South England and my last week

My last week in England- spending time in the South

 

Time went so quickly! I left East Leake after nearly four months on Sunday. It was very sad but all the people said I should come back soon and that I am always welcome. Pam and Paul gave me a card and J invited all friends for a leaving-do lunch.

I was a little bit sad but I'm sure I want to come back to visit them and J wants to come around christmas to Germany so we'll meet them as well.

I travelled by megabus to London. It took 2:40 hours but it was an easy and comfy journey. My parents waited paitently and it was so great to see them again! We enjoyed our evening and went for a meal and drinks in Maxwell's. That's a restaurant/bar in the middle of London. I showed my parents Covent Garden by night and we listend to a singer on the street. We went to bed late and it was all in all a stirring and very exiting day!

Covent Garden market

On the next day we went to the city centre to see Covent Garden market by daylight. My parents were fascinated by the place and we really liked it there. We went by tube to Victoria station and then by train to Guildford. My father had hired a car in Guildford and that worked out well. So after that we were independent and drove to Portsmouth. In Portsmouth we went to a grocery store to get all the things we need for the next days and then met Denise. She is the landlord of our appartment here in Portsmouth. On the first day we wandered around and experienced the surrounding. Portsmouth is influenced by the royal navy and has got a big harbour. We went to the Gunwharf Quay's marina which had got many shops and restaurants. It was a rainy day but we made the most of it.

On the next day we went by catamaran to the Isle of Wight. We drove around by bus and all the people round were really helpful.

the pier on the Isle of Wight

 

We went to the Osborne House were Queen Victoria and her husband Albert stayed for their summer holidays. It was a coincident that it was Albert's birthday on the day we went. We had afternoon tea in one of the tearooms and it was a perfect day. 

Highclere Castle from outside

Yesterdays was fantastic,too because we went to Highclere Castle and to Stonehenge. Highclere Castle is the place where Downton Abbey was filmed. We paid 20 pounds (!) to get inside but the house was ever so stunning!

a selfie and (of course) traditional cream tea

We wandered around the hall, the library and all the bedrooms of the family. It really looked like it looks when you watch Downton Abbey and the interior was so precious. There were lots of people but we made our way and it was worth it. We had also access to the Egyptian axhibition. The current Earl's grandfather travelled to  Egypt to search for treasures and he found a lot of them. He found tombs, jewellery,cutlery and many more. It was fantastic to get to know his biography. He nearly lost all his money by travelling to Egypt because he first did not find much but after 5 years he made good founds and earned enough money to keep travelling and searching. His wife had also an interesting biography. She worked as a nurse and used their big house as a hospital in the war.

We had (again) Scones and drove to Stonehenge. I had free entry permission because I am a member of the National Trust. We drove to the ring and had a guided tour by audio guides.

That was really good because they tell you everything (about the builders, the history and so on). What made me really suprised was the fact that the whole area around Stonehenge is interesting. There were lots of barrows under which they found human corpses and other things. Stonehenge is a mystery because the people don't know on which purpose it was built. The area is mystic and a little  bit scary because there is a special energy. We were not allowed to get into the ring and across the barrier because the English heritage is afraid that people or the erosion caused by them can destroy the site.

 Stonehenge-so amazing!

It was a great day. After we had dinner at home we wandered around the pier and enjoyed a drink at a local pub.

Today we are off to Brighton and I am anxious to see the city because I've heard that it is a lovely seaside city.