LEEDS CASTLE - The Loveliest Castle in the World

On 25th July, Tuesday, I visited Leeds Castle which is situated quite close to Ashford, so I travelled by bus. It took about 40 minutes to get there and cost £6.60.

Leeds Castle has won "The Loveliest Castle in the World" title. So you would expect a lot... and here you really get this, too.

Ticket costs £21.90 (student concession) and and additional £3.15 for the audio guide.

Of course, unfortunately, the picture above is not taken by me, but you need to see a picture like this to really understand the location of the castle. It is built on TWO islands. One is the big 'thing' you can clearly see (building on the left hand side, the grass and the square-shaped building on the right hand side). The other island is actually just the building on the far right hand side in the picture. The two castles (and islands) are connected by a bridge:

The view is just gorgeous!

From the other side:

The clouds aren't so nice, are they?

And the inside is just as amazing as you would expect. Here come loads of pictures from the indise. If they are boring for you, just scroll down:

Central floor heating:

These were photos from the old part of the castle. The newer part was flourishing druring the 1920'. Lady Baillie occupied the castle then and organised parties like we know from The Great Gatsby. The photo below is a painting about her (in the middle) and her two daughters:

She really lived there and meant really lot for the castle. Even her shoes are on display:

Here come pictures from the moderner part of the castle. Again, if they are boring skip them:

And finally, the maze. Yes, it is a real maze. Yes, there are really points where you can't go any further, you have to turn and turn again, and you completely loose where you are. In this maze, the aim is to go from the entrance to the middle, where a small stone tower waits for you to climb it.

You can't really get lost here, though. Once beacause at four points on your way there is some help which direction you should go. Second because there are usually lots of children there, who go to the maze regularly and already know the way. So the task is easy: follow them.

Financial report: the trip cost altogether £31.65, so about 11.000 Ft.

LONDON - The Inside - Part 2

As I have already mentioned, the girls went to their grandparents in Wales for a week, which gave me the opportunity to travel more. So, obviously, I continued my 'Inside Tour'.

If you travel on a weekedays, it is considered to be peak-time, so the rail tickets are much more expensive. It cost £36.70:

I started my tour by walking past and over the famous and beautiful Tower Bridge:

When on the bridge, this all you see as a sign of the bridge being able to open:

Like a piece of art, isn't it?

And finally, later that day, I was able to see the bridge open:

Then I went to visit the Tower of London. I wanted to start my day there because it is an extremely popular place among tourists, and if you arrive during the day, you will spend almost unbearable time with standing in queues. The ticket is - inmy opinion, considering what you can see inside - a bit expensive. It cost £22, and an additional £3 for the audio guide (both student concession).

The whole place consists of several buildings, you go around, go inside, look what is there, which is not really much. Here are some pictures from the inside:

King Henry VIII:

The spot of famous beheadings, like Anne Boleyn's:

The  so called Queen's House which is the only original Tudor house that survived the London Big Fire 1666:

And finally the notorious Bloody Tower:

 

After the Tower of London I walked to Shakespeare's Globe. I have waited this moment for such a long time. I have already been there twice, but I could see only the outside, neither of my tours went actually inside. I was desperate to go inside once, and now I have done it!

There are tours available wich depart in every 20 minutes and cost £12.50 (student concession). The inside is just as you learn and would imagine:

The stage really consists of two floors:

After tha Globe I also visited the H.M.S. Belfast, a world war ship, open for the public. It was again part of my inside tour, I went there for the first time. To be honest, I'm glad thet I visited it now, but I'm sure I would have enjoyed it much better if I were a boy. The ticket cost £11.60 (student concession). The ship from the outside:

In the captain's chair:

And here come some phtoso from the inside:

Just to imagine the sizes:

The kitchen:

The Captain's room:

Financially it was my most expensive day, cost altogether £88.20, so about 31.000 Ft.