.
We went to a North African restaurant for dinner and had some yummy chicken and lamb with couscous.
The next day I said goodbye to Dad and got dropped off at orientation with Arcadia, so I will have to post about that soon. But as of now, I'm moved into my room at Royal Holloway!
