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Last Updated: 03. Mai 2000
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Our English Heritage, Great Britain
Southern England
Arriving on the Ferry
Battle of Hastings
Avebury
The Longleat Hedge Mazes
Shakespeare's Birthplace
Cadbury World
Arriving on the Ferry
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We arrived in England by ferry through the Dover port. Our first impression of England was the magnificent white cliffs of Dover. We expected an easier time of traveling in England than any other country in Europe, because there is no language barrier. We underestimated how strange it would be to drive on the opposite side of the road. We started driving on B-route roads, so we quickly experienced the strangeness. Not only did we need to look for cars in the opposite direction, but also we had to find traffic and road signs on the opposite side of the road. We found not only single roundabouts but multiple roundabouts as well as roundabouts for no apparent reason. Needless to say, we knew that we were in a foreign country. We did not need to figure out the word for exit but we had other things to learn. By the way, the word 'exit' in French is 'sortie' and in German it is 'ausfahrt'.
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Battle of Hastings
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We visited the town of Battle, the location of the battlefield for the Battle of Hastings. It is very close to the city of Dover, along the English Channel. Although it was raining - actually pouring - we walked through the battlefields and imagined what it was like on that day in 1066. While walking through the battlefield, we enjoyed listening to an audio description of the battle from three different viewpoints. We heard from an Anglo-Saxon warrior, a Norman invader, and an Anglo-Saxon woman. The woman would often join the men in the battlefield camps and help them by providing food and medical assistance. It was interesting to hear the English viewpoint, especially after hearing the Norman viewpoint when we saw the Bayeux Tapestry in France.
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Avebury
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All our tour books recommended going to Avebury rather than Stonehenge to see the stone circles. Avebury has a larger stone circle than Stonehenge and the town of Avebury has 'grown up' around the stone circle. Although it is no longer possible to walk around the stone circle at Stonehenge, it is possible to walk around and picnic near the stone circle at Avebury. We found an impressive postcard with an aerial view of the town and the stone circle. The stone circle consists of about 1,000 stones in a 1400-foot diameter ring with a deep ditch surrounding much of the town of Avebury.
Another advantage of going to Avebury is the opportunity to see the "Wiltshire White Horses" carved in the hillside. There are numerous horse forms carved into the chalk hillsides. Some of these carvings are about 1,000 years old. The horse carvings look like giant cave paintings, only carved on the gentle green hills.
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The Longleat Hedge Mazes
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Before completing our visit of England, we had to go to one of the famous hedge mazes. We choose Longleat because it is one of the longest hedge mazes in England. Erika and I almost got lost in it! Chris saved us and helped us to find the center of the maze. He has an incredible sense of direction.
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Shakespeare's Birthplace
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Our long drive through Southern England and Cotswold lead us along many acres of rolling green hills and many, many sheep. At times, it seemed as though we saw more sheep than people. In Stratford-upon-Avon, we visited Shakespeare's birthplace. By visiting his house, we got a glimpse into how a merchant family lived during the 15th century. This is one of the first places that we realized that we could communicate easily with the guides. The guides were very helpful in answering our questions and pointing out significant features of the various rooms. We even learned about a very old-style baby walker. It was basically a pole from ceiling to floor. There was a straight perpendicular piece of iron connected to the pole at one end with a collar at the waist. The baby could walk around the tall pole in a circular area and be involved in family activities but yet not get into trouble like touching the fire or the sharp knives on a table.
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Cadbury World
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In Birmingham, we visited Cadbury World to learn about the history of making chocolate and to taste some of the wonderful chocolate. With the admission ticket, we were given 3 candy bars each! The Europeans learned about chocolate from the Mayan civilization in Mexico. The Mayans had a very sour chocolate flavored drink with chili spices, cinnamon, and honey. During the tour, we were offered a chocolate drink sample with chili spices but also some natural sweeteners - it was very tasty. We saw the packaging plant and the specialty molding facilities. Erika was surprised to see Easter Bunny molds and to discover how a chocolate Easter Bunny or Santa Claus is made.
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Die Fotogalerie von der Grossbritannien
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See you all later.
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