Stonehenge.

This was an old entry that was saved as a draft since my laptop crapped out & I was too lazy to go back and finish the entry...


Being in England has been great.  I continue to forget that I am in a different country despite the constant reminders:  driving on the "wrong" side of the road, narrow roads, ancient buildings, abundance of mercedes & BMWs, & extremely expensive everything.  Different terms I've learned thus far:


Bathroom = Toilet or Loo
Take out = Take away
Cotton Candy = Candy Floss
Popsicle = Ice lolly
Fries = Chips
Subway = Tube


It's quite interesting.  The accents still amuse me.  Just listening to my little nephew speak cracks me up.  Ok, he's not so little.  According to this stores measuring poster thing, Gian is the height of a 7 year old (he just turned 6 on Saturday).  I am the height of a 12 1/2 year old.  Hahah!  


Anyway, we checked out of the hotel on Monday morning.  We left our baggage with Guest Services while Peter & I walked around London.  We headed down to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard.  We made it just in time to watch them at their starting point.  We then headed down the street to the gates where there was a SEA of people.  We pretty much missed most of the ceremony as everyone fought for a spot near the gates.  We could hear the band/guards, but we couldn't see anything.  So we waited & waited  until they came towards our way.  The man standing next to us had extremely bad body odor.  It was a bit nauseating to say the least.  It was bright & sunny out, so everytime a gust of wind blew by, the feeling was bittersweet.


After that we got a drink & sat around & relaxed in the park for a bit.  We walked some more through the sights and ended up in Covent Garden.  We should've gone here earlier!  We were hanging around Chinatown so much, we didn't get a chance to check this area out.  We did some shopping and picked up some things for people.  I also now have more scarves than I will ever need in a lifetime.  There were a lot of shops & it was just a quaint collection of buildings, stores, & restaurants.  Performers also riddled the streets as the masses were drawn to them like flies.  We finally said our goodbyes to Leicester Square and headed to the Tube.

My cousin & his family were gracious enough to let us stay with them for the remainder of our trip.  We all went to Stonehenge today.  I never thought I would get to see such a sight this early on in my life, but I did.  I expected it to be much more grand, but it didn't disappoint.  Just being there.. was amazing for me.  Maybe if we were allowed closer, allowed to actually touch the rocks, the henges would surely tower over me.  Being in the English countryside was also a sight to see.  Peter, my nephew (cousin's son! it's just easier to say nephew), & I took a walk through the grasslands to get closer to the sheep.  It was adorable seeing my nephew follow Peter like that.  I can't imagine how the experience would've been if we were there for sunrise or sunset.  There were sooo many tourists there.  I think I would very much like to enjoy the area all by my lonesome.  There's a sense of mystery there, a sense of peace.  I'd prefer it not be clouded by the presence of people all around me.  I'll have to do that next time!  I picked up some postcards & a stonehenge ecobag (only £2.50!) as souvenirs.  


We headed out shortly after our walk through the fields.  We stopped by KFC for lunch!  Yum yum.  I love KFC.  It was interesting to see the menu & their portions of food once again.  I continuously receive reminders of how over indulgent us American's can be.  Their "large" sized side dishes were no bigger than those mini-sized play-doh containers!  I was also amused by my nephews choice of food.  Sweet corn dipped in baked beans & ketchup.  LOL.  Kids are so strange.  


We started heading back towards the city to go "picking" at this farm.  You can pick your own berries, fruits, vegetables, or flowers, & just pay for them at the closest kiosk.  Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating and it started pouring rain.  We decided to head back to Hayes & once we got home, the sun broke through the clouds & the rain stopped.  Great timing!  Hahah.  At that point my cousin decided to just take us shopping in Uxbridge.  I picked up a last minute birthday gift for my mom & my cousin hooked me up with a super sweet pair of Adidas Superstar shoes!  Oh man, I love it, so much!  I don't think you can find it in the states, which makes it even more sweet!  He even got me a Nike top to use for sports/running.  I know, I'm so spoiled :)) It's the benefits of being the baby of the family.  Hehe.


I'm so lucky.  So blessed in my life.