Trip Report Part 3 of 3: Britain

Following our day in Paris, we took the train to London and stayed for four nights in the suburb of Chertsey, at The Bridge Hotel. I have quite a bit of family on my father's side in England, and he timed his yearly vacation to his birth country such that he was able to act as our tour guide over the course of the trip. It has been sixteen years (note: I'm 25 years old) since I last visited Britain, so spending time with family I haven't seen in ages was a treat.

We spent a great deal of time driving around the English countryside. They may have a mere fraction of the land that we Canadians enjoy, but what they do have is groomed and manicured to an extent that you really have to see to believe. Perfectly trimmed hedges are everywhere. Wild ponies in the New Forest and some ridiculously tame Peacocks provided a lot of cute factor.

We spent one day in inner London, taking a boat tour which gave a good view (along with humorous live narration) of many historic sites, including the London Eye, Big Ben, the Parliament Building, the Tower of London, many of the bridges along the river Thames, and many other significant buildings I'm surely forgetting.

Outside of London, our major destinations were the Bournemouth area and the Canterbury area in Kent. Canterbury cathedral was even more awe inspiring than I remembered, and that's saying something. The castles of Dover and Courfe were both very interesting to view, especially given I have a soft spot for the medieval.

Here are a few photographs from our adventures:

The London Eye, viewed via boat. The picture doesn't quite do the size justice, it is one really, really big Ferris wheel.


A shot of Tower Bridge from the boat. My favorite of the bridges which span the river Thames.


Big Ben, and what I'm 90% sure is the Parliament Building to the left. Again, viewed from a boat tour taking us down the river Thames.


A look at Canterbury Cathedral, the Vatican equivalent for those of the Anglican branch of the Christian faith. The stained glass windows and tombs contained within are breathtaking.