Day 3 in the UK- Part 2

DAY 3 (PART 2)- March 9

So, we finished left our tour of Bath just before it ended in order to grab a snack and meet our minibus to Stonehenge and Lacock Village.  We used Mad Max Mini Tours, and they were wonderful!!

Salisbury Plain, on the way to Stonehenge.

Those mounds are burial mounds.

An artist's rendering of what Stonehenge might have looked like originally.

A third of these huge stones is underground.  That bird gives a bit of perspective on how big they are.

Sheep in the surrounding fields.

After seeing Stonehenge, which, admittedly, was cool, but not necessarily holy to me, we headed to the nearby village of Lacock, a tiny town stuck in history.  It was established in 1232 and is now almost completely owned by the National Trust, which preserves it.  Its used in a lot of historical dramas because the set is already there with hardly any modern accoutrements--like streetlights.  Some things that have been filmed there include BBC's Pride and Prejudice, the upcoming film Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box, and, most excitingly, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  and Half-Blood Prince.  EEEEEEEeeeeeeee!!!!!!

This is Lacock Abbey- where they filmed a lot of the interiors of Hogwarts.  Alas, we couldn't go in that day.  But here's a screen shot of what it looks like:

This is as close as I got though :)

Down a street in Lacock.

Basically the early Bishop's Storehouse.  This barn is where the town collected ten percent of your increase--sheep, crops, etc.

This is a lock up where they would throw drunks in for a good long while.  It was pitch black and by the time they came out, they were really sensitive to the sun....hence the phrase, "blind drunk."

The inside of the cell.

This used to be a poor house.  These people were so poor that they had to go to the building on the right to use the bathroom.  Their urine was used to dye things, originating the phrase, "So poor he didn't have a pot to piss in."

Our guide explaining that people had to stand on this stone to seal a barter with a handshake at the market.  That's why the steps are so uneven and worn down.

The church in Lacock.

The graveyard.

At last, a close up shot of a Harry Potter landmark.  This is in the first movie, and its Harry's parents house.  This is where Voldemort goes to try to kill Harry.

The cutest little bakery.  And delicious!!!

Thus began my love affair with scones, jam, and clotted cream.  

We saw a few other cool things on our way back to Bath, and then we went out in search of food.  We learned that when someone says, "Come back at half eight," it doesn't mean 7:30.  It means 8:30.  You're welcome.  But we ended up at a delicious little tapas-type bistro.

This old home goes for a cool 3 million pounds.

We saw lots of thatched roofs that day.

A series of locks, which are devices for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water.

Back in the lobby of the hotel.

Headed out for dinner.

These were all small plates, and I got the French onion soup and duck confit.  AMAZING.  Jordan got the sea bass and ox cheek.  We were rewarded for our bravery in ordering things we couldn't pronounce or understand.

What a fantastic day!!!!!  Stay tuned for Day 4...York!